Rays race back to tie it, but bullpen halts momentum

KANSAS CITY -- After falling behind by three runs early and going five frustrating innings without a hit, it looked like the Rays would wind up with something to celebrate after all Saturday night at Kauffman Stadium. Newcomer Roman Quinn ended Royals starter Brady Singer’s no-hit bid with a bunt single in the sixth then tied the game with a two-run triple an inning later.

“We were feeling really good. I mean, that was a pretty exciting moment right there,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Anytime a new guy comes up and contributes right away, that's encouraging.”

The momentum seemed to fully swing in Tampa Bay’s direction when Randy Arozarena threw out Hunter Dozier at the plate to end the frame. But it swung back Kansas City’s way an inning later, as Ryan Yarbrough gave up a pair of home runs to Michael A. Taylor and Bobby Witt Jr. in the eighth and the Rays went on to lose, 6-3 to the Royals.

“Felt we were in a good spot going into the eighth inning, and it was just two pitches,” Yarbrough said. “Definitely tough, and something that will sit with you for a little bit, when just two pitches is the change of the game.”

Those two pitches may have changed the game, but they were not the full story of the night.

Right-hander Luis Patiño had another uneven outing in his second start back from the injured list, giving up three runs on seven hits and three walks over four innings. The 22-year-old starter bumped his average fastball velocity up to 94.9 mph, closer to the 95.7 mark he averaged last season. But his swing-and-miss stuff still didn’t show up, as he recorded the same number of strikeouts and walks while the Royals only whiffed on four of his 72 pitches.

Half of the 14 balls Kansas City put in play against Patiño qualified as “hard-hit,” with an exit velocity over 95 mph, and all but one of them landed for hits. Three of them came in the Royals’ three-run third inning, when he allowed consecutive hard-hit doubles to MJ Melendez and Witt before walking Andrew Benintendi and giving up a well-struck, two-run double to Whit Merrifield.

“Every outing, I get a little more confident and a little more confident,” said Patiño -- who missed three months due to a left oblique strain -- through interpreter Manny Navarro. “I like that they have the trust in me to go out there and learn something from every single outing, so I'm going to continue on forward from there.”

Cash was encouraged by Patiño’s increase in velocity and stamina -- he insisted he had another inning in him -- but the 0-2 pitch Merrifield hit was a good example of where there’s still room for improvement. Patiño threw a 96.3 mph fastball at the top of the strike zone, but he might have struck out Merrifield or gotten a pop-up if the pitch had been just a bit above the zone.

“It still just comes down to pitch execution,” Cash said.

The Rays managed only two walks while striking out 12 times against Singer, the 25-year-old University of Florida product who entered the night allowing an .845 OPS against left-handed hitters this season. And it took Quinn, making his first start for the Rays, to send a jolt through their dugout.

“For us to come back and tie it, that's encouraging,” Cash said. “And nice to see Roman do it, being the new guy.”

Yarbrough had pitched well enough in his first three innings of relief, and Cash liked having him match up in the eighth with a few left-handed Royals hitters: Nick Pratto, Nicky Lopez and Melendez. The only righty facing Yarbrough was Taylor, who pinch-hit for lefty Kyle Isbel in the sixth. Cash had right-hander Ryan Thompson and lefty Brooks Raley warming up, but only for certain circumstances -- Thompson if Kansas City used more righty pinch-hitters, Raley if the Rays needed a strikeout to defuse a jam.

But those situations never came about. Yarbrough threw Taylor a 2-2 breaking ball over the plate, and Taylor crushed a go-ahead homer out to left-center.

“When he hit that, I think it quieted their dugout,” Witt said. “It was awesome to be a part of that.”

Witt capped the rally by blasting a first-pitch cutter from Yarbrough out to left for a two-run homer, and the Rays were dealt only their second loss in the last nine games heading into Sunday’s series finale.

“[Taylor’s homer] and Witt Jr.’s, especially, hurt when we're feeling like we're getting a lot of mojo toward the end of that game,” Yarbrough said.