ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Rays’ baffling Seattle swoon finally has been laid to rest.
Maybe, just maybe, so has the chatter of a Randy Arozarena sophomore jinx.
The Rays’ 2020 postseason wunderkind remained on his current tear with two extra-base hits, including a two-run triple in the third, to help lift his team to a 4-3 victory Wednesday at Tropicana Field.
The triumph, before a matinee audience of 9,701, was Tampa Bay’s first in seven meetings this season against Seattle, which has won 20 of the last 27 in this series.
Arozarena’s effort complemented a highly efficient five-inning stint by left-handed starter Josh Fleming, who exited after issuing a leadoff triple to Mitch Haniger in the sixth. Fleming scattered five hits in a 75-pitch stint, striking out six and walking none.
He retired his first eight batters, needing only eight and six pitches to get out of the first and fifth innings, respectively. A trio of relievers combined for the final four innings, with left-hander Ryan Sherriff working a perfect ninth for his first save of the season.
Arozarena, hardly a model of consistency earlier in the summer, now has reached base safely in 13 of his last 14 games, batting .404 (23-for-57) with 11 extra-base hits during that stretch.
His third-inning triple off Seattle starter Logan Gilbert followed Brandon Lowe’s leadoff double and a walk by Ji-Man Choi, giving the hosts a 3-1 lead. Arozarena finished the Mariners series 7-for-11 with two home runs.
A sixth-inning leadoff triple by right fielder Mitch Haniger, followed by designated Kyle Seager’s sacrifice fly to deep right, cut Seattle’s deficit to 3-2. All-star catcher Mike Zunino hit his 21st home run of the season — a two-out solo blast — in the bottom of the inning to again cushion the Rays’ lead.
