Alex Colome and Curt Casali celebrate defeating the Oakland Athletics 5-4 on August 22, 2015. In 11 relief appearances since the All-Star break, Alex Colome has allowed just one earned run in 17-1/3 innings. (Photo Credit: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Alex Colome and Curt Casali celebrate defeating the Oakland Athletics 5-4 on August 22, 2015. In 11 relief appearances since the All-Star break, Alex Colome has allowed just one earned run in 17-1/3 innings. (Photo Credit: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
For the first time in 50 attempts, the Tampa Bay Rays notched their first ninth-inning comeback of the season, as the team rallied for two runs late and won 5-4 over the Oakland Athletics. The Rays (62-61) have now won three straight and start the days just 1-1/2 games back in the Wildcard race.

The Rays took an early one run lead in the second inning after Logan Forsythe took Sonny Gray deep to left, his 14th homer of the season. It was also the first of three Rays’ home runs, making Tampa Bay the first team to go yard three times in one game off Gray.

But Oakland struck back against Ramirez to tie the game in the second inning. Brett Lawrie reached on a one-out infield hit to short, and then scored on a Josh Phegley double to right-field line that was just inside the foul line. Yet John Jaso answered in the third inning, turning on a hanging breaking pitch, and sending it to the right-center seats for a 2-1 lead that held up until the home sixth.

Tampa Bay led in the sixth, when James Loney was ejected after being called out on a 3-2 pitch that appeared low to end the top of the frame. Loney mouthed “god dammit,” flipped both his bat and helmet to the ground, and was immediately ejected by home plate umpire Paul Nauert.

The Rays first baseman lost it! Loney got into Nauert’s face and ultimately bumped the ump, and because of it, a few coaches had to come out and get Loney to go to the dugout. He must not have been too mad:

After the game, Rays manager Kevin Cash said Nauert told him he was okay with the bat, but the helmet flip is what led to the ejection. Cash also said Cash said it was obvious both parties were frustrated, but allowed, “It was a little unique he didn’t say anything directly to him.” Which was Loney’s main argument: 

If I’m not saying anything to you, just relax. Nobody is coming to watch you. Nobody cares that you’re back there calling balls and strikes. You could tell his personality is not the best and he’s just kind of there. If I’m not saying anything to you, don’t throw me out. Flipping my bat and throwing my helmet down? Just relax.

Erasmo Ramirez, who has never had much success against Oakland, wasn’t his pristine self — yet he managed to hold the lead. He walked the razor’s edge in all but the fifth, where he put the A’s down on seven pitches. Still, things looked like they were turning around for the righty…until the bottom of the sixth, when Oakland ambushed Ramirez.

Mark Canha belted the first pitch he saw to center field for a game tying homer. Stephen Vogt followed by hitting a hard liner, but right at Daniel Nava for the first out of the frame. Lawrie reached on a hustle double to left-center. Kevin Kiermaier, who fielded the play, attempted to throw Lawrie out, but his throw wasn’t clean and Forsythe was unable to handle the short hop. With one out and one on, Phegley hit the very next pitch over the left-field wall for a two-run advantage. Ramirez came back and retired the next five batters.

Forsythe attempted to spark a rally in the seventh inning by lining a ball to the left-center gap, yet Billy Burns stretched out and made an impressive diving catch to rob Logan of a triple. All wasn’t lost, however — Asdrubal Cabrera helped the team chip away at the Athletics’ lead by crushing a solo shot to left-center, bringing the Rays within one.

Gray put down the next five hitters before being lifted after eight.

Alex Colome, the only reliever used by Cash, entered in the eighth and retired all six batters he faced (over a two inning spread) on an incredibly efficient 20 pitches. In 11 relief appearances since the All-Star break, Colome has allowed just one earned run in 17-1/3 innings.

Switch-pitcher Pat Venditte took the mound in the ninth and got Evan Longoria to chase the 10th pitch of the at-bat — a fastball well off the plate. But Venditte walked Daniel Nava on four pitches, giving the Rays a one out base runner. After Cash pinched Nava for the speedy Tim Beckham, Forsythe doubled to left-center, moving both runners into scoring position. The novelty of Venditte wore off, and Bob Melvin quickly called upon the services of lefty Drew Pomeranz. Cabrera jumped on the first pitch he saw from Pomeranz, and turned it into a two-run double to right for a 5-4 Rays lead, and subsequently the win. Before the late rally, the Rays were 0-49 when trailing after eight innings.

The New What Next

Jake Odorizzi (6-6, 3-02) will take the mound for Tampa Bay, opposite of RHP Kendall Graveman. Odorizzi is coming off an impressive outing in which he yielded one run in six innings to the Astros. The righty is 1-1 with a 0.91 ERA in five starts against American League West opponents this season. Graveman is 0-5 with a 6.89 ERA over his last seven starts. He was the winning pitcher in his only career appearance against Tampa on May 23, a six-inning scoreless outing in which he allowed just three hits. You can read about the pitching matchup in our series preview.

Rays 8/23/15 Starting Lineup

Sizemore DH
Nava RF
Longoria 3B
Jaso LF
Forsythe 2B
Cabrara SS
Loney 1B
Guyer CF
Rivera C
Odorizzi RHP

Noteworthiness

— The Rays lineup has John Jaso in LF.

— Saturday was the first time since May 13, 2014 at Seattle that Tampa Bay won after trailing entering the ninth inning.

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