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Rays struggles continue, lose 7-1 to Indians (w/video)

 
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Nathan Karns (51) throwing in the first inning of the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Indians in Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Monday, June 29, 2015.
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Nathan Karns (51) throwing in the first inning of the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Indians in Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Monday, June 29, 2015.
Published June 30, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG

With the lineups the injury-depleted Rays have run out some nights, it seems it could be just a matter of time before they get no-hit. They made it interesting again Monday, as for the second time in a week they were on the wrong end of a perfect game into the seventh inning.

Grady Sizemore, of all people, saved them from the potential ignominy, breaking up Cleveland rookie Cody Anderson's bid for perfection with a one-out homer in the seventh inning of an otherwise unsuspenseful 7-1 loss.

Starter Nathan Karns wasn't sharp, and reliever Ronald Belisario earned a place on the blooper reel with a wild pitch on an intentional walk toss that scored a run, and the B side of the bullpen got beat up a little. But this loss, like many of the others, falls on the Rays' lack of offense.

On Monday, that amounted to three hits total, the 26th time in 78 games they have had fewer than six. It was the 16th time they've scored one or no runs.

"It's no secret we haven't come out and hit the ball the way we're capable of," manager Kevin Cash said. "We're going to go through those ruts. We're probably in one right now. The pitching is kind of keeping us in there, keeping us close, within striking distance.

"Today we're down 2-0, it definitely didn't feel like a 2-0 game. We felt like we were down a lot more than that."

Most of that was due to Anderson, a 24-year-old who shut the Rays out into the eighth inning of his big-league debut June 21. He added a cutter to his repertoire and was even tougher on them Monday, before 11,802 at the Trop.

"He was tremendous again," Cash said.

The first 19 Rays went quickly against Anderson, who was originally drafted by the Rays, a 17th-round pick in 2010, but opted to go back to Feather River College in Quincy, Calif. He was taken in the 14th round by the Indians the next year and signed.

"I just didn't feel like I was ready," he said. "I was just transitioning into being a pitcher (from an outfielder)."

In a bizarre twist of story lines if not fate, it was Sizemore, a former Indians All-Star in his second game for the Rays, breaking up the perfect game, lacing a 1-and-2 pitch over the rightfield fence for a home run.

"We were all aware," Sizemore said.

Down 2-1, the Rays had their shot when Evan Longoria followed with a single and went to second on an error, but neither David DeJesus nor Logan Forsythe could get him in. Also, rookie Steven Souza Jr. went hitless three more times, extending his latest skid to 0-for-17.

Karns allowed the leadoff man on in the first five of his six innings and nine hits total. He said he had his normal stuff and that the Indians had some breaks go their way, as only two balls were hard hit. Cash saw it differently, saying Karns deserved credit: "For not having very good stuff or his best stuff, he really battled. That game could have been 5-0 in multiple innings."

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As if the outcome weren't bad enough, Belisario made it worse in the ninth. He was supposed to intentionally walk Michael Brantley to load the bases, but he threw the first ball well above and beyond catcher Rene Rivera's reach. How could that happen? "That's a good question to ask him," Rivera said.

That wasn't the only lingering questions as the Rays, after an impressive run to the top of the American League East standings, lost for the sixth time in eight games, dropping to 42-36.

Contact Marc Topkin at mtopkin@tampabay.com.