Sunday, 4 a.m.
It made sense. Of course it did. Only a moron would suggest it didn't.
But that's the thing about the odds.
Sometime, they slap you in the face.
Consider the bottom of the seventh in the Rays' win over Seattle Saturday. The Rays led only 2-1, and Junior Caminero was at the plate with first base open. Who in baseball wouldn't have walked Caminero?
Seattle did. And pinch-hitter Ryan Vilade made the Mariners pay.
On the first pitch from Gabe Speier, Vilade launched a three-run homer to left field on the first pitch he saw. It was his seventh homer of the year.
It led the Rays to a 6-1 win.
Vilade had scuffled a lot lately. Coming in, he was one-for-his-last 18. He was five-for-his last 40 over 12 games.
The Rays had 12 hits on the day, four of them from Ben Williamson and three from Jonathan Aranda.
Griffin Jax (5-6) got the win, going five innings and allowing just four hits. The bullpen worked four innings and gave up just two hits and no runs. As a team, the Rays struck out 10 batterse.
Before Vilade's home run, Arada and Williamson each doubled in runs. The final run came when Fontes beat out an infield hit and Seattle pitcher Michael Rucker threw the ball into right field. Williamson scored on the play.
The Rays and Mariners play again today at 1:40 p.m. at Tropicana Field in their final game before the All-Star break. Ian Seymour (6-1) will start for the Rays againt Emerson Hancock (6-4).
