TAMPA \u2014 The central Florida sun disappeared behind the clouds early Wednesday afternoon, and for at least a couple of innings, seemed to take any remaining slivers of Rays mojo with it.<\/p>\n
The hottest team in baseball once upon a June, the Rays entered Wednesday\u2019s overcast matinee against the A\u2019s trying to snap out of a mini-funk in which they had dropped four of their last five. <\/p>\n
And while more of the same swoon tarnished Wednesday\u2019s outset and finish, the Rays stabilized in between. Now, they embark on a 10-day, 10-game road odyssey with at least a smidgen of momentum in the overhead bins.<\/p>\n
A five-run sixth inning propelled Tampa Bay (48-39) to a 6-5 triumph before a sellout Steinbrenner Field audience of 10,046. Five days after a dreadful start at Baltimore, Rays right-hander Ryan Pepiot overcame another bleak beginning Wednesday, ultimately allowing four hits and striking out nine over six innings. <\/p>\n
The A\u2019s made it tense in the bottom of the ninth, scoring three runs off two relievers before right-hander Edwin Uceta struck out Nick Kurtz with the bases loaded on a full-count changeup. <\/p>\n
After retiring the game\u2019s first two batters on six total pitches, Pepiot threw a slider on his eighth that Brent Rooker sent 390 feet, well beyond the leftfield wall. The next inning, Max Schuemann sent the first pitch he saw from Pepiot \u2014 a four-seam fastball \u2014 over the wall in left-center. <\/p>\n
Ten batters in, Pepiot had allowed two homers and had tied his season high for walks surrendered in a game (three). Toss in his dreadful 1 \u2154 -inning stint Friday at Baltimore, and Pepiot surrendered six runs on seven hits with five walks in a 3 \u2154-inning span.<\/p>\n
But after issuing a walk immediately following Schuemann\u2019s homer, Pepiot retired seven in a row. <\/p>\n
Meantime, leftfielder Jake Mangum trimmed the Rays\u2019 deficit to 2-1 in the bottom of the second with a 404-foot blast that ricocheted off the centerfield wall, resulting in the 24th inside-the-park homer in franchise history.<\/p>\n
Josh Lowe\u2019s leadoff home run in the sixth tied the score, and Brandon Lowe followed with a double to right-center to extend his hitting streak to 18 games \u2014 tied for third longest in club history. Yandy Diaz then drew a full count against A\u2019s starter Mitch Spence before sending an 84-mph slider 415 feet to center for his 14th home run, giving the Rays a 4-2 lead. <\/p>\n
Rookie Chandler Simpson and catcher Matt Thaiss added two-out RBI singles later in the inning, priceless insurance runs in light of the A\u2019s\u2019 three-run ninth. <\/p>\n
Thursday: Off<\/p>\n
Next game: at Twins, 4:10 Friday, Target Field, Minneapolis<\/p>\n
Pitchers: Rays \u2014 RH Zack Littell (7-7, 3.61); Twins \u2014 RH Bailey Ober (4-6, 5.28)<\/p>\n
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