WASHINGTON — For openers, Jonny Venters wasn't very good Wednesday, which made for a very bad day for the Rays, an 11-2 loss to the Nationals that extended their latest losing streak to six.
The veteran reliever struggled in his first starting assignment, allowing five of the six Washington batters he faced to reach base and eventually score.
Relieving starter Ryan Yarbrough wasn't much better, losing what seemed to be rugged battles by the Nationals hitters, allowing the last two of Venters' runs and five of his own over five-plus innings, and giving up 10 hits.
As tough as it was to watch — and as much as the short-sample, oversimplified results of a 3-5 record in eight games in which they used an "opener" to work the first inning or so don't seem overly optimal — the Rays are sticking with their plan.