Oh, sure, the Tampa Bay Rays aren't playing like it. They were clobbered again Wednesday night, 11-2 by Baltimore at Camden Yards.
It left the Rays with a season-long four-game losing streak as their lead in the AL East dwindled.
It was embarrassing. The Rays didn't pitch well, didn't hit well and didn't field well.
Consider:
-- In four games, the Rays gave up 28 runs (and scored 10). They gave up 42 hits. Offensively, they were just seven for 38 with runners in scoring position.
-- In four games, the Rays' bullpen gave up 20 runs.
-- The Rays saw O's player Blaze Alexander drive in six runs. Gunnar Henderson had two home runs.
-- The O's scored five runs in the first and cruised.
-- Hunter Feduccia had three hit Jonathan Aranda had two.
-- The Rays’ frustrations can be defined by their eighth inning. The Rays loaded the bases with no one out. After a walk forced in one run, former Ray Andrew Kittredge struck out three straight Rays.
The Rays are off today. They host the Los Angeles Angels on Friday at 7:10 p.m. at Tropicana Field. Nick Martinez will pitch for the Rays against Walbert Urena.
Are we seeing a team in a brief tailspin, or is the situation with the Tampa Bay Rays more dire?
Are they a team on the verge of unraveling?
The Rays lost their third straight game Tuesday night, playing a sloppy game in a 6-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.
-- The Rays have scored only eight times in their last three games, and seven of those came in one game. Shane Baz, a former Ray, baffled the Rays for the second straight time, holding them to one unesrned run and striking out nine.
-- The Rays have committed seven errors in their last two losses. They also had a passed ball. All six Orioles runs were unearned.
-- The Rays' bullpen was shaky again.Trevor Martin gave up a three-run homer in the fifth to cinch things.
Only a couple of things went the Rays way. Jonathan Aranda had three hits and drove in his 41st run. Newcomer Craig Kimbrell pitched a scoreless eighth in his debut. Chandler Simpson had two hits.
Mostly, however, the Rays never had command of the game.
The Rays play the Orioles tonight at 6:35 p.m. at Camden Yards. Steven Matz will start for the Rays against Chris Bassitt.
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.
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 […]
Saturday, 4 a.m. Might the Tampa Bay Rays run away with the high-priced American League East? And if not, who is going to catch them? The Rays played a familiar script on Friday night. They were dormant for seven innings, then got into their opponent’s bullpen. They pulled away for a 4-2 victory over the […]
Thursday, 4 a.m. It isn’t just that the Rays came from behind Wednesday. They were raised from the dead. For seven innings, the Rays looked tamed. They managed two hits, and just one run, against former teammate Shane Baz. It looked like one of those days when a hot pitcher changes everything — although Baz […]
Wednesday, 4 a.m. Then there are days like Tuesday, when the bullpen matches the blueprint. A fistful of relief pitchers shut down the Baltimore Orioles Tuesday night at Tropicana Field. The Rays won their 32nd game of the year in a 4-1 decision over th O’s. Griffin Jax, a converted reliever, started and gave up […]
Tuesday, 4 a.m. Some days, the only problem an offense has is whether it will wear home plate slap out before the night is through. The Tampa Bay Rays exploded Monday night, scoring a season-high 16 runs on 18 hits in a 16-6 victory over the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field. Want to talk about […]
Monday, 4 a.m. Most days, there is a lot to be said for a baseball player working a count. He crouches at the plate, and he determines which ball is just in the zone and which one is just out of it. He fouls off pitches. Eventually, he hopes to wear a pitcher down. And […]
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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.
