Rays Get Homers From Lowe, Diaz to Snap Out of Funk, Beating Guardians 6-4
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Sometimes it takes a lot to snap out a funk, and the Tampa Bay Rays know that all too well. Having lost six of seven games since winning the first game out of the All-Star break, they needed a win in the worst way on Saturday.
And they got it.
They did it with a variety of good things, too, beating the Cleveland Guardians 6-4 before a loud crowd of 22,759 at Tropicana Field. Here's a snapshot of those good things:
- They got five great innings out of starter Corey Kluber — he pitched six, and we'll get to that in a minute.
- They hit two multi-run home runs in the same game for the first time in nearly two weeks, getting two-run homers from second baseman Brandon Lowe and third baseman Yandy Diax that helped Tampa Bay build a 5-1 lead.
- They got a late insurance run on an eighth-inning RBI single from Brett Phillips, who was honored with a basketball jersey giveaway on Sunday and picked up just his eighth hit in 90 at-bats since June 1.
- Their bullpen was fabulous, with Jason Adam, the struggling Colin Poche and Pete Fairbanks all pitching scoreless innings in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings respectively. Fairbanks got the save, his second of the week.
"Klubs threw the ball well for us today, but any pitcher is going to tell you that getting a two-run homer from Brandon (in the first inning) was big to give a little bit of breathing room. I was encouraged by that,'' Rays manager Kevin Cash said.
"Nice crowd today, and we'll take all the contributions we can get. That's kind of what we've talked about in getting out these offensive stretches where you're kind of quiet, piece together a lot of base runners and have somebody hit it over the fence.''
The Rays have been scuffling at the plate, scoring just 10 runs in these recent losses, but they jumped all over Cleveland starter Zach Plesac early on Saturday. Luke Raley drew a one-out walk ahead of Lowe's long home run to right in the first inning. It was his seventh of the year, but his first at the Trop since April 14.
They added another run in the second when Taylor Walls walked, and scored from first on a double to left by catcher Rene Pinto to make it 3-1.
The Indians finally got on the board in the fourth but the Rays answered with two more in the fifth on Diaz's two-run homer, his fifth of the year. It was the first time all season and Lowe and Diaz both homered in the same game.
"It's always important to score first, and it was good that we were able to do that in this game,'' Diaz said through interpreter Manny Navarro. "It's good that we were finally able to get this game. Whenever B-Lowe is in the lineup, it's a different lineup. He's a different animal in there, and I'm glad he back.''
Corey Kluber was impressive early against his former team. He cruised through his first two trips through the order, allowing just one run and five hits with eight strikeouts.
That all changed in the sixth inning. Jose Ramirez, who tortured the Rays in Friday night's 4-1 loss, led off the inning with a double, and then Kluber hit Guardians first baseman Owen Miller with a pitch. Second baseman Andres Gimenez blasted a sinker that got too much of the plate, hitting it 422 feet into the right-field seats to make it 5-4.
That put the pressure on the Rays' bullpen, which has been struggling of late. But Jason Adam pitched a perfect seventh and Colin Poche gave up just a double in the eighth, which was a good sign after two straight poor outings.
Pete Fairbanks came on to pitch the ninth in just his fifth game back since coming off the injured list. He gave up a couple of single, but struck out Ramirez on three pitches, all fastballs at 98 mph or higher.
Poche blew two saves on back-to-back days in Baltimore, allowing home runs on both Wednesday and Thursday, so when he came in with a one-run lead, everyone held their breath. But he was sharp, and that didn't surprise Cash one bit.
"We've got a lot of confidence in Colin. Good relievers can flush those tough outings and get ready for the next one,'' Cash said.
Cash said he thought Kluber had his best breaking ball of the season on Saturday and Brandon Lowe concurred. It was a fun
"That was a lot of fun to watch,'' Lowe said. "I was almost right behind him and I kept thinking, 'I couldn't hit him either.' It's always fun to go out there and play behind him and see how he works. He's fun to watch.''
Another thing that's been missing is scoring runs late, and Phillips' RBI single in the eighth gave the Rays an insurance run and a little cushion for Fairbanks. Last year the Rays were No. 1 in baseball in scoring runs from the seventh inning on. This year, they are No. 26.
BREAKING: Brett Phillips jersey day is fun pic.twitter.com/nWEXLIalrz
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) July 30, 2022
With the win, the Rays are now 54-47, and are now 2 1/2 games ahead of Cleveland for the final wild-card spot in the American League.
The two teams wrap up the series on Sunday, with Tampa Bay ace Shane McClanahan (10-3, 1.76 ERA) taking the mound. It's a bullpen day for the Guardians, with Bryan Shaw (4-2, 5.45 ERA) getting the early call.
Related stories on Rays baseball
- GUARDIANS TAKE OPENER (Friday): Cleveland slugger Jose Ramirez hit a two-run home run to break a tie, and drove in an insurance run later as the Guardians beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 on Friday night at Tropicana Field. The Rays have now lost six of their last seven games. CLICK HERE
- LOWE LAUGHS AT SELF: Tampa Bay outfielder Josh Lowe lost a ball in the sun on Thursday in Baltimore, and it wound up hitting him in the face. He made his first catch to end the first inning on Friday night, and was able to laugh about it. It's great must-see video. CLICK HERE
- RAYS SCHEDULE: Here is the complete 2022 Tampa Bay Rays schedule, with results thus far and game times and locations for the balance of the season. CLICK HERE
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.