Another day of ineffective offense destroyed the Rays hopes of taking the series from the Kansas City Royals. The Rays had opportunity to score runs and continually squandered them. In the 6th inning the Rays had runners on 2 and 3 with 0 out and could not score a run! That is story for the Rays so far in the second half of the season, opportunities lost. The offense banged out 7 hits but only 1 of those hits was worth anything. Carl Crawford knocked in the lone run. Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria were the only Rays with a multiple hit day but Pena struck out when we needed the sac fly/hit and Longo did not generate any run production. It is nice to see Pena swinging a much better bat these days however.
Andy Sonnanstine pitched well enough to win the game. He gave up 8 hits, 5 ER, 2 BB and 2 K’s in 6.2 innings pitched. Not his best performance but he kept the Rays in the game until the bullpen entered. Al Reyes gave up a 2 out, 3 run blast (2 runs charged to Sonny) to Butler to seal the split for the Royals.
Since the week prior to the All Star break the Rays have not looked the same. They have looked very lethargic and uninterested on the field. They have lost their swagger, their intensity. I cannot think of a reason why. They are currently still atop the AL East and will be regardless of tonight’s Red Legs vs. Pinstripes outcome. They need to pull their heads out of their asses and play like they want the playoffs!
The Rays are not winning the games they should against the “soft” part of their schedule. If this trend continues it will be a very long August and September for both the Rays and their fans! See you all in Toronto!
