Rays fall short in bid to host Wild Card Game
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TORONTO -- The visiting clubhouse at Rogers Centre still smelled like champagne, beer and cigars. The floor was still wet, and the celebratory goggles were still on display in each player’s locker.
Friday night’s playoff-clinching celebration was one that the Rays’ players will never forget. But they still had something to play for over the last two games of the regular season.
The Rays entered Saturday’s game tied with the A’s atop the American League Wild Card standings with just two games remaining. Because Oakland holds the tiebreaker, Tampa Bay needed to finish the season one game better than the A’s to host Wednesday’s Wild Card Game in St. Petersburg. But after Saturday’s 4-1 loss to the Blue Jays and the A's 1-0 win over the Mariners, the Rays will be traveling to Oakland for the one-game playoff.
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And Ryan Yarbrough will be a key part of the Rays’ staff during a potential postseason run, but the left-hander has struggled over the past month, particularly in the first inning. Over his past two starts, Yarbrough has allowed seven runs in the first inning. Overall, Yarbrough finished September with a 7.52 ERA after being one of the most effective pitchers in the AL in August with a 1.50 ERA.
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On Saturday, Yarbrough gave up three runs in the first inning on a couple of cutters that he left near the middle of the zone. But after the first, Yarbrough settled in nicely, tossing four scoreless innings.
“Taking away the first inning, I felt better about a lot of things,” Yarbrough said. “I still had to work out a couple of things, but I felt like I was getting back to more of what makes me successful those last couple of innings. I feel like I cleaned it up as the game went along, and [I] definitely feel better about it going into the postseason.”
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Manager Kevin Cash said the Rays still have to make some decisions on how they plan to use Yarbrough and the rest of the staff. Yarbrough has experience as a starter and out of the bullpen, which will help the left-hander be a weapon in the playoffs. Regardless of Yarbrough's role, Cash expects to lean on him.
“I don’t think we’ve got it for certain how we’re going to go about it,” Cash said. “But I can tell you for certain that he’s been a huge part. We’re not here right now if it wasn’t for his effort, especially with the guys that went down due to injury. We’re going to have to get our heads together. … He’s going to be right in the middle of things.”
Matt Duffy provided the only spark offensively for the Rays, who sat some of their regulars. Duffy launched his first home run of the season, snapping a streak of 427 at-bats without a homer, which was the longest in the Majors. It was his first home run since June 16, 2018.
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“Felt good to get that monkey off my back a little bit,” Duffy said. “They put [that stat] on the scoreboard every time we play. Been trying to get that off for a while.”
The Rays will wrap up the regular season on Sunday against the Blue Jays. Once that’s over, their focus will shift to the A’s.