tampa bay rays 500 in 20 games, the best record in the majors. Still, they’re playing with a sense of urgency
“Three in a row is not something we ever want to see,” said closer Pete Fairbanks, who is likely to drop three straight games for the first time this season. raysthree match series with Milwaukee Brewers
Tampa Bay responded with a 1-0 win on Friday night in St. Petersburg, Fla., setting up a chance to win the series on Saturday afternoon.
“It’s a good step forward going into the week,” said Fairbanks, who earned his fourth save on Friday.
rayswho have just completed 4-6 road trips, facing a brewers Team out in two consecutive games
On Friday night, Milwaukee went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
rays Will send right-hander Zach Eflin (5-1, 3.38 ERA) to the mound on Saturday. brewers Will take on left-hander Eric Lauer (4-4, 4.54)
A free agent addition in the offseason, Eflin came in as advertised, winning six of his seven starts with Tampa Bay.
In his latest outing, Eflin struck out nine in six innings on Sunday to defeat the host New York Yankees. He gave away four runs, but rays rallied for an 8-7 win powered by a Grand Slam from Taylor Walls
Tampa Bay was looking for innings from Eflin in that start because of a taxed bullpen.
“I thought he was really cool,” rays manager Kevin Cash said of Aflin. “I told him it was a very strong performance because he knew where the bullpen was, and its position. We needed to find a way out of that sixth, and he did.
last time ephylne faced brewers, he was with the Philadelphia Phillies. The right-handed batsman gave one run in four innings on June 9, 2022. For his career, Aflin made five starts against Milwaukee in 2018, going 2–2 with a 4.18 ERA.
Laurier’s most recent start came on May 9, when he failed to complete four innings in a 6–2 loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers. This led to a three-run start in which he pitched a total of 11 1/3 innings while posting a 5.56 ERA.
Manager Craig Counsell left Lauer in the rotation with no timeline on when he would return. Lauer boosted his stock on Sunday, when he brewers Defeated the visiting Kansas City Royals 9-6
Lauer later admitted that he was just what she needed.
“Overall, it was kind of a good job of what I wanted to go out there and feel, as far as just getting on the mound, competing and letting loose and not worrying about How long am I going to stay?” There and how many pitches I have to throw,” he said. “That’s the kind of bullpen mentality that I have. It was a cool flip-switch for me.”
loire has faced rays Twice before, earned a no decision and a 5.79 ERA over 9 1/3 innings. The most recent of those games was on June 29, 2022, when he gave up three runs on six hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings of a game. brewers St. Petersburg won 5–3
– Field Level Media