Rich Hill threw some bad pitches, then an entertaining fit in the dugout early in Tuesday’s game, and the Rays couldn’t recover in losing, 4-3, to the Nationals in Washington D.C.
The loss was the Rays’ second straight, dropping them to 47-33 and keeping them in second place in the American League East. The surging Nats, managed by former Rays player and coach Dave Martinez, won for the 14th time in 18 games and improved to 39-38.
Hill got off to a brutal start, giving up a home run on his first pitch to sizzling leadoff man Kyle Schwarber, then a double and a home run to Juan Soto on his eighth pitch.
Another home run to Victor Robles on the first pitch of the second inning was apparently enough for Hill — who threw his fit, then threw up zeroes the rest of the way as he impressively worked through six innings.
As Hill came off the mound after the second, he grumbled to catcher Mike Zunino, then took out his frustrations on the dugout bench at Nationals Park.
First Hill, 41, slammed his glove on the bench twice with his right hand. He threw down his hat with his left. Took a few steps down the bench, then turned back and grabbed a black bat from the front of the rack.
He smashed it on to the bench three times as if using a sledgehammer, then took a full left-handed cut at the back of the bench and jammed the bat back in the rack and walked away.
Hill regained his composure quickly enough to lead off the third by dropping a bunt in front of the plate, and then race — OK, trot ― to second when catcher Yan Gomes threw wildly past first.
The home run to Schwarber had to be frustrating but hardly surprising given his torrid streak. The homer was Schwarber’s 10th in his last 12 games, and 16th in 18. It was his seventh from the leadoff spot and 25th overall.
Brandon Lowe homered off starter Joe Ross in the fifth, his seventh in his last 21 games and 16th overall. They got another in the sixth, when Austin Meadows doubled and Kevin Kiermaier continued his hot streak with a two-out RBI single to cut the 4-0 lead in half.
Zunino homered to lead off the ninth inning, which closed out scoring for the Rays.
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