Catching Some Rays- 6/12-6/18

It's time for the Rays to head West as they prepare to spend the entire week in California. The league-leading team from Tampa Bay would start with a four-game set against the league's worst team in Oakland. For as bad as their record is, the Athletics have been playing some good baseball, so it wasn't going to be easy. They would then travel to San Diego for their first visit in three years in a weekend set with the San Diego Padres. The pitching matchups for the weekend made this one an exciting affair to finish the trip. 

Monday 6/12

Athletics 4, Rays 3

WP- James Kaprielian (2-6), LP- Zach Eflin (8-2), SV- Ken Waldichuk (1)

It wasn't an ideal day in Oakland for the Rays as they dropped their first game of the series. All it took was one bad inning for Zach Eflin to sink the ship. Through four innings, things were going well for Eflin. Shea Langeliers cleared the bases with a three-run double in the bottom of the fifth and Ryan Noda singled him home to make it 4-0 as they sent Eflin to the locker room for the night. Jose Siri would make some significant progress to come back, hitting a three-run home run in the top of the sixth inning, but it wouldn't amount to a win for the Rays. The bats stayed mostly quiet for the final three innings as the A's held on for a 4-3 victory, handing Eflin his second loss of the season. 

Player of the Game- Shea Langeliers (OAK) (1-for-3, 1 run, 1 double, 3 RBIs)

Tuesday 6/13

Athletics 2, Rays 1

WP- Hogan Harris (2-0), LP- Colin Poche (4-2), SV- Trevor May (3)

The train kept rolling for the Oakland A's as their fans came out for a "reverse boycott" as they tried to convince their owners to sell the team. It was another low-scoring affair and it was the Rays that got things going. It took five innings for them to get on the board as Manuel Margot drove in the opening run with a single in the top of the inning. Jalen Beeks, Yonny Chirinos, and Jake Diekman combined for six scoreless innings, allowing just four hits and two walks as their 1-0 lead held steady. Oakland's bats came to life in the bottom of the seventh as Brent Rooker doubled home a run to tie the game. This momentum would carry into the eighth as Carlos Perez's groundball would be enough to get the go-ahead run home as Oakland stole another win in front of a rowdy crowd. 

Player of the Game- Hogan Harris (OAK) (7.0 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts)

Wednesday 6/14

Rays 6, Athletics 3

WP- Tyler Glasnow (2-0), LP- Luis Medina (1-6), SV- Jason Adam (11)

The offense finally decided to show up for the Rays in the third game of the series. However, it wasn't looking good early. After Christian Bethancourt's sac fly gave the Rays an early lead, JJ Bleday knocked a three-run home run in the bottom of the second inning to stake Oakland to an early lead. This would be the only big mistake Tyler Glasnow would make in this start. He'd go 5.1 innings, allowing just those three runs and walking four with six strikeouts. The offense would put him in line for the win in the fifth inning Manuel Margot and Yandy Diaz tied the game with an RBI double each before Josh Lowe put the Rays ahead for the first time with an RBI single. Diaz would also draw a bases-loaded walk in the seventh and add an RBI single in the ninth to help provide some separation as the Rays avoided the threat of a sweep by winning their first game of the series. 

Player of the Game- Manuel Margot (TB) (3-for-4, 3 runs, 3 doubles, 1 RBI)

Thursday 6/15

Rays 4, Athletics 3

WP- Robert Stephenson (1-3), LP- Austin Pruitt (1-4), SV- Pete Fairbanks (6)

Getting the series split against Oakland wasn't going to come easy for the Rays. Taj Bradley took the bump for the Rays and the offense backed him up early. Isaac Paredes put the Rays ahead early with an RBI single and Taylor Walls doubled home another in the second inning. Manuel Margot added to the fun with his first home run in over two months to make it 3-0. Meanwhile, Bradley was firing on all cylinders. Through 4.1 scoreless innings, Bradley struck out 11. Then, he hit a brick wall. He walked the next two batters and it would lead to Oakland scoring three runs in the fifth and forcing Bradley out of the game before finishing the inning. Kevin Kelly would get them out of the inning and the 3-3 deadlock would stand until the eighth inning. With one out in the eighth, Luke Raley stepped up and broke the tie with a solo shot. Jason Adam would pitch a perfect inning in the bottom half and a returning Pete Fairbanks closed it with a perfect ninth inning to convert the save and earn the split. 

