Monday, 4 a.m.
The batting average hasn’t been good. The ERA hasn’t, either. The runners-in-scoring position stats are a joke.
For the Tampa Bay Rays, however, what has been missing more than anything is this: Moments.
You know, the Rays have been missing someone to measure up to the opportunity at hand. The big hit. The big pitch. Something.
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Sunday in Baltimore, the Rays finally flashed a bit of what has been missing. Consider:
— In the top of the eighth, Jose Siri lined a two-run double off the right field wall. The Rays had intended for him to bunt with runners on first and second, but then yelled for him to swing away. Siri is hitting just .189 on the season, but he’s hitting .333 in his last six games with seven RBI.
— In the bottom of the eighth, the Orioles loaded the bases with one out and seemed ready to retake the lead, which would have put them within spitting distance of a sweep. But receiver Garrett Cleavinger got Ryan Mountcastle to ground into a double play on his first pitch.
It allowed the Rays to get one win in their series and to stay out of the AL East cellar.
The Orioles looked as though it was going to be their day early. Baltimore jumped to a 3-0 lead. But the Orioles would strand 13 baserunners and go only three-for-18 with runners in scoring position.
The Rays know all about that. They are just 17-for-91 in their last nine games, a .197 average.
The Rays got three hits from Amed Rosario and two each from Harold Ramirez and Jose Caballero, who also had the Rays only home run of the series.
The Rays are off today. They play in Miami on Tuesday night at 6:40 p.m.