TAMPA -- The Rays had their home losing streak on the brink Thursday night, entering the eighth inning with a four-run lead over the Phillies and two of their top late-inning arms ready to close it out.
They wound up leaving George M. Steinbrenner Field with one of their most frustrating losses of the season, a 7-6 defeat in 10 innings that was unlike anything the team has ever experienced.
The series finale loss marked their first loss when leading by at least four runs after seven innings since July 27, 2019, at Toronto. And it was the Rays’ first such loss at home in the franchise’s 28-year history.
“They quickly turned the momentum against us and whatever momentum we had,” manager Kevin Cash said. “And they came up with big hit after big hit.”
So the Rays’ losing streak at Steinbrenner Field reached seven games, with defeats in 11 of their past 12. They’ve been swept in back-to-back home series for the first time since April 1-6, 2011. They’ve lost nine straight games to the Phillies.
And their overall record is 16-21, matching the farthest they fell below .500 all of last season.
“It's a tough one. Tough loss,” starter Ryan Pepiot said. “Not a fun one.”
For seven innings, it was. Pepiot pitched six excellent innings, backed by a homer and a sacrifice fly from Junior Caminero. Yandy Díaz hit a three-run homer in the seventh, only the club’s second three-run blast of the season, to make it a four-run game and give the bullpen some breathing room.
It looked like they would need every bit of it. Right-hander Edwin Uceta, working on a career-best 10-game scoreless streak, gave up a three-run homer to Bryson Stott with two outs in the eighth to cut Tampa Bay’s lead to one.
Uceta threw Stott nothing but fastballs. Stott turned on a 1-2 heater inside and launched it a Statcast-projected 409 feet to right field.
“It was the pitch that I wanted to throw,” Uceta said through interpreter Eddie Rodriguez. “He's a good hitter. He's a contact hitter, too. I didn't think he was going to try to hit the ball out of the ballpark.”
Still, the Rays had reason to feel comfortable with a one-run lead entering the ninth and Pete Fairbanks coming into the game. Of the closer’s first 15 appearances this season, 13 were scoreless. And the Rays had won each of their past 73 games when carrying a lead into the ninth: 11 this season and 62 last year after blowing a ninth-inning lead against the Angels on April 17.
But Fairbanks gave up a leadoff single to Kyle Schwarber, who was replaced by pinch-runner Johan Rojas.
Fairbanks, who has one career pickoff and rarely throws over, nearly nabbed Rojas at first on his first attempt to Caminero. The third baseman wound up at first for just the second time in the Majors after Cash decided to pinch-run for Jonathan Aranda in the eighth, although Cash said he regularly fields grounders and throws before games with infield coach Brady Williams.
“Where Cashy puts me in, I'll be giving my 100 percent,” Caminero said through Rodriguez: “I tried to do my best, and I couldn't get the ball.”
Fairbanks’ second pickoff throw zipped by Caminero and caromed into right field, allowing Rojas to reach third. The Phillies had given Rojas the green light, manager Rob Thomson said, noting that Fairbanks has a good pickoff move -- but he doesn’t use it much.
Fairbanks said the throws to first were his decision, hoping to keep the speedy Rojas at first and out of scoring position. But the error put him in position to score the tying run on a well-placed groundout by Max Kepler.
“That's my call, and it didn't work out,” Fairbanks said. “Rojas is like the second-fastest person around, besides the guy [Chandler Simpson] over there in our locker room. So in that situation, you know they're going and you’re trying to keep them there and put yourself in a little bit better spot.”
Fairbanks escaped without any further damage, but the Phillies had the opportunity they needed. In the 10th, Manuel Rodríguez gave up a leadoff RBI double to Brandon Marsh and a run-scoring single to Trea Turner. The Rays got one run back and put two runners on, but José Caballero struck out to finish yet another aggravating night in their home ballpark.
“We like to win when they give us five [runs]. It's a little frustrating. I let my frustrations out in a very healthy manner,” Fairbanks said. “We'll be back at it. I think that we showed some positive signs, and if I don't throw a ball off the padding there, it could be a different story.”