Game 62: Rays 7 Chicago White Sox 5— Postgame News and Notes

Derek Norris hit two homers on Thursday night and Jake Odorizzi went 6.2 innings. Tampa Bay built a 6–0 lead in the fourth inning, then held on for a 7–5 victory. The Rays (31–31) are back at .500 after taking two of three in the series from the Chicago White Sox.

Norris, who was in a 2-for-34 stretch entering the day, homered to left to start the third against Derek Holland, extending Tampa Bay’s advantage to 2–0.

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In the fourth, Norris followed a one-out single to right by Daniel Robertson with another blast to left, this one pushing the lead to 5–0. The two-homer game for Norris gave him seven for the season. It was his first multi-homer game with the Rays, and third of his MLB career.

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Peter Bourjos, who just came off the DL on Thursday, followed Norris’ second homer of the game with a blast of his own for a 6–0 lead. It was the third for Bourjos, and the eighth time this year Tampa Bay has gone back-to-back, which leads MLB.

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Odorizzi, who threw just 48 pitches through the first four innings, worked out of a jam in the fifth, and then gave up three runs in the sixth on an Avisail Garcia homer to left-center, his 10th.

Odorizzi was able to recover to finish the sixth, and got two outs in the seventh, his longest outing since May sixth. Tommy Hunter got the final out in the seventh.

However, the eighth, things got a bit hairy. Ryne Stanek allowed a two-run homer to Todd Frazier with one out off the left field foul pole to make it 6–5. Tim Anderson then doubled, and stole third. Yolmer Sanchez hit a bullet to second, and Daniel Robertson made a terrific pick with the infield in, and held Anderson at third while recording the second out. Alex Colome then got Omar Narvaez to fly to left, ending the top of the eighth.

Then in the bottom of the frame, Colby Rasmus blasted a solo shot to right off reliever Gregory Infante for a two-run cushion. Colome allowed a two-out single to Melky Cabrera in the ninth, but struck out Jose Abreu to earn his 17th save.

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Rasmus entered in the sixth and played left field after Kevin Kiermaier jammed his hip in the bottom of the fifth inning sliding into first base.

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Tampa Bay begins a four-game three-day series against the Oakland A’s on Friday at Tropicana Field. Alex Cobb (4–5 4.52) starts opposite fellow righty Andrew Triggs (5–5 3.36). Coverage on the Rays Radio Network begins at 6:30 p.m. and Dave and Andy will have the call with first pitch at 7:10.