Rays Rally in Ninth for 4-3 Victory Over Rangers

In a thrilling finish, the Tampa Bay Rays clinched a 4-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Thursday night, thanks to a clutch two-run single from Taylor Walls. The decisive hit came in the ninth inning, where Walls connected with a grounder to second baseman Marcus Semien, who failed to cover first base, allowing Junior Caminero to score from second.

Caminero had already made his mark earlier in the game, hitting a home run off Jack Leiter in the second inning and later contributing an RBI single against Robert Garcia (1-3) that narrowed the score to 3-2. With two outs in the ninth, Christopher Morel kept the rally alive by singling, loading the bases for Walls.

This victory marked the second consecutive night the Rays capitalized on defensive errors by the Rangers. The previous evening, they scored after pitcher Kumar Rocker neglected to cover first base, leading to an additional run when Jonathan Aranda advanced from second while Rocker held onto the ball.

Semien shone for the Rangers with two solo home runs, while Jake Burger also contributed with a long ball. Despite the loss, the Rangers showcased their power hitting throughout the game.

Cole Sluser (3-1) earned the win for the Rays, delivering a scoreless ninth inning. Earlier in the game, Ryan Pepiot pitched six innings, allowing two runs and three hits. Burger's home run in the third ended Pepiot's impressive 20-inning scoreless streak, which was the second-longest active streak in Major League Baseball at that time, trailing only teammate Drew Rasmussen's 23 innings.

Looking ahead, Rays right-hander Zack Littell (5-5, 3.86 ERA) is set to face Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera (2-1, 4.14) in Tampa on Friday. Meanwhile, Rangers right-hander Patrick Corbin (3-4, 3.71) will take on Nationals right-hander Michael Soroka (2-3, 5.81) in Washington for their series opener.