The Tampa Bay Rays pounded out 10 hits and 8 runs on Tuesday night to defeat the Cleveland Indians. The club got a solid pitching performance out of starter Edwin Jackson. The Rays won 8-4 to improve to 67-45 in first place in the competitive American League East.
Jackson started on the hill for Tampa and picked up eighth win of the season to move to 8-7. He went 5.2 innings and gave up 3 earned runs. Jackson gave up some hits (7) but struck out four batters. The Rays bullpen gave up one run over the final 3.1 innings and Al Reyes threw a scoreless ninth inning to finish things off. It was not a save situation.
With the Rays trailing 3-1 in the fourth inning, Dioner Navarro scored a pair of runs with an RBI single to tie things up. The bats really came alive in the seventh inning when the club a two run shot from Evan Longoria and solo homers from Navarro and Cliff Floyd. Longoria’s homer was his 22nd of the season.
The Rays will wrap up their series in Cleveland on Wednesday afternoon. Scott Kazmir is scheduled to start for Tampa Bay. Game time is 12:40pm.
