Rays 7 Twins 4: Glas half full, Glas half empty

Tyler Glasnow was dan near flawless, until he wasn’t.

Glasnow started the game absolutely at his filthiest (both in terms of stuff and potty mouth)

Through the first 5 innings, Glasnow was carving through the Twins lineup. Just 4 total baserunners from the Twins were able to reach base, while Glasnow K’d 7.

The Rays offense threatened pretty much every inning of the game, but were struggling to break through when it came to the ever-important “scoring runs” element of baseball. through 4 innings, the Rays had just 2 runs, 1 earned and 1 unearned, and were seemingly about to let the Twins wriggle out of another multiple-base runner and runner in scoring position scenario. With 2 strikes, 2 outs, and a pitch away escaping yet another jam, Taylor Walls belted a 3-run HR deep into the Minnesota night to give the Rays a 5-1 lead.

The big leader of the offense tonight was Yandy Diaz who ended up just a triple shy of the cycle while smoking 5 balls at 100+ MPH exit velocity on his way to a 4/6 juggernaut performance.

Yandy Diaz started the All-Star Game and has gotten a ton of much-deserved flowers this year, and yet he still feels underappreciated and celebrated for just how incredible this year has been. Before adding to it tonight, he has the 7th highest wRC+ in all of Major League Baseball, ahead of the likes of Juan Soto, Kyle Tucker, Bryce Harper, and Julio Rodriguez, and Bo Bichette.

While Yandy did not end up becoming the 3rd Ray to hit for the Cycle, him and the rest of the Rays hiters were able to keep adding on and applying the pressure eventually pushing the lead to 7-1.

The added runs proved important as Glasnow’s evening ended a bit worse than it began. In the 6th inning, which ended up being Glasnow’s final inning of work, the Twins were able to do more than they did in the previous 5 innings combined. Single, single, HR, single was how Glasnow was greeted by the fightin’ Baldelli’s. Quickly a 7-1 lead became a 7-4 with the tying runner on deck nailbiter.

Glasnow is the Rays ace, and Kevin Cash, Kyle Snyder, and co left him in to find his way out of the mess he created. And indeed Glasnow acted like the ace he is, freezing Correa for a strikeout and inducing the inning-ending double play to finish off the Twins threat.

Glasnow ended his night at 6 IP 6 H 4 ER 2 BB 8 K with 13 whiffs.

The Rays pen with Kevin Kelly, Jake Diekman, and capped off with Pete Fairbanks were low drama to close out the final three frames and secure the 89th W for the Rays and remain 3 GB of Baltimore in the fight for the AL East.

Unfortunately, the Rays did get one loss tonight: Jose Siri.

Brutal looking injury, and unfortunately after the game the worst was confirmed

Major loss to the Rays, as Siri’s defense in CF and team 2nd highest HR are not going to be easy to replace. Best case now will be hoping Siri can heal and return for the postseason.