Curtis Mead lofted a tiebreaking home run in the sixth inning as the Tampa Bay Rays salvaged one win in their three-game series with Detroit, taming the hot Tigers 7-5 on Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Trailing 5-4, the Rays tied it in the sixth against reliever Will Vest (1-1) on Ben Rortvedt’s RBI single. Mead then slugged a two-run shot, his first long ball of the season, down the left field line.
The ball sailed high and landed beyond the foul pole’s 315-foot marker for his second career homer, helping the Rays snap a three-game losing streak.
Randy Arozarena hit a solo shot, and Rortvedt went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs and two RBIs. Tampa Bay’s Yandy Diaz and Isaac Paredes had two hits apiece.
Though he allowed two runs in the top of the sixth, his only inning, Chris Devenski (1-1) picked up the win.
Rays reliever Tyler Alexander followed opener Shawn Armstrong and retired the first eight Tigers he faced, but he allowed two runs on three hits in four innings in his first appearance against his former club.
Detroit’s Matt Vierling went 2-for-4 with a triple and a run. Mark Canha hit a two-run single as the Tigers lost for the first time in four games.
Tigers starter Jack Flaherty rebounded after allowing all four runs against him in the first two frames. He lasted five innings and gave up seven hits while striking out six and issuing no walks.
Armstrong, after allowing a leadoff single in the first to Riley Greene and walking Wenceel Perez, stumbled during his delivery and balked the pair into scoring position. Greene then scored on a groundout by Spencer Torkelson.
In the bottom of the frame, the slumping Arozarena got back on track by sending out a 3-1 slider from Flaherty out to straightaway left for a 1-1 tie. It was his third homer and first since March 31.
The home club strung together a three-run second on an RBI double by Rortvedt and run-scoring singles by Jose Caballero and Diaz to go ahead 4-1.
Canha ripped a two-out, two-run single in the fifth, pulling Detroit within one.
The Tigers evened it up against Devenski in the sixth when Buddy Kennedy singled home Vierling, who had sliced a triple to right. Kennedy stole second and gave Detroit its first lead on Javier Baez’s double.
Tampa Bay’s Jason Adam retired all six batters he faced in the seventh and eighth before Garrett Cleavinger locked down his second save with a hitless ninth.
