Zach Eflin didn’t have the birthday bash he hoped for. It was his first time pitching on his big 3-0 in the major leagues, but it turned out to be a tough day. The Angels came out swinging hard, and Eflin just couldn't find his groove, giving up the first five runs in a 7-1 loss for the Rays.
Even his teammates couldn't lift the mood, managing only four hits off Angels' pitcher Tyler Anderson through seven innings, and eight in total. They finally got on the board with a run in the ninth, but it was too little, too late.
The Rays were riding high after winning two games in a row against the Rockies, but this loss brought them back down. Manager Kevin Cash knows they need to step up their game. He said, “We’ve got to get going. There’s no doubt we don’t feel like we’re playing our best baseball by any stretch right now.”
Eflin struggled through five innings, giving up the five runs on nine hits, tying his highest from the 2023 season. Jacob Waguespack took over for the last three innings and let in the other two runs.
Eflin is known for his consistency, so this rough outing was a surprise. The Rays were expecting more after his strong start against Toronto and a solid performance against Texas. Cash had high hopes, saying, “Just get out there, find that rhythm and execute pitches to his ability. We know when he’s executing and commanding the ball, he’s going to give us a good chance to win.”
But things went south early on. Eflin gave up a leadoff single to Anthony Rendon, followed by a triple to Mike Trout, who had been struggling against Eflin before that. Trout then smacked a two-out homer in the third, putting the Angels up by three.
In the fifth, the Angels added more runs, and that was it for Eflin. He was replaced, having thrown only 76 pitches.
The Rays had hoped their lineup, especially against left-handed pitchers, would be more effective. But Anderson shut them down, just like he did in his previous start.
Cash is still optimistic, though, about the team finding its groove offensively. He said, “We’re trying to use the best lineup that’s going to get us going offensively and get us being that kind of that relentless offense I think we’re capable of being.”
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