Update: “Maddon says Upton had only “cramping” and “tightness” and it is not a “serious” issue…Upton looked to be walking fine and said “no big deal.” But w/day game Thursday he’s unlikely to be in lineup,” tweets Marc Topkin regarding the status of BJ Upton.
The Rays took their 11th home victory of the season tonight against the Mariners, 5-4. To say that this was a bit of an odd game would be like saying water is wet. Nevertheless a win is a win is a win. Tampa Bay also improved it’s record to 17-8 on the season, and has now won its sixth series. The Rays will go for the sweep tomorrow afternoon before they start another home series Friday against the A’s.
Let’s break this game down into the good, the bad, and the weird.
The good:
(Offensively) Luke Scott, Jose Molina, and Will Rhymes each went 2 for 4 on the night. The three of them scored four of the five Rays runs. Also, both Scott and Sean Rodriguez went deep tonight; Rodriguez to left and Scott to deep center. Luke, buy the Mariners center-fielder, Michael Sauders, a beer for helping that ball make it over the center-field fence. I’d be remiss if I didn’t give credit where it’s due to both Molina and Rodriguez, who both drove in two runs a piece.
(Defensively) Big Game James struck out 11, giving the Rays the third 10+ strikeout game in a row. He improves his record to 5-0 on the season. The bullpen (I’m looking at you JP Howell, Wade Davis, and Joel Peralta) again came up huge, giving up only two hits and one walk in three innings of work, all the while striking out three. Peralta also got a 1-2/3 IP save, his first of the year.
Notable mentions: It was great watching Rhymes being aggressive on the base paths. And though neither Carlos Pena or Matt Joyce got a hit, they both made solid contact, coming within a only few feet of a couple of dingers themselves.
The Bad:
Big Game James was pulled out of the game after the fifth inning after throwing 100+ pitches, and giving up two home runs to Kyle Seager. The Rays also left six men on base, including two in the sixth following the Luke Scott one run homer. Tampa Bay could have blown the game open had they driven in Molina and Rhymes. Finally, BJ Upton was pulled between the fifth and sixth innings, reportedly with tightness in his quad. There’s no official word on Upton yet.
The Weird:
James Shields lasted all of five innings, yet he still struck out 11, and had a 62% to 38% strike to ball ratio. The 38 pitch first and 26 pitch fourth really sapped him.