TB 3, BOS 9: And then it got worse!

Jesus Sucre was pretty much the offense for the Rays tonight. That should tell you exactly what kind of game this was.

Chris Archer made the start, after leaving his previous start with a scary and mysterious “forearm tightness”. It was a relief that Archer was healthy enough to make the start, but many questioned exactly what shape our ace would be in. Turns out, not so sharp.

Here was Archer’s first three batters he faced:

Pedroia - Single

Benintendi - Double

Betts - HR

And then it got worse!

Archer was able to settle down and get two innings unscathed, and the slightest glimmer of hope remained. Much like the Rays playoff chances, that hope lifted you up just high enough to make the fall hurt harder.

Here’s everything that happened in the 4th inning up until the first out was recorded:

Double

Single

Steven Souza pattened hustle-dive-catch-attempt-injury. (more on this later)

Single

Error

Single

Archer gets pulled for Chaz Roe

Walk

Single

RBI Double Play

That Double Play was the first out(s) recorded in the 4th. 4 runs crossed the plate, the score ballooned to 8-0, and the Rays were still hitless.

Here’s how a visual representation of how I feel after that mess of an inning

The Rays, just seemingly trying their best to taunt me and me personally, were able to both get hits and runs in the very next inning. First a single by Brad Miller (thanks for showing up Brad) and light tower power Jesus Sucre got the Rays on the board with a 2-run shot.

The rest of the game progressed and honestly this was around the point where the beer overtook the concentration on what was happening on the field.

Final Thoughts:

This second half has been incredibly disappointing for the Rays. They have kept themselves close enough to keep the hopes of the postseason alive, but have just been unable to string together the wins to take advantage of a muddled Wild Card field.

The season is not over yet. And when they win the next two against the Red Sox, and then win the series against the Yankees in New York (while as the “home team”) that glimmer of hope will return. It will allow the subtle voices of “maybe” to slip back in, and the mental math of how many games back and playoff scenarios will creep back to the fore front.

And then it will get worse.