Series Full of Shutouts Ends With Rays Losing 3-0 to Dodgers on Sunday

TAMPA, Fla. — There was plenty of elite pitching on display all weekend during the Tampa Bay Rays' series with the Los Angeles Dodgers at Steinbrenner Field. And it was the Dodgers who had just a touch more on Sunday, winning 3-0 to take a series that featured three straight shutouts.

That doesn't happen very often. Not since 2013, to be exact.

Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto (10-7, 2.51 ERA) was really tough on Rays hitters, throwing 5 2/3 innings of scoreless ball, allowing just five singles and striking out six. The Dodgers bullpen covered the final 3 1/3 innings, allowing just two hits to preserve the shutout.

"He's got a big fastball and pretty explosive stuff,'' Rays manager Kevin Cash said of Yamamoto. "He's not the biggest guy in stature — (he's just 5-foot-10 and 175 poundfs) —, but he pitches like a power pitcher. The guys the first time through, they were coming back saying the fastball really gets on you. He's got a full arsenal to use, and that makes it really challenging.''

Rays starter Joe Boyle matched him stride for stride, pitching five scoreless innings himself and allowing just three hits. He departed after just 71 pitches, and was replaced by Mason Englert, who had gone 12 2/3 scoreless innings since being recalled from Triple-A Durham two months ago.

But he wasn't as sharp, and it got him in trouble Sunday, starting in the sixth inning. Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman led off the inning with a single, but then Englert gave up a one-run walk to Michael Conforto, pushing Freeman to second. Andy Pages then singled just barely past a diving Taylor Walls, and Freeman scored to make it 1-0.

ANDY PAGES RBI SINGLE pic.twitter.com/nWGFyrY1ft
— Jack (@MidWestLAFan) August 3, 2025

Englert was back out for the seventh, and another walk got him in trouble. Shohei Ohtani opened the inning with an infield hit, and then Mookie Betts — who went 0-for-11 in the series — drew a walk to push Ohtani to second. Just like in the sixth, the Dodgers got another big hit with a runner in scoring position, with Freeman driving in a run to make it 2-0.

The Dodgers' third run in the ninth inning also came off a walk. Griffin Jax, making his Rays debut, issued a one-out walk to Alex Call, and he went to third on an Ohtani double. He scored on a Betts sacrifice fly.

The Rays didn't have many chances of their own, not getting a runner past first base until the fifth inning. Jake Mangum led off the inning by beating out an infield single, and Taylor Walls laid down a nice bunt that got booted, leaving Rays runners at first and third with just one out. But Yandy Diaz popped up to second base, and Brandon Lowe struck out to end the inning.

Tampa Bay did nothing until the ninth, when Ha-Seong Kim walked to lead off the inning. It was the first walk for the Rays in 139 plate appearances dating back to the 10th inning last Wednesday's 7-4 loss to the New York Yankees. Mangum singled, and Kim went to third, and then Taylor Walls drew a two-out walk to load the bases and flip the batting order.

But Diaz couldn't get it done, grounding out to shortstop to end the game. Diaz, who came into the game hitting .285, went 0-for-5 on the day, and left five men on base.

"You certainly want Yandy up in that situation,'' Cash said. "When we get guys on the corners like that (in the fifth, and then again in the ninth) with Yandy and B-Lowe up, we've got to find ways to scratch one across, maybe get two.''

Rays pitchers went 18 innings without a Los Angeles run, and starters Boyle and Drew Rasmussen covered 10 1/3 scoreless innings. It's the third time Boyle has pitched five scoreless innings this season. He's given up one earned run in 15 innings of work at Steinbrenner Field, good for a 1-0 record and an 0.60 ERA.

It was the 10th time the Rays have been shut out this year, one off the American League lead. The last time the Rays played a series with three straight shutouts was in April 5-7, 2013 against the Cleveland Indians during the first homestand that season. Matt Moore and Alex Cobb were the two Rays starters in their shutouts. (They lost. the third game of the series 13-0.)

The Rays now embark on the longest road trip of the season, a 12-game, 14-day journey that includes three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners, the Athletics and the San Francisco Giants. It starts Monday night, with Adrian Houser getting his first start for the Rays since being acquired from the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. He is 6-2 with a 2.10 ERA this season.

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