Brandon Drury has two homers and five RBIs as Angels beat playoff-bound Rays

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. —  Brandon Drury homered twice with five RBIs, and the Angels stopped a six-game skid by beating the American League wild card-leading Tampa Bay Rays 8-3 on Wednesday night.

Tampa Bay remained 2½ games behind first-place Baltimore in the AL East.

Drury hit a three-run drive off Aaron Civale (7-5) during a four-run second that put the Angels ahead 6-0. He made it 8-1 on his 23rd homer, a two-run drive in the sixth against Erasmo Ramírez.

The Angels had been outscored 38-13 during their skid.

The teams combined to strike out 30 times, including 19 by Angels batters. The Angels’ Jo Adell fanned four times and four teammates struck out three times each.

Civale gave up six runs and seven hits over three innings. Since being acquired from Cleveland on July 31, he is 2-2 and has lasted 5-1/3 innings or fewer in eight of nine outings.

Angels

Logan O’Hoppe, Zach Neto homer, but Rays rally late to top Angels

Logan O’Hoppe and Zach Neto both homered, but the Rays scored four runs in the eighth as the Angels’ losing streak grew to six in the 6-2 loss.

Sept. 19, 2023

Reid Detmers, who missed his scheduled start Sunday because of illness, lasted just four innings despite being staked to a six-run lead. The left-hander gave up an unearned run, three hits and two walks while striking out seven, but struggled with his command and threw 96 pitches. He did hold the Rays to one for nine with runners in scoring position.

Tampa Bay converted two of 16 chances with runners in scoring position overall.

Issac Paredes had a third-inning RBI single off Detmers, who had a no-hitter in his only other start against the Rays on May 10 last year.

Yandy Díaz cut the deficit to 8-3 when he flared a two-run double down the right-field line in the sixth off Andrew Wantz (2-0). Díaz went one for four, dropping his average to .322.

Nolan Schanuel singled in the first to reach base in 24 straight games to start his career. It is the longest streak since current Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli had a 24-game run in 2003 with Tampa Bay.