Rays 7, Padres 5
Record: 71-50
Attendance: 25,261
Game two against the Padres had a couple of oddities. First was Brendan McKay's start at a National League park, which gave him two at-bats in which he walked and struck out. His American League starts of course don't put him at the plate all, and he isn't good enough as a hitter to work his way into the lineup as DH. He wants to hit, feels he can hit and pitch at the major league level, but the way the Rays' pitching problems developed this season, he has been called into ML action before he was ready for it. He has done a creditable job, just not the brilliant one the Rays were hoping for.
The outing itself was one of the strangest anyone's ever seen. Staked to a one-run lead on Austin Meadow's first-inning HR, he gave up four runs in the bottom of the first on two doubles and five of his six walks on the night, which combined with his five hits allowed to make this as shaky a start as can be imagined. The Rays came back with a run in the second bringing the score to 4-2. And then McKay bore down to hold the Padres scoreless through the fourth, highlighted by seven strikeouts. So he walked six, struck out seven, gave up five hits and four runs, and threw 83 pitches--all in four innings.
Diego Castillo pitched the fifth, and Nick Anderson pitched a perfect sixth, striking out the side and earning the win (4-4). Chaz Roe pitched the seventh. Manage Kevin Cash chose this situation to bring in Jose Alvarado for his first appearance since being recalled from personal problems and injury, and he gave up a run on a hit, his own error, and a walk. Pagan finished it up for his 13th save.
Meanwhile the Rays batters chipped away at the Padre lead, scoring single runs in the fifth and sixth on a Meadows' RBI single and a Kevin Kiermaier fielder's choice, which scored Willy Adames. In the seventh they put the game away with a three-run outburst that began with Ji-Man Choi's two-run homer and continued with an Eric Sogard's RBI double.
The victory, hardly a pretty one, was just as nice as a no-hitter, pushing the Rays to the possibility of another road sweep and stretching their record to 21 games over .500. They will lose again, but they are playing clean defensive baseball, getting good pitching, and hitting just well enough to win.
By my count, they need to win 23 of their remaining 41 games to win 94 on the year and earn an almost-certain post-season appearance. But they have to keep winning now--and then steal a few games when they get harder to win in September.
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