Jonathan Aranda’s two-run homer broke a tie and Junior Caminero also homered as the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 on Saturday night in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Rays, who won their fourth straight, swiped the AL East lead from the New York Yankees by percentage points. Victor Mesa Jr. was 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Katel Marte homered for the Diamondbacks, who have scored just three runs while losing the first two games of the series.
Michael Grove (1-0) was the second of five Rays pitchers in a bullpen game. Making his Tampa Bay debut, Grove took over in the third and allowed a hit and struck out four in three scoreless innings. He followed opener Cole Sulser, who gave up a run in two innings.
Bryan Baker threw a 1-2-3 ninth for his 21st save.
Arizona starter Jose Cabrera (0-1) gave up four runs and seven hits in five-plus innings with two walks and four strikeouts in his second major league start.
Arizona took a 1-0 lead in the first on Corbin Carroll’s RBI single. He drove in Geraldo Perdomo, who doubled with one out. The throw home from right fielder Mesa Jr. beat Perdomo, but he avoided the tag with a head-first slide.
Caminero’s two-out homer in the bottom of the first tied it. His 21st home run and sixth in his last eight games was a drive down the left-field line on Cabrera’s 2-1 slider.
Tampa Bay threatened in the third, but Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno made a running, falling catch on a pop foul by Mesa Jr. for the final out.
Aranda’s two-out, two-run home run in the fifth gave Tampa Bay a 3-1 lead. After Yandy Diaz’s two-out walk, Aranda sent Cabrera’s first pitch into the right field stands for his 13th homer.
Cedric Mullins’ sacrifice fly in the sixth made it 4-1.
Marte’s 14th homer with two out in the eighth pulled the Diamondbacks within 4-2. His blast to center, estimated at 430 feet, came on Kevin Kelly’s 2-2 changeup.
