Rays' Record Winning Streak To Open Season Ends With 6-3 Loss at Toronto
TORONTO — The Tampa Bay Rays played nearly perfect baseball for two weeks in tying a major-league record with 13 straight wins to open the season. But the streak ended on Friday night when the Rays lost to the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3, in part because of one uncharacteristic bad inning.
It was a great, historic run. And now it's over.
“Losing still sucks,” Rays starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen said. “It’s one of those things that, just the way we lost, is a little bit frustrating. It’s my job to set the tone, so that falls on me. Just the lack of competitiveness, four walks in four innings just can’t happen.
"And it’s just a frustrating way — it’s one of those things that this team was on such a good streak, all I had to do was fill (the strike zone) up and trust our defense, and I was unable to execute that (Friday).”
Toronto scored four runs in the fifth inning when everything fell apart fast for Tampa Bay. Rasmussen, who had pitched 13 scoreless innings total in his first two starts without a single walk. He didn't have the same control Friday.
Bo Bichette, who had five hits on the night, opened the inning with a single, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. following with an infield single. Rasmussen then walked Daulton Varsho — his fourth walk of the game — to load the bases with none out. He struck out Matt Chapman, but then Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash went to the bullpen, bringing in oft-maligned lefty Colin Poche.
And he was horrible.
Poche walked two straight batters, badly missing the strike zone on eight of nine pitches and forcing in two runs to make it 4-1. He then got what looked to be an easy double play ball from catcher Danny Jansen, but second baseman Brandon Lowe dropped a throw from shortstop Wander Franco for an error, and two more runs scored.
“It’s embarrassing, to be honest,” Poche said. “The most frustrating part is they didn’t beat me, it was all self-inflicted.”
That was too much for the Rays to overcome. They did get two solo home runs from Josh Lowe and Christian Bethancourt, but it wasn't enough.
The 13 wins are a new Rays record for any streak in a season — the 2004 Tampa Bay team won 12 straight — and tied the mark set by the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers and 1982 Atlanta Braves.
“I’m appreciating it right now,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “I’m really impressed by what I just watched for two weeks. When you’re talking about a team from 1884, you’re doing something pretty cool. So I’m very, very impressed.”
The Rays and Jays get together again on Saturday, with first pitch at 3:07 p.m. ET. Tampa Bay will use an opener for the second time this season, with Calvin Faucher getting the ball first and Josh Fleming, who pitched four scoreless innings last week, will get bulk innings afterward.
Yusei Kikuchi, who is 1-0 with a 6.75 earned run average, will start for Toronto.
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