Rays lose yet again to a last-place team, falling to the Athletics

TAMPA — The bullpen was (mostly) outstanding. The hitters were (mostly) opportunistic.

The game was (mostly) there for the taking.

And yet the Rays walked off the field (entirely) frustrated.

If you’re into the process and not the result, it was a typical Rays effort Monday night against the Athletics before an announced sellout of 10,046 at Steinbrenner Field. They were aggressive on the bases, they went 3-for-6 with runners in scoring position, they roared back from an early deficit, they used a half-dozen pitchers and almost everybody on the bench.

And still they lost 6-4 after closer Pete Fairbanks gave up two runs in the ninth.

“Pete has been so good for us,” manager Kevin Cash said. “It’s the way baseball works sometimes.”

Would you like another example of how strange baseball can be?

Rays designated hitter Yandy Díaz leads off with a single against Athletics reliever Michael Kelly during the eighth inning. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]

The Rays sent four batters to the plate in the eighth inning, got two singles, a walk and a stolen base. And still didn’t score.

How about one more?

Five of Tampa Bay’s last six losses have been against last-place teams. They have an MLB-best record of 22-13 against teams above .500, and yet they are a middling 25-25 against lesser competition.

“Frustrating to not finish it off tonight,” said Fairbanks, who had converted seven of his last eight save opportunities and came into the game with a 2.03 ERA. “But you know that happens. You’re going to give up the hits, you’re going to take the loss every now and then, but we’ll be right back at it.”

The night’s first oddity was seeing starter Drew Rasmussen struggle to find his groove. Rasmussen has been Tampa Bay’s most dependable starter through the season’s first half, but he put the Rays in a 4-0 hole after giving up a three-run homer in the first and three consecutive singles in the third.

At that point, Rasmussen had thrown 54 pitches on a muggy night and ESPN’s win probability calculator gave the Rays a 17% chance of winning the game. Mindful that Rasmussen has had three elbow operations and is approaching the 100-inning mark for the first time since 2022, Cash opted to pull the right-hander to lessen any additional stress on his arm.

“Cash did a really good job,” Rasmussen said. “He settled me down, first and foremost, because I was furious. Then we had an adult conversation, as we like to say back at my house. He’s (cognizant) of where my pitch count was at and how hard I had to work there in the first and third. They thought it was best for me to be a little short today.

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“Our offense and bullpen picked me up, but it is just one of those things. It’s a frustrating outing for sure.”

Rays starter Drew Rasmussen allows a single to Jacob Wilson during the third inning, the last inning he pitched on the night. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]

The offense responded in the fourth after former Ray Jacob Lopez opened the game by retiring 10 consecutive hitters. A Junior Caminero two-run homer was followed by three consecutive singles and then a bunt by Jose Caballero to drive in the tying run.

From there, four different relievers threw four innings of one-hit, shutout ball.

In the bottom of the eighth, it appeared as if the Rays would pull off another one of their opportunistic victories after Yandy Diaz led off with an infield single, pinch runner Chandler Simpson stole second and pinch hitter Brandon Lowe was intentionally walked with a 3-0 count.

Caminero followed by hitting into his league-leading 22nd double play that left Lowe at second base. Even so, the Rays were not done. Josh Lowe lined an opposite-field single to left and B-Lowe was running on contact.

Colby Thomas, who made his MLB debut in the top of the inning as a pinch hitter, caught the ball on a short hop, fired home while falling to the ground and nailed B-Lowe for the final out of the inning.

“Never, for a second, thought that J-Lowe wouldn’t get a hit there,” B-Lowe said. “I felt like I got a good jump. I don’t think I would have stopped had (third base coach) Brady (Williams) tried to stop me anyway. Obviously would have been a big run right there. And the kid came up, got in a great spot and, honestly, made a really good play.”

Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler (4) celebrates with third base coach Eric Martins (3), after he triples against Pete Fairbanks during the final inning. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]

With that opportunity gone, it almost felt like fait accompli that the ninth inning would go horribly wrong.

Fairbanks gave up back-to-back singles to lead off the inning and then, after getting a strikeout, gave up a two-run triple to Lawrence Butler. He later said he worked out his frustrations by hitting in the batting cage and reading critical comments on social media.

“I got some laughs from people that like to make their voices heard virtually,” Fairbanks said. “And we’re all good.”

John Romano can be reached at jromano@tampbay.com. Follow @romano_tbtimes.

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