Rays Take Series From Orioles Thanks to Brett Phillips' 3-Run Homer
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It's been a long, long, long couple of months for Tampa Bay outfielder Brett Phillips, who's been horrifically bad at the plate.
But that all changed on Sunday, when Phillips hit a three-run homer in the third inning, giving the Rays a six-run lead. They held on to beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-5 to take the series and finish the first half of the season with a 51-41 record, which is good enough to lead the American League wild-card race.
Phillips, the ''Baseball is Fun'' eternal optimistic, had no interest in talking about his 5-for-84 slump over the past two months. His many worst-in-baseball numbers meant nothing to him on Sunday. He only wanted to talk about the home run and what c
"It felt like my first home run in the big leagues, just because it's been so long,'' Phillips said. "You can work so hard, but if you don't see any (results), it's frustrating. I'm just trying to get back to who I am as a hitter, and this feels good going into the All-Star break.
"It's frustrating, but I'm moving forward. Today was a great day, and I'm moving forward no matter how frustrating the first half has been.''
The Rays blew the game open in the third inning with that rarity — a three-run homer from the struggling Phillips. He's been in an epic slump, so his homer over the right-field wall — which put them ahead 6-0 —sent the Rays' dugout into a frenzy.
Phillips had just one hit in his last 34 at-bats, and was batting .060 (5-for-84, all singles) in 37 games (26 starts) since May 24. He has endured 0-for-31 and 0-for-28 skids over that stretch. This was his first extra-base hit since he doubled against Baltimore on May 22. It was his first homer since May 17 against Detroit, covering exactly two months and 102 at-bats.
His .144 average is the lowest in the majors for any with 150 at-bats or more, and his 47.3 strikeout percentage is also worst in the majors.
The Rays' bats were hot right out of the gate. No. 2 hitter Harold Ramirez was hit by a pitch in the first inning, and then Randy Arozarena homered to straightaway center field to make it 2-0. It came at a price though, because Ramirez broke his right thumb and will be out at least two weeks, if not more.
The Rays scored again in the second when Phillips walked and then Josh Lowe doubled into the gap in right center to push the lead to 3-0.
Corey Kluber pitched six innings for the Rays, but he did let the Orioles get in the game. They scored twice in the fourth, and then got two more in the sixth to cut the lead to 6-4.
Kluber gave up four singles an a hit-batter in the fourth, but minimized the damage by getting out of bases-loaded, one-out situation. Then he allowed a two-run homer to Rougned Odor in the sixth.
Tampa Bay pitcher Corey Kluber (28) throws a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles during the third inning on Sunday. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
Tampa Bay got one back in the bottom of the inning when Francisco Mejia homered to make it 7-4.
Pete Fairbanks made his season debut for the Rays after missing the first three-plus months with a lat injury. He was greeted rudely by Baltimore right fielder Austin Hays, who hit a home run to left field on the first game from Fairbanks.
Jason Adam , who blew a save in Saturday's loss to the Orioles, closed out Sunday's game with a perfect ninth inning. "The life of a reliever,'' he said. "You have to have a short memory, and I do. I had to come right back out and do my job today, and I did. That's what I love about being a relief pitcher. It's a new day every day,
The Rays finished the homestand with a 6-1 record, and are now 6-1 at home against the Orioles this season as well. With that 51-41 mark, they lead the AL wild-card chase and now get four days off before resuming the season on Friday in Kansas City.
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