ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Rays had a good bounce-back performance Saturday.
After a sloppy outing and frustrating loss to the White Sox on Friday, they posted an 8-4 victory in Saturday’s second game of the weekend series matching two American League division leaders.
The win improved the Rays’ AL-best record to 76-48 and insured they will maintain at least a four-game East division lead over the Yankees.
A lot went into the Rays’ victory as Luis Patino, following a rough Sunday outing in Minnesota, delivered a strong six-inning start; five players drove in runs; and Collin McHugh got the final five outs before a Tropicana Field season-high crowd of 22,275.
And it all started with a good bounce, as Wander Franco’s ground ball to third with two outs in the first inning hit the base and led to a three-run rally.
Patino gave the Rays the kind of start they were looking for when they called him back up in late July and gave him a spot in the rotation, then traded Rich Hill to keep the path clear.
Patino worked six strong innings, allowing two runs on five hits, walking only one and striking out five, throwing 59 of 91 pitches for strikes, using his fastball as the primary weapon.
That was a big improvement from his last start, when he lasted only three innings, walking five, throwing only 36 of 69 pitches for strikes.
After rallying in the eighth inning Friday but losing in 11 innings, the Rays took a quick lead Saturday, scoring three in the first inning, and all after two outs.
Nelson Cruz got them started with a one-out single off Sox starter Dallas Keuchel, then Yandy Diaz singled with two outs. Rookie Wander Franco then grounded a ball down the third-base line that hit the bag and bounced high, preventing Yoan Moncada from making a play and allowing Cruz to score.
Franco hustled to second and that mattered as Brandon Lowe, continuing his hot streak, doubled deep to left-center field to score two more.
The Rays made it 4-0 in the second as Mike Zunino led off with a walk, went to second on Joey Wendle’s first hit, third on a deep flyout by Randy Arozarena and home on Cruz’s infield out.
The Sox got a run on catcher Seby Zavala’s homer off Patino, the Rays got it back when Zunino laced a triple — fourth of his career, first since 2019 — and scored on Wendle’s second single.
They made it 6-1 in the fifth with Franco again in middle of the action, reaching on a one-out single, then racing home on Manuel Margot’s two-out double. Franco dove to slide headfirst across the plate and hit his chin so hard, he had to be checked by the Rays athletic training staff but was able to stay in the game.
The Sox stayed at it, getting a run in the sixth when Eloy Jimenez singled in Jose Abreu, and another in the eighth when Cesar Hernandez singled, went to third on Brian Goodwin’s double and score on Abreu’s sac fly.
