7th-inning stumbles spell frustrating loss

MINNEAPOLIS -- Just when it looked like the Rays were headed for a much-needed victory, a critical error that was charged to Charlie Morton in the seventh inning of Wednesday’s 6-4 loss against the Twins proved costly for a Tampa Bay team that is left searching for answers after dropping its 11th game in its last 15 tries.

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“We have to try and find a way to stay positive, and that’s much easier said than done right now,” said Rays manager Kevin Cash. “I’m sure there are plenty of guys that are frustrated and doubting some things -- which that’s going to happen over the course of a season. We recognize that.”

Before the game, the Rays talked about the importance of finishing off the current 10-game road trip on a positive note with a pair of victories against the Twins. But in order to do that, Tampa Bay knew that it had to take care of business on Wednesday, especially with Morton, who has served as the club’s best pitcher in the first half on the mound.

Even after allowing three runs in the first inning, Morton appeared to be in control for most of the night against a tough Twins lineup. Home runs by Kevin Kiermaier, Tommy Pham and Willy Adames provided enough offense for the Rays to take a 4-3 lead in the seventh inning.

With the lead and Morton going back out for his seventh inning of work, the Rays had finally gained control of a game against the Twins. But it took just two hitters in the seventh inning in order to change the complexion of the game.

Jason Castro opened the inning with a single off Morton. Jake Cave followed with a routine ground ball right at Ji-Man Choi at first base that, for a second, appeared to be headed for a double play. But a Choi misplay and a tough throw to Morton, who ran to cover first, later ended Morton’s night and it was now up to a Rays bullpen that has struggled in June.

“Uncharacteristic, a little bit, of us,” Cash said, when talking about the defensive lapses Wednesday. “Off the bat, you’re thinking about a potential double play or easily get one [out] and we didn’t get any.”

Cash then turned to left-hander Colin Poche to face Luis Arraez with two runners on and just one out in the inning. The rookie pitcher walked Arraez, loading the bases for two of the best hitters in the Twins’ lineup in Jorge Polanco and Nelson Cruz. Poche was able to get Polanco to pop out for the second out of the inning, setting up a matchup between Cruz and Rays reliever Emilio Pagan.

Pagan quickly jumped out to a 0-2 count against Cruz on back-to-back sliders. Once Pagan tried going to a third consecutive slider, Cruz was waiting for it, depositing the game-winning, bases-clearing double to give the Twins a 6-4 lead.

“I was talking to [pitching coach Kyle Snyder] about it, and we both liked the pitch,” Pagan said. “That’s my strength -- the cutter or the slider, whatever you want to call it -- and that’s his weakness. But he’s been around for a long time for a reason. He made an adjustment and made a good swing. It’s more frustrating because of the skid we’ve been on as a team.”

With Jose Alvarado on the restricted list since June 2 and Diego Castillo struggling and then injured with a right shoulder issue, the Rays have struggled to close out games during this road trip. It’s the fourth time in the last nine games that the Rays have lost a game at the hands of the bullpen. The Rays are now 10-15 in June and 18-18 over their last 36 games.

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“We knew going into this stretch that this was going to be a tough stretch for any team,” Pagan said. “And then you throw in the injuries we’ve had -- not even the major ones, but the nagging ones. … We haven’t played the best baseball, but we also haven’t played terrible. Things just haven’t gone our way.”

The Rays are hoping that the current stretch, as tough as it has been, can help them moving forward into the later months of the season. Morton, who was brought in to be the veteran presence of an otherwise inexperienced clubhouse, believes that the team will rally over the current rough patch.

“I hope that there’s some awareness on what’s going on, [and] I think there is that,” Morton said. “We have been losing close games. For me personally, when I’m looking around the clubhouse, guys are mad, guys are upset about this. This is not something that it’s silent there, and to me, that means guys are taking this really seriously.

“Sometimes failure can be a positive. The timing of this in June, I don’t know. I hate to say it’s a good thing, because it’s not a good thing, but I think we can make it a positive thing moving forward and into the latter part of the year, and get some momentum going into August and September.”

The Rays are now seven games back of the Yankees in the American League East, so they’re hoping that the momentum shifts sooner rather than later.