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Roger Mooney's takeaways from Saturday's Rays-Orioles game

 
Published June 25, 2017

It was refreshing to see RHP Jacob Faria take the blame after the loss even though he gave the Rays a chance to win. Too often young pitchers are encouraged by what they did and not necessarily the outcome, but Faria, making just his fourth big-league start, came to the Trop to win, didn't, and pointed the finger at himself.

The Rays are going to have a hard time hanging in unless they fix the bullpen. Maybe had LHP Xavier Cedeno been healthy and RHP Brad Boxberger didn't need another day or two on the DL, Saturday's outcome would have been different. Boxberger expects to return Tuesday. Now the team has to find another lefty.

Manager Kevin Cash said everyone is energized when the Rays slug back-to-back homers. That's what happens when you have a lineup that someone who used to manage around here would describe as thick. Also, the Rays are built for home runs, so OF Mallex Smith doesn't have to be so aggressive on the bases.