BB&B Live: Rays vs Braves 2/29/20
I braved (no pun intended) unseasonably cold Florida weather, without a jacket, to bring you this Spring Training report. Enjoy!
T1
Yonny Chirinos walks the leadoff batter for the Braves but strikes out the next guy on three pitches.
A solid single, a misplayed ball in CF, and a blooper to left give the Braves a three-run lead.
New Rays third baseman Yoshi Tsutsugo gets tested early with two grounders to third, but he makes the plays with ease.
Rays 0 – Braves 3
B1
Max Fried of the Braves nearly kills the ump with a pitch.
Austin Meadows starts thins with a hustle infield single, but Fried gets out of the jam with a broken-bat double play by Hunter Renfroe.
Rays 0 – Braves 3
T2
Pete O’Brien starts the inning with a solo homer
Chirinos gets out of the inning, thanks to a baserunning blunder by the Braves.
Rays 0 – Braves 4
B2
Manuel Margot nearly beats out a routine grounder. He’s fast but out.
The Rays return the favor on the caught stealing.
A nice pick on a ground ball to second ends the inning.
T3
Another solid hit by Austin Riley and that’s it for Chirinos. Dylan Covey now pitching for the Rays. He throws a wild pitch. Then another one.
Another misplayed ball, this time in right, results in a double, allowing another run to score.
Rays 0 – Braves 5
B3
Renfroe’s two-out single chases Fried. The new Braves pitcher is Jason Creasy. He is also wild in first AB.
A check swing strikeout by Brandon Lowe ends the inning.
Rays 0 – Braves 5
T4
For the second time in the game, a Braves player loses his grip on the bat, this time landing in the Rays dugout. Everyone is okay.
A Jose Martinez error allows a baserunner, but a nice snag by Covey ends the inning.
Rays 0 – Braves 5
B4
The new Braves pitcher is Darren O’Day.
He retires the Rays 1-2-3, including striking out the first two.
Rays 0 – Braves 5
T5
The new Rays pitcher is Chaz Roe
He gets the first batter out with one pitch, but the next one singles and steals second.
Roe strikes out the next two to get out of the jam.
Rays 0 – Braves 5
B5
The new Braves pitcher is Ian Anderson.
The Rays get a leadoff double from Willy Adames, followed by a Chris Herrmann single.
A slick double play by the Braves ends the inning with no runs scored .
Rays 0 – Braves 5
T6
The new Rays pitcher is Jose Alvarado.
He hits the first batter, then strikes out the side.
Rays 0 – Braves 5
B6
Renfroe strikes out on three pitches.
B. Lowe singles but is erased on a fielder’s choice by Martinez that was nearly a double play.
Nate Lowe strikes out on a bad call by the umpire.
The mass exodus by the crowd begins.
Rays 0 – Braves 5
T7
The new Rays pitcher is Shane McClanahan.
He sets the Braves down 1-2-3, including 2 strikeouts.
Rays 0 – Braves 5
B7
The new Braves pitcher is Chris Rusin.
He makes short work of the Rays.
Rays 0 – Braves 5
T8
The new Rays pitcher is Colin Poche. I am instantly filled with dread.
The first two Braves reach base and a Trey Harris triple into the right-field corner brings them home.
Cristian Pache follows this with a two-run jack deep over the left-field wall.
Rays 0 – Braves 9
B8
Rusin gets the first two out before being replaced by Chris Nunn, who gets Lucius Fox on a broken-bat grounder.
Rays 0 – Braves 9
T9
The new Rays pitcher is Phoenix Sanders, who is greeted with a homer to right-center by Greyson Jenista.
One strikeout later and the Braves string together a single, a double, and an infield dribbler to score a run.
A sky-high pop-up makes it two outs, but a passed ball scores another run.
After an error, new Rays pitcher Deck McGuire gets the strikeout.
Rays 0 – Braves 12
B9
The final Braves pitcher is Philip Pfeifer.
He strikes out the first two Rays batters and gets N. Lowe to fly out to end the game.
Final: Rays 0 – Braves 12
Notes: It got down to around 52 degrees at one point and I was legitimately the only person in short sleeves. However, there were people wearing both jackets and shorts, as is the Florida tradition.
Manuel Margot is really fast, but he is wearing number 13, which the Rays should have already retired in honor of Carl Crawford.
The cold was definitely a factor as there were multiple wild pitches and bats thrown.
Finally, the sound of a bat making solid connection with a ball never gets old, even if it’s the other team making all of the noise.
Are you excited for the return of baseball? Let me hear about it in the comment section below.
