Game 58: Alex Cobb Decent, But Tampa Bay Rays Lose 3-1

It has been a tough go of things lately for the Tampa Bay Rays, and it just keeps getting worse. The pitching staff has finally been living up to expectations, but the offense… not so much. Those woes continued on Monday, with the Rays losing 3-1 to the Miami Marlins to drop their 7th game in a row.

Alex Cobb had a decent start, going 6.0 innings and giving up three runs, striking out 5 and walking 2 while putting up a 5-1 groundout to flyout ratio. Brad Boxberger would relieve him and strikeout the side in a perfect inning. Boxberger has been brilliant so far this year, putting up just a 1.40 ERA despite a 4.9 BB/9. Just think if he can hone that command in a little more! Jake McGee would throw the 8th inning, striking out 2. He too has been dominant this year, posting a 1.05 ERA, 9.9 K/9, and 2.2 BB/9. In Boxberger and McGee, the Rays have a bright future for the back-end of their bullpen.

Once again, it was the offense that cost the Rays. A single run in the 5th would be all that the Rays would manage, when a Desmond Jennings double drove in Sean Rodriguez. Jennings had a nice 2-4 day, but the offense as a whole only managed 6 hits and went 0-5 with runners in scoring position.

In their last 5 games, the offense has plated just 6 runs, which will certainly not get the job done. Evan Longoria is still struggling in the power department, and the Rays offense can do little when he is off. On top of that, James Loney is beginning to fall into a slump, and Ben Zobrist has done little to boost the lineup since his return. Logan Forsythe also hasn’t hit much at any point this year, and you would have to think the Rays will send him to the minor leagues if this keeps up much longer. The offense continues to struggle, so maybe it is time to give recent call-ups like Kevin Kiermaier and Jerry Sands an increased role. Whatever the Rays decide to do, something has to change.

The Rays and Marlins will be back in action tomorrow at 7:10 ET with Chris Archer and Henderson Alvarez the probable pitchers. Let’s hope this can be the game that the Rays end their skid and get going on offense.