Rays rough up John Lackey to end 3-game losing streak with 9-5 victory over Angels

Rays rough up Angels to end 3-game losing streak

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Division winners a year ago, the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Angels are battling inconsistency this season.

“If you’re going to put together a streak, you have to play well. And to play well, you have to be a good team. We’re trying to grow into that club,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said after a 9-5 loss to the Rays dropped his team to 4-4 on a road trip that ends Thursday night.

“Certainly some things have to come together for us to be the club that we have the potential to be.”

The Rays can say the same thing. While the Angels are off to a 29-28 start after winning the AL West last season, Tampa Bay is 30-31 following an improbable run to its first World Series appearance.

Wednesday night marked the 10th time the Rays have scored nine runs in a victory, however they’re 6-13 in one-run games — the second-worst mark in the league behind the White Sox (4-9).

“You’ve got to win some close games, too,” manager Joe Maddon said after a rare Tampa Bay victory against the Angels’ John Lackey. “Sometimes your offense isn’t going to score nine runs. You’ve got to be able to pitch and catch it, too.”

Carlos Pena and Willy Aybar homered off Lackey, who had won nine of 10 previous decisions against the Rays.

Pena hit a solo homer in the third inning and Aybar added a two-run shot off Lackey (1-2) for a 9-5 lead in the fifth.

Aybar also had an RBI single during a five-run second during which the Rays began the inning with four straight hits, three of them well-placed grounders that got through the right side of the infield.

“Kind of everything that could happen wrong happened. Good pitches, they managed to get infield hits. I throw a bad pitch, and they were hitting those hard,” Lackey said. “If a couple of those ground balls are at somebody, it’s a different game.”

Lance Cormier (1-1) pitched 2 1-3 scoreless innings for the win.

The Rays ended a three-game losing streak in which the losses were by a total of four runs and Tampa Bay went 2-for-21 with runners in scoring position. The Angels have lost three of four following a three-game winning streak.