ST. PETERSBURG [url=http://www.officialblues.com/...kyle-brodziak-jersey]Kyle Brodziak Jersey[/url] , Fla. — Tampa Bay’s continued experimentation with relievers as starters has had mixed results, but it helped the Rays beat the best team in baseball on Friday night, and they’ll hope for the same formula as the series continues Saturday at Tropicana Field.
“It’s a little backwards, a little different, but it is what it is,” Yankees‘ Brett Gardner said after Friday’s 2-1 win for the Rays.
On Saturday, the Rays will start reliever Wilmer Font (0-3, 7.56 ERA), who is already with his third team in 2018, but has found surprising success growing into the unusual role. In six June appearances, he has managed to last longer in each outing — 2/3 of an inning, then 1 1/3, then 2, then 2 1/3, then 3 1/3, and then 4 2/3 on Sunday against the same Yankees.
Font lasted one out shorter than the minimum needed for a win but held the Yankees to one run and four hits, striking out five. The same pitcher who had an 11.68 ERA in April and a 10.80 ERA in May now has a 2.51 ERA in June.
The Rays might not have a majority of fans in their own stadium, but they’re finding ways to win.
“They were pretty loud,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said of the Yankees fans on Friday night. “We’ve played the Yankees and Red Sox quite a bit, and they have a lot of fans who travel with them. I thought the loudest moment was when we got the final out, and that’s what we were concerned about. Our fans showed up and supported us.”
If the Rays want to win again Saturday, they’ll have to do so against another pitcher who has gotten steadily better as the season has progressed. Sonny Gray (5-4 [url=http://www.officialblues.com/...ottie-upshall-jersey]Scottie Upshall Jersey[/url] , 4.8) hasn’t faced the Rays yet this season, but he’s 3-4 in his career against Tampa Bay with a 4.26 ERA, including a 4.32 in four starts last year.
Gray had a 6.67 ERA in April, then a 5.16 ERA in May. For June, his ERA stands at 2.63. Gray has allowed only seven earned runs in 24 innings.
The Rays put together 10 hits on Friday, but got nothing from one of their best hitters.
Kevin Kiermaier went 0-for-4 to drop to 0-for-13 since his return from the disabled list. The Rays did get three hits from catcher Wilson Ramos, who has stepped into the American League lead in All-Star voting among catchers.
Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez, next in the All-Star voting, went 0-for-4 to drop his season average to .194. Ramos may get traded before this year’s deadline, but he’s making the most of his time with the Rays.
No one will confuse the Yankees (50-23) with the Rays (35-40), but another bullpen day Saturday could flummox a New York batting order that managed only five hits Friday. And when they did get hits, the Yankees couldn’t capitalize and went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
After the Rays dropped their first six games against the Yankees this season, they have won two straight as they try to again claw back to playing .500 baseball.
Three years after going undrafted out of Drury College, Trevor Richards has earned his first major league win.Richards pitched six effective innings to lead the Miami Marlins to a 3-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night.
”It’s great, it’s good to get that one out of the way,” Richards said. ”It’s been too long so it’s good to get it done.”
Richards (1-3) allowed two hits in his seventh major league start. The 25-year-old right-hander struck out two and walked three.
”He’s been a good story, he’s thrown the ball well,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. ”Obviously Pitcher of the Year last year in the minor leagues, really good reports on his makeup and how he works, competes, and pays attention so it’s good to see guys like that have success.”
Richards walked the first two batters of the game before settling in.
”I got a little too excited for the game, a little amped up and lost mechanics [url=http://www.officialblues.com/...dimir-sobotka-jersey]Vladimir Sobotka Jersey[/url] ,” Richards said. ”I was able to settle down and keep going.”
Brandon Crawford’s groundout in the first inning drove in the only run for the Giants, who had just three hits.
”Three hits, that’s not going to work,” manager Bruce Bochy said. ”We had a hard time getting guys on base and just getting something going. That’s the ballgame.”
Kyle Barraclough pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save in six chances. He has not allowed a run over his last 14 games and a career-best 13 2/3 innings.
JT Riddle had a two-run double for Miami, and Starlin Castro had two hits and knocked in a run.
”Just enough,” Mattingly said.
San Francisco right-hander Chris Stratton (7-4) worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the second inning, but ran into trouble in the third when he again loaded the bases. This time, Castro singled in Derek Dietrich and Riddle followed with a two-run double to right field.
”I let it get away from me there,” Stratton said. ”I thought I made some really good pitches. Give them credit.”
Stratton then retired his final 13 batters. He allowed four hits in seven innings.
RIDDLE’S BIG HIT
Riddle’s two-run double gave him his first multi-RBI game of the season and eighth of his career.
”(Stratton) left me a fastball over the middle of the plate after I had swung through two,” Riddle said. ”I was a little late on those so I was thinking he might come back with another one, he did, left it over the middle, and I put a pretty good swing on it.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Giants: 1B Brandon Belt (appendix) is expected to join the team in Los Angeles later this week after making progress from emergency surgery on June 2. ”He soft-tossed in Arizona, threw, did quite a bit of baseball activities,” Bochy said. ”Tomorrow he’ll take regular batting practice so that’s the big step. If he feels fine doing that, then we’re getting close on him.”
UP NEXT
Giants: LHP Andrew Suarez (2-4, 5.06 ERA) will start the third game of the series on Wednesday in his hometown for the first time in front of a number of family members and friends.
Marlins: LHP Caleb Smith (5-6, 3.70) is 5-4 with a 2.70 ERA over his last nine starts.
