Pham had two hits as he returned to the lineup./TIM WIRT
Thursday, 4 a.m.
Winning nine road games in a row ins't easy.
As beaten up as the Rays' starting rotation is, it's even more rare.
The rotation -- missing Blake Snell, missing Tyer Glasnow, missing Yonny Chirinos -- finally caught up with the Rays Wednesday in San Diego as Jalen Beeks struggled in a 7-2 loss to the Padres.
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Beeks was battered around by San Diego./JEFFREY S. KING
Tampa Bay took a 2-0 on a home run by Tommy Pham, but they didn't score again against San Deigo. The Rays managed only six hits on the day.
Beeks went five innings and gave up five earned runs (on eight hits) as his record fell to 5-2.
“It was just the strike zone," Rays' manger Kevin Cash said. "He couldn’t get in the zone consistently and they made him pay. He got two quick outs and then, all of the sudden, it’s walk-walk. It's not ideal. We've got to find a way to get him back in the strike zone and trusting his stuff a little bit. At times, he looks like he’s searching out on the mound. He’s still a young pitcher, but we’ve got to find a way for him to press the gas pedal a little bit for us going forward."
The Padres tied the score in the second, then took a 4-2 lead in the fourth.
If there was a bright spot for the Rays, it was Pham, who had two hits after returning to the lineup.
"It was encouraging to see Tommy back in the lineup, encouraging to see his at-bats," Cash said. "I thought his swings looked really crisp all day. The home run, he smoked. Their pitcher (Cal) Quantrill did a pretty good job of mixing. He had a pretty electric fastball that looked like it got on some guys pretty quick."
The Rays now return to St. Petersburg. After a day off today, they play Detroit on Friday at 7:10 p.m. Charlie Morton will pitch for the Rays against Daniel Norris.
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