Rays Thrash Padres
ST. PETERSBURG (AP) — Sean Rodriguez, Yunel Escobar and James Loney drove in late runs for the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday in a 4-2 victory that completed a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres.
The Rays won their fifth in a row overall.
Roberto Hernandez (2-4) pitched six innings, giving up five hits and two runs.
Fernando Rodney pitched the ninth inning for his 11th save.
The Rays trailed 2-1 in the sixth when Evan Longoria, who hit a winning two-run homer with two outs in the ninth Saturday night, led off with a double. Rodriguez hit a tying single off Eric Stults (3-3), moved up on a wild pitch by Brad Brach and scored on Escobar's double for a 3-2 lead.
Loney, hitting .456 in his last 24 games, connected for his third homer of the season in the eighth off Dale Thayer.
Longoria scored twice. He walked in the second and headed home on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Jose Molina.
Yonder Alonso tied it for the Padres with an RBI single in the fourth. Alexi Amarista's second home run of the season put the Padres ahead 2-1 in the fifth.
Stults pitched 5 1-3 innings, giving up three runs on five hits and five walks.
The Padres finished with six hits. They were robbed by excellent defensive plays by Sam Fuld in center field, Escobar at short and Matt Joyce in right field.
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