Matt Joyce’s two hits help Tampa Bay Rays sink Seattle Mariners 3-1 – MLB Update
Tampa Bay Rays continued their excellent form as they defeated Seattle Mariners 3-1 at the Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida in the second game of their four match series of the 2012 Major League Baseball regular season.
Matt Joyce and Ben Zobrist had a great time on the plate as they combined in the first to score the opening run for the Rays.
"Longo has some big shoes to fill," Joyce said. "I think the guys realize that we have to pick it up. ... Injuries are part of the game. Guys go through slumps and you have to pick each other up. That's what a good team does"
"I feel very comfortable hitting in the middle of the order," he further added.
Luke Scott’s sacrifice fly to the left helped his team take a crucial 2-0 lead. Joyce hit a 349 feet home run in the third to give 3-1 lead to the Rays which lasted till the end of the game. For the Mariners, the only score was made by Michael Saunders who homered in the third.
"To be a consistent offensive club, we have to finish innings off," Seattle manager Eric Wedge said. "We're just not doing that."
"The bullpen was spectacular," Rays manager Joe Maddon said.
Rays have certainly surprised their critics with their impressive form this season. They swept New York Yankees 3-0 in their first series of the season and they have not looked back since then. Joe Maddon and his men made the most of available opportunities on Tuesday evening to improve their win-loss record to 16-8.
Beating the Mariners 3-2 in the opener, Tampa Bay made a bright start to the series. It will be interesting to see if the Rays can put up similar numbers in the last two games to make their record even more impressive.
Mariners, on the other hand, will be disheartened by the fact they were unable to capitalise on some easy scoring opportunities. They will be hoping to bounce back strongly in game three and game four to end the series on a high note.
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