OAKLAND, Calif. -- Getting the chance to play first base for the first time, Tim Beckham figured he might as well hit like a slugging first baseman instead of a middle infielder.
Beckham made the most of his emergency position switch by hitting a homer and sparking a four-run inning with his eighth straight hit over three games to lead the Tampa Bay Rays to a 7-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Thursday night.
"That's not an easy thing," manager Kevin Cash said. "That's uncomfortable to go play somewhere in a big league ballgame. You can imagine there's probably some nerves and anxiety."
With Logan Morrison sidelined by an injured right forearm and Steve Pearce needing a day off, Beckham was Tampa Bay's best option to play first despite never having played the position.
He took infield before the game and got some quick lessons from bench coach Tom Foley before taking the field with one of Pearce's gloves.
"I just told myself I trust in my ability," Beckham said. "Just trust in my ability and be comfortable over there. It helped out."
While he played error-free defense and made a nice play on a forceout in the ninth, it was his bat that did the biggest damage.
He followed up a five-hit game in Colorado on Wednesday by hitting a solo homer in the second against Sonny Gray (4-9) and then adding a leadoff single in the big fifth inning that gave Tampa Bay the lead for good.
Beckham, who started the streak with a single in his final at-bat Monday, was finally retired when he popped out to end the sixth but by then he had done his damage. His eight hits in eight at-bats -- he walked in his other plate appearance -- were one more hit than he had in 41 at-bats in all of June.
Corey Dickerson homered and drove in three runs, and Logan Forsythe, Brad Miller and Evan Longoria added RBI hits in the fifth inning to back a solid start by Matt Moore (6-7).
Moore allowed a three-run homer to Jake Smolinski in the second but nothing else in seven innings to earn his first win in eight road starts this season.
"I think that kind of woke me up," Moore said of the homer. "It was early in the game. We were just trying to set the tone by throwing strikes, pounding the zone early."
Alex Colome got three outs for his 21st save in as many chances to give the Rays their first three game winning streak since June 12-15. Tampa Bay has won four of five following a 3-24 stretch that was the worst in franchise history.
Gray, who snapped a seven-game losing streak last Saturday against Toronto, was unable to build on that success. He allowed seven runs and nine hits in five innings.
"That game kind of went how my year's been, giving up the home run then having the big inning," Gray said. "I thought at the start of the fifth inning I made some pretty good pitches, and suddenly it's first and second with nobody out and then it didn't go well from there."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rays: Morrison got an injection in his injured forearm and is expected to be fine in a day or two.
Athletics: LHP Rich Hill (blister) played catch before the game with protection on his middle finger. He is still not ready to throw curveballs or pitch off the mound. ... RHP Zach Neal was recalled from Triple-A Nashville and LHP Patrick Schuster was optioned to Nashville.
TRADE TALK
A's RF Josh Reddick said he's tuning out any talk about a possible trade before the Aug. 1 deadline, saying the game is hard enough without worrying about things out of his control. But Reddick did say he is upset there hasn't been more progress on a long-term deal to keep him in Oakland past this season.
"It's kind of disheartening to know something hasn't been worked out so far, and we've been four months into it," he said.
UP NEXT
Rays: Jake Odorizzi (4-5) snapped a six-start winless streak last Sunday against Baltimore when he allowed two runs in six innings for his first win since June 8.
Athletics: Sean Manaea (3-5) faces the Rays for the first time in his career in the second game of the series.
Tampa Bay Rays
Beckham made the most of his emergency position switch by hitting a homer and sparking a four-run inning with his eighth straight hit over three games to lead the Tampa Bay Rays to a 7-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Thursday night.
"That's not an easy thing," manager Kevin Cash said. "That's uncomfortable to go play somewhere in a big league ballgame. You can imagine there's probably some nerves and anxiety."
With Logan Morrison sidelined by an injured right forearm and Steve Pearce needing a day off, Beckham was Tampa Bay's best option to play first despite never having played the position.
He took infield before the game and got some quick lessons from bench coach Tom Foley before taking the field with one of Pearce's gloves.
"I just told myself I trust in my ability," Beckham said. "Just trust in my ability and be comfortable over there. It helped out."
While he played error-free defense and made a nice play on a forceout in the ninth, it was his bat that did the biggest damage.
He followed up a five-hit game in Colorado on Wednesday by hitting a solo homer in the second against Sonny Gray (4-9) and then adding a leadoff single in the big fifth inning that gave Tampa Bay the lead for good.
Beckham, who started the streak with a single in his final at-bat Monday, was finally retired when he popped out to end the sixth but by then he had done his damage. His eight hits in eight at-bats -- he walked in his other plate appearance -- were one more hit than he had in 41 at-bats in all of June.
