Sunday, 4 a.m.
There are comebacks, and there are comebacks.
There are comebacks that feel improbable, that include harrowing turns and rough roads in the dark.
This time, the Tampa Bay Rays came back from 2011 or so.
That's how far that San Francisco pitcher Justin Verlander had turned back the clock. For him, 2011 was the year Verlander won the first of his three Cy Youngs and his MVP.
Verlander was that good Saturday night. He threw seven innings and allowed just two hits. But once he was gone, so too was the Giants' edge. The Rays came back with two runs in the eighth off of Jose Butto for a 2-1 win. It was their second straight one-run win.
Verlander, it should be noted, was having a dreadful season. He was 1-9 coming in, and in his last outing, he gave up 11 hits in five innings. It took him 17 starts to get a win.
Ah, but the Rays relished the sight of someone else on the mound. After two outs, Nick Fortes was hit by a pitch. Chandler Simpson then singled to left.
That brought up Yandy Diaz, who had won the game with an RBI single in the ninth the night before. This time, he tied it on a single to right.
Two pitches later, Brandon Lowe singled to left to drive in Simpson.
Adrian Houser was strong for the Rays, throwing five shutout innings. Reliever Mason Montgomery gave up a baserunner on a walk. Christian Koss then singled in the run off of reliever Edwin Uceta.
In the ninth, Pete Fairbanks got his 22nd save.
The Rays have now won three games in a row for the first time since June.
The Rays and Giants close out their series today at 4:05 p.m. Ryan Pepiot will start for the Rays against Logan Webb.