Rays at Athletics
The Tampa Bay Rays attempt to move over the .500 mark for the first time since winning Opening Day when they visit the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night for the second contest of a four-game series. The Rays grinded out a 1-0 triumph in 13 innings Monday afternoon to take the series opener and have won three in a row while allowing four runs total in the process.
“Sometimes you have to win 1-0, sometimes you have to win 2-1,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash told reporters. “Maybe we haven’t won those close ones as much as we’d like but today we did. We had to play flawless and we came out on top.” Red-hot left-hander Blake Snell will try to extend the Rays’ winning streak after pitching six scoreless innings last time out to win his second straight and Oakland will counter with righty Daniel Gossett on Tuesday. The Athletics have had a tough time offensively since Khris Davis - who could return as early as Thursday - went down with a groin injury, managing 12 runs in seven games while going 3-4 on their 10-game homestand. “The defense and pitching did a good job,” Oakland outfielder Stephen Piscotty told reporters after Monday’s loss. “It’s tough when you can’t scratch across a run. … We just have to keep going, keep grinding. We have good offense. We just have to believe in ourselves.”
TV: 10:05 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Tampa Bay), NBCS California (Oakland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays LH Blake Snell (6-3, 2.78 ERA) vs. Athletics RH Daniel Gossett (0-2, 6.28)
Snell has allowed two or fewer runs in eight of his last nine starts, including Thursday when he limited Boston to three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in six shutout innings. The 25-year-old Washington native boasts 69 strikeouts and only 21 walks in 64 2/3 innings in 2018 after totaling 217 punchouts and 110 bases on balls over his first two major league seasons. Jed Lowrie is 0-for-5 with two strikeouts versus Snell, who is 0-0 with five runs given up in 10 2/3 innings against Oakland.
Gossett permitted one run on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts over seven innings last time out, but suffered a 1-0 loss to Seattle after starting the season with two rough outings. The 25-year-old Clemson product gave up nine runs and 11 hits across 7 1/3 innings in his first two starts of the season - both against the Los Angeles Angels. Gossett, who is 1-6 in eight career starts at home, yielded three runs over seven innings in a loss in his only outing against Tampa Bay in 2017.
WALK-OFFS
1. Piscotty had a pair of hits Monday, including a double, after going 1-for-20 during the previous seven games.
2. Tampa Bay CF Mallex Smith knocked in the winning run Monday and is 6-for-19 with four walks during a five-game hitting streak.
3. Athletics OF Mark Canha was hitless in two at-bats Monday, but is 8-for-20 with eight RBIs in his career against the Rays.