Rays lose to A's 4-3 on July 2, 2025, despite Shane Baz's 11 strikeouts. See how a dominant pitching gem was wasted in a heartbreaking extra-inning loss.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
It's a frustratingly familiar story for the Tampa Bay Rays right now. A dominant pitching performance, a few flashes of power, but ultimately, not enough to get the job done. The Rays fell 4-3 to the Oakland Athletics in 10 innings on Tuesday, sealing a series loss and marking their third consecutive defeat. Austin Wynns' sacrifice fly in the 10th was the final blow in a game the Rays felt they should have won.
Shane Baz was electric, tying his career-high with 11 strikeouts over seven masterful innings.
Let's not bury the lead within the loss: Shane Baz was absolutely phenomenal. The right-hander was in complete control, carving up the A's lineup for seven innings. He allowed just one run on five hits and a walk while tying his career-high with 11 strikeouts. It was the kind of ace-like performance that wins you ballgames 9 out of 10 times. Unfortunately for Baz and the Rays, this was that one other time. Seeing a start that dominant go to waste is a tough pill for fans to swallow and highlights the team's current inability to capitalize on opportunities.
The entirety of the Rays' offense came from three swings. Christopher Morel, Brandon Lowe, and Danny Jansen all launched solo home runs, providing momentary jolts of excitement. But the lack of sustained rallies or situational hitting proved to be their undoing. The team couldn't string hits together to manufacture runs, a problem plaguing them during this slump. While José Caballero successfully swiped his 30th bag of the season, he was also crucially thrown out trying to steal second in the ninth inning, a play that killed a potential game-winning rally before it could even start.
If there's a silver lining beyond Baz's start, it's on the injury front. The Rays are getting closer to welcoming back key pieces. Lefty ace Shane McClanahan and reliever Manuel Rodríguez both threw successful bullpen sessions on July 1st, inching closer to rehab assignments. Perhaps most exciting is the news that shortstop Ha-Seong Kim has returned to Triple-A Durham's lineup after a brief hamstring issue. His bat and glove are sorely missed, and his return could provide a significant boost.
The Rays have no time to dwell on this one. They'll send Ryan Pepiot to the mound Wednesday afternoon to face Mitch Spence and the A's in the series finale. The goal is simple: avoid the sweep. Snapping this three-game skid against a team they should be handling is paramount. It's a gut-check moment for a team that has now lost four of its last five, and they desperately need the bats to wake up and support their pitching to get back on track.
