Monday, May 6. Game 34. Snell is back!

Rays  12,  Diamondbacks  1

Record:  22-12

Attendance:  8,124   Story Line 1:  The lowest home attendance this year.  Lowest.


Story Line 2.  Blake Snell.  The Cy Young Award Winner from last year is back.  He lost the opening game of the year to Justin Verlander and the Astros, then won his next two games in early April before his famous toe injury put him on the shelf for ten days.  When he returned, he was either compensating for toe pain or unable to get into a post-toe pitching rhythm because his next two outings were so bad he couldn't get out of the fourth inning in either game.  But tonight he was nearly perfect:  no hits until the sixth, one hit in all, 83 pitches, nine strikeouts.  He seemed to be laboring a little in the fifth and sixth, and was replaced by Chad Roe, who walked two, as usual, and then by Casey Sadler, who seems to be safely on the roster for now as the Rays sent Wilmer Font to the New York Mets for cash or a player to be named later.  Sadler pitched two innings and gave up the only run of the night to the Diamondbacks, a tainted run that scored after an error by just-recalled Andrew Valazquez put in the game at third presumably for defensive purposes.  Willy Adames was given the night off; Daniel Robertson played a very strong defensive shortstop, and went 1 for 2 with two walks and three RBIs.

Story Line 3.  The bats came alive.  They manufactured a run in the first and in the second Robertson walked with the bases loaded accounting for a second run.  But then Tommy Pham hit a ball that carried some 430 feet (exit velocity 109.1 mph) to straightaway center for the first grand slam of his career.  And then they piled on.  12 runs and 13 hits.  The last two scored on Avisail Garcia's home run off catcher J. R. Murphy, put in by Diamondback  manager Torey Lovullo to save his bullpen for tomorrow--a good decision if his bullpen comes in on Tuesday night throwing bullets.

This Arizona team is now 20-15 and went into last night's action a game behind the high flying Dodgers in the NL West.  They're no pushovers.  The Rays face two more games with them, and it's safe to say they had better be at their best if they hope to compete--they should not be fooled by this lopsided contest.

Story Line 4.  Tommy Pham.  In his post-game interview, Manager Kevin Cash had this to say about him:  "He's a huge presence in our lineup.  He can do damage with base hits, with the high average.  He can do damage hitting balls in gaps.  Knock them out of the ballpark.  He works pitchers, he draws walks.  He does everything."