Park factors, weather, and Tigers, OH MY!: TB 3, DET 9
Can’t win them all
You know the overall season vibes have shifted considerably when the Rays are in position to sweep the top team in a league for the 2nd straight weekend, and it’s dissapointing when they fail to do so, having to settle for merely a series win and a winning homestand.
However that’s the new standard the Rays have given to their fans as the hottest team since May 20th. Today was more of a low scoring pitchers duel (ignore that 9th for now).
You figured coming in this was going to be one of the tougher series they would face. The Tigers have been an incredible team this year, sporting the best record in the AL. While the Rays dodged the reigning and potential back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, the Tigers overall have a well rounded fearsome club that would make the Rays work.
Today, finally, the Rays faced a true challenge from the Tigers. Littell and Mize battled well, and kept things close through the early innings. Junior Caminero remained red hot tying the game with a monster solo bomb brining his season total up to 19.
Zack Littell was absolutely cruising today against a truely dangerous lineup. A game best 15(!) whiffs over his 5 innings pitched was good for 5 Ks. Littell would give way after 5 with just 69 pitches to Garrett Cleavinger. If there is one potential Cash Consideration choice today, this was it.
However, I think this choice overall is fine, aggressive move. With Riley Greene looming for a 3rd time up, and a tie game, Cash went to one of his best relievers and his most trusted lefty. With an off day tomorrow there’s room to be aggressive with the pen. Cleavinger would get a 1-2-3 inning including striking out Greene swining.
The question that I wonder about comes next pushing Cleavinger to a 2nd inning. A walk to Spencer Torkelson allowed Wenceel Perez to hit a unicorn HR, a 1/30 park dinger that could only leave the annoying Steinbrenner field.
Annoying HR for sure. Another Steinbrenner park special. But with a fresh pen, is Cleavinger for an up and down 2nd inning really the best choice? Cleavinger would get the next three outs, and had this game been played in the Trop or litterally anywhere else, would have potentially gotten another clean inning and sent this game on a totally different trajectory.
But we are stuck playing here for right now, and in this reality the Rays go down 3-1 and would not be able to claw back.
With some bloops, and then heavy rain and awful conditions the game slipped away both figuratively and literally. Capped eventually by a Parker Meadows 3 run bomb.
Rough outing, but the 9th overall is one to forget with clearing the conditions becoming an issue.
It’s okay to feel like hunger where a fairly dominant series victory against the top team in the AL feels...not enough.
Rays head into an off day with heads held high. Still in command of the top wild card spot and hot on the Yankees tails in the AL East race, the Rays leave this homestand sending a message that the expectations have shifted.