After a roller-coaster of a road trip -- with four straight losses and three straight wins -- the Rays returned to Tropicana Field and trounced the Cleveland Guardians 11-3 on Friday night.\
The Rays lead the major leagues with 35 home wins this year.
The Rays put together a strong effort against Cleveland; Starting pitcher Shane McClanahan pitched five innings and gave up only two hits and one run.
Palacios' homer opened up the game./KIM HUKARI
Offensively, the Rays got a two-run homer from Ryan Vilade and a three-run shot from Richie Palacios. Nick Fortes had four hits. Cedric Mullins, Jonny DeLuca and Chandler Simpson all had two.
The Rays play Cleveland again today at 6:10 p.m. at Tropicana Field. Nick Martinez (9-2) will start for the Rays against Tanner Bibee (4-9).
Just that quickly, the reborn offense of the Tampa Bay Rays has gone missing.
Two nights after getting 21 hits in a game, and following three games where the team had 42, the Rays were held to just three hits in a 3-1 loss to Toronto.
Shane Bieber, who has struggled this season, went seven innings to shut down the Rays.
Seymour pitched well enough to win./TIM WIRT
The Rays' Ian Seymour went six innings and gave up only two earned runs, but the Rays had only two at-bats with runners in scoring position.
Yandy Diaz singled in the Rays' only run in the third inning, driving in Hunter Feduccia, who had doubled.
The Rays now return home after a 3-5 road trip. They play Cleveland at 7:10 p.m. at Tropicana Field. Shane McClanahan (8-6) will face Joey Cantillo (8-5).
Turns out, the Rays are something to see when they're playing in a different country.
Tampa Bay beat Toronto for the third straight game on Wednesday, beating the Blue Jays 4-2 at the Rogers Centre. Considering the way the Boston Red Sox handled the Rays last week, the winning streak is welcome.
The Rays didn't have the same offense as the previous night, when they had 21 hits. But for the series so far, the Rays have scored 23 runs on 42 hits.
In their latest victory, the Rays had a few heroes:
Baker recorded his 26th save./KIM HUKARI
-- Starting pitcher Griffin Jax threw six innings of three-hit baseball, allowing just one earned run.
-- Right fielder Victor Mesa Jr. had two RBI singles.,
-- Closer Bryan Baker recorded his 26th save.
--- Junior Caminero, Mesa Jr. and Taylor Walls all had two hits.
Caminero has had seven hits in the series.
The Rays and Jays play the final game of their series today at 3:07 p.m. at the Rogers Centre. Ian Seymour (6-2) will start for the Rays against Shane Bieber (1-1).
The memories of a lost week are still fresh in the minds of the Tampa Bay Rays.
From the looks of it, however, the bats of the Rays have awakened again.
The Rays rained 21 hits in Tuesday night's 12-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. It was the team's second straight win after five straight losses.
In two wins against the Blue Jays, the Rays have 19 runs on 34 hits.
Williamson had a four-hit game./KIM HUKARI
Tuesday night, the Rays assaulted the Jays. Both Chandler Simpson and Ben Williamson had four hits. Nick Fortes had three. Jonathan Aranda, Junior Caminero, Cedric Mullins and Jonny DeLuca all had two,. It was the most hits the Rays have had this year.
Both Fortes and Diaz had three-run homers.
Starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the first, then went on to win.
The Rays were 7-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Still, they left 11 men on base.
The Rays and Blue Jays play again tonight at 7:07. Griffin Jax wll start for the Rays. The Jays have not announced a starter.
Tuesday, 4 a.m. For those of you who wondered if the Tampa Bay Rays might ever win again, there is a burst of good news. After finally escaping from Boston, the Rays thumped the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-1, to end their five-game losing streak. It was a welcome relief after a nightmarish week. All-Star Nick […]
Monday, 4 a.m. The Tampa Bay Rays are going to leave skid marks getting out of Boston. The Rays were drubbed again Sunday, losing 6-1 as the Boston Red Sox completed a sweep and extended their winning streak to 13 games. The Rays, meanwhile, have lost five in a row. The sizzling Sox climbed within […]
Sunday, 4 a.m. In the middle of their latest flameout, this question probably crept into your brain. Is this a good team on a bad slide in the wrong ballpark against a hot team? Or is this the beginning of a slide? The Tampa Bay Rays lost again Saturday, blowing a three-run lead late and […]
Saturday, 4 a.m. Evidently, the Tampa Bay Rays weren’t ready for baseball to resume Friday. The Rays were clobbered in a doubleheader, losing 10-0 and 5-3 to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. The Sox, who have now won 11 games in a row, ran roughshod over the first-place Rays. On the day, the […]
Monday, 4 a.m. The bats of the Tampa Bay Rays started their All-Star break a day early Sunday. For the most part, the Rays were lifeless at the plate, managing just four hits in an 8-2 loss to Seattle. Two of those hits didn’t come until the eighth inning. The Rays, from time to time, […]
Sunday, 4 a.m. It made sense. Of course it did. Only a moron would suggest it didn’t. But that’s the thing about the odds. Sometimes, they slap you in the face. Consider the bottom of the seventh in the Rays’ win over Seattle Saturday. The Rays led only 2-1, and Junior Caminero was at the […]
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About Gary Shelton
• No one covers Tampa Bay like Gary Shelton.
• No one has seen as many moments, as many athletes, as many coaches as he has over the last quarter of a century.
• No one has won more awards, including two national Associated Press Sports Editors Best Columnist awards and eight top 10 finishes. He also just received his sixth Sportswriter of the Year award for Florida by the NSSA.
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• No one has made you angrier, or laugh louder, or think harder about what he has written.
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