SAN FRANCISCO — There are wins, and there are signature wins. On Friday night, the Rays overcame three early deficits, got yet another home run from Junior Caminero, escaped a harrowing bottom of the eighth and broke a ninth-inning tie to beat the Giants, 7-6.
Yandy Díaz delivered the winning hit, a one-out single against Giants closer Randy Rodríguez.
Edwin Uceta created his own jam in the eighth by hitting two batters, enabling San Francisco to load the bases with nobody out. After shortstop Ha-Seong Kim’s backhand dive robbed Patrick Bailey of the go-ahead hit, Uceta got two ground balls to keep it tied.
Rodríguez hit Nick Fortes to start the ninth. Chandler Simpson capped a three-hit night with a single. With runners on the corners and one out, Díaz laced a single to center that got Simpson home.
Tampa Bay improved to 5-5 with two games left on their four-city trip. The Giants have lost six in a row.
The Rays showed a lot of fight in overcoming early deficits of 1-0, 3-1 and 6-3 to forge a 6-6 tie in the fourth inning.
Neither starter lasted long. Tampa Bay’s Joe Boyle was knocked out in the third, San Francisco’s Landen Roupp in the fourth.
It took two relievers surnamed Seymour — Carson for the Giants, Ian for the Rays — to slam a lid on two boiling offenses.
Adding to the confusion, the Rays’ first baseman was Bob Seymour, who made his Major League debut.
Carson Seymour pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Though Ian Seymour allowed the Giants’ fifth and sixth runs in the third, he followed with 2 1/3 dominant innings.
