Invincible Rays belt 5 homers en route to 7th straight win
ST. PETERSBURG — There are loads of numbers that specify how properly issues are going for the undefeated Rays. For starters, contemplate this one:
Tampa Bay’s lineup has launched 18 homers, the identical variety of complete runs allowed by the pitching employees up to now this season.
The Rays’ all-around dominant begin to the season continued Friday evening as they slugged 5 homers and performed stellar protection in a 9-5 win over the A’s at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay is the primary workforce within the Majors to win its first seven video games of the season because the Orioles in 2016.
The Rays’ 7-0 begin trails solely the 2003 Royals (9 straight wins) for the longest season-opening win streak of the Wild Card Era. And every victory has come by not less than 4 runs, the longest such streak to start a season in MLB historical past because the 1884 St. Louis Maroons’ 13-game streak.
The Rays have outscored their opponents, 53-18, whereas placing collectively their longest successful streak since a nine-gamer from Aug. 21-31, 2021. Tampa Bay’s run prevention in all probability shouldn’t come as a shock, particularly towards three opponents (Detroit, Washington and Oakland) that had a mixed successful share of .372 final season. But the Rays are beating groups with their bats, too.
It’s early, however the membership is displaying energy that was too usually absent from its injury-riddled lineup final season. One of its runs Friday scored on a bases-loaded stroll, and the opposite eight got here by way of residence runs.
“I think they’re proving a lot of people wrong. We have a lot of dogs in our lineup who not only put on great ABs but absolutely smoke the ball,” stated starter Zach Eflin, who allowed three runs over six innings whereas placing out seven. “It’s huge for us as pitchers when we don’t have our best stuff for the offense to keep us in the game and really battle.”
Harold Ramírez started Friday’s show of energy — the Rays’ first five-homer efficiency since Oct. 2, 2021 — by main off the second inning with a solo shot to proper area towards A’s starter Ken Waldichuk.
Waldichuk walked three of the subsequent 4 hitters he confronted, with a Jose Siri single blended in for good measure, to permit one other run. After two strikeouts, Isaac Paredes made Waldichuk pay by sending a 355-foot moonshot out to left area for his second profession grand slam.
“I was just trying everything I could just to get one run in,” Paredes stated by way of interpreter Manny Navarro. “Luckily, I was able to connect on that one.”
The Rays batted round within the second, already the third time this yr they’ve despatched not less than 9 hitters to the plate in a single inning. It’s the second time they’ve performed so in help of Eflin, alongside their seven-run third towards the Tigers final Saturday.
The right-hander’s not complaining concerning the lengthy break between innings.
“I can definitely get used to it. I’ve got no problem with it,” Eflin stated, smiling. “I’ll take however much time in between innings to see those guys touch home plate.”
The hits saved coming within the third inning, as Manuel Margot and Bethancourt went deep towards Waldichuk, changing into the ninth and tenth totally different hitters to homer for Tampa Bay this season. Wander Franco bought in on the motion within the eighth, sending his third homer of the yr out to right-center off right-hander Adam Oller.
“We’ve got to be very pleased with the way everybody in the lineup is contributing,” supervisor Kevin Cash stated. “The power, I’m not going to say that we didn’t expect it — maybe not quite as much as what’s taken place in the early going.”
On the opposite hand, the Rays have come to count on the superb protection they noticed from Siri and Taylor Walls on Friday evening.
“Our defense was awesome,” Cash stated. “Taylor Walls was his own highlight reel. Obviously, Siri was.”
Starting at second base, Walls was answerable for a pair of gems: a diving cease within the fifth and a nifty scoop to retire the speedy Esteury Ruiz within the seventh. Meanwhile, Siri fired a 95.3 mph dart from heart area to chop down Ramón Laureano on the plate within the second, then he crashed into the outfield wall to rob Seth Brown of additional bases within the eighth.
“The wall and I are just giving a little love with each other,” Siri stated by way of Navarro. “The wall and I know each other a lot.”
