ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Sometimes it takes a lot to snap out a funk, and the Tampa Bay Rays know that all too well. Having lost six of seven games since winning the first game out of the All-Star break, they needed a win in the worst way on Saturday.
And they got it.
They did it with a variety of good things, too, beating the Cleveland Guardians 6-4 before a loud crowd of 22,759 at Tropicana Field. Here's a snapshot of those good things:
"Klubs threw the ball well for us today, but any pitcher is going to tell you that getting a two-run homer from Brandon (in the first inning) was big to give a little bit of breathing room. I was encouraged by that,'' Rays manager Kevin Cash said.
"Nice crowd today, and we'll take all the contributions we can get. That's kind of what we've talked about in getting out these offensive stretches where you're kind of quiet, piece together a lot of base runners and have somebody hit it over the fence.''
The Rays have been scuffling at the plate, scoring just 10 runs in these recent losses, but they jumped all over Cleveland starter Zach Plesac early on Saturday. Luke Raley drew a one-out walk ahead of Lowe's long home run to right in the first inning. It was his seventh of the year, but his first at the Trop since April 14.
They added another run in the second when Taylor Walls walked, and scored from first on a double to left by catcher Rene Pinto to make it 3-1.
The Indians finally got on the board in the fourth but the Rays answered with two more in the fifth on Diaz's two-run homer, his fifth of the year. It was the first time all season and Lowe and Diaz both homered in the same game.
"It's always important to score first, and it was good that we were able to do that in this game,'' Diaz said through interpreter Manny Navarro. "It's good that we were finally able to get this game. Whenever B-Lowe is in the lineup, it's a different lineup. He's a different animal in there, and I'm glad he back.''
Corey Kluber was impressive early against his former team. He cruised through his first two trips through the order, allowing just one run and five hits with eight strikeouts.
That all changed in the sixth inning. Jose Ramirez, who tortured the Rays in Friday night's 4-1 loss, led off the inning with a double, and then Kluber hit Guardians first baseman Owen Miller with a pitch. Second baseman Andres Gimenez blasted a sinker that got too much of the plate, hitting it 422 feet into the right-field seats to make it 5-4.
That put the pressure on the Rays' bullpen, which has been struggling of late. But Jason Adam pitched a perfect seventh and Colin Poche gave up just a double in the eighth, which was a good sign after two straight poor outings.
Pete Fairbanks came on to pitch the ninth in just his fifth game back since coming off the injured list. He gave up a couple of single, but struck out Ramirez on three pitches, all fastballs at 98 mph or higher.
Poche blew two saves on back-to-back days in Baltimore, allowing home runs on both Wednesday and Thursday, so when he came in with a one-run lead, everyone held their breath. But he was sharp, and that didn't surprise Cash one bit.
"We've got a lot of confidence in Colin. Good relievers can flush those tough outings and get ready for the next one,'' Cash said.
Cash said he thought Kluber had his best breaking ball of the season on Saturday and Brandon Lowe concurred. It was a fun
"That was a lot of fun to watch,'' Lowe said. "I was almost right behind him and I kept thinking, 'I couldn't hit him either.' It's always fun to go out there and play behind him and see how he works. He's fun to watch.''
Another thing that's been missing is scoring runs late, and Phillips' RBI single in the eighth gave the Rays an insurance run and a little cushion for Fairbanks. Last year the Rays were No. 1 in baseball in scoring runs from the seventh inning on. This year, they are No. 26.
With the win, the Rays are now 54-47, and are now 2 1/2 games ahead of Cleveland for the final wild-card spot in the American League.
The two teams wrap up the series on Sunday, with Tampa Bay ace Shane McClanahan (10-3, 1.76 ERA) taking the mound. It's a bullpen day for the Guardians, with Bryan Shaw (4-2, 5.45 ERA) getting the early call.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!