TAMPA (Interstat) — Ian Seymour pitched 4 2/3 innings of two-hit ball and the Tampa Bay Rays scored all their runs in the first inning, blanking the Texas Rangers 3-0 on Wednesday night at George Steinbrenner Field.

The Rays improved to 63-44, while the Rangers dropped to 55-53. Attendance was 14,200, and the game lasted 2 hours, 17 minutes.

Tampa Bay wasted no time against Rangers starter MacKenzie Gore. Yandy Díaz led off the bottom of the first by crushing his 15th home run of the season to right field, giving the Rays a 1-0 lead. Jonathan Aranda followed with a double to center, and after Junior Caminero struck out, Ryan Vilade launched a two-run homer to left center, his ninth of the year, scoring Aranda and making it 3-0. Jonny DeLuca grounded out and Chandler Simpson struck out to end the inning, but the damage was done.

Gore settled in after that, allowing only those three hits over five innings. He struck out six and walked none, but took the loss, falling to 6-9. The Rangers managed just four hits total, all doubles, and never advanced a runner to third base until the ninth inning.

Seymour worked efficiently through the Texas lineup, scattering two hits while striking out four and issuing no walks. He left after recording two outs in the fifth inning, having thrown 65 pitches. Casey Legumina relieved Seymour and retired the only batter he faced in the fifth, then worked a clean sixth, allowing one hit over 1 2/3 innings. Garrett Cleavinger struck out the only batter he faced in the seventh. Kevin Kelly struck out three in a perfect eighth inning. Bryan Baker pitched the ninth, allowing one hit but stranding a runner at second, to earn his 29th save of the season.

Texas’s best scoring opportunity came in the seventh inning. With one out, Jake Burger doubled to left center off Legumina, and Nicky Lopez drew a walk. But Legumina got Cam Cauley to strike out swinging and Alejandro Osuna grounded out softly to end the threat.

In the ninth, Brandon Nimmo doubled with one out off Baker, but Jake Burger flied out sharply to center and Nicky Lopez lined out to third base to end the game.

The Rangers had four hits: doubles by Cam Cauley in the second, Elias Díaz in the third, Jake Burger in the seventh and Brandon Nimmo in the ninth. But they went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base.

For the Rays, the pitching staff combined for 12 strikeouts and allowed only four hits. Vilade’s two-run homer was the decisive blow, while Díaz provided the early lead. The Rays’ defense also turned in a clean game, with no errors.

Tampa Bay won despite managing only three hits of their own. In addition to Díaz’s homer and Aranda’s double, the only other Rays hit was Vilade’s homer. The Rays did not record a hit after the first inning, as Gore and three Texas relievers held them scoreless over the final eight frames. Gore retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced after the first, while relievers Justin Foscue, Grant Anderson and José Leclerc combined for four scoreless innings.

The win gave the Rays a split of the two-game series, after the Rangers won 4-1 on Tuesday. Tampa Bay has won four of its last five games overall. Texas had won three of its previous four.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Tampa Bay 6, Texas 5, while Interstat’s ELO system gave the Rays a 56 percent probability to win. Tampa Bay was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of three went over the over-under line of 7.5.