The Rays hopefully hit reset, returning to Tropicana Field with a welll-played win.
Six of the runs scored by both teams came via the long ball. The Nationals managed two solo home runs in the second and third inning against Griffin Jax. Poor Brian Anderson and Dewayne Staats came with a ton of stats showing how well Jax has done as a starter, and each time they launched into that conversation, Jax would give up a home run (or in one case a very deep fly ball that would have been a home run in 22 ball parks, that was caught by Johnny DeLuca).
The Rays didn’t let that go unanswered, however. Hunter Feduccia walked, Yandy Diaz singled, and then Jonathan Aranda, who has been struggling, unleashed a far from overwhelming home run — 95 mph, 334 feet, hitting off the foul pole. But you don’t get fewer points just because your home run was a little wimpy, so the Rays took a 3-2 lead to close out the third inning.
After giving up the two solo homers, Jax kept the Nationals off the board, but he was nonetheless done after five innings. I had thought Jax has generally been limited to four or five innings as he ramps up to starter, but we learned from tonight’s broadcast that in fact he’s had problems with a chronic blister that apparently returns after an inning or two of pitching, and he tries to push through the discomfort. Hopefully that gets resolved soon, he’s been pitching well as a starter and it would be nice if his starts didn’t become a de facto half bullpen day.
Jax was replaced by Steven Matz, and I’ll admit my stomach lurched as he entered the game, because he’s been something of a disaster since returning from the IL. But tonight he did his job, pitching 1.2 innings and giving up just one hit.
Meanwhile, the Rays were adding to their lead. In the fourth inning, Richie Palacios doubled and then scored on a Taylor Walls single. And in the eighth, Jonny DeLuca, just off the IL, got all of a hanging breaking ball and homered to left field, to give us the final score of 5-2.
Overall, this game felt like a return to earlier season normal, with good pitching, mostly clean defense (Aranda was charged with an error as he dropped the ball while making a tag at first), and a mix of long ball and small ball. Chandler Simpson even laid down a lovely bunt and beat it out, just like in the old days (of May).
Let’s keep this going! Game 2 of this series is tomorrow afternoon, and the Rays will go with the ever impressive “TBD” on the mound.
