TAMPA, Fla. – Nick Martinez and the Rays stopped the bleeding on Wednesday afternoon at Tropicana Field. A 6-1 win over the Reds prevented a three-game sweep and halted a skid of four losses in five games.
Thursday’s off day gave Kevin Cash’s team a little rest after nine games in as many days. On Friday evening, the Rays (13-11) begin a three-game weekend series against Minnesota, which is managed by former Tampa Bay hitting coach Derek Shleton. On the mound for the Twins will be a familiar face in Taj Bradley, who the Rays did not face in Minnesota during their season-opening road trip.
“I think so,” said Cash, when asked if the timing was good for his team to catch its breath. “Minnesota has played very well and we have already seen them once. We didn’t see Taj, and we know what kind of start he’s had to his season.”
The Rays will see the 25-year-old righthander in the series opener. Bradley, who was dealt to the Twins (12-12) in exchange for reliever Griffin Jax at last season’s trade deadline, has made five starts and is 3-0 with a 1.63 ERA. He has fanned 34 in 27 2/3 innings.
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Bradley, who went 19-25, with a 4.70 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 69 appearances (67 starts) with Tampa Bay, will face a lineup that scuffled prior to the series finale against Cincinnati. In fact, when the Rays opened the scoring Wednesday with three runs in the second inning, it marked only the fourth time in 16 games they got on the board first.
“I know we have had a couple of rough games offensively,” said catcher Nick Fortes, who is hitting .290 with a .747 OPS. “You know, we are not trying to reinvent the wheel, but sticking with our approach and not change too much. This game is so cyclical and the season is long, so try not to make too much of it and stick with the approach.”
Drew Rasmussen (1-0, 2.75 ERA) will oppose Bradley. First pitch is 7:10. Shane McClanahan (1-2, 5.00) and Bailey Ober (2-0, 4.15) are scheduled to start Saturday afternoon (4:10) and the announced matchup for Sunday (1:40) is Jesse Scholtens (1-1, 2.93) and Simeon Woods-Richardson (0-3, 5.96)
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