ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — For much of Wednesday night, the most interesting topic was whether Tyler Glasnow’s effective and efficient start would allow him to break the Rays’ five-plus year run without a complete game, the longest such drought in major-league history.
By the end it was how the Rays rallied to win 2-1 after blowing a 1-0 lead in the top of the ninth inning when reliever J.P. Feyereisen allowed a homer to Andrew Benintendi.
The Rays won it in the 10th when Manuel Margot singled in Kevin Kiermaier, who started the inning as the runner at second and moved to third on Taylor Walls’ deep flyout.
Glasnow did his part, shutting the Royals out for eight impressive innings, allowing three hits and striking out 11 while throwing 102 pitches,
Had he not thrown 22 pitches in the eighth, or had the Rays extended their lead, he might have had a chance to start the ninth. Instead, Rays manager Kevin Cash went to Feyereisen, the reliever acquired Friday from the Brewers, and he gave up a leadoff homer to Benintendi on a 2-2 pitch that tied the score.
The Rays have not thrown a complete game since Matt Andriese did so on May 14, 2016, the 725 games since the longest such drought in major league history.
Wednesday, Glasnow retired the first 13 Royals, not allowing his first baserunner until Kelvin Gutierrez singled with one out in the fifth. He gave up just two other hits, a single two batters later in the fifth to Adalberto Mondesi and a two-out single by Whit Merrifield in the eighth.
His performance was a significant improvement from his last outing Friday, when he allowed five runs to the Blue Jays on nine hits over 4 2/3 innings while striking out only two.
After scoring 95 runs over 11 consecutive wins, the Rays were held to one in their streak-ending loss Tuesday. And they didn’t do much Wednesday, rapping just four hits total.
They got on the board in the fourth, Mike Brosseau drawing a one-out walk off Royals lefty starter Mike Minor, moving to second on Joey Wendle’s rightside groundout and scoring on a single by Mike Zunino.
The Rays played some great defense.
Brett Phillips made the first noteworthy play. Starting ahead of Kiermaier in center, and playing just like him, Phillips raced back and to his right to haul in a Benintendi drive to end the first. (Kiermaier made two spectacular catches Tuesday, both on balls hit by Benintendi.)
Third baseman Brosseau was next, diving to his left to make a stop, then a throw, on a Salvador Perez shot that opened the second.
Shortstop Joey Wendle crossed over behind second to grab a ball hit by speedy Jarrod Dyson, then bounced a throw that first baseman Yandy Diaz stretched and scooped.
