Before we get into the games, some big July 2 international signing news. Omar comin':
These are some almost Wander Franco-like tools if he lives up to them. BNN already has him ranked as the #25 prospect in the game.
Game 1: A slew of regulars were tired today, so it was a makeshift lineup today with Wander, Hunter Bishop and Keston Hiura all having to sit. This meant Nick Loftin made his MLB debut and Bramdon Perez and Triston Casas got into the lineup. Well through 5 innings it looked like this might hurt the Rays as they trailed 1-0. Then all hell broke loose in the bottom of the 6th. Lewin Diaz led off with a homer (#11/#17), Casas, Loftin and Brandon Marsh singled, Nick Gonzales walked to force in a run, Keibert Ruiz had a 2-run single, Judson Fabian an RBI double, and Spencer Torkelson hit a 3-run HR (#25). By the time they were done, Loftin singled in a run and Gonzales singled in 2 more and the Rays had an 11-run inning and beat the Angels 11-3. Before the deluge, they had 7 hits in 5 innings off Griffin Canning but couldn't get the key hit. Loftin in particular had a memorable MLB debut, good and bad. The good: he had 4 hits in 5 trips for a career MLB BA of .800 right now. The bad: he's a 40 SS and showed it by making two errors, including one on the first ball hit to him in the 1st inning. His shaky defense didn't slow Asa Lacy down, though. He went from apparent hard-luck loser to well-supported winner in the blink of an eye and ended up 7 5 1 1 3 4 to go 6-1, 2.80. Aaron Ashby tried to get through the final two innings but was bombarded for 2 runs and 4 hits in the 9th so Nick Anderson had to get the final out. And Baltimore was waxed 9-0 by the Dodgers, so the lead is now back up to 5 1/2.
July 7: Activated 2B Vidal Brujan from the 10-day IL, optioned IF Nick Loftin to AAA Durham.
Loftin can always say he was a .800 career hitter in MLB if he doesn't came back up again.
Game 2: Like yesterday the Rays trailed 1-0 in the 6th inning, and in fact they trailed 1-0 in the 7th inning, but there was no 11-run outburst to win the game. Instead, they got single runs in the 7th and 8th and the bullpen got the job done in a 2-1 win. Shane McClanahan got the start and he was great as usual, with the only run scoring against him thanks to an error from the just-activated Vidal Brujan (he must have grabbed Nick Loftin's glove on the way in). Mac went 7 4 1 0 3 9 and the Rays made sure he wouldn't be a tough-luck loser by scoring in the bottom of the 7th. Keston Hiura walked, went to second on a ground ball, and scored on Bramdon Perez's 2-out single to tie the game. And in the 8th, Brujan and Wander drew walks to lead off the inning but Judson Fabian grounded into a double play and it looked like the rally might be cut short. Spencer Torkelson had other ideas, though, and singled up the middle to put the Rays in front. The Angels had a mini-threat in the top of the 8th when Liam Hendriks walked Shohei Ohtani but Jose Alvarado got the final out and ending up getting win #3. Jasseel De La Cruz for once had a 1-2-3 9th for save #15 and the Rays find themselves on another winning streak at 7. And the Dodgers beat the Orioles again so the lead is up to 6 1/2, giving the Rays some breathing room for a change.
Game 3: The run of quality pitching continues as the Rays rode yet another great start from Tyler Glasnow to a 4-2 win to make it 8 straight. The strikeouts weren't there as usual but the outs were as Mini-Horse went 8 7 2 2 1 4 on 114 pitches to go to 10-2, 2.59. They've allowed only 10 runs total in these 8 games as all 5 starters have been getting it done. Glasnow was actually behind 2-0, though, when Yasmani Grandal took him deep in the 6th inning for a 2-run shot. To that point the Rays were befuddled by Jordan Romano, a nightmare name from the past who beat them in Games 1 and 5 of the 2022 ALDS with the Blue Jays. But they chipped away, getting one back in the 6th when Vidal Brujan tripled in Brandon Marsh, and although Brujan was left stranded, Judson Fabian launched HR #19 to lead off the 7th and tie the game. Then in the 8th Marsh and Brujan were at it again with Brujan's second triple of the game giving them the lead and Fabian's sac fly brought Brujan home for the final score. With lefties due up in the 9th, Evan Godwin got the call but made a bit of a mess, putting 2 men on with 1 out. Enter Jasseel De La Cruz, who got a shallow fly to left and Kyren Paris to ground to 3rd to end the game and give him save #16. And the good news kept coming when Baltimore was swept by the Dodgers, losing their 4th straight and in those 4 days the lead has gone from a precarious 3 1/2 to a comfortable 7 1/2.
Game 4: The Rays got another excellent start, but this time the offense never did wake from its early-game slumber and the 8-game winning streak is over with a 3-1 loss to the Angels. Mack Anglin pitched well, but was hurt at the beginning and at the end. He walked Kyren Paris to lead off the game, gave up a Luis Renfigo triple for one run, and then wild-pitched Renfigo home to put LA up 2-0 before the Rays came to the plate. Vidal Brujan immediately responded by leading off with a HR (#6) to left off Garrett Williams, but that would turn out to be the sum total of today's offensive output. The game stayed 2-1 until the 8th when Anglin walked old buddy Ji-Man Choi, got the next two out, but gave up an RBI double to Mike Trout. Anglin finished 7.2 4 3 3 3 11 and is now 5-2, 3.82 with 80 whiffs in 68.1 innings. Ben Bowden got the final out in the 8th, Nick Anderson put two on with two out in the 9th, and Evan Godwin whiffed Choi to end that threat, but the offense couldn't get it done. Outside of Brujan, who also singled and stole a base, the only Ray hitter to distinguish himself today was Keston Hiura, on base 3 times in 4 trips with a hit, two walks and a steal. Baltimore was idle so the lead is now 7 games.
Team record: 60-25. Next up: 3 games in Fenway against the Sox before we hit the All-Star break.