Friday, 3 a.m.
Statistics can tell you a great many things about a baseball player. They do not come close, however, to telling the real story of Brett Phillips.
The numbers suggest that Phillips is a journeyman outfielder with a career batting average of .204. He's a sometimes starter for the Tampa Bay Rays.
What they don't tell you is about the love affair that Rays' fans have with hi,, or the way he measures up to big moments.
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Phillips drove in both runs with two-out singles Thursday afternoon, leading the Rays to a 2-1 victory over Seattle. Phillips also had an alert play in the ninth when a pop-up ticked off the glove of Brandon Lowe. Phillips retrieved the ball and threw J.P. Crawford out at second, or the Mariners would have had two runners on with no one out.
Phillips tied the game with a two-out single in the second, then gave the Rays the lead with a two-out single in the seventh.
“On the first RBI, I guessed right with his cutter. With the second (that deflected off the pitcher), he helped me out there with the kick. It would have been close."
The Rays held Seattle to one run behind six relief pitchers. The Mariners managed just six hits.
"Philly had a big night for us," Rays manager Kevin Cash said.
"We saw them (the Mariners) get hot against us in the fourth inning of the first game. They came in really hot. I was impressed by our pitching staff fom then on. Everyone did a nice job of being efficient,"
The Rays' Wander Franco raised eyebrows in the sixth when he grounded out. He trotted to first, only to see the ball misplayed. Because he was running slowly, he was still out.
"That's 100 percent on me," Cash said, pointing out the Franco missed time with a quad injury. "We're playing a lot of baseball."
The Rays play again today at Tropicana Field at 7:10 p.m. against Minnesota. Corey Kluber will start for the Rays against Dylan Bundy.