Shane Baz’s ‘really ugly’ outing a part of a really bad day for Rays

TAMPA The Rays had to know better than to take the White Sox lightly despite their American League-worst 35-65 record and 14 road wins coming into play Monday.It was only last April when the Rays rolled into Chicago to face a Sox team that had won only three of its first 25 games, and got swept in what was a costly stretch and rock-bottom low point of their overall disappointing season.Rather, the Rays were just the lesser team Monday in a disappointing 8-3 loss that was part of an overall rough day, as they fell to 2-2 in four post-All-Star break games against last-place teams, and 52-49 overall, falling a season-high 7 12 games back in the AL East and remaining 1 12 games out of the third wild-card spot.It seemed most disappointing for starter Shane Baz, who spoke excitedly on Sunday about continuing his strong pre-break work, and then had a brutal outing, allowing a career-high eight runs while throwing 87 pitches to get only 12 outs.It happens.

Yeah, it happens.

My midweek bullpen was good.

Stuff was kind of where we wanted it, Baz said.

It sucks.

It really sucks just trying to fight for a playoff spot and having that type of performance (the) first game of a series.

Yeah, it stings.Especially, Baz said, since he and catcher Danny Jansen felt up to the challenge.Its the big leagues.

Anything can happen on any given night.

I felt like I did my homework and we did our homework as a battery, Baz said.

Sometimes the test isnt what youve studied for, and it was just ugly.

It was really ugly.How ugly?Baz allowed a three-run homer in the second to No.

9 hitter Brooks Baldwin.

He allowed four of the first five batters to reach in a three-run third.

And after the Rays cut the lead to 6-2 in the fourth with the help of a Sox error and a Taylor Walls double, Baz quickly gave up a two-run homer to Miguel Vargas in the fifth.The Rays, meanwhile, managed only one other run on a Karma-driven homer by Yandy Diaz on a night where they rapped only five hits, failed to take advantage of seven walks and went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.(Baz) fell behind guys.

They did a good job of being aggressive when he was in the zone early, getting big hits, and then a lot of pitches drove (his pitch count) up and they got big hits with guys on base, Rays manager Kevin Cash said.

That was kind of the difference their getting early runs and us not.

We got some guys on base and had traffic, but (starter Sean) Burke made big pitches and we didnt get the hits with guys on base."That was just part of the bad Monday for the Rays:Infielder Ha-Seong Kim left the game after three innings with low back tightness, joining Brandon Lowe (plantar fasciitis) in day-to-day limbo and leaving the Rays short on middle infielders.Since being activated July 3 following a longer-than-planned rehab of October right shoulder surgery, Kim has had to leave two of the 10 games he started early due to injury and sat out four.Throughout my career, Ive never been hurt this many times, so its really disappointing, he said via interpreter David Lee.Elsewhere, two-time All-Star starter Shane McClanahan had what sounded like an unimpressive bullpen session Felt OK, nothing great, Cash said following a rough Friday rehab outing, making it uncertain if he will make his next planned start for Triple-A Durham on Thursday.And Yandy Diaz was very upset when a fan wearing a Yankees jersey seated near home plate yelled something about the veteran DH/first basemans family during a fifth inning at-bat.I dont get upset very often, but when they cross that line and talk about the family, thats something different, and Im not going to tolerate that, said Diaz via team interpreter Eddie Rodriguez.

My family is sacred.Diaz didnt want to share what was said.

Home plate umpire Bruce Dreckman heard it, too, leading to the fan, and a young child with him, being ejected by stadium security.The Rays play the White Sox two more times, but with the July 31 trade deadline approaching, and with team officials saying their aggressiveness in adding players (and conversely potentially opting to sell) based in how the team plays up to the deadline, every win matters.We simply lost this one.

We lost the one (Sunday), too, Diaz said.

But that doesnt mean that were not going to win more games.

We didnt hit today, so (Tuesday), hopefully itll be a better day, and we will be able to hit.You can always hope.

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