Thursday, 4 a.m.
Manny Margot was better than the base running was bad.
Ryan Thompson was sharper than Tyler Glasnow was off.
Josh Lowe rose to the occasion and the Oakland A’s settled back to being a bad baseball team.
It wasn’t the smoothest game, and it wasn’t the Rays at their most efficient. But for the first time in the series against Oakland, the Rays had more memorable moments than forgettable ones in a 6-3 victory Wednesday night.
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It was the Rays’ 49th win of the season, but just their first of the series against the A’s, who have had a dreadful start to the season (despite their seven straight wins coming in).
The Rays won despite getting lost on the bases. In the first inning, both Yandy Diaz and Wander Franco started with hits. But Diaz was thrown out trying to go from first to third, and Franco was picked off of second base. Later Luke Raley was picked off, also, and Randy Arozarena was thrown out trying to steal.
In the end, that was offset by the offense, much of it by Margot, who had three doubles and scored three runs. Margot seems to be warming up while a lot of others are cooling off.
Diaz also had three hits and Franco had two. Lowe had one of the biggest at-bats of the night, coming up with a run-scoring single after the A’s brought in left-hander Sam Moll to pitch to him.
Glasnow was not as sharp as usual. In 5 1/3 innings, he gave up six hits and four walks, including a three-run homer to J.J. Bleday. He left the bases loaded in the sixth inning with one out.
That’s where Ryan Thompson, just recalled, came in. He induced an inning-ending double play, one of three that ended innings for Oakland.
The Rays wrap up their series against Oakland today at 3:37 p.m. at Oakland Coliseum. Taj Bradley will start for the Rays against Paul Blackburn.