Tough Night for the Rays and Marlins

Tuesday night was a losing night for Florida baseball teams. The Rays with an incredible 20-4 streak went scoreless to the Astros in game three of the series. The Marlins scoring four runs was just not enough to take down the Braves.

Tampa Bay Rays vs Houston Astros

The Tampa Bay Rays suffered a disappointing loss to the Houston Astros in game three of their series last night, falling 5-0. The attendance for the MLB’s best team in the league, the Rays, and defending champions, the Houston Astros, was just 9,916.

The Rays struggled to get anything going offensively, managing only five hits during the game. The Astros responded in the top of the fifth inning, scoring five runs. Houston’s Jeremy Peña doubled to left, allowing Mauricio Dubón to score their first run.

Kyle Tucker soon after singled to center, driving Peña into score after his double. José Abreu then doubled to left bringing Tucker home for their third run. Corey Julks now up to bat, hits yet another double for J. Abreu to score. And finally, Jake Meyers hit an infield single to the shortstop, allowing Julks to score the last run of the inning and game.

See ya in Chicago pic.twitter.com/4NpXcl2Dfr

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) April 27, 2023

Six of the seven players in the batting lineupgot a hit and a run for the Astros.

Houston’s starting pitcher Luis Garcia struck out seven batters, walked two and with the help of his defense kept any runs from scoring.

This was the first time that the Tampa Bay Rays have been shut out this season.

Rays right-handed pitcher Rasmussen allowed five runs and nine hits. His ERA has now gone from 2.01 to 3.33.

Miami Marlins vs Atlanta Braves

In a matchup between two NL East rivals, the Atlanta Braves defeated the Miami Marlins by a score of 7-4. The Braves jumped out to an early lead with Ronald Acuña Jr. scoring the first run in the first inning on a single to center by Austin Riley.

The Marlins would respond in the third inning with a homer to center by Jazz Chisholm Jr., making the game tied at 1-1 as they headed into the fourth.

Jazz follows up again tonight. #MakeItMiami pic.twitter.com/TvS64LvqFy

— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) April 26, 2023

However, the Braves quickly returned the favor in the bottom of the fourth, scoring three runs of their own. Sean Murphy, Eddie Rosario, and Vaughn Grissom all scoring.

The Braves extended their lead in the sixth inning, by Ozzie Albies hitting a homer to left center. The Marlins managed to score two more runs in the top of the eighth inning, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit.

Braves starting pitcher Charlie Morton had a solid outing, allowing just one run in seven innings while striking out nine batters. The Braves’ bullpen also held strong with three relievers combining to allow just three runs over the final two innings.

Offensively, the Braves were led by Rosario and Albies, who each had two hits and two RBI in the game. For the Marlins, Chrisholm Jr.was the standout performer, going 2-for-5 with one run and one RBI.

Overall, the game was a solid showing for the Braves, who were able to get contributions from throughout their lineup, while putting together a strong performance on the mound. While it’s still early in the season, the win is an important one for the Braves as they look to climb the standings in the competitive NL East.