Tuesday, 4 a.m.

How many times can a team blow a game?

How many leads can it squander?

Four times, the Tampa Bay Rays took a lead over the Baltimore Orioles Monday at Camden Yards. Every time, they let the O's roar back, until the final time resulted in a 9-7 win in 13 innings.

It ended on a swing by Colton Cowser, hitting .191 at. the time. Baltimore scored seven times in their last three innings, including four in the bottom of the 13th.

It was the second straight game the Rays have lost on a walk-off homer.

The Rays took a 1-0 lead in the sixth. They led 4-2 in the 11th, 5-4 in the 12th and 7-5 in the 13th.

After a solid start by Shane McClanahan, not many of their relievers were effective. Jesse Scholtens gave up four runs (three earned) in the 13th. Ian Seymour gave up an unearned run in the 12th. Hunter Bigge gave up an earned run in the sixth.

Twice in extra innings, the Rays had a two-run lead.

Chandler Simpson had three hits, Jonathan Aranda and Richie Palacios each had two. Victor Mesa Jr. had his first hit, a two-run homer in the 11th.

Shane McClanahan went 5 1/3 innings of three-hit, shutout baseball. Baltimore starter Kyle Bradish went six shutout innings.

The O's had nine hits in seven innings off Rays' relievers.

The Rays and Orioles play again tonight at 6:35 p.m. at Camden Yards. Griffin Jax will start for the Rays against Shane Baz.

Monday, 4 a.m.

When you're battling in a close game, players will remind you that one mistake can beat you.

Sunday, that mistake belonged to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Locked in a scoreless tie in the eighth inning, the Rays were a couple of feet away from taking the lead. But Junior Caminero tried to take third, and he was tagged out before pinch-runner Oliver Dunn reached home plate. Even after a Rays' appeal, the call stood, and Rays best chance to score was wasted.

Had Caminero stayed at second, the run would have scored. Had he gotten into a rundown, the run would have scored.

An inning later, Aaron Judge hit a game-winning two-run homer, his first blast in 11 games, to end things.

Kevin Kelly was on the mound, and he walked Trent Grisham despite getting ahead 0-2. Judge homered on the next pitch.

The Rays were shut out by Ryan Weathers for seven innings (four hits).

The Rays were one-for-six with runners in scoring position.

Yandy Diaz had two hits.

The Rays play against Baltimore at 1:35 p.m. today at Camden Yards. Shane McClanahan will pitch for the Rays against Kyle Bradish.

Sunday, 4 a.m.

Sometimes, the key to a team's improvement are the additions it makes.

Take the Tampa Bay Rays, who spent their off-season bringing in help in the form of Nick Martinez and Steven Matz, among others.

And sometimes, the key is know who to move on from. The Rays have had some mixed results there, too. Taj Bradley is having a solid season. So is Brandon Lowe.

But how about the other former "mainstays?"

Did you see where the Angels designated Josh Lowe to the minors Saturday. Lowe was hitting all of .184 with five homers.

It continued a downhill slide from Lowe for years. He hit .292 in 2023. That slipped to .241 the next year and .220 the next season. Perhaps Lowe will rebound someday, but can you blame the Rays for not waiting?

How about Pete Fairbanks, the former closer. The Rays were criticized for not paying more to keep Fairbanks. But Faitbanks is just 1-2 with an 8.25 era so far this season. He has six saves, less than half of the Rays' Bryan Brown.

Then there is Shane Baz. He had a strong showing against the Rays last week, but he's off to a 1-5 start with a 4.87 ERA.

Zack Littell was 8-8 last year with a 3.58. But he's 3-4 this year with a 5.83.

Mason Montgomery is 1-1 with a 3.79 ERA

Christopher Morel? He's hitting .154 in Miami.

Catcher Danny Jansen is hitting .186 in Texas.

Ben Rortvedt is in the minors for Los Angeles.

Jake Mangum is hittting .250 in Pittsburgh, 46 points lower than a year ago.

In other words, baseball can be viewed as a high-stakes poker game. You're betting on a player's future.

Through the years, the Rays have done that fairly well. They don't hit with all of their free agents. They don't win all of their trades. But for the most part, they've kept the wins coming.