PHOENIX (AP) — Brandon Pfaadt won his fourth straight start, Pavin Smith hit a two-run homer and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat Tampa Bay 5-1 on Tuesday night as the Rays started their first extended road trip this season.
Smith homered in the third off Zack Littell (0-5) and Tim Tawa followed with a solo shot two innings later. Josh Naylor hit a run-scoring single in the eighth for a 4-1 lead and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. added a sacrifice fly.
Pfaadt (4-1) allowed one run and four hits in six innings with five strikeouts and no walks to win four straight starts for the first time in his three-year career.
Tampa Bay started a six-game trip to Arizona and San Diego after playing 19 of its first 22 games at its temporary home, the New York Yankees’ Steinbrenner Field spring training ballpark. The Rays were swept at Texas from April 4-6 and are 0-4 on the road. They have lost six of seven overall.
Coming off a win over Miami, Pfaadt gave up Jake Mangum's run-scoring single in the second inning and little else. He induced a double play in the fourth inning and stranded a runner at third with one out in the fifth.
Littell, tied for the big league lead in losses. took the defeat in his prior start despite allowing a run on five hits in six innings against Boston — a common theme for the right-hander. The Rays had given him three runs of support through his first four starts, a majors-low 1.17 per-game average.
The right-hander left a pitch up in the zone in the third inning and Smith launched it out to right for his fourth homer of the season. Tawa made it 3-1 in the fifth with his third homer of the season.
Littell allowed three runs and six hits in six innings.
Key moment
Mangum led off the fifth inning with a double, but was tagged out after being caught in a rundown on a grounder to first.
Key stat
Pavin also doubled and finished 2 for 3, raising his average to .397.
Up next
Tampa Bay RHP Taj Bradley (2-1, 5.24 ERA) faces Arizona LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (1-2, 4.09) in the middle game of the three-game series on Wednesday.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
John Marshall, The Associated Press
