ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. _ The Rays' great home winning streak came to an end at an even dozen Tuesday night in a 2-0 loss to the Indians.
Now they have to rebound Wednesday afternoon and keep their long-shot American League wild-card hopes from heading to the same fate, and they have the right man on the mound in ace Blake Snell.
Not that Wednesday's game is technically a must win, but the Rays need to be as close as they can to the second wild-card-holding A's when Oakland comes rolling into the Trop on Friday. That gap was 7 { games going into play Tuesday, and with the Rays losing and the A's playing the first of three games against the Orioles, they have to do what they can. (Tuesday's loss also eliminated the Rays from the American League East race.)
The Rays hadn't lost at the Trop since Aug. 8 vs. Baltimore. The 12-game streak was the best in franchise history, surpassing the 11-game run by the 2008 pennant winners, and longest in the majors in more than two years.
The Rays came into the game hoping to see better from starter Tyler Glasnow than in his last outing.
Realistically that wasn't going to be hard, given how poorly he pitched, unable to land his breaking ball and working without the usual life on his fastball, failing to get out of the first inning and charged with seven ugly runs.
Tuesday was much better as Glasnow worked a solid seven innings, allowing solo homers to Yan Gomes in the fifth and a 422-foot blast to Edwin Encarnacion in the sixth.
Glasnow was in control and in command, twice throwing only six pitches in an inning and a total of 90, with 66 strikes, for the night.
The problem was the lack of support. Having outscored opponents 82-31 during the 12-game home run, the Rays were blanked by Shane Bieber and two relievers, held to four hits on the night.
Though Joey Wendle led off the ninth with a single, the Rays didn't have any other last-inning magic.
Monday had been their latest impressive feat.
Having frittered away a 4-1 lead after knocking Indians ace Corey Kluber out in the second inning, the Rays were trailing 5-4, down to their final strike and holding just a 4.6 percent of winning per fangraphs.com when Tommy Pham slapped a single to right. That Ji-Man Choi, who had one previous hit off a lefty in the majors (albeit in just 24 plate appearances) then turned on a Brad Hand pitch and hit a two-run home run was pretty remarkable.
That was the Rays' ninth walk-off win of the season, the most for American League teams and third in the majors, more partying than they've had at the Trop in the two prior seasons combined, and their fifth on a home run.
The Rays are looking for some help in catching Oakland, and it looked Tuesday like they might get it from old friend Alex Cobb, who started for the Orioles against the A's. But after posting two scoreless innings, Cobb was forced out due to recurrence of a blister issue (the same one that kept him from pitching Sunday against the Rays) and then the Baltimore bullpen promptly gave up three runs.
So the Rays now turn to their best, with Snell on the mound for Wednesday's matinee finale against the Indians.
Snell has arguably the best base numbers of any pitcher in the majors at 18-5, 2.06 and is even better under the tilted Trop roof, 9-1, 1.23 in 12 starts, allowing more than one earned run only once, in his last outing (and on his final pitch).
The Rays, understandably, have a sense of confidence when he is on the bump.
"Pretty high," manager Kevin Cash said. "It's tough to dispute that. Blake, we talk about what he's done this year, we use that word "ace" or "elite." Anytime you have that type of feeling when a guy takes the mound it's a good feeling for the offense and the defense. It's not a feeling like okay, we can sit back and relax, Hopefully they're taking it more as, "I'm going to do everything I can to make every possible play behind him. And I think that's what they've done.
"There's a confidence, there's an air about him when he takes the mound, and we feel like we've got really good chances with him on the mound."
Really, really good.
"When he pitches, it's not only the confidence he brings to us, it's the show we're going to see that day," outfielder Carlos Gomez said. "When you see the season he has put together this season, you see how talented he is. You see every time a guy going to the mound and striking out double digits almost every time that he pitches. Listen and you hear the other players saying, I can't wait until you change pitchers, I can't see the ball, that guy is unbelievable. That is impressive. ... We feel (confident) when he's on the mound _ imagine how they feel."
