OF Steven Souza Jr. wants so badly to succeed at all times, especially when playing in his Seattle hometown. But he obviously puts too much pressure on himself, this weekend's 0-for-10 making him 2-for-38 (.053) with 17 strikeouts in three visits.
The Rays insisted they were never really sweating being no-hit, but some omens were there early as Steven Souza Jr. hit a drive to left that just went foul and Evan Longoria was robbed of a double on a diving catch in left by Boog Powell, a former Rays minor-leaguer.
Shortstop Tim Beckham's offense has been impressive, but what has surprised some Rays people is the relative consistency of his defense, including a sensational play Sunday when he dived to his left and threw from his knees to nail Robinson Cano.