The Tampa Bay Rays could not lose Wednesday night against the Oakland Athletics even if they tried. At times, it felt like they tried en route to edge out the A’s 4-3.
The A’s scored first in the top of the fourth inning. JJ Bleday led off with a triple to left field, setting the stage for Miguel Andujar’s sacrifice fly. Andujar’s deep fly ball to left field allowed Bleday to score, giving the A’s an early 1-0 lead. Ryan Pepiot then struck out Shea Langeliers to end the inning, minimizing further damage.
The Rays responded promptly in the bottom half of the inning.