Tampa Bay Rays won a 4-0 victory over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night in St. Petersburg, Florida. Kevin Kiermaier smashed an inside-the-park home run off Pablo López’s opening pitch.
When Kiermaier lined Pablo Lopez’s (4-2) first pitch to shallow center field. Jesus Sanchez dashed in to make a diving catch that would have taken him into the infield. Nevertheless, Sanchez misplaced the ball, and it rolled across the stadium’s pitch and into the dome wall. With no hesitation, the Rays’ center fielder ran around the bases and slid home to beat the shortstop’s relay.
“It’s a fun way to start off the game,” Kiermaier said. “You never know what to expect in a baseball game, and the first pitch of the game for us is an inside-the-parker. And since we have the best pitcher in the league, that’s all we needed. One run.” He added.
Kiermaier hit his sixth home run of the season, and he has now gone 13 for 24 with three home runs in five consecutive multi-hit games.
McClanahan gives strong start
Thanks to Shane McClanahan, the Rays got off to a good start. They struck out nine batters in six shutout innings. Upon facing Miami for the second time, McClanahan (4-2) only allowed four hits and two walks while striking out nine. He regained the major league lead in strikeouts (74). He has prevailed in each of his appearances against the Marlins so far.
Dusten Knight (two innings, one hit) and Ryan Thompson (perfect ninth inning) combined to finish McClanahan’s shutout. A pair of home runs from Harold Ramirez and Ji-Man Choi gave the Rays a lead in their six-game homestand opening following a 7-6 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.
Two-hit games were turned up by Kiermaier, Ramirez (double), Choi (double), and Mike Zunino. Both Garrett Cooper and Jacob Stallings of Miami went 2-for-2 with a walk. The Marlins were only able to collect five hits during the first game of their eight-game road trip.
Ramirez hits homer
During the seventh inning, Lopez allowed four homers. He allowed nine hits while struck out eight. After Kiermaier’s quick home run put the Rays up 1-0, Ramirez followed with a more classic long ball, slashing one inside the right-field foul pole for his first home run and a two-run lead.
McClanahan annihilated the opposing team’s lineup in the first five innings with nine strikeouts and six swinging, allowing only one runner to reach second base.
The sixth inning presented the Marlins with their greatest opportunity to score against McClanahan. Both Garrett Cooper and Jes Aguilar singled in the top of the inning. After completing a double play, McClanahan threw a wild pitch that ricocheted back into fair territory. As a result, Cooper reconsidered his plan to attempt to score from third base. Cooper tried again to score as McClanahan stumbled and fell. However, he failed as third baseman Isaac Paredes threw him out of the game.
McClanahan claimed that his uncomfortable fall to the ground while covering the home plate in the sixth inning was part of the plan.
“You can’t prove me wrong,” he jested. “I’ve been told not to touch the ball unless you absolutely have to.”
Right after Randy Arozarena’s leadoff double in the sixth inning, Choi blasted his third home run into deep right field. They ended the night with a 4-0 victory and a 25-17 record.
