TAMPA — For a workforce making an attempt regain its successful methods, the Rays didn’t look excellent on Monday night time, shedding 8-3 to the White Sox.
Starter Shane Baz gave up a career-high eight runs whereas working solely four-plus innings, and the offense was held to 5 hits by a sextet of White Sox pitchers.
The loss was the Rays’ second straight after beginning post-All-Star break play with two victories, dropping them to 52-49 and a season-high 7 1/2 video games off the American League East division lead; they’re additionally 1 1/2 video games again of the third wild-card spot.
The Sox got here into the collection with an AL-worst 35-65 document, higher general than simply the 24-75 Rockies.
Baz mentioned he was relaxed, rested and able to pitch coming off the All-Star break.
He didn’t do very nicely, dealing with 22 batters for the night time and permitting 10 to succeed in base — eight on hits and two on walks.
The Sox grabbed the lead within the second inning. Kyle Teel and Colson Montgomery singled, and with two outs No. 9 hitter Brooks Baldwin knocked Baz’s first pitch, a 97.5-mph fastball, over the right-centerfield fence for a 3-0 lead.
The Sox doubled the margin within the fourth.
Baz loaded the bases, permitting a leadoff single to Chase Meidroth and back-to-back walks to Andrew Benintendi and Miguel Vargas. After Teel struck out, struggling veteran Luis Robert Jr. laced a single to left that scored two. The Sox made it 6-0 when Montgomery hustled to beat the return throw to first on a fielder’s alternative grounder, permitting Vargas to attain.
The Rays, briefly, made it attention-grabbing, scoring two of their fourth. Josh Lowe reached on an error, and Jose Caballero — who changed Ha-Seong Kim after he left with again tightness — walked, and Taylor Partitions delivered a two-out double.
However that didn’t final lengthy. The Sox added to their lead shortly within the fifth and ended Baz’s night time. Benintendi led off with a double, and Vargas adopted with a homer to left to make it 8-2.
The Rays added a run within the seventh when Yandy Diaz hit his sixteenth homer of the season.
Baz’s tough outing ended a run of Rays starters going six or extra innings in 5 straight video games, their longest such run since six straight in September 2017.