Rays Shut Out by Astros as Tampa Bay Drops Series Before Yankees Showdown
· Yahoo Sports
The Tampa Bay Rays couldn’t regain the momentum as they fell for the second straight game and lost the series to the Houston Astros after getting shut out 2-0 on Sunday night.
The pitching was surprising once more, but the offense showed concerning signs of regression after the long winning streak. Here is what you need to know about the contest.
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Englert Impresses despite loss
The Rays called up Mason Englert from Triple-A Durham to give the pitching rotation one extra day of rest, and he did well in his spot start. He allowed both runs off five hits in the outing, but picked up a career-high 9 strikeouts over his 5.2 innings of work.
The bullpen followed Englert and kept the remainder of the game scoreless. Both Cam Booser and Craig Kimbrel did their job in relief for the Rays. This was a solid outing, and should be enough if the Rays offense could have helped in any fashion.
Bats Went Cold?
That might be an understatement. The Rays struggled from the plate in a big way on Sunday. They only recorded 4 hits, 2 walks, and struck out 9 times in the contest. When they did get on base, they couldn’t get anything going. They finished the game 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
It’s hard not to be concerned even after a big winning streak when the offense fails to show up for a game, even when the Rays pitching does enough to be on their side of things. It surely reminds you of how the slump at the beginning of June began.
Happy Birthday Junior!
The Rays MVP Candidate and future 2 time All-Star celebrated his 23rd birthday on Sunday. Unfortunately, he was unable to get anything going at the plate. He finished the day going 0 for 3 with a walk and strikeout.
The long stretch of games will continue, with the Rays right back in action on Monday as they return home. The team will play every day until the All-Star break, beginning with a four-game series at Tropicana Field against the New York Yankees. This will be the last chance before the All-Star Break, as well as the MLB trade deadline, to earn some ground directly against the Bronx Bombers for the AL East division lead.
Griffin Jax (4-5, 3.45 ERA) will take the mound for the Rays as he is set to face right hander Cam Schlittler (8-5, 2.08 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 PM EST.