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, seem to struggle as a group. It was the third inning before the Rays managed a hit.
Jonathan Aranda drove in both Rays' runs with a home run in the eighth, his 14th. But the Rays were able to get only two more players into scoring position. They failed to capitalize both times.
Yandy Diaz had two of the Rays' four hits.
Ian Seymour entered the game with a 6-1 record, but he gave up five earned runs and got only 10 outs.
Former Ray Randy Arozarena homered for Seattle. J.P. Crawford had three hits.
The Rays will have five all-stars represented: Junior Caminero, Yandy Diaz, Bryan Baker, Drew Rasmussen and Nick Martinez.
The Rays are now off until Friday, when they travel to Boston to play the Red Sox in a doubleheader at 1:35 p.m. and 7:10 at Fenway Park.
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 plate with first base open. Who in baseball wouldn't have walked Caminero?
Seattle did. And pinch-hitter Ryan Vilade made the Mariners pay.
On the first pitch from Gabe Speier, Vilade launched a three-run homer to left field. It was his seventh homer of the year.
It led the Rays to a 6-1 win.
Williamson went four-for-four./KIM HUKARI
Vilade had scuffled a lot lately. Coming in, he was one-for-his-last 18. He was five-for-his last 40 over 12 games.
The Rays had 12 hits on the day, four of them from Ben Williamson and three from Jonathan Aranda.
Griffin Jax (5-6) got the win, going five innings and allowing just four hits. The bullpen worked four innings and gave up just two hits and no runs. As a team, the Rays struck out 10 batters.
Before Vilade's home run, Aranda and Williamson each doubled in runs. The final run came when Fontes beat out an infield hit and Seattle pitcher Michael Rucker threw the ball into right field. Williamson scored on the play.
The Rays and Mariners play again today at 1:40 p.m. at Tropicana Field in their final game before the All-Star break. Ian Seymour (6-1) will start for the Rays againt Emerson Hancock (6-4).
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 last 14 games and have hit a AL-leading 16 homers for the month.
The Rays still aren't built on power, but they have climbed to 26th in the league in homers.
Palacios started the Rays' attack,/KIM HUKARI
The Rays got homers from Richie Palacios, Cedric Mullins, Victor Mesa Jr. and Junior Caminero. Caminero now has 28 on the season.
Chandler Simpson singled in a run and Taylor Walls drove in another one with a sacrifice fly.
For the Rays, Jonathan Ararnda, Simpson and Mesa Jr. all had three hits. Caminero had two.
Nick Martinez won the game, improving his record to 8-2.
The Rays and Mariners play again today at 4:10 p.m. at Tropicana Field. Griffin Jax (4-6) will start for the Rays against Logan Gilbert (7-5).
With a chance to pull further away in the AL East Thursday, the Tampa Bay Rays fell on their noses.
The Rays were clobbered, 12-4, in a game where they simply could not calm down the Yankees.
The Yanks hammered out 14 hits on the day, three of them home runs. Ben Rice had two homers and Austin Wells one.
The Yankees did most of their damage in the third off Rays' starter Drew Rasmussen who gave up six runs and notched only seven outs in taking the loss (7-5).
The Yankees, meanwhile, had a bullpen day. Former Ray Ryan Yarbrough got the win.
After a mini-slump, Junior Caminero hit his 27th home run. Victor Mesa Jr. doubled in another run and Ben Williamson singled in one.
Chandler Simpson had two triples. Jonathan Aranda and Williamson also had two hits.
The Rays are home at Tropicana Field tonight against Seattle in their last series before the All-Star game. Nick Martinez (7-2) will start tonight's game at 7:10 p.m. against Luis Castillo (3-7)
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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.
