The Rays rebounded today to play the type of game that propeled them to an 18-8 record in May with 5-2 victory with timely hits, walks, and better defense than what this past week of games has delivered.
The offense started early with an absolute laser of a home run by Jonathan Aranda, who did not miss and down-and-in mistake from Jack Kochanowicz:
The Angels tied it up the next half inning with the most unfortunate of two-out rally. Shane McClanahan induced weak contact off the end of former Rays outfielder Jose Siri’s at bat that fell just fair in no-man’s land down the right field line. Logan O’Hoppe then followed that up with a double, before Siri scored on a wild pitch just a few pitches later. O’Hoppe would later account for the only other run from the Angels with a solo homer off the fair pole down the left field line.
That was not the most eventful fly ball that direction, however, as Taylor Walls hit a long drive down the line with the bases loaded trying to tie Fernando Tatis Jr on the home run leaderboard, but Siri robbed that grand salami effort while saving a grand salami on the catering table in the Game 162 porch:
That run cushion would have helped as the game was still unconfortably close in the 7th until Zach Neto gaveth what Siri took away. The MLB film room does not have the play up on video, but trust me when I tell you that Zach Neto turned what should have been a routine 6-4-3 double play into two men on and nobody out because he failed to touch second base while rushing his throw to nab Simpson at first giving the Rays 1st and 2nd with nobody out.
Victor Mesa Jr would fail in his effort to sacrifice the runners over while Cedric Mullins could not even put the ball in play against Drew Pomeranz. Ben Williamson came off the bench to pinch hit for Hunter Feduccia, and delivered with a single before both Walls drew and ABS-confirmed walk and Yandy Diaz drove in the 5th run with a walk of his own. Kevin Kelly and Bryan Baker once again took the game from there as the Rays won yet another home series. The club’s 18-8 month was the best in baseball as Detroit, with the worst May of any team in the league, comes crawling into Tropicana Field for three games this week.
Kevin Cash, in a continued effort to manage McClanahan’s workload this season, lifted McClanahan after 70 pitches over five innings of work. The sole blemish on the line was that wild pitch to allow Siri to score. He surprisingly had just three strikeouts against a club who has a plethora of swing and miss in its lineup. He got the win, Baker with yet another save, and we can now forgive Jose Siri for his rude homecoming.
