Coming off their fifth consecutive series win, the Tampa Bay Rays entered Friday’s contest one game over .500 looking to expand on that mark against the reigning champs. Despite a rather sharp return from Shane Baz, the Rays’ bats went quiet despite eight free passes from Texas pitching. Nine innings, three hits, and zero runs later the Rays would drop the series opener and fall back to .500.
Shane Baz got the start opposite Michael Lorenzen. For Baz, it was his first Major League start since 2022. The electric right hander tossed 6 innings, five of which were scoreless.