Don’t look now, but with 20 games left in the season, the Tampa Bay Rays are making one final push to make the postseason.
Winners of seven of their last nine, the Rays looked to get back in the win column, wrapping up a four-game homestand with the Cleveland Guardians Sunday afternoon.
It has been a roller-coaster type of season for the Rays. They opened the season going 21-26, then went an MLB-best 25-9 from May 20th to June 26th. They followed that up with an MLB-worst 12-27 from June 27th to August 12th and are currently on a 13-9 stretch over the last 21 games. With three weeks left in the season, the Rays are fighting for their playoff lives.
Drew Rasmussen started for the Rays. Rasmussen has been the Rays’ most reliable starter all season, going 10-5 with a 2.74 ERA and 115 strikeouts. Rasmussen battled through five innings, giving up just three hits, but he was not as sharp as he has been in the past.
Tampa native Parker Messick started for the Guardians. Messick, making just his fourth Major League start, has pitched in three games for the Guardians, going 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA, while striking out fourteen. The Plant City High graduate last pitched in the Tampa area in 2018. Sunday, he returnsed to Tampa as a Major Leaguer to take on his hometown Tampa Bay Rays.
The Rays threatened in the first inning on back-to-back singles by Junior Camienero and Brandon Lowe, putting runners at first and second with two outs, but Christopher Morel flied to left to end the threat.
The next threat for the Rays would come in the fourth inning. Back-to-back singles by Christopher Morel and Everson Pereira would put runners on first and second with no outs. That threat was quickly vanquished as Josh Lowe grounded into a double play, putting Morel at third with two outs. Nick Fortes would strike out to end the inning, and the Rays and Guardians were scoreless after four innings.
In the bottom of the fifth, Carson Williams hit a solo homer, his second home run of the season, to give the Rays a 1-0 lead after five innings.
Angel Martinez led off the sixth inning with a pinch-hit single. A Garrett Cleavinger wild pitch sent Martinez to second, and then Jose Ramirez unleashed a triple to score Martinez to tie the game 1-1. The Guardians would add one more run as they took a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth.
Brandon Lowe doubled for the Rays to start the bottom of the sixth inning. He advanced to third on a Everson Pereira groundout, but Josh Lowe grounded to second to end the threat, and the Guardians held a 2-1 lead after six innings.
The Rays could not get anything going offensively, which was the big reason they were on the wrong end of a 2-1 game to the Guardians. Yes, Guardians starter Parker Messick was again outstanding, allowing the Rays just one run through six innings with four strikeouts.
“We just could not get enough going offensively,” Cash said.
Cleavinger took the loss for the Rays, as he was charged with the two runs the Guardians scored in the sixth inning. That ended a streak of 20 scoreless innings by Cleavinger, which was the longest active in the majors for relievers.
Kevin Cash commented on Cleavinger’s performance. “I see the guy that I’ve asked a lot of, and he’s gassed, and that’s on me. I appreciate Cleavinger’s efforts quite a bit. He’s been as good as anybody in our bullpen. I feel bad because he’s giving us everything that he could have.”
The Rays have lost three out of four to the Guardians in this four-game series, but playoff hopes are still flickering inside the Rays clubhouse. The Rays will be in Chicago all next week for six against the White Sox and the Cubs starting Tuesday night.