Who are these guys?
And can anyone make sure they stay?
The Tampa Bay Rays, for the second straight night, hit the ball the way the big teams do in a 12-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. This time, they scored 12 runs on 17 hits. The night before, they had scored 13 runs on 17 hits. It was quite the showing when you consider how the Rays struggled to hit, and score, earlier in the season.
For instance: Those 34 hits the team has collected over the last two nights? They had 32 in their first home stand of the season against Toronto. They had 30 in a six-game stretch from Game Five to Game 10.
Eight players had hits for the Rays, including three by Brad Miller and Kevin Kiermaier. Logan Morrison also had two hits, including his first two RBIs of the season. Evan Longoria, Steve Pearce and Corey Dickerson all had two.
Chris Archer (3-4) gave up two runs in a rough first, but he threw five shutout innings afterward. Marcus Stroman lost his first of the year for Toronto. The previous night, the Rays had beaten undefeated pitcher A.J. Happ.
The Rays came within one game of .500 at 18-19. The Rays go for the sweep tonight with Jake Odorizzi pitching against R.A. Dickey.
