Isaac Paredes slugged a go-ahead solo home run in the ninth inning among his three hits and Manuel Margot added three hits and an RBI to lift the visiting Tampa Bay Rays to a 3-2 win against the Chicago White Sox on Friday night.
Tampa Bay won for the eighth time in 10 games while sending Chicago to its ninth straight defeat.
Paredes’ blast provided the difference. After doubling twice earlier in the game, he greeted White Sox reliever Kendall Graveman with a homer to left. The Rays have gone deep in each of their 11 road games this season.
Kevin Kelly retired Luis Robert on a flyout with two on to end the game and earn the save. Pete Fairbanks recorded the first two outs but exited with an apparent ankle injury.
Colin Poche (2-0) struck out one in a perfect eighth to get the win. Graveman (1-2) took the loss, allowing one run and one hit with two strikeouts.
Tampa Bay scored a first-inning run on a flyout with men on the corners. After White Sox second baseman Lenyn Sosa backpedaled to catch Brandon Lowe’s shallow pop fly, Randy Arozarena tagged up and advanced to second base when he noticed it wasn’t occupied. With the Chicago defense disoriented, Yandy Diaz scored from third.
Andrew Vaughn (first inning) and Jake Burger (second) reached Rays starter Zach Eflin for solo home runs to give the White Sox a 2-1 advantage, but the lead only held up for so long. Tampa Bay tied the game in the fourth on Margot’s RBI single with two strikes and two outs.
Eflin took a no-decision after allowing two runs on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
White Sox counterpart Lucas Giolito also didn’t factor into the decision but pitched well, scattering two runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings. Giolito struck out six and didn’t walk a batter for the second time in six starts this season.
Arozarena, who had two hits, robbed Burger of a would-be second home run in the eighth to keep the game tied at 2. Burger and Vaughn had two hits apiece.
White Sox manager Pedro Grifol was ejected for the second straight night. Grifol protested when both benches were warned after Eflin hit Robert one pitch after Vaughn’s homer.
–Field Level Media
