Sometimes, the other guys can pitch a little, too.
The Tampa Bay Rays’ offense was completely shut down by King Felix Hernandez (9-2) of the Seattle Mariners in a 2-1 loss Saturday night that broke the Rays’ four-game winning streak. Hernandez allowed only two hits in seven innings and only three for the game.
Seattle, which has been in a horrible slump offensively, didn’t need many runs to beat the Rays. They got the winner on a home run by Austin Jackson off Steve Geltz in the seventh inning. The Mariners had earlier wasted a bases-loaded, no one out situation in the fourth.
The Mariners’ other run came when Willie Bloomquist drove in Steve Smith off Rays’ starter Alex Colome.
The Rays scored their only run in the sixth when Kevin Kiermaier tripled and scored on a wild pitch.
The night wasn’t kind to current Rays, and it wasn’t a lot better to former ones. Closer Fernando Rodney has struggled lately with a 6.94 era. Instead, the Mariners used Carson Smith, who picked up his first career save and helped Seattle break a seven-game losing streak.
Chris Archer, who is off to a superb start, will pitch for the Rays on Sunday. So far, he has 97 strikeouts and a 2.01 era. He opposes former Rays’ minor league Mike Montgomery, who was traded for Erasmus Ramirez.
