Rays 5, Red Sox 4 11 innings
Record: 91-63
Attendance: 17,117
This was a scoreless game through six innings, Charlie Morton and Rick Porcello matching scoreboard zeroes. But in the top of the seventh Morton blinked, giving up a one-out double to Brock Holt. Manager Kevin Cash went to the mound, but instead of pulling Morton, he gave him a well-earned opportunity to continue through the inning, despite his pitch count that was just about at the 100 mark. It was an act of respect--and everyone in the building and watching on television understood.
But the gesture backfired. On Morton's 103rd pitch, Mitch Moreland launched a home run to straightaway center.
The Red Sox pulled Porcello for the bottom of the seventh, however, and the Rays took advantage of the Bosox bullpen. Darwinzon Hernandez gave up a single to Travis d'Arnaud and then walked the next two batters. Marcus Weldon replaced Hernandez and gave up a slow chopper to third off the bat of PH Nate Lowe. The Red Sox tried for an around-the-horn, inning-ending double play, but the lumbering Lowe hustled and beat the throw to first. D'arnaud scored. Willy Adames got a key hit to right field that scored the tying run. The third run came in on a wild pitch. Then in the bottom of the eighth Austin Meadows walked and was driven in by Ji-Man Choi's double. 4-2 Rays.
Nick Anderson pitched a strong top of the eighth and gave way to Emilio Pagan. It was a seemingly perfect sequence that these two have earned, Anderson in the eighth and Pagan in the ninth. But this pitching decision backfired too when Pagan gave up a triple that was followed by another home run from Mitch Moreland. And the game was tied. The air suddenly got thicker for stunned Rays fans. But the players took it in stride.
In the eleventh, with two out, Mike Brosseau and Daniel Robertson walked bringing up Adames again, and again he came up with a clutch hit, a walk-off single to left, driving in PR Johnny Davis, who scored easily.
These Rays are a resilient group as the last two tough games show. They both ended up with the Rays winning in extra innings by a single run. Eight games to go and the Rays still have an uphill battle, but if their spunky play of the last two games is any indication, you don't want to rule them out quite yet.
Tyler Glasnow (as an opener who may go as many as four innings) gets the ball on Saturday at 6:10.
No comments:
Post a Comment