Sunday, 4 a.m.
The batting order is tattered and torn, and there are lot of days when it shows.
The bullpen is weary and worn, and there are times they falter, as well.
So it really isn't hard to explain how the Tampa Bay Rays blew a 3-2 decision to the Chicago White Sox Saturday afternoon. The offense didn't do much, and the bullpen sprung leaks, and it ended up in defeat. With 13 players on the injured list, perhaps it all just caught up with the Rays.
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Tampa Bay led 2-0, but for the day, the team had just four hits and was one-for-six with runners in scoring position. The Rays scored their two runs in the fifth on two walks, an error and one hit.
The White Sox rallied in the eighth against the Rays' bullpen, with Jake Burger's pinch-hit, two-run homer off Jalen Beeks putting Chicago ahead.
The defeat spoiled an excellent outing by Drew Rasmussen, who had a three-hit shutout through seven innings.
Brooks Raley gave up two hits in a third of an inning, and Beeks gave up the two-run homer on his second pitch to Burger.
“I think Brooks had some bad luck," Rays' manager Kevin Cash said. "He made some really good pitches. They didn’t square many up, but they found some hoes for sure. That’s baseball. Brooks competed. He threw some quality pitches but he didn’t have a lot to show for it."
The Rays left the bases loaded in the second when Kevin Kiermaier (hitting .065 in his last nine games) grounded out. They had another threat in the eighth, but with runners on first and third and one out, Vidal Brujan (hitting .136) struck out. After Brett Phillips walked, Isaac Paredes (hitting .171 in his last 35 at-bats) grounded out.
“(Dylan) Cease was really really good," Cash said. "The stuff -- you’re not going to see much better."
The Rays and White Sox conclude their series today at Tropicana Field at 1:40 p.m. The Rays have not announced their pitcher, but Chicago will start Lucas Giolito.