Luis Rengifo delivered a crucial ninth-inning single to lift the Los Angeles Angels past the Tampa Bay Rays by 4-3 on Tuesday night in Tampa. The victory marked the Angels’ third consecutive win while the Rays dropped their fifth straight contest, beginning a lengthy 13-game homestand on a sour note.
With the game tied in the top of the ninth inning, the Angels broke through against reliever Pete Fairbanks, who was handed the loss. Rengifo came to the plate with a runner on third and drove a single through the infield to score the go-ahead run. The Angels then turned to closer Kenley Jansen in the bottom of the ninth, who found himself in a precarious position after allowing consecutive singles to Jake Mangum and Taylor Walls. With runners at second and third and no outs, Jansen responded by inducing a ground ball from Yandy Díaz, which Rengifo fielded cleanly before throwing out the lead runner at home. Jansen struck out Brandon Lowe and José Caballero to preserve the one-run lead and earn his third save of the season.
The game was played at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees’ spring training venue in Tampa, due to ongoing repairs at Tropicana Field following damage from Hurricane Milton last October. Major League Baseball adjusted the Rays’ schedule to limit travel during this early part of the season, placing 19 of their first 22 games at home. Despite the extended home stretch, the Rays have now fallen to 4-3 at the temporary venue. A crowd of 10,046 attended Tuesday’s matchup, marking the team’s seventh consecutive sellout.
The game opened as a pitching duel, with the Angels jumping ahead 2-0 thanks to Kyren Paris, who homered for the third time this season. Paris connected off Rays starter Shane Baz in the fourth inning. The call on the field was upheld following a brief video review confirming no fan interference.
Tampa Bay countered with a three-run rally in the seventh inning against Angels reliever Ben Joyce. Junior Caminero ignited the comeback with a solo home run, followed by a tying double from Christopher Morel, who later came around to score on a triple by Kameron Misner. The Rays briefly tied the game again in the eighth on a ground ball from Travis d’Arnaud.
Tempers flared in the eighth inning when Morel was ejected after arguing a called strike and slamming his bat. Rays outfielder Kameron Misner was also hit in the helmet by a 98.8 mph pitch from Brock Burke in the eighth but remained in the game. Burke was credited with the win, improving to 2-0 on the season.
Heading into Wednesday’s game, the Rays will look to snap their skid behind right-hander Ryan Pepiot (0-1), while the Angels will counter with lefty Yusei Kikuchi (0-1, 4.50 ERA). According to pre-game betting lines, the Rays are slight favorites at -120 odds, with the over/under for total runs set at 8.5.
