ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Brandon Lowe busted out early and Tampa Bay’s bullpen hung on late.
Rays and Dodgers, tied after two in Texas.
Lowe shook loose from his extended postseason slump with two opposite-field homers, and Tampa Bay held off Los Angeles 6-4 on Wednesday night to square the World Series at one game apiece.
Blake Snell struck out nine in 4 2/3 innings for the Rays and didn’t allow a hit until Chris Taylor’s two-run homer trimmed it to 5-2 in the fifth. Los Angeles threatened to complete a big comeback in the eighth, but Tampa Bay’s relievers held firm.
Lowe and Joey Wendle each drove in three runs for the Rays.
Nick Anderson got four outs for the win. Diego Castillo earned the save when he struck out Taylor, the only batter he faced.
Lowe hit an opposite-field solo homer to left-center in the first off Tony Gonsolin, putting the American League champion Rays ahead for the first time at this neutral-site World Series with their 27th home run of the postseason, matching a major league record. The second baseman was hitting .107 this postseason, and in an even worse 4-for-48 slide (.083) the past 13 games since the start of the AL Division Series.
By the time he went deep again in the fifth, his second opposite-field shot of the game and the entire season — with a runner on against Dustin May, already the fourth Dodgers pitcher — it was 5-0.
After a day off, Game 3 will be Friday night at neutral site Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers. Charlie Morton starts for the Rays against Walker Buehler of Los Angeles.
