ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Same old story. The Rays went down quietly Friday night, but there is noise in the rear-view mirror.
The Rays were again lifeless, falling 4-1 against the Cleveland Guardians before 14,671 fans at Tropicana Field. The Guardians have pulled within 1 1/2 games of the Rays for the American League’s third and final wild-card playoff spot.
Cleveland right-hander Shane Bieber (5-6) and the bullpen stymied the struggling Rays offense, retiring 14 consecutive batters before Josh Lowe collected a ninth-inning infield single. The Rays (53-47), just 2-6 since the All-Star break, have scored three runs (or fewer) in six of their last seven games and totaled 16 runs during that silent stretch.
