Recap
The Tampa Bay Rays continued their homestand, playing the Seattle Mariners on Monday evening. From the start, this game had the Mariners written all over it. Seattle put up five runs in the top of the third inning and the Rays never quite recovered. As a result, the Rays only put up a single run in the fourth and the fifth. This loss came off of a series sweep against the Red Sox. Not to mention, that series took the Rays to first place in the division and if they want to continue their dominance, they need to find their footing and continue to put on the exceptional performances that fans saw against the Red Sox.
Struggles on the Mound
Michael Wacha was on the mound for the Rays on Monday night. Wacha struggled out of the gate, allowing six earned runs in just four innings. Identically, eight out of the Mariners eleven hits came against Wacha and this outing led to a performance that the Rays sluggers simply couldn’t dig their way out of. On the contrary, Tampa didn’t play poorly per se, the pitching just seemed to be the weak point in this matchup. Sometimes it’s just not your night. Moreover, Wacha will likely learn from this outing and come out with a vengeance in his next appearance.
The Opposition
It was all Seattle on Monday evening. The Mariners have held their mark around the .500 range all season but this game looked like they wanted to make a run at the postseason. Mariners’ first baseman Ty France put on an absolute hitting display in this game. France saw five plate appearances and took full advantage of all of them; putting up three hits while driving in three RBI’s and having two runs for himself. Similarly, left-fielder Jake Farley recorded two hits and two RBI’s on his four trips to the dish. The Mariners came out swinging and didn’t let up; the Mariners bats were far too much for Michael Wacha and the Rays.
Looking Ahead
The Rays look to bounce back as they will take on the Mariners on Tuesday evening. Luis Patiño will be the Starting pitcher for Tampa Bay.