Forsyth Hits 2-Run Single In 9th; Rays Beat Angels 4-2
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Logan Forsythe hit a broken-bat two-run single with the bases loaded in the ninth inning after Steven Souza Jr. hit a tying two-run homer off Jered Weaver in the sixth, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-2 on Saturday night.
Souza greeted Joe Smith (0-2) with a leadoff single in the ninth, then broke for second on a pitchout with Logan Morrison up. The throw from catcher Geovany Soto was so good that Souza retreated back toward first base. But shortstop Andrelton Simmons' throw hit him in the back, allowing him to end up on second.
Souza was forced at third on Desmond Jennings' bunt to first baseman C.J. Cron after a walk to Morrison, but Forsythe delivered the clutch hit on a 1-1 pitch after a walk to Curt Casali.
Erasmo Ramirez (6-1) pitched two scoreless innings for the victory and Alex Colome got three outs for his eighth save in as many chances.
Weaver ended up with a tough-luck no-decision after allowing two runs — one earned — and six hits through six innings with five strikeouts and no walks. The right-hander took a 2-0 lead into the sixth before an error by Cron led to a tying two-run homer by Souza.
The Angels, whose starting rotation already is depleted because of injuries to Garrett Richards, C.J. Wilson, Andrew Heaney and Tyler Skaggs, got a scare when Weaver had to leap for Cron's underhanded toss on a grounder by Corey Dickerson and landed hard off the bag on his left foot.
Manager Mike Scioscia quickly got Greg Mahle up in the bullpen during pitching coach Charles Nagy's visit to the mound. Weaver's next batter was Souza, who drove the right-hander's 3-2 delivery into the bullpen in left field for his seventh homer, tying the score 2-all.
Rays starter Jake Odorizzi allowed five hits over six innings, including a two-run single by Simmons in the fifth. The right-hander has yielded fewer than three runs in five of his six no-decisions.
Mike Trout's two-out single in the first was the Angels' only hit until the fifth, when Cron led off with a single and Johnny Giavotella reached on an infield hit that was upheld by video review. Both advanced on Soto's sacrifice before Simmons lined the next pitch into left field to open the scoring.
The Rays didn't get a runner past second base until the fifth. Kevin Kiermaier led off with a single, stole second with Hank Conger batting, then stole third with Forsythe at the plate. But Forsythe struck out and Brad Miller popped out.
After Weaver went through his usual routine of bending over three times behind the mound and then writing the initials of late teammate Nick Adenhart on the back slope of the dirt before throwing his first pitch, he had to wait another five minutes until he could do it.
There was a technical issue with the replay system after the umpires tested the equipment. As a result, both clubs were afforded unlimited crew chief reviews for the entire game in addition to the usual manager's challenge.
SPIKE MARKS
Rays: Jennings was 0 for 4 and has one hit in his last 31 at-bats. ...The Rays have hit only one sacrifice fly through their first 28 games. . Jennings and Longoria both flied out to the warning track against Weaver, Jennings with a man on in the second and Longoria with two on in the third.
Angels: Weaver has allowed 12 homers in 13 career starts against Tampa Bay, including nine in his last six
UP NEXT
Rays: RHP Matt Andriese will be recalled from Triple-A Durham on Sunday to make his season debut with the big club, five days after he struck out 14 batters at Indianapolis. The former UC- Riverside product made eight starts last season for the Rays as a rookie, going 2-2 with a 3.57 ERA.
Angels: RHP Nick Tropeano (1-1) is coming off a 5-4 loss last Tuesday at Milwaukee in which he gave up five runs, five hits, five walks and three home runs over five innings. He has gone no more than 5 2-3 innings in any of his five starts, but has thrown at least 89 pitches in each of them.
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