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Rookie Jake Faria dissatisfied with performance in Rays' loss to Orioles

 
Orioles third baseman Manny Machado tags out the Rays’ Mallex Smith at third after a rundown in the first inning.
Orioles third baseman Manny Machado tags out the Rays’ Mallex Smith at third after a rundown in the first inning.
Published June 25, 2017

ST. PETERSBURG — The rookie pitcher walked to his locker Saturday after tossing the fourth quality start in as many tries to begin his career. He held the potent Orioles bats to three runs and for six innings gave his team a chance to win.

Maybe he didn't have his best stuff. He allowed as many runs during a span of eight batters as he had in each of his first three starts combined.

He hung a couple of pitches that led to home runs, the first two he has surrendered during his young and what appears at first blush to be a promising career. One of them, by noted home run hitter Adam Jones, landed on the top of the centerfield wall before bouncing over.

It was a good day, right?

The Rays lost 8-3 to the Orioles, because Jose Alvarado walked the leadoff batter in the seventh and Jumbo Diaz didn't get out of the inning before allowing a two-out, two-strike, two-run double to Mark Trumbo then a two-run homer to the next batter, Trey Mancini.

Ballgame.

But it wasn't the rookie's fault, right?

The kid turned and faced the reporters.

The first question centered on his ability to battle against the O's lineup.

Then, like a needle scratching across a 331/3 rpm album for those who remember such things, Jacob Faria took everyone in another direction.

"That's a tough question to answer," he said, "because the goal here is to get into the seventh (inning) and past the seventh. It was a good sign to get through some stuff, but ultimately we didn't come out with a W as a team, so it's not really worth it."

This Faria kid is tough on himself. Looks like a graduate of the James Shields/David Price School of No Excuses.

"Yeah, for sure," he said. "I guess it technically is a quality start, but to me it's not. I don't want to put expectations on myself super high, but when it comes down to it we lost the ballgame."

He has made four starts against four lineups that include enough mashers to undress a rookie and well-oiled veterans, too, and he's 3-0 with a no-decision, four quality starts (six innings pitched, three or fewer earned runs allowed) and an ERA that grew over the course of the afternoon from 1.37 to 2.10.

Rays manager Kevin Cash was asked about Faria's ability to battle against the Orioles lineup on an afternoon/early evening when he didn't have the same stuff as he had during starts Nos. 1, 2, and 3.

"I've liked it the entire time he's been up here," Cash said. "He'll throw some errant pitches here and there, but he seems like he's able to regroup real quick and not let it snowball on him, and that's what we've seen in all of his starts."

Faria put the Rays (40-37) in a 2-0 hole in the second inning when Welington Castillo homered to leftfield after Mancini was struck by a pitch to begin the inning. Jones made it 3-0 the next inning.

Faria closed the door on the Orioles offense from there, even pitching out of a two-on, one-out spot in the fifth inning by getting Jones to strike out and Trumbo to fly out to left.

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Back-to-back home runs by Corey Dickerson (two runs) and Evan Longoria (solo) in the third tied the score at 3.

It was there for the Rays until the bullpen imploded.

Faria said that was on him.

"Maybe if I go another inning, it could have been a different story," he said. "You never know what could have happened if you execute more early in the game, and as you go deeper things change. I've always been tough on myself in that area."

When asked what grade he would give himself, Faria said it certainly wouldn't be quality.

"It's tough to say," he said. "It's not an A or a B. It's definitely lower than that."