OAKLAND, Calif. _ Rays manager Kevin Cash has maintained he has faith in struggling reliever Diego Castillo, and he proved that point by placing Castillo into a tied game Saturday afternoon in Oakland.
The Rays were engaged in another low-scoring affair _ the type in which each run is immensely valuable _ and first baseman Ji-Man Choi had just homered to tie the game in the top of the seventh, getting starter Yonny Chirinos off the hook from a loss, when Cash turned to Castillo in a 2-2 game.
Castillo allowed two runs in the inning, and the Rays dropped a 4-2 decision for their 10th loss in their last 12 games. They are 1-4 so far on their 10-game road trip to New York, Oakland and Minnesota.
The last time Castillo was on the mound was Friday, when he allowed four runs in the ninth in a 5-4 walk-off loss that ended on Matt Chapman's three-run homer.
On Saturday, Castillo's day began with a four-pitch walk to No. 9 hitter Beau Taylor. Marcus Semien singled and Matt Chapman singled home a run. Two batters later, Castillo hit Ramon Laureano with the bases loaded.
Rays right-hander Chirinos certainly pitched well enough to win on Saturday afternoon, recording his seventh quality start in 10 starts this season.
Chirinos continued to emerge as a reliable starter, allowing just two runs over six innings on Saturday, and over his last six appearances _ all starts _ Chirinos has recorded a 2.72 ERA, allowing just 11 earned runs over 36 { innings.
The Rays right-hander needed some help from his defense. Shortstop Willy Adames made a fine play to start an inning-ending double play in the second inning two get out of a two-on, one-out jam. Chirinos loaded the bases in the fifth, but struck out slugger Khris Davis to escape that inning. And in the sixth, the first two hitter reached base, but Chirinos managed to get out of that jam as well, inducing a 6-4-3 double-play ball and an inning-ending ground out.
Chirinos has received very little run support as a starter, 1.9 runs per start, and the Rays are just 5-5 in games he's started in part because of it.
The Rays left nine men on base, including five in scoring position. After Choi's homer tied the game in the seventh, they had Austin Meadows 90 feet away from scoring after he tripled on a sinking line drive to right that skipped past a diving Stephen Piscotty, but Yusmeiro Petit struck out Avisail Garcia to end the inning.
