A Promising Start
Our Tampa Bay Rays kicked off the game with the kind of energy that gets us fans pumped up right from the get-go! Yandy Díaz got things rolling with a solid single to left, followed by Randy Arozarena getting a free pass to first after being hit by a pitch. Then, Amed Rosario came through with a beautiful double to right field, driving Díaz home and giving us the early lead. Unfortunately, Isaac Paredes lined out and both Jose Siri and Jonny DeLuca struck out, leaving us with just one run, but it felt like a good start!A Rough First Inning
Things quickly took a turn in the bottom of the first. The Braves responded big time. After a single and a double, Marcell Ozuna hit a three-run homer, putting them up 3-1. The Braves kept the pressure on, with Matt Olson and Austin Riley adding doubles to push another run across. A costly error allowed another Braves run, making it 5-1. It was a rough inning for us to say the least, and our guys had an uphill battle from there.
Struggling to Build Momentum
Innings two through six were tough on both our hitters and pitchers. We couldn't seem to find our groove at the plate despite some strong singles from Isaac Paredes and Randy Arozarena, and Jose Siri managed a double in the seventh inning. Our bullpen did a solid job preventing further damage after the second inning, but we couldn't capitalize offensively to close the gap. A lack of timely hitting kept the score at 7-1 against us for most of the game.A Late Rally Falls Short
In the top of the seventh, Richie Palacios sparked some hope by doubling to left and bringing home Siri, making it 7-2. In the ninth inning, Siri doubled again, and Palacios singled to drive him in and make it 7-3. Unfortunately, despite Alex Jackson walking to give us some hope, Braves closer Iglesias shut us down to end the game. Our Rays fought hard till the last out, but ultimately, it wasn’t enough to overcome the early deficit.
Looking Forward
Despite the 7-3 loss, there were some encouraging signs, like Jose Siri's two doubles and Richie Palacios driving in two runs. Our bullpen also stepped up after a difficult start. Let's keep our heads up and look forward to the next game. We've got the talent and resilience to bounce back stronger!
Keep the faith, Rays fans! Tomorrow is another day!
Scoreboard for Rays @ Braves (June 14th, 2024)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 0 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 2 |