Sloppy defense puts Rays in a hole in WC Series

ST. PETERSBURG -- Despite a number of key injuries and a tough opponent coming to Tropicana Field, the Rays felt good about themselves heading into Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series.

They were coming off a 99-win regular season. They had their top two starters lined up to pitch and their bullpen well-rested. They finished strong, unlike last season, and thought that momentum could carry into Tuesday’s postseason opener.

But the Rays are suddenly one loss away from their season ending after an ugly 4-0 loss to the Rangers, their sixth straight defeat in the playoffs. While Texas played a generally clean game behind a dominant Jordan Montgomery, Tampa Bay was charged with four errors, made a handful of other key mistakes and saw its postseason scoreless streak reach 27 innings dating back to last year.

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“We didn't play a good, clean baseball game by any stretch. We didn't hit, pitch or defend,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “When you're going up against a good team, they're going to capitalize, and they eventually really did.”

The Rays’ four errors were their most in a postseason game in franchise history and their most in any game since a four-error performance on July 20, 2021. The Yankees were the last team to commit four errors in a postseason game, having done so in Game 4 of the 2019 AL Championship Series.

“It was a frustrating game,” Cash said. “I don't recall us playing a game like that in quite some time.”

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Starter Tyler Glasnow mostly pitched around the Rays’ early mistakes, which was necessary as Tampa Bay matched its season high with three errors by the end of the third inning. First baseman Yandy Díaz misplayed a ball in the first inning, catcher René Pinto threw a ball away with two outs in the second and shortstop Taylor Walls had a rare throwing error in the third.

That made the Rays the first team to commit at least three errors in the first three innings of a postseason game since Oakland did so in Boston during Game 3 of the 2003 AL Division Series.

“You never want to give them extra outs,” Walls said. “We've always kind of prided ourselves on pitching and defense, I guess you could say, so when games like this happen, it's unfortunate. But at the same time, you’ve just got to kind of reset.”

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Glasnow had his fair share of issues, too, including a season-high five walks, as he allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits while striking out eight over five-plus innings. The right-hander said he only felt truly comfortable with his fastball, and Texas eventually took advantage.

The Rangers put up one run in the second on singles by Nathaniel Lowe and Leody Taveras and a sacrifice fly by Josh Jung. And they capitalized on a wild pitch by Glasnow to score a run in the fifth after loading the bases on a Corey Seager double (which bounced off the glove of a leaping Jose Siri at the center-field wall), a Robbie Grossman walk and a 109.9 mph Adolis García comebacker off Glasnow’s left leg.

“Just kind of too, I guess, ahead of myself, like trying to go too quick,” Glasnow said of the wild pitch. “And it just came out of my hand wrong.”

Siri was responsible for Tampa Bay’s most costly mistakes in the sixth. After Glasnow walked the only two batters he faced that inning, Seager smacked a single to center off reliever Chris Devenski.

Playing for the first time since a Dylan Floro pitch fractured his right hand on Sept. 11, Siri tried to scoop the ball but slapped it high into the air before his heave to third base sailed into the Rangers’ dugout, allowing Evan Carter and Marcus Semien to score.

“It's something that happens in the game. I thought I had it. We know here, with the artificial turf, it bounces a little bit different,” Siri said through interpreter Manny Navarro. “I tried to get it after that and tried to get the runner out. But like I said, you can't turn back the time now, and that's exactly what happened.”

Siri also was unable to execute on one of the Rays’ few opportunities against Montgomery, who worked seven innings on 93 pitches (61 strikes). Curtis Mead singled to lead off the second and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Manuel Margot. Walls then recorded Tampa Bay’s lone hit in six at-bats with runners in scoring position on the day, an infield single that pushed Mead to third.

With a bunt called from the dugout, Siri popped up his second attempt down the first-base line, and Montgomery made an impressive diving catch to snag it for the inning’s second out. Pinto then struck out, stranding runners on the corners. The Rays advanced only one more runner to third base the rest of the way.

“This team has scored a lot of runs this year. It's a good-hitting lineup. We got shut down today,” Cash said. “I'm very confident that we're going to bounce back and have some good at-bats.”

The Rays’ season depends upon it.