The Tampa Bay Rays no-hit the Red Sox for nine innings, and after falling behind in the top of the tenth, Kevin Kiermaier walked it off in an epic 3-2 win on Saturday. At 8-7 on the season, Tampa Bay moved back over .500 with the team’s second walk-off victory in 2022.
Source: FanGraphs
JP Feyereisen opened for Tampa Bay and retired all six batters he faced while striking out two. The right-hander has thrown two scoreless frames both times he’s opened ballgames and has thrown 7.1 scoreless frames overall.
Still, Boston then had chances in the next three innings.
Javy Guerra, pitching in back-to-back games, retired the first two batters in the third, with some help from Wander Franco to retire Christian Vazquez on a spectacular play (the 26-second mark in the video above). However, Guerra walked Rob Refsnyder on a full count pitch before Trevor Story lined to Brandon Lowe, who dropped the ball and couldn’t make a play.
Enter Jeffrey Springs.
Springs faced fellow southpaw Rafael Devers and got him to pop to Lowe at second. Neither harm nor foul — the no-hitter was preserved.
Then, in the fourth inning, Springs got the first two batters — with more defensive help from Franco (at the one-minute and four-second mark in the video above) — although he walked a pair of batters, Kike Hernandez and Jackie Bradley Jr., with two outs. Nevertheless, Bobby Dalbec struck out, keeping the game scoreless and preserving the no-no.
After Springs got the first two batters in the fifth inning, he handed the ball off to Jason Adam, who walked Story. The infielder promptly swiped second, but Adam got Rafael Devers to fly to left to end the frame. Adam also worked around a one-out walk in the sixth inning, yet no damage was incurred.
Ryan Thompson was the next man up and threw a perfect seventh before Andrew Kittredge did the same in the eighth and ninth — setting the stage for extras. There was a scary moment in the eighth when Kittredge just got his glove up to deflect a comebacker (the one-minute and 48-second mark in the video). Thankfully, though, Kittredge was able to knock the ball down before he underhanded the ball to Choi to retire Devers.
Tampa Bay had just two hits through nine innings and posted an ice-cold .072 combined BABIP in so doing. All this even though Rays’ batters scorched the ball five times at 95 mph or greater for outs. Brandon Lowe doubled to right off starter Garrett Whitlock, who had struck out six of the first nine batters. Whitlock, however, didn’t allow Lowe to advance in the frame.
Later, Austin Davis gave up just a two-out walk in the fifth before Kutter Crawford fired three scoreless frames, allowing just a two-out single to Brett Phillips in the eighth. And while Gator Mike Zunino hit the ball to the deepest part of the ballpark, it resulted in a fly-ball out to the wall in centerfield.
Matt Wisler, the seventh hurler for Tampa Bay, was credited the win even though he allowed two runs in the top of the tenth. The frame began with Bradley Jr. at second since he made the final out in the ninth. You know, Manfred ball. After Bobby Dalbec fell behind 0-2, he sliced a ball to deep right that went just off the glove of a diving Brett Phillips for an RBI triple. Vazquez followed with a sacrifice fly to left, giving Boston what appeared to be an insurance run.
Hansel Robles, who had retired the previous 16 consecutive batters, entered the contest and struck out the first two batters in the bottom of the tenth. Even so, Story committed a throwing error on a Taylor Walls ground ball (the four-minute and four-second mark in the video above), allowing Arozarena to score and bring the Rays within a run. Walls stole his way into scoring position. Finally, after Kiermaier got ahead in the count, 3-1, he lined his first homer of the season over the right-field wall for the one-run walk-off win.
The New What Next
Shane McClanahan (0-1, 2.40 ERA) will get the start this afternoon, pitching opposite of former Ray Rich Hill (0-1, 7.00 ERA).
Shane McClanahan was electric on Monday, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits across six innings. He struck out nine on 80 pitches (58 strikes, 73% strike rate). The only damage against the southpaw came from Patrick Wisdom’s two-run shot in the second inning. McClanahan was only charged with one earned run due to Seiya Suzuki reaching base on an error earlier in the frame. McClanahan also forced 13 swinging strikes in the impressive outing. He now sports a 2.40 ERA and a 4.8 K/BB through three starts.
Rich Hill pitched 4.2 innings in tandem on Monday and gave up four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out two. All the damage against the one-time Ray came via the long ball, as he surrendered a two-run shot to Kyle Garlick in the first inning and another two-run homer to Jorge Polanco in the third. Hill has pitched nine frames this season in his second stint with Boston, giving up seven runs and 11 hits over two turns. Hill works in tandem with Garrett Whitlock or another multi-inning option out of the bullpen. He is 4-3 with a 3.22 ERA in 16 career outings (13 starts) at Tropicana Field. Dick Mountain relies primarily on his 71 mph sweeping curveball with sharp downward movement and an 88 mph four-seam fastball. He is known to change his arm slot to mess with the hitter’s timing.
You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.
Rays 4/24/22 Starting Lineup
- Arozarena LF
- Franco SS
- Ramirez DH
- Diaz 3B
- Walls 3B
- Margot RF
- Brujan 2B
- Zunino C
- Kiermaier CF
Noteworthiness
— Yandy Diaz has been activated from the COVID-IL after dealing with symptoms on Saturday. Jeffrey Springs, who threw two innings on Saturday, has been placed on the COVID-IL because of close contact. Francisco Mejia, who was placed on the COVID-IL Friday after a positive test, remains there on Sunday.
— Ryan Yarbrough came out of his rehab outing on Saturday healthy, although he did not pitch well and would appear to need another outing. The southpaw threw 27 pitches (10 strikes, 37% strike rate) and allowed a hit and four walks in a third of an inning. Yarbrough has been on the Injured List with groin tightness. He threw several more pitches in the bullpen after being removed.