5/28 - Rangers (15-39) @ Rays (37-16): Game 3

ST PETERSBURG -- The Rays have now dropped two in a row to the Rangers at home. The Rangers scored first in this one in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly by Michael Young scoring Ian Kinsler, but the Rays stormed back in the bottom of the first with three runs including a two-run blast hit by B.J. Upton scoring Akinori Iwamura, later followed by Carl Crawford who hit a sacrifice fly scoring Carlos Pena from third. The Rangers scored five runs in the top of the sixth on two home runs. Josh Hamilton led off the inning with a solo home run, and Marlon Byrd blasted a grand slam scoring Frank Catalanotto, Hank Blalock, and Milton Bradley to take a three run lead. Evan Longoria narrowed that lead to two in the bottom of the inning with a lead off solo homer. In the seventh, B.J. Upton narrowed the lead to one with an RBI double scoring Jason Bartlett from first, but the Rangers extended their lead in the eighth when Gerald Laird blooped an RBI single to right, scoring Frank Catalanotto and Ramon Vazquez. In the bottom of the eighth, Rocco Baldelli hit an RBI single scoring Evan Longoria from third, and in the ninth, Carlos Pena hit a sacrifice groundout scoring Akinori Iwamura from third, but it wasn't enough as the Rangers edged the Rays 8-7. Rays starting pitcher Edwin Jackson started strong, but was immediately yanked out after the Marlon Byrd grand slam, pitching five innings, giving up six runs on ten hits and striking out two for the loss in this one.

Final Score:
Rangers: 8
Rays: 7

WP - Kason Gabbard (2-4) | LP - Edwin Jackson (4-1) | SV - Joaquin Benoit (7)

HR:
B.J. Upton - Rays (18)
Evan Longoria - Rays (16)
Josh Hamilton - Rangers (11)
Marlon Byrd - Rangers (7)