Tampa Bay completes sweep of Giants with 10th-inning walk-off
TAMPA, Fla. (Interstat) — The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the San Francisco Giants 2-1 in 10 innings Sunday afternoon at George Steinbrenner Field, completing a three-game sweep and extending their winning streak to four.
The Rays improved to 21-12, while the Giants fell to 13-21.
Starter Steven Matz pitched six innings for Tampa Bay, allowing one run on four hits with one strikeout. He did not factor into the decision. Ian Seymour earned the win, throwing a scoreless 10th inning to improve to 1-0. Rays relievers combined for 10 strikes, 44 balls and 10 balls in play.
Giants starter Tyler Mahle worked 5 1/3 innings, surrendering four hits and no earned runs while striking out five. Caleb Kilian took the loss, allowing two hits and one run in the 10th after issuing an intentional walk to Junior Caminero. Kilian fell to 1-1. Giants pitchers combined for 20 strikes, 41 balls and 20 balls in play.
The game was played before 20,108 fans and lasted 2 hours, 33 minutes.
San Francisco struck first in the top of the first inning. Heliot Ramos lined out sharply to second baseman Ben Williamson, but Rafael Devers followed with a ground-ball double to left fielder Chandler Simpson. Casey Schmitt then singled to center fielder Cedric Mullins, scoring Devers for a 1-0 lead. Luis Arraez grounded into a double play to end the inning.
The Giants mounted a threat in the third. Eric Haase doubled to left, advanced to third on a Ramos flyout and stayed there after Devers walked. Schmitt lined out sharply to center, leaving two runners on. In the fifth, Jung Hoo Lee walked but was erased on a double play. In the sixth, Schmitt singled but was left stranded.
Tampa Bay’s best early chance came in the sixth. Jonathan Aranda singled and advanced to second when shortstop Willy Adames committed a fielding error on Ryan Vilade’s fielder’s choice. Jonny DeLuca struck out, then Ben Williamson walked to load the bases. Mullins lined out to right to end the inning.
The Rays tied the game in the eighth. Caminero drew a walk off Giants reliever Ryan Walker. Aranda singled to center, sending Caminero to third. Vilade laid down a sacrifice bunt, scoring Caminero and advancing Aranda to second. Jonny DeLuca followed with another sacrifice bunt, moving Aranda to third and Vilade to second. Williamson then lined into an unassisted double play, third baseman Matt Chapman catching the ball and stepping on third to double off Aranda.
The game remained tied 1-1 through the ninth. Giants reliever Keaton Winn retired the side in order in the seventh, and Matt Gage pitched a scoreless ninth with one strikeout. For Tampa Bay, Hunter Bigge threw two hitless innings with three strikeouts, and Bryan Baker worked a scoreless ninth with one strikeout.
In the bottom of the 10th, Kilian intentionally walked Caminero to start the inning. Aranda then singled on a fly ball to right fielder Jung Hoo Lee, scoring the automatic runner, Chandler Simpson, from second and giving Tampa Bay the win.
Aranda finished 4 for 5 with one RBI. He accounted for half of the Rays’ eight hits. Caminero, Nick Fortes, and Williamson each had one hit. The Rays also executed two sacrifice hits.
San Francisco managed six hits. Devers doubled and scored the game’s only run. Schmitt had two singles and the RBI. Haase doubled, and Adames doubled in the seventh. The Giants grounded into two double plays and left eight runners on base.
Matz came into the game after a strong start against Cleveland on April 27, when he threw seven innings, allowing two runs on four hits with two strikeouts in a win. He had struggled on April 21 against Cincinnati, allowing four runs in three innings in a loss.
The Giants entered the contest on a five-game losing streak, having lost the first two games of the series by scores of 5-1 and 3-0, and had dropped three straight at Philadelphia before that. Their last win came April 26 against Miami.
The Rays had won their previous three games, including the first two of the series, and had taken two of three at Cleveland earlier in the week.
The teams meet again next season. San Francisco returns home to face San Diego on Monday, while Tampa Bay hosts Toronto.
Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Tampa Bay 7, San Francisco 4. Interstat’s ELO system gave the Rays a 54.90 percent probability to win. San Francisco had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of 3 went over the over-under line of 8.5.