Rays Snap Skid; Marlins Return Strong

Tuesday night was a good night for the Tampa Bay Rays and the Miami Marlins. It’s definitely the first time in a while that this can be said.

Rays End Losing Streak

The Tampa Bay Rays entered Tuesday night on a five-game losing streak. They seemed to be back on track in the first game of their homestand against the Boston Red Sox.

However, it was the Red Sox who got on the board first. First baseman Mitch Moreland belted a ball over the rightfield wall for a solo shot, giving the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. This would be the Red Sox entire offense of the night. Rays starter Charlie Morton had a strong outing, allowing only the one run. The bullpen held the Sox scoreless.

The Rays would put up five runs. Some of it was due to timely hitting–some had a little help from the catwalks. With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Hunter Renfroe appeared to have popped up down the third-base line. Rafael Devers appeared to be under it, but it suddenly landed ten feet to his left. The popped-up ball struck the catwalk in foul territory rending it a foul ball. Renfroe stayed alive. Two pitches later, Renfroe slapped a double into the right-centerfield gap, scoring Yoshi Tsutugo and Joey Wendle to make it 2-1 Rays.

In the bottom of the fifth, Rays outfielder Autin Meadows, in his first game back, tripled into right field to make it 3-1 Rays. Meadows picked up two hits, an RBI and scored in his return from recovering from COVID-19.

Brandon Lowe and Ji-Man Choi drove in runs to make it 5-1, and that would be the final score in the Rays victory.

AL East Standings:

1. New York Yankees (8-1)
2. Baltimore Orioles (5-4)
3. Tampa Bay Rays (5-6)
4. Toronto Blue Jays (3-5)
5. Boston Red Sox (3-8)

Marlins Win in Return

The Miami Marlins played just their fourth game of the season Tuesday night. They had not played since Opening Weekend due to a COVID-19 outbreak among players and coaches. This outbreak forced the exposed Philadelphia Phillies to shut down as well, along with a reshuffling of the schedule.

With the way the Marlins performed against the Orioles, you would never know they had time off. You also wouldn’t be able to tell they had 17 new players on the roster either. The Marlins put up four runs, including two solo bombs, to give them a 4-0 victory.  Marlins starter Pablo Lopez pitched five scoreless innings while striking out seven.

Some former Rays saw action in the game. Jesus Aguilar mashed a solo shot that made it 4-0. Logan Forsythe, Matt Joyce and Corey Dickerson all reached base in the game. Reliever Brad Boxberger pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Despite only playing four games, the Marlins sit atop the NL East due to winning percentage.

NL East Standings:

1. Miami Marlins (3-1)
2. Atlanta Braves (8-4)
3. Washington Nationals (4-4)
4. New York Mets (4-8)
5. Philadelphia Phillies (1-3)