St. Petersburg, FL – Ben Zobrist's two-run homer in the bottom of the 11th inning lifted the Tampa Bay Rays to a 3-1 win over the Texas Rangers in the opener of a three-game set.
B.J. Upton worked a leadoff walk off Mark Lowe (0-1) before Zobrist smacked a shot into the seats in right field.
Wade Davis (3-0) fanned five over two scoreless frames of relief for Tampa Bay, which has won five of its past six games.
Jeremy Hellickson started for Tampa Bay and allowed a run on four hits and one walk in six innings.
"For the most part I kept the ball down and just mixed it up," Hellickson said of his outing.
Derek Holland struck out 11 and surrendered a run on just two hits and two walks over an eight-inning start for the Rangers, who had won four of their previous five contests.
"I thought everything was good," Holland said. "They just came out on top. We gotta forget about it now and get ready for tomorrow."
Holland didn't allowed a hit through the first 3 2/3 frames. Evan Longoria ended that stretch when he launched a 3-1 fastball deep into the bleachers in left field, but Texas got the run back in the fifth when Michael Young cracked a one-out solo shot over the wall in left field, which knotted the game, 1-1.
Texas tallied just four hits through the first nine innings, while Tampa Bay had just two.
The Rays put runners on first and second with one out in the 10th, but pinch- hitter Elliot Johnson struck out before Desmond Jennings popped out to center field, which ended the threat.
David Murphy singled off Davis to start the top of the 11th, but Davis proceeded to strike out Mitch Moreland and pinch-hitter Jurickson Profar. Jose Molina then threw out Murphy, who attempted to steal second base.
Game Notes
Tampa Bay was 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base, while Texas finished 0-for-1 with RISP and stranded two ... Zobrist's homer was his 16th of the year.
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