Cooper Criswell scored his first major league victory, José Siri hit his ninth home run of the season and Major League Baseball’s top Tampa Bay Rays defeated the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers 9-3 on Friday. National League West.
It was the first meeting between the teams since the Dodgers beat Tampa Bay in six games in the 2020 World Series.
Criswell (1-1) replaced starter Jalen Beeks with two outs in the second and allowed one run, four hits and three walks in four innings. The 26-year-old right-hander bailed out in his three complete innings, leading to two double plays.
In all, eight Rays pitchers allowed nine hits and six walks, but held Los Angeles to 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position.
Diaz, who had been out of the lineup for a couple of days attending to a family matter, gave the Rays a 6-2 lead with a 100.1 mph solo homer in the fourth off Noah Syndergaard (1-4). He had a 109.8 mph one-two to start the first.
Syndergaard allowed six runs and eight hits in six innings.
Jose Siri added a two-run homer in the eighth for the Rays (38-15), who lead the majors with 99 homers. Tampa Bay is 25-5 at home.
Dodgers slugger Freddie Freeman extended his hitting streak to 15 games after going 2 for 4 with a walk. He’s hitting .433 (26-for-60) down the stretch. He was struck out by Jason Adam to finish the eighth with two on and Los Angeles trailing 7-3.
The Rays won 5–2 in the third when Taylor Walls singled with two out, stole second and third on back-to-back pitches, and scored on Christian Bethancourt’s single.
Tampa Bay stole four bases, one day after grabbing seven in a 6-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays
Los Angeles’ JD Martinez had his 16th RBI in his last 13 games and brought his hitting streak to 10 games with a single in the third inning.
