5-run 4th carries Rays to series win over Rangers

ST. PETERSBURG — The Rangers have the best record in the American League, but it’s not because they are beating up on weak teams.

Those are the teams that give Texas the most problems, and that continued on Sunday afternoon with an 8-4 loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field. Designated hitter Logan Forsythe delivered the big blow for Tampa Bay with a three-run home run off of Martin Perez in a five-run fourth inning. Steven Souza Jr. added a two-run homer in the eighth.

With the win, the Rays took two of three from the Rangers this weekend. They’ve won six of their past seven games and outscored opponents 55-18 over that span. Texas is 9-14 this season against Tampa Bay, Minnesota and Los Angeles, the three last-place teams in the AL.

“That’s one of those stats that leads to scratching of the head, but has no merit,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. “It’s not that we don’t play hard, let down or [we’re] not focused. That’s not the case. You want to win every possible game. We’ve lost two in a row before. There’s no panic.”

Rays starter Drew Smyly earned his third straight win despite allowing four runs in 6 2/3 innings. He gave up five hits, including home runs to Delino DeShields and Drew Stubbs, walked one and struck out seven.

“I’m just trying to go out there and compete,” Smyly said. “Try and stay out of the heart of the plate. I feel like I’m good for a home run every game. But besides that, I feel like I’ve been keeping runners off the base.”

Perez continues to have his problems on the road, as he took the loss by allowing six runs in six innings. He is now 1-8 with a 6.23 ERA in 13 starts away from Arlington, including 0-5 with a 9.42 ERA in his past five outings. Five of his last seven starts of the season should be at home.

MOMENTS THAT MATTEREDEx-squeeze me: Bobby Wilson enacted some …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com