Rays 16, Orioles 4
Record: 53-39
Attendance: 22,422
A wee bit of the drama was squeezed out of Friday night's Rays-Orioles game when the Rays scored seven runs in the top of the first. They tacked on another couple in the second, one more each in the fourth and sixth--and then five pile-on runs in the seventh. Final score 16-4. Going into Saturday's day-night double-header, I doubt the Orioles will forget the merciless drubbing they received on Friday, so beware of karma, Rays. Payback's a bitch.
But on the surface, everything looks good for the Rays going into Saturday's games. Phenom Brendan McKay will pitch the first game at 1:05, and All-Star Charlie Morton will get the ball for the nightcap at 7:05. Manager Kevin Cash will be hoping for another opportunistic and relentless hitting display, but even at hitter-friendly Camden Yards, Friday's production is not likely to bleed into Saturday's games. But as we turn to game two of the rest of the season, hope can't be contained. This could be the start of something big.
As to the heroes of Friday night's slaughter, you have to start with Nate Lowe, who homered, doubled, and hit two balls off the right field wall that came back into play so quickly that Lowe was held to two singles. Tommy Pham also homered, his 14th, and the rest of the team got hit after hit, 20 in all. And on the pitching end, Yonny Chirinos came through with seven efficient innings (two runs, four hits, no walks, eight Ks) to pick up his eighth win of the year. Mop-up work went to newly arrived Durham pitcher Ian Gibaut, who pitched a clean eighth, but a messy ninth. And then it was over. A grand start to the second half of the season.
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