The game was tied through four innings and decided in one swing. Jonathan Aranda's two-run homer to right center in the fifth — 391 feet — broke a 1-1 deadlock and gave TB a lead it would not relinquish, as the Rays defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 on Saturday at Tropicana Field.
Aranda finished 1-for-2 with 2 RBI and two walks, his 13th home run of the season pushing his season RBI total to 57. Junior Caminero had kept TB in the game earlier, answering Arizona's first-inning run with a solo shot to left — 361 feet — to tie it at 1-1. Caminero, hitting .285 with 21 home runs on the season, went 1-for-4 on the night.
Arizona struck first when Corbin Carroll singled to right in the top of the first, scoring Gerardo Perdomo. Caminero's equalizer came moments later. The game stayed knotted until Aranda connected in the fifth, with Díaz scoring ahead of him to make it 3-1. Cedric Mullins added to the cushion in the sixth, as Mesa Jr. scored on a sacrifice fly to center to push the lead to 4-1. Ketel Marte pulled one back for Arizona with a solo homer to center in the eighth — 430 feet — but it was too little.
Arizona starter Jose Cabrera absorbed the loss, his first of the season, allowing all 4 runs on 7 hits over 5.0 innings, striking out 4 and walking 2 with a 3.60 ERA. Michael Grove earned his first win of the season, tossing 3.0 scoreless innings of relief — 1 hit, no walks, 4 strikeouts — carrying a 0.00 ERA. Bryan Baker closed it out with a clean ninth for his 21st save of the year.
TB has won three straight and improved to 46-33, sitting second in their division. Arizona dropped to 41-40 after the defeat. Perdomo went 3-for-4 for the Diamondbacks, providing their most consistent offensive presence, but Arizona's bats could not solve the TB bullpen after Cabrera's exit.