Rays 9, Braves 6
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Down three runs, the Tampa Bay Rays rallied for six runs in the seventh inning -- four with two outs -- to beat the Atlanta Braves 9-6 on Wednesday at Tropicana Field.
The Rays (58-56) won their fourth straight despite trailing 6-3 in the seventh and completed a two-game mini-sweep, tagging reliever Matt Marksberry for five runs in the big comeback. The Braves (51-63) had built a 6-3 lead, getting a rare four RBIs from shortstop Pedro Ciriaco.
Everything changed in the seventh. The Rays got a ground-rule double from left fielder Grady Sizemore, a single from third baseman Evan Longoria and a double from first baseman James Loney to cut the lead to 6-4. A sacrifice fly from second baseman Logan Forsythe made it 6-5 with the tying run at third base and one out.
Marksberry's wild pitch scored the tying run, but the Rays weren't done. Right fielder Brandon Guyer doubled, then scored the go-ahead run when Marksberry missed the bag covering first base after a grounder by center fielder Kevin Kiermaier that could've ended the inning. Instead, his error kept it going and signaled his exit.
Marksberry was replaced by reliever Ryan Kelly, who promptly gave up a two-run home run to catcher Curt Casali. Castali's eighth of the season produced a 9-6 lead.
Reliever Jesus Colome (5-4) earned the win in relief of Rays starter Jake Odorizzi. Jake McGee pitched a scoreless eighth and Brad Boxberger a scoreless ninth for his 29th save. The Rays were 6-39 this season when trailing after six innings.
The Rays scored nine or more runs for just the third time at home this season, while the Braves gave up nine or more for the 12th time this season, including eight road games.
Two hits by Braves shortstop Pedro Ciriaco, hitting ninth in the batting order, helped the Braves to a 4-1 lead. One of the hits was a solo home run -- his first since 2013 -- in the top of the fifth.
Four hits propelled the Braves to a 3-0 lead in the second inning, with first baseman Joey Terdoslavich hitting an RBI double with two outs. Ciriaco then added a two-run single, the inning ending when he was thrown out trying to reach second. Catcher A.J. Pierzynski and third baseman Adonis Garcia singled to start the inning.
The Rays cut the lead to 3-1 in the second when centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier grounded out with the bases loaded. Tampa Bay just missed a chance at the lead when catcher Curt Casali hit a shot to the warning track in left field with two runners on to end the inning.
Ciriaco's home run off Odorizzi made it 4-1 in the fifth, but the Rays pulled within 4-2 in the bottom of the inning when left fielder Grady Sizemore hit a home run off the "C-ring" catwalk in the roof of Tropicana Field.
NOTES: Braves RHP Williams Perez on Tuesday became the team's first rookie to throw a complete game since 2008, when Jorge Campillo did it. Perez, who pitched eight innings in a 2-0 loss, did so with just 92 pitches, the fewest by a Braves pitcher in a complete game since Greg Maddux with an 89-pitch gem in 2000. ... Combined, the Rays and Braves needed only 182 pitches in Tuesday's game, the fewest for any nine-inning game in Rays history and the fewest in any nine-inning MLB game since 2002, when the Royals and Tigers combined for 191. ... Rays batters struck out exactly once in Sunday and Tuesday games, the first time they'd done that in back-to-back games. No MLB team has has one or fewer strikeouts in three straight games since the Cardinals in 1993.