Erasmo Ramirez got the start for the Rays, and pitched efficiently into the eighth inning. He, at one point, retired 16 straight batters, and needed just 68 pitches through the front seven frames. Yet the outcome could have been very different if it wasn’t for the defenders behind him. Erasmo was hit hard through the first two innings, but he settled in as the game progressed.
Atlanta had a chance to score in the first after Cameron Maybin singled to right-center then tried to score (from first) on Nick Markakis’ double to right. Daniel Nava, Logan Forsythe and Curt Casali executed a perfect 9-4-2 relay to cut down Maybin.
The Braves also had a pair of two-out hits in the second, but Evan Longoria made a sharp in-between hop pick on Eudy Perez’s grounder to third to end that threat and the inning.
Nevertheless, from the third inning on, Ramirez attacked the bottom and both sides of the zone without giving up hard contact. Kevin Cash allowed Erasmo to start the eighth with a pair of relievers warming in the bullpen, but the hurlers night was done after he allowed a seeing-eye single to Adonis Garcia. His final stat line: 7 IP/o ER/5 H/0 BB/4 K on just 70 pitches.
Brandon Gomes entered in relief and quickly fanned Andrelton Simmons, then retired the next two batters to end the eighth. He came back out in the top of the ninth and got Maybin to pop out. Xavier Cedeno replaced Gomes with one out and allowed a single to Nick Markakis. But A.J. Pierzynski grounded into a 3-6-3 double play to end the game. Cedeno now has 12 consecutive scoreless appearances, and became the seventh Rays player to record a save this season.
Offensively speaking, the Rays put Erasmo on the winning side of the ledger in the bottom of the seventh after Asdrubal Cabrera reached on an infield hit on a hard grounder toward second. After Daniel Nava flew out to deep right-center, The Outlaw proceeded to mash his fifth homer to right-field on a 1-2 breaking pitch from Williams Perez on the outer third of the plate.
Prior to the seventh, the Rays had their best chance to score in the second when Forsythe singled to left with one out, and Asdrubal Cabrera hit a ground-rule double to right, moving Forsythe to third. However, Nava’s fly-ball out to left wasn’t deep enough to score Forsythe, and Kiermaier flew out to right.
Let’s not kid ourselves, Perez wasn’t particularly good. He walked four batters and Tampa Bay squared up its fair share of balls…but just never at the right time. And the couple of times a batter walked with less than two outs, they were immediately doubled off. The one thing Perez had going for him was the ability to force a ground-ball to Simmons and company when he needed a crucial out.
The New What Next
Jake Odorizzi (6-6, 2.77 ERA) will get the start for the Rays in the series finale, opposite of rookie Matt Wisler (5-2, 4.85 ERA). Odorizzi received a no-decision after surrendering just two runs on four hits in six innings against the Braves on May 20 at Turner Field. After pitching to a 3.10 ERA in five starts prior to the All-Star Game, Wisler has posted a 7.04 mark in four trips to the hill since the break. You can read about the pitching matchup in our series preview.
Rays 8/12/15 Starting Lineup
Jaso DH
Sizemore LF
Longoria 3B
Loney 1B
Forsythe 2B
Cabrera SS
Nava RF
Kiermaier CF
Casali C
Odorizzi RHP
Noteworthiness
— Ramirez talked about his outing after the game, saying, “I’m super happy we got the win. Executing pitches was the big deal for the game today.”
— An interesting note, all 15 MLB home teams won last night — the first time that’s happened since league expanded to 30 teams in 1998.
— Desmond Jennings is slated to return to the Rays lineup on Friday. He is scheduled for one last rehab game Wednesday night with the Class-A Charlotte Stone Crabs. Jennings already went through a seven-game rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham, but the extra time serves two purposes: it gives him the opportunity to play a full game in the field, and for his return to come on grass in Arlington on Friday rather than on the Trop’s artificial turf.
The Rays will likely option Joey Butler to Durham to make room on the roster for Jennings.
— Drew Smyly could rejoin the Rays as soon as Sunday in Texas. The team will have to decide if he is ready after he got through only four innings on 94 pitches for Durham on Tuesday, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out five.
They will likely to wait and see how Smyly feels this afternoon, and after a bullpen session on Thursday. Tampa Bay is in need of a fifth starter by Tuesday in Houston.
— Since the team made up two plus games in the Wildcard race, what better way is there to celebrate than with us on Friday, at Green Bench Brewing Company when the Tampa Bay Rays take on the Rangers to start a series that could have playoff implications?!