The missing bats of the Tampa Bay Rays showed back up on Monday night.
Who would have thought they would have left them in Denver?
The Rays assaulted the Colorado Rockies out of the gate, scoring eight times in the first four innings and coasting to a 13-9 victory at Coors Field.
Tampa Bay, taking advantage of the cellar-dwelling Rockies, assaulted Colorado pitcher Michael Lorenzen with two runs in the first, four in the second and one each in the third and fourth.
Junior Caminero hit two home runs -- taking advantage of the Colorado altitude -- to pace the Rays. His homers were 422 feet and 442 feet.
Caminero has 15 home runs of more than 400 feet this year, most in the majors.
Jonathan Aranda had four hits. Cedric Mullins, Chandler Simpson, Richie Palacios and Taylor Walls all had two hits.
Aranda had four hits./KIM HUKARI
The Rockies scored seven run
s in the last three innings to make the final margin closer. Rays' relievers Michael Grove and Casey Legumina gave up six earned runs in 2 1/3 innings.
Ezequiel Tover had for hits for Colorado.
Ian Seymour won his eighth game of the year for the Rays, going six innings and allowing two earned runs. He struck out nine.
The Rays and Rockies play again tonight at 8:40. Freddy Peralta (5-9) will make his season debut for the Rays against Gabriel Hughes (0-3).
From one vantage point, Sunday was a decent day for the Rays when you consider the acquisition of Freddy Peralta.
On the other hand, would it have been so hard to pick up another bat, too.
The Rays broke into double-figures in hits (11) for the first time in nine games Sunday, but for the most part, is a miserable afternoon in a 9-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox. The Rays left 10 baserunners on base, and they were just two-for-10 with runners in scoring position. On both of their hits with runners in scoring position, they failed to get a runner home.
The Rays left the bases loaded twice.
Williamson homered in ninth./KIM HUKARI
The Rays have scored three runs or fewer in eight straight games.
Former Ray Everson Pereira drove in four runs with a two-run homer and a two-run double. The Rays gave up three more homers to the White Sox.
Chicago scored two unearned runs in the first inning against a sloppy Rays' team on an error and a wild pitch.
The Rays scored only in the ninth inning on a solo home run by Ben Williamson.
Chandler Simpson had three hits for the Rays. Junior Caminero and Ryan Vilade both had two.
The Rays now travel to Colorado to face a struggling Rockies' team tonight at 8:40 p.m. at Coors Field. Ian Seymour (7-3) is scheduled to start for the Ray against Michael Lorenzen (3-9).
Another reminder: If the other team doesn't score, it can't beat you.
For the fourth time in seven games, the Tampa Bay Rays shut out an opponent. This time, it was 1-0, the team's 10th shutout of the season.
Drew Rasmussen led the way, striking out 10 and allowing just four hits over six innings. The bullpen got the last nine outs, allowing only one hit and striking out six batters themselves.
Bryan Baker recorded his 31st save of the season. He threw just six pitches to get out of the ninth.
One day after the White Sox hit four home runs in a win, they had only five singles.
Fortes drove in only run./KIM HUKARI
The only run of the game came in the fifth inning, when Nick Fortes singled in Jonny DeLuca. Yandy Diaz had two hits for the Rays.
The Rays and White Sox play again today at 1:40 p.m. at Tropicana Field. Griffin Jax (6-8) will start for the Rays against Anthony Kay (7-5).
Perhaps it is time for a bit of a reminder for the Tampa Bay Rays:
It's hard to play defense on the far side of the fence.
The Chicago White Sox reminded the Rays of that in Friday night's 6-1 win at Tropicana Field. The Sox hit four home runs in their win over the Rays.
Miguel Vargas, Anthony Benintendi, Munetaka Murakami and Colson Montgomery all homered for Chicago. Half of the White Sox eight hits were home runs. It was one of the roughest outings of the year for Nick Martinez (10-3).
Martinez had a tough night./KIM HUKARI
The Rays had just five hits. They've had five or fewer in three of their last four games.
The Rays scored just once, on Junior Caminero's 30th home run.
The Rays' lead in the AL East is now down to 2 1/2 games over the Yankees.
The Rays and White Sox will play again today at Tropicana Field at 4:10 p.m. Drew Rasmussen (9-5) will start for the Rays against Noah Schultz (3-7).
Friday, 4 a.m. Some games are won by the bat. And, yes, you could make an argument for that after Cedric Mullins’ winning home run in the bottom of the eighth Thursday afternoon. Some games are won by the arm. And, sure, you could include this one, especially after Bryan Baker’s 30th save of the […]
Thursday, 4 a.m. Welcome to ground zero. You know, where opposing offfenses go to die. The Rays threw up another zero Wednesday night in a 3-0 victory over the Texas Rangers. It was the Rays’ third shutout in four games and their ninth of the season. The first four batters for the Rays scored three […]
Wednesday, 4 a.m. Every now and then, their bats go to sleep. Oh, if you keep up with the Tampa Bay Rays, you are where. Things will be going well, and them will approach a hot streak, and then zap. The offense goes into a coma. It was that way again in Tuesday’s 4-1 loss […]
Monday, 4 a.m. For a few hours, it was easy to wonder who could be better than Nick Martinez was on Saturday for the Tampa Bay Rays. Turns out, Drew Rasmussen, that’s who. Rasmussen was amazing on Sunday, shutting down the Cleveland Guardians for seven innings in a 1-0 victory. Rasmussen allowed only a leadoff […]
Saturday, 4 a.m. If you ran the Tampa Bay Rays, and you really needed to win a game, you’d probably start with Nick Martinez. A bit later, you’d finish up with Bryan Baker. Martinez and Baker, two all-star pitchers for the Rays, both were excellent in a 3-0 win over Cleveland Friday night at Tropicana […]
Saturday, 4 a.m. Sometimes, it’s good to come home. 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 […]
Gary Shelton Sports is a subscription site. The following options are available:
• Buy a season ticket ($4 a month).
• Splurge on a club seat ($24 a year).
• Or go all in with a skybox ($54 for three years, which is only $1.50 a month).
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.
• No one has seen more big events, including 29 Super Bowls, 10 Olympics and 11 Final Fours. Gary still goes into the locker rooms to obtain his stories.
• No one has made you angrier, or laugh louder, or think harder about what he has written.
Now, he begins a website designed to keep him in touch with the readers who have grown up on his words.
