Aranda's three-run homer led to the win./KIM HUKARI
Saturday, 4 a.m.
Maybe it was being home. More likely, it was the home runs.
The Tampa Bay Rays, comfortable at home after a terrible (1-5) road trip, came from behind to beat the Washington Nationals, 5-2, at Tropicana Field.
The Rays, who have won 25 games at home this year, relied on the long ball in the win. Jonathan Aranda had his 12th home run of the year, a three-run shot in the third inning after the Rays had fallen behind 2-0.
Later in the game, Jonny DeLuca homered in his return to the lineup. DeLuca had been out 22 games -- since May 22 -- with an injury.
DeLuca homered in his return./TIM WIRT
Tyler Walls drove in the fifth run with a single to center field.
Griffin Jax (2-5) got the win, going five innings and allowing two hits. Four relievers shut out the Nats on two hits.
The Rays and Nats play again today at 4:10 p.m. Ian Seymour (3-0) will start for the Rays against Cade Cavalli (4-4).
Wherever the cure for the sliding Tampa Bay Rays is, we can be sure it isn't in Los Angeles.
Yeah, the Rays lost again Wednesday afternoon. That isn't new. The Rays fell for the fifth time in six games in L.A.
The Rays, now 2 1/2 games behind the Yankees in the AL East, lost 5-4 to the Dodgers to complete a sweep. It was their third straight one-run loss.
Cedric Mullins, a .198 hitter somehow batting third, struck out on a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded for the final out.
The Rays had come from behind with a four-run fifth inning. That gave the team a 4-2 lead, but the Dodgers came back. The critical hit was a two-run homer from Freddie Freeman in the sixth off of Kevin Kelly.
In 27 at-bats over their three straight losses, the Rays scored in only three innings.
Shane McClanahan started for the Rays, but he lasted only 3 2/3 innings.
Shohei Ohtani got the win for the Dodgers, going six innings.
The Rays are off today, then face Washington in a three-game series starting Friday night at Tropicana Field. Griffin Jax (1-5) will start for the Rays against Cade Cavalli (4-4).
Rasmussen, the pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays, was impressive once again Tuesday night. On the other hand, the Rays left their bats in hibernation. They were tamed by Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski.
The Rays managed just three hits in a 1-0 loss to the Dodgers, running their scorless streak to 16 innings. The Rays fell another game behind the Yankees in the AL East standings.
The Rays barely threatened against Wrobleski. They didn't manage an extra-base hit and were 0-3 with runners in scoring position.
The game's only run came when Shohei Ohtani homered on the first pitch he saw from Rasmussen in the sixth inning.
Rasmussen went seven innings and allowed just one earned run, the first earned run he has given up in his last three starts.
The Rays are 13-21 in their last 34 games. The Rays are 1-4 on their current road trip.
All five of the Dodgers' runs in their two wins have come on home runs.
The Rays and Dodgers wrap up their series today at 3:10 pm. at Dodger Stadium. Shane McClanahan will start for the Rays against Ohtani.
During their recent slide in the American League, you can add this to the list of woes of the Tampa Bay Rays.
They're having trouble holding onto a lead.
The Rays, 6-13 in their last 19 games, saw an early lead painfully whittled down in a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers Monday night at Dodger Stadium.
The Rays took a 3-0 lead early on a two-run homer by Ryan Vilade and a bunt by Taylor Walls. Rays' starter Nick Martinez gave up a tying three-run homer to Kyle Tucker in the second. Reliever Steven Matz gave up the go ahead homer on a pinch-hit blast by Miguel Rojas.
The Rays did not score in their final eight at-bats. Jonathan Aranda, Junior Caminero and Vilade all had two hitss, but the rest of the Ras could manage only two more.
Aranda was thrown out at the plate in the third inning.
The Rays and Dodgers play again tonight at 10:10 p.m. at Dodger Stadium. Drew Rasmussen (6-2) of the Rays will face Justin Wrobleski (7-2)
Monday, 4 a.m. There for a while, he was the incredible shrinking superstar. Oh, no one doubted the ability of Junior Caminero. But as he walked toward the plate, he was mired in a 1-11 slump. In his most recent seven-plus games, he was 4-31 as the Rays’ season spun out of control. The Rays […]
Sunday, 4 a.m. The fall continues. Suddenly, they are a rock in water. They are a detached piece of a UFO falling to earth. They are a diver plummeting toward the pool surface. They are the second-place Tampa Bay Rays, and they cannot stop the plunge. The Rays fell behind the New York Yankees in […]
Saturday, 4 a.m. Could someone please get a message to the Tampa Bay Rays? Maybe remind them that, technically, the Los Angeles Angels are an awful baseball team. Oh, you wouldn’t know by their head to head meetings. Counting Friday night’s 4-3 loss, the Rays have lost three of four to the Angels. They’ve given […]
Thursday, 4 a.m. In the race for ace of the Tampa Bay Rays, enter Drew Rasmussen’s name to the list. Rasmussen was overpowering Wednesday afternoon in a 7-5 victory over the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field. The win completed the sweep of Boston, For the second straight game, Rasmusen (6-2) was impressive. He went […]
Wednesday, 4 a.m. When the pitching is right, so too are the Tampa Bay Rays. It was clear during the team’s recent tumble. It was clear when the Rays took hold of the AL East. Frankly, it’s still obvious. Nick Martinez threw seven strong innings Tuesday night, handcuffing the Boston Red Sox in a 4-3 […]
Tuesday, 4 a.m. It is well known how strong Yandy Diaz is. Still, carrying an entire baseball team is impressive. Diaz drove in two of the Rays’ three runs in a 3-1 win over the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field Monday night. Diaz, hitting a league-leading .325 on the season, led off the game […]
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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.
• 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.
