WASHINGTON — Josh Fleming left the Rays in a hole Tuesday, his renewed confidence not leading to the improved results he expected in the first start of his latest chance in the rotation.
But he got some help from his friends. Luke Raley hit a tying home run to open the ninth, Josh Lowe delivered another to put them ahead, and Yandy Diaz added a third to provide a cushion, extending the Rays’ franchise-best season-opening winning streak to five with a 10-6 victory over the Nationals.
With the Twins’ loss, the Rays (5-0) are the only undefeated team in the majors.
Raley, who had two homers on Monday with his mom in the stands on her birthday, delivered on the first pitch from Nationals reliever Kyle Finnegan, a 372-foot shot to left. Three pitches later, Lowe uncorked a 429-foot blast to right-center to put the Rays ahead, 7-6. With two on and one out (after Manuel Margot was picked off second), Diaz lasered a line drive 414 feet —at 111.8 mph off his bat — to make it 10-6.
Fleming insisted he was equipped to pitch better with his latest chance in the Rays rotation, specifically because his confidence was at an all-time high.
That his Rays mates scored three times in the top of the first should have provided even more of a boost.
Fleming’s performance, though, was anything but improved, as he gave up five runs without getting through four innings.
Fleming allowed 10 hits (one off his career worst) and a walk, meaning 11 of the 19 batters he faced reached base. He needed 71 pitches to get nine outs; by comparison, teammate Drew Rasmussen got 18 out on 66 pitches Monday.
The five runs Fleming allowed matched the total the Rays gave up in beating the Tigers three times and the Nationals once to open the season.
Fleming was candid in admitting his confidence was shot after a rough 2022, when he went 2-5 with a 6.43 ERA last year, shuttling between Triple-A and the majors while battling inconsistency and injury. And a rough spring debut didn’t help.
But Fleming rebounded as the spring went on, buoyed by repeated talks with team head of mental performance Justin Su’a.
With an opening in the rotation created when starter Tyler Glasnow strained an oblique that likely will sideline him into mid- to late-May, Fleming beat out Yonny Chirinos and Luis Patino for the job.
Having compiled a 27-5 run differential in the first four games, the Rays seemed on their way to more good when they rapped three straight hits off Washington starter Chad Kuhl to start the game.
But after Diaz and Brandon Lowe singled and Randy Arozarena doubled, and Wander Franco and Raley got runs home on outs, Fleming lets the Nationals respond with two runs. The Rays made it 4-2 when Jose Siri homered in the second, and Fleming gave up two more in the second. After a double play helped Fleming escape the third unscathed, he allowed three straight hits, and another run, to start the fourth and end his night.
The Nationals added a run off rookie reliever Kevin Kelly in the seventh to make it 6-4. Randy Arozarena doubled in Yandy Diaz in the eighth to cut the deficit to one.
