Rays 'couldn't get the big hit' in frustrating loss

KANSAS CITY -- The Rays were robbed.

Trailing by two in the bottom of the ninth, Taylor Walls finally provided the spark Tampa Bay had been searching for all night -- or so he thought. Royals center fielder Kyle Isbel took it away with a leaping, crashing catch into the wall, denying the Rays in their eventual 4-2 loss on Wednesday at Kauffman Stadium.

The catch encapsulated a frustrating night for Tampa Bay, which was moments away from having the tying run in scoring position before Isbel snagged Walls’ 410-foot, 101.8 mph line drive.

“I mean, I’m probably standing on third with a one-run game, [and] Isaac [Paredes] is up,” Walls said. “That’s a game-changing play. In the moment, it’s frustrating because, of course, I wanted that ball to fall … He made an unbelievable play and you have got to tip your hat."

The Rays had baserunners in the last four innings, including multiple runners in the seventh and eighth innings, but finished the night 1-for-11 with RISP.

“We put a lot of pressure on there at the end. We had guys all over the bases, and we went through their bullpen pretty good,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “We felt good about our at-bats, but we just couldn’t get that big hit for whatever reason.”

That reason was Isbel. He shrunk Tampa Bay’s win probability by 5.6%. Walls’ fly ball would have been a home run in 18 ballparks and had a .790 expected batting average.

“That was an unbelievable catch,” Walls said. “I knew I hit it well when I hit it. I didn’t really know how it was going to carry. I feel like the wind was kind of swirling all night, or stopping and going … But he was running back, so I knew I got it probably better than I thought I did. And he made an unbelievable catch.

“I thought for a second there that he could have dropped it when he hit the wall, but he held onto it. That’s unbelievable.”

That frustration carried over to starter Ryan Pepiot, who lasted only four innings, tossing 87 pitches and giving up two runs. After not allowing a hit on his fastball or cutter in his past two starts (100 combined pitches), the Royals hit his fastball three times -- twice in the two-run third inning. He generated just one whiff on 20 swings with the heater.

“Everything I threw over the plate, they either fouled it off or put it in play,” Pepiot said. “I was trying to do a little too much or try to nibble a little bit on the edges, making the counts go longer or end up throwing a ball that they’d take. I think [it was] a little bit of command issues, but I think I was just trying too hard to get swing-and-miss or weaker contact.”

Pepiot threw just 53 strikes in his outing, walking three batters. The righty didn’t strike out a single batter -- marking the first time this season he didn’t rack up at least three punchouts.

“Every time I felt like I made a good [pitch] tonight, they just fouled it off,” Pepiot said. “And then they hit a couple mistakes. … Then frustrating walks. Walking Salvy, four-pitch walk to [MJ] Melendez and then [Hunter] Renfroe, I get ahead of him, but I’m trying hard to get swing-and-miss and place the right pitch, and end up walking him. It’s just frustrating.”

That overall frustration also made its way to the bullpen. Shawn Armstrong, who has a 14.73 ERA over his past seven appearances (12 ER in 7 1/3 innings), allowed a two-run single to Salvador Perez in the seventh, extending Kansas City’s lead to 4-1.

“Walks can’t happen,” Armstrong said. “He didn’t make good contact, but when you got a guy on second and third, he beats you on a pitch and runs are going to score.

“I can’t really put that into words right now, so it’s very frustrating, to say the least.”

Despite the loss, a win Thursday with Zach Eflin on the mound would secure the Rays’ fifth straight series win. Frustrated as they are, Tampa Bay is already looking forward to it.

“All the confidence in the world in Eflin,” Pepiot said. “He is our veteran in the rotation and is the one we lean on. … He’s one that you go out there and you know you have a chance to win a ballgame every single time he takes the ball.”