The Rays (30-28) could not score after the 2nd inning, but did not need to score much with young Jeremy Hellickson on the mound. Hellickson (7-3) kept the Mariners' offense silent through 7 and 1/3 innings, striking out 4 and walking only 1. The Mariners (30-28) were able to score on a Miguel Olivo 2-run homer in 8th inning (with 1 of the runs going against Hellickson's tab).
Meanwhile, the Mariners starter Doug Fister (3-6) got tabbed with the loss despite his solid 7 inning performance. The Rays were able to string together three walks and few hits (some of them bloops) in the 3rd inning, providing Hellickson the sufficient lead with a 3-0 score.
Notes from the game:
- Casey Kotchman made his return today, but appeared to show some lingering effects from his ankle injury, moving even slower than usual. Additionally, he went 0 for 4 with 1 line out and 3 ground outs.
- Evan Longoria left the game with tightness in his left side. The injury does not sound serious, and he will be day-to-day, but given his recent oblique-related injury, Rays fans cannot help but feel a little concerned.
- Johnny Damon, hitting lead off again, went 2 for 5 with a double, and Ben Zobrist, hitting second, also went 2 for 5 with a pair of singles. These two hitters have continued to produce at the top of the order during the Rays' extended slump. Hopefully the team will be able to take advantage of these two setting the table before they themselves go cold.