ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- A border-line pitch went against Tampa Bay and then the game, too.
Carlos Santana hit a three-run homer during a five-run seventh inning and the Cleveland Indians rallied for a 10-6 victory over the Rays on Wednesday night.
Shin-Soo Choo and Asdrubal Cabrera hit two-out singles off Kyle Farnsworth (0-2) before Jason Kipnis' RBI single against Jake McGee tied it at 4. After Michael Brantley had a run-scoring single, Santana extended the lead to 8-4 with his first homer since May 15.
Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon was ejected by home plate umpire Dan Iassogna after Kipnis' game-tying hit for arguing balls and strikes. He felt that the umpire missed a two-strike pitch to Kipnis.
"So my argument was based on what I saw from the dugout, and what I saw was the catcher's mitt never moved, the pitch was right there," Maddon said. "That's strike three and the inning's over. Everybody's happy, Jake goes home happy. He pets his dog. He kisses his wife."
Kipnis and Santana added run-scoring singles in ninth as the Indians went ahead 10-5.
Cleveland starter Justin Masterson left trailing 4-3 and with the bases loaded in the fifth, but was bailed out when Esmil Rogers (1-0) entered and got two quick outs.
"That was a very big win for us, especially the way things started," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "Rogers did a fantastic job. He's the one who pretty much saved the day. He gave us an opportunity to comeback."
Rogers struck out three and walked one over 1 2-3 scoreless innings.
Santana walked and Casey Kotchman was hit by a pitch, and both scored on Jack Hannahan's two-out double in the fifth. Choo cut the deficit to 4-3 with an RBI single.
"It really came down pretty much to one play, with two outs when we hit Kotch with that pitch and then all of a sudden hang a changeup to Hannahan and then Choo's ground ball up the middle that we could have caught or at least knocked down," Maddon said. "All those moments should not have occurred just by making a better pitch against Kotch."
The Rays took a 2-0 lead in the second on Elliot Johnson's RBI single and a sacrifice fly by B.J. Upton. Luke Scott hit an RBI single and Desmond Jennings had a run-scoring bunt hit that made it 4-0 during the third.
Johnson had a seventh-inning RBI infield single. Jennings drove in a run during the ninth with a grounder.
Scott had four hits, and is 12 for 29 in seven games against Cleveland since the weekend before the All-Star break. In his last 12 games against all other teams, the Tampa Bay designated hitter is hitless in 38 at-bats.
Masterson went 4 1-3 innings, allowing four runs and seven hits. Tampa Bay's Jeremy Hellickson gave up three runs and five hits over six innings.
"It was definitely frustrating, but I put it past me," Hellickson said. "I just didn't make good enough pitches to the next two or three batters (after hitting Kotchman) in that fifth inning."
NOTES: Rays 3B Evan Longoria, out since May 1 with a partially torn left hamstring, will accompany the team for a nine-game trip that starts Tuesday. "We haven't even put a potential date on going out and doing the rehab (assignment), but he's feeling less strained on different movements, which is a good thing," Maddon said. ... Cleveland LHP Rafael Perez (strained left lat) pitched a scoreless inning for Triple-A Columbus.
