On Tuesday night Rafael Soriano tossed every Rays' bats on to the dugout floor in a huge pile of frustration. The team scored 19 runs in the next two and a half games; it's time for another ceremony.
Although Tampa Bay out hit Minnesota nine to four last night, the boys could only push across a single run. After an Evan Longoria RBI double in the first inning, the Rays would be shutout over the final eight frames. They left 10 more men on base and went 1-8 with runners in scoring position. It is safe to say whatever goodwill the offense had over the past few days is once again gone.
David Price took the mound looking for his 12th win of the season. I know wins are an arbitrary number, but the high win total has Price in the national spotlight - which is a good thing. Instead, he ended up with his fourth loss despite pitching another strong game.
Price no-hit the Twins through four innings and carried a one-hitter into the seventh inning. It was the seventh inning that saw Price give up two runs on three consecutive two-out hits. Nonetheless, Price was the hard luck loser despite giving up just the two runs over eight innings. He wasn't the sharpest with four walks, but did strikeout six.
On the night Price threw 122 pitches with may catch the eye of some. However, most of those pitches came in low pressure situations. In fact, he used just 66 pitches over the final five innings of his night. As he neared the 120 mark, he was still reaching 97 mph. Fastballs were one again his pitch de jour as Price pumped 91 heaters in this one.
The most frustrating part of this game - besides the lack of run production - was the missed opportunity to pick up a game on the Yankees. Had the Rays won, they would have been just one game back of the division lead. Instead, they fall two full games behind New York and 1.5 games back of Boston.
Wade Davis gets the start today against arguably the best pitcher in the American League not named Cliff Lee, Francisco Liriano. Make us proud, Wade.