Josh Lowe rapped his first career leadoff home run, Jake Mangum was 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs, and the hot Tampa Bay Rays throttled the visiting Baltimore Orioles 7-1 in a four-game series opener on Monday night.
Brandon Lowe slugged a two-run homer in a 2-for-5 night. Jonathan Aranda, Junior Caminero and Christopher Morel had two hits and a double apiece as the Rays posted 14 hits.
Starter Ryan Pepiot (4-6) tossed eight sterling innings to stymie an Orioles squad that scored 11 times Sunday. The right-hander yielded one run and four hits while notching a season-high 11 strikeouts with two walks.
Tampa Bay moved to 19-6 in the past 25 games and a season-high eight games above .500.
Adley Rutschman’s solo homer was one of the Orioles’ four hits as they lost for the first time in four games.
Starter Zach Eflin (6-3) surrendered seven runs on a career-high 12 hits in five innings. He fanned two, walked two and yielded two homers.
The American League East rivals entered their first meeting of the season fresh off nine-run wins Sunday. The Rays’ offense continued to shine, producing single runs in each of the first three innings, two in the fourth and two more in the fifth.
Leadoff hitter Josh Lowe hit the fourth pitch from Eflin for a towering homer to right, with a Statcast-estimated 43-degree launch angle.
The home side added in the second after singles by Mangum and Danny Jansen. A bunt single by Morel plated Mangum.
However, a blown call at first base on an apparent bunt single by Josh Lowe limited the rally. Lowe was called out on the play, but Tampa Bay couldn’t dispute the call after making an unsuccessful challenge an inning earlier.
Mangum made it 3-0 in the third with his second infield single, a two-out chopper that scored Yandy Diaz.
In the fourth, Rutschman went even higher to right than Josh Lowe. The catcher lifted a 49-degree lobbed shot to make it 3-1.
Brandon Lowe crushed a 426-foot blast to right center in the fourth, and Mangum doubled home the final two tallies in the fifth.
