‘We’re fine’: Rays ready to shake off tough set in Baltimore
BALTIMORE — The Rays’ 2-1 loss to the Orioles on Wednesday night time adopted a script just like the one which performed out 24 hours earlier.
Timely hits eluded their lineup. Their pitcher restricted the injury, solely to be undone by one tough inning. And on the finish of the night time, the Rays have been left lamenting missed alternatives whereas tipping their caps to the Orioles’ proficient younger pitching employees in a quiet postgame clubhouse.
“We all know their pitching’s good. We didn’t execute when we had runners on base,” Rays catcher Christian Bethancourt stated. “It happened last night, and hopefully it’s better in the next series.”
Dropping Wednesday’s rubber match after Tuesday’s 4-2 loss led to the Rays’ third collection defeat of the season, as they beforehand dropped units towards the Blue Jays (April 14-16) and Astros (April 24-26). It was additionally solely the third time this 12 months that Tampa Bay (29-9) misplaced back-to-back video games.
The Rays pitched nicely towards the Orioles, holding them to 6 runs within the three-game collection. But Baltimore outpitched Tampa Bay, particularly in key conditions with runners on base. The Rays recorded only one hit in 20 at-bats with runners in scoring place over the past three nights: Wander Franco’s eighth-inning RBI single within the collection finale, which scored Yandy Díaz from second base.
The manner the Rays have began this season, averaging greater than six runs per recreation whereas main the Majors in most offensive statistics, large nights on the plate have develop into the expectation, not the exception. But on this collection, the Rays — who’re hitting .274 with an .811 OPS when batting with runners in scoring place — stranded 22 runners on base.
“Very pleased with what we’re doing offensively. We’re gonna have some quiet nights,” supervisor Kevin Cash stated. “They’ve just kind of come here back-to-back, but would expect that we’ll bounce right back.”
The Rays definitely had their probabilities within the collection finale, which helped increase their confidence as they boarded a prepare and headed north to New York for seven video games in eight days towards the Yankees and Mets.
With one out within the first inning, Franco and Brandon Lowe labored consecutive walks towards Orioles starter Dean Kremer. But Harold Ramírez lined out to left subject, then Luke Raley flied out to left. They put two runners on once more within the fourth, this time with one out on consecutive hits by Ramírez and Raley, however Isaac Paredes hit into an inning-ending double play.
“No one on this ballclub should feel bad because we couldn’t get key hits yesterday or today. We’ve still got a long season to go. We’re fine,” Bethancourt siad. “We know what’s going on. The last two games, we couldn’t get it done with runners on base. Hopefully it’s better tomorrow.”
An identical scene unfolded within the fifth. Josh Lowe and Bethancourt led off the inning with back-to-back singles off Kremer, who bounced again by putting out Jose Siri and Díaz earlier than retiring Franco on a 99.7 mph lineout to left.
“You’ve got to credit their pitching. They’re making big, big pitches, for sure,” Cash stated. “Kremer was really, really tough, and that’s the way it goes sometimes.”
Still, the Rays hung round by preserving the Orioles’ lineup in test a lot of the night time. Opener Jalen Beeks pitched two scoreless innings, and bulk-innings righty Yonny Chirinos saved the shutout intact heading into the sixth.
But Chirinos struggled by way of one unhealthy sequence to begin the sixth, permitting six consecutive hitters to achieve safely on a single, a double, a stroll (with ball 4 approaching a pitch timer violation), a run-scoring fielder’s-choice grounder, an Austin Hays RBI single to left and a stroll.
Chirinos retired the subsequent two hitters to keep away from any additional injury, however two runs turned out to be sufficient.
“He limited damage very well. Pitched out of damage,” Cash stated of Chirinos, who issued a career-high-tying 4 walks for the second straight outing whereas choosing up only one strikeout. “Their pitching is very good, as we knew coming in, and they kind of backed it up, certainly tonight.”
The Rays had one final likelihood within the eighth inning, when Díaz doubled and scored on Franco’s single. Franco then stole second for his eleventh steal of the season, placing himself in scoring place for pinch-hitter Randy Arozarena. But the Orioles summoned lefty reliever Danny Coulombe, who struck out Arozarena and Ramírez to finish the risk.
“Sometimes we hit, sometimes not,” Ramírez stated. “That’s part of the game.”
