Thursday, 4 a.m.
Same pitcher. Same batter. Same situation.
Different result.
This time, Brandon Lowe didn’t walk it off. This time, the Rays didn’t complete their comeback. This time, it was the Chicago Cubs who celebrated.
This time, Hector Neris coaxed a fly ball out of Lowe to close out a 4-3 victory over the Rays.
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The night before, Lowe had hit a three-run homer with two out in the ninth to pull out the game for the Rays. This time, it didn’t happen. Lowe hit a 1-1 pitch to center field for the final out.
The Rays, who have given up more home runs than any team in baseball, surrendered another pair to the Cubs. The big blow was a three-run shot by Cody Bellinger in the seventh inning. Seiya Suzuki also homered.
The Rays got homers from Jose Siri and Jose Caballero. Issac Paredes doubled in a run. Siri and Paredes each had two hits.
The Rays close out their series with a 6:50 p.m. game at Tropicana Field tonight. Taj Bradley will start for the Rays against Justin Steele.