Wednesday, 4 a.m.
If there was a doubt whether Isaac Paredes deserved the all-star selection he got earlier in the day, consider Tuesday night a bit of evidence.
Paredes launched a three-run homer, his team-leading 15th of the season, to lead the Rays to a 5-2 victory over the New York Yankees.
Paredes’ home run came in the bottom of the first, when the Rays struck for four runs. This time, the bullpen made it stand up.
Content beyond this point is for members only.
Already a member? To view the rest of this column, sign in using the handy "Sign In" button located in the upper right corner of the GarySheltonSports.com blog (it's at the far right of the navigation bar under Gary's photo). Not a member? It's easy to subscribe so you can view the rest of this column and all other premium content on GarySheltonSports.com.
Paredes, who leads the team in doubles (tied), RBI and OPS, was the Rays’ only selection to the all-star game.
Ryan Pepiot (5-5) gave up a run in the first, but he ended up going 5 2/3 innings without giving up another one. The Yankees closed to 4-3 on Ben Rice’s homer, but the bullpen duo of Jason Adam and Pete Fairbanks shut out the Yankees for the last two innings.
Jonny DeLuca doubled in an insurance run in the eighth.
The Yankees and Rays play again tonight at 6:50 p.m. Zach Eflin is scheduled to start for the Rays against Marcus Stroman.