- Kevin Tall
- Stock photo
No one likes a rain delay.
Of course, no one of the Tampa Bay persuasion liked what happened after the rain delay Friday night.
After more than an hour delay due to stormy skies in Baltimore, fans of the Tampa Bay Rays found themselves wondering if there was a better way to spend their evening than watching their team get shutout for the fourth time in 2011 and the second time at the hands of the Orioles.
Jeremy Hellickson—3-0 vs. Baltimore coming into the game—took the hill for Tampa Bay and fell to 7-4 on the year. It would be charitable to say the Rays starting pitcher didn't have his best game ever.
Statistically speaking, it was his worst.
The five runs charged to the rookie right-hander in the 7-0 loss were the most he'd allowed in any start of his young career. Those tallies came on seven hits, accompanied by three walks and only two strikeouts over his five and two-thirds innings pitched.
Hellickson yielded the winning run on his second pitch of the game, a home run to Orioles leadoff man J. J. Hardy. He also gave up a grand slam to Nick Markakis in the bottom of the second, having loaded the bases with two walks and a double.
This game, however, was one of those lovely outings where poor pitching was rendered inconsequential by an even worse showing by the Rays at the plate, illustrated nicely by the fact that the winning margin came from their opponents first at-bat.