Game 24: Cesar Ramos, Bullpen Shut Out White Sox In 4-0 Win

The Rays were coming off a crushing loss from Friday night and needed to bounce back on Saturday, which they did. Cesar Ramos was sharp in 5+ innings and the bullpen followed him with four scoreless innings to shut out the White Sox. The offense put together a good game and produced four runs on nine hits.

Cesar Ramos was very efficient in his outing. He breezed through the first 4 innings, but ran into some trouble in the 5^th with the bases loaded and Jose Abreu up to bat. But, Ramos managed to escape the jam. His line on the night was 5+ scoreless innings while allowing five hits, no strikeouts and walking 2. He only threw 65 pitches on the night as well, but Joe Maddon elected to remove him after he looked iffy in the 5th and beginning of the 6th. The Rays received criticism for giving Ramos a spot in the rotation after injuries to Matt Moore and Alex Cobb, but after a rough first start he has been stellar in his last two. Brandon Gomes threw three scoreless innings behind Ramos, which was huge considering how taxed the bullpen has been lately. Gomes has been incredible this season, and has arguably been the Rays’ most reliable reliever to date. Juan Carlos Oviedo threw a scoreless 9^th to close out the victory.

Ryan Hanigan doubled home two runs in the 2nd inning and would later hit another double to finish 2 for 4 on the night. He has been on fire as of late, and has been a much-needed boost to a Rays team that has a history of receiving little offensive production from the catching spot. James Loney singled in a run in the 3^rd and a Desmond Jennings triple scored a run in the 6^th to cap off the scoring for the offense. Loney finished the game 3 for 4 and Yunel Escobar joined Hanigan with two hits on the night. The offense struggled early on this season, but things are finally starting to click.

Some other miscellaneous games notes:  Joe Maddon was ejected for the first time this season in the 8^th inning for arguing a check swing call on White Sox hitter Adam Eaton. The temperature at first pitch was 36 degrees, which officially made it the second coldest game in Rays’ history. Ryan Hanigan had an especially strong night with his pitch framing, and that was a big reason that Ramos had such a stellar night.

David Price is on the hill tomorrow for the third game of the four game series with the White Sox. The game is at 2:10 PM EST. Check back at Rays Colored Glasses for all the coverage you need.