Sunday June 2. Game 57: Regroup and move on

Rays 7, Twins 9

Record:  35-22

Attendance:  14,616

The Twins showed the Rays how a good team finds a way to win.  Like Byron Buxton's play in the third going back to the center field wall for a Yandy Diaz fly ball and then throwing a strike to first base to double up Austin Meadows by half a step.  Or like Jake Odorizzi going six innings giving up just three hits and a walk while striking out nine and lowering his league-leading ERA to 1.96 and picking up his eighth win against only two losses.

Ryan Yarbrough, whose last two outings were solid, reverted back to the form that led to his demotion to triple A Durham.  He gave up ten hits, two walks, and seven runs in seven innings, lowering his record to 4-2 and raising his ERA to 6.23.  Chaz Roe continued his inconsistent work by giving up a two-run homer in the eighth to Jonathan Schoop, runs that proved to be the difference as the Rays scored two in the bottom of the eighth on Christian Arroyo's two-run homer.  But just like yesterday, Arroyo also threw a ball away for an error.

The Rays five-run seventh was all small ball, a couple of infield singles, a sharp line-drive single to center by Austin Meadows, and a throwing error.  On the night, the Rays struck out 15 times and left 15 men on base.  With runners in scoring position, they were 3 for 8, a respectable .375.

The defense was sketchier than anyone likes with a pair of errors and less sharpness than the Rays are accustomed to and need.  But they did turn four double plays and Kevin Kiermaier did throw out Miguel Sano at third.  Kiermaier, however, lost center field honors to Buxton who in addition to his impossible play doubling up Meadows at first in the third inning, also went 2 for 4 (including his 20th double) and added a stolen base (his 10th).

The Rays are still a good team with the same weaknesses they had coming into this series with the current  best team in baseball.  Maybe they learned a few things and can get back on track against the Detroit Tigers in a three-game set that begins on Tuesday in Detroit.  It's time to regroup and move on.