MIAMI: Austin Meadows house run with two outs within the eighth inning was all of the Tampa Bay Rays wanted, and the reigning AL champions began their season with a 1-0 win over the Miami Marlins on Thursday.
Meadows who hit 33 homers for the Rays two years in the past, then solely 4 in 36 video games final season linked off Miami reliever Yimi Garcia (0-1) on a drive that cleared the 387-foot check in left-center with ease.
Ryan Thompson (1-0), the second of 4 Rays pitchers, labored the seventh for the win. Diego Castillo pitched an ideal ninth for the save.
Jesus Aguilar had two of Miamis three hits. Aguilar despatched a fly ball to the left-field warning monitor with one out within the ninth, however that was as shut because the Marlins received to scoring.
The starters Miamis Sandy Alcantara and Tampa Bays Tyler Glasnow had been stellar in dueling six-inning performances.
Alcantara received into hassle solely as soon as, when a single, a stroll and a success by pitch loaded the bases with two outs within the first inning. He struck out Kevin Kiermaier on three pitches to flee, starting a stretch by which he retired 16 of the ultimate 18 batters he confronted.
Alcantara walked two and struck out seven. It was the third time in Marlins historical past that a gap day starter went at the very least six innings and didnt enable a run Kevin Brown did it in 1997 and Josh Beckett in 2005.
Glasnow gave up an infield single to Aguilar with two outs within the first and nothing else. The tall right-hander confronted solely 19 batters and retired 18, the final 16 in a row, and completed with six strikeouts.
Alcantara was pulled after 83 pitches, Glasnow after 76.
Attendance was 7,062. The Marlins are in a position to function at 27% capability; not all tickets had been bought, however tickets had been bought in each accessible two- or four-seat pod.
TRAINERS ROOM
Rays 1B Ji-Man Choi (proper knee surgical procedure) and OF Brett Phillips (left hamstring pressure) had been performed on the 10-day injured checklist. Marlins RHP Sixto Sanchez, who was optioned earlier within the week, had proper shoulder discomfort Wednesday.
OPENING DAY
Tampa Bay is 12-12 on opening day. Miami fell to 12-17 in openers, and hasnt began 1-0 in consecutive seasons since 2004 and 2005.
THE SHOT
Marlins supervisor Don Mattingly received vaccinated Thursday, he stated, and most members of his teaching employees have been as properly. Most Marlins gamers will start that course of within the coming days.
UP NEXT
LHP Ryan Yarbrough (1-4, 3.56 ERA in 2020) goes Friday for Tampa Bay in opposition to Miami RHP Pablo Lopez (6-4, 3.61).
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