Johan Camargo hits a long fly ball to centerfield. Kiermaier running back to the wall and…the ball falls to his left. The 7th inning was as if the Rays were in a parallel universe where they can’t play defense. Play after play did not go the Rays way, so let’s see where it all went wrong.
Rays Recap: Game Highlights
Braves starting pitcher Mike Soroka performed well. Soroka is their ace and it showed. The Rays had the tough time breaking through. But when Darren O’Day came in for relief, the Rays were able to capitalize and score 3 runs, taking a 4-3 lead.
Charlie Morton was a little more hittable than Soroka. But he kept the Braves lineup at bay by only giving up 2 runs on home run but Freddie Freeman.
In the bottom of the first inning, Freddie Freeman hit a double to right field. Hunter Renfroe ran back and attempted to make a basket catch. He missed the catch, but thankfully Kiermaier was there to back him up. Kiermaier threw the ball in to Brandon Lowe, who fired it to home. Acuña was called out at the plate. The relay was incredible, check it out here:
Kiermaier did a full spin while throwing the ball in. Absolutely amazing fielding right there. The only thing I found odd about this play was Renfroe’s attempt at making the basket catch. For such a good defender, it was weird that that’s how he would go about fielding that ball.
In the bottom of the 6th inning, Freddie Freeman hit a single to Kiermaier. Kiermaier fired the ball to Joey Wendle, getting Albies out at third. You’d think that other teams would know better than to run on Kiermaier by now.
Where it all went downhill…
It started when the Rays bullpen entered the game, which is not something you normally hear about this team. Kittredge and Drake were not as effective as they normally are, and gave up 3 runs combined.
Jose Alvarado entered the game to pitch the 7th, but actually did really well. This season so far his command is there and it made a big difference. The movement plus the velocity of his pitches is incredible. If he keeps this up, he can become one of the best lefty relievers in the league.
Unfortunately, luck was not on his side last night. First of all, Jose Martinez entered the game and remained in the 7th as the first basemen. While Martinez is a good hitter, he struggles defensively. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Marcel Ozuna led off the 7th inning and hit a double to left field. Johan Camargo comes up to the plate to face Alvarado and hits a long fly ball to Kevin Kiermaier. Carmargo stays still, flips his bat and watches, expecting the result to be a home run. He was halfway to first base (jogging) before he realized it wasn’t.
Meanwhile, Kiermaier misplayed the ball, jumped up and missed the catch. Very rare event for him. Thankfully, his reputation as such an elite defender kept Ozuna at third, preventing a run.
Fast forward, the Rays are playing the infield in and Swanson hits a ground ball to Adames. Adames makes a great stop and then fires a not-so-great catch to first. An average first basemen would be able to make the pick and get the out, but Jose Martinez couldn’t quite finish it off. Take a look for yourself:
At this point the Rays lead was far gone, with the Braves leading 7-4.
Is it time to panic?
Absolutely not. While this game was frustrating, it was incredibly uncharacteristic of the Rays.
The Rays have elite defense and a phenomenal bullpen. Bad innings happen, mistakes are made, but I don’t think last night’s game was anything to worry about. Let’s just not make a habit of it and do better tonight. Go Rays!