ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. _ To get a sense of how shorthanded the Rays were by the final innings of Saturday night's game, all you had to do was look at the field and see Carlos Gomez playing second base.
It was that kind of night for the Rays, who lost another game, 3-2 to the Marlins, and apparently another player to injury, as shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria left in the seventh inning with left oblique soreness.
Hechavarria's injury forced Rays prospect Justin Williams, just called up from Triple-A Durham, to make a challenging debut, pinch-hitting against Marlins lefty Adam Conley, and in a key situation, two on and one out.
Williams, 22, who made it to the Trop and into the dugout around the third inning, didn't deliver a moment to remember, grounding into a double play.
With center fielder Kevin Kiermaier (foot) and third baseman Matt Duffy (back) sidelined, and only backup Adam Moore on the bench, the Rays put Williams in right field and moved Gomez to second. It wasn't totally wacky, as he played there once in 2015, an inning for the Brewers, and does take ground balls often.
The Marlins grabbed the lead in the fourth with a quick start against Ryan Yarbrough. Justin Bour drew a leadoff walk, Starlin Castro singled and Martin Prado doubled for one run. A one-out grounder by Miguel Rojas scored the other.
The Rays halved the lead when Joey Wendle opened the home fourth with a homer to center, which was the Rays first hit off Miami starter Pablo Lopez.
The Marlins extended the lead to 3-1 in the seventh when Cameron Maybin homered off Hunter Wood, the third of five Rays pitchers in a game started by opener Ryne Stanek. The Rays cut it back to 3-2 on a ninth-inning homer by Ji-Man Choi that struck high off the batter's eye in center field.
