TAMPA, Fla. (Interstat) — Jonny DeLuca’s two-run home run in the seventh inning lifted the Tampa Bay Rays to a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Sunday afternoon at George Steinbrenner Field, erasing a two-run deficit and giving the Rays their second win in the three-game series.

The victory came after Washington had won the opener Saturday 4-3, while Tampa Bay took Friday’s game 5-2. The Nationals struck first in the third inning when José Tena drew a walk, advanced to third on a single by Nasim Nuñez and scored on a sacrifice fly by James Wood. Washington added another run in the fourth when CJ Abrams doubled and scored on a double by Dylan Crews. In the sixth, Abrams hit his 17th homer of the season, a solo shot to right-center, putting the Nationals ahead 3-1.

Tampa Bay answered each time. In the bottom of the third, Taylor Walls doubled and Yandy Díaz doubled to drive him in. In the sixth, Ryan Vilade homered to center field, his fifth, cutting the lead to 3-2.

The decisive moment came in the seventh. After Nationals reliever Orlando Ribalta struck out Walls, Díaz singled to left. DeLuca then drove a 1-0 pitch over the left-field wall for his fourth homer, scoring Díaz and putting the Rays ahead 4-3. It was the only hit Ribalta allowed in his inning of work, but it proved costly.

Rays closer Kevin Kelly recorded his third save by retiring the side in the ninth. He struck out Dylan Crews and José Tena after Daylen Lile led off with a single. Kelly now has three saves on the season.

Rays starter Nick Martinez pitched six solid innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits with five strikeouts. He left the game with the score tied 3-3 but received a no-decision. Washington starter Andrew Alvarez also turned in a strong outing, tossing four innings and yielding one earned run on four hits while striking out six.

The winning pitcher was Garrett Cleavinger, who worked a perfect seventh inning, striking out two. He improved to 2-2. Ribalta took the loss, falling to 0-1. For the Rays, Bryan Baker pitched a hitless eighth inning. Washington’s bullpen also saw contributions from Gus Varland, who allowed one earned run on three hits over two innings, and Paxton Schultz, who pitched a scoreless eighth. Overall, the Nationals staff struck out 12 batters, matching the Rays’ strikeout total.

Offensively, Abrams led Washington with a double and a homer in four at-bats. Lile had two hits, including a single in the ninth. For Tampa Bay, Díaz was 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. DeLuca finished 2-for-4 with the homer and two RBIs. Vilade’s solo homer was his fifth of the year.

The game featured nine hits for Tampa Bay and six for Washington. Both teams turned double plays in the field. In the first, Tampa Bay shortstop Taylor Walls started a double play to end a Washington threat. In the fourth, Washington turned a force out, and in the eighth, a fielding error by Nationals third baseman Curtis Mead allowed Chandler Simpson to reach, but the Rays could not add to their lead.

Attendance was 21,054, and the game lasted 2 hours, 28 minutes. The victory improved Tampa Bay’s record to 43-31, while Washington fell to 40-38. The Rays now lead the season series 2-1. Washington will open a four-game homestand Monday against the Philadelphia Phillies. Tampa Bay hosts the Kansas City Royals in a four-game set starting Monday.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Washington 6, Tampa Bay 5. The ELO system gave the Rays a 57.70 percent probability to win. Tampa Bay was a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total of seven runs went over the over-under line of eight.