Trio of errors prove costly as Rays' defensive miscues pile up

MILWAUKEE -- The first week of the season brought a pair of series losses and no shortage of surprises for the Rays.

They’ve probably hit more than expected. Their bullpen has struggled more than anticipated. But the least pleasant surprise for the Rays -- one that cost them in a big way in Wednesday’s 8-2 loss to the Brewers at American Family Field -- has been their occasionally sloppy defense.

“It's going to be good,” manager Kevin Cash said. “We just haven't been as good or as crisp as the standard so far.”

Six games into the season, the Rays are tied for the Major League lead with nine errors. They’ve committed at least one in each of their first six games of the season for the first time in club history.

For a team built on run prevention, equal parts pitching and defense, with little margin for error … well, you can see where errors might be an issue -- and why it’s so glaring when they don’t make the plays they’re supposed to make.

“It hasn't been the best stretch, but in six seasons, defense is not something I would ever, ever complain about,” starter Drew Rasmussen said. “We're gonna get that thing turned around, and it's not gonna be a problem.”

Junior Caminero committed three errors between two spots in the infield in the series finale, tying the single-game franchise record for one player, and two of them proved to be costly.

After Yandy Díaz continued his scorching start with a two-run homer off flame-throwing Jacob Misiorowski in the third inning, Rasmussen made his way to the mound with a lead. It wouldn’t last long.

David Hamilton hit a ground ball to third base to begin the inning, but Caminero’s throw was down the line. That baserunner mattered two batters later, when Brice Turang capitalized on a rare Rasmussen mistake with a game-tying homer.

That was one of two throwing errors by Caminero in the inning, as he chucked another one wide of first baseman Jonathan Aranda on a William Contreras grounder. Caminero also committed two errors behind Rasmussen on Opening Day, one of them on a throw.

The throwing errors can be corrected. Cash said Caminero is “getting on the side of the ball a little bit,” likely because his front shoulder isn’t aimed toward first base when he’s coming in to make plays. Caminero noted he has dropped his arm angle at times and sped up at others.

It’s an uncharacteristic and unexpected development from Caminero, who worked to make himself into an above-average defender at the hot corner last season.

“I want to make perfect throws. I want to get the out,” Caminero said through interpreter Kevin Vera. “Just right now, it's not working.”

After that, Rasmussen struck out the next six batters he faced to keep the game tied in his first start in Milwaukee since the Brewers traded him to the Rays in May 2021.

But the Rays’ mistakes caught up with them in the eighth inning. Two of those were related to a move they made the prior half-inning. After a leadoff walk by Aranda, Cash sent in Carson Williams to pinch-run, thinking he could steal second or score on a double.

After Caminero grounded into an inning-ending double play, the Rays kept Williams in to play shortstop behind reliever Griffin Jax. Ben Williamson shifted to third, and Caminero moved across the infield to play first base for the first time this year.

Caminero said he’ll play “wherever the manager needs me,” but when asked if he even owns a first baseman’s glove, he responded, “I play third base. I don’t play first.”

The decisive inning began with a one-hopper up the middle that Williams couldn’t snag. (The play was initially ruled an error but later changed to a hit.) Turang then dropped a bunt, which Williamson fielded and fired to first. Caminero dropped the throw, putting two runners on when Jax arguably could have had two outs on the board.

“Big ask on my part,” Cash said. “Cami, he’s going to continue to work defensively, but certainly a big ask. It's not that easy just to go over to one corner or the other.”

Then came more bad breaks: A softly hit single by Contreras to load the bases and a tiebreaking single through the right side of the infield by Christian Yelich that opened the floodgates for a six-run inning.

“It almost feels like it's a little bit how last year went for me -- just, if a ball gets put in play, it finds a hole right now,” Jax said. “But at the end of the day, I just let the inning get away from me. I couldn't stop the momentum. Just let it snowball. And that's on me.”