Rays 3, Angels 1
Record: 89-61
Attendance: 39,056. Angel Stadium.
Tyler Glasnow in his second game back after nearly four months on the IL for right forearm strain, threw three good innings against the Angels on Saturday night. He gave up two hits and a walk but did not give up a run despite allowing a triple to Brian Goodwin with one out in the third, a jam he got out of by popping up David Fletcher and striking out red-hot Kole Calhoun on a fastball just a tick under 100 mph. It was a strong showing.
The Rays hitters meanwhile were quieted most of the evening with a grand total of five hits. One of them, however, was a bases loaded double by Travis d'Arnaud that scored all three of the Rays runs. The other eight Rays innings were scoreless.
But the Rays bullpen gave up but a single run, on a Nick Anderson wild pitch in the seventh. For the rest of the game, Rays pitchers were in total control: Trevor Richards pitched the fourth and fifth for the win, making him 6-12, and Peter Fairbanks worked a clean sixth. Then came the end-of-game boys, Anderson in the seventh, Oliver Drake in the eighth, and Emilio Pagan the ninth for his 20th save.
The last game against the Angels is Sunday afternoon. A sweep is what the Rays are after as they chase the postseason and need to win as many of the remaining 12 games as they can. With 89 wins so far, they have a fighting chance if they can get to 95 or 96, which would require winning five or six more. Seven or eight more would clinch it in all probability.
And still there is nothing to be done but play the games one at a time. The ones against the Red Sox and Yankees at the Trop between September 20 and 26 will give the fans yet another opportunity to root the Rays on--and drown out the hate-the-Rays crowd who will show up to root against their home team. It's disgraceful, frustrating, and demoralizing for the team. Regardless of how far the Rays go in the postseason if they get there at all, the out-of-towners who root against them will force Rays management to Montreal. Who can blame them?
No comments:
Post a Comment