Saturday, 4 a.m.
It wasn’t just that the Tampa Bay Rays lost Friday night, it was that they were out of control.
The Rays, in the middle of a tight game against the Toronto Blue Jays, suddenly forgot how to throw a strike. Leading 1-0 going into the sixth inning, the Rays walked three straight batters, hit a fourth and gave up four runs.
Content beyond this point is for members only.
Already a member? To view the rest of this column, sign in using the handy "Sign In" button located in the upper right corner of the GarySheltonSports.com blog (it's at the far right of the navigation bar under Gary's photo). Not a member? It's easy to subscribe so you can view the rest of this column and all other premium content on GarySheltonSports.com.
The 6-2 loss was damaging in the Rays’ chances of catching Baltimore, who now lead the Rays by 2 1/2 games in the AL East.
Oddly, the night had begun in fine fashion for starter Tyler Glasnow, who had a one-hitter through five innings. But after giving up two singles and a run to tie the game in the sixth, Glasnow lost his accuracy.
The Rays’ injury bug continued to haunt the team. Brandon Lowe didn’t play because of fouling a ball off his knee (he'll be out 4-6 weeks). Randy Arozarena left because of a leg injury. Jason Adam injured himself on the mound as he gave up two runs and three hits while recording just one out.
The Rays took a 1-0 lead on Harold Ramirez’s single. Curtis Mead hit his first home run of the year for the second run.
The Rays and Blue Jays play again today at 4:10 p.m. at Tropicana Field. Zack Littell will start for the Rays against Hyun Jin Ryu.