ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. _ The Rays made it a clean sweep of the Angels on Thursday with a 4-2 win.
The runs all came in a nine-batter fourth inning, but the bigger story was the pitching. After Hunter Wood struck out five in two innings of work as the opener, lefty Jalen Beeks made up for his unimpressive Saturday debut with a strong five-inning outing.
Beeks, acquired from the Red Sox for Nathan Eovaldi, didn't allow a hit over his first four innings and only two total, though they led to two runs, striking out four.
Diego Castillo worked the eighth and surprisingly not traded Sergio Romo finished for his 13th save.
The Rays improved to 56-53, one shy of their season high of four games over .500, and have won 20 of their last 24 games under the tilted Tropicana Field roof.
Tommy Pham, the outfielder acquired from St. Louis on Tuesday for three prospects, left the game a couple innings after being hit on the right foot by a pitch, but the team said he sustained only a bruise, with X-rays negative and his return day to day.
The Rays put up a four-spot in the fourth inning, with the biggest hit a two-run single by C.J. Cron against his ex-mates. The Rays loaded the bases when Matt Duffy and Daniel Robertson singled and Pham was hit. Cron singled in two runs, then the Rays got one on an Andrew Heaney wild pitch and another on a Willy Adames sac fly.
Beeks allowed eight runs on 10 hits and three walks over 3 1/3 innings Saturday in Baltimore, throwing 82 pitches. He was much more effective and efficient on Thursday, before a Trop crowd of 10,988, and got the win, the first of his major-league career.
The Rays host the White Sox this weekend, and will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their 2008 AL championship team.
Team MVP Jason Bartlett, Akinori Iwamura, Scott Kazmir, James Shields, B.J. Upton headline a group of 20 players expected. Alums will greet fans at Gate 1 Friday (5:10 opening) and Saturday (4:10) and sign autographs at the 20th anniversary exhibit.
Saturday is the main event, with pre-game introductions, Iwamura throwing the first pitch to Bartlett and all fans getting an Iwamura bobblehead with the radio call of the final out of the ALCS.
