TAMPA — For a workforce that has manufactured runs in quite a lot of methods this season, the Rays botched a possible profitable rally within the eighth inning towards the Athletics on Monday evening on the way in which to a 6-4 loss.
It was Tampa Bay’s third loss in its final 4 video games.
The bullpen saved the Rays within the recreation after an atypically abbreviated begin by Drew Rasmussen.
Rookies Paul Gervase and Mason Montgomery obtained the Rays via the fourth and fifth innings earlier than Edwin Uceta and Garrett Cleavinger mixed to close out the A’s within the subsequent three innings.
That ended within the ninth when nearer Pete Fairbanks surrendered two singles and a triple to the primary 4 batters he confronted.
Simply minutes earlier, the A’s had retired solely one of many 4 Tampa Bay hitters who got here to the plate, but someway escaped with out surrendering a run.
Yandy Diaz led off with an infield single and was changed by pinch-runner Chandler Simpson, who stole second. Pinch-hitter Brandon Lowe was deliberately walked to convey Junior Caminero to the plate.
Caminero hit a tough grounder to 3rd baseman Max Muncy, who raced to the bag for the force-out after which threw to first to get the slow-moving Caminero. With B-Lowe at second base, Josh Lowe lined a single to left.
Rookie Colby Thomas, who made his major-league debut as a pinch hitter earlier within the high of the inning, aggressively charged the ball, caught it on a brief hop and threw B-Lowe out on the plate.
For the primary few innings, Jacob Lopez was making a fairly convincing argument that the Rays erred in together with him in a take care of Jeffrey Springs to convey Joe Boyle to Tampa Bay within the offseason. Lopez retired the primary 10 hitters on 36 pitches.
That streak ended quietly sufficient when Curtis Mead drew a one-out stroll within the fourth.
What adopted was something however quiet.
Caminero blasted a 425-foot homer to useless heart to chop the result in 4-2. This was adopted by three consecutive singles from Christopher Morel, Jake Mangum and Jonathan Aranda for an additional run.
The unraveling of Lopez was hastened when Mangum broke early whereas making an attempt to steal third base. Lopez turned and appeared to have Mangum picked off, however he threw wildly to second base. Mangum superior to 3rd and scored the tying run on Jose Caballero’s bunt single.
Rasmussen, who got here into the sport seventh within the American League in ERA at 2.45, had his roughest begin of the season. After getting two fast outs within the first, he gave up a double to Brent Rooker that was adopted by a stroll to Nick Kurtz.
4 pitches later, the Rays have been trailing 3-0 when Shea Langeliers drilled a 96-mph sinker 408 ft for a house run.
Rasmussen, who had pitched into the fifth inning in all 16 of his begins in 2025, bumped into bother once more within the third with three consecutive singles to drive in one other run. He ultimately escaped when Caminero began an inning-ending double play.
The Rays, who’ve been conscious of Rasmussen’s workload coming off a 3rd main elbow surgical procedure, opted to tug the right-hander after three innings and 54 pitches.
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