Monday, 4 a.m.
There for a while, the Tampa Bay Rays had you fooled. Themselves, too.
There for a while, they looked like a contender. They climbed to within a half-game of the AL East lead. They were 11 games over .500. They were 33-22 in May and June.
And then the bottom fell out.
The Rays horrible slide continued Sunday without any hint of when it might end. The Rays lost their fourth game in a row, 2-1 to Cincinnati. It was the Rays’ fourth straight loss. It was their sixth in seven games. It lowered their record to 6-15 in July. They’ve lost 18 of their last 25.
It’s hard to remember that this team was 47-36 on June 28. Since then, they’ve been among the worst teams in baseball.
The worst part of the Rays lately has been their hitting. They had only three hits Sunday, one of them a home run by Taylor Walls. For the three-game series, they managed just 14 hits, less than five a game. They struck out 30 times.
Starter Shane Baz struggled early, giving up three hits and two runs in the first inning. Afterward, he settled in and gave up just five hits in five innings. But Reds’ pitcher Brady Singer was even better.
The Rays are now 53-53 on the season and must head to New York for four games against the Yankees. Drew Rasmussen will open for the Rays tonight at 7:05 p.m. He will go against Cam Schlittler.