ATLANTA — A Sunday afternoon that started with the Rays being held hitless through the first four innings, making a mess in the field and falling behind by three runs turned out pretty well with a 7-5 win over the Braves.
Rookie Wander Franco, Kevin Kiermaier and Yandy Diaz had the biggest hits, and the Rays used five pitchers to cover the nine innings.
The win improved the Rays to 55-38 and could move them within a half-game of the American League East-leading Red Sox, who played Sunday night at the Yankees.
Coming off a 9-0 mess Saturday night — their worst shutout loss in nearly four years — the Rays got off to a rough start again Sunday against the Braves.
They were held hitless through the first four innings by ex-mate Drew Smyly, while Rays starter Rich Hill wasn’t sharp. And they made a mess in the field, somewhat fortunate to be behind only 3-0 after four.
Brandon Lowe misplayed a ball in leftfield, Vidal Brujan had trouble with throws from second base and Hill cost himself, failing to cover first on one play and not fielding a grounder cleanly on another.
But the Rays started to come back in the fifth.
Lowe got their first hit, somewhat of a check swing to the third-base side that beat the shift. All-Star Mike Zunino doubled, and a wild pitch got the Rays their first run. A sac fly by Atlanta-area native Austin Meadows, pinch-hitting for Hill, got them another.
The Rays tied it at 3 in the sixth when the 20-year-old rookie Franco, who acknowledged before the game that he wasn’t playing up to his standards, homered with one out.
The Braves went back ahead in the sixth, with help from two new acquisitions. Stephen Vogt, the former Ray, led off with a single off reliever Andrew Kittredge, then lefty Joc Pederson doubled with two outs off lefty Jeffrey Springs.
But the Rays rallied again, scoring four in the seventh.
All-Star Joey Wendle led off with a single, then raced home after centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier, who made a leaping catch at the wall to end the Braves’ fourth, laced a double into the rightfield corner. Kiermaier stole third and scored on another Meadows sac fly.
The Rays added two more when Francisco Mejia, the backup catcher who pitched the eighth inning Saturday, delivered a pinch-hit double, and Diaz blasted a homer to center.
An error by Lowe at second and two singles got the Braves a run in the seventh off Rays reliever Collin McHugh, ending his scoreless streak that covered 23 innings over 11 appearances.
