Oakland, CA (Sports Network) – Spurred by a seven-run seventh inning, the Tampa Bay Rays rallied for a 10-8 victory on Thursday to avoid a four-game sweep at the hands of hot-hitting Oakland. After losing the first three games of the series by a combined score of 26-10, the Rays climbed out of a 5-0 deficit in the first inning of this one, scoring all of their runs from the sixth inning on to breath much-needed life into their 10-game road trip.
Evan Longoria’s solo homer capped the seven-run rally and Tampa Bay survived the Athletics scoring a run in each of their last three innings. Left fielder Desmond Jennings belted his first career MLB homer, a two-run shot in the sixth that started the comeback, and B.J. Upton added a solo blast in the eighth as the Rays improved to 2-5 on their road trip.
Conor Jackson’s two-run homer highlighted Oakland’s explosive first and Kurt Suzuki hit a solo shot in the eighth. The A’s, after heading into the All-Star break as one of the league’s most downtrodden teams, are 8-5 since then. Their three straight wins to open this series included a 13-4 victory on Wednesday.