Freddy Peralta pitched six strong innings and recorded his first win since being traded to Tampa Bay as the Rays defeated the host Detroit Tigers 3-0 on Wednesday afternoon.
Peralta, Kevin Kelly and Tyler Wells combined on a two-hitter for the American League East leaders. Peralta (6-11) struck out four in his fifth start since the Rays acquired him from the New York Mets on Aug. 2. Kelly pitched the seventh and eighth innings, while Wells got the last three outs for his fifth save.
Jonny DeLuca drove in a run and scored another, while Jonathan Aranda had two hits and scored a run. Liam Hicks and Cedric Mullins drove in the other runs for Tampa Bay. Junior Caminero added two hits as the Rays took two of three games in the series.
Detroit starter Troy Melton (7-3) gave up all three runs on seven hits in seven innings. He also struck out four. The Tigers, who have lost seven of their last eight games, were shut out for the first time since the All-Star break.
Neither team drew a walk in a game that lasted just two hours and two minutes.
The Rays grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second. Chandler Simpson led off with an infield single and scored on DeLuca’s double to left. Following a sacrifice and a strikeout, Mullins pulled a single down the right-field line to bring home DeLuca. Mullins overslid second base trying to stretch the hit into a double and was tagged out.
Tampa Bay extended its lead to 3-0 in the sixth. Aranda led off with a double and moved to third on a single by Caminero. Hicks hit a ball to the warning track in right field for a sacrifice fly to bring in Aranda.
Brett Callahan had a two-out single, the Tigers’ second hit of the game, in the bottom of the inning. Peralta challenged a ball call on the next batter and it was overturned, resulting in a Kevin McGonigle strikeout.
Detroit’s only other hit was Dillon Dingler’s bloop single in the second inning.
