ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — When it comes to winning strategies, the Tampa Bay Rays are getting good at go-ahead eighth-inning home runs.
Both their wins this season had come that way, and on Tuesday night, it was second baseman Logan Forsythe who ripped a two-out, full-count, two-run home run to left field off starter Corey Kluber to spark the Rays to a 5-1 win over the Cleveland Indians at Tropicana Field. The Rays (3-4) had been held to one hit and shut out into the seventh inning before rallying — they have three wins now despite leading after just eight innings out of 63 on the season. Evan Longoria added a second two-run home run in the eighth — again with a full count and two outs — off reliever Cody Allen.
The Rays got strong pitching from starter Matt Moore, who gave up a solo home run in the fourth inning but shut things down from there. The Indians didn’t have a hit from the fifth inning on, including reliever Xavier Cedeno (1-0) getting a 1-2-3 eighth inning on 10 pitches. Alex Colome, getting the nod for the ninth, got another 1-2-3 inning to seal the win, with a leaping grab from right fielder Steven Souza at the warning track for the final out.
Cleveland (2-3) had dominated the Rays in a four-game sweep at the Trop last season, holding them to six total hits in their first three wins. For seven innings, it looked to be more of the same on Tuesday night, with Kluber barely allowing baserunners, and two of them out before they got to second.
The Rays were held to one hit until the seventh inning, when they tied the game with a two-out rally off Kluber. Corey Dickerson hit a line-drive double to left field, just out of the reach of Jose Ramirez, and Dickerson came in to tie the game on an RBI single to left field from Desmond Jennings, who picked up his first RBI of the season. In the eighth, Forsythe’s second home run of the season came after Kevin Kiermaier had reached on a walk and stolen second base.
Runs were hard to come by early, with Kluber and Moore both in control.
The Indians led 1-0 after five innings.
Kluber gave up a first-inning single to Longoria, and the only other baserunner he allowed in five innings was Longoria, who walked in the fourth and was caught stealing.
Moore wasn’t quite as dominant. His only mistake was a home run by Francisco Lindor to lead off the fourth that was just out of the reach of a leaping Kevin Kiermaier in left-center field. The home run was the first this season for Lindor, who also singled in the first inning.
Cleveland could have had more runs that inning. Mike Napoli singled immediately after Lindor’s home run but was thrown out by Desmond Jennings trying to tag up from first on a fly to the warning track in left field. Yan Gomes followed with a double off the wall, but the Indians couldn’t bring him in.
NOTES: Tuesday’s game featured two teams grateful to be playing indoors. The Indians had three games postponed already this season and the Rays had one on Saturday, with off days on Thursday and Monday, giving them just two games in a span of five days. … Tampa Bay’s bats had yet to come alive. They’ve scored only 18 runs in six games and have led after just six of their 54 innings, so they’re fortunate to be 2-4. The Rays were hitting only .205 with runners in scoring position, and of the 39 runners they’ve left on base, 25 have been in scoring position. … Cleveland is likely facing four straight left-handers between its last two games with Chicago and the Rays’ Matt Moore and Drew Smyly. … Not only has the weather limited the Indians to four games in nine days, but they have only been able to take pregame batting practice outdoors once.