Tuesday, September 17, Game 152. Rays fall again.

Rays 5, Dodgers 7

Record:  89-63

Attendance:  48,663.  Dodger Stadium

While the 88-63 Cleveland Indians were beating the 45-105 Detroit Tigers 7-2,  and while the 90-61 Oakland Athletics were beating the 56-95 Kansas City Royals, 2-1, the 89-63 Tampa Bay Rays were squaring off against the 97-54 Los Angeles Dodgers.

The game was tied at two in the seventh when the Dodgers scored five times against loser Pete Fairbanks (1-3), who pitched a third of an inning giving up three hits, one walk, and five runs (thee earned).  The Rays launched a comeback in the eighth on an RBI single from Travis d'Arnaud and a two-run homer from Jesus Aguilar, but that was it and the Rays fell to the best team in the NL, 7-5.

And suddenly the flying high Rays have lost four of their last five and also lost their perch atop the wild card standings, which Oakland now leads by two and a half games.

Meantime, tomorrow the Rays take on the hot Dodgers once again while the A's and Indians continue their series against AL patsies in Detroit and Kansas City.

If there was an upside to this difficult defeat on Tuesday night in Los Angeles, it was the return of Blake Snell who tossed two perfect innings with four strikeouts over 27 pitches.  He was followed by seven relievers who did a good job--except for Colin Poche, who gave up two runs in the fifth and Fairbanks.

As tough a game as Wednesday's is likely to be, this one against the Dodgers is a "must win."