'Tough to swallow': Hill tips pitches in loss

WASHINGTON -- Brandon Lowe smacked his 16th homer of the season in the fifth inning -- his seventh in the last 21 games -- and Mike Zunino smacked his 17th homer in the top of the ninth inning.

But playing opposite Kyle Schwarber and his historic home run pace, it wasn't enough to get the win. The Rays dropped the first game of a two-game series at Nationals Park, 4-3, on Tuesday night.

Rich Hill took the mound for Tampa Bay, but from the first pitch of the game, the southpaw was pitching from behind. Schwarber, the Nats' leadoff hitter, settled into his rhythm -- connecting for his seventh leadoff homer -- throwing Hill off of his. Hill allowed a two-run shot to Juan Soto two at-bats later, giving Washington the early lead. The second frame was more of the same, as Victor Robles drilled a 399-foot solo home run to lead off the inning.

Hill was visibly upset after allowing those three homers, which tied the second most he’s allowed in a game. After the second inning, Hill slammed his glove onto the dugout bench before pounding it with a bat.

“He's an intense guy -- intense competitor, passionate -- he's frustrated with himself,” said manager Kevin Cash regarding Hill’s frustration in the dugout. “I think that was after the second inning where he kind of came unglued there for a little bit. Maybe that helped lock them back in?”

Sure, the veteran pitcher has always been passionate and has worn his heart on his sleeve, but Hills' anger was about more than just allowing homers. When he entered the dugout after the second inning, pitching coach Kyle Snyder alerted Hill that he was tipping his pitches when he brought his arms over his head.

“Thankfully, we caught it,” said Hill. “We were able to make an adjustment. Just -- it's one of those things, it's tough to swallow. ... I think it's just frustrating. I expect better, expect more out of myself. I wear my emotions on my sleeve. So I'm not going to apologize for that. I really don't care. Putting us in that position sucks.”

Rays catcher Zunino was right next to Hill when, as he described it, Hill took his frustrations out on the bat rack. However, it didn’t faze Zunino. In fact, it encouraged him to see his pitcher get angry.

“When you come out and you get told that [tipping pitches] could be why they were hitting some stuff, it's frustrating,” said Zunino. “Especially when he comes in and throws some zeros up after that. He made a really good adjustment to keep us in that ballgame. That just shows the maturation of all the 17 years in the league. A lot of guys, they let that get to them."

All of Hill's bat-swinging in the dugout must have been a good warmup, because the Rays' starter recorded his first hit since Sept. 24, 2019, to lead off the third inning -- a bunt single, reaching second base on a throwing error.

“All kidding aside, he worked on that swing bump thing for three days in the cage and he mastered it,” joked Zunino.

Cash was impressed with the athleticism Hill showed with the bunt, but it quickly faded as he watched him round the bases to second on a throwing error.

“Yeah, he doesn't look very athletic when he runs,” joked Cash. “Whatever, we'll take it -- it got somebody on base.”

Entering Tuesday’s matchup, the Rays had a .750 winning percentage in multihomer games. However, despite Lowe’s solo shot in the fifth inning, Kevin Kiermaier's RBI double in the sixth and Zunino’s ninth-inning home run, Tampa Bay dropped its second straight game and its seventh straight road game.