Rays vs Dodgers Recap: Late Rally Beats Rays 5-4

The Dodgers hosted the Rays at home in Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 17. Tampa Bay came in looking to bounce back after losing 3-4 the night before. Los Angeles wanted to keep their winning streak alive at 2-0. The Rays brought their ace pitcher Shane McClanahan to the mound. Shohei Ohtani took the ball for the Dodgers, ready to dominate. The game would come down to one team making more plays when it mattered most. By the final out, the Dodgers won 5-4 in a back-and-forth battle. You could feel the tension all night long at the stadium.

McClanahan threw hard in the early innings but struggled with control. He walked five batters and gave up hits all over the field. The Dodgers struck first when Alex Call singled in the fourth inning, scoring Mookie Betts. Alex Freeland followed with another single, bringing in Call to make it 2-0. But the Rays punched back in the fifth inning and did not stop. Taylor Walls hit a sacrifice fly that scored Victor Mesa Jr. Yandy Diaz ripped a single to center field, scoring Hunter Feduccia. Junior Caminero's ground ball pushed another run across. Then Richie Palacios smacked a single to right, and Aranda scored. The Rays had scored four runs in one explosive inning. The game was tied at four heading into the sixth.

The sixth inning brought the moment the Dodgers needed. Kevin Kelly took over pitching for Tampa Bay. Freddie Freeman stepped up to the plate with runners on base. You could feel the electricity building in the stadium. Freeman swung hard and connected with a powerful sinker. The ball rocketed out to center field and sailed over the wall. Two runs scored on that home run blast. The Dodgers now led 5-4. The Rays tried to answer back but could not score again. Shohei Ohtani pitched strong through six innings, striking out five batters. Alex Vesia came in late and closed out the game with a save. Los Angeles held on for a 5-4 victory. The Dodgers improved to 47-27 on the season. Tampa Bay fell to 41-29 with the loss.