Baltimore Orioles vs. Tampa Bay Rays - News - April 08, 2022 | FOX Sports

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・April 8, 2022 April 08 Apr 08

Rays prevail despite leaving 9 runners stranded on the basepaths

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Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL

Andrew Kittredge - Notches first save of seasonKittredge tossed the ninth inning and secured the save, surrendering one run on two hits while striking out two in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Orioles.

ImpactKittredge picked up the win Friday against the Orioles, but he was called upon to protect a 5-2 lead in the ninth Saturday. Ramon Urias opened the inning with a ground-rule double and later scored on a two-out Jorge Mateo double, but Kittredge was able to halt the damage at just one run, striking out DJ Stewart to end the contest and pick up his first save of the season. With the Rays once again expected to challenge for an AL East divisional title, the 31-year-old will likely be a very effective bullpen option once again in 2022 after posting a sparkling 1.88 ERA and 0.98 WHIP over 57 appearances last year.

APRIL 9, 2022•ROTOWIRE

Francisco Mejía - Homers and plates threeMejia went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, three RBI and two runs in the 5-3 win over the Orioles on Saturday.

ImpactThe catcher opened the scoring in the contest, notching a single in the bottom of the second inning off of Jordan Lyles, driving in teammate Josh Lowe before later scoring on a Brett Phillips ground out. Mejia busted the game wide open in the following inning, blasting a 2-2 fastball from Lyles over the fence, once again scoring Lowe and putting the Rays up 5-2. The 26-year-old is expected to operate in a timeshare with Mike Zunino behind the plate this season, though Mejia is the better option against right-handers.

APRIL 9, 2022•ROTOWIRE

Drew Rasmussen - Strong outing to open 2022Rasmussen tossed four innings of two-run ball on three hits and a walk while striking out three in Saturday's win over the Orioles. He did not factor into the decision.

ImpactAll the damage against the right-hander in this one came off of the bat of Ryan Mountcastle, who launched a first-pitch slider over the wall for a two-run shot in the third inning. Rasmussen failed to pitch five innings in the contest, leaving after the fourth inning at 64 pitches. It was a strong season debut for the 26-year-old who produced a 4-1 record with a 2.84 ERA and 1.08 WHIP over 35 appearances and 10 starts between the Brewers and Rays.

APRIL 9, 2022•ROTOWIRE

Jorge Mateo - Swipes bag in lossMateo went 1-for-3 with an RBI double, a run, a walk and a stolen base in Saturday's loss versus the Rays.

ImpactThe shortstop reached base twice for the second consecutive game, adding a stolen base in the third inning before later driving in teammate Ramon Urias on a ninth inning ground-rule double off of Andrew Kittredge. After being let go by the Padres, Mateo slashed .280/.328/.421 with two homers, 10 RBI and five stolen bases in 32 games with the Orioles last season and he'll look to keep it up as the 2022 campaign is officially underway.

APRIL 9, 2022•ROTOWIRE

Francisco Mejia leads way again as Rays improve to 2-0ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Catcher Francisco Mejia came to the Rays last year and got adjusted to both his role as the backup to starter Mike Zu...

APRIL 9, 2022•CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.COM

Ryan Mountcastle - Smashes first homer of 2022Mountcastle went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and a run in Saturday's loss to the Rays.

ImpactMountcastle opened the scoring for his team in the third inning, crushing a first-pitch slider from Drew Rasmussen over the fence for his first homer of the year, driving in his teammate Jorge Mateo in the process. He later added a single in the eighth inning to produce his first multi-hit contest of the campaign. Although the Orioles are unlikely to challenge for a playoff spot this season, Mountcastle is coming off of strong 2021 campaign where he batted .255 with 33 homers and 89 RBI and he'll look to replicate his success in 2022.

APRIL 9, 2022•ROTOWIRE

Jordan Lyles - Struggles in season debutLyles (0-1) picked up the loss after he pitched five innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out two in Saturday's defeat against the Rays.

ImpactThe 31-year-old pitched a clean first inning, but struggled over the next two frames, surrendering all five runs over that span. Lyles struggled to keep the Rays off the basepaths, allowing 10 batters to reach base. Coming off a 2021 campaign where he compiled a 5.15 ERA and 1.39 WHIP while starting 30 games with the Rangers, the left-hander failed to start off the 2022 season on the right foot. He is projected to be back on the mound Wednesday at home versus the Brewers.

APRIL 9, 2022•ROTOWIRE