In front of just 8,287 fans at Tropicana Field on Thursday afternoon, the Tampa Bay Rays had another tough game against the Oakland Athletics, who beat starter Josh Fleming to a 6-3 victory.
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The visitors have thus won three of the four duels of this disputed series in Florida and it is certainly not the home crowd that caused them trouble. The highest attendance figure reported at the Rays’ home in the past four days was Monday, when 9,139 people passed through the turnstiles.
The Athletics took a serious option on the game in the second inning when three runners scored on Cristian Pache’s single combined with an error from left fielder Randy Arozarena. For his part, Sean Murphy had a productive double in the next turn at bat, while Elvis Andrus and Pache each had two hits and a run.
Southpaw Cole Irvin (1-1) won his first decision of the campaign and Dany Jimenez saved the game. In the losers, Brandon Lowe homered with a teammate on the trails. Fleming (1-1) gave up five runs, three earned, in three and a third innings.
A victory without Toro
In Chicago, the Seattle Mariners defeated the White Sox 5-1 on Thursday. Quebecer Abraham Toro was not used in this game, he who was limited to one hit in 16 at bats since the start of the season.
Jarred Kelenic, Cal Raleigh and Mitch Haniger instead sounded the charge for the Mariners with each a homer during this meeting. For Haniger, it was already his third long ball of the seven-game campaign.
Starting pitcher Logan Gilbert (1-0) also did well for the visitors, allowing just one unearned run in five innings of work. The Mariners’ relievers were then impeccable, with the White Sox totaling four hits in that game, all hitting against Gilbert.
