Rays 'completely out of sync' in 6th shutout loss this season

TAMPA -- Optimistically, the Rays are hoping this season will play out a lot like 2018, with a young team holding its own long enough and staying afloat before getting hot and surging to the finish line.

But the potentially concerning precedent is even more recent in Rays history. Last year, Tampa Bay seemed magnetically pulled to the .500 mark, never straying more than three games over or five games under. The 2024 Rays’ longest winning streak was five games. Their longest losing streak was six games.

Manager Kevin Cash has higher hopes for this year’s Rays, but he admitted Wednesday afternoon that their inconsistent start felt somewhat similar to the way they struggled to sustain any momentum last season.

“There’s not a game in the world that losing is fun. I think it’s just something that we’ve got to deal with,” starter Shane Baz said. “Tomorrow could be the start of a new streak, and we’ve got to look at it that way and try not dwell on anything that's happened this year so far.”

But their myriad issues continued in an ugly 7-0 loss to the Phillies on Wednesday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field, dropping them to 2-6 in their last eight games and 16-20 on the year. It was their sixth shutout loss this season, tied with the Pirates for most in the Majors, and they’ve all come within their last 19 games.

It was also the Rays’ most lopsided shutout defeat since Sept. 16, 2023, and their largest at home since a 9-0 blanking by the Yankees on April 18, 2015. Baz let the game get away in a five-run fourth, leading to his second straight rough start, but the bigger problem remains Tampa Bay’s lineup.

Especially at home. And particularly against left-handed pitching.

“We’re just completely out of sync,” Cash said. “I mean, everybody's putting forth the effort that is needed. They're putting the work in behind the scenes and leading into the game. But I feel like we don't have any answers.

“And if we had an answer to give, believe me, we would try to provide it. But we are out of sync as a lineup right now, definitely against left-handed pitching.”

The Rays managed only two hits and three walks while striking out 12 times Wednesday night. They only hit three balls out of the infield: the singles by Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz and Díaz’s flyout to center for their first out of the game. They had no answers for left-hander Cristopher Sánchez, the former Rays prospect sent to Philadelphia for a young Curtis Mead.

The Rays have sporadically shown that they can capitalize on opportunities and create others, as they did while taking two of three at Yankee Stadium last weekend. They just haven’t shown they can do it consistently.

Sánchez struggled with his control all night, throwing only eight first-pitch strikes to the 22 batters he faced and only 47 strikes among his 85 pitches overall. Didn’t matter. The Rays let him sail through six scoreless innings.

“I definitely don't feel like there's a flow to the lineup right now, where we're turning it over and we're putting pressure on the opposing pitcher,” Cash said.

The Rays have had their struggles against right-handed pitchers, too, but they are hitting .182/.273/.263 against lefties this season. That’s good for a .536 OPS better than only the Orioles’ mark.

They tried to stack right-handed hitters at the top of the order against Sánchez, with Christopher Morel (batting .227) hitting second, Danny Jansen (.141) hitting cleanup and Mead (.151) in the five hole. It didn’t change the results. They’ve been shut out six times in their last eight matchups against lefty starters.

“I think it's just one of those stretches,” Jansen said. “Definitely got the talent to get on guys and get on them early and stuff, and I think we're gonna hit that stretch.”

They’re hoping the same about their performance at Steinbrenner Field, where they have lost six straight and 10 of their last 11 games. During this home skid, they’ve given up 56 runs while scoring only 24. Overall, the Rays’ .375 winning percentage at home is better than only the Pirates (.368) and Rockies (.267).

They’ve been out-homered in 24 games at Steinbrenner Field, giving up 35 (including a solo shot by Trea Turner off Baz in the third inning) while hitting only 22 of their own.

“We do a pretty good job of coming here and competing, so I'm not gonna look too much into that,” Jansen said. “Just gonna keep playing every day, and everybody's got the same idea.”