By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: JEFFEREE WOO | Tampa Bay Times ]
Tampa Bay Rays fell to the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 in a pitching-dominant afternoon game on Wednesday.
The Rays fall to 4-2 on the season. The Pirates improve to 2-5. The Pirates snapped a four-game losing streak.
The Rays couldn’t get to Pirates young star Paul Skenes. The Rays struck out six times through seven innings while Skenes was on the mound. Rays didn’t score or draw walks while Skenes was pitching. He’s the number one overall pick for a reason.
Ryan Peplot was the starting pitcher for the Rays. Peplot had a solid outing, striking out three hits through five innings, but gave up two earned runs. He needed run support from his offense and didn’t get it.
Second baseman Adam Frazier opened up the score when he hit a single to center field in the top of the second inning. O’Neil Cruz homered in the top of the fifth inning to make it 2-0.
The Rays finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning when Brandon Lowe earned an RBI grounder that brought Johnny DeLuca home.
Pirates added insurance runs in the eighth and ninth innings. DeLuca picked up an RBI in the eighth. The Rays offense went quiet, but much credit to the Pirates’ pitching. Dennis Santana earned the save for the Pirates.
Game Notes:
– Rays left four men on base
– DeLuca is the only player in the Rays lineup to have two hits for the day
The Rays have the day off on Thursday. They will travel to Texas to begin a three-game series against the Rangers. Zack Littell will take the mound for the Rays against Tyler Mahle.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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