Out of Character, Rays Blow 3 Leads, Fall to Orioles 8-6 in 13 Innings
BALTIMORE, Md. — Tampa Bay's bullpen has been so good for so long that it seemed strange they were at the center of Friday night's 8-6 loss to the Baltimore Orioles in 13 innings.
Not once, not twice but three times, Rays relievers could not hold down a lead. And then in the bottom of the 13th inning, Ralph Garza Jr., the ninth pitcher of an ''opener night'' for the Rays, gave up a two-run home run to Rougned Odor to give the Orioles the win, their first over the Rays in 16 games dating back to last July
Bullpen woes? That's not usually a thing with this team, but it certainly was on Friday. J.P Feyereisen (seventh inning), Matt Wisler (10th) and Ryan Thompson (11th) all were credited with blown saves, and Garza, thrust into a tough situation, took the loss.
"Any loss is frustrating, that's how I look at it,'' Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "Wisler's been on a really good run for us, but tonight it was a struggle for him. He just couldn't find the zone with his breaking ball, and that's going to happen from time to time.
"Our bullpen has been really good, and we just came up short at the end.''
Cash ran through a lot of guys, but Andrew Kittredge, who most resembles a ''closer'' in the Rays' bullpen, wasn't an option. "Kitt's a little banged up, His back is acting up on him and we want to give him some time and get it right.''
All the blown leads were tough to handle for the Rays, who are now 23-16 on the season but just 5-8 in series openers. It was tough because they did a lot of good things offensively all night long.
It started in the fifth inning when catcher Mike Zunino hit a three-run homer to make it 3-0.
The inning started innocently enough. Orioles starter Tyler Wells, who was touched up for four runs in less than two innings on April 10 in his first start against the Rays this year, pitched four hitless innings on Friday before the fifth-inning onslaught.
Randy Arozarena finally got to him in the fifth, beating out an infield single up the middle to open the inning. The throw was wild, and he advanced to second. Isaac Paredes, playing second base for the first time for the Rays, walked, setting the stage for Zunino.
On a 3-1 count, he turned on a fastball and hit a high fly ball down the left field line that hit high off the foul pole for a three-run home run. It was his fourth homer of the year.
Baltimore finally got something going in the seventh, but the Rays also gave them a huge assist with some sloppy play. Ryan Yarbrough, who had sailed through his first four innings, gave up a double by Tyler Nevin and a single by Ramon Urias, and was replaced by Brooks Raley, who threw a wild pitch to allow Baltimore's first run.
Arozarena badly misplayed a ball in left for a two-base error, and the lead was cut to 3-2.
"We did a lot of good things, but we just countered that with doing things that weren't ideal,'' Cash said. "He kind of misplayed it a little bit. It's the kind of play that Randy would say he should secure that ball, but it just didn't happen.''
J.P. Feyereisen came in with two on and got Austin Hays to strike out, but then Trey Mancini then singled to center to tie the game. It was the first inherited runner that Feyereisen has allowed to score all year in eight occasions. He's now pitched 19 innings without allowing a run himself. The unearned run that tied the game was charged to Raley.
The Rays went ahead 5-3 in the top of the 10th, with Brett Phillips doubling into the right field corner, and then scoring on a Yandy Diaz single.
But Wisler couldn't hold the lead in the 10th. He walked the first two batters he faced to load the bases, and then Anthony Santander singled to right to tie the game.
The Rays scored again in the top of the 11th when Kevin Kiermaier, who had three hits on the night, singled in a run to make it 6-5. But in the bottom of the inning, Thompson gave up a single to Austin Hayes, and it was 6-6.
The Rays missed out on a scoring chance in the top of the 13th when Wander Franco was thrown out at home after a Kiermaier single. He was called safe on the field, but the Orioles challenged and the call and it was quickly overturned. As the throw came home and drifted down the line, Franco didn't slide and was tagged out.
Franco said afterward that he didn't slide because he felt his quadriceps muscle tighten up while he rounded third. He's been dealing with muscle issues, both quad and hamstring problems, for several weeks now, and he didn't feel great Friday night either.
"On the way to home, when I rounded third, I felt a little discomfort in my (right) leg,'' Franco said through interpreter Manny Navarro. "For a few days, I've been feeling something. If the leg was fine, I would have been safe.''
The game ended too innings later on Odor's homer off of Garza. Rookie Nick Vespi, who threw two scoreless innings for Baltimore in his major-league debut, got the win. The game took 4 hours, 22 minutes to play.
"I was trying to go up and in, but I didn't execute (on the pitch to Odor),'' said Garza, who's bounced back and forth between Durham and Tampa Bay a few times already this season. "I just missed a location. He was waiting for it and took advantage of it.
"Guys (in the bullpen) know what they're doing and how to go about it, and it's just unfortunate. It's one of those nights, and it's a long season. You've just got to move forward and keep going, and bounce back tomorrow. That's pretty much it. It's kind of how it rolls sometimes.''
The Rays used an ''opener'' on Friday night for the first time since May 6, and left-hander Jalen Beeks got the job done. He pitched two scoreless innings, giving up a walk in the second inning that was erased with a double play, and an ensuing single. He's now pitched 17 2/3 innings this year, allowing just three runs. He now has a 1.53 ERA.
"Every guy down there has been so reliable, and we love whoever's coming out of that bullpen,'' Kiermaier said. "That's just how baseball works. Everybody is going to get got every once it a while. It's a tough loss, and we'll see how we respond tomorrow. I like our chances.''
Tom Brew is the publisher of Inside The Rays, and has been with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation network for three years. He is an award-winning writer and editor who has spent most of his four-decade career at the Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has written four books.