Rays hold off Dodgers to win Game 2, even World Series

Oct. 21 (UPI) -- The Tampa Bay Rays held on for a 6-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 on Wednesday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, tying the World Series at one game apiece.

Brandon Lowe smashed two home runs to break out of his extended postseason slump and Joey Wendle drove in three runs for the Rays to even the championship series. After a day off, Game 3 will be Friday night.

"Yeah, those felt really good," said Lowe, a 2019 All-Star who led the Rays in homers and RBIs this season. "It felt great to kind of get back and contribute to the team. You know, they've been doing so well for the past month. It felt really good to get back and actually start doing stuff again."

Lowe got the Rays' offense going with a 410-foot solo homer in the opening inning. In the fourth, Tampa Bay extended its lead to 3-0 with Wendle's two-RBI double off Dodgers reliever Dustin May.

Lowe belted his second home run of the contest -- this time a two-run shot to left field -- in the fifth, pushing the Rays' advantage to 5-0. With Tampa Bay holding a five-run lead and ace Blake Snell throwing a no-hitter through the first four innings, it appeared the Dodgers were on the verge of losing in blowout fashion.

But Los Angeles finally got to Snell in the fifth, when Chris Taylor blasted a two-run homer to make it 5-2. Snell then walked Mookie Betts and gave up a single to Corey Seager to end his night.

Nick Anderson entered the game in relief of Snell and struck out Justin Turner to escape the fifth. In the top of the sixth, the Rays added another run on Wendle's sacrifice fly to make it a four-run game.

Will Smith answered with a solo home run in the bottom half of the inning and Seager homered to center in the eighth to cut the Rays' lead to 6-4, but that would prove to be all the runs Los Angeles could muster against Tampa Bay's bullpen.

Snell allowed two runs on two hits in 4 2/3 innings against the Dodgers. He recorded nine strikeouts and walked four. Anderson (1-0) was credited with the win, and Diego Castillo earned the save.

Tony Gonsolin (0-1) got the start for the Dodgers in a bullpen game and gave up one run on one hit over 1 1/3 innings. He struck out one and walked one.

Right-hander Walker Buehler is expected to take the mound for the Dodgers in Game 3, while the Rays will send out Charlie Morton.