It kind of felt like October 2, 2012 at the Trop, Wednesday afternoon. If you recall, that was the last time James Shields took the mound in a Rays uniform. And much like that outing, David Price — amongst a ton of trade speculation — took the mound and put together a gem. Price took the mound by himself, arguably in a moment of reflection, then let loose with a dominant 8-1/3 inning outing in which he struck out 11 Pirates. And with his fifth consecutive double-digit strikeout game, Price set a new record for the most strikeouts in a month at 51 — also becoming the first pitcher in a decade to post double digit strikeouts in five consecutive starts. In the end, the Tampa Bay Rays ended their 10-game home stand with a series salvaging, 5-1 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Credited with the win, David Price was excellent in his 8-1/3 inning outing, giving up only one run on an Andrew McCutchen ninth inning solo shot.
Price walked off the field to the roar of a standing ovation from the appreciative crowd, tipping his cap and waving as if to thank the fans, saying, “If this is my last game here, thanks.”
On the other end of things, the Rays offense was able to take advantage of the breaks that came their way, in the first and eighth innings. Fangraphs’ scoring summary (below) tells the tale:
Defensively, Tampa Bay played like the vintage Rays. Ben Zobrist was great at short, doing a much better job than Yunel Escobar whom he replaced due to a sore throwing arm. On three different occasions, Zobrist robbed the Pirates of hits — in the first inning on a Gaby Sanchez grounder, on a beautifully turned double play on a Jordy Mercer grounder in the second, and a seventh inning Russell Martin fielder’s choice. In the third inning, Evan Longoria lept into the stands, completing a great grab on a Gregory Polanco foul out.
Meanwhile, Desmond Jennings robbed Andrew McCutchen of an extra base hit in the seventh inning, flagging down a fly-ball to the wall in center.
All told, this was a Rays style win if ever there was one. After an off-day Thursday, the Rays will start a four game series against the Orioles in Baltimore, with a double header Friday. Alex Colome will get the start in the first game, while Jake Odorizzi will take the mound in the second. We’ll have your preview before the start of the series.
Noteworthiness
- Your tweet of the day:
#Rays Price: “I’ve never been as good as I am right now, period. … . This is the best pitcher I’ve ever been. ”
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) June 25, 2014