Corey Dickerson homered and drove in three runs, and Logan Forsythe, Brad Miller and Evan Longoria added RBI hits in the fifth inning to back a solid start by Matt Moore (6-7).
Moore allowed a three-run homer to Jake Smolinski in the second but nothing else in seven innings to earn his first win in eight road starts this season.
"I think that kind of woke me up," Moore said of the homer. "It was early in the game. We were just trying to set the tone by throwing strikes, pounding the zone early."
Alex Colome got three outs for his 21st save in as many chances to give the Rays their first three game winning streak since June 12-15. Tampa Bay has won four of five following a 3-24 stretch that was the worst in franchise history.
Gray, who snapped a seven-game losing streak last Saturday against Toronto, was unable to build on that success. He allowed seven runs and nine hits in five innings.
"That game kind of went how my year's been, giving up the home run then having the big inning," Gray said. "I thought at the start of the fifth inning I made some pretty good pitches, and suddenly it's first and second with nobody out and then it didn't go well from there."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rays: Morrison got an injection in his injured forearm and is expected to be fine in a day or two.
Athletics: LHP Rich Hill (blister) played catch before the game with protection on his middle finger. He is still not ready to throw curveballs or pitch off the mound. ... RHP Zach Neal was recalled from Triple-A Nashville and LHP Patrick Schuster was optioned to Nashville.
TRADE TALK
A's RF Josh Reddick said he's tuning out any talk about a possible trade before the Aug. 1 deadline, saying the game is hard enough without worrying about things out of his control. But Reddick did say he is upset there hasn't been more progress on a long-term deal to keep him in Oakland past this season.
"It's kind of disheartening to know something hasn't been worked out so far, and we've been four months into it," he said.
UP NEXT
Rays: Jake Odorizzi (4-5) snapped a six-start winless streak last Sunday against Baltimore when he allowed two runs in six innings for his first win since June 8.
Athletics: Sean Manaea (3-5) faces the Rays for the first time in his career in the second game of the series.
10:05PM,EDT,July 21,2016
Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, California
Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, California
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Tampa Bay - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Sonny Gray pitching for Oakland | TB | OAK |
| Forsythe singled to right. | 0 | 0 |
| Miller grounded out to pitcher, Forsythe to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Longoria grounded out to second, Forsythe to third. | 0 | 0 |
| Dickerson singled to right, Forsythe scored. | 1 | 0 |
| Souza Jr. struck out looking. | 1 | 0 |
| 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Oakland - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Matt Moore pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | OAK |
| Semien struck out looking. | 1 | 0 |
| Lowrie lined out to right. | 1 | 0 |
| Reddick struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Sonny Gray pitching for Oakland | TB | OAK |
| Kiermaier lined out to second. | 1 | 0 |
| Guyer grounded out to shortstop. | 1 | 0 |
| Beckham homered to left center (391 feet). | 2 | 0 |
| Maile struck out swinging. | 2 | 0 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Oakland - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Matt Moore pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | OAK |
| Valencia singled to center. | 2 | 0 |
| Davis flied out to center. | 2 | 0 |
| Butler singled to center, Valencia to second. | 2 | 0 |
| Vogt popped out to second. | 2 | 0 |
| Smolinski homered to left center (382 feet), Valencia and Butler scored. | 2 | 3 |
| Healy grounded out to second. | 2 | 3 |
| 3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Sonny Gray pitching for Oakland | TB | OAK |
| Forsythe struck out swinging. | 2 | 3 |
| Miller struck out swinging. | 2 | 3 |
| Longoria struck out swinging. | 2 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Oakland - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Matt Moore pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | OAK |
| Semien grounded out to shortstop. | 2 | 3 |
| Lowrie grounded out to shortstop. | 2 | 3 |
| Reddick flied out to left. | 2 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| Sonny Gray pitching for Oakland | TB | OAK |
| Dickerson homered to left center (379 feet). | 3 | 3 |
| Souza Jr. grounded out to shortstop. | 3 | 3 |
| Kiermaier grounded out to first. | 3 | 3 |
| Guyer flied out to left. | 3 | 3 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Oakland - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Matt Moore pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | OAK |
| Valencia struck out looking. | 3 | 3 |
| Davis grounded out to pitcher. | 3 | 3 |
| Butler grounded out to first. | 3 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| Sonny Gray pitching for Oakland | TB | OAK |
| Beckham singled to center. | 3 | 3 |
