3 concerning trends revealed by Rays' shutout loss

TAMPA -- The Rays’ 3-0 loss to the Royals on Wednesday night was frustrating enough on its own.

Making his Major League debut, Kansas City starter Noah Cameron held Tampa Bay hitless until the seventh inning. Meanwhile, Rays starter Drew Rasmussen left the Rays in a two-run hole before recording his second out in the first inning. At the end of the night, they left George M. Steinbrenner Field with a series loss and a 14-16 record.

“It seemed like he got in a really good rhythm with [catcher Salvador Perez],” manager Kevin Cash said of Cameron, “and we just didn't have an answer for it.”

Beyond the obvious disappointment, the defeat highlighted three concerning trends that have held the Rays back over the first month of the season.

1. Falling behind first
Bobby Witt Jr. knocked Rasmussen’s ninth pitch of the night to right field for a single, extending his hitting streak to 21 games. One pitch later, Vinnie Pasquantino pummeled a fastball out to right-center field to put the Royals on the board.

It was the 20th time in 30 games this season that the Rays allowed their opponent to score first. They’re now 6-14 in those games, compared to 8-2 when they score first. Of the 110 runs they’ve allowed this season, 45 (or roughly 41 percent) have come within the first three innings.

Other than the pitch to Pasquantino and a fifth-inning walk that played a part in the Royals’ third run, Rasmussen was mostly pleased with his outing. The right-hander worked five innings for the sixth straight time to begin the season and held the aggressive Royals lineup to three runs on six hits.

“I didn't really think [my] execution was terrible tonight,” Rasmussen said. You've got to tip your cap when an offense goes up and they stick to their approach and it works out for them.”

2. No early offense
Before Wednesday’s game, Cash acknowledged the Rays have struggled to put pressure on pitchers early in games. They haven’t scored a run in the first inning since April 14, the night they exploded for 16 runs against the Red Sox.

On Wednesday night, facing a pitcher making his MLB debut, the Rays went out and saw five pitches in a 1-2-3 first inning, allowing Cameron to settle in from the start.

There’s a fine line, of course, between being selective and being passive at the plate. But the Rays let Cameron get through three innings on 34 pitches and five innings on 54 pitches. Overall, the lefty finished his 6 1/3-inning outing with 79 pitches despite walking five batters.

“Credit to him. That's too efficient,” Cash said. “We've got to do something to counter that a little bit, make them work a little bit more.”

In the end, the Rays were shut out for the fourth time this season, with all of those coming within their last 13 games. They’ve scored three runs or fewer in half their games and they've gone 2-13 in those contests.

The Rays managed to get runners on against Cameron, but their first hit eluded them until Curtis Mead punched a single down the left-field line in the seventh. Then some familiar issues popped up on top of that, as they went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base.

“I don't feel like I'm necessarily trying to do too much. I just don't feel like I'm getting the job done,” said shortstop Taylor Walls, who left multiple runners on base in the fifth, seventh and ninth innings. “So at the end of the day, it's back to the drawing board. Just got to trust the process.”

3. Struggling with southpaws
Ten days ago, Yankees left-hander Max Fried carried a no-hit bid into the sixth inning at Steinbrenner Field. On Wednesday, Cameron took it an inning longer. Both outings were representative of Tampa Bay’s issues against lefties.

Against right-handers, the Rays have the Majors’ best batting average (.269) and the ninth-highest OPS (.746). Against lefties, they have the second-worst average (.196) and the second-worst OPS (.576).

“I think it definitely has felt like we look up in the fourth and fifth inning and we haven't scored yet,” Mead said. “But I think we're all trying to put together competitive at-bats and make the guys work.”

Cash attributed some of those issues to how infrequently they’ve seen left-handed starters -- only eight times -- and the need to get some key right-handed bats on track.

“We just haven't seen a ton, so the reps and timing probably are not there,” Cash said. “I'd like to think that we can go out and have some better at-bats and take advantage of [Cameron], his walks. But we did not. He made big pitches once guys got on base.”