TAMPA, Fla. – Brandon Guyer, Steven Souza, Steve Pearce and Curt Casali all homered for the Rays and Tampa Bay ended a nearly nine-year drought to the Dodgers with an 8-5 victory at Tropicana Field on Wednesday.
The last time Tampa Bay beat the Dodgers was June 24, 2007, a span of nearly nine years between victories.
Most of the Rays runs came via the long ball as six of the team's eight runs came via the home run.
Five of those runs came off Dodgers starting pitcher Alex Wood who was pitching on four-days rest in order to avoid facing the power-hitting, right-handed bats of the Toronto Blue Jays this weekend.
Wood (1-3) had a rough outing against the Rays, allowing five runs on three homers in five innings. Wood surrendered six hits with no walks on seven strikeouts.
"The few mistakes I made they hit it out of the park," Wood told the media. "That usually doesn't happen to me, so it felt a little strange... nothing you can do about it now."
Guyer, Souza and Pearce all homered off Wood with Casali teeing off in the seventh inning against Dodgers' reliever Pedro Baez. For Pearce and Casali it was the second consecutive game they went deep against the Dodgers.
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"He had three bad pitches they hit out of the ballpark," Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts said of Wood. "I still thought he had good stuff, but obviously he wasn't sharp tonight."
Los Angeles scattered five runs throughout the game, and recorded two in the bottom of the eighth via the walk after the Rays relievers went wild, walking four of the eight batters they faced.
Drew Smyly, whose been the best pitcher on the Rays staff to start the season, did not factor in the decision, allowing two runs on five hits with six strikeouts in five innings.
The Dodgers split the two-game road series with the Rays and remain 1/2 game behind the San Francisco Giants for first place in the National League West.
Players of the Game:
Steve Pearce: 2-for-4 with a three-run home run.
Three Takeaways:
1. The Drought is Done: Before today, the last time Tampa Bay defeated the Dodgers was June 24, 2007. The nearly nine-year span between victories was the 10th longest active streak in the Major Leagues.
Looks like the #Rays are about to end their nearly 9-year losing drought to the #Dodgers
TB leads 5-2 in the sixth. — Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) May 5, 2016
2. Home Run Barrage: Tampa Bay flipped the power switch on Wednesday hitting four home runs off Dodgers pitching. In fact, six of the Rays eight runs came via the long ball.
There are more homers in tonight's #Rays game than that @TheSimpsons episode "Send in the Clones." — Paul Ryan (@WFLAPaul) May 5, 2016
3. Up on the Catwalk: Dodgers' catcher Yasmani Grandal appeared to make an excellent falling catch in foul territory in the seventh inning that would have helped Los Angeles exit the inning without further damage. However, the ball careened off the B-ring catwalk, which at Tropicana Field is considered a dead ball.
Yasmani Grandal plays the catwalk carom to make catch in foul territory. But ball hit catwalk in foul territory. Dead ball — Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) May 5, 2016
Up Next:
Dodgers (14-14): The Dodgers fall back to .500 and will have an off day on Thursday before traveling to Toronto to open a three-game series with the Blue Jays. Kenta Maeda is expected to start on Friday at 4:07 PM PST.
Rays (12-14): Tampa Bay will also have a travel day on Thursday as they fly to Los Angeles to take on the Anaheim Angels on Friday at 7:05PM PST.
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