Tuesday, 4 a.m.
Can they take this show on the road?
As good as the Tampa Bay Rays have been this season, and as potent, they still have to learn to win away from Tropicana Field.
The Rays' latest loss, a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Chicago Cubs and pitcher Marcus Stroman, was the latest evidence of the Rays' mortality on the road. They are now just 13-11 away from home this year.
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.
Monday's game was the cruelest an opposing pitcher has been to the Rays. Stroman threw a complete game, allowing just one bloop single (to Wander Franco) in the win. He struck out eight batters and allowed just one batter to reach scoring position.
The narrow defeat came one day after the Rays won a wild 11-10 win over the Dodgers.
"He had a lot of late movement," said Rays' manager Kevin Cash. "We didn’t hit many balls hard. He executed his pitches where he wanted to. We’ve seen him a few times; that personally, was the best I’ve seen him. He pitched a heck of a ballgame."
Rays' rookie Taj Bradley wasn't far behind. He threw a three-hitter over 5 1/3 innings and allowed just one unearned run. That came after a throwing error by Tyler Walls and two fly balls.
"Man, what a step in the right direction," Cash said.
The Rays, 39-17 overall, play against the Cubs again tonight at 8 p.m. at Wrigley Field. Shane McClanahan (8-0) will start for the Rays. Kyle Hendricks will start for Chicago.