After allowing 6 runs in just 2 innings his last time out, Matt Moore took the hill hoping for much better results. He didn’t get them. Moore allowed 2 runs in the 1st and 3 in the 2nd and 3rd to put the Rays in an 8-1 hole and wound up allowing 9 runs, 8 earned, in 5 innings of work. You have to give Moore some credit for battling to get through 5 and save the Rays bullpen, even finishing his outing with a shutout 5th, but he was just horrible again and that can happen. Unlike his previous outing, where he didn’t have any control and walked 6 batters, Moore was able to keep the ball over the plate, throwing 71 of 100 pitches for strikes and striking out 6 while walking 1, but he just left pitch after pitch up in the zone and got hammered in the process. Moore’s ERA was at 2.18 two starts ago–now it’s at 3.78. Moore is a whole lot better than this. We’re not talking about an issue insidiously arising to begin a lengthy collapse but just Moore losing command of his pitches for a couple of starts. Now Moore has to find a way to get back on track and resume being the talented pitcher the Rays know he can be.

Cesar Ramos had a great bounce-back outing in relief of Moore, allowing 1 run on 4 hits in 3 innings of work, striking out 4 while walking none. Ramos has rebounded nightly after a recent disaster stretch, allowing 1 run in his last 8 innings. And thanks to Ramos’ strong effort, the Rays were able to make a comeback, albeit one of the “too little, too late” variety. Ben Zobrist and Sam Fuld both slammed homers, with Fuld’s being his first of the season, and a Jose Lobaton single in the 9th actually brought the tying run to the plate with two runners on the Rays down 10-7. But it all went for nought and the Rays will have to hope for better luck and better starting pitching next time around. Even after such a disastrous game, though, the Rays can hang their hats on a series win versus the Orioles and they will be just fine as long as they can put this game in the rearview mirror as they begin a huge three-game series with the first place Boston Red Sox.

In his first start since May 26, Alex Cobb began the game with a strong outing, striking out two batters in the second inning before walking Alex Avila in the third inning. Sam Fuld also got the Rays’ first hit of the game in the third inning off of the Tigers’ Doug Fister.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Cobb gave up a single to Avisail Garcia and decided to intentionally walk Miguel Cabrera, considering the Tigers had two outs and one runner on base. Cobb went on to strike out Prince Fielder to end the inning. Despite Evan Longoria’s single in the seventh inning and Yunel Escobar drawing a walk from Fister in the eighth, both the Rays and the Tigers remained hitless through eight innings.

The eighth inning was rough for Cobb as he gave up a single to Andy Dirks but then Dirks advanced to second base after a throwing error by Cobb. The Rays’ starter went on to intentionally walk Cabrera for the second time before being replaced with reliever Joel Peralta, who finished the inning by striking out Fielder.

However, it did not take the Rays long to heat things up in the ninth inning as Fuld and Ben Zobrist had back-to-back singles. Fuld scored the Rays’ first run of the night off of Matt Joyce’s sacrifice fly. After leading 2-0, Desmond Jennings solidified the Rays’ lead with a triple, allowing Longoria to score the final run of the night.

Fernando Rodney kept the Tigers from scoring in the bottom of the ninth inning as he gave up a leadoff walk to Victor Martinez but struck out two batters to finish the game strong for the Rays.

While Peralta picked up the win for the Rays, Alex Cobb gave up 5 hits, 3 walks, and had 7 strikeouts in 7.2 innings. Peralta had 1 strikeout in 0.1 innings, lowering his ERA to 1.98. Overall, the Rays pitching staff had 10 strikeouts Wednesday night.Tigers starting pitcher Fister gave up 7 hits in 8.1 innings against the Rays, while only striking out 4 batters. Reliever Smyly only had one strikeout, giving the Tigers 5 K’s for the evening.

Rays third baseman Longoria went 2-for-4 and had 1 RBI on Wednesday night. Tomorrow the Rays will face the Tigers once more in the rubber match of the series.

Sam Fuld‘s catch was exactly what we’re used to seeing from him. He covered a ton of ground in centerfield and then a perfectly-timed leap to make a remarkable grab. Fuld described his grab after the game.

“It was fun,” Fuld said. “I knew it was going to be close right off the bat. I knew I had a long way to go. … It’s nice to get a good (catch), probably, the first really good one I’ve had all year.”

Teammates were left impressed by yet another incredible play by “The Legend of Sam Fuld,” with Matt Joyce describing the play as “unbelievable.” Speaking of Joyce, his catch was…interesting. It’s always cool to see a basket catch, but his grab was as much of a product of misreading the ball off the bat as it was a great play. Joyce admitted as much.

“I think that’s, for me, my favorite play,” Joyce said. “It’s fun. It kind of reminds you of a football player catching a touchdown in the end zone. The crowd gets into it and enjoys it. Obviously I don’t plan to catch it that way, but it just worked out that way.”

Great to see Fuld deliver again and Joyce get into the act (albeit accidentally), and hopefully more incredible plays are on the way for this Rays defense.

From defense to the other half of the Rays’ gameplan, pitching, much has been made of protecting pitchers recently, especially after what happened to Brandon McCarthy and then J.A. Happ just the other day against the Rays. How should Major League Baseball protect its pitchers? Matt Moore has an idea.

Matt Moore suggested a sensor inside the baseball and one inside the pitcher’s cap that would cause the ball to explode when it came within a certain distance of the pitcher’s head.

That sounds interesting–best way to prevent injuries from the comebackers is to make sure they never get to the mound. However, there are a series of problems with that idea–what would you do if the ball blows up? Automatic single, pickup game style? What if the ball goes over the pitcher’s head and still blows up? Most importantly, wouldn’t that prevent pitchers from raising their hands too far above their shoulders in fear that the ball would blow up? Maybe the sensor in the ball could be triggered by a certain velocity off the bat–but then it might be triggered by just being pitched as well. Sorry Professor Moore, but you’re going to have to keep trying.

In terms of other suggestions, Rays pitchers couldn’t find one that they really liked–helmets were quickly dismissed–but Moore, David Price, and Alex Cobb all said that they would be willing to try something that would make them safer on the mound. From catcher’s equipment to batting helmets, baseball has progressed significantly over the years in terms of safety. Protecting pitchers is the next step, and we’ll have to see exactly how that will happen.