Rays 4, Phillies 9: The tension rose as the Rays lost their second game in the series

Happy Tuesday, friends, and welcome to a game that really could have gone either way tonight. Taj Bradley was on the mound for the Rays against Ranger Suarez for the Phillies, and while Suarez continued his trend of a sluggish second half, the Phillies hitters didn't lack for power.

Christopher Morel opened the game for the Rays with a leadoff double, but three outs followed, leaving him helpless. In the second half, Kyle Schwarber broke a single-season record for leadoff home runs by hitting his 14th of the season to get the Phillies on the scoreboard early. Three outs followed the Schwarbomb, but the Phils still had first blood.

Junior Caminero singled with one out in the second inning, followed by a single by Dylan Carlson. Then a single by Jose Caballero brought Caminero home and tied the game. For the Phillies, Brandon Marsh singled with one out, then a double by Johan Rojas brought Marsh home, and it really shouldn't have done it. The fielding was a mess. The error was attributed to Josh Lowe.

Jonathan Aranda hit a double to start the third inning, and a one-out single by Yandy Diaz brought him home, tying the game again. Junior Caminero hit a single, but no one could bring him home. Kyle Schwarber started the second half of the inning with a walk before Trea Turner hit a home run to give the Phillies a 4-2 lead. Bryce Harper then hit a standup double, and it looked like danger might be afoot, but Bradley settled down and got the final three outs.

Jose Caballero worked a one-out walk in the fourth inning, but a double play ended the inning. Garrett Stubbs worked a walk in the home half, and then Kyle Schwarber was taken out of the game, apparently because of elbow problems. He was replaced by Buddy Kennedy, who had a strikeout to end the inning.

The Rays got going in the fifth inning. Jonny DeLuca singled with one out, then Josh Lowe singled with two out. Caminero brought DeLuca home with a single.

In the second period, Bryce Harper hit a home run, but Josh Lowe immediately called fan interference and the umpire reviewed the home run and changed it to a double. The Rays disputed this, however, saying Lowe could have caught the ball if the fan hadn't caught it. The decision ultimately went to a double. It turned out to be exactly what they needed, as two outs followed and the Phillies failed to bring Harper home.

Logan Driscoll started the sixth with a single, then a triple by Morel brought him home with one out to end the game again. Aranda worked a walk and that was the end of the day for Suarez, who was replaced by Orion Kerkering. Kerkering finished the inning without allowing any more runs. The Phillies went 1-2-3 in the second half.

Matt Strahm was the Phillies' next pitcher and got the Rays out in order. After six innings, Bradley was done for the night and was replaced by Manuel Rodriguez. Bradley's final total for the night was 6.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 2 HR. Not a bad night for the pitcher, just a couple of misfires against an offensively strong club. Rodriguez got two outs before allowing a single to Trea Turner, and when Bryce Harper came on, they decided to turn the game over to Richard Lovelady. Haper then hit a single to put two men on base, but Lovelady got the last out with Castellanos.

Former Ray Jose Alverado came in for the Phillies, putting the Rays ahead 1-2-3. Bryson Stott was technically thrown out on a groundout early in the second period, but it was one of those “only in baseball” plays because the ball hit the first base umpire.

Brandon Marsh then worked a walk. A double by Kody Clemens put two men in scoring position and that was it for Lovelady. Edwin Uceta replaced him and allowed a double by Cal Stevenson, who scored two runs. The Phillies weren't done yet. Buddy Kennedy had an RBI single, then Trea Turner hit a two-run homer. Bryce Harper hit a double, then Nick Castellanos was hit by a pitch. Depending on how you interpret it, it looked pretty deliberate and the benches emptied. Uceta's night was over when he was ejected from the game and replaced by Hunter Bigge. Bigge got the last out of the inning.

Tanner Banks came in to get through the ninth inning. Jose Siri walked one out, then Josh Lowe singled two out. Caminero walked. But even with the bases loaded, the Rays couldn't mount a comeback.

Final score: Phillies 9, Rays 4