Neither team led by more than a run all night, and it took a home run in the eighth inning to finally settle it. Cedric Mullins connected for the go-ahead blast, and the Tampa Bay Rays made it stand up for a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEX | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| TB | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | X | 3 | 9 | 1 |
Jonny DeLuca powered the Rays' offense, going 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI. His solo shot to left field in the sixth inning tied the game at 2-2, part of a night in which the lead changed hands repeatedly. Mullins finished 1-for-4 but delivered the biggest hit, his home run to left field in the eighth putting Tampa Bay ahead 3-2 for good.
The scoring see-sawed from the start. Hunter Feduccia scored in the third when Díaz singled to left, giving the Rays a 1-0 lead. Texas answered in the fourth when Duran scored on an error during a Pederson fielder's-choice grounder that tied it at 1-1. The Rangers then went ahead in the fifth as Wyatt Langford doubled to left and Alejandro Osuna scored, making it 2-1. DeLuca's homer tied it back up in the sixth before Mullins' eighth-inning shot put Tampa Bay in front for good.
Texas managed just two hits all game. B. Peoples took the loss after allowing 1 run on 2 hits over 0.2 innings in relief, his record falling to 0-1 on the season with an ERA of 2.70. The Rangers' bullpen as a whole covered 7.0 innings and allowed 3 runs. Rays starter Shane McClanahan went 3.0 innings, allowing 1 run on 2 walks with 3 strikeouts, before Tampa Bay turned to a deep bullpen that covered 6.0 innings and allowed just 1 run. Garrett Cleavinger picked up the win, striking out 2 over 1.0 scoreless inning, and Bryan Baker closed it out for his 30th save, working around two walks with 2 strikeouts.
The win was Tampa Bay's second straight, improving the Rays to 64-44 atop their division. Texas dropped its second in a row, falling to 55-54.