Tuesday, 4 a.m.
Do you miss him yet? The pose? The smile? The ability to take over the moment.
Oh, let’s be honest. Rays’ fans have pined for Randy Arozarena since the day he was traded to Seattle. But they probably have never missed him more than Monday night, when he launched a three-run homer to lift the Mariners to a 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
No, Arozarena isn’t having a great season. He’s hitting just .213, and his homer against the Rays was only his second since joining Seattle.
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.
But Arozarena can still capture a moment, which he did on his second at-bat. Seattle had put two men on with two out on an error and a grounder that hit the third-base bag. Arozarena hit Ryan Pepiot’s first pitch over the right-field fence for a 4-1 lead.
After that, Seattle put the game in the hands of pitcher Bryce Miller, who allowed just two hits (both by Josh Lowe) over seven innings. He struck out 10.
Pepiot allowed just two earned runs over his six innings, but the effort was squandered.
The Rays have given up 10 home runs in their last four games.
In all, the Rays struck out 13 and missed on their only chance with a runner in scoring position.
The Rays and Mariners play again tonight at 9:40 p.m. Jeffrey Springs will start for the Rays against Logan Gilbert.