dynamic duo

A tag team of former Magnolia State rivals played leading roles in Tampa Bay’s beatdown of playoff-contender Seattle on Monday night. Ex-Ole Miss star Nick Fortes and former Mississippi State standout Jake Mangum combined for five hits, four runs, three RBIs and a stolen base as the Rays claimed a 10-2 victory against the visiting Mariners. Fortes, who has not been much of an offensive contributor since the Rays acquired him in July, delivered a jarring blow early, a three-run homer in the second inning. A .218 hitter, catcher Fortes has four homers, two with Tampa Bay. Best known for his defense, he threw out a Seattle runner trying to steal. Mangum, the rookie outfielder, banged out three hits to raise his average to .291, scored a run (on Fortes’ homer) and stole a base, his 21st. The fall left the Mariners with a 73-65 record, second in the American League West and third in the wild card standings. The Rays haven’t yet tapped out — they’ve won four straight — but at 68-69, their playoff hopes have faded. P.S. Ole Miss alum Ryan Rolison, back with Colorado as a September call-up, worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings Monday in an 8-2 loss to San Francisco. The lefty — a rookie at 28 — trimmed his ERA to 7.15. … Boston’s Aroldis Chapman registered his 28th save on Monday with a 1-2-3 ninth and ran his remarkable streak of consecutive batters faced without yielding a hit to 46. MLB Network displayed a list of the longest such streaks since 2019 and ex-Ole Miss star Mike Mayers was No. 2 with 48 back in 2020. Mayers, who had an ERA of 5.21 in eight seasons, had a career year in 2020 for the Los Angeles Angels, putting up a 2.10 ERA in 30 relief appearances. … Today is Garrett Crochet day in Boston, where the Ocean Springs native and Red Sox ace will go for his 15th win against Cleveland. Crochet is 14-5 with a 2.40 ERA and is 10-1 in his last 15 starts. With the 6-4 win on Labor Day, Boston (77-62) is just 2.5 games behind Toronto in the AL East.