Rays 8, Mets 5: Paredes and co. power Rays to another win

The Tampa Bay Rays’ bats were so impressive that even the scoreboard operator couldn’t resist giving the Rays some free press in the middle of the game. In reality, there was a scoreboard glitch that resulted in the Rays logo taking up the entirety of the newly renovated Citi Field jumbotron, adding insult to injury as the Rays won 8-5 Monday night.

The scoreboard malfunction was hardly the story though, as Isaac Parades stole the show with a pair of bombs that accounted for five of the Rays six runs. Jose Siri also joined the party with a laser-like solo shot that left the bat at over 113 mph.

The Rays offense chased Justin Verlander, the reigning Cy Young award winner, after just five innings in which he surrendered six runs, all earned. The vet surrendered eight hits, walked two, and struck out three in his Mets home debut. He left to a chorus of boos.

On the flip side, the Rays sent out Jalen Beeks to open ahead of Yonny Chirinos. The two combined for 6.2 innings of three run baseball. Chirinos was credited with his second win of the year (2-1).

Harold Ramirez accounted for the rest of the offense for the Rays, driving in two runs on three hits. Brandon Lowe continued to show signs that he is coming out of his slump, going 2-5 with a single and double.

Zack Littell made his Rays debut and impressed, striking out the side in the bottom of the eighth to maintain a 8-3 lead. Diekman came into the shut the door and did so, but not before surrendering a two-run shot to the pinch-hitting Eduardo Escobar.

Overall, the Rays took care of business against a scuffling Mets team in the midst of a slow start to their 2023 campaign. The win brought their record on the road trip to an even 4-4. Hopefully, they can bank another win tonight with Fleming on the bump.