ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Before joining the injured list with a broken right thumb, Harold Ramirez had recorded hits in nine of 11 games. That propelled his batting average to .329, and it made his earlier-than-expected return to the lineup a welcomed addition for the Rays.
He has remained one of their most consistent hitters since Tuesday’s return — with hits in all five games — and his latest three lifted the Rays to a 3-2 win over the Royals on Sunday afternoon. Ramirez’s two slow-rolling, run-scoring singles, paired with pitching that limited Kansas City to four hits, helped Tampa Bay record its seventh win in 10 games.
The victory clinched the Rays’ season series with the Royals, as they won three games this weekend after dropping two of three in July. And it helped the Rays, who entered Sunday afternoon 1.5 games ahead of the Twins for the final wild-card spot, maintain their grasp on a postseason berth.
Ramirez’s winning hit came with one out in the fifth, after Brandon Lowe singled to lead off and Randy Arozarena walked. He bounced Jose Cuas’ 0-1 sinker up the middle — fast enough to evade the shortstop’s reach but slow enough that Lowe could score from second.
That mitigated the effects of the Royals’ previous round of at-bats. Ryan Yarbrough started his outing with four scoreless innings, but things started to unravel in the fifth. A one-out walk was followed by a 13-pitch plate appearance by No. 9 hitter Nicky Lopez, and he reached base when a grounder to Lowe was followed by a throwing error.
MJ Melendez then singled, Bobby Witt Jr. hit a sacrifice fly, and an early lead had been erased.
In Yarbrough’s last two outings, he had been tasked with following up perfect games and no-hit bids from Drew Rasmussen the day prior. The first time, Yarbrough recorded four scoreless innings against the Yankees for his first win this season. And Sunday against the Royals, he started with a similar efficiency.
Yarbrough cruised through Kansas City’s lineup — with the exception of Witt Jr.’s first-inning double — the first time through. His first three outs only required 13 pitches. The next three only required nine. He recorded four strikeouts in those opening frames, relying on the curveball as the final pitch in three of them.
Ramirez provided him with an early cushion, too. He dribbled a ball up the first-base line in the first inning that scored Arozarena from second. Arozarena had singled with two outs, and he inserted himself in scoring position by stealing second.
That advantage expanded in the second when Christian Bethancourt connected on his second home run this series and third since joining the Rays in July. Zack Greinke threw an 88-mph fastball high in the zone, and Bethancourt redirected it over the left-centerfield fence.
Initially, that served as enough of a cushion with Yarbough’s efficiency. But after Shawn Armstrong entered from the bullpen in the fifth, it took 4 ⅔ innings of relief pitching — and one final hit by Ramirez — to finish off the Royals. Vinnie Pasquantino lifted a fly ball to the warning track against Brooks Raley in the eighth inning, but Arozarena tracked it down to prevent any damage.
