For the series finale against the Royals, the Rays sent Jake Odorizzi to the mound to face Jason Vargas.
The Rays came out showing some glove early in the game, making unbelievable catches in the field. Logan Morrison made a diving catch along the first base foul line. Corey Dickerson then followed suit.
Dickerson Robs Hosmer
Filthy catch by Corey Dickerson @MCoreyDickerson! He robs Eric Hosmer of a home run with the @RaysBaseball catch of the year so far. #RaysUp pic.twitter.com/OYeNuLTLME
— John Sabol (@John_Sabol) May 11, 2017
Even the Rays ball boy was getting in on the impressive grabs, making a leaping catch by the Royals bullpen in the top of the second inning.
The Rays showed some signs of life on the offensive side in the third inning when Peter Bourjos hit a grounder up the third base line, legging out a double with two outs. But the effort came up short after Tim Beckham flew out to right-center field, ending the inning.
The scoreless game ended when Whit Merrifield took a pitch 428-feet onto the covered seats in left field. The solo shot was his 3rd of the season, and first since April 30th.
Odorizzi was pulled after six innings and 114 pitches, recording four strikeouts with four hits and one earned run, dropping his ERA to 2.61. Chase Whitley came in to start the seventh and pitched one inning, throwing only 18 pitches and walking two, but dropped his already low ERA even lower to 0.57.
Whitley was replaced by Diego Moreno in the eighth inning with two men on. The Royals then capitalized and put the game out of reach.
Keirmaier Error Caps Off 5-Run Inning
After a double by Salvador Perez drove in two, and another by Jorge Bonifacio drove in Perez, the Royals had a 4-0 lead. Merrifield, with one home run already in the game, hit a single to center that Kevin Keirmaier misjudged, letting the ball past him and all the way to wall. Merrifield turned on the jets and came all the way around behind Bonifacio, taking the lead to 6-0.
That would be all of the scoring in the game. Odorizzi took the loss, moving him to 2-2 on the season.
Manager Kevin Cash talked post-game about Odorizzi’s rough outing.
Here’s what’s #Rays manager Kevin Cash had to say about Odorizzi’s start today pic.twitter.com/vK1NiCLF3V
— The Scrum Sports (@TheScrumSports) May 11, 2017
What’s Next For The Rays?
This weekend, Tampa Bay travels to Boston for a 3-game series at Fenway Park vs. the Red Sox, followed by three in Cleveland against the defended American League Champion Indians.
