ST. PETERBSBURG, Fla. — The Rays have known the ongoing series of injuries to their bullpen was going to catch up to them at some point.
Manager Kevin Cash suggested Friday that the time was nearing with the news that top reliever JP Feyereisen was going to be sidelined a few weeks by a shoulder injury, saying, “we’re getting a little thin down there.”
Saturday was the day.
With a two-run lead and seven shutout innings from starter Drew Rasmussen on the scoreboard, the Rays needed to get six outs from their bullpen.
They lost the lead before they got two, and then the game, 3-2.
Brooks Raley allowed a leadoff double to White Sox pinch-hitter Adam Engel on a ball that got down between left fielder Randy Arozarena and shortstop Vidal Brujan. One out later, Danny Mendick laced a single to right that scored Engel to make it 2-1.
Cash then went to another lefty, Jalen Beeks, to face right-handed pinch-hitter Jake Burger. That turned out to be a big mistake, as he launched a 1-0 change-up over the center-field fence.
The loss ended the Rays’ modest three-game win streak, dropping them to 31-22.
After spending 24 hours being mad about the Tuesday outing in Texas that was the worst of his career, Rasmussen spent the rest of the time working to make sure he did better.
Mission accomplished, as the right-hander worked seven scoreless innings Saturday.
Rasmussen was effective and efficient, retiring the first seven, allowing just three hits and walking none while throwing 81 pitches, including 54 strikes.
The Rays got their runs in the fifth thanks to a two-out error by Sox first baseman Jose Abreu before an announced Pride Night crowd of 19,452 at Tropicana Field.
Dylan Cease walked Isaac Paredes to start the fifth, then Manuel Margot with two outs.
Yandy Diaz hit a sharp grounder that Abreu couldn’t handle, with Paredes scoring as the ball kicked off his glove and into right field. Ji-Man Choi stayed hot, following with a groundball single through the shift-vacated shortstop hole.
