Danny Jansen’s two-run homer capped a six-run sixth inning Friday night as the Tampa Bay Rays handed the New York Mets a rare home loss with a 7-5 decision in the opener of a three-game set.
Jansen’s sixth homer of the year scored Kameron Misner and made a winner of former New York pitcher Eric Orze (1-0), who earned his first MLB win with an inning of scoreless relief.
Four other Rays relievers made it through the final four innings, with Pete Fairbanks pitching the ninth for his 13th save in 15 chances. Fairbanks stranded men at the corners, slipping a called third strike by Ronny Mauricio to end it.
Max Kranick (3-2), making his first appearance for the Mets after being recalled from Triple-A Syracuse earlier Friday, was tagged with the loss. It was just New York’s eighth defeat in 35 games at Citi Field this year and snapped its six-game winning streak.
Singles by Brandon Lowe, Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda off Paul Blackburn started the uprising in the sixth. After Junior Caminero popped up, Jake Mangum stroked a two-run single to center and Jose Caballero grounded out to score Aranda. Misner poked a game-tying single to left and stole second before Jansen’s blast.
Neither starter was involved in the decision. Tampa Bay’s Taj Bradley lasted four-plus innings, yielding four hits and five unearned runs with four walks and five strikeouts. New York’s Clay Holmes left with a 5-1 lead after allowing three hits and a run in five innings, walking two and whiffing three.
Holmes coughed up a solo homer to Aranda, his eighth of the year, to start the fourth. But the Mets quickly wiped out the lead thanks to some clutch hitting from Starling Marte and some shaky Rays defense.
Bradley’s error set the stage for a two-run New York fourth that featured Marte lashing an RBI infield single off Bradley’s leg to tie it. Tyrone Taylor reached on a fielder’s choice to score the tiebreaking run.
Two walks sandwiched around Aranda’s error at first teed up the Mets in the fifth. Juan Soto drew a bases-filled walk to knock in a run, followed by Marte’s two-out, two-run single to left-center.
