On a night like this, when the stars align and the Rays play as if they are one of the best baseball teams in the American League, you can pick your stars.
Do you want J.P. Arencibia, the kid from nowhere, fresh up from the minor leagues? Arencibia, a career .207 hitter, drove in six runs on a three-for-four night.
Or do you want pitcher Drew Smyly, the guy coming back from injury, who struck out 10 and allowed only four hits in seven shutout innings? It was the 26th time this year, most in the majors, that a Rays starter has not given up a run.
Together, the two led the Rays to an 11-2 bashing of the reeling Baltimore Orioles, who have now lost 12 of their last 13 games and six in a row. The Rays scored four runs in both the fourth and fifth innings, then coasted to a rare easy victory.
How rare? Consider this: Until the last two nights, the Rays had not been in a game decided by more than two runs since August 17.
Arencibia chose to sign a minor league deal with the Orioles in the off-season rather than the Rays, but wound up here anyway. It seemed logical. He was released by Toronto after the Blue Jays signed former Rays’ catcher Dioner Navarro.
It’s doubtful the Rays could have predicted such a night, however. In all, the Rays had 15 hits, led by Brandon Guyer’s four and Logan Forsythe’s and Arencibia’s three. Forsyth has five hits in the series and seven in his last three games.
Tampa Bay has now won three in a row and has reached .500 again at 66-66.
Erasmo Ramirez starts tonight for the Rays as they go for the sweep. Ramirez has given up the long ball a bit lately, allowing nine in his last 11 starts after giving up only four in his first 17.
