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Rick Stroud’s takeaways from Sunday’s Rays-Orioles game

 
The Rays' Brad Miller scores during the six-run third inning against the Orioles on Sunday, May 27, 2018. [Getty Images]
The Rays' Brad Miller scores during the six-run third inning against the Orioles on Sunday, May 27, 2018. [Getty Images]
Published May 28, 2018

So the team that just got back from a 10-day, 11-game road trip in three time zones is headed back out west for Memorial Day? The Rays travel to Oakland, Calif., Seattle and Washington, D.C. It's the first time they visited the West Coast on back-to-back road trips since July-August 2012.

Rays relievers are logging long innings. They have 14 appearances out of the bullpen of at least 50 pitches, twice as many as any other team in the majors. Their seven relief appearances with at least 70 pitches are the majors' most. Austin Pruitt got a 5⅔ inning save Sunday, allowing no runs and only three hits.

Not only can most of the Rays  play multiple positions, but they can bat anywhere in the lineup. Brad Miller led off Saturday and Sunday but is just as comfortable at cleanup. "It's fun,'' Miller said. "Obviously, you get to go up there and get things started. But yeah, I think the way we have a lot of guys clicking right now it's just kind of fun because when we turned it over, really, I felt like I hit with runners on all day, which is really a lot of fun."