ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — There are still a ways to go before saying the Rays have overcome their offensive issues. But the recent results have been encouraging.
Five- and six-run innings, their biggest in more than a week, carried them to a 12-5 win over the Mets on Saturday afternoon. It was their third straight victory, moving them to a season-high-matching three games over .500 at 22-19.
Over the past three games the Rays have scored 24 runs, nearly three times the total from their previous five games combined. (And one shy of their 10-game total from their last homestand.)
“You’ve got to like the way the guys pieced together some innings, came up with some hits and put up some runs,” manager Kevin Cash said.
The production Saturday, before a Tropicana Field crowd of 7,536 — second largest of the season — was a team effort as the Rays totaled 15 hits. Joey Wendle had four hits; Randy Arozarena and Yandy Diaz three each; Austin Meadows two; Manuel Margot, Willy Adames and Brett Phillips each a big one.
Rookie lefty and USF product Shane McClanahan worked into the sixth, allowing two home runs — including one to Tampa native Pete Alonso, the Mets first baseman — but got enough outs for his first big league win.
The Rays turned the game in their favor with a five-run fourth, their biggest inning in more than a week (seven in the eighth on May 6 at Anaheim) and second most productive of the season.
Diaz started it with a walk off lefty Joey Lucchesi, then Wendle, hitting cleanup, doubled. A ground ball to shortstop with the infield back by Margot got them one run. A double by Adames, hitting .182 at the time, got them two more to make it 4-4.
After two outs, the Mets switched to right-hander Sean Reid-Foley, and Rays manager Kevin Cash made a somewhat unusual move, pinch-hitting lefty Meadows for Mike Brosseau. That paid off when Meadows doubled in the go-ahead run, and again when Arozarena singled in Meadows. As challenged as the Rays have been with runners in scoring position, they delivered four hits in just that inning.
“We definitely feel better than we did a week ago, that’s for sure,” Cash said.
Coming off Friday’s 3-2 walk-off win, the Rays grabbed a lead in the first Saturday. Diaz, who was on base three times, doubled with two outs, went to third on Wendle’s infield single and scored when Mets catcher Thomas Nido made an errant throw to second on Wendle’s steal attempt.
The Mets came out swinging in the second against McClanahan with two singles, a bunt, then a two-out, three-run homer by No. 9 hitter Jose Peraza. They made it 4-1 in the third on a two-out homer by Alonso, whose first trip to the Trop as a big-leaguer had been off to a rough start with five strikeouts.
The Rays added six in the eighth, on doubles by Diaz, Wendle and Phillips.
McClanahan struck out seven, allowing four runs, six hits and a walk. Andrew Kittredge followed with a strong 1 2/3-inning outing, retiring all five Mets he faced. Lefty Jeffrey Springs made it a big more interesting, allowing a leadoff homer to Francisco Lindor in the eighth. Cody Reed worked the ninth.
