Tuesday, 4 a.m.
They could be better. Throughout the baseball season, you have said that about the Tampa Bay Rays a hundred times.
Still, there is this: There is a bit of fight to these guys.
The better-when-they're-behind Rays came from behind once again Monday night, rallying to beat the Seattle Mariners 4-3. It was the team’s 22nd come from behind win, which is particularly impressive when you consider the team has just 17 wins when it didn’t come from y behind.
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Once again, it was the Yandy Diaz show. Diaz, hitting .344 in the 21 games in June he has played, hit a two-run single in the eighth inning to lead his team. Diaz, who has a 17-game hitting streak, also had another hit in the game.
The Rays’ rally came with two men out. Taylor Walls walked and Jose Siri singled to center. Catcher Ben Rortvedt then doubled to left to force in one run. After Jose Caballeros walked to load the bases, Diaz singled to right to give his team the lead.
Pete Fairbanks needed just 10 pitches to record his 12th save in the ninth.
The Rays got a good start from Taj Bradley, who went 5 1/3 innings and gave up just two hits and one run. That performance was lost after reliever Chris Devenski had a tough outing, walking three and giving up a two-run homer in 2/3 of an inning.
The Mariners had just three hits on the night, but two of them were home runs by Mitch Garver and Cal Raleigh.
The teams play again tonight at 6:50 p.m. at Tropicana Field. Zack Littell will start for the Rays against Luis Castillo.