CINCINNATI — Friday was bad, with the Rays losing for the first time in franchise history on a walk-off balk in the 10th inning.
Saturday afternoon was potentially worse, as dynamic shortstop Wander Franco left the game after one at-bat due to a right hand/wrist injury that will require further evaluation on Monday. (And that after the Rays acquired catcher/first baseman Christian Bethancourt from Oakland for two minor leaguers.)
So what did Saturday night bring?
Well, more bad news, with another crushing walk-off loss, this one 5-4 in 10 innings.
Making it worse, the Rays blew two leads to get there, leading 3-0 in the eighth and 4-3 in the 10th.
The Reds won against Calvin Faucher, the eighth Rays pitcher. Matt Reynolds’ leadoff single put runners on the corners, then a Faucher wild pitch scored Kyle Farmer. Donovan Solano singled to move Reynolds to third. Nick Senzel then delivered the winning run on a single to right. Faucher didn’t get an out.
Facing hard-throwing but erratic Reds starter Hunter Greene, the Rays (45-39) were held hitless until Ramirez doubled with two outs in the fourth.
They broke through for a run in the fifth, though the rally wasn’t much and they ran themselves out of a chance for more.
Isaac Paredes drew a leadoff walk, and Taylor Walls got another with one out. Francisco Mejia slapped a first-pitch slider to right, scoring Paredes and sending Walls to third.
With Lowe batting, Greene threw a 1-1 change-up that bounced in front of the plate and past catcher Tyler Stephenson, enticing Walls to start to break toward home. But the ball caromed off the back wall and right back to Stephenson. Walls froze but was tagged out going back to third. Lowe then grounded out.
They added two in the eighth off reliever Ian Gibaut, an ex-Ray.
Mejia hustled down the line for infield single to get the Rays started. Lowe walked, then Yu Chang reached when he hit a grounder that second baseman Jonathan India grabbed but had no play to make, loading the bases.
Ramirez then came through with another big hit, lacing a double off the right-center-field wall that scored two. Ji-Man Choi walked, for the third time Saturday, to reload the bases, but Randy Arozarena popped out and Paredes hit into a double play.
Drew Rasmussen started and worked four shutout innings but allowed four hits and two walks and pitched himself out of the game by throwing 84. Jalen Beeks, Ryan Thompson, Jason Adam, Brooks Raley and Colin Poche followed.
Raley loaded the bases in the eighth, allowing back-to-back singles and a one-out hit batter. Poche took over and walked No. 9 hitter Nick Senzel to force in a run. Poche got one out, but Brandon Drury laced a single to left that scored two, Donovan Solano scoring just ahead of the throw from Ramirez.
The Rays took the lead in the 10th as Ramirez came through yet again.
Josh Lowe, who started the inning as the runner on second, moved up on pinch-hitter Yandy Diaz’s fly to right, then scored when Ramirez went down to get a Jeff Hoffman pitch and bounced it over third for an RBI double.
