ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Ben Rortvedt hit a two-run homer and finished with four RBI, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Seattle Mariners 11-3 on Tuesday night for their seventh win in nine games.
The Rays, at 40-40, returned to the .500 mark for the first time since June 7.
“This is fantastic,” Rortvedt said. “I think we all know hitting is contagious. Not hitting, it’s contagious, I think we’ve all seen that. It’s awesome to be on the winning side of things, and on the hitting side of things right now.”
Seattle got homers from Ty France and Mitch Garver. The AL West-leading Mariners dropped to 2-6 on a nine-game trip.
In a span of six pitches from reliever Mike Baumann, the Rays scored four times in the sixth inning to take a 6-2 lead. After Luis Castillo walked his last two batters, Taylor Walls tripled in a pair of runs on Baumann’s first pitch, and Rortvedt followed with a two-run drive.