Rays’ hot hitting blunted in loss
Boston shuts out Tampa Bay behind arms of trio of pitchers
BOSTON — For the previous two days, the predominant story line for the Rays had been how their offense was revitalized in three straight wins in Toronto as they scored 24 runs.
Then came Monday’s holiday matinee in Boston, where Tampa Bay scored none, shut down and shut out in a 4-0 loss to the Red Sox.
Worse, the Rays didn’t put up much of a fight, held to two hits and striking out 11 times against the less-than-dynamic trio of Austin Davis, Kutter Crawford and John Schreiber.
“Just scuffled,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “We just couldn’t get anything going. It never felt like we had a rhythm at the plate at all.”
The challenge for the Rays now is to prove the three games in Toronto weren’t the aberration and that Monday’s game was just a brief evening-out after all the success they had and not a return to form.
“I don’t really think it’s that big of a deal,” Cash said. “It’s baseball. We’re not going to go out and score as many runs as we did for the last three days and then back it back up. It’s going to stop at some point.
“But let’s pick it back up and see if we can have some good offense going forward.”
It would be hard to have less, though this is a team that has been shut out five previous times and held to two hits twice before and none once (by Reid Detmers May 10 in Anaheim).
Several players echoed what Cash said, and the challenge now is to flush Monday’s game and get rolling again on Tuesday — though the degree of difficulty may be increased as they face Nick Pivetta, one of Boston’s top starters.
to play in the second quarter. Birmingham led 20-9 at halftime following a field goal.
The Stars made it a one-possession game in the third quarter before eventually taking their first lead of the night when quarterback Case Cookus hit Devin Gray for a 12-yard catch in the end zone.
Birmingham marched down the field with less than seven minutes remaining as quarterback Alex McGough connected with Williams twice on the lategame drive.
The Stallions regained the lead, 26-23, with 3:16 left when McGough threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Victor Bolden Jr.
Birmingham linebacker Scooby Wright sealed the comeback win for the Stallions by returning an interception for a touchdown with 2:53 left. The Stars were able to score again but fell short in their efforts.
“It means a lot to win the first championship in a new league,” Williams said. “We will always be remembered as the first championship team. I am very proud of the team. We faced adversity and overcame it every time.”
The title for Birmingham marks the end of the first season for the revitalized USFL, which kicked off in April. Unlike the AAF in 2019 and XFL in ’20, the USFL survived a full spring slate of professional football.
The league is set to be back in 2023, Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks told Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand. The XFL will also make its return next year too.
Williams, who was joined by former UCF offensive lineman Jordan McCray in Birmingham, reflected on competing in the USFL. The former Knights receiver finished the regular season with the third-most receiving yards (474) and was tied for the second-most touchdown catches.
“The USFL was great this year,” Williams said. “I enjoyed every minute. The USFL is filled with great players and coaches. It wasn’t a big difference to me . ... Football is football at any time of the year.”
While he enjoyed his time in the USFL, Williams said his goal is to play in the NFL. His performance in the spring league should help his chances but he’s not getting ahead of himself.
“I showed teams that I can do a little bit of everything at wide receiver,” Williams said. “I scored on the deep ball, screen passes, etc. Whatever comes [my way], comes . ... I’m going to be where my feet are.”