Pair of ground-rule home runs off catwalk ring help Brewers edge Rays at Tropicana Field

ST. PETERSBURG – It isn’t often that the Milwaukee Brewers hit a home run on a ball that lands in the field of play, plopping to the ground mere feet in front of an outfielder.

Then again, it isn’t often that the Brewers play at the domed oddity that is Tropicana Field.

Milwaukee hit a pair of ground-rule home runs off a catwalk ring hovering over the field of play at the home park of the Tampa Bay Rays, including Rowdy Tellez’s go-ahead blast in the eighth inning for a 5-3 win and two-game series sweep Wednesday afternoon.

According to the Rays, it was only the third time in the stadium's 25 years that there had been two catwalk homers in the same game.

BOX SCORE: Brewers 5, Rays 3

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For Tellez, it was his second multi-homer day in three games. He opened the scoring with a solo shot to center in the second against Rays opening pitcher Jalen Beeks, just his second against a lefty this season.

With one out in the eighth, he came to the plate with chants of “Row-dy” from a strong contingent of Brewers supporters behind the third-base dugout and launched a 1-2 pitch from Calvin Faucher high into right.

The ball ricocheted off the “C-ring” catwalk, one of three circular rings hanging from the ceiling at the stadium, and dropped back into the field of play. But according to Tropicana Field ground rules, any batted ball that strikes that ring in fair play is a homer, which Tellez’s would have been without a doubt had it sailed unscathed.

Luis Urías also socked a go-ahead homer off the same ring on his two-out, two-run blast in the fifth to put Milwaukee up, 3-2.

The Rays tied the game on an RBI double by Wander Franco in the fifth against Brewers starter Eric Lauer, who exited after 4 1/3 innings and allowing three runs.

The Milwaukee bullpen combination of Jandel Gustave, Hoby Milner, Brad Boxberger, Devin Williams and Josh Hader allowed one hit while recording the final 13 outs to pick up the team’s 11th win in its last 16 games immediately following a stretch in which it dropped 10 of 11.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Rowdy Tellez hits two of Brewers' four home runs in 5-3 win over Rays