Major League Baseball
LA Angels 3, Tampa Bay 2
When: 7:10 PM ET, Monday, May 22, 2017
Where: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Temperature: Indoors
Umpires: Home - Alan Porter, 1B - Joe West, 2B - Hunter Wendelstedt, 3B - Andy Fletcher
Attendance: 12249

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Angels starter JC Ramirez continued his first-inning struggles on Monday night, but he also continued to be a strong pitcher after the first inning, shutting down the Tampa Bay Rays in a 3-2 win at Tropicana Field.

Ramirez (4-3) has allowed 10 of his 20 runs this season in the first inning, and he followed suit Monday, giving up solo home runs to Corey Dickerson and Logan Morrison as the Rays jumped on top 2-1.

He didn't allow another run, however, and the Angels scored the winning run on a bases-loaded wild pitch in the seventh inning.

Ramirez gave up six hits and one walk with five strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.

"I thought he made some good adjustments, and for him to get into the seventh is big for us," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "We played good defense behind him. I thought considering his start, he pitched well."

The Angels (24-23) won a battle of .500 teams, with their bullpen holding up better than that of Tampa Bay, which couldn't maintain an early lead for starter Jake Odorizzi in the opener of a four-game series.

Odorizzi held the Angels to two runs in six innings, but the bullpen let the first batter it faced score the go-ahead run in the seventh.

Reliever Jumbo Diaz (0-3) walked Jefry Marte to lead off the seventh, and Marte took second on a wild pitch and third on a flyout. Diaz then walked Cameron Maybin. Reliever Ryne Stanek intentionally walked Mike Trout to load the bases with one out.

With Albert Pujols at the plate, Stanek threw a wild pitch that allowed Marte to score for a 3-2 lead. Stanek intentionally walked Pujols, and with the bases loaded, got Luis Valbuena to foul out to end the inning.

"Can't walk him. We walked Maybin. That's a bad strategy. They know that, and in those games, they're crucial, adding baserunners," said Rays manager Kevin Cash, who didn't have his top relief options available after a close three-game series with the Yankees.

The Rays (23-24) had a chance to tie the score in the eighth. Steven Souza Jr. walked to lead off, and Evan Longoria got a two-out single to put two on. The Angels turned to closer Bud Norris, who struck out Logan Morrison to end the inning.

Norris also pitched the ninth for his ninth save of the season.

"He's maintained some length and he's capable of pitching in the 35-40 (pitch) range," Scioscia said. "You can't use that card often, but it's good to have when you need to have that four- or five-out save."

The Rays effectively pitched around the Angels' two best bats, with Trout and Pujols going a combined 0-for-6 with three walks and three strikeouts.

The Angels jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first, only to trail 2-1 after two solo home runs in the bottom of the inning.

Los Angeles got a leadoff single from Maybin off Odorizzi's foot, and Maybin stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher Derek Norris.

With runners at first and third with one out, Odorizzi got Pujols to pop out, but Andrelton Simmons hit a sacrifice fly to center for a 1-0 lead. Odorizzi got out of the inning by striking out Kole Calhoun, avoiding further damage.

The Rays tied the score quickly on a solo home run by red-hot Corey Dickerson, who hit his 12th homer of the season and his sixth in the last six games.

"He's performing well leading off the game, in the fifth, sixth, whenever. He's swinging the bat really well right now," Cash said.

Dickerson had the team lead for only a few minutes, as Logan Morrison added another solo shot, his 12th of the season, for a 2-1 lead against Ramirez.

The Rays had three hits in the first inning, then just one in the next four, as Ramirez settled in and kept the Rays in check until Maybin tied the score in the fifth with a home run off the catwalks high above the playing field to make it 2-2.

The ball initially dropped into the field of play, but the Tropicana Field ground rules call for a home run when the "C" catwalk is hit by a fair ball.

Odorizzi struck out eight while yielding five hits and three walks.

NOTES: The Rays had Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie O.J. Howard, a tight end from Alabama and the team's first-round pick, throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Howard also took batting practice before the game, and a group of 20-plus Bucs rookies watched the game. ... The Angels have eight pitchers on the disabled list. Los Angeles ranks second in the majors with 21 pitchers already used during the 2017 season. Only Seattle, with 25, has used more. ... Los Angeles DH Albert Pujols returned to the lineup after missing three games with soreness in his right hamstring. Pujols batted third and went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
Top Game Performances
Starting Pitchers
LA Angels   Tampa Bay
JC Ramirez Player Jake Odorizzi
Win W/L No Decision
6.2 IP 6.0
5 Strikeouts 8
6 Hits 5
2.70 ERA 3.00
Hitting
LA Angels   Tampa Bay
Cameron Maybin Player Tim Beckham
2 Hits 2
1 RBI 0
1 HR 0
5 TB 2
.667 Avg .500
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Hits HR TB Avg LOB K RBI BB SB Errors
LA Angels 5 1 9 .172 18 10 2 8 2 0
Tampa Bay 7 2 13 .219 11 10 2 3 0 1