Travis d'Arnaud hit his first two homers of the season, a pair of two-run shots, to power the Tampa Bay Rays past the host Detroit Tigers 6-1 on Thursday.
The Los Angeles Dodgers traded d'Arnaud to the Rays last month shortly after signing him as a free agent. D'Arnaud, who did not play the previous three games, had driven in only two runs this season.
Willy Adames also homered, while Yandy Diaz supplied three hits. Jalen Beeks (5-0), the second of five pitchers used by the Rays, got the victory. He held the Tigers scoreless in 4 1/3 innings as Tampa Bay won the series, 2-1.
The Rays won their second straight after dropping four consecutive games.
Tigers starter Daniel Norris (2-5) allowed three runs on 11 hits in 5 2/3 innings. Brandon Dixon had two hits and drove in a run. Detroit has lost 12 of the last 13 games at home.
The Rays took the lead three batters into the game. Diaz led off with a single, advanced on a grounder and scored on Austin Meadows' single to right.
Detroit tied the game in the bottom of the inning. Nicholas Castellanos doubled with two out and Dixon brought him home with a single to left-center.
The Rays had two basesrunners in the second but Norris escaped the jam by getting Tommy Pham to ground out.
D'Arnaud's first homer to center gave the Rays the lead in the fourth. Kevin Kiermaier led off the inning with a double prior to d'Arnaud's blast and had two hits.
Tampa Bay left a runner stranded on third in the fifth. Kiermaier was caught stealing in the sixth, which proved costly when Daniel Robertson doubled with two out.
Detroit had two baserunners in the seventh but reliever Chaz Roe struck out Grayson Greiner looking.
Tampa Bay made it 6-1 in the eighth off Daniel Stumpf. Adames led off with his sixth homer of the season, which reached the seats over the left-field wall. D'Arnaud's second two-run shot landed in the bullpen beyond the left-center fence.
--Field Level Media
Tampa Bay | Detroit | |
Ryne Stanek | Player | Daniel Norris |
No Decision | W/L | Loss |
2.0 | IP | 5.2 |
2 | Strikeouts | 6 |
2 | Hits | 11 |
4.50 | ERA | 4.76 |
Tampa Bay | Detroit | |
Yandy Diaz | Player | Brandon Dixon |
3 | Hits | 2 |
0 | RBI | 1 |
0 | HR | 0 |
3 | TB | 2 |
.600 | Avg | .500 |