May 25, 2017

Colby Rasmus delivered a pair of clutch 2-out hits, driving in four runs on the day, as the Rays defeated the Angels 4-0.  The Rays and Angels split their four-game series.

Rasmus came to the plate with 2 outs and the bases loaded in the 1st, then came through with a 2-run single to give Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead.

In the 5th, Rasmus was at it again, coming up with a 2-run double with the based loaded once more.  The ball bounced over the center field wall, otherwise the 4-0 deficit might have been even bigger.

That was all the offense the Rays needed on this day.  Matt Andriese (5-1) got the win after pitching 8 shutout innings.  He gave up 6 hits, walked 2 and struck out 5, while throwing 112 pitches.  Tommy Hunter pitched a scoreless 9th for the Rays.

The Angels looked like they were poised to take an early lead in the 1st inning, but Mike Trout was thrown out at home plate by Steven Souza.

The Halos put runners at 1st and 3rd in the 2nd inning, but Danny Espinosa popped out to end the inning.  Those were the Angels best chances to score on the day.

Daniel Wright (0-1) took the loss after making a spot start for the injured Alex Meyer.  He went 4 1/3 innings, giving up 4 runs (2 of them earned) on 6 hits.  He walked 1 and struck out 4, departing after 73 pitches.

Keynan Middleton, Deolis Guerra, and David Hernandez provided 3+ innings of scoreless relief for the Halos pen.

After 50 games the Angels are an even 25-25 on the season.  Their road trip continues on Friday in Miami, where they’ll begin a 3-game set with the Marlins.  Jesse Chavez (4-5, 4.61 ERA) will be on the mound for the Angels, while the Marlins counter with Dan Straily (2-3, 3.70).