Catching Some Rays- 6/26-7/2

The Rays were back on the west coast for the week. They started in the desert against the Diamondbacks for a three-game interleague set against one of the bigger surprises in the National League. The Rays would then hit the northwest as they looked to defeat one of last season's best surprises in Seattle. It would be a big series for the team as Shane McClanahan is set to return from the injured list. 

Tuesday 6/27

Diamondbacks 8, Rays 4

WP- Zac Gallen (10-2), LP- Taj Bradley (5-4)

We've learned plenty of times that one bad inning at the beginning of the game. Usually, the Rays are letting the other team have it. Tonight, the Rays were on the wrong side of the bad inning. Taj Bradley had a rough first inning, allowing five runs to Arizona with Corbin Carroll hitting a three-run home run and Christian Walker adding a solo shot. The Rays didn't go down without a fight. Randy Arozarena and Isaac Paredes each scored on wild pitches, Luke Raley scored on an RBI groundout by Christian Bethancourt, and Jose Siri hit a solo home run to pull the Rays within one in the third inning. Evan Longoria and Katel Marte homered in consecutive innings to pad the lead as Arizona cruised to a strong win to begin the series. 

Player of the Game- Corbin Carroll (ARZ) (2-for-4, 1 run, 1 home run, 3 RBIs)

Wednesday 6/28

Rays 3, Diamondbacks 2

WP- Colin Poche (6-2), LP- Scott McGough (0-6), SV- Pete Fairbanks (9)

There's a magic within this team that is undeniable. For eight innings, the Rays looked dead in the water and on the verge of dropping the series. RBI singles from Katel Marte and Carson Kelly had the Diamondbacks leading 2-0 early. Zach Davies shut the Rays down for seven innings, holding them to two hits and two walks. Zach Eflin, despite the two runs allowed, had another solid start. He went seven innings and struck out seven as he looked to be in line for the loss. Down to their last three outs, the bats magically turned on. The Rays opened the inning with three straight singles with the third from Luke Raley driving in the first run of the game for the team. The next two batters would be outs, leaving Josh Lowe as the Rays' final hope. Lowe would put a ball in the gap, scoring two runs to give the Rays a 3-2 lead. Pete Fairbanks would come in and shut the door on the Diamondbacks, sealing the win and evening the series. 

Player of the Game- Josh Lowe (TB) (1-for-4, Go-ahead 2-R 2B in the 9th)

Thursday 6/29

Rays 6, Diamondbacks 1

WP- Yonny Chirinos (4-3), LP- Brandon Pfaadt (0-3)

Needing a win to take the series, the Rays served up some big stuff early to put the Diamondbacks away. Luke Raley hit a solo home run in the first inning to get them ahead early. Five runs in the third inning would be more than enough to earn the win. Wander Franco tripled home two more runs before Harold Ramirez singled home one more and Josh Lowe singled home two to make it 6-0. On the mound, Zach Littell opened with two nearly perfect innings before making way for Yonny Chirinos to take over the bulk of the innings. Outside of a home run allowed to Lourdes Gurriel Jr, Chirinos went six innings to earn the win. It was a dominant way to end the series before heading out to Seattle. 

Player of the Game- Luke Raley (TB) (2-for-3, 2 runs, 1 home run, 1 RBI, 1 hit by pitch)

Series Review

• The Rays beat the Diamondbacks, 2-1
• The Rays outscored the Diamondbacks, 13-11
• Series MVP- Luke Raley (3-for-10, 4 runs, 1 home run, 2 RBIs, 1 walk, 1 hit by pitch)

Friday 6/30

Rays 15, Mariners 4

WP- Kevin Kelly (4-1), LP- Andres Munoz (0-1)

The return of Shane McClanahan was supposed to mark a good feeling for the Rays and the fans. Unfortunately, the good times didn't last. Seattle jumped on him for four runs in the second inning and he would only last one more before departing from the game with some back tightness. With the team in a big hole, the offense slowly started making up for the deficit. By the seventh inning, the game was tied after a two-run homer by Randy Arozarena in the fourth, an RBI single by Luke Raley in the fifth, and a solo home run by Josh Lowe in the sixth. With the score tied at four, the Rays pulled away in the eighth, scoring eight runs to mark the occasion. They sent 13 batters to the plate to take a 12-3 lead. To make matters worse, Jose Siri led off the top of the ninth with a home run as the Rays tacked on three more to score 15 unanswered runs and take the first game. Every player in the lineup would finish the game with at least one RBI. The bullpen deserves a ton of credit, pitching six scoreless innings to relieve McClanahan. 

Player of the Game- Randy Arozarena (TB) (2-for-5, 2 runs, 1 home run, 3 RBIs)

Saturday 7/1

Mariners 8, Rays 3

WP- George Kirby (7-7), LP- Tyler Glasnow (2-2), SV- Paul Sewald (15)

The Mariners exacted a fair amount of revenge in the second game. Things started slowly, taking a 2-0 lead through three innings on an RBI single by Mike Ford and a solo home run from JP Crawford. The Rays got both runs back on a two-run shot by Luke Raley, but Seattle would score four straight, including three in the seventh to pull away late against Jalen Beeks, in relief of Tyler Glasnow. Glasnow, despite taking the loss, struck out 11 batters over 5.2 innings. The Rays would get one back on an RBI single by Wander Franco, but it would be a little too late to make a comeback as the Mariners held on to take the game 8-3. 

Player of the Game- JP Crawford (SEA) (3-for-4, 2 runs, 1 double, 1 home run, 2 RBIs, 1 walk)

Sunday 7/2

Mariners 8, Rays 7

WP- Andres Munoz (1-1), LP- Jason Adam (2-2), SV- Paul Sewald (16)

Early on, it looked the Rays were about to cruise to a series victory. Randy Arozarena and Isaac Paredes each hit solo home runs and even after the Mariners got one back in the second, the Rays scored four in the third to mount a 6-1 lead. Seattle put up four in their half of the inning to bring it back within one run against Taj Bradley. The one-run lead held until the sixth inning when Tom Murphy hit a solo home run to tie things up with three innings to play. Seattle would complete the comeback in the seventh inning against Jason Adam. After loading the bases, Adam plunked Jose Caballero to force home the go-ahead run. That would be the dagger as the Mariners scored six unanswered runs to win the game and the series. 

Player of the Game- Tom Murphy (SEA) (2-for-2, 1 run, 1 home run, 1 RBI, 2 walks)

Series Review

• The Mariners beat the Rays, 2-1
• The Rays outscored the Mariners, 25-20
• Series MVP- Luke Raley (4-for-11, 4 runs, 2 doubles, 1 home run, 5 RBIs, 3 walks, 1 stolen base)

Injury Report & Other News

Shane McClanahan was placed on the 15-Day IL with mid-back tightness after leaving his start on Friday night after three innings. Isaac Paredes did have to exit from Sunday's game after coming into contact with Ty France, but I suspect this was just for precautionary reasons. In more positive news, Brandon Lowe joined Durham to rehab his back injury. The hope is that he'll be well enough to play next week. 

Yandy Diaz (1B) and Randy Arozarena (OF) were each named starters in this year's All-Star Game. This will be the first appearance in the game for both players. Shane McClanahan also made the team as a pitcher, though his status for the game will be dependent on his health status. 

The Week Ahead

The Rays will go into the All-Star Break with their final two series this week, both at home. It'll begin by welcoming the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday for three games. They'll then face off with the Atlanta Braves in a battle of baseball's two best teams. There will be a lot of intrigue surrounding this weekend's series with the Braves.