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 Seymore 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.
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 Martinez pitched for the first time since the break and went six innings of one-run baseball. Martinez is now 9-2 on the season.
Caminero had three hits./KIM HUKARI
Junior Caminero had a strong game, going three-for-four with two doubles, a walk and two RBI. Yandy Diaz, Nick Fortes and Taylor Walls all had two hits.
Victor Mesa Jr. homered for the third straight game. Fortes and Cedric Mullins also homered.
The Rays and Jays play again tonight at 7:07 at the Rogers Centre. Drew Rasmussen (7-5) will start for the Rays against Kevin Gausman (4-8).
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 […]
Saturday, 4 a.m. The Tampa Bay Rays, suddenly, have discovered the joy of baseball on the other side of the fence. The Rays, who have spent most of the season as the worst home-run hitting teams in the majors, launched four out of the park Friday night. They have now homered in 12 of their […]
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.
