Rays’ struggles continue as they fall to the Mariners for the second game in a row.
ST. PETERSBURG — This series has not been a good one for the Rays as they’re trying to hang onto that second wild card spot in the American League.
The Seattle Mariners got on the board quickly when Kyle Season hit a two-run homer off of Rays opener, Diego Castillo. It was the 17th home run of the season for Seager, who now has eight home runs in the month of August.
Jalen Beeks was cruising through his first ten batters, retiring nine of them.
“I thought there was some promise early on,” Kevin Cash said when asked about Beeks’ performance. “Looked like he was throwing the ball with a little more conviction. Willing to throw it over the plate. Trusting his stuff. Then a couple plays came up, a couple baserunners got on and things started to take a toll. He lost command and fell behind and they came up and got some big hits.”
After being down quickly 2-0 in the game, the Rays battled back to – not only tie the game at two – but they ended up taking a 4-2 lead after four innings.
Then the wheels seemed to come off in the 5th and 6th inning for Beeks as he allowed four runs – two earned – in his final two innings of work. He also allowed three hits and walked three batters.
“Frustrating with the walks,” Beeks said regarding his performance tonight. “Think I had three again today. That’s really unacceptable to me.”
This was Beeks lone blemish in long relief in his career. He now has a 10-1 record in 36 of these appearances.
In his last six appearances, Beeks is now 0-3 with a 7.46 ERA (25.1 innings). This stretch has raised his ERA from 2.78 to 4.10 this season.
Slick Willy
Willy Adames was the bright spot for the offense tonight tying a career high with three hits. He’s slashing .305/.379/.441 in August compared to .193/.237/.352 in July.
Struggles Atop the Lineup
Winning in baseball is hard. Winning in baseball is nearly impossible when the first five hitters in the lineup combine to go 1-for-19 leaving 12 men on base (each hitter’s combined total; meaning two batters can leave the same man on base). Austin Meadows had the lone hit – a lead off double in the first inning.
Wild Card Race
The Rays didn’t lose any ground tonight as the Cleveland Indians fell to the New York Mets 9-2. The Rays still trail the Indians by 1.5 games for home field in the wild card game. The two teams have an upcoming series at Tropicana Field August 30-September 1st.
Injury Updates
Both Joey Wendle (wrist) and Brandon Lowe (shin) rehabbed in Triple-A Durham tonight. The two players combined to go 0-for-8 tonight, however they should arrive back to the majors in the near future.
Up Next
The series concludes with a Wednesday matinee as Charlie Morton (13-5; 2.77) tries to prevent the Rays from getting swept. The Mariners have yet to declare a starter for the game. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm EST.
