Wednesday, 4 a.m.
How long is it going to take for the Rays to treat Steinbrenner Field as if it is their home ballpark?
Evidently, more than 22 games.
The Rays returned home to Steinbrenner Tuesday night, and the result was as awful as normal. The Rays were clubbed by the Philadelphia Phillies, 8-4, and a lot of the flaws in this game were familiar.
For instance:
-- Hitting. The Rays managed just six hits (Philly had 13). They struck out 12 times and had just one hit with a runner in scoring position (three at-bats).
-- Home runs allowed. The Rays gave up three of them Wednesday. They have been the third-worst team in baseball so far at giving up homers.
-- A sometimes leaky bullpen. Mason Englert was on the mound when Philly scored four runs to break open the game.
-- The results. The Rays fell to 8-14 at home.
It was a forgettable night overall, especially considering the team's two-game winning streak against the Yankees. Starter DrewRasmussen went just 4 1/3 innings and gave up three runs.
The middle of the Phillies lineup beat up the Rays, with the 3-6 hitters combining for 10 hits. Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanox each had three; Tai Turner and Bryce Harper had two. Castellanos had four RBI.
Yandy Diaz had his sixth home run of the year.
The teams play again tonight at Steinbrenner at 7:05 p.m. Shane Baz will start for the Rays against Cristophber Sanchez.