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Colome gives up run in ninth, Rays fall 2-1 to Phillies

Rays drop to 2-7 in one-run games as bullpen picks up MLB-high seventh loss.
 
Published April 14, 2018|Updated April 14, 2018

ST. PETERSBURG — Close games are going to be an accepted part of the Rays' 2018 season, and the bullpen hasn't made that a particularly good part so far.

Closer Alex Colome, already with two blown saves, gave up the decisive run  in the ninth inning, and the Rays dropped a 2-1 game to the Phillies on Friday night at Tropicana Field.

The Rays (3-10) are now 2-7 in one-run games, with an MLB-high seven losses by relievers.

"We knew coming in, not to beat a dead horse, but we're going to play close ball games," manager Kevin Cash said. "That's the kind of way our team's built. We have to do a better job of finding ways to win those games. … Some of that's probably misfortune, some of that goes to young players, and some of that goes to not executing when we have opportunities to do it."

With a 1-1 game in the ninth, Colome (0-2) gave up a one-out double to rookie Scott Kingery but got his second strikeout to bring up catcher Jorge Alfaro. Alfaro hit a single off the glove of third baseman Matt Duffy for the go-ahead run.

Duffy walked with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but Mallex Smith popped out to end the game and another close loss in a difficult start to the Rays' season.

"The more tighter ball games that we're in, in the long run we're going to benefit from it," Cash said. "Saying that, it stings a little bit right now."

Colome, who was not available for interviews after the game, spoiled a solid night for Rays starter Jake Faria and three other relievers, who had taken a 1-1 tie into the ninth. Colome's first two weeks have been bad enough that Friday's outing — one run in one inning — lowered his season ERA to 10.80. Cash said Colome's command wasn't bad and the loss had more to do with missed opportunities.

The Rays were a split-second away from a run in the fourth — Phillies right fielder Aaron Altherr dropped a fly ball for an error, but Duffy was thrown out at second an instant before Joey Wendle crossed the plate at home.

Philadelphia got the tying run immediately after Faria left the game in the sixth. With two runners on, right fielder Carlos Gomez pulled up on a ball in shallow right field, but it bounced over his head, allowing the tying run to score.

Faria had taken a no-hitter into the fifth and left with a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning. He led off the game with a walk, then settled in and didn't allow a hit until the fifth inning, when Nick Williams singled to right field and was promptly picked off first by catcher Wilson Ramos. The change was dramatic — after just three of his first 11 pitches were strikes, he got strikes on 15 of his next 18.

"It was good to have a game like that," Faria said. "(It showed) that it's in there, that it didn't disappear. … This is a step in the right direction. It's obviously disappointing to lose a very close ball game, but a big step compared to last game, so you move forward from here."

Faria got into trouble in the sixth, giving up a double to J.P. Crawford and walk to Cesar Hernandez, leaving with a 1-0 lead. The two hits allowed are the fewest in any of his 17 career starts.

That's a significant improvement on his last start, when he recorded only five outs, giving up eight runs on five hits and five walks in a loss to the Red Sox.

Otherwise, the Rays didn't have much at the plate in support of Faria — they mustered just three hits in the first six innings, but put two of them together in the second for a 1-0 lead. C.J. Cron singled to lead off the inning, took second on a wild pitch and scored on a two-out single by Mallex Smith.

Contact Greg Auman at gauman@tampabay.com and (813) 310-2690. Follow @gregauman.