Player of the Game- Luke Raley (TB) (2-for-4, 2 runs, Go-Ahead Solo HR in the 8th) 

Series Review

• The Rays split the series, 2-2
• The Rays outscored the Athletics, 14-12
• The Rays are the first team to have 50 wins this season
• Series MVP- Manuel Margot (6-for-12, 4 runs, 4 doubles, 1 home run, 3 RBIs)

Friday 6/16

Rays 6, Padres 2

WP- Shane McClanahan (11-1), LP- Yu Darvish (5-5), SV- Pete Fairbanks (7)

The Rays were at Petco Park for the first time since the 2020 postseason when they beat the Yankees and the Astros to advance to the World Series. This time around, they were facing the team that actually calls the park home. The Rays jumped ahead early and didn't look back. Isaac Paredes smacked a solo home run in the second inning to jumpstart the team. Randy Arozarena hit an RBI single in the fourth before the Rays opened it up in the fifth as Jose Siri singled home another run and Arozarena smacked a three-run home run against Yu Darvish. This would be more than enough for Shane McClanahan. He made one small mistake, allowing a solo home run to Nelson Cruz in the bottom of the seventh to end his start. McClanahan earned his 11th win of the season by going 6.2 innings, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out five. Pete Fairbanks would earn another save in the ninth inning as the Rays took the first game of the series. 

Player of the Game- Randy Arozarena (TB) (2-for-4, 1 run, 1 home run, 4 RBIs)

Saturday 6/17

Padres 2, Rays 0

WP- Blake Snell (3-6), LP- Zach Eflin (8-3), SV- Josh Hader (17)

Offense was at a premium for both teams as Zach Eflin and Blake Snell went at it in a classic pitcher's duel. Unfortunately, all of the offense would be in San Diego's favor as Snell shut down his former team. In the fifth inning, the Padres struck twice with Ha-Seong Kim and Manny Machado driving in the only runs of the game. Snell shut out the Rays for six innings, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out 12. This overshadowed an equally strong start from Eflin. In six innings, he allowed four hits and two walks as he struck out five. Those two runs would be enough to beat the Rays to even the series as Tampa Bay managed only three hits in the game. 

Player of the Game- Blake Snell (SD) (6.0 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts)

Sunday 6/18

Padres 5, Rays 4

WP- Joe Musgrove (5-2), LP- Yonny Chirinos (3-2), SV- Josh Hader (18)

The finale in San Diego was a tight one as the Padres pulled away and barely held on. The Rays scored early as Josh Lowe singled home the opening run but the Rays really shot themselves in the foot in the third. Juan Soto would bring in two runs after Wander Franco was responsible for two errors on a play as the Padres took the lead. Manny Machado would hit a sac fly later in the inning to push the lead to 3-1. Manuel Margot would get one back for the Rays with a sac fly in the fourth but the Padres got runs back with a Rougned Odor double in the fourth and a Machado single in the fifth. The Rays would attempt a comeback in the eighth inning with Margot driving in his second run of the game and Harold Ramirez making it 5-4 with an RBI single. However, the comeback would fall short as the Padres took the series. 

Player of the Game- Manny Machado (SD) (1-for-3, 2 RBIs)

Series Review

• The Padres beat the Rays, 2-1
• The Rays outscored the Padres, 10-9
• This is the Rays' first series loss since the Chicago series (5/29-5/31)
• Series MVP- Randy Arozarena (5-for-12, 3 runs, 1 home run, 4 RBIs, 1 hit by pitch)

Injury Report & Other News

This was a surprisingly good week for the Rays from a health standpoint. They got some of their bullpen arms back, including Pete Fairbanks, who came back and earned two saves during the Oakland series. 

The Week Ahead

The Rays are back at home this week, beginning with a critical division series against the Baltimore Orioles. They'll be off on Monday and this will only be a two-game set so while it won't have major implications on the current race in the division, it could allow the Rays to generate some distance between the Orioles as they hold a five-game lead. They'll then welcome the Kansas City Royals for a four-game set over the weekend. The Royals are tied with Oakland for the fewest wins in the league but they are one of the teams with a bright future ahead of them. The Rays shouldn't treat this as an easy series win.