Friday, 4 a.m.
Oh, yeah. That's the Manny Margot you remember.
Margot, who spent a month on the injured list, hadn't quite been the same hitter since his return to the Rays five games ago. Going into Thursday's game, Margot was hitting just .188 since being activated as he looked for his timing to return.
Thursday, it was back.
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Margot had four hits in five at bats to lead the Rays to an 8-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, completing a four-game sweep. Margot scored twice and drove in two runs with a triple.
Together, Margot and Harold Ramirez have infused more depth into the Rays' batting order. As such, the team has won seven of eight games since Ramirez returned, 4-1 since Margot’s.
"He's showing how much we missed him," said Rays' manager Kevin Cash. "He and Ramirez are big parts of our team. We know we’re a better team with them in the lineup.
"(Margot) looks very healthy. He’s sometimes hard to trust because he always tells you he feels good. He’s looking the part for sure."
The Rays scored five times in the third and three more in the seventh even though they had just three hits apart from Margot's efforts. One of them, however, was a two-run homer by Isaac Paredes.
Drew Rasmussen, who has flirted with no-hitters in his last two outings, was very good again. He went 5 1/3 innings and allowed only one earned run and six hits.
The Rays now travel to Boston to face the Red Sox in a 7:10 p.m. game tonight. The Rays have not announced a starter, but ex-Ray Michael Wacha will start for the Sox.