Rays drop second straight to A's to split series
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- This was a particularly painful loss for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Right fielder Steven Souza Jr. and first baseman James Loney wound up with braces over their left hands and shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera was limping with a strained left groin after the Rays fell to the Oakland Athletics 7-2 Sunday.
The Rays, who have been playing with 13 pitchers and only a three-man bench, aren't sure if any of the injured players will be available for Monday night's game against Seattle.
The disabled list is a possibility, manager Kevin Cash said.
"Let's get some X-rays taken and talk to the guys and see where they're at," he said.
Souza sprained his left wrist in a collision at home plate in the first inning. His X-ray was negative.
Loney sprained his middle finger sliding on a stolen base in the eighth. Cabrera's injury also came while running the bases.
"It feels a little sore but I think it'll be all right," said Cabrera, who was lifted for a pinch hitter in the eighth. "I'm not sure. I'll see how I feel in the morning."
Sonny Gray allowed four hits in five scoreless innings for Oakland before he left with a bruised right ankle.
Gray (5-2) was hit on the lower leg by Loney's grounder in the fourth, but stayed in for a while longer.
Billy Burns hit the first pitch of the game into the right-field seats for his first major league homer.
Mark Canha and Josh Reddick also homered as the A's won consecutive games for the second time this season. The only other time they did it was April 13-14 against Houston.
Erasmo Ramirez (2-2) took the loss as Tampa Bay wound up with a four-game split after winning the first two games.
Canha put the Athletics up 5-0 with a three-run homer in the sixth off Ramirez, a blow Cash described as "kind of a dagger."
Logan Forsythe cut the Rays' deficit to 6-2 with a two-run single during the eighth.
Souza made contact with A's catcher Stephen Vogt as he was being tagged out while trying to score from first base on Loney's first-inning single. When left fielder Sam Fuld threw the ball to second base, Souza continued past third but was thrown out at the plate by shortstop Marcus Semien.
"On the collision I felt something and figured it would just go away," Souza said. "But on the check swing (during his subsequent at-bat) I felt pain, so we're just being cautious. We'll look at it tomorrow and go from there."
UP NEXT
Rays: Monday night's game against Seattle will mark the first-ever matchup of big league managers -- Cash and Lloyd McClendon -- that played in the Little League World Series.
UP AND DOWN
Rays reliever Preston Guilmet, who pitched the final two innings and gave up a run, was optioned to Triple-A Durham after the game, marking the second straight day the Rays brought up a pitcher for one game and sent him back down. Enny Romero was optioned after pitching in Saturday's 5-0 loss, and Guilmet replaced him on the roster.
