Ramos leaves no doubt that he’s an all-star

by Gary Shelton on July 11, 2018 · 2 comments

in general, Tampa Bay Rays

Wilson Ramos keeps padding his all-star stats.'JEFFREY S. KING

Wilson Ramos keeps padding his all-star stats.'JEFFREY S. KING

Wednesday, 4 a.m.

Ramos lead the Rays' offense once again../JEFFREY S. KING

Ramos lead the Rays' offense once again../JEFFREY S. KING

Someone should tell Wilson Ramos he can relax.

He's made the team. Okay?

Ramos, the Rays' all-star catcher,  was at it again on Tuesday night. Once again, he led the Rays to a victory, 5-2 over Detroit. Ramos hit his second home run in two nights. His 14 home runs have tied a Tampa Bay franchise record by a catcher for home runs in a season (John Flaherty had 14 in 1999).

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Ryne Stanek has given the Rays good starts./JEFFREY S. KING

Ryne Stanek has given the Rays good starts./JEFFREY S. KING

The win pushed the Rays to three games over .500 (47-44). It was the team's 13th win in their last 17 games. They are 13-1 in their last 14 home games.

Pitcher Ryne Stanek again started for the Rays and gave them two solid innings. Ten of Stanek's 11 starts have been scoreless, and he has a 1.08 ERA as a starter.

Romo recorded his 10th save of the season./JEFFREY S. KING

Romo recorded his 10th save of the season./JEFFREY S. KING

His last nine starts have been scoreless, although he has totaled only 13.2 innings in that span.

“I hope it stays like that, that’s for sure," Rays' manager Kevin Cash said. "I continue to say it and I like saying it, he’s taken to that role. I think he enjoys going up there knowing that he has the ball for an inning or two and he’s making the most of it when he attacks and pounds the strike zone and then opens up. The sliders that he threw today were really good ones. The two sliders, the back-to-back sliders to Hicks, were as good as you can throw a baseball.”

Alvarado finally won his first game./JEFFREY S. KING

Alvarado finally won his first game./JEFFREY S. KING

Said Stanek: “Same as usual. It’s one of those things that as a reliever you are asked to go back-to-back (games) all the time. Not really any different than normal role. I got to do it in the first (inning) as opposed to doing it in the 7th or 8th maybe.

“I don’t think it’s been a confidence issue or anything. It’s more comfort. Instead of wondering if you’re going to be the guy who gets picked to do it. At this point, I expect to be the one who opens. I think it’s more that than anything.”

Rays' centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier, who had a triple and scored the game-

Gomez kisses his bat for luck./JEFFREY S. KING

Gomez kisses his bat for luck./JEFFREY S. KING

winner on Monday, had a hit again on Tuesday. Maybe, Cash said, he is starting to heat up.

“Yeah, he’s starting to come around," Cash said. "He was talking a little bit before the game that he’s feeling a little bit better at the plate, feeling some things with his swing. He’s had a very unique season. He gets off to 50 at-bats then he gets hurt and is out for quite some time. You could argue that his spring training was wasted. When you sit and do nothing, it’s almost like a half of an offseason what he just experienced. It takes some time.

"I’m glad that he feels better at the plate and would anticipate that we are going to see some more production, some more results with the confidence that he’s had over the last couple of days.”

Hechavarria prepares for another assist./JEFFREY S. KING

Hechavarria prepares for another assist./JEFFREY S. KING

Said Kiermaier: “The thing with us is that it’s 1 through 9," Kiermaier said. "We don’t depend solely on one person every day. We know that we can do damage 1 through 9 in our lineup. That’s how our team is built. It’s fun to be a part of. You come to the field everyday wondering who is going to be the guy today and there could be multiple of those people.

"It’s fun to be a part of. I wouldn’t say that we have any full-fledged superstars on our team, but we have a lot of really good quality players. It’s fun surrounding yourself and putting the same jerseys on as these guys. 1 through 9 has been very consistent as of late and our pitching has been phenomenal. If the pitchers keep doing what they’re doing, we can make a heck of a run. Easier said than done. It’s fun coming to the field every day right now.”

Jose Alvarado got his first victory in his 76th appearance. He has pitched to a 0.82 ERA over his last 14 appearances. He hasn't allowed an earned run in his last eight appearances.

Sergio Romo got his 10th save by recording one out in the ninth.

For the second straight night, the Rays were powerful early. They scored five in the third, including a three-run homer by Ramos. Willy Adames and Kiermaier had run-scoring singles.

The Rays close out their series against Detroit today. Hunter Wood starts on a bullpen day for the Rays, Jordan Zimmerman pitches for the Tigers. The game begins at 12:10 p.m. at Tropicana Field.

Adames scores in the third inning./JEFFREY S. KING

Adames scores in the third inning./JEFFREY S. KING

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