Rays 4, Reds 3: Strong Littell start puts Rays back above .500

And Pete Fairbanks is NOT a Yankee (yet)

Note: At the time of writing, Pete Fairbanks is still a Tampa Bay Ray. I hope my weekend is not ruined by seeing him in pinstripes on his bobblehead day tomorrow.

We are now a full day removed from the trades of Randy Arozarena and Zach Eflin, and after losing the series opener to Cincinnati, another loss today would not help the vibes in the slightest.

Zack Littell took the hill for the Rays and was opposed by lefty Andrew Abbott. Amed Rosario made his first start in the outfield since April 26 and Curtis Mead was back in the lineup at third base.

Littell made one of the best starts in his Rays career, going seven shutout innings and striking out five. He mixed his splitter and slider to great effect, allowing him to turn the lineup over three times allowing just three hits and one walk.

Curtis Mead scored the first run of the game, crossing the plate on a Jose Siri fielder’s choice. The power bats came out in the next inning when Alex Jackson and Yandy Diaz went back-to-back, and Amed Rosario nearly made it three in a row.

Jackson had a 78 wRC+ coming into today and it seems like he’s finally finding his power stroke. With all the praises coming from Taj Bradley and Jackson being able to run into one every now and then, I think he’s here to stay for a while.

The Rays scored their fourth and final run on an RBI-double for Brandon Lowe. Lowe finished with two doubles in a walk, finding himself in the lineup against a left-handed pitcher.

There will be a rubber match tomorrow. There will be a Pete Fairbanks bobblehead giveaway. The bobblehead, which is “Grit x Glow”-themed, was designed by Fairbanks and Warren Hype. Let’s hope he’s in the building tomorrow to celebrate it, and not in the stands like Randy Arozarena was.