Toronto helps Tampa Bay to series win

by Gary Shelton on May 16, 2022

in general

Monday, 4 a.m.

When a team is scuffling at the plate, it will accept all favors, and thank you very much.

Take the Tampa Bay Rays, who have averaged fewer than five hits a game over its last four. Yet, defense and one big inning -- in which the Blue Jays blew up -- led Tampa Bay to a 3-0 victory over Toronto Sunday.

It was the eighth inning, when three-time gold glove winner Matt Chapman threw a double-play ball into right field to allow one run. Pitcher Alek Manoah followed with a wild pitch to let in another, and Ji-Man Choi singled againt a shift to drive in the third.




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That was all the Rays needed. A five-man tag team allowed the Jays just five hits and no runs in the victory.

"I don't think in watching him for eight years I've seen him (Chapman) do that," said Rays' manager Kevin Cash.

The Rays got 4 2/3 innings of shutout baseball from Jeffrey Springs. Matt Wisler (one and 2/3), J.P. Feyereisen (one), Colin Poche (one) and Andrew Kittredge (one) held Toronto to just one hit.

Choi and Wander Franco both ended 0-for-18 slumps. "I’m not really concerned about either one of those guys," Cash said. "You’re going to get pitched tough at different parts of the season. We know they’re good hitters. We’re confident when they go through a small slump like that they’re going to bounce out of it."

The Rays start a three-game series today against Detroit at 6:40 p.m. at Tropicana Field. Corey Kluber will start for the Rays against Alex Faedo.

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