Rays 7, Orioles 1
Record: 76-54
Attendance: 14,762. Orioles Park at Camden Yards
The Rays won by six runs Friday night, but they went scoreless in eight of nine innings.
An easy win was welcome, but all those goose eggs were worrisome. Their big second inning didn't begin with fireworks. There were a couple of walks, three singles, a double, one defensive lapse--and then, with three runs already in, a hot-hitting Austin Meadows, with eight homers in 20 games, launched the first Grand Slam of his career. It was only then that the Rays resumed the run of scoreless innings they seem to fall into with more regularity than anyone likes to see.
The total effect was more than enough to shut the Orioles down completely, and the loss officially made them the first team in the majors to be eliminated from post-season play. The loss was also their 12th in a row against an AL East team, according to the Baltimore Sun, a stretch during which they have been outscored 103-50. These are hard days for a great franchise, and the Rays are forced to pile on at this point as they chase a post season spot for the first time since 2013.
On the mound for the Rays on Friday was an unknown combo who gave the regular staff a well-deserved day off. The starter was Trevor Richards, who came over to the Rays with Nick Anderson at the trade deadline. Anderson has established himself as a key arm in the bullpen, but Richards needed a little fine tuning in Durham before being dropped into Kevin Cash's patched-up pitching corps. It's too soon to say for sure, but the early returns on Richards from Friday are good: six innings, no runs, two hits, a single walk and five strikeouts.
More astoundingly, the six foot ten, 26-year-old reliever Aaron Slegers, pitched the last three innings and earned the save. He started five games and relieved in three others for the Minnesota Twins in 2017 and 2018, compiling a 1-2 record with no saves. On Friday night he earned his first save, giving the bullpen the night off--and was immediately sent back down to Durham after the game. But with Kevin Cash, you never know. Don't be surprised if you see Slegers back in a Rays uniform in a day or two.
Avisail Garcia was activated from the IL, and the valuable spare outfielder Guillermo Heredia was sent down to triple A Durham.
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