Rays blast 5 homers in rout of Padres
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Rays' bats have never been hotter, with five home runs and a season-high 15 runs on Tuesday night in an easy 15-1 victory over the slumping San Diego Padres at Tropicana Field.
In their last three games -- all wins -- the Rays have 35 runs, the most in any three-game stretch in the franchise's history. Tuesday's five home runs -- including two by first baseman Brad Miller -- came one shy of that franchise record.
The Rays (49-69) chased Padres starter Edwin Jackson after only four innings, then tagged reliever Carlos Villanueva for another seven runs, all on home runs. Nick Franklin and Miller had two-run home runs in the fifth, Corey Dickerson added a solo shot in the sixth and Evan Longoria hit his team-best 27th, a two-run shot, in the seventh.
The Padres (50-69) didn't fare much better at the plate, with Rays starter Blake Snell (4-5) striking out eight and relievers striking out seven more Padres batters. San Diego got runners on base, but stranded nine of them for a frustrating night.
For the second straight night, the Rays combined strong starting pitching with plenty of offensive support, jumping out to a 12-1 lead in the fifth inning behind rookie Blake Snell, who held the Padres to one run in the first five innings.
The Rays, who have struggled with runners in scoring position this season, got a clutch hit in the second inning from catcher Luke Maile, who had five RBIs in his first 19 games with the Rays this season. A single and two walks loaded the bases, and Maile cleared them with a double down the left-field line for a 3-0 lead.
Padres starter Edwin Jackson, who played for the Rays for three years and later threw a no-hitter against them in 2010, got into more trouble in the third, giving up four runs on five hits. Logan Morrison drove in two with a double, and Maile and Nick Franklin each added RBI singles.
Snell (4-5) was in control with eight strikeouts, with the Padres' only run coming on a bases-loaded walk to Alexei Ramirez in the fourth inning. Jackson (3-3) lasted only four innings, giving up nine hits and eight earned runs.
Brad Miller had a solo home run in the fourth off Jackson, and reliever Carlos Villanueva didn't fare much better, giving up two-run homers in the fifth to Nick Franklin (his fourth) and Miller (24th) for a 12-1 lead.
The Rays lost two infielders to injury Tuesday. Second baseman Logan Forsythe was scratched two hours before the game with back spasms. Shortstop Matt Duffy was pulled in the third inning with what the team said was mild soreness in his left Achilles, the same injury that had him on the disabled list as recently as last week.
Franklin replaced Forsythe and batted leadoff, while Tim Beckham replaced Duffy.
NOTES: Prior to Tuesday, 2B Logan Forsythe had five home runs in his last nine games. ... As rough as the Rays' season has been, manager Kevin Cash improved to 128-151 in his two seasons with Monday's win, surpassing Joe Maddon's win total in his first two seasons. With six more wins, he can pass Lou Piniella for the most wins in any manager's first two seasons in the Rays' short history. ... The Padres recalled RHP Kevin Quackenbush, who went to high school at Tampa Jesuit and played at USF, from Triple-A El Paso. It's Quackenbush's third stint with San Diego this season. To make room on the roster, the Padres optioned RHP Leonel Campos, who gave up five runs in the eighth inning of Monday's loss.