TAMPA, Fla. (Interstat) — Cedric Mullins slugged a go-ahead solo home run in the eighth inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays edged the Texas Rangers 3-2 on Thursday afternoon at George Steinbrenner Field.

The Rays won for the second time in the three-game series, improving to 64-44. The Rangers dropped to 55-54.

Mullins’ blast, his 13th of the season, came off Texas reliever Ben Peoples, who took the loss in his first decision of the year. The homer sailed over the left-field wall and broke a 2-2 tie. It was the only run allowed by Peoples, who worked one inning and struck out one.

Bryan Baker pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his 30th save, stranding a pair of Rangers baserunners. Garrett Cleavinger (3-3) got the win after tossing a perfect eighth inning with one strikeout.

The Rangers managed only two hits in the game, both coming in the fifth inning. Alejandro Osuna led off with a sharp single to center field, and Wyatt Langford followed with a run-scoring double to left field, giving Texas a 2-1 lead. Langford finished 1 for 4 with an RBI.

Tampa Bay had tied the game in the third inning. Hunter Feduccia doubled with two outs, and Yandy Díaz singled him home to make it 1-0. The Rays left the bases loaded later in the inning when Cedric Mullins grounded out.

Texas manufactured its first run in the fourth inning without a hit. Ezequiel Duran was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a walk to Brandon Nimmo, advanced to third on a flyout by Jake Burger, and scored on a fielder’s choice grounder by Joc Pederson that was misplayed by shortstop Taylor Walls, tying the game 1-1.

The Rangers took the lead in the fifth on Langford’s double, but the Rays answered immediately. Jonny DeLuca led off the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run, his seventh, to left-center field off Texas starter Marco Gonzales, knotting the score again at 2-2.

Gonzales worked five innings, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out three and walking two. Texas relievers Peyton Gray and Robby Ahlstrom combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings, but Peoples could not protect the tie.

Neither team threatened much otherwise. Texas had runners on base in several innings but could not produce the clutch hit. In the fourth, after scoring on the error, the Rangers left two runners on when Nicky Lopez grounded into a forceout. In the seventh, they stranded a walk by Osuna. In the ninth, with one out, pinch hitter Evan Carter lined out, Osuna struck out, and after Langford walked to put the tying run on second, Ezequiel Duran struck out swinging to end the game.

The Rays had nine hits overall. Díaz singled twice; DeLuca added a single after his homer; and Victor Mesa Jr., Ben Williamson and Feduccia each had one hit. Junior Caminero reached base twice on a walk and a hit by pitch.

Texas star Jake Burger went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. Rangers catcher Austin Wynns struck out three times in three at-bats.

The game took 2 hours, 49 minutes in front of an announced crowd of 15,322.

Texas opens a three-game series at Houston on Friday, while Tampa Bay hosts Chicago White Sox for a weekend set.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Tampa Bay Rays 7, Texas Rangers 6. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Tampa Bay with a 56.90 percent probability to win. Texas had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 5 went over the over/under line of 7.5.