The Rays started their second road trip of the year on Monday. Here is a recap of the series…
Monday:
Rays come out swinging…and pitching
Just five pitches into Monday night’s rainy game, Rays DH Corey Dickerson took Orioles P Ubaldo Jimenez’s 89 MPH fastball over the right field fence to lead off the scoring. With the home run, Dickerson takes over the team lead (5).
Rays P Chris Archer started strong allowing only two hits and two walks in the first 2.1 innings. But in the third Arch started to struggle, loading the bases before Orioles 1B Chris Davis drove in a run on a blooper towards first base. Davis was out, but still got the tying RBI. Archer got himself out of the inning by striking out DH Mark Trumbo .
Walks lead to runs
In the top fourth, Jimenez walked the bases loaded with only one out. Rays LF Shane Peterson hit a double to the right field corner driving in two, giving the Rays a two-run lead. After another walk to Rays C Derek Norris which reloaded the bases, Jimenez was pulled and replaced by P Vidal Nuno. Nuno was able to get out of the bases loaded jam in only 11 pitches.
Archer collapses late
Archer held it together until the sixth when Orioles LF Hyun Soo Kim and 2B Jonathon Schoop hit back-to-back home runs on consecutive pitches, tying the game again with two outs.
In the seventh, Orioles brought in P Mychal Givens from the pen for Nuno. Givens (3-0) would end up being credited the win because of what happened next…
Archer (2-1) fell apart in the home half of the seventh. After hitting RF Seth Smith in the elbow, CF Adam Jones hit a bomb to left field, giving the Orioles a 5-3 lead. Arch was able to get two outs before being pulled after 6.2 innings and 104 pitches, and after giving up five runs on six hits, with five walks.
Three of those hits being home runs, which he had not allowed in his first four starts of the season. Archer’s ERA rose to 3.94 by the end of this game.
The Orioles added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth off a Schoop sacrifice, but they wouldn’t even need it. They would end up winning the game 6-3, extending their lead in the division to two over the Yankees.
One shining moment of the loss…
One upside to the game for the Rays- the performance by rookie P Chih-Wei Hu, who came on in the ninth for his major league debut and pitched a perfect inning.
Souza’s birthday bust
Rays RF Steven Souza Jr.’s seven game hit streak ended after going 0-for-3. Certainly not the way he wanted to cap off his birthday – after being name AL Player of the Week earlier in the day. There was also a scary moment when Souza whacked his elbow on the brick outfield wall trying to save a home run. But x-rays were negative, which is a sigh of relief on an otherwise bad day.
Tuesday:
Late scratch, but it worked out
Rays P Erasmo Ramirez was up in the rotation, but was a last minute scratch due to the possiblity of a long rain delay or postponement. P Austin Pruitt (2-0) gets the start instead, to avoid wasting a Ramirez start.
And Pruitt showed up…big time. Allowing only one hit and giving up one walk over three shut out innings, while dropping his ERA to 6.28. Although he did not get credited the win, Pruitt showed that he has shaken off the early jitters and found his form.
Very little offense for either side
The only scoring in the game was at least in favor of the Rays. In the top of the fourth, SS Tim Beckham and C Derek Norris, driving in DH Rickie Weeks Jr. and 1B Logan Morrison.
Rays bullpen stepped up
The Rays sent five pitchers to the mound, including P Chase Whitley (1-0) who threw 41 pitches over three innings while getting three strikeouts. Whitley has a 0.00 ERA through 6.2 innings this season so far, and picked up his first win of the season.
Closing P Alex Colome came in to wrap up the game and aside from a walk, came out unscathed as he picked up his fifth save of the season. The Rays got their first shut out of the year and moved to .500 at 11-11.
Rough day for Miley
Orioles starting P Wade Miley (1-1) took the loss and the two runs allowed raised his ERA to 2.08, which is still very good through four starts. The bad part for Miley- six walks, giving him 14 on the season. Miley had only given up eight walks in his first three starts.
Last night’s win? What a relief. pic.twitter.com/Vcp30f86AF
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) April 26, 2017
Wednesday:
After pulling off their first shut out of the season, the Rays sent Alex Cobb to the mound against Dylan Bundy.
Early hole to climb out of
After a scoreless first inning, the Orioles managed to score three runs in the bottom of the second. After striking out C Wellington Castro to start the inning, Cobb gave up back-to-back singles to Kim and Schoop. SS Ryan Flaherty then drove in Kim with a single to center.
Then things got a little crazy…
Rays fans might have a tough time watching ???? pic.twitter.com/acbYbLf9QJ
— LeadingMLB ™ (@LeadingMLB) April 27, 2017
RF Seth Smith singles to center, bringing Flaherty across the plate. After two throwing errors by CF Kevin Kiermaier and Cobb, Smith comes in with the old little league home run, giving the Orioles a 3-0 lead after two.
Rays dig themselves out
Leading off the top of the third, Rays SS Tim Beckham took Bundy’s pitch to the left center field bleachers. Rays down 3-1.
With two outs in the fifth, Beckham went yard again off Bundy, to almost the SAME SPOT! Rays down 3-2.
After a couple of pitching changes for the Orioles, 2B Brad Miller drove in the tying run on a ground out off of Orioles P Darren O’Day, bringing DH Rickie Weeks, Jr. across the plate late in the game.
Things get interesting in extras…
In the top of the 11th, with two outs and two men on, Rays C Jesus Sucre hit a fly ball single to right field, bringing in 1B Logan Morrison, giving the Rays their first lead of the night. Rays up 4-3.
After Weeks, Jr. got hit by a pitch, Kiermaier grounds out to end the half. The Rays need only three outs to move a game over .500…but that would prove to be easier said than done.
Bullpen struggles
In the bottom of the 11th inning, Alex Colome (0-1) gives up two singles and walk to the middle of the O’s lineup while only recording one out, loading the bases for Schoop. Schoop takes the first pitch of the at-bat and gets the sacrifice RBI, driving in Chris Davis and tying the game.
After giving up another walk to Flaherty and loading the bases AGAIN…Colome gets the ax, but will ultimately get credited with the loss. He ended with two earned runs on two hits, with two outs and two walks, raising his ERA to 1.54.
So, with two outs, bases loaded, and a tie game in the bottom of the 11th, the Rays replaced Colome with Danny Farquhar. He only needs one out to keep the game going. Instead, Farquhar walks Smith on four straight pitches, literally walking in the game-winning run as PR Craig Gentry comes across the plate.
Cobb had a rough night
Although he escaped without another credited loss, Cobb probably wishes he had a better night. Cobb gave up three runs (two earned) on eight hits, with two walks and only three strikeouts over 5.0 innings, which is tied for his shortest start this season.
The good news for Cobb- he managed to drop is ERA to 4.66. So there’s that.
The Rays road troubles continue to haunt them. After 10 road games this season, they are 2-8. After 15 straight games, the Rays get a much needed day off on Thursday before heading to the Rogers Centre to play the Toronto Blue Jays.
