Rays Snap Losing Streak With Walk-Off Against Cubs

The Tampa Bay Rays (32-35) beat the Chicago Cubs (32-35) for the first game in the three-game series on Tuesday night after a walk-off home run. This 5-2 win leaves the Rays ranked 5th in the American League East division.

The Dawg barked back in the 9th.

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) June 12, 2024

Similarly, both of these teams were looking for the win during this game, as they were hoping to climb the rankings for their division. The Orioles swept the Rays in their four-game series, and were able to get a win Tuesday night to help break their losing streak. The Cubs are also on a losing streak, after losing a series to the Reds. They rank 3rd in the National League Central.

Cubs Start Strong

Zach Eflin started on the mound for the Rays and pitched through the first five innings. Jameson Tallion was the starting pitcher for the Cubs, and pitched six scoreless innings. Although, this game had a slow start, there were several hits in the first few innings. Christopher Morel hit a home run for the Cubs in the top of the fourth inning. The second point of the game for the Cubs was David Bote’s RBI single at the top of the sixth inning.

https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1800689282598027671

Rays Break Their Streak

The Rays were looking for their comeback in the bottom of the seventh. Richie Palacios scored a run after the pitch was not caught and got kicked away from home plate. In the bottom of the ninth, Jose Caballero left the game tied 2-2 after an RBI single.

Brandon Lowe‘s first hit of the night ended in a three-run walk-off homer. This hit left the final score at 5-2, with the Rays scoring four points in the ninth inning.

This is not the first time Lowe has done this for his team. In fact, this is his third walk-off home run since the beginning of last season. This leaves the Rays with five walk-off wins of the season. They are tied with the Marlins, Orioles, Giants, and Mets for the most in the league.

The Rays are back in the win column thanks to a walk-off blast from Brandon Lowe! pic.twitter.com/szLQiJoWti

— Spectrum Bay News 9 (@BN9) June 12, 2024

The Rays look to continue this winning energy in the rest of the series against the Cubs. Game two is Wednesday night at 6:50PM at Tropicana Field.