ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — One mistake. That’s all it took to spoil an otherwise dazzling major-league starting debut for A’s right-hander Tanner Anderson on Monday night.
Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe picked on Anderson’s high fastball, slamming a one-out, two-run homer in the sixth inning, jump-starting Tampa Bay’s 6-2 victory at Tropicana Field.
The A’s avoided their third shutout of the season on Stephen Piscotty’s one-out RBI double in the ninth, followed by Robbie Grossman’s run-scoring single.
Overall, though, they struggled mightily against Rays right-hander Charlie Morton (8-0), who allowed just two hits in seven innings of work.