The game was tied through seven. Then the eighth inning happened. Tampa Bay sent five runs across the plate at Angel Stadium on Sunday, turning a 3-3 deadlock into an 8-3 final and handing the Los Angeles Angels their latest loss in a difficult season.
Victor Mesa was the catalyst. The outfielder finished 2-for-3 with a walk, a home run, and 2 RBI, capping the night with a two-run shot to right center measuring 406 feet that put the game away. He entered the day hitting .200 with 2 home runs and 5 RBI on the season. Junior Caminero also went deep in the eighth, a two-run homer to left that traveled 374 feet, pushing his season totals to 15 home runs and 32 RBI. Caminero finished 1-for-5 with 2 RBI on the night.
The Angels had fought back to even the score in the fifth. Donovan Walton homered to right center — 386 feet — to pull Los Angeles within one, and Jo Adell followed with a single to left that scored Logan Porter and tied the game at 3. But the Angels could not add to that. When the eighth arrived, Caminero homered to left with Cedric Mullins aboard to make it 5-3, Hunter Feduccia singled to right to score Richie Palacios, and Mesa's blast to right center scored Feduccia and closed the scoring at 8-3. Tampa Bay had scored all five runs in the inning before the Angels could respond.
Earlier, TB had taken the lead on Chandler Simpson's single to center in the third, which scored Jonathan Aranda and Mesa Jr. to make it 2-1, and Ben Williamson's solo homer to center in the fourth extended the advantage to 3-1. On the Angels' side, Sam Bachman absorbed the loss, allowing 5 runs on 4 hits in just 1.0 inning of work, issuing 2 walks and striking out 1 on 31 pitches. He falls to 1-1 on the season with a 3.31 ERA. Kevin Kelly earned the win for Tampa Bay, working 2.0 scoreless innings, allowing 1 hit, walking none, and striking out 3. He improves to 4-2 with a 2.27 ERA.
Tampa Bay moved to 41-27 with the victory. Kevin Kelly is 4 games away from 200 career appearances. The Angels fell to 29-43, sitting fifth in their division.