Winners of four consecutive series, the Tampa Bay Rays were climbing back into the AL East race following their series win over the Seattle Mariners. On Friday, the first place San Francisco Giants would come to Tropicana Field for the final three games of the home stand. San Fran, winners of five in a row coming in, would give the Rays all they could handle…and then some.
Could Tampa Bay head on the road with their first winning home stand of 2016?
GAME 1
Our own Stephen Joy wrote an absolutely fantastic single-game recap of Friday night’s “Pride Night” at the Trop in memorial of the tragedy in Orlando last weekend. Head on over and read his story here!
GAME 2
Giants 6 Rays 4
A three-run home run by Joe Panik off Alex Colome in the top of the 9th inning was the undoing for the Rays as they’d drop the second game in a row to the Giants and snap their four-series winning streak. Lefty Matt Moore would pitch another quality start throwing six innings of two-run baseball to keep the home team in the ballgame against a scrappy San Fran offense. However four solo home runs off the bats of Evan Longoria (17), Brad Miller (8), Logan Morrison (8), and Logan Forsythe (5) weren’t enough as the bullpen collapsed in relief as Erasmo Ramirez gave up the tying run in the eighth inning before Colome’s implosion in the ninth.
W: Strickland (3-0) Colome (1-2) S: Gearrin (2)
GAME 3
Giants 5 Rays 1
Brandon Belt led an eighth inning, four-run explosion for the Giants in what was a 1-1 tie game to that point. Jake Odorizzi pitched well for the Rays going six innings allowing just one run, no walks, and eight punch outs. Xavier Cedeno gave up three of the Giants four runs in eighth and Taylor Sturdevant allowed the other as once again the Rays offense couldn’t pull through late for their pitching staff.
NEXT UP:
The Rays head out on the road for a six game trip beginning in Cleveland against the Indians on Monday before finishing up in Baltimore and returning home on June 27th to welcome in the Red Sox.
PROBABLES:
6/20 – Drew Smyly (2-7, 4.75) v Josh Tomlin (8-1, 3.27)
6/21 – Blake Snell (0-1, 2.16) v Corey Kluber (6-7, 4.23)
6/22 – Chris Archer (4-9, 4.60) v Trevor Bauer (4-2, 3.46)
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