In St. Petersburg, Florida, Jeffrey Springs secured his first win in 16 months, aided by Brandon Lowe’s two-run homer, leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 6-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday. Rays’ manager Kevin Cash achieved his 800th career win, putting the team back at .500 with a record of 61-61.
Springs, who underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2023, impressed by allowing only one run and four hits while striking out seven in five innings. The Diamondbacks, currently 69-55 and holding a National League wild card spot, suffered their second consecutive loss after a strong 20-7 run post-All-Star break despite facing injuries.
Star player Ketel Marte, back from a sprained left ankle, contributed by going 1 for 3 as the designated hitter for Arizona. Lowe’s sixth-inning two-run homer extended Tampa Bay’s lead to 6-1, following his earlier ground-run double.
In the first inning, Josh Lowe’s RBI triple off Zac Gallen and subsequent steal of home helped the Rays take an early 2-0 lead. Taylor Walls and Alex Jackson capitalized on a double steal, scoring on a base-hit by Yandy Díaz in the second inning.
Gallen struggled, giving up four runs and nine hits in five innings, while Jose Herrera added a fifth-inning RBI single for the Diamondbacks. Despite loading the bases twice, in the fifth and eighth innings, Arizona failed to convert the scoring opportunities.
A peculiar moment in the game occurred when Díaz’s grounder hit second base umpire John Bacon, resulting in a voided double play for Arizona. Tampa Bay’s center fielder Jose Siri missed his second consecutive game for not running hard on a previous play, prompting manager Cash to emphasize the importance of consistent effort from all players.
On the injury front, Rays’ pitcher Zack Littell was placed on the 15-day injured list due to right shoulder fatigue. Up next, Diamondbacks’ RHP Merrill Kelly and Rays’ LHP Tyler Alexander are set to start in the upcoming game.