Rank Relief: The Rays finally score some runs and can’t hang on.

rank relief 5.6-1

Fernando Rodney gets a long look at JP Arencibia blast the game winner.

The Rays score 7 runs in the 3rd inning against the struggling Blue Jays and seemingly would have the game in hand if they could manage the next 6 innings.  Well beginning the very next inning, the Blue Jays begin to slowly claw their way back despite being a bad team despite acquiring many former All-Stars this off-season.  It got to 9th inning with the Rays clinging to a 1 run lead.  The usually recently reliable Fernando Rodney was in to close the game.  He emphatically did not.  See below:

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He almost made it through the inning, but the free swinging JP Arencibia ran into a fastball and deposited it somewhere in the outfield where presumably nobody was sitting in the Trop.  Rodney was always an adventure closing until last year.  We’ll see if this signals a move back to the median.