OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Sonny Gray struck out six pitching into the seventh in what might have been his final home start in Oakland if the club tries to deal him before the trade deadline, and the Athletics rallied in the fifth inning to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-2 on Wednesday.
Matt Joyce hit a towering homer to the right-field seats in the eighth for Oakland.
Rajai Davis doubled home Oakland’s first run in the fifth then Joyce followed with a tying sacrifice fly before Davis scurried home with the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.
Gray (6-4) won his third straight start and fourth in five. When speculation arose from the White Sox side before his Friday outing that the right-hander had been scratched because of a possible deal, the A’s quickly announced that he was indeed taking the mound for his scheduled outing.
After a pair of one-run defeats to begin this series, the A’s avoided being swept by the Rays in Oakland for the first time. This already marked just their third lost series at home to Tampa Bay.
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