Alexei Ramirez is tagged out by Curt Casali during the ninth inning on August 3, 2015. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)
Alexei Ramirez is tagged out by Curt Casali during the ninth inning on August 3, 2015. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)
The Tampa Bay Rays rallied late on the road for the second straight day, scoring against the opposing bullpen to beat the Chicago White Sox on Monday night by a 5-4 margin. At 53-54 on the season, Tampa Bay is 2-for-2 on its current six-game road trip, and two games back in the Wildcard race.

Tampa Bay took a one run lead in the first inning when, with one out, Joey Butler hit a rocket up the middle, Evan Longoria hit a hard liner to left, and Logan Forsythe doubled to right for the game’s first run. But starter Jose Quintana ― who threw 29 pitches in the first inning ― limited the damage by striking out Asdrubal Cabrera with a pair of runners in scoring position and one out. After Richie Shaffer was hit in his first big league plate appearance, Mikie Mahtook grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Rays extended the lead in the fifth inning after Butler doubled to right off Avisail Garcia’s glove. Longo moved Butler to third on a single to left, and Forsythe followed with a sacrifice-fly to right-center for a two-run lead.

Through the first five innings, Nathan Karns dominated Chicago’s lineup, allowing just one hit and two walks, while fanning out seven. That one hit was a Jose Abreu double to begin the fourth, but Karns retired the next three batters without Abreu advancing.

The righty was dominant for the majority of his start. All of his pitches ― the fastball, curveball, and change-up ― were working, and he located them well and efficiently. When he needed to get Chicago’s batters of his fastball, he used his late moving change-up. His most dominant pitch, however, was his curveball. Karns used the hook both ahead and behind in counts, and on both sides of the plate. He threw the pitch for a strike 69% of the time, coxing whiffs 24% of the time.

Karns was still pitching well into the sixth, when he gave up a luck dragon single to Tyler Saladino. The righty made a good pitch that was moving down and away, yet Saladino just did a better job of putting the bat to the ball. With a runner aboard and one out, Abreu made his way to the plate. Though Karns quickly got ahead of Abreu, he missed with a hanging curveball and the slugger made him pay by hitting the ball to deep centerfield. Kiermaier made tried to rob the long ball, but it carried a mere inches past his glove, tying the game at two.

One would have assumed that despite the events of the sixth, Karns would have stayed in the game after throwing only 79 pitches. False. Kevin Cash popped out of the dugout and pulled a visibly perturbed Karns in favor of Brandon Gomes, who got the final two outs in the sixth to keep the game tied.

Contrary to what we’ve seen all season, the Rays were able to answer the White Sox in the seventh. Pinch-hitter Grady Sizemore hit a double into the right field corner, and went to third on an errant throw by Avisail Garcia. After John Jaso was robbed of a hit on a rocket to first, Longoria doubled to left (his third hit of the night) for a one-run advantage.

Cash called upon Xavier Cedeno in the bottom of the inning. Cedeno got the first out of the frame, then was lifted for Steve Geltz. Garcia immediately doubled to left center and wild pitched to third, before Carlos Sanchez launched his third homer of the season into the right field seats. It was the first time this year Geltz pitched on three straight days. He put down the next three batters in order, but not before the damage was done.

Thankfully the Rays answered with runs in the next two innings.

Grady Sizemore came up against tough lefty Zach Duke with two outs in the eighth, and hit a mammoth homer to right, tying the game at four:

Then in the ninth with David Robertson on the bump, Forsythe helped the Rays take their third lead of the night. Forsythe drew a crucial one-out walk, and went to third on a single by Asdrubal Cabrera. Yet James Loney, who drove home the game-winning run on Sunday, struck out. However, Mahtook, who previously left the bases loaded twice, then lined a single to left for the go ahead run.

That put Jake McGee, who threw a 1-2-3 eighth, on the winning side of the ledger.

Brad Boxberger took the mound in the ninth and gave up a leadoff single to Alexie Ramirez, who got into scoring position by swiping second with Adam LaRoche at the plate. LaRoche hit a base hit to shallow center, and the Outlaw quickly fielded the play then let loose with a throw to the plate as Ramirez rounded third:

Ramirez was out by a wide margin. And while LaRoche advanced to second on the throw, Boxberger fanned Avisail Garcia, and Carlos Sanchez lined to right to finish the game.

Kiermaier spoke about the run saving play after the game, saying he didn’t think Ramirez would try to score off the bat:

No, no, not at all. We were playing kind of shallow anyways. I got the ball and I peeked up at him and I saw that they sent him. I told myself, ‘Just make a nice, good, long, one-hop …’ I short-hopped it and Curt made an unbelievable pick. I’ve hugged him at least seven times since the game’s ended. I told him it was unbelievable.

Perhaps the ChiSox have learned not to test the arm of The Outlaw.

The New What Next

Chris Archer (9-8, 2.54 ERA) will make his 23rd start of the season in Tuesday’s game, opposite of Chris Sale (9-6, 3.20 ERA). Archer has not picked up a win in his last six starts, going 0-4 with a 3.96 ERA. Archer retired the first 19 batters in order in his last start against the Tigers. Sale is coming off of a rare rough start against Boston, allowing seven runs on a career-high 12 hits over five-plus innings. You can read about the pitching matchup in our series preview.

Rays 8/4/15 Starting Lineup

Guyer LF
Beckham 2B
Longoria DH
Forsythe 1B
Cabrera SS
Shaffer 3B
Mahtook RF
Kiermaier CF
Rivera C
Archer RHP

Noteworthiness

— According to Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times), the recently promoted Richie Shaffer (0-2 last night with an HBP and a walk) should see a lot of time with the Rays:

Shaffer, the 24-year-old who was the Rays’ top pick in the 2012 draft, is expected to stick around for a while, potentially the rest of the season, playing mostly first and occasionally third (to give Evan Longoria a day off his feet) or DH against all lefty starters, as the Sox have in all three games of this series, and some right-handers. Though he’s dabbled in the outfield, the Rays aren’t going to push that for now.

— With the above quote in mind, Shaffer will get the start tonight at third, while Longoria, who will be the DH tonight, gets a little time off his feet.

— The Rays have won back-to-back road games after trailing, going into the eighth inning, for the first time since June 1-2, 2010 at Toronto.

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