Rays stop 33-inning postseason scoreless streak on Mead's 7th-inning RBI single

Updated Oct. 4, 2023 5:46 p.m. ET

Associated Press

ST. PETERSURG, Fla, (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays ended the second-longest postseason scoreless streak at 33 innings when Curtis Mead lined a seventh-inning, two-out RBI single off Texas Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series on Wednesday.

Tampa Bay fell one inning shy of the record set by the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1966-74.

Tampa Bay had not scored since Jose Siri's solo homer in the sixth inning of last year's AL Wild Card Series opener against Cleveland.

Josh Lowe had a one-out single and became the first Tampa Bay runner in scoring position when he advanced on Isaac Paredes' single. Mead then singled, cutting the Rays' deficit to 7-1.

Tampa Bay was eliminated by Cleveland in a 1-0, 15-inning loss in Game 2 last year. With their 4-0 defeat by Texas on Tuesday, the Rays became the first team to be shut out in consecutive playoff games since the 2021 Milwaukee Brewers were blanked by Atlanta in Games 2 and 3.

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