Dickerson's 2 HRs power Rays over D-backs

June 8th, 2016

PHOENIX -- After losing the first four games of their road trip, the Rays salvaged a .500 mark in the 10-game stretch with a 6-3 win over the D-backs at Chase Field on Wednesday afternoon.
Tampa Bay slugged three solo home runs -- a pair from Corey Dickerson and another from Desmond Jennings. The Rays went 5-5 on the road swing that also included stops in Kansas City and Minnesota. Starter Jake Odorizzi (3-3) earned the win despite lasting only five innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits with eight strikeouts.
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"It speaks volumes to the guys in that clubhouse in there," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "It wasn't a very fun series in Kansas City, we found every way to lose. And then the next six ballgames, we found a lot of ways to win."

Arizona lost its third straight series, dropping two of three. Archie Bradley (2-2) lost his second consecutive start in his roughest outing since being recalled from Triple-A Reno on May 29. The right-hander allowed four earned runs on five hits and four walks in 5 2/3 innings.
"It was a battle," Bradley said. "It wasn't terrible, but obviously wasn't my best. I was fighting myself early on, and I knew it was going to be a battle all day."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Dickerson ends hot: Dickerson was just 3-for-26 in the first nine games of Tampa Bay's road trip, but he provided the Rays with an offensive boost in this one. He went 3-for-4, including solo home runs in the first and seventh innings. It was his fourth career multihomer game and his first of the season.

"It's good to feel like yourself again, to feel like your swing's back or you're driving the ball to all fields," Dickerson said. "It definitely feels good, it makes you relax a little more and realize that it's still there, just you've got to be yourself." More >
Needed more: The D-backs scored a pair of runs in the second and one in third, but they could have done more damage in those frames against Odorizzi, and it would haunt them later in the game. The D-backs left the bases loaded in the second, when Jake Lamb struck out to end the inning, and they could only turn back-to-back one-out singles in the third into that one run. Arizona also had the bases loaded with no outs in the ninth, but Paul Goldschmidt struck out before a game-ending double play.
"We did a decent job of getting guys on and we had a chance there at the end, and I didn't come through," Goldschmidt said.
Pearce in a pinch:Steve Pearce has been dealing with right elbow tendinitis, which kept him out of Tampa Bay's starting lineup for the third day in a row on Wednesday. However, he was available to come off the bench. He did, and he delivered a go-ahead RBI single in the sixth off Arizona reliever Jake Barrett to make it 4-3.

"You can kind of just stick him in wherever he's needed," Cash said. "What a tremendous approach he has right now, not trying to do too much."
Gotta finish: Of the four runs Bradley allowed, three came with two outs. Overall, the D-backs allowed the Rays to score four of their six runs with two outs.

"Is it a lack concentration?" D-backs manager Chip Hale said. "Is it just his stuff wasn't that good? There was too many at-bats after two outs where [Bradley] gave up hits, walks. Those are things you work on all spring and you work on to get to the big leagues, so we'll have to tighten that up." More >
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Rays closer Alex Colome set a franchise record for consecutive saves to begin a season, as he converted his 17th save in as many opportunities. The right-hander loaded the bases with no outs, but struck out Goldschmidt and got David Peralta to ground into a double play to pitch a scoreless ninth.

"That just kind of shows the type of pitcher he's evolved into," Cash said. "I don't know if he's capable of getting through that last year. He's really grown and just trusted his stuff and didn't panic, just kept making pitches."
UNDER REVIEW
Hale won a challenge with two outs in the bottom of the fourth. Rays catcher Curt Casali attempted to pick off Nick Ahmed at first base after the Arizona shortstop was too far off of first following a pitch. First-base umpire Andy Fletcher called him out, but after a short instant-replay review of 47 seconds, the call was overturned, Ahmed was ruled safe and the D-backs retained their challenge.

WHAT'S NEXT
Rays: After a day off on Thursday, the Rays return home to begin a nine-game homestand with the first of a three-game series against the Astros on Friday night at 7:10 p.m. ET. Tampa Bay will start right-hander Matt Andriese, who has won four of his six starts this season and has a 1.80 ERA in two starts at Tropicana Field.
D-backs: After the D-backs take Thursday off, they will open a three-game series with the Marlins on Friday at 6:40 p.m. MST at Chase Field. Patrick Corbin, who outdueled the Cubs' Jake Arrieta in his last start, will get the ball for Arizona.
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