Sunday, 3 a.m.
So what do the hitters of the Miami Marlins think of the Tampa Bay Rays' pitching staff?
Nothing.
Nada. Zilch. Zero.
The Rays threw their second consecutive shutout at the Marlins Saturday night, winning a 4-0 game and allowing only three hits. Going back to the 2019 season, the Rays have thrown four straight shutouts at the Marlins in Miami.
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This time, rookie Josh Fleming threw his second straight impressive start, going 5 2/3 innings. The bullpen followed when four pitchers went 3 1/3 innings of hitless baseball.
"He was outstanding for us," said Rays' manager Kevin Cash. "So efficient. We’ve had some quick games through five and six innings. I don’t know if both teams wanted to see a sunset tonight or what. It looked like he had all of his pitches working. He doesn’t pitch like a guy who has two starts under his belt in the big leagues."
In his first outing, Fleming got the win by holding Toronto two runs on four hits. In two games, he has thrown 10 2/3 innings and has allowed just seven hits.
“I don’t think he did anything differently," Cash said. "He controlled the count really, really well. He attacked well just like he did the other day. I thought it was a similar outing,"
Said Fleming: "I just felt super comfortable out there tonight. It's a lot of fun going out there and competing with these guys every outing and stuff."
Joey Wendle was the offensive star for the Rays, hitting two doubles and driving in two runs. Wendle is hitting .301 on the season.
Wendle said the outing by Fleming was "impressive but not surprising."
“We had a chance to see him work a little bit in spring training. He has a lot of confidence out there. He’s fun to play behind. He works fast, he pounds the zone, he gets contact early in the count. He’s an awesome guy who fits in really well into the clubhouse."
For the Rays, it was another spot of resiliency. Before the game, the team placed Ryan Yarbrough and Mike Zunino on the 10-day injured list. Reliever Chaz Roe was transferred to the 45-day injured list, which effectively sidelines him for the season.
“The guys are really doing a good job," Cash said. "We’re all scratching our heads (at the injuries), but they’ve shown an innate ability to put that (behind) them at 6 o'clock or seven o'clock or whenever it’s time to play. They’re taking us every opportunity to win games. "
The Rays go for the sweep today at Marins Park when they play Miami at 1:10 p.m. Tampa Bay will start Blake Snell against the Marlins' Sandy Alcantara.
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