The winning streak finally comes to an end for the Tampa Bay Rays.
After winning 9 straight on the road, the team returned to Tropicana Field and fell to the Baltimore Orioles 6-5 on Friday night. The team still holds a solid lead in the American League East and has a 74-47 record this season.
Here is what you need to know from Friday's contest.
Bullpen game wasn't enough.
The team started the series at home with a bullpen game. Steven Matzs got the start and began with one strong inning of scoreless baseball. However, Jesse Scholtens allowed two earned runs across three innings of work, as did Garrett Cleavinger and Chris Roycroft. The team's six runs allowed were enough for the Orioles to get the win.
Cleavinger was awarded the loss, his fourth of the season, among the seven pitchers out of the bullpen for Tampa Bay. It wasn't necessarily a bad outing, and in the grand scheme of things, it helped keep the rotation fresh for another day following the off day on Thursday. Although the winning streak came to an end, this could still be seen as a good thing in the long run.
Ray's offense is still fine.
Although the team couldn't come away with the win, the Rays' offense followed them from the road trip. The team picked up 9 hits and 5 runs in the outing, and although they did not pick up a home run, they did find themselves on base multiple times in the game.
The team was decent with traffic on base, as they went 3 for 9 with runners in scoring position. They had a strong bottom of the 9th inning, trying to rally back and putting up 3 runs, but they fell 1 run short.
The fire in the squad following a flawless road trip should tell you everything you need to know about what the future still holds for this team.
Time to rebound
There is no reason to cry over spilled milk.
The team will be right back in action on Saturday, and Ian Seymour will get the start. He's currently 9-3 with a 4.08 ERA on the season and has been fantastic since converting from reliever this season.
He's currently 9-3 with a 4.08 ERA on the season and has been fantastic since converting from reliever this season.
He is coming off two strong games of six innings and hardly allowing any runs in both victories. This is a perfect opportunity for the Rays to get right and get back in their winning ways. Heading into Saturday's contest, the team holds a 6.5-game lead over the New York Yankees for the division lead. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 Eastern at Tropicana Field.