Rays look to get back on track on road vs. Diamondbacks

The Tampa Bay Rays will make only their second road trip of the season when they begin a six-game trip against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

Getting away might not hurt as the Rays’ severely front-loaded home schedule has not been much help.

Tampa Bay were shut out in three of the last five games of a 13-game homestand that ended Sunday in a 4-0 loss to the New York Yankees, when they managed only two hits. They were 5-8 in the homestand and are 9-10 at home this season.

“Everybody is kind of racking their brains on the days that we’re not hitting,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “Is there something that we can be doing better? I’d like to think that we’re better than a team that doesn’t consistently find ways to manufacture runs.”

Arizona’s Brandon Pfaadt (3-1, 3.04 ERA) is set to oppose fellow right-hander Zack Littell (0-4, 5.48) of Tampa Bay in the opener.

The Diamondbacks enter the three-game series having won six of eight after a 3-2, 11-inning victory over the host Chicago Cubs on Sunday.

Tampa Bay has lost five of six, its only victory when Jonathan Aranda hit a two-run walk-off homer in the 10th inning of a 10-8, 10-inning win over the Yankees on Saturday.

Following a 16-1 victory over Boston on April 14, the Rays scored seven runs in the five losses around the big comeback against New York. They have played 19 of their first 22 games at home at George Steinbrenner Field in an attempt to avoid some of the worst of the summer weather.

“At the end of the day, we’ve got to play better baseball,” Cash said. “We were not consistent in really any aspect of our game, and we’ve got to turn it around.”

The Diamondbacks ran into some pitching issues while losing two of three to the Cubs over the weekend. Starter Merrill Kelly was removed with a muscle cramp in his right leg in the sixth inning Sunday, when high-leverage reliever Justin Martinez was unavailable. Closer A.J. Puk was placed on the injured list Saturday with elbow soreness.

“Frustrating, for sure. Serious, no,” said Kelly, who has been bothered by cramping issues for several seasons. “Just going to try to get back to the drawing board and see if we can uncover a rock that we haven’t yet.”

Pfaadt has been the Diamondbacks’ most consistent starter this season. He has won his last three starts and has given up only one run in his last two, covering 11 2/3 innings.

Pfaadt held Baltimore to four hits in six innings of a 9-0 win on April 9, and gave up only one run in 5 2/3 innings of a 6-2 victory at Miami the last time out.

The Rays handed Pfaadt one of the worst losses of his short career in the only previous matchup, scoring six runs off him in two innings of a 6-1 victory at Chase Field on June 29, 2023, Pfaadt’s sixth career start.

Littell has been inconsistent in his four starts, when his teammates consistently have failed to help. He has made two quality starts at home, against Colorado on Opening Day and home against Boston the last time out. In between he gave up 12 runs (and five homers) in 11 innings in losses at Texas and home against the Los Angeles Angels.

The Rays have scored three runs in the 23 innings that Littell has been on the mound.

Littell is 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA in eight career appearances against the Diamondbacks, covering a total of 8 1/3 innings. Two were starts, when he was used as an opener.

–Field Level Media