Rays' tagline depth shines bright in walk-off

The Rays aren¡¯t much different from many teams around the Major Leagues in that they are attempting to navigate through a season that has produced more injuries up and down the roster this year than in more normal times.

The difference is the Rays are a little better at it, because they¡¯re deep enough to find adequate replacements for the players still on the mend, no matter how many times they have to do it. They¡¯re not going to win every game, but their track record so far is in line with how they normally pull off a regular season -- situational hitting, a strong defense and a mostly lockdown bullpen, which entered Saturday¡¯s game having covered 55.5 percent of the team¡¯s innings this season.

In one of the toughest divisions in baseball -- in the oddest season in Major League history -- the Rays, who are minus two key starters and countless relievers, are still the team no one wants to test. Their 2-1 walk-off win over the Blue Jays in the 10th inning on Saturday at Tropicana Field, thanks to Kevin Kiermaier's pinch-hit single, was another example -- a night after their own tough loss in the 10th.

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This team proves nightly that it is resilient, even when it has to dip into the well to get it done.

¡°Hopefully, there's some confidence -- and growing confidence,¡± manager Kevin Cash said. ¡°There's no doubt, we know that pitcher injuries are up. We're going to just continue to do what we think is best to manage workloads, and there are going to be opportunities presented to guys that maybe in theory you don't pencil on for those spots.¡±

Aaron Slegers, Tampa Bay's starter on Saturday, is a prime example. He was pressed to duty when a spot opened up to replace Yonny Chirinos, who will undergo Tommy John surgery on Monday.

Technically, Slegers was considered the ¡°opener.¡± He was making his first start since July 10, 2018, and his first ever with the Rays. He is also the 10th starting pitcher used by Tampa Bay this season -- the most in club history through 28 games.

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Slegers crushed the pregame blueprint, providing four spotless innings. He didn¡¯t allow a hit, struck out five and would have exited with a perfect game intact if not for Lourdes Gurriel Jr. reaching on a Brandon Lowe error to open the third inning.

The Rays had loosely earmarked Slegers for four innings if he was efficient, but they considered sending him out for one more after he was, as Cash put it, ¡°super efficient.¡±

¡°We could have pushed it, but [we] felt like we¡¯ve got to be really thrilled with how productive he was for us, how efficient," Cash said. "He gave us every opportunity to quiet their bats."

Slegers, who had made two relief appearances totaling two innings over the prior week, had no preconceived notions about how long he¡¯d be on the mound. Pitching coach Kyle Snyder told him before the game to, ¡°Give us all you got,¡± and that was the mindset Slegers carried with him to the mound.

¡°Just get the first guy; after you get the first guy, get the second guy and then the third; and then when they take the ball, they take the ball,¡± Slegers said. ¡°I know there's some weapons in that bullpen, so I had all the confidence in the world.¡±

After his exit, the Rays did what they always do. Six relievers pitched. Only one allowed the Blue Jays to score.

¡°A lot of our pitchers stepped up,¡± said Kiermaier, who came off the bench to lace the first pitch he saw to seal the win. ¡°Those guys did a great job limiting a very potent, very good offense over there with the Blue Jays team to one run. That's not easy to do, and they did a phenomenal job. They kept us in the game.¡±

For Cash, the highlight was Anthony Banda¡¯s performance in the 10th. Banda, the Rays¡¯ final reliever, had to contend with two baserunners -- the automatic runner he inherited at second base, and Cavan Biggio, who drew a walk.

But with one out, Travis Shaw sent a sharp grounder straight toward first baseman Mike Brosseau, who touched first and threw to shortstop Willy Adames for the double play.

¡°He hasn't had the reps, hasn't had the opportunities -- and here he comes into a tie ballgame with a guy on second base, and you didn't put them there, somebody else did,¡± Cash said of Banda. ¡°Credit him a lot for staying composed after the walk to Biggio.¡±

Banda said his conversation with Snyder following the walk helped settle him down.

¡°He's like, ¡®Hey, look, there's no damage done here. We can get a double play,¡¯¡± Banda recalled. ¡°¡®Trust your stuff, you're here for a reason, and you're good enough to be here. So just go and get the outs.¡¯ I said, ¡®OK.¡¯ And I went and got the outs.¡±