Nick Fortes lined a three-run homer in a two-hit outing, starter Shane Baz snapped an eight-game losing streak, and the Tampa Bay Rays opened a crucial three-game series against the visiting Seattle Mariners with a 10-2 rout on Monday night.
Swept in a three-game series in Seattle last month, the Rays cut their deficit against the Mariners, holding the final American League wild-card spot, to 4 1/2 games and claimed their fourth straight win.
Saddled with eight losses in his past nine starts, Baz (9-11) won for the first time since June 26 in Kansas City with six scoreless innings. He yielded five hits, fanned six and walked two.
Jake Mangum (double, run, stolen base) and Junior Caminero (double, two RBIs) had three hits apiece. Yandy Diaz was 2-for-4 with a double, two runs and two RBI