This story was originally published by Dead Spin
Though the Tampa Bay Rays seem set to miss the postseason for the first time in six years, the quest to finish strong remains important.
They can take another step in that direction with a second straight win over the American League Central-leading Guardians on Friday night in Cleveland.
Tampa Bay (72-75) totaled seven runs while being swept in a three-game set at Philadelphia earlier this week but recorded 10 hits and got seven scoreless innings from five relievers in a 5-2 victory on Thursday to open the four-game series against the Guardians.
Brandon Lowe hit his 18th homer and Jose Caballero had two hits and an RBI for the Rays, who are 3-4 on a 10-game road trip.
The Rays, 8-13 since sitting two games over .500 on Aug. 21, are batting a major-league-worst .214 with runners in scoring position. They went 2-for-10 in those chances on Thursday but still earned the win.
“We’ve definitely got to try to take control of those situations,” Rays infielder Taylor Walls said, according to MLB.com. “Being patient, getting a pitch to hit.”
Caballero, meanwhile, is 6-for-12 with two RBIs in the past five games. He has never faced Cleveland’s scheduled Friday starter, Tanner Bibee (11-7, 3.56 ERA).
Bibee has already surpassed the win total (10) from his rookie year in 2023. In his past two starts, he allowed a combined three runs despite walking six over 11 innings.
The right-hander gave up two runs in five innings during a 4-0 road loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.
Bibee was arguably more efficient in his only previous start against the Rays. On Aug. 13, 2023, he allowed seven hits but no walks and just two runs over seven innings of Cleveland’s 9-2 road victory.
Tampa Bay is slated to counter with Zack Littell (6-9, 3.89).
The right-hander allowed four runs, four walks and seven hits in four innings of a 5-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Sept. 2 in his return from a stint on the 15-day injured list caused by shoulder fatigue. However, he bounced back nicely by yielding three hits and a walk over five-plus innings of the Rays’ 2-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.
Littell allowed six hits and two walks but just two runs (one earned) in six innings during Tampa Bay’s 4-2 home loss to the Guardians on July 13. In 10 career games (two starts) vs. Cleveland, Littell is 3-0 with a 2.01 ERA.
Owning a four-game lead in the Central, Cleveland (84-63) totaled 16 runs during a three-game road sweep of the lowly Chicago White Sox to begin the week. However, the Guardians managed just five hits on Thursday, and only one in the final seven innings.
Cleveland’s Lane Thomas stayed hot with an RBI double against the Rays. In 11 September games, Thomas is batting .390 with 14 RBIs. Prior to that stretch, Thomas batted .148 in his first 28 games after the Guardians acquired him from Washington.
“You definitely just want to come in and do what they traded you for,” Thomas said, according to MLB.com. “Hopefully it can be a good end of the month here soon.”
–Field Level Media
