Diaz, Mullins homers power AL-leading Rays to a 9-4 win over the Padres for 80th victory

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Yandy Diaz and Cedric Mullins each homered and drove in two runs and the AL-leading Tampa Bay Rays scored five runs in the fourth inning on the way to a 9-4 victory over the San Diego Padres on Friday night.

Shane McClanahan (10-6) allowed three hits and four runs, three earned, with two walks and four strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. The 29-year-old left-hander improved to 8-1 at home.

Chandler Simpson had two hits, two stolen bases and scored twice as the Rays (80-54) won for the fourth time in five games and became the first team in the American League to reach 80 wins.

Casey Mize (5-8) allowed seven runs, two earned, on six hits in five innings. Jackson Merrill homered for San Diego, which is 8-2 in its last 10 games.

Diaz hit an opposite field homer to right for his 20th of the season, opening the scoring in the third. He moved into fifth place in franchise history with 119 homers and into fourth place for RBIs with 470.

Tampa Bay sent nine batters to the plate in the fourth, scoring five runs on two hits — both two-out singles by Taylor Walls and Diaz — to open a 6-0 lead.

Jonny DeLuca made it 7-2 with a two-out single in the bottom of the fifth, before Merrill hit a two-run homer in the sixth to make it 7-4.

Caminero singled in a run in the sixth and Mullins hit a solo home run in the seventh.

Up next

Padres RHP Walker Buehler (8-6, 4.63 ERA) is scheduled to face Tampa Bay RHP Nick Martinez (13-4, 2.93 ERA) on Saturday.

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