Friday, 4 a.m.
There was a loss, another one. The Rays closed out a dismal July with their 18th loss in 25 games, a loss that left them only 3 1/2 games out of the AL East cellar.
There were the injuries, three of them. The Rays lost Yandy Diaz, Jonathan Aranda and Chandler Simpson, three of their top hitters. Diaz and Chandler are day-to-day, but the news could be more severe on Aranda.
There were the trades, when a lot of the future seemed to depart. The franchise shipped away Taj Bradley, Curtis Mead and Jose Caballero.
So how was your day?
The Rays revamped much of their pitching staff on the day, bringing in reliever Griffin Jax from Minnesota, starter Adrian Houser from the White Sox and prospect Everson Pereira.
Still, it was a painful end-of-the-month for Tampa Bay. The Rays fell behind 7-0 on Thursday. Tampa Bays scored four runs on five hits in the fourth, but a rain delay washed out any further momentum.
Brandon Lowe had two hits for the Rays.
Starter Ryan Pepiot gave up homers in the first and second innings, good for five runs.
The Rays return home to face the L.A. Dodgers at 7:35 p.m. at Steinbrenner Field. Shane Baz will start against Clayton Kershaw.