Smith continued his hot streak with four more hits for Rays./JEFFREY S. KING
Tuesday, 3 a.m.
So this is what it's like other places.
The hitting clicks. The pitching dominates. The defense is good. The team wins ...by a lot.
Ease finally came fo the Tampa Bay Rays Monday night in an 8-4 -- yes, 8-4 -- victory over the Texas Rangers. Prior to the game, the Rays had won just three times -- one by two runs and two by one run
Snell had one of his sharpest starts against Texas./JEFFREY S. KING
Not Monday night, however. Starting pitcher Blake Snell gave up only five hits in 6 1/3 innings and walked no one. Mallex Smith was four-for-four and lifted his average to .409. And the Rays jumped to an 8-1 lead in their biggest win of the season.
The Rays are still just 4-12, and still at the bottom of the AL East, but for a day, it was a respite. The team collected 13 hits. and took a 5-1 lead after two innings.
Content beyond this point is for members only.
Already a member? To view the rest of this column, sign in using the handy "Sign In" button located in the upper right corner of the GarySheltonSports.com blog (it's at the far right of the navigation bar under Gary's photo)!
Not a member? It's easy to subscribe so you can view the rest of this column and all other premium content on GarySheltonSports.com.
Robertson makes a play on a hard shot to third./JEFFREY S. KING
"We had a lot of good at bats," said Rays' manager Kevin Cash. "It was a full-team effort. A lot of guys came through with guys in scoring position. Hopefully, it carries over tomorrow. It was a feel-good win for everybody given what's taken place the last week."
Snell had one of his sharpest outings in improving his record to 2-1, much
Ramos had three hits for Tampa Bay./JEFFREY S. KING
better than in his last start.
"I didn't want to nit pick him, but he's getting to to that point where's it's okay to be a little more critical than we have been in the past," Cash said. "He took the information well.. He had plenty in the tank."
Wilson Ramos had three hits, including a two-run single. C.J. Cron had two hits, including a home run.
In his last seven games, Smith is hitting .536. Cash said he hopes that filling in for injured Kevin Kiermaier (out 8-12 weeks) will help him sharpen his
Cron rounds first base after a home run./JEFFREY S. KING
defensive skills and become a complete player.
Matt Duffy had to leave the game after tweaking a hamstring. He is listed as day-to-day
The Rays have scheduled a bullpen day on Tuesday when they host the Rangers at Tropicana Field. Yonny Chirinos, who has not given up a run in 14 1/3 innings, will start for the Rays against former Tampa Bay pitcher Matt Moore. Gametime is 7:10 p.m.
After tweaking a hamstring, Duffy leaves the game./JEFFREY S. KING
{ 0 comments… read it below or Subscriptions }