Nelson Cruz, a 41-year-old veteran playing first base for the first time in his career, had three hits and two RBIs to lift the Tampa Bay Rays past the host Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 on Tuesday.
The Rays won for the seventh time in their past eight games. The Phillies took their sixth loss in eight games.
Tampa Bay starter Drew Rasmussen allowed four hits and one run in five innings with one walk and one strikeout.
JT Chargois (3-0) earned the win by striking out the only batter he faced to end the seventh inning. Andrew Kittredge fanned four in two scoreless innings to record his third save.
Didi Gregorius led the Phillies with two hits and a run scored.
Phillies starter Ranger Suarez tossed a career-high 6 2/3 innings and gave up six hits and one run. Suarez struck out a career-best seven and only walked one.
Archie Bradley (7-2) took the loss in relief.
With the score 1-1 in the eighth inning, Tampa Bay's Brett Phillips opened with a single against Bradley and stole second. Bradley then hit Randy Arozarena on with a 2-2 pitch. Cruz followed with a two-run double to make it 3-1.
Kittredge retired the Phillies in order in the eighth with strikeouts of Herrera, Jean Segura and Bryce Harper.
Philadelphia's J.T. Realmuto opened the ninth with an infield single. Gregorius flied out to left, Miller struck out and pinch hitter Rhys Hoskins popped out to end the game.
Tampa Bay went ahead 1-0 in the fourth inning on three consecutive one-out singles, including an RBI hit by Brandon Lowe. The Phillies then turned a nifty 6-4-3 double play on a Manuel Margot grounder to end the inning.
The Phillies tied the game at 1 in the bottom of the fourth when Brad Miller lined an RBI double down the right field line to score Gregorius from first.
--Field Level Media
Tampa Bay | Philadelphia | |
Drew Rasmussen | Player | Ranger Suarez |
No Decision | W/L | No Decision |
5.0 | IP | 6.2 |
1 | Strikeouts | 7 |
4 | Hits | 6 |
1.80 | ERA | 1.35 |
Tampa Bay | Philadelphia | |
Nelson Cruz | Player | Didi Gregorius |
3 | Hits | 2 |
2 | RBI | 0 |
0 | HR | 0 |
4 | TB | 2 |
.750 | Avg | .500 |
Team | Hits | HR | TB | Avg | LOB | K | RBI | BB | SB | Errors |
Tampa Bay | 9 | 0 | 10 | .265 | 15 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Philadelphia | 6 | 0 | 7 | .188 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |