Yandy Diaz had three hits, including his first homer of 2023 as part of a 13-hit barrage, and Zach Eflin pitched five innings to win his Tampa Bay debut as the Rays ensured a series victory over Detroit thanks to a 12-2 decision Saturday at Tropicana Field.
“They’re not all going to be like that all the time. We know that. But it is nice when early in the season like it is right now,” manager Kevin Cash said of Saturday’s drubbing. “There’s a lot of guys in that clubhouse that feel good about their at-bats and that’s what you want.”
Diaz had four plate appearances in the first four innings, collecting a single in the first, scoring on a double by Randy Arozarena, a walk in the second, an RBI double in the third, later scoring on a Wander Franco double, and finally launching his first home run of 2023, a two-run shot in the fourth.
This lineup is making it hard for us to catch our breath…
Yandy goes yard with a 2-run homerun and its 10-1 #Rays! pic.twitter.com/it4V555z13
— RaysRadio (@RaysRadio) April 1, 2023
“He’s locked in,” Cash said of his first baseman. “It just seems like when he’s not, it’s almost surprising.”
Tampa Bay blew the game open in the third, sending 13 men to the plate and scoring seven runs in the inning, forcing the Tigers to use three pitchers to get out of the frame, with Jose Siri and Josh Lowe each driving in a pair thanks to doubles, and Francisco Mejia, Diaz, and Franco each getting an RBI as part of the inning.
“When you score twelve, a lot of people have to play a part. And they did,” Cash said.
Meanwhile, Eflin, whose week started with the birth of twin girls, ended up allowing just a single run on three hits in five innings of work to earn his first win in a Tampa Bay uniform.
“Talking to the guys after the game, [they] said that he really commanded the ball well, kind of right where he wanted to,” Cash said. “He can really pitch and we saw that today.”
The Rays added two more runs in the seventh on a double by Franco. Both he and Diaz finished with three RBI on the afternoon.
Rule 5 pickup Kevin Kelly allowed a sixth-inning RBI single to Austin Meadows, but got Miguel Cabrera to ground into an inning-ending double play, then tossed a scoreless seventh in his Maor League debut.
Tampa Bay can finish off the sweep of the Tigers Sunday, as Jeffrey Springs (9-5, 2.46 ERA in 2022) gets the start against Joey Wentz (2-2, 3.03 ERA in 2022). First pitch is scheduled for 1:10.
NOTES
- Cabrera’s RBI single off Eflin in the fourth inning moved him into sole possession of 23rd place all-time with 3,090 hits, breaking the tie with Ichiro Suzuki.
- Second baseman Brandon Lowe was pinch-hit for in the fourth inning, leaving the game with what the Rays are calling a right big toe contusion. Lowe said he fouled a ball off his foot in the third inning. Cash said he would have gotten Sunday off with the Tigers starting a left-handed pitcher, and expects him to be ready to start Monday in Washington.
- The 12 runs scored by the Rays Saturday are the second-most in franchise history in a game against the Tigers. The then-Devil Rays scored 14 times in a 14-6 win over Detroit on May 3, 1999, also at Tropicana Field.
HIGHLIGHTS
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.
