Just moments before Logan Forsythe and Kevin Kiermaier collided in shallow right field. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)
Just moments before Logan Forsythe and Kevin Kiermaier collided in shallow right field. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)
In the midst of injuries, both on the field and in the stands, the Tampa Bay Rays dropped their third consecutive game, this time by a score of 1-0 against Chris Sale and the White Sox.

Jake Odorizzi got the start for Tampa Bay and was able to work through some early trouble from the first inning through the fourth when he allowed the majority of his base runners, and threw only 2-of-8 first pitch strikes. Yet Jake was able to limit the ChiSox offensive chances by coaxing a key double play in the second and a fielder’s choice in the fourth. Something clicked for the Rays hurler from then on, and for parts of the next three frames Odorizzi went into lockdown mode, retiring the last ten batters he faced ― making for an exciting pitchers duel through the front seven.

Unfortunately for the Rays, one of the jams by Odorizzi resulted in a collision in the field and injuries to a pair of critical every day players: Logan Forsythe and Kevin Kiermaier.

With two outs and runners on the corners, Odorizzi coaxed a popper out of Avisail Garcia into shallow right-field. Both fielders ran toward the play with a full head of steam, culminating in a scary collision between Forsythe and Kiermaier. Although Logan made an excellent inning ending catch, both had to leave the game. Forsythe suffered a bruised left hip and lower left leg, while Kiermaier suffered a head contusion and is being evaluated over the next 24-hours.

Rays Radio spoke with the two, and you can hear their accounts of the play below:

If there is a positive outcome to the collision, it’s that Kiermaier has been diagnosed with a contusion, not a concussion. A reevaluation of both players is expected prior to Saturday’s game, at which point a roster move would also be announced should either player be added to the 15-day DL.

The collision also signaled the end of Odorizzi’s start after seven scoreless frames. For his part, Odorizzi kept the score tied at 0 and the Rays with a chance of beating one of the game’s best pitchers. His final line: 7 IP/4 H/0 R/1 BB/6 K on 94 pitches (59 strikes).

Another scary moment occured in the bottom of the seventh after Stephen Souza Jr. fouled off a pitch that found a four-inch opening in the screen behind home plate. The foul ball hit a 63 year-old fan in the eye, resulting in a 12-minute game delay. By the start of the next inning, EMTs carried the fan off the field on a stretcher; she was admitted to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg.

Clearly shaken, Souza went into the stands to speak with the fan after his at-bat.

Souza told Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) the fan “was able to talk to me and say a few things, but (its) never a good sight to see.”

There has not been much of an update on the fan except that she is in stable condition at Bayfront.

That at-bat also ended to the only threat the Rays would mount against Chris Sale. Up to that point, Sale had given up just a one-out single to Desmond Jennings in the second before retiring the next 14 batters. With two outs, Steve Pearce lashed a base hit into the left-field corner. Jennings followed and reached on an error. But with his head clearly not in the game, after the incident in the stands, Souza went down swinging one pitch after the incident.

Xavier Cedeno followed Odorizzi with a perfect eighth, collecting a pair of strikeouts.

After Cedeno, Alex Colome came in to work the top of the ninth. Jimmy Rollins welcomed Colome with a looper of a fly-ball to Jennings in left. Despite a hard charge toward the play, Jennings trapped the ball after making a terrific sliding effort. Colome coaxed another fly-ball, this time to right-center, which almost resulted in another collision between Brandon Guyer and Corey Dickerson (who entered when Kiermaier left). Dickerson made the catch, but his soft-toss back in allowed Rollins to aggressively tag from first and get into second safely. A sharp single by Melky Cabrera, just past the dive of Steve Pearce at first, allowed Rollins to score easily, giving Chicago an unrelinquishabpe one run advantage.

Finally, Guyer took a Sale fastball for a ride into deep left-field in the bottom of the ninth, giving the Rays a faint glimmer of hope. Unfortunately the ball fell just short, and into Cabrera’s glove.

In the end, Tampa Bay fell 1-0 for the team’s third consecutive loss.

The New What Next

The three-game set will continue on Saturday when Erasmo Ramirez makes his first start of the season, opposite of LHP John Danks, who was originally scheduled to throw Friday. The team wanted to keep Sale on regular rest after a rain-out last Sunday. You can read about the pitching matchup in our series preview, and I’ll post the starting lineup upon availability.

Rays 4/16/16 Starting Lineup

Guyer CF
Pearce 1B
Longoria 3B
Dickerson DH
Jennings LF
Souza RF
Miller SS
Beckham 2B
Casali C
Ramirez RHP

Noteworthiness

— Neither Forsythe nor Kiermaier are in Saturday’s lineup. However, both are on the lineup card, so it would appear neither player will be added to the 15-day DL.

— According to JT Morgan (DRaysBay) the Rays went 2/21 of balls hit into the field, good for a .095 BABIP.

— The opening, that allowed the foul ball by Souza to pass into the stands, has been closed.

— After their first 10 games, Rays pitchers have the most strikeouts (95) and fewest walks (23) in club history.

— Using the same rationale some use with the Rays or A’s, perhaps the Yankees should be moved 20 minutes away to Brooklyn, or across the river to New Jersey. Then again, MLB should just jump the shark and move ’em to Montreal!

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