Wendle’s doubles power Rays’ win

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Joey Wendle hit three doubles and a single, keying two big innings that sent the Tampa Bay Rays past the New York Mets 12-5 Saturday.

Yandy Diaz, who had two of Tampa Bay’s eight doubles, and Randy Arozarena each had three hits.

Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and Jose Peraza each homered for the Mets, who have lost two in a row at Tropicana Field after a seven-game winning streak.

Wendle had an infield single that set up a run in the first and doubled to spark a five-run fourth that made it 6-4. He hit a two-run double in a six-run eighth that broke open the game.

“The law of averages,” explained Wendle, who has been slumping with the rest of the Rays. “We’ve talked about it being a long season, and these things happen . . . things will turn around at some point. We’re not going to hit .100 all season. I think it was something that was bound to happen eventually.”

Rays starter Shane McClanahan (1-0) got his first major league win. The 24-year-old lefty, who last October became the first pitcher in major league history to debut in the postseason, gave up four runs on six hits while striking out seven in 5 innings.

Peraza’s three-run homer, his first of the season, put the Mets up 3-1 in the second. Alonso made it 4-1 in the third with his sixth homer of the season and first in 16 games.

TWINS 5, ATHLETICS 4: Miguel Sano snapped a 19-game homerless drought with a three-run homer in the eighth inning as Minnesota came back to beat visiting Oakland. Sano pounded his chest and gestured to his teammates as he rounded the bases after his homer off Oakland lefthander Jake Diekman just reached the overhang in right field. Sano was hitting just .114 this season before the homer, which was just his second of the year and first since the third game of the season.

RED SOX 9, ANGELS 0: Alex Verdugo hit a solo homer in his first at-bat on his 25th birthday, Xander Bogaerts also went deep with a game-breaking, three-run shot, and host Boston breezed past stumbling Los Angeles. Rafael Devers added a solo shot, Bobby Dalbec hit a two-run double, and Franchy Cordero drove in two runs with two doubles.