Rays pitchers perfect into eighth vs. Phils

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Right-hander Jerad Eickhoff had a strong showing against the Rays on Sunday afternoon, going six innings and allowing two runs on four hits and no walks with nine strikeouts. But, his offense did him no favors, as four Rays pitchers combined to keep the Phillies off the bases until Tommy Joseph's one-out double in the eighth, on the way to an 8-0 Rays win.
Rays left-hander Justin Marks, making his sixth Grapefruit League appearance and first start, went three perfect innings, with two strikeouts. Right-hander Tommy Hunter followed with two perfect innings and Xavier Cedeño went a perfect inning with one strikeout. Danny Farquhar had retired the first four batters he faced before giving up Joseph's double, followed by a walk to Cameron Rupp. In two innings, Farquhar recorded four strikeouts. 
"Really well pitched ballgame," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "[Marks] was outstanding. Tommy Hunter, that was probably his best outing we've seen. Farquhar threw the ball well. Really pleased with the effort of the pitching. Cedeno, obviously, he has a knack for being efficient and making it look easy."

The Rays got a run in the second when Steven Souza Jr. doubled and scored on Tim Beckham's two-out single.

Corey Dickerson's third home run of the spring led off the sixth and gave the Rays a two-run lead.

Colby Rasmus, who had been sidelined while recuperating from offseason hip and core muscle surgery, made his Grapefruit League debut. Serving as the designated hitter and batting third, he went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts.
"I was just happy to get him out there," Cash said. "Hopefully he feels [good] and he'll be right back out there DH'ing tomorrow."

The Rays sent 11 batters to the plate in the eighth, scoring five runs.
Phillies Up Next: The Phillies have their last scheduled off-day of the spring Monday, then will resume Grapefruit League play against the Twins on Tuesday with a 1:05 p.m. ET contest at Hammond Stadium, in a game available on Gameday Audio. Right-hander Jake Thompson, the International League's 2016 Most Valuable Pitcher, will get the start. Veteran Clay Buchholz will throw on the side instead of taking his turn; Thompson is expected to open the season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Rays Up Next: The Rays host the Pirates at 1:05 p.m. ET Monday, in a game available via an exclusive MLB.com webcast. Left-hander Blake Snell is scheduled to make his fifth Grapefruit League appearance -- fourth start -- this spring. In his last outing, Tuesday against Baltimore, he went 2 2/3 innings, giving up a run on one hit with five walks and a strikeout.
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