The Tampa Bay Rays continued their dominance of the Red Sox in Boston on Monday, scoring eight runs on 16 hits for their ninth win in 10 tries at Fenway (extending back to 2019). The bottom four hitters in the Rays lineup entered last night’s contest with a combined .125 batting average, yet last night they went 10-for-17 with five runs batted in and six runs scored.
Any win is nice. Lot of offense today, which is encouraging. Manny Margot is probably at the top of the list. We all wanted to have a big game and he did.
— Kevin Cash
Still, the final outcome wasn’t quite hinted at to start the game.
Ryan Yarbrough got the start and was shaky in his outing, surrendering four runs on five hits and two walks across 4-1/3 innings of work. He struck out one. The southpaw didn’t have his best stuff and got tagged for three runs in the first inning. Yet, Yarbrough was able to settle down and limit the damage the rest of the way. He threw 49 of 77 pitches for strikes (64% strike rate) and failed to complete at least five innings for the first time in four starts.
We’ve got to somehow find a way to get him into a little bit better rhythm. He’s had a couple outings where it was like he was searching for it a little bit. Today was one.
— Kevin Cash (on Ryan Yarbrough)
Even so, the tide began to change in the third inning when Tampa Bay got on the board on a Kevin Kiermaier single.
They drew closer an inning later against Colton Brewer, taking advantage of a Jose Peraza leadoff error which allowed Yoshi Tsutsugo to reach base. Manuel Margot followed with a pop-fly single to center, putting two on with none out. After Kiermaier bounced into a 1-6 fielder’s choice, putting runners on the corners, he swiped second before Michael Perez looped a base hit to left-center, scoring both runners to make it a one-run ballgame.
Perez did try to score from first on Austin Meadows’ double to center. And while he was originally ruled safe, the call was overturned upon replay. You can read more about the bad call over at DRaysBay.
Then in the fifth inning, Yandy Díaz walked then scored on Joey Wendle’s game-tying one-out triple to left-center with Marcus Walden on the mound.
Tampa Bay moved in front an inning later against left-hander Jeffrey Springs. Perez slapped a base hit into center and moved up 90 feet on a two-out walk to Díaz, his second of the night. Ji-Man Choi, batting right-handed for the third time this season, lined a base hit inside of first-base, giving the Rays their first advantage of the game.
But, all that glitters isn’t gold, and Chaz Roe — who got Ryan Yarbrough out of a jam in the fifth inning by getting Xander Bogaerts to ground into a bases-loaded 6-4-3 double play — gave up a leadoff double off the Monster to Michael Chavis before Kevin Plawecki looped a single into right, plating a run and tying the game at five.
Be that as it may, the good guys were able to retake the lead again, and for good, in the top of the seventh against Jeffrey Springs. Tsutsugo ended an 0-for-17 skid with a single past first, and Margot singled to left, bringing Kiermaier to the plate.
Kiermaier responded to the high-leverage opportunity by working a 10-pitch at-bat which resulted in a two-RBI double off to the left-center wall, putting the Rays up by two.
The Rays capped the scoring with a crucial run-scoring rally in the eighth inning. Willy Adames and Mike Brosseau hit back-to-back two-out singles off Phillips Valdez before Margot doubled off the Green Monster, giving Tampa Bay an 8-5 lead.
Margot had been mired in a 3-for-30 skid at the plate that was only compounded by a costly error upon his return to the field on Sunday, following a stint on the bereavement list; his father passed away last week after a 19-day battle with COVID-19. Margot flew back to the Dominican Republic in the wake of his father’s illness, and subsequent passing, and returned to the field with a heavy heart.
They would never give us good news. I was worried the whole time because I was always hoping to hear good news, but they never gave me anything positive or that he was showing signs of getting better.
My dad was my mentor. Every time I was doing bad, he was the person that I would call and he would always have a positive message to keep me going. While he was sick, I really wanted to talk to him, but he just couldn’t talk. I felt like he was with me today.
— Manuel Margot
Margot broke out in a big way on Monday, going 4-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, a run batted in, and two runs scored.
We all wanted him to have a big day. Good for him. He’s been through a lot and it’s nice to see a smile on his face. That was the highlight of the day, along with us winning.
— Kevin Cash
Boston wasn’t done though and they made things interesting with a two-out rally in the eighth. Plawecki singled against Pete Fairbanks before pinch-hitter Andrew Benintendi walked. The Rays skipper called on Jose Alvarado, who walked pinch-hitter Christian Vazquez on six pitches to load the bases. Jonathan Arauz, who had his first big-league hit in earlier in the game, lined a single to left-center, scoring two and making it a one-run contest. However, Kevin Pillar grounded out to end the threat.
Finally, in the ninth, Alvarado got leadoff man Alex Verdugo on an excellent catch by Perez behind the plate, in foul territory, for the first out. With two outs left in the ballgame and three right-handers set to step into the batter’s box, Cash called upon right-hander Andrew Kittredge, who had retired 12 consecutive hitters. Kittredge battled J.D. Martinez, yet the slugger lengthened his swing on the seventh pitch of the at-bat — a well-placed slider — resulting in a single into left-center. After Xander Bogaerts lined to right for the second out of the frame, Chavis (who surprisingly was not pinch-hit for with Mitch Moreland available off the bench) struck out to end the game.
The New What Next
Andrew Kittredge (0-0, 2.45 ERA), who earned his first-ever big league save last night, will open the game today. He’ll pitch opposite of Martín Pérez (2-1, 3.45 ERA).
Andrew Kittredge opened seven games last season and has done so 10 times in his Major League career. Overall, the right-hander has allowed two runs this season across 7-2/3 innings and seven appearances this season.
Given that Trevor Richards, Jalen Beeks, and John Curtiss were used this past weekend, the Rays could make a roster move to add pitching before tonight’s game
Martín Pérez allowed four hits and three walks while striking out four across five scoreless innings against the Rays on Wednesday. Pérez allowed a double to the first batter he faced, but managed work out of the early jam with a pop-up, ground out, and a strikeout. The lefty faced a similar scenario in the fourth inning but remained unscathed. Pérez has given himself a thin margin for error across three starts this season, striking out 11 and walking nine across 15-2/3 innings. Even with his success on Wednesday, Pérez is 1-4 with a 6.10 ERA against the Rays, and 2-2 with a 6.18 ERA at Fenway. Key Matchups: Yandy Díaz (4-12, 2 2B), Brandon Lowe (2-5), Mike Zunino (6-20, 3 HR)
You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.
Rays 8/11/20 Starting Lineup
- Brosseau 2B
- Díaz 3B
- Meadows LF
- Martínez DH
- Renfroe RF
- Choi 1B
- Adames SS
- Margot CF
- Zunino C
Noteworthiness
— In the words of the inimitable Neil Solondz…
The 16 hits the Rays collected yesterday were a season-high, and the eight runs were the most since a 14–5 win over Atlanta on July 27th. The Rays had scored five runs or fewer in 12 consecutive games.
A total of 10 different players had hits on Monday, with Manuel Margot tying his career-high with four hits, as well as a walk. Tampa Bay also set a season-high mark with four stolen bases.
— Neil Solondz