The struggle to get that first spring win will continue at least one more day, as the Tampa Bay Rays got production from their big leaguers on Monday, but the minor-league pitching again struggled against better hitters, and the Pittsburgh Pirates were able to leave Port Charlotte with a 5-1 win.
Jalen Beeks, returning from Tommy John surgery performed in September of 2020, worked a perfect first inning, striking out both Anthony Alford and Bryan Reynolds to start the game.
The Rays also needed just two betters to get on the board Monday, with Brandon Lowe leading off with a double, moving to third base on a Zach Thompson wild pitch, and scoring on a double by Wander Franco. Tampa Bay would end up stranding the bases loaded in the inning.
Pittsburgh used the momentum of getting out of the first down just one run and having Beeks out of the game to come back and take the lead. Former Ray Yoshi Tsutsugo led off the second against Seth Blair with a double to right, moved to second on a Rodolfo Castro groundout, and scored on a wild pitch to tie the game. Two batters later Pirates shirtstop prospect Oneil Cruz got a hold of a breaking ball and golfed it onto the office building in right for his second home run of the year, giving Pittsburgh the lead.
Tampa Bay got their first look at Calvin Faucher, who came over from Minnesota along with Nelson Cruz at the trade deadline last season, and saw there is still plenty for him to work on. He allowed singles to Cruz and Jaime Ritchie sandwiching a walk to Nick Gonzales to load the bases, and after striking out Alford, Reynolds picked up his teammate by driving in all three runners with a triple to make it a 5-1 game.
The pitching on both sides then shut down the offenses the rest of the way.
The Rays (0-3-1) welcome the Boston Red Sox to Charlotte Sports Park, with Luis Patino taking on former Ray Rich Hill. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05.
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
