The Rays managed just three hits but beat the Mariners, 3-1. The M’s are failing in the clutch — zero for last 30 with runners in scoring position, including 0-for-5 tonight.
MARINERS SIXTH: The M’s keep squandering chances. Montero leads off with a single — his third hit — but that’s it. They have eight hits, compared to three for Tampa Bay, but Rays lead 3-1.
MARINERS FIFTH: After two-out singles by Alex Liddi and Ichiro (tying Ozzie Smith for career hits with 2,460), Justin Smoak flied out to deep center. M’s are 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position tonight, and 0 for their last 29 over four games. 3-1 Rays.
RAYS FOURTH: Noesi works a very quick fourth. Luke Scott sent Ichiro to the wall in the right-field corner to haul down his drive. 3-1 Rays.
MARINERS FOURTH: Promising start on one-out singles by Montero and Seager, but Moore fanned both Wells and Saunders. 3-1 Rays.
RAYS THIRD: Matt Joyce, who tripled in the first, added a homer. That’s a pretty good start to a cycle. 3-1 Rays.
MARINERS THIRD: MIchael Saunders didn’t bunt; instead, he leaped on the first pitch by Moore and crushed a homer to right, his fourth. Moore must have been shaken up, because he walked .136-hitting Brendan Ryan. But he got the next three outs to avoid further damage. 2-1 Rays.
RAYS SECOND: Noesi settles down with a nice 1-2-3 inning. 2-0 Rays.
MARINERS SECOND: Jesus Montero led off with a scorching liner off the center-field wall, a 404-foot drive. In fact, he hit it so hard he got just a single out of it — and was promtly erased on a double-play ball by Kyle Seager. Casper Wells worked a 13-pitch at-bat, but struck out to give it an anti-climactic ending (unless you are Matt Moore). 2-0 Rays.
RAYS FIRST: This is a big outing for Hector Noesi, who needs to make his case to stay in the rotation. Not a promising start as he issues two walks, a booming triple by Matt Joyce (Michael Saunders looked like he had a shot at it, but couldn’t make a leaping grab), and a sac fly. 2-0 Rays.
MARINERS FIRST: Facing highly touted rookie Matt Moore, making his fifth start of the season still looking for his first win, they got a two-out double by Ichiro. But Justin Smoak struck out. 0-0.
The Rays have placed Evan Longoria on the disabled list with a partial tear of his left hamstring, which he injured last night while attempting a stolen base against the Mariners in the third inning. Obviously, a huge blow for the Rays, which called up infielder Will Rhymes from Triple-A Durham to take his roster spot