Lowe’s sac fly lifts Rays to walk-off win
ST. PETERSBURG — On a day that didn’t commence with 6-foot-8 right-hander Tyler Glasnow brandishing great command, the Rays compensated with some command performances at the plate.
A 10th-inning RBI double by pinch-hitter Ji-Man Choi and a game-clinching sacrifice fly by struggling outfielder Brandon
Lowe lifted the Rays (28-13) to a 5-4 victory Sunday against the Marlins (17-18) at Tropicana Field.
“Great at-bat after at-bat [in the 10th],” said Rays manager Kevin Cash, whose club has won 22 of its last 27 and is unbeaten (8-0-2) in its last 10 series. “That entire inning was impressive with what we were able to piece together.”
The clutch at-bats mildly upstaged a two-homer day by offseason acquisition Randy Arozarena and offset an unsteady but gritty start by Glasnow, who said he was struggling with migraine symptoms before the game.
Arozarena, who missed the three-week Spring 2.0 camp after testing positive for COVID-19, is 7-for-15 with three homers since being called up Aug. 30. His solo blast to right center field off Marlins lefthander Trevor Rogers in the first cut the Marlins’ lead to 2-1.
His solo shot to left off Rogers in the sixth tied the score at 3-all.
“You know what, certainly a talented player,” Cash said. “We’re getting to know him on the fly. … A lot to like. He just goes up there, he’s got a knack for finding the ball and just can do a lot of special things.”
By contrast, his starting pitcher Sunday wasn’t quite as crisp.
Glasnow, 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA in his previous three starts, walked former Ray Corey Dickerson on eight pitches to open the game. Starling Marte then sent Glasnow’s 11th pitch — a curve ball — over the 404-foot marker in dead center to give Miami a 2-0 lead.
Only 16 of Glasnow’s 30 first-inning pitches were strikes. After retiring the side in the second, he issued a leadoff triple to Dickerson in the third, then allowed an oppositefield RBI single to righthander Jesus Aguilar.
Nonetheless, he exited with one out in the sixth and his team trailing only 3-2. He scattered four hits
and struck out nine (while walking three) for his fifth consecutive game of at least eight strikeouts.
“I kind of let [the migraine symptoms] affect me, I guess, like I was more focused on that than pitching,” Glasnow said.
“I’ve had ’em in the past before; this wasn’t super bad or anything, but just kinda dizzy. But I think … after the home run I kinda said, ‘Whatever, I have a migraine,’ and just did what I had to do.”
Arozarena’s blasts, combined with 32⁄ com
3 bined scoreless innings by relievers Aaron Loup, Pete Fairbanks and Diego Castillo, set the stage for the dramatic extra inning, which in 2020 begins with a runner on second base.
With the Rays defense shifted to the right side, former Ray and Armwood High alumnus Matt Joyce gave Miami a 4-3 lead with a two-out RBI-single up the middle, where shortstop Willy Adames otherwise might have been.
Choi led off the bottom of the inning with a sharp grounder down the firstbase line for a double, scoring Wendle. Seminole High alumnus Brett Phillips, pinch-running for Choi, moved to third on Michael Perez’s lineout to center.
After Kevin Kiermaier walked, Lowe — mired in an 0-for-22 slump — worked a full count on right-hander Brandon Kintzler before launching a deep shot to center for the game-winning sacrifice.
“He had a tremendous at-bat,” Cash said.
“It felt great to put a good at-bat together for the team,” Lowe added. “I really had to tell myself to calm down and get a pitch elevated to put something in play.”