ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Yandy Díaz, Brandon Lowe and Randy Arozarena hit RBI singles in the eighth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 on Tuesday night.
Josh Lowe opened the eighth with a triple against Miles Mikolas (6-8). Andre Pallante entered and retired pinch-hitter Harold Ramírez on a grounder before Díaz hit a groundball single to center that made it 2-1 — the first of four consecutive base hits. Lowe and Arozarena drove in runs with their hits.
Díaz went 4 for 4 and raised his average from .315 to .322 as the Rays improved to 7-3 over their last 10 games. Isaac Paredes hit his 22nd homer of the season in the seventh inning, when he knotted the game at 1-all.
Tampa Bay center fielder Jose Siri helped preserve the 1-all tie with a leaping catch at the wall on Nolan Gorman’s two-out drive off Jason Adam (3-2) with a runner on first in the top of the eighth.
Pete Fairbanks, the third Rays' pitcher, gave up a solo homer to Willson Contreras in the ninth before nailing down his 15th save and completing the five-hitter.
Rays starter Zach Eflin failed in his bid to become the AL's first, and the major's third, 13-game winner. He allowed one run and four hits over seven innings. The right-hander struck out eight in an outing in which he threw 71 of 99 pitches for strikes.
Before the game, Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said it is “highly unlikely” that All-Star left-hander Shane McClanahan will pitch again this season because of a left arm injury. Options include Tommy John surgery.
Mikolas made the start after serving a five-game suspension from MLB for intentionally throwing at the Chicago Cubs' Ian Happ on July 27. He gave up two runs and eight hits in seven-plus innings.
St. Louis has lost 12 of its last 17 games.
Nolan Arenado put the Cardinals ahead 1-0 on 24th homer leading off the second. He also flew out twice against Eflin on balls to the warning track.
Aremado tied Atlanta’s Ozzie Albies for the second-most interleague RBIs this season with 31. Only Houston’s Alex Bregman has driven in more interleague runs with 32.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cardinals: OF Tyler O’Neill was a late scratch due to left knee tightness and is day to day. … Reliever Ryan Helsley (right elbow strain) will make his second appearance with Double-A Springfield on Wednesday. RHP Jake Woodford (right shoulder strain) will pitch in the same game against San Antonio.
Rays: RHP Tyler Glasnow (back spasms) received an injection, but might start this weekend against Cleveland.
UP NEXT
The Rays will have a bullpen game Wednesday night against Cardinals RHP Dakota Hudson (2-0).
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