Rays come up short in Detroit

Andy Dirks made the Rays pay with a leadoff home run in the top of the fifth, tying it up with a single swing of the bat.

Johnny Damon led off the top of the sixth with a double for an instant scoring threat.

He stayed at second through the next three outs, one of eight men left on base by the Rays.

Hellickson found himself in some hot water in the bottom half of the frame but escaped with only a single run against. The few mistakes he made in this game should have been easily balanced out with decent hitting by the Rays lineup.

Ultimately, the missed opportunities are what did the Rays in.

Well, that and the four-spot the Tigers put up in the bottom of the eighth against the Tampa Bay bullpen.

The Rays got a bit o’ the ol’ clutch hitting in the top of the ninth but came up short. Sam Fuld picked up a two-out, two-RBI base hit to score John Jaso and Matt Joyce, making it 6-3.

Not enough.

Had the Rays capitalized on their opportunities, this was a different game.

Despite their performance of late—3-7 in their last 10 outings—the Rays still find themselves in a virtual tie with the New York Yankees for first place in the A.L. East.

Tampa Bay will get another hack at Detroit with Wade Davis (4-4, 3.47 ERA) on the hill against Justin Verlander (4-3, 2.96). That one is scheduled for a 7:05 start.