CLEVELAND — The Rays were off to a good start Friday night. A two-error play by Cleveland led to three runs in the second inning, and a home run by new addition Nelson Cruz in his second at-bat gave them an early four-run lead.
They eventually let that get away, but they ended the night happy anyway, rallying in the ninth for six runs and a 10-5 win.
PInch-hitter Joey Wendle singled in the go-ahead run after Randy Arozarena opened the ninth off Nick Wittgren with a single and Kevin Kiermaier was hit by a pitch.
After Brandon Lowe lined out, Ji-Man Choi lofted a three-run homer to right, and the Rays added two more runs
The win improved the Rays 59-39 and, at the very least, kept them within one game of the American League East-leading Red Sox, who were playing the Yankees.
The Rays have won the first five games this season, and 10 straight overall, against Cleveland, which on Friday announced plans to change its name to the Guardians after this season.
Tampa Bay got three runs on one messy play in the second in which Cleveland All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez made two errors.
The rally started innocently, with Yandy Diaz drawing a one-out walk off starer Zach Plesac and Wander Franco following with a single to center.
Arozarena followed with a ground-ball single to center, and that’s when all the fun began.
Diaz was set to score, so Cleveland center fielder Oscar Mercado threw to third. Ramirez mishandled the throw, which was his first mistake, allowing Franco to get up and score as the ball bounced away.
Then Ramirez retrieved the ball and bounced his throw home, allowing Arozarena to make the turn at third and race home, sliding in ahead of Plesac’s throw back to the plate.
The Rays extended the lead to 4-0 in the third when Cruz made a grand debut following his Thursday acquisition from the Twins, homering to right. It was his 20th homer of the season and the 437th of his career, one behind Andre Dawson for 45th place all-time.
Ramirez made some amends in the third inning, when he launched a 409-foot, 106.7-mph three-run homer off Rays starter Josh Fleming. A one-out walk to Cesar Hernandez and a single by Amed Rosario set Ramirez up.
Having traded Rich Hill to the Mets on Friday, the Rays are planning a bullpen day to cover his scheduled Saturday start. And a long outing from Fleming on Friday would have helped, but he lasted only four innings, allowing three runs, on the Ramirez homer, with six hits, two walks and one strikeout, throwing 72 pitches (41 strikes). Andrew Kitttedge and Matt Wisler each worked two innings, then Pete Fairbanks finished after allowing a leadoff homer in the ninth.
Ramirez delivered again in the seventh to pull Cleveland even. Hernandez greeted Wisler with a ground ball that appeared to carom off his glove for an infield single. With one out, Ramirez laced a ball into the right-field corner, and raced his way to third.
