In a September full of roller coasters, between scoreboard watching and the contest at One Trop Drive, one could compare it to Busch Gardens’ SheiKra.
Entering today, the New York Yankees trailed Tampa Bay by 3.5 games in the AL East, and played the Minnesota Twins at 12:40 PM EST.
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After a ninth inning game-tying Anthony Volpe double and four extra-inning lead changes, the Twins held off the Yankees in the 13th inning by the final score of 5-4 on a Victor Caratini single.
By 5 PM, the Rays knew they could take advantage and gain a full game in the standings, and, boy, did they deliver.
Coming into tonight’s contest, Tampa Bay ranked 24th in MLB against left-handed pitching with a .684 team OPS.
By the end of the second inning, facing A’s lefty Brady Basso, the Rays had four doubles resulting in four runs. 4-0 Rays.
After the second inning, Nick Martinez ran into a little turbulence, allowing hoers to Tommy White and henry Bolte for the A’s to cut the lead in half.
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Those would be the only runs Martinez would allow, as he went five innings, striking out three on only 72 pitches.
With Ian Seymour (79), Griffin Jax (67), and now Nick Martinez (72) throwing less than 80 pitches and allowing two runs or less, it appears that the Rays may be trying to get them more rest as the team prepares for the postseason.
Shea Langeliers would plate another for the A’s to bring it to 4-3, but the law firm of Kevin Kelly, Cam Booser, and Cole Sulser shut the door, with Kelly and Booser earning holds and Sulser earning a save, respectively.
The Flappy Boys win their fifth straight as well as earning another series win, and play again tomorrow at 1:10 PM EST from Tropicana Field. Drew Rasmussen toes the slab opposite old friend of the program Jeffrey Springs.
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