Tuesday, 4 a.m.
Yes, the margin should have been bigger. Yes, the Rays should have scored more.
On the other hand, they won.
Considering the way the last month has gone, that’ll do.
The Rays slid past the New York Yankees Monday night, winning a 4-2 victory. It stopped a four-game losing streak, a run of 6-15 in July and a period with seven wins in 25 games.
And, yeah, it should have been bigger. The Rays had 11 hits and five walks. However, they left 11 men on base and were just two-for-12 with runners in scoring position. They struck out nine times, which brought their total to 52 over the last five games.
The Rays put the first two runners on base in the fourth (and didn’t score). They put the first two runners on base in the fifth (and scored once). They put the first two runners on second and third in the seventh (and didn’t score). They put two runners on base with one out in the eighth (and didn’t score).
Still, they won.
Junior Caminero hit his 27th home run, a two-run shot, in the top of the first. After Drew Rasmussen walked in two runs in the bottom of the first.
Josh Lowe singled in Yandy Diaz in the fifth. In the eighth, a sacrifice fly by Diaz brought in Jose Caballero.
The Yankees managed just six hits, only three of them after the first inning.
The bullpen had a good night. Edwin Uceta threw two shutout innings — striking out four. Pete Fairbanks had his third four-out save (his 18th of the year). Rasmussen picked up the win to go to 8-6.
The Rays were reported to have traded catcher Danny Jansen to Milwaukee and acquired Nick Fortes from Miami.
The Rays and Yankees play again tonight at 7:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium. Joe Boyle will start for teh Rays against Max Fried.