Usually it’s thrilling to come back house after a profitable highway journey, however the unfriendly confines of George M. Steinbrenner Subject usually are not as welcoming for the Rays. The Rays moved to 9/11 at house this season and dropped the collection opener 3-1 towards the Royals on Tuesday night time.
The Rays managed eight hits however solely plated one run, that one approaching a Junior Caminero solo shot to middle subject, his sixth homer of the season.
Yandy Diaz appears to be like to be rounding into type, going 2-for-3 and drawing a stroll. He has recorded hits in 4 of his final 5 video games, three of these being multi-hit performances.
Chandler Simpson’s eight-game hitting streak to start out his huge league profession got here to an finish with an 0-for-5 night time, though he narrowly missed out on a number of hits that both went simply foul, or turned a fielders selection after a drive out at one other base.
Taj Bradley didn’t look sharp, missing the command that powered his mini-breakout in 2024. The fastball nonetheless performs, however he can’t get the splitter down within the zone, and he doesn’t have the boldness in his below-average curveball to throw it extra. If Bradley goes to get anyplace near the place he was within the first half final 12 months, he wants to have the ability to lean on different pitches.
I don’t have to see any extra of Curtis Mead. Do I feel he’s a participant that might discover some success if given constant enjoying time? Sure, however that ought to not occur right here. Give me any lefty on this roster towards a left-handed reliever over Mead as a pinch hitter. Not solely did he strike out simply, he pulled up on a dropped third strike when he may have reached because the tying run within the eight inning.
It’s a brief house stand, with simply two extra video games towards the Royals earlier than the Rays head to the Bronx. Fortunately, Drew Rasmussen and Shane Baz are as a consequence of begin the ultimate two video games of the collection.
