Catcher Nick Fortes has emerged as an unlikely force for the Tampa Bay Rays, who will continue their three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday night in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Fortes is 11-for-19 during a five-game hitting streak, including four hits with two RBIs in an 11-3 win over the Guardians on Friday.
The Rays reportedly are in the market for a catcher with the trade deadline approaching on Aug. 3, but Fortes’ play might change their plans.
“I’m just trusting the work and staying consistent with it,” said Fortes, who has a .281 batting average, four homers and 27 RBIs this season. “There’s going to be ups and downs, but you’ve got to continue with the same approach and routine, and that’s just kind of where I’m at right now.”
Tampa Bay owns the best record in the American League at 60-43 and is a major-league-best 36-15 at home.
Ryan Vilade hit a two-run homer and Richie Palacios added a three-run blast on Friday for the Rays, who pounded out 15 hits.
Cleveland trailed 5-1 after four innings and lost its third straight game. Right fielder Chase DeLauter extended his season-high on-base streak to 16 games with a first-inning walk before lining a double to right field in the fourth.
“I thought early in the game … we were getting some momentum going there,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “I thought we had some good at-bats. We just weren’t really able to get much, and then they kind of stretched the game out.
“Just kind of took the wind out of our sails. But, again, tough night. These nights happen. We’ll flush it and be ready to go tomorrow.”
Before Friday’s game, Cleveland activated outfielder/infielder Angel Martinez and left-handed reliever Tim Herrin from the injured list and optioned utilityman Daniel Schneemann and left-hander Will Dion to Triple-A Columbus.
Saturday’s pitching matchup will feature a pair of right-handers as Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee (4-9, 3.86 ERA) opposes Tampa Bay’s Nick Martinez (9-2, 2.59).
Bibee, 27, allowed two runs over six innings in a 13-4 home win over the Minnesota Twins on Monday. After going 0-7 with a 4.57 ERA to start the season, Bibee is 4-2 with a 2.88 ERA in his last eight starts since the beginning of June.
Yandy Diaz is 4-for-13 (.308) with a home run in his career against Bibee, who is 1-3 with a 3.82 ERA in five career starts vs. Tampa Bay.
The Rays will counter with Martinez, who tossed six innings of one-run ball in a 7-1 road win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday.
“He’s been huge for us all season long,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said of Martinez. “We needed a really good start, he gave us one. Pitched out of a couple jams there early on but then got on a roll where he was just super efficient, throwing all his pitches and letting the defense play behind him.”
Martinez, 35, has allowed three earned runs or less in 18 of his 19 starts this season.
Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez is hitless in eight at-bats against Martinez, who is 2-2 with a 5.66 ERA in seven career games (three starts) vs. Cleveland.
-Field Level Media
