ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Trade acquisition Christopher Morel was the honoree in his Tampa Bay debut, helping the new-look Rays come from behind to beat the Miami Marlins 9-3 on Tuesday night.
Ben Rortvedt and Yandy Diaz each contributed two-run singles off reliever Declan Cronin (2-3) during a five-run sixth inning that propelled the Rays to a 6-3 lead. Jose Caballero added an RBI double, then robbed house to extend the lead in the seventh.
Morel, acquired on Sunday in a negotiation that sent All-Star infielder Isaac Paredes to Chicago, hitting to left center field off Marlins starter Edward Cabrera in the fourth inning. The deal was one of several the Rays reached last week with the goal of positioning themselves for success in the coming years.
With three straight wins, however, Tampa Bay (55-52) also moved three games above .500 for the first time in two months and is back in contention for a spot in the wild-card playoffs.
The Marlins (39-68) were also sellers before the trade deadline, moving third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. to the New York Yankees last week and moving infielder Josh Bell and pitchers Tanner Scott, Trevor Rogers and JT Chargois in offers tuesday.
Left-hander Jeffrey Springs returned from Tommy John surgery, making his first start since April 2023 for the Rays. He allowed a two-run homer to Emmanuel Rivera in the first innings and surrendered six hits while striking out three in 3 2/3 innings.
Jake Burger hit a solo home run off Tyler Alexander (4-3) for a 3-1 Marlins lead in the fifth.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Marlins: Cabrera left the game two pitches into the sixth inning. He appeared to gesture with his glove for catcher Nick Fortes to approach the mound and was replaced by Cronin after a brief discussion with manager Skip Schumaker. There was no immediate announcement about the reason for his removal.
Rays: Springs made his first start since April 13, 2023, against the Boston Red Sox, in a span of 474 days. He threw 76 pitches, 46 for strikes.
NEXT
Right-hander Taj Bradley (6-4, 2.43 ERA) starts the finale of a two-game series for Tampa Bay. The Marlins did not announce their pitching plans before Tuesday night’s game.
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