| Maile singled to right, Beckham to second. | 3 | 3 |
| Beckham to third on wild pitch by Gray. | 3 | 3 |
| Forsythe doubled to right center, Beckham scored, Maile to third. | 4 | 3 |
| Miller singled to right, Maile scored, Forsythe to third. | 5 | 3 |
| Longoria singled to left center, Forsythe scored, Longoria out at second, Miller to third. | 6 | 3 |
| Dickerson hit sacrifice fly to left, Miller scored. | 7 | 3 |
| Souza Jr. struck out swinging. | 7 | 3 |
| 4 Runs, 5 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Oakland - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Matt Moore pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | OAK |
| Vogt struck out looking. | 7 | 3 |
| Smolinski grounded out to third. | 7 | 3 |
| Healy grounded out to shortstop. | 7 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| Liam Hendriks pitching for Oakland | TB | OAK |
| Hendriks relieved Gray. | 7 | 3 |
| Kiermaier struck out swinging. | 7 | 3 |
| Guyer popped out to second. | 7 | 3 |
| Beckham popped out to second. | 7 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Oakland - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Matt Moore pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | OAK |
| Semien struck out swinging. | 7 | 3 |
| Lowrie walked. | 7 | 3 |
| Reddick singled to right center, Lowrie to second. | 7 | 3 |
| Valencia flied out to left. | 7 | 3 |
| Davis lined out to left. | 7 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Zach Neal pitching for Oakland | TB | OAK |
| Neal relieved Hendriks. | 7 | 3 |
| Maile flied out to left. | 7 | 3 |
| Forsythe flied out to center. | 7 | 3 |
| Miller singled to right. | 7 | 3 |
| Longoria struck out swinging. | 7 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Oakland - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| Matt Moore pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | OAK |
| Butler lined out to right. | 7 | 3 |
| Vogt fouled out to right. | 7 | 3 |
| Smolinski walked. | 7 | 3 |
| Healy struck out swinging. | 7 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Zach Neal pitching for Oakland | TB | OAK |
| Dickerson grounded out to shortstop. | 7 | 3 |
| Souza Jr. grounded out to shortstop. | 7 | 3 |
| Kiermaier flied out to left. | 7 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Oakland - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| Kevin Jepsen pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | OAK |
| Jepsen relieved Moore. | 7 | 3 |
| Semien flied out to right. | 7 | 3 |
| Lowrie flied out to center. | 7 | 3 |
| Cedeño relieved Jepsen. | 7 | 3 |
| Reddick struck out swinging. | 7 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Zach Neal pitching for Oakland | TB | OAK |
| Guyer grounded out to shortstop. | 7 | 3 |
| Beckham struck out swinging. | 7 | 3 |
| Maile flied out to center. | 7 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Oakland - Bottom of 9th | SCORE | |
| Erasmo Ramirez pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | OAK |
| Ramírez relieved Cedeño. | 7 | 3 |
| Valencia singled to right. | 7 | 3 |
| Davis hit by pitch, Valencia to second. | 7 | 3 |
| Alonso hit for Butler. | 7 | 3 |
| Colomé relieved Ramírez. | 7 | 3 |
| Alonso grounded into fielder's choice to first, Davis out at second, Valencia to third. | 7 | 3 |
| Vogt popped out to second. | 7 | 3 |
| Alonso to second on fielder's indifference. | 7 | 3 |
| Smolinski struck out swinging. | 7 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
Tampa Bay Rays
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forsythe 2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 23 | .282 | .344 | .459 |
| Miller SS | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | .248 | .299 | .468 |
| Longoria 3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 16 | .290 | .337 | .548 |
| Dickerson DH | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 | .241 | .288 | .468 |
| Souza Jr. RF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 18 | .246 | .301 | .409 |
| Kiermaier CF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15 | .220 | .306 | .411 |
| Guyer LF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | .242 | .349 | .419 |
| Beckham 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 18 | .223 | .287 | .438 |
| Maile C | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 | .278 | .278 | .333 |
| Totals | 35 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 148 | |||
| BATTING 2B: Forsythe (19, Gray) HR: Beckham (4, 2nd inning off Gray 0 on, 2 Out); Dickerson (14, 4th inning off Gray 0 on, 0 Out) RBI: Dickerson 3 (39), Beckham (11), Forsythe (25), Miller (36), Longoria (55) SF: Dickerson 2-out RBI: Dickerson, Beckham Rays RISP: 4-5 (Forsythe 1-1, Miller 1-1, Dickerson 1-1, Longoria 1-2) Team LOB: 2 | ||||||||||
Game Information
| Stadium | Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA |
| Attendance | 14,412 (41.1% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 2:46 |
| Weather | 66 degrees, clear |
| Wind | 13 mph |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Mark Ripperger, First Base - Joe West, Second Base - Kerwin Danley, Third Base - Andy Fletcher |
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