Wednesday, 4 a.m.
They won?
Really?
They scored four times.
Honest?
For only the fifth time this month, the Tampa Bay Rays left a baseball field with those tingly feelings that winning can leave Tuesday night. They finally had a game where they had solid pitching, excellent defense and more good offensive moments than bad to beat the Florida Marlins, 4-1.
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For the Rays, 4-14 in July coming into the game, it was a refreshing difference. They had lost seven of their previous eight, and they had slid behind the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East race.
Ok, Ok. They had three runners thrown out at third base, and they were two-for-seven with runners in scoring position. But they won. After the streak they’ve been on, that’s enough.
Starter Tyler Glasnow led the win, pitching seven innings of two-hit baseball. He struck out eight and walked two, one of which led to Florida’s only run — scored by former Ray Joey Wendle on a wild pitch.
Pete Fairbanks got his 12th save in the ninth inning.
The Rays might have scored more runs had not Randy Arozarena crept too far off third base in the third, had Manny Margot not been thrown out trying to go from first to third in the fourth , and had Luke Raley not been thrown out in the seventh trying to stretch a double into a triple.
Offensively, Brandon Lowe had three hits, including a home run. Luke Raley had two doubles, and Yandy Diaz had a two-run double.
The Rays wrap up their series against the Marlins today at 12:10 p.m. at Tropicana Field. Zach Eflin will start for the Rays against Sandy Alcantara.