ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — What the Rays did on Sunday was plenty good, beating Detroit 5-1 to sweep the season-opening series for the fourth time in team history.
What they didn’t do — or specifically what starter Jeffrey Springs didn’t — was even more impressive, holding the Tigers without a hit over six dazzling innings while striking out a career-high 12.
That manager Kevin Cash pulled Springs after six innings — even with the no-hitter intact — wasn’t surprising, given that Springs had thrown 81 pitches and the Rays are adamant about not overextending starters, especially early in the season.
What happened shortly afterward was in a way — just how baseball works — predictable. Not necessarily the specifics, but the result, as the Tigers got their first hit.
Riley Greene led off the seventh by hitting a grounder to first baseman Luke Raley, who had just entered the game. Raley fielded the ball cleanly but couldn’t get an out, as Greene beat reliever Colin Poche to the base.
The Rays took the lead when Randy Arozarena homered to left-center with one out in the fourth.
They broke the game open with three runs in the sixth, with key hits from Isaac Paredes, who singled in Wander Franco after his one-out double; and Jose Siri, who laced a two-out, two-run single after Arozarena was hit by a pitch and pinch-hitter Brandon Lowe drew a walk.
Tampa Bay added another run on a wild pitch in the eighth.
After scoring 21 runs and allowing three in their first three games, the Rays headed to Washington, where they will open a three-game series against the Nationals on Monday night.
