The Tampa Bay Rays finally can go into a home game after winning a game at home.
The Rays host the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday afternoon with fresh memories of a 4-3 victory in the series opener that snapped Tampa Bay’s seven-game home losing streak.
Taylor Walls’ bases-loaded walk with two outs in the eighth inning broke a 3-3 tie, and rookie Eric Orze pitched the ninth for his second save.
“Damn good,” Walls said, when asked how it felt to finally prevail in a home game. “I don’t remember (winning) being this tough. But we’re going to have to work our tails off if it is.”
Milwaukee reliever Jared Koenig was off the plate with the 3-2 pitch that gave the Rays the win.
“Just trying to be aggressive and get something I could handle … It was a grind, I guess.” Walls said about the walk. “… 3-2, he missed. Just in.”
Rays left fielder Chandler Simpson made Orze’s job easier by diving to catch Daz Cameron’s pop fly leading off the top of the ninth. Tampa Bay reliever Cole Sulser got the win despite blowing a lead in the top of the eighth.
Tampa Bay will send Taj Bradley (3-2, 4.43 ERA) to the mound on Saturday. The right-hander is coming off a road win against the New York Yankees on Sunday, when he allowed two runs and four hits in 5 1/3 innings with three walks and a strikeout.
The Brewers probably hope the Saturday game will feature more traditional plays at key moments.
In addition to losing on the bases-loaded walk, an obstruction call against Milwaukee third baseman Caleb Durbin in the sixth gave the Rays a 3-2 lead.
With Christopher Morel on third base, Junior Caminero on first and two outs, Caminero took off for second. Catcher William Contreras fired to second base, but Caminero retreated to first. The throw then went to third, and it appeared that Morel was tagged out. However, the umpire ruled that Durbin blocked the base, and Morel was awarded home and Caminero second.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy was ejected for arguing the call.
“All I’m going to tell you is I still disagree with it,” Murphy said after the game. “They tell me I’m wrong because anytime you argue it, they tell you you’re wrong and they give you their judgmental opinion.
“The bottom line is that you can never be right and then you get a fine and nobody says a word.”
Said Durbin: “(Second baseman Brice Turang) did a great job of running the guy back and made the throw to third. Morel got a little too far off, made the throw to me and you’re not really thinking in that situation. You just react. I put the tag on him and they called obstruction.”
Righty Tobias Myers (1-0, 3.65 ERA) is scheduled to start for Milwaukee on Saturday. He got his first win of the season on Monday against the Houston Astros, when he allowed a run and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out two.
Both Bradley and Myers will be facing the opposing team for the first time.
Before the Friday game, the Brewers recalled infielder Andruw Monasterio and left-handed pitcher Bryan Hudson from Triple-A Nashville while designating infielder Vinny Capra for assignment. Monasterio entered the series opener as a pinch runner and stayed in to play first base.
–Field Level Media
