You might have expected a pitching performance like this from the Tampa Bay Rays all along.
You might have expected the stuff. You might have expected the two-hitter. You might have expected the shutout.
But would you ever expect it from Matt Andriese?
Andriese was masterful Saturday now, throwing a two-hit shutout against the Oakland A’s. Only Matt McBride and Danny Valencia got singles against Andriese, who struck out five. It was the first career shutout for Andriese and an argument for him to stay in the rotation. He only has 10 starts in the majors.
“You never take that (spot) for granted. I felt like every day I’m fighting for myself,” Andriese said. “Today helped me build on that and I’m pretty excited about the outing.”
Brad Miller’s two-run home run off Kendall Gravemen gave the Rays the runs they needed after Brandon Guyer’s double in the third.
Steve Pearce and Kevin Kiermaier drove in runs in the sixth to push Tampa Bay’s lead to 4-0. Guyer added a two-run single in the eighth.
