Brandon Allen walk-off homer rallies Rays past falling Angels

Tampa Bay, FL, United States (AHN Sports) – Brandon Allen powered a pinch-hit home run in the ninth inning as the Tampa Bay Rays rallied past the Los Angeles Angels, 4-3 Thursday at Tropicana Field.

Acquired off waivers from Oakland Athletics last week, Allen made an immediate impact for the Rays as he belted a two-run walk-off homer to complete a three-game sweep of the struggling Angeles and extend their winning streak to six games.

Down 3-1 in the sixth inning, Matt Joyce connected for an RBI triple to narrow the deficit by one run. Allen then blasted the ball over the right field fence in the final inning, also plating BJ Upton.

Rays starter Matt Moore allowed five hits and three runs into the sixth inning, while relief pitcher Brandon Gomez took the win after collecting two strikeouts in the final inning.

The Angels received an early spark from third baseman Mark Trumbo (2 runs, 2 hits and 2 RBI) but Albert Pujols continued to struggle at the plate with just one hit in four at-bat appearances.

The Rays hold the top spot in the AL East division at 12-7, while the Angels dropped to last place in AL West at 6-13 despite spending millions in this year’s free-agency.

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