ST PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Harold Ramírez homered in a five-run first inning, Colin Poche struck out Jesús Aguilar to strand the bases loaded in the ninth and the The Tampa Bay Rays held on for a 5-4 victory over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night before another small crowd at Tropicana Field.
Drew Rasmussen (5-1) won his fifth straight decision over six starts, giving up three runs and six hits in five innings with seven strikeouts. It was the first time in six starts he gave up more than one run.
Tampa Bay scored in the first ining for the sixth time in seven games. Down by five runs early, the Marlins closed with three runs in the fourth.
Brian Anderson singled leading off the ninth, and throwing errors by third baseman Taylor Wells and shortstop Wander Franco gifted Miami an unearned run im the ninth. Garrett Cooper's two-out walk loaded the bases, and Poche struck out Aguilar on a 94.9 mph pitch for his third big league save, his first since Sept. 23, 2019.
Miami has lost five of its last six and is 6-16 following a 12-8 start.
The game drew a crowd announced at 7,520, the Rays’ fourth straight home game with less than 10,000 and 12th this season.
Tampa Bay improved to 21-5 when scoring first.
Cody Poteet (0-1), in his second start, gave up five runs, four hits and three walks in three innings.
Franco hit an RBI double in the first for his third hit in 41 at-bats and scored on Randy Arozarena's two-run double. Ramírez followed with his second home run this season.
Jorge Soler led off the fifth with his ninth home run, the first of four straight hits off Rasmussen that included Jacob Stallings two-run double.
Soler hit a long drive to left in the eighth off J.P. Feyereisen that initially was called a home run, then was changed to a foul. It would have been the first earned run of the season off Feyereisen, who struck out all three batters he faced in his 18th relief appearance.
Tampa Bay's Manuel Margot, activated after spending 10 days on the injured list with a strained right hamstring, extended his hitting streak to 12 games with an infield single in the fourth. Right-hander RHP Dusten Knight was optioned to Triple-A Durham.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Marlins: RHP Anthony Bender went on the 15-day IL with back stiffness. ... The contract of INF Willians Astudillo was selected from Triple-A Jacksonville ... 2B Jazz Chisholm missed a second straight game due to a sore left hamstring.
Rays: RHP Pete Fairbanks, on the 60-day IL all season with a right lat strain, is scheduled to throw off the mound for the first time on May 31. ... RHP Luis Patino (left oblique strain) threw 25 pitches in a side session.
UP NEXT
Marlins: LHP Trevor Rogers (2-5, 5.20) is to pitch Friday night against RHP Ian Anderson (3-3, 4.07) in the opener of a three-game series at Atlanta.
Rays: LHP Ryan Yarbrough (0-0, 4.20) will start Thursday's night against LHP Nestor Cortes (3-1, 1.80) in the opener of a four-game series against the New York Yankees.
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