ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. _ So if a team rolls to a fourth straight win and hardly anybody is there to see it, it still counts, right?
Before a gathering, if you can call it that, of 5,876, the smallest ever for a Rays game in 22 seasons at Tropicana Field, they did a little bit of everything that's been working in beating the Blue Jays, 3-1, and improving to 33-19.
Avisail Garcia had a starring role, going all method actor in taking on the role of leadoff hitter by racing around the bases for his first career inside-the-park homer.
Five pitchers combined on the victory. And the defense was relatively sturdy.
The Rays got off to another quick start, with Garcia singling, going to second on Tommy Pham's walk, to third on Austin Meadows' right-side grounder and _ after a Willy Adames walk loaded the bases _ scoring on Travis d'Arnaud's sac fly to deep center.
Then Garcia totally immersed himself in the role, racing around the bases for the first inside-the-park homer of his career.
He needs to thank Toronto's Randal Grichuk, who lost and thus grossly misplayed what was a routine fly to right field. So routine that Garcia put his head down and threw his bat before starting toward first.
Grichuk ran in, maybe hoping to pick up the flight of the ball. So when it landed about 30 feet behind him and bounced toward the wall, Garcia was free to round the bases and head for home.
He slid in with his left hand across the plate, then sat up and clapped his hands before heading to the dugout celebration.
Garcia was batting leadoff for the second time in a week, for reasons no more complex, manager Kevin Cash said, than wanting to get him to the plate as many times as possible against a lefty starter, Clayton Richard on Tuesday for Toronto.
The inside the-park-homer created some excitement, and a few notes.
It was the first of Garcia's eight-year big-league career. The second by a Rays player this season, actually within a week, as Kevin Kiermaier had one Thursday night in Cleveland. The first at Tropicana Field since Eduardo Perez had one on Opening Day 2018. And the first by a Ray at the Trop since David DeJesus on Sept. 7, 2014.
The Rays got yet another solid team pitching effort.
Ryne Stanek gave them two innings as the opener, Ryan Yarbrough had a second solid inning since his return from Durham in working 3 2/3, allowing two hits, and the combination of Chaz Roe, Emilio Pagan and Diego Castillo taking it from there.
Cash was talking before the game about how well they had pitched overall, especially since losing Tyler Glasnow to a May 10 forearm strain, and specifically the work of spot starters/bulk inning guys Jalen Beeks, Yonny Chirinos and Yarbrough.
"Our pitching has been outstanding," Cash said. "We hear it from different teams that we come in and play and then leaving, a lot of compliments on our pitching side. We all know that's how we're built. It's nice to have when you lose at that point arguably the best pitcher in the American League to be able to slot in. Not that we're not missing a beat because we miss Tyler. But guys can fill in and pick up some big void."
Such as Beeks, Chirinos and Yarbrough.
"We have counted on them more to provide a little more length than maybe when Tyler is healthy (and) you can make quicker decisions during their days," Cash said. "But they've been really good for us."
Yarbrough has made two solid outings since his return from a month-long exile to Triple-A.
"Saying that we didn't lose confidence (in him) was accurate, but at the same time when you get sent down there's probably a reason behind it," Cash said. "I think he appreciated, and we appreciated, that there was work to be done. He went down there and did it and came back and picked us up in a huge way against Cleveland and kind of set that series off on a good note."
Blake Snell starts for the Rays on Wednesday, saying he will be challenged by the dynamic hitters in the Toronto lineup as well as by his own personal goal.
Snell has done a lot of good this season despite missing time with a broken toe, and especially lately with a 1-1, 1.48 ERA over his last four starts.
But what he hasn't done well enough this season, and what clearly agitates him, is pitch deeper into games, completing seven innings only once, on April 2 vs. Colorado.
"I want to complete seven every time," he said Tuesday. "I was good at getting through six but not through seven (only seven times in 31 starts). So seven is the goal, and I've failed that goal so far. So it's been frustrating. In order to do that I've got to be more consistent. I can't have deep counts to start the game as well as ending the game. ... But there's a lot of good also happening within the starts. So I've just got to find a way to get through seven and continue to grow."
