TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jonathan Aranda drove in two runs Friday to lead the Tampa Bay Rays over the Miami Marlins 4-3 at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
It was the Rays’ fourth straight win to improve to 34-29, and the Marlins’ fifth consecutive loss to drop to 23-38.
Aranda is hitting .379 at the Rays' temporary home ballpark. He drove in the first run on a single in the first inning, just one of two hits the Rays got with runners in scoring position in 14 chances. He drove in another run on a groundout in the two-run third inning.
Aranda singled again in the seventh and scored what turned out to be the winning run after singles by Jake Mangum and Matt Thaiss.
Zack Littell (6-5) held the Marlins to one run on six hits over six innings. Agustin Ramirez homered off Littell in the fourth inning and Otto Lopez hit a two-run homer in the top of the eighth inning off Edwin Uceta.
Edward Cabrera (2-2) took the loss for the Marlins. Pete Fairbanks got his 12th save in front of a crowd of 8,448.
Key Moment
With a runner on third base, Marlins second baseman Xavier Edwards laid down a bunt to Littell, who threw to first. Edwards beat the throw, but first-base umpire Ben May called him out for running through Aranda's glove even though the ball was dropped. The tying run was waved off. Marlins manager Clayton McCullough and Edwards were both ejected for arguing the non-reviewable call. It was the first career ejection for both.
Key Stat
It was the Rays’ eighth straight win in a Littell start, tying Shane McClanahan’s 2023 streak for the fourth-longest such run in team history. Littell is 6-0 during that stretch.
Up Next
The Marlins will go with lefty Ryan Weathers, who will be making his first career start against Tampa Bay, on Saturday afternoon. Rays right-hander Taj Bradley (4-5, 3.95), who is 0-2 against the Marlins in his career, will start for the host team.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Kristie Ackert, The Associated Press