By ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. PETERSBURG (AP) — Anthony Rendon and Taylor Ward hit run-scoring singles off struggling closer Pete Fairbanks in the ninth inning and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 5-4, on Wednesday night, April 17.
The victory came a day after after Tampa Bay scored twice with two outs in the ninth to tie it and won 7-6 on Amed Rosario’s 13th-inning RBI single.
“You’ve got to be resilient,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “You’ve just got to keep driving, and we did. I think we did a good job of experiencing what we went through last night and coming out there tonight and just trying to take the game that we play today.
“And I think we did that.”
Fairbanks intentionally walked Mike Trout before Ward’s two-out hit. Ward has 21 RBIs in 18 games.
“I wouldn’t have pitched to Mike myself,” Washington said. “That’s why we’ve got Taylor Ward behind him. Pick your poison.”
Fairbanks (0-2) has 9.00 ERA in eight games this season with seven earned runs allowed in seven innings.
“I thought it generally (stunk),” Fairbanks said.
Rosario gave the Rays a 4-3 lead with a two-run homer in the eighth off Hunter Strickland (1-0), who allowed a two-out single in a scoreless ninth before sealing the win.
Trout hit his eighth homer, a 400-foot first-inning solo drive to center off Zack Littell. He has gone deep four times in six games against the Rays this season and tied Carlton Fisk for 79th on the career home runs list with 376.
Angels starter Reid Detmers gave up two runs — one earned — and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings and saw his ERA rise from 1.04 to 1.19. The lefty had allowed one unearned run, including a no-hitter on May 22, 2022, over 13 innings in his other two starts against Tampa Bay.
Los Angeles took a 2-1 lead following nifty baserunning by Nolan Schanuel in the fifth.
Schanuel was on first when Zach Neto popped out to Yandy Díaz. The first baseman gave the ball to Littell and while the pitcher was walking back to the mound, Schanuel safely advanced to second and then scored on Rendon’s single.
“A heads-up play,” Washington said.
Luis Rengifo made it 3-1 on a run-scoring double in the sixth on Littell’s career-high 107th and final pitch.
Littell gave up three runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings, and his ERA rose from 1.17 to 2.14.
Randy Arozarena got the Rays within 3-2 when he drove in just his third run over the last 14 games in the sixth.
