Rays use long ball to get even
The Rays’ Brandon Lowe ( right) celebrates his tworun homer with Willy Adames in the fifth inning of Game 2 of the World Series against the Dodgers on Wednesday. It was Lowe’s second homer, fueling Tampa Bay to a 64 victory to even the series 11. The story is on
ARLINGTON, Texas — Brandon Lowe busted out early and Tampa Bay’s bullpen hung on late.
Lowe shook loose from his extended postseason slump with two oppositefield home runs, and the Rays held off the Dodgers 64 on Wednesday night to square the World Series at one game apiece.
“Yeah, those felt really good,” said Lowe, a 2019 All-Star who led the Rays with 14 homers and 37 RBIs this season. “It felt great to kind of get back and contribute.”
Blake Snell struck out nine in 42⁄ innings for the
3 Rays and didn’t allow a hit until Chris Taylor’s tworun homer trimmed Tampa Bay’s lead to 52 in the fifth. The Dodgers threatened to complete a big comeback in the eighth, but Tampa Bay’s relievers held firm.
Lowe and former A’s infielder Joey Wendle each drove in three runs for the Rays.
Nick Anderson got four outs for the win. Diego Castillo earned the save when he struck out Taylor, the only batter he faced.
Lefthander Aaron Loup also did a nice job, throwing a called third strike past Cody Bellinger with a runner on second to end the eighth before retiring two hitters in the ninth.
Game 3 in the bestofseven Series on Friday night matches two biggame pitchers on extra rest. Charlie Morton gets the ball for Tampa Bay against Walker Buehler.
Lowe hit an oppositefield solo homer to leftcenter in the first off St. Mary’s alum Tony Gonsolin, putting the American League champion Rays ahead for the first time at this neutralsite World Series with their 27th home run of the postseason, matching a majorleague record. The second baseman was hitting .107 this postseason, and in an even worse 4for48 slide (. 083) since the start of the AL Division Series.
“Sometimes guys, you’ve got to allow them to go through some tough patches,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “He will go quiet for a little while, but he can get as hot as anybody in baseball.”
After Lowe went deep again in the fifth with a runner on against Dustin May, the fourth Dodgers pitcher — it was 50.
Will Smith and NLCS MVP Corey Seager homered for the Dodgers. Seager’s solo shot in the eighth was his seventh homer and 16th RBI, extending the franchise records he set this postseason.
Snell walked Kiké Hernandez with two outs in the fifth before Taylor, the No. 9 batter, homered. The Rays’ lefty was out of the game two batters later, after Mookie Betts walked and Seager singled.
“He was outstanding,” Cash said. “The slider from my vantage looked like it was a really good weapon for him. He was awesome.”
The Dodgers knew it would be primarily a bullpen game instead of bringing back Buehler on short rest after lefty Clayton Kershaw threw six strong innings in their 83 win Tuesday night in Game 1.
Four of the first five LA pitchers allowed runs, with Dylan Floro keeping a clean slate after benefiting from a nice defensive play and a replay review that ended the second. The Dodgers were the first team to use four pitchers within the first four innings of a World Series game since the A’s against Cincinnati in Game 3 of the 1990 World Series.
Gonsolin, the rookie righthander, allowed Lowe’s first homer and was done after 11⁄ innings.