M.V.P.! Junior does it again: Rays 2 Athletics 1
· Yahoo Sports
Nothing much happened and then Junior did this:
View LinkThe End.
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Seriously, nothing much happened in this game on offense — for either team.
The Rays first — and for many innings, only — run came when Chandler Simpson scored from third on a passed ball, but perhaps what is most notable is how Simpson came to be on third. He hit a deep line drive (98 mph!) that bounced of the back wall for a double. He moved to third on a ground out and was then able to score when the Oakland catcher failed to grab an errant pitch. Simpson, in fact, was pretty much the Rays offense until the Cami home run: the Rays had six hits, total, and Chandler had three of them.
Griffin Jax picked up from his last, very effective start. He shut down the A’s almost entirely for five innings. He walked no one and gave up two forgettable hits while striking out seven.
But apparently the Rays are determined to manage his workload, because despite pitching just five relatively low stress innings — a mere 67 pitches — he was pulled before the sixth inning.
Jax wasn’t the only pitcher on top of his game today. Jack Perkins, the A’s starter whose ERA is north of 6.00, held the Rays in check for 6.2 innings. He scattered a few hits, walked just one, and made the Rays hitters, even the “big three,” look lost.
After Jax left the game, Cash brought in Ty Johnson, who was the weak-ish link among tonight’s pitchers. He gave up two hits and then threw a very wild pitch that scored a run to tie the game at 1-1. But the rest of the bullpen — Cam Booser, Kevin Kelly and Bryan Baker — cruised through their innings. After Baker polished off the A’s in the top of the ninth, I was hoping hard that the Rays would manage to walk it off in the bottom of the inning because I didn’t like the pitching options that would follow Baker.
And then: BOOM. Junior did indeed put this game to bed. He’s got the bat, and he’s got the confidence too; this 23-year old is ready for this moment, beckoning to the post-game crowd to raise the volume as they chanted “MVP.”
With the win the Rays magic number to win the division is down to nine (as I write the Yankees are leading the Minnesota Twins so we’ll get no help there), and they have two more games against the A’s. Tomorrow Nick “our workhorse” Martinez takes the mound.