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The Rays (58-56) won their fourth straight and completed a
two-game mini-sweep, tagging reliever Matt Marksberry for five
runs in the big comeback. The Braves (51-63) had built a 6-3
lead, getting a rare four RBIs from shortstop Pedro Ciriaco.
"Great win. Obviously there was some good, some bad, a little
bit of ugly mixed in," said Rays manager Kevin Cash, whose team
overcame an early 3-0 deficit for the third time in four games.
"If that's not resilient, I'm not sure what is. We battled our
way back and we just kept coming."
Everything changed in the seventh, as the Rays got a ground-rule
double from left fielder Grady Sizemore, a single from third
baseman Evan Longoria and a double from first baseman James
Loney to cut the lead to 6-4. A sacrifice fly from second
baseman Logan Forsythe made it 6-5 with the tying run at third
base and one out.
Marksberry's wild pitch scored the tying run -- pinch-runner Tim
Beckham had tagged up from second on the sacrifice fly -- but
the Rays weren't done. Right fielder Brandon Guyer doubled, then
scored the go-ahead run when Marksberry missed the bag covering
first base after a grounder by center fielder Kevin Kiermaier
that could've ended the inning. Instead, his error kept it going
and signaled his exit.
"It was a huge play in the game and it's why you always bust it
down the line, and sometimes it works out for you," said
Kiermaier, whose seventh-inning home run brought the only runs
in Tuesday's 2-0 win. "It's the little things like that that we
need to do from here on out. We've got a lot of good athletes on
this team and we need to force the issue like that."
Marksberry was replaced by reliever Ryan Kelly, who promptly
gave up a two-run home run to catcher Curt Casali. Castali's
eighth of the season produced a 9-6 lead.
"Young, inexperienced guys pitching there, and sometimes you
don't make a play and give those guys an opportunity to get back
in the game, and the inexperience stuff shows," Braves manager
Fredi Gonzalez said. "It's a box of chocolates sometimes when
you go with inexperienced guys in your bullpen."
Reliever Jesus Colome (5-4) earned the win in relief of Rays
starter Jake Odorizzi. Jake McGee pitched a scoreless eighth and
Brad Boxberger a scoreless ninth for his 29th save. The Rays
were 6-39 this season when trailing after six innings.
The Rays scored nine or more runs for just the third time at
home this season, while the Braves gave up nine or more for the
12th time this season, including eight road games.
Two hits by Braves shortstop Pedro Ciriaco, hitting ninth in the
batting order, helped the Braves to a 4-1 lead. One of the hits
was a solo home run -- his first since 2013 -- in the top of the
fifth. He added a sacrifice fly for a fourth RBI -- he had
totaled one RBI in his previous 50 at-bats before Wednesday's
game.
"He gets to play every once in a while and he always comes up
big," Gonzalez said. "He's a nice player to have who can play
multiple positions."
Four hits propelled the Braves to a 3-0 lead in the second
inning, with first baseman Joey Terdoslavich hitting an RBI
double with two outs. Ciriaco then added a two-run single, the
inning ending when he was thrown out trying to reach second.
Catcher A.J. Pierzynski and third baseman Adonis Garcia singled
to start the inning.
The Rays cut the lead to 3-1 in the second when Kiermaier
grounded out with the bases loaded. Tampa Bay just missed a
chance at the lead when Casali hit a shot to the warning track
in left field with two runners on to end the inning.
Ciriaco's home run off Odorizzi made it 4-1 in the fifth, but
the Rays pulled within 4-2 in the bottom of the inning when
Sizemore hit a home run off the "C-ring" catwalk in the roof of
Tropicana Field.
NOTES: The Rays made some roster adjustments after the game,
optioning OF Joey Butler to Triple-A Durham and activating OF
Desmond Jennings, who has been out since May 3 with a knee
injury. Butler was a surprise success in the first two months of
the season, but had seen his average drop from the .340s to .278
and was playing sparingly. ... Braves RHP Williams Perez on
Tuesday became the team's first rookie to throw a complete game
since 2008, when Jorge Campillo did it. Perez, who pitched eight
innings in a 2-0 loss, did so with just 92 pitches, the fewest
by a Braves pitcher in a complete game since Greg Maddux with an
89-pitch gem in 2000.
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