Cron, Smith control the airways against Tigers

by Gary Shelton on July 12, 2018 · 6 comments

in general, Tampa Bay Rays

Cron's three-run homer won the game./JEFFREY S. KING

Cron's three-run homer won the game./JEFFREY S. KING

Thursday, 4 a.m.

Cron's home run won the game for the Rays./JEFFREY S. KING

Cron's home run won the game for the Rays./JEFFREY S. KING

Sometimes, you win by the big fly.

Sometimes, you win by catching the dangerous fly.

And sometimes, you need both.

Just ask the Tampa Bay Rays, who completed a sweep of the Detroit Tigers with a 4-2 victory Wednesday afternoon. The Rays won their fifth game in a. a row, and their 14th of the last 15, to improve to a season-best four games over .500.

The Rays are 14-4 since June 22, their best record since 2015.

Cron now has 18 home runs on the season./JEFFREY S. KING

Cron now has 18 home runs on the season./JEFFREY S. KING

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.

Mallex Smith leaves his feet to make the final out of the eighth./JEFFREY S. KING

Mallex Smith leaves his feet to make the final out of the eighth./JEFFREY S. KING

The big fly was provided by C.J. Cron, who hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning. Cron, hitting .362 over his last nine games, hit a 2-0 pitch over the left-center field fence.

“I got ahead in the count 2-0," Cron said. "I noticed that there was a base open. Didn’t really want to do much there and expand my zone, but I also

Kiermaier rounds third after hitting homer./JEFFREY S. KING

Kiermaier rounds third after hitting homer./JEFFREY S. KING

wanted to be aggressive and drive a pitch I thought I could drive. I think he threw me a little cutter/slider not really where he wanted to throw it. Thankfully I got a good swing on it.

“I think my timing is a lot better. That’s really the key to hitting is to have good timing and when that is on everything clicks a little bit easier. I wish I knew the answer so that we would never slump, but that’s just hitting.”

The dangerous fly? That one was tracked down by Mallex Smith in the eighth, who left his feet in the direction of the left field line to make a diving catches.

Yarbrough won his eighth game of the season./JEFFREY S. KING

Yarbrough won his eighth game of the season./JEFFREY S. KING

One of the men on base when Cron hit his homer was centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier, who is heating up. He had three hits for the day.

“It’s a lot of fun to be a part of," Kiermaier said. "It’s winning baseball, and I just keep saying it every day, every time, you guys ask me questions: this is a fun group to be a part of. We all get along with each other and we all vibe very well. It’s a lot of fun coming to the field each and every day. I was telling guys the other day,’ I hope you realize the potential and what we are capable of doing in this room.’ The past couple of weeks have shown you that we can compete with the best teams in baseball. It’s one of those things where you see a lot

Willy Adames tracks down a line drive./JEFFREY S. KING

Willy Adames tracks down a line drive./JEFFREY S. KING

of people growing in here. It all starts with our pitching staff with what they’ve done. I can’t give them enough love. Offensively, one through nine, you just wonder who’s going to be the guy to step up each day. We don’t depend on one person each and every day, it’s that we all feed off each other and it’s collectively a team effort with this ball club. That’s why I enjoy taking the field with these guys each and every day.”

Playoffs? Is it too soon to mention playoffs?

“No, no, no... not at all," Kiermaier said. "We’re just getting started. We’re feeding off the pitching and what we’ve done with the openers and whatnot. I feel like (Ryne) Stanek starts every other day, but he starts us off, and then whether it’s (Ryan) Yarbrough or (Matt Andriese) or Hunter Wood or

Wood was the Rays' 14th starting pitcher./JEFFREY S. KING

Wood was the Rays' 14th starting pitcher./JEFFREY S. KING

whoever to fill a couple more innings and have the rest of the bullpen finish everyone off. It’s been a joy to watch from centerfield, I have the best seat in the house. We have a lot of guys that are really swinging the bat well and it’s a joy to be a part of. It’s definitely been a lot of fun.”

Cash thought the Rays pulled off a big comeback win.

“Good win," he said. "I think this win speaks volumes about our club. Do be down against a pitcher who is in a groove -- (Jordan) Zimmermann is a veteran pitcher who can really pitch. He navigated himself through some jams. We came up twice with (runners on) second and third and had nothing to show for it -- with less than two outs.

"To be able to kind of stay out there... our pitching was outstanding. Ryan Yarbrough was tremendous for us, and then obviously C.J.’s big day at the plate was nice. Credit to Mallex Smith and his play in the 8th inning. Three outstanding plays that very few players in baseball could make. Ultimately pitching and some timely hitting and we pull out a really nice series in this brief homestand.”

The Rays now play their final series before the all-star break. They go to Minnesota for. a four-game set. In the first game, Blake Snell pitches against Kyle Gibson at 8:10 p.m.

Cash enjoys a winning streak./JEFFREY S. KING

Cash enjoys a winning streak./JEFFREY S. KING

 

 

{ 0 comments… read it below or Subscriptions }

Cancel reply

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: