Not surprisingly, the Rays lead the majors in runs scored, total bases (230) and on-base plus slugging percentage (.945). Also not surprising, their pitchers lead baseball in earned run average (2.17) and are tied with the Minnesota Twins for lowest batting average against (.194).
“As far as the pitching goes, the overall execution has been pretty remarkable,” Cash said.
The pitching success has been achieved without the help of Tyler Glasnow, who has been out with an oblique strain. Zach Eflin, another top starter who signed with the team as a free agent in the off-season, won his first two starts but was placed on the injured list with lower back tightness. That provided an opening for Taj Bradley, a top pitching prospect, to make his major league debut on Wednesday, his mother’s birthday.
Ana Mosley watched and cheered from the stands as Bradley threw five strong innings for the win, allowing three runs, five hits and a walk and striking out eight. Bradley, a right-hander, was notified on Tuesday of the call-up from the Class AAA Durham Bulls and had one hour to pack and get to the airport for a flight to Tampa amid a rush of activity and phone calls.
He pitched through the first inning like a 10-year veteran, but when he returned to the dugout, the long-awaited moment briefly overwhelmed him.
“After the first inning I got pretty emotional,” he said in an interview with WDAE, the Rays’ radio broadcaster. “I had to cover my face with a towel. I had some tears going. After getting out of that first inning, I was excited, man. It’s a dream come true, a childhood dream come true.”
Randy Arozarena, the Rays’ slugging left fielder, hit his third home run of the season on Wednesday, and shortstop Wander Franco was 3 for 5 with two runs batted in and two runs scored, increasing his batting average to .340. Franco has four home runs.