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Old 04-06-2025, 03:40 PM   #1521
Art Deco
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April 11-14, 2039: at Baltimore (4)

The Rays split their first road series of 2039, holding on to first place a game ahead of Baltimore.

Tampa Bay took the lead three times against the Orioles in their road opener and blew the lead three times, losing when Eric Lewis melted down in the 9th and turned a potential 7-5 Rays win to in a 8-7 loss. Danny Rivera homered (#1) and drove in a pair and the Rays had their first lead of 4-2 which they lost in the 6th before Tony Fisher homered in the 7th (#3) to put them up 5-4. They gave up that lead in the bottom of the inning but it looked as if they'd still win when Billy Doughty (#1) and Danny Perez (#2, pinch-hitting) went yard to make it 7-5 in the 8th. Walt Kelly got the job done in the bottom of the inning but Lewis (0-1) put the leadoff man on in the 9th, gave up a homer to tie it, then walked a pair before allowing an RBI double to lost it, all without retiring a batter. Leo Gutierrez started and went 5 4 4 4 4 6.

The Rays had to work hard to even up the series, taking a 7-3 win over the Orioles in 13 innings. John Lopez hit his first Rays homer in the 9th to tie the game at 3, sending us to extras before Billy Doughty's pinch-hit RBI single in the 13th broke the deadlock and started a rally which culminated with a 2-run Jeremy Begley homer (#4). Moises Baca (1-0) truly earned the win after going the final 2 2/3 hitless, fanning 4 and rescuing Jamie Arnold from a 2nd-and-3rd, 1-out situation in the bottom of the 11th. The Rays also survived another near-death experience in the 10th when Eric Lewis nearly lost it again but was bailed out by Danny Perez who threw the runner out at home with 2 out. Mike Blake was mediocre at 5.2 8 3 3 2 1 and Danny Rivera earlier homered for the second straight day (#2).

Not much drama in the third game as the Orioles walloped the Rays 9-1. A 2-0 game got away from Tampa Bay when Baltimore scored 5 in the 6th off starter Chris Ericson (0-2) and Jamie Arnold, who couldn't get anyone out and gave up 4 of the runs. Ericson was a middling 5.1 4 3 3 3 3 and the lone Rays run came on a Frank Duron solo shot (#2) in the 8th.

Tampa Bay returned the favor of a blowout in the finale, obliterating the Orioles 10-1 behind a trio of home runs. It was billed as a pitchers' duel between Baltimore ace Joe White and the Rays' Danny Morales, but only Morales held up his end of the bargain, improving to 2-0 after a sterling 7 2 0 0 2 6 outing. White meanwhile walked a pair in the 2nd ahead of Justin Blackwell, who blasted his first homer of the year to make it 3-0. They then busted it open with a 7-run 7th which saw a 2-run homer from Isaiah Jackson (#1), a 2-run double by John Lopez, and a 3-run shot off the bat of Billy Doughty (#2).

Team record: 8-3. Next up: The 13-game road trip continues with a cross-country trek to Oakland for 3 games.
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