In Opening Day loss, Rays see blueprint for what they need to do
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- At least the Tampa Bay Rays won the pregame portion of the day.
The pomp throughout Tropicana Field, the ceremony to retire Don Zimmer's No. 66 uniform number above the left-center field wall, the buzz in the stands as part of the 10th consecutive home-opener sellout -- all of it was A-plus stuff to pull back the curtains on Opening Day.
Then the game happened.
Remember, this was the first dance of 162, and drawing too much from the events on the field Monday is like analyzing the opening raindrop of a flood. It's pointless. For what it's worth, the Rays looked like World Series contenders on Opening Day last year, when they thumped the Toronto Blue Jays 9-2 and cracked 11 hits.
That experience proved to be a three-hour, four-minute tease when revisiting the tumble that followed.
Still, it would unwise to brush away what happened in manager Kevin Cash's debut, a 6-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, without drawing lessons for future reference in what may be a difficult path to come. In a month when the Rays will have little margin of error with injuries to key figures within the rotation -- Drew Smyly and Alex Colome will be out until late April, and Alex Cobb may not make his debut until early May -- they learned what they can't do to remain competitive in the weeks ahead.
They can't have anything less than solid pitching from old standbys like Chris Archer and Jake Odorizzi.
They can't have a defense that looks ragged in what should be routine moments.
They can't have an offense that's more popgun than bazooka when scoring chances present themselves.
"After the first game, I'm sorry, we're not going to sit here and go into panic mode or anything like that," center fielder Kevin Kiermaier said. "I love the guys in this clubhouse. The beautiful thing about this game is that you play tomorrow."
Kiermaier is right. Still, Tampa Bay's safety net without Smyly, Colome and Cobb will be small, and the Rays may have learned Monday how tiny it will be.
Archer figures to be the strongest they have to offer without Cobb. But the high-energy right-hander struggled to find his form in allowing four runs (three earned), six hits and two home runs in 5 2/3 innings. His throw over the head of James Loney at first base on a routine ground ball by Alejandro De Aza in the top of the first inning was a sneak peek of the show that followed. De Aza scored later that inning, resulting in a 1-0 deficit that never should have happened at that point.
Meanwhile, the Rays' defense needs grooming. Steven Souza Jr. had communication issues in right field. Catcher Rene Rivera allowed Steve Pearce to slide under him in the top of the eighth after Logan Forsythe's throw beat the runner by what looked like half a football field.
Souza and Kiermaier admitted to Opening Day jitters. Still, butterflies can turn into hornets if the Rays aren't careful.
Finally, the offense needed more muscle after six men were left on base. Evan Longoria's two-out popup to shallow center field with runners on second and third bases, on the first pitch against reliever Tommy Hunter with the score 5-2, was deserving of the bat slam that followed.
All in all, a rough day.
"It's amazing, once you get into the third or fourth inning, it turns into a regular game," Cash said. "The hoopla and everything before it was great, and everybody enjoyed it. But now we've got 161 ballgames, and they'll all be very similar."
They all won't be similar to the result Monday. Anyone who has been around the block a time or two within Major League Baseball knows life in the game is like sailing in the open ocean: Teams and individuals go up and down, up and down. There are good times to go with the bad, streaks to go with the skids. Few things stay constant.
The trick is keeping the rudder pointed in the right direction most of the time, despite the inevitable storms that rain upon the best-laid plans. That's what separates the contenders from the faces who fade, the October dreamers from the ones who book offseason plans in September.
"It's game one," Souza said. "I don't think we should try to sit here and overanalyze it."
He's right ... but only to an extent. On Monday, the Rays received a warning of what they must avoid to keep from drifting too far off course before their rotation returns to normal. That's worth remembering.
After all, they don't want this day to be a fitting opening act of life to follow.
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
