ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. _ Dylan Floro's worst outing as a Dodger did not last very long. It was over in a few minutes in the Dodgers' 8-1 loss at Tropicana Field on Wednesday, after the reliever faced four batters and allowed four runs without recording an out. It took that long for the Tampa Bay Rays to break a 1-1 tie and inflate Floro's earned-run average from 0.44 to 2.21, the fickleness of the stat for a reliever on full display.
Summoned to follow another strong outing by Rich Hill after throwing 16 pitches in 1 1/3 innings Tuesday, Floro hit the first batter he faced. The next two singled. The fourth, Avisail Garcia, drove a 93-mph fastball over the outside corner over the right-field wall for a three-run home run. He threw 11 pitches. His departure did not salvage the Dodgers.
Caleb Ferguson replaced Floro and before the inning ended Kevin Kiermaier slammed another three-run home run to complete a seven-run outburst. The total was the most the Dodgers (32-18) had given up since May 5.
Five Rays pitchers, starting with opener Ryne Stanek, held the Dodgers to five hits and three walks.
The offense's struggles and tag-team collapse spoiled an enchanting Rich Hill Experience.
The left-hander's signature grunts, punctuating each pitch, were audible throughout the domed ballpark, enhanced by the acoustics and sparse crowd. As was the explicit language he unleashed when the Rays' No. 3 hitter, Ji-Man Choi, dropped a two-out bunt single against the shift in the first inning. Hill added more vulgarity as he walked off the mound still enraged about the left side being left unmanned for Choi to exploit. Striking out two batters in an otherwise spotless 16-pitch inning wasn't good enough.
The animated show continued for another five innings. There were more choice words and snarls and screams and, as always, grunts. He spun his curveball every which way. He threw a 63-mph Eephus pitch. He displayed abundant gratitude to his catcher, Russell Martin, for making a difficult play. And he walked off the mound for the final time silent and satisfied after allowing one run across six innings.
After recording 10 strikeouts without a walk in six scoreless innings the last time out, Hill compiled seven strikeouts and two walks Wednesday. He escaped jams in the fourth and sixth inning. He threw 90 pitches.
Hill's performance extended the success of Dodgers starting pitchers this month. Since May 1, Los Angeles starters lead the majors in earned-run average (2.14), innings per starts (6.54), strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.06), and fewest walks (17).
The Rays (28-18) jumped ahead in the fourth inning against Hill thanks, in part, to a call in their favor. After falling behind 0-2, Tommy Pham took a fastball that appeared to land in the strike zone. Bill Miller called it a ball. That at-bat ended with Pham driving a fastball over the right-field fence.
Max Muncy countered Pham's homer with his own solo shot, a 420-foot blast off right-hander Yonny Chirinos in the sixth inning. The Dodgers threatened for more in the inning. With two on and two out, Martin cracked a single that Kiermaier fielded in shallow center field. Dodgers third-base coach Dino Ebel waved Cody Bellinger home from second base. Kiermaier threw him out to end the inning.
Hill left two Rays stranded in the sixth to keep the tie intact until Floro entered. Floro has been reliable since the Dodgers acquired him last July. He entered the game having been charged with six earned runs in 48 innings as a Dodger, good for a 1.13 ERA. But he stumbled, Ferguson wasn't much better, and the Dodgers' offense couldn't counter.
