TAMPA -- After scorching the ball around the ballpark on Saturday afternoon with just one run to show for it, the Rays remained confident in their offensive approach. If anything, they were encouraged by the quality of their at-bats and the amount of loud contact they made in the second game of the season. They knew fortune would turn in their favor at some point.
In the sixth inning of Sunday¡¯s series finale, it did.
Tied after five innings, the Rays scored four runs on three straight balls that didn¡¯t make it out of the infield and rode another strong starting pitching performance to a series-clinching 6-4 win over the Rockies before a sold-out crowd of 10,046 at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
¡°That¡¯s part of the game,¡± Junior Caminero said through interpreter Eddie Rodriguez. ¡°There are going to be days when we¡¯re going to hit the ball super hard, then there are going to be days like today.¡±
Looking to move on from Saturday¡¯s defeat, when they had the eight hardest-hit balls of the game and 11 hard-hit outs, the Rays made their loud contact count in the first inning Sunday afternoon.
Yandy D¨ªaz, who was 0-for-5 despite three hard-hit balls on Saturday, swatted the first pitch he saw from Ryan Feltner to center field for a 112.1 mph double. Two batters later, Brandon Lowe unloaded on a first-pitch curveball and launched it a Statcast-projected 409 feet off the GMF sign beyond the right-center-field fence for a two-run homer -- his first of the season.
Tampa Bay¡¯s bats went quiet after that, as Feltner retired 15 of the next 16 batters he faced. Then the Rays, done in by the Rockies¡¯ tremendous defense a day earlier, caught a few breaks and capitalized.
¡°We did a good job of putting pressure on the defense,¡± manager Kevin Cash said. ¡°Sometimes, there¡¯s a lot of value in just moving the baseball like we did.¡±
After Jonathan Aranda was hit by a pitch and Taylor Walls slapped a single to left, Caminero stepped in as a pinch-hitter against righty Tyler Kinley. Caminero rolled a ball back up the middle, and it took a strange hop off sliding second baseman Tyler Freeman into the outfield grass. Aranda scampered home after Caminero¡¯s single as shortstop Ezequiel Tovar made a wild, spinning throw across the infield.
Known for his remarkable bat speed and raw power, Caminero said he was just trying to put the ball in play.
¡°I mean, I want him to go up and hit a three-run homer,¡± Cash quipped. ¡°It worked out.¡±
Up came Jos¨¦ Caballero, who turned to bunt on a fastball well above the strike zone. It turned out to be perfectly placed. As Walls raced home, catcher Jacob Stallings hurried to scoop the ball and rushed an off-target throw down the right-field line. Caminero wheeled around to score, and Caballero moved up another 90 feet on the throwing error.
Caballero said he was aiming for the third-base side after seeing first baseman Michael Toglia creep toward the plate. Caminero said he was ready to run based on the situation, noting, ¡°The game talks. I¡¯m always paying attention to the game.¡±
And Caballero came through, one of his many highlights on the day. Starting at third base, he also made an excellent stop on Stallings¡¯ hard-hopping grounder in the third inning and started a key double play behind starter Taj Bradley in the fifth.
¡°He¡¯s a winning player,¡± Cash said. ¡°Game-changing stuff.¡±
Last year¡¯s American League leader in stolen bases, Caballero promptly swiped third. That put him in position to slide home safely, narrowly beating Stallings¡¯ tag, when Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon made a slick play on Ben Rortvedt¡¯s grounder. Just like that, the Rays held a four-run lead.
¡°Whenever you keep adding runs, it¡¯s going to help the team,¡± Caballero said. ¡°We have pretty good arms, and we just need to get them the lead.¡±
And Bradley¡¯s excellent season debut should not be lost in the discussion. The right-hander held the Rockies to two runs on five hits while striking out seven without a walk. It was the Rays¡¯ third straight quality start, as Ryan Pepiot and Zack Littell also went six in their first outings.
This is the first time since 2013 that the Rays rotation has opened a season with three straight six-inning starts and only the second time in franchise history that Tampa Bay has begun a season with three straight quality starts, as Steve Trachsel, Ryan Rupe and Esteban Yan did it for the 2000 Devil Rays.
¡°Quality starts [are] hopefully the name of the game for the rest of the season,¡± Bradley said. ¡°If we keep it close, we¡¯ve got a chance to win a lot.¡±