Friday, July 26. Game 106: Are the Rays on a roll?

Rays 3, Blue Jays 1

Record:  59-47

Attendance:  22,767


Torn between the good feeling lingering over the team's 3-2 home win against the Red Sox on Wednesday, and Thursday's devastating news that Blake Snell is probably finished for the year, the Rays took the field against the Blue Jays Friday night and made a 3-1 statement.  They're not backing off. 

Austin Meadows tripled in a run in the third inning and Travis d'Arnaud singled in two runs with two outs and the bases loaded in the fifth.  It was Meadows' 47th RBI and d'Arnaud's 37th.  D'Arnaud is the story of course because he didn't join the team until May 10, after the other Rays' hitters had dominated baseball for the month of April.  He now has 11 HRs to go with those big RBIs. 

Diego Castillo, who has had enormous trouble closing games this year, was used as the opener and pitched a three-up and three-down first.  Ryan Yarbrough pitched the next five and a third, giving up one run on four hits and one walk to improve his record to 9-3.  Chaz Roe continued to be wild when he came in, adding two more walks to his season total of 20 in 30 innings, but he was good enough to hold the score at 3-1.  Wrapping the game up was Colin Poche who finally notched his first save of he season. Without giving up a homer.

Tommy Pham may have to go to Remedial Base Running School this winter to get him to act more responsibly on the basepaths.  In this game he stole second and seemed to come off the base after his slide, which prompted a review that went his way.  I don't know if base running gaffes is a statistic anyone is keeping track of, but my bet is that Pham is leading the league in them, maybe the majors.  Willy Adames should probably joint Pham in the remedial work.  Maybe one or two others.  Recall that manager Kevin Cash recently called the Rays' baserunning "atrocious."

The opener for Saturday's game is Andrew Kittredge followed by bulker Jalen Beeks.

Michael Perez, the catcher who was sent down to Durham when Travis d'Arnaud got too hot to demote, took Blake Snell's place on the roster.  There are now three catching options with Perez the only lefty. 

As discouraging as the season has been, the remaining weeks may still provide some exciting games--and maybe even some high drama.