PHOENIX — In a nail-biting contest on Wednesday night, the Tampa Bay Rays managed to secure a 7-6 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in 11 innings, thanks to key RBI doubles from Kameron Misner and Yandy Díaz, despite an offensive showcase from Arizona’s Corbin Carroll.
The turning point came when Misner, following an earlier RBI double, drove in Chandler Simpson with another double off Drey Jameson. Although Misner was tagged out attempting to stretch his hit into a triple, it set the stage for Jonathan Aranda, who walked and later scored on Díaz’s crucial two-out double.
In the bottom of the 11th, Rays reliever Eric Orze faced challenges as he allowed an RBI single from Alek Thomas and issued a walk to Tim Tawa. With the bases loaded after a one-out walk to Carroll, Orze successfully ended Arizona’s threat by inducing a game-ending double play from Geraldo Perdomo, earning his first career save.
Pete Fairbanks stepped up in the 10th inning, securing a win by retiring the final two Diamondbacks batters. Before the extra innings, Carroll had launched a home run off Rays starter Taj Bradley and later hit a two-run homer against Mason Montgomery, temporarily giving the Diamondbacks a 5-4 edge in the seventh.
Earlier, Díaz had delivered a two-run single in the seventh inning to push Tampa Bay ahead 4-3, before Arizona’s Simpson evened the score with an RBI single. Christopher Morel’s homer had leveled the game earlier, followed by Misner’s two-out double and subsequent run from a José Caballero single that gave Tampa Bay an initial 2-1 lead.
This crucial win allowed the Rays to claim their second triumph in the last eight games, and they improved their season road record with a much-needed victory.
Arizona reliever Ryan Thompson offered a pivotal performance, managing to escape a bases-loaded jam in the eighth without conceding a run. He struck out pinch-hitter Jonathan Aranda and José Caballero before getting Díaz to fly out, maintaining Arizona’s position in the tense standoff.
Despite Carroll’s contributions, along with his solid performance alongside teammates Geraldo Perdomo, Pavin Smith, and Josh Naylor, who entered the day leading MLB in OPS from the top four spots, Arizona fell short. The Diamondbacks also boasted the majors’ best OPS against right-handers before this encounter.
Looking ahead, the Rays are scheduled to pitch RHP Drew Rasmussen (1-1, 0.87 ERA) in the upcoming game against Arizona’s RHP Corbin Burnes (0-1, 4.64 ERA) on Thursday night.