ST. PETERSBURG – Five Rangers pitchers shut down the Rays, while 35-year-old journeyman catcher Austin Wynns hit a tack-on solo homer to highlight a 4-1 victory on Tuesday night in a battle of American League division leaders at Tropicana Field.
Right-hander Cal Quantrill pitched 5 1/3 effective innings, while getting relief from Peyton Gray, Tyler Alexander, Jakob Junis and Jacob Latz. After issuing a one-out walk to Yandy Díaz in the sixth inning, Quantrill was lifted for Gray with a two-run lead. Later that inning, Junior Caminero pulled the Rays within 2-1 on a triple that eluded sliding left fielder Wyatt Langford and rolled to the wall.
Wynns smacked a solo homer to left off reliever Steven Matz in the seventh, making it 3-1. Wynns, a 2013 Draft pick on his eighth Major League team, had been 4-for-53 with the Athletics and Braves this year before signing with the Rangers as a Minor League free agent on June 23. Tuesday night was his second start with the Rangers.
The Rangers made it 4-1 on Evan Carter’s RBI single in the eighth.
Quantrill retired his first 10 batters and was staked to a 2-0 lead on a pair of sacrifice flies (Nicky Lopez in the second, Ezequiel Duran in the third).
The Rays threatened in the fourth. Jonathan Aranda hit a one-out single and moved to third when Caminero hit a hustle double to left. Cedric Mullins reached on catcher’s interference by Wynns, loading the bases and bringing up Chandler Simpson, one of the fastest players in baseball. Simpson hit it back to the mound. Quantrill fired to Wynns, retiring the lead runner, then Wynns fired to first base, getting Simpson by a step.
In the eighth, Caminero came up as the potential tying run after two Rays had reached, but Junis coaxed Caminero into an inning-ending flyout.