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Lowe's 2 HRs help Rays draw even with Dodgers in World Series

Ronald Martinez / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 in Game 2 Wednesday night to even the World Series at one game apiece.

Brandon Lowe hit a pair of home runs to snap a 6-for-56 slump and help propel the Rays to victory. The second baseman's second blast, the 28th homer by a Rays hitter this postseason, set a new record for single playoff home runs by one team.

"Yeah, those felt really good," said Lowe, according to Stephen Hawkins of the Associated Press. "It felt great to kind of get back and contribute to the team. You know, they’ve been doing so well for the past month - it felt really good to get back and actually start doing stuff again."

Rays left-hander Blake Snell looked untouchable early on as he carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning. The 27-year-old looked just as sharp to open the fifth and got the first two outs in order, but the wheels came off as he issued a walk to Enrique Hernandez and a two-run home run to Chris Taylor.

Snell's night was done after he walked Mookie Betts and allowed a single to Corey Seager. He was charged with two earned runs on two hits and four walks while striking out nine over 4 2/3 innings of work.

"He was outstanding," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "The slider from my vantage looked like it was a really good weapon for him. He was awesome. Gave us everything that we needed."

The Dodgers used seven pitchers in their fall to the Rays. Starter Tony Gonsolin was saddled with the loss despite allowing one run in 1 1/3 innings of work. Each of the seven pitchers recorded at least three outs - the most ever in a nine-inning World Series game.

The hot-hitting Seager set a new postseason record for shortstops with seven playoff home runs following his eighth-inning blast off Tampa Bay reliever Pete Fairbanks.

Despite pulling within two runs in the eighth, the Dodgers couldn't complete the comeback with Aaron Loup and Diego Castillo combining to pitch a scoreless 1 1/3 innings and preserve the win.

In another notable moment from Wednesday's contest, Rays first baseman Ji-Man Choi became the first Korean-born player to ever record a hit in the World Series when he singled to lead off the sixth.

Game 3 takes place Friday, with Walker Buehler taking the hill for the Dodgers opposite Rays right-hander Charlie Morton.

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