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The Tampa Bay Rays came into game two against the San Diego Padres two games under .500. Tampa lost last night 13-5. Starting pitcher Taj Bradley struggled for his fifth straight start. On top of that, first baseman Yandy Diaz left the game with what the team calls patellar tendinitis in his left knee. Diaz was not in the lineup for game two. The injury occurred in the bottom of the first after he slid head-first into third base.
The Rays offense continues to struggle hitting just .230 as a team. They had 10 hits during game one but only had five runs to show for it. The pitching matchup was Randy Vasquez who had a 4-6 record with a 4.52 ERA, and 55 strikeouts for the visiting Padres. The Rays countered with Shane Baz who had a 1-2 record, a 3.48 ERA, and 36 strikeouts.
Before the game yesterday, the Rays brought up Jonathan Aranda who was up earlier this year. He is a power bat that Tampa hopes puts a spark in the lineup. Tampa faces a daunting task as they are seven games out of the final wild-card spot. After the Padres they have the team that owns that spot in the Minnesota Twins for four starting on Labor Day.
The Rays were wearing their city-connect all-black jerseys with black hats. The Padres were light brown uniforms both tops and bottoms with dark brown hats. San Diego struck first in the first inning Jake Cronenworth hit a two-run home run. It ended an exciting first inning as the Rays got a run and had a chance to take the lead but were unable to. They evened the score in the bottom of the second the RBI coming from Brandon Lowe.
The next hitter, Junior Caminero hit a three-run home run to give the Rays their first lead of the night. The Rays added three more runs in the bottom of the fourth extending their lead by six runs 8-2. Thru four innings Jose Caballero and Junior Caminero had three RBIs a piece. The only batter that did not have an at-bat in the fourth inning was the DH Jonathan Aranda.
San Diego made it interesting adding two runs in the top of the seventh to cut into the Rays lead at 9-4. The first seven innings saw hit after hit for both teams. Brandon Lowe had a good game going 3 for 5 with a double and two singles. It’s funny how stats work huh? Jose Caballero was 2 for 5 with two singles but accounted for 4 RBIs.
The Tampa Bay Rays followed up the 10-hit game with 13 hits. In the top of the ninth, right fielder Jonny Deluca made an outstanding catch against the wall for the first out. The Rays fans are hoping for more games like this one they did everything right. The offense came alive and did not allow the early home run to affect them. The series is now even and today’s game will be the rubber match. The fans of both teams were cheering loudly throughout the game. It will be exciting to see how tomorrow afternoon’s game turns out.
What are your thoughts on the Rays game today? Leave a comment below.
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Author Profile
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Bradley Walker serves as the Director of Operations for NGSC Sports, bringing extensive experience across collegiate, professional, and amateur athletics. His coverage spans USF Athletics, including football, baseball, lacrosse, and softball, as well as University of Tampa baseball.
Bradley also provides coverage of minor league baseball with the Clearwater Threshers and Major League Baseball with the Tampa Bay Rays. On the national stage, he covers college football bowl games and conference championship matchups, along with premier golf events across the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and LPGA Tour.
In addition to his reporting work, Bradley is the play-by-play announcer for Pinellas Park High School Patriots football, lending his voice and insight to Friday night lights.
He is also an active podcast host and contributor, serving as a co-host on the P&W Sports Report and hosting The Walker Report, where he delivers in-depth sports analysis, interviews, and coverage across multiple levels of competition.
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