Rays Continue To Sizzle At Home
The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Baltimore Orioles 7-3 on Sunday afternoon to win their 11th straight home game.
Yonny Chirinos (4-5, 3.81 ERA) gets the win for Tampa Bay who improve to 78-64 on the season. The Rays have won seven of their last eight games to improve to a season high 14 games over .500. It’s the most games over .500 they’ve been since finishing the 2013 season 92-71.
Josh Rogers (1-2, 8.95 ERA) takes the loss for the Orioles who drop to 41-102 on the season.
The win ties the franchise record for consecutive home wins at 11 straight matching the 2008 club (April 22 through May 13th). Since June 11, Tampa Bay is 32-8 at Tropicana Field. The Rays have 44 wins at home, their most since winning 51 at Tropicana Field in 2013. They were below .500 at home in 2014, 2015, and 2016.
Stanek Struggles: Chirinos &Â Pen Do Not:
Ryne Stanek walked all three batters he faced before departing in the first. Lucky for Tampa Bay, Cedric Mullins was caught stealing or Yonny Chirinos would have entered in a much different jam. Nonetheless, Chirinos struck out Trey Mancini and got Chris Davis to line out to left to keep the Orioles off the board in the opening frame.
Chirinos worked 6.1-innings and allowed three runs on seven hits while striking out six and walking three. He threw 94 with 59 for strikes.
Chaz Roe came in and got the last out of the seventh before yielding way to Vidal Nuno who worked the final two innings to secure the win.
Relentless Offense:
Tampa Bay continued their assault on Baltimore pitching pushing across eight runs on 13hits. It was the 57 time the Rays have banged out double-digit hits and they improve to 57-10 in those games.
In the three game series with the Orioles they scored 32 runs. It just the fourth time in franchise history that the Rays have scored 30 or more runs in a three game series. The 31 runs are the second most in a three game series, tying the 31 put up against the Toronto Blue Jays from May 16 through 18, 2016. The franchiser record for most runs in a three game series is 34 against the Baltimore Orioles on August 29 through 31, 2008.
The Rays offensive assault began in the bottom of the first as they scored five runs highlighted by Brandon Lowe‘s 3-run homer.
Brandon Lowe's 3-run 💣 in the 1st
4th @MLB homer for the #Rays No. 10 prospect: https://t.co/9OPTYmluZ0 pic.twitter.com/pMhvMDRzby
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 9, 2018
Mallex Smith and Tommy Pham pulled a double steal in the second. Pham was safe at second and Smith scampered in to steal home. It was his first steal of home in his career and the first for the Rays since Desmond Jennings on July 3, 2012 against the New York Yankees.
Carlos Gomez added to the lead belting a solo homer in the sixth. It was his ninth homer of the season and first since July 14th against the Twins in Minnesota.
Mallex Smith finished the game with three hits, Kevin Kiermaier, Willy Adames, and Tommy Pham each had two hits. Pham extended his batting streak to a career high 12 straight games.
Up Next For The Rays:
Tampa Bay continues their nine game homestand welcoming in the Cleveland Indians for a three game series beginning Monday night at 7:10. The Rays will employ Diego Castillo (3-2, 3.40 ERA) while the Indians will counter with Corey Kluber (18-7, 2.75 ERA).
