Friday, 4 a.m.
This time, the Tampa Bay Rays were history. And not the good kind.
This time, the forces that had worked so well for the Rays in their historic 13-game winning streak turned on them. The pitching wasn't there. The hitting wasn't there. The defense wasn't there.
Also, the victory wasn’t there. The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Rays 6-3, ending their streak.
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Why?
Well, starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen, so good in his first two starts, was faulty. He allowed 10 hits in 4.1 innings, and he walked four batters. He had allowed just one three-ball count on the season.
Also, the hitting wasn't what it had been. The Rays struck out 10 times and had just one hit with a runner in scoring position. They had just four hits through the first four innings. Reliever Colin Poche walked in two runs.
Then there was the defense. The Rays made two errors, one a two-run misplay when Brandon Lowe missed a throw from Wander Franco.
Even the medical report was hard on the Rays. They learned starter Jeffrey Springs will be out at least two months with his elbow injury. He is the third pitcher in the Rays' rotation to be injured.
“I wouldn’t say frustrating," Rays' manager Kevin Cash said. "I’m really pleased with the way the guys played. It kind of snowballed on us a little bit."
The Rays try to get back on track today at 3:07 p.m. Calvin Faucher will start for the Rays against Yusei Kikuchi.