Rays Lose Rare Close Game, Fall 4-3 In 10 Innings To Athletics

TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays went nearly three weeks without playing a game decided by three runs or less. Most every game was a rout, with very little late-game drama, and they were winning most of them too in an impressive hot streak,

But on this brief three-game homestand against the Athletics, they've now lost on back-to-back nights in the final inning. Tuesday night, it was a 4-3 loss in extra innings, their first one-run game since June 11 at Boston. That was 17 games ago, the second-longest streak in franchise history.

Close game are indeed fun — but only if you win. The Rays had their chances, but haven't gotten it done on either night.

They wasted several golden opportunities on Tuesday night in front of another sellout crowd at Steinbrenner Field, something they weren't doing since this hot streak started on May 20. They were 25-9 and playing great baseball but now — almost suddenly and shockingly — the tied has turned, losing four of five to the Orioles in Baltimore and the Athletics here. Both teams, though talented, are in last place.

The Rays are now 47-39 overally. They're still just 1.5 games behind the struggling New York Yankees in the American League East race, but they've been passed by the Toronto Blue Jays, who have won three straight and five of six during this recent Rays scuffle.

It's absolutely not worth panicking about, because they are still doing a lot of good things, but it's frustrating none the less to not come away with some wins in these rare close games. They are squandered chances, for sure.

“We’ve been playing good baseball, it’s just the past couple of days we haven’t come up with the key hit,” Rays shortstop Taylor Walls said. “We’re not capitalizing (on opportunities) as we’ve done lately the past few weeks. We just have to come back (Wednesday) and try to put these past few games behind us.

“It’s baseball. At the end of the day, there’s 162 games. It gets pretty easy to turn it over and come in tomorrow knowing that you have to reset and you can’t let today affect you.''

Shane Baz started for the Rays and pitched well, striking out a career-high 11 batters over seven innings. He gave up three runs, though, a two-run homer by Max Muncy in the fourth inning with two outs, and a Shea Langeliers sold shot in the sixth that gave the A's a 3-2 lead. It was his second homer in two nights after being on the injured list for three weeks.

The Muncy homer traveled only 376 feet to right center, and would have been a home run in only seven of 30 big-league parks.

The Rays tied the game on a Danny Jansen homer in the seventh inning — the Rays' third homer of the game after earlier solo shots by Christopher Morel and Brandon Lowe — and had their chances to win the rest of the way, but couldn't get it done.

In the eighth, Walls opened the frame with a single and stole second. Right-handed hitting Junior Caminero was intentionally walked with lefty Sean Newcombe on the mound, but the Rays' lefty hitters couldn't get anything off of him. Brandon Lowe struck out, Jonathan Aranda flied out to the wall in center field and Josh Lowe struck out,

Pete Fairbanks, who gave up two runs in the loss Monday in the ninth inning, pitched a perfect 1-2-3 ninth inning on Tuesday, and the Rays were instantly threatening again in the bottom of the ninth. Jose Caballero led off with a single to right, but the American League steal leader was thrown out trying to steal second. (He was also picked off of third earlier in the game, the first time all year he's been thrown out twice in the same game.)

Matt Thaiss pinch-hit for Jansen, but grounded out. Chandler Simpson singled, and went to second on a wild pitch from A's reliever Michael Kelly. Yandy Diaz was then intentionally walked, and Walls — who had 17 RBIs in June — grounded out to end the threat.

A lot of near-misses.

“If the wind is blowing out like a normal day (Aranda’s) ball is probably out,'' Walls said. "There’s plenty of different things that could have happened. Maybe (Caballero) is stealing second. If he’s there a split-second earlier, he’s safe, (Matt Thaiss) gets him over (to third) and we win the ballgame.

"So there’s plenty of things that (if) you roll the dice a different number comes up. But you can’t play the game that way.”

The A's won the game in extras, scoring ghost runner Colby Thomas. He went to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a sacrifice fly to left field. Nasty A's closer Mason Miller ended it with two strikeouts in the 10th, hitting a ridiculous 103. 7 on the radar gun. He is practically unhittable.

“Those were two tough ballgames,” said Jansen, who has nine home runs on the season now. “Looking to turn the page and get on the right track (Wednesday).”

The two teams meet at 12:10 p.m. on Wednesday, with Ryan Pepiot (5-6, 3.36 ERA) pitching for the Rays against Mitch Spence (2-3, 3.82 ERA). After an off-day Thursday, the Rays hit the road for 10 straight games before the All-Star break, visiting Minnesota, Detroit and Boston.

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