Taylor Walls drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the eighth inning to break a tie and give the Tampa Bay Rays a 4-3 win over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night.
Walls took a 3-2 pitch well below the strike zone from loser Jared Koenig (2-1), who gave up two hits and walk in the inning to load the bases.
The Rays snapped a three-game losing streak overall and a seven-game skid at home.
Cole Sulser (1-1) got the win, despite giving up a run in the top of the eighth on Rhys Holkins’ RBI single as the Brewers tied the game at 3-3. Kansas City rookie right-hander Eric Orze pitched around a two-out single in the ninth for his second save in as many chances.
The Rays took a 3-2 lead in the sixth on an obstruction call against Milwaukee third baseman Caleb Durbin. With runners on first and third and one out, the runner on first, Junior Caminero, took off for second.
Catcher William Contreras fired to second base, but Caminero retreated to first. The throw then went to third, and it appeared that Christopher Morel was picked off third. But the umpire ruled that Durbin blocked the base, and Morel was awarded home and Caminero second.
Brewers’ manager Pat Murphy was ejected for arguing the call.
Tampa Bay’s Brandon Lowe hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game at 2-2. He hit an 0-1 fastball over the right-center field fence an estimated 405 feet for his fifth homer of the season.
Milwaukee had just gone ahead 2-1 in the top of the fourth on Durbin’s bases-loaded groundout.
Tampa Bay tied the game 1-1 in the third on an error by Jackson Chourio in center. Walls led off with a single, and Jose Caballero lined a single to center that skipped past Chourio, which allowed Walls to score.
Contreras gave the Brewers a 1-0 lead in the top of the first with an RBI single. It plated Chourio, who led off the game with an infield single and stole second.
Tampa Bay starter Zack Littell gave up two runs, one earned, in six innings, walking one and striking out five.
Brewers’ starter Jose Quintana allowed three runs, one earned, on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
