Rays Get Thumped 13-2 By A's, Lose Starter Patino To Oblique Injury

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays' game with the Oakland Athletics wasn't over before it started Monday night, but it came pretty darn close.

Rays starting pitcher Luis Patino lasted only 13 pitches before leaving the game with a left oblique strain with two outs and a man on in the first. Chris Mazza came in, and the A's teed off on him, scoring four runs in the first and four more in the second, cruising to a 13-2 victory, the Rays' first loss of the year.

Tampa Bay was the last of the 30 major-league teams to lose this season.

Patino's sudden exit was a disappointment, because the Rays starters have all been very good so far. But after his 13th pitch, he went down to his knees, and then held his side with manager Kevin Cash came out to check on him.

“He wasn’t very comfortable but we’ll see (Tuesday),'' Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "I’m sure he’ll see a doctor and then we’ll have a better understanding of how bad it is, or not bad.

“Look, we’ve had two starters — (Ryan Yarbrough was placed on the 10-day IL earlier in the day) — go down pretty quick here lately. We’ve got enough pitching to try to cover it, but we’ve got to get Luis healthy. He’s a big part of what we’re trying to do here. His stuff, when he’s right, is really impressive.’’

Mazza, who earned the last roster spot out of spring training, hadn't pitched yet this season. He was given plenty of time to warm up, but the A's got to him quickly. He hit Sean Murphy with his third pitch of the game, and then right fielder Seth Brown hit a three-run homer to right. Chad Pinder followed with a 404-foot shot to right-center to make it 4-0.

Mazza got hit hard in the second inning, too. After two singles and an error, Elvis Andrus hit another three-run homer, putting Oakland ahead 8-0. Mazza, who gave up another run in the third, left after pitching three innings, giving up eight runs, six of them earned.

Rays relievers then threw four straight scoreless innings, even right fielder Brett Phillips, who pitched the eighth and got a fly ball out and a double play in a five-pitch inning, the shortest of the season for any Rays pitcher — or right fielder.

Phillips also pitched the ninth. He walked a batter but then got two outs, the second on a beautiful sliding catch right in front of the A's dugout. A double and a walk loaded the bases, and then Sheldon Neuse hit a long grand slam to left to make it 13-2.

Patino, though, is the biggest concern, of course. Oblique injuries can linger. He had a shorter-than-most spring, too, dealing with an ailing shoulder. He only pitched in two games, working just 3 2/3 innings and got roughed up last Wednesday at Tropicana Field in a spring training game against the Phillies, where he gave up two home runs and four runs in just 1 2/3 innings.

He was throwing in the mid-90s early in the game, and he said he felt fine before the injury.

“It’s a little saddening,'' Patino said through translator Manny Navarro. "I did feel something in those last three pitches, so we’ll see what they say (Tuesday). They told me to rest tonight and see what the MRI says.

"It hasn’t happened before, and it’s a little sad the way the spring has gone (with shoulder soreness). I felt good. I felt fine in the bullpen and I felt really good the first few batters.’’

Wander Franco had his third three-hit game of the season in the losing effort. He's now 9-for-15 on the season — a .600 batting average — and tied a club record for the most hits in the first four games of a season. Quinton McCracken also did it in 1998. For players 21 and under, his three three-hit games had only been done once before, by Greg Gross on Houston in 1974.

Paid attendance was announced at 9,139. The two teams play against Tuesday and Wednesday night — with the new earlier 6:40 p.m. ET start time — and wrap up the series on Thursday afternoon.

Rays Get Thumped 13-2 By A's, Lose Starter Patino To Oblique Injury

Watch Luis Patino's postgame interview

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