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Triston Casas clobbered a three-run homer on Wednesday in a loss to the Mariners.
Brandon Lowe went 3-for-5 and clobbered a pair of two-run homers on Thursday afternoon, helping to power the Rays to an 8-3 victory over the Blue Jays in Toronto.
Lowe got the Rays on the board before an out had been recorded in the ballgame, ambushing a first-pitch fastball from Kevin Gausman for a 399-foot (105.6 mph EV) two-run blast, giving the Rays an early lead that they would never relinquish. Lowe then put the exclamation point on the victory with a 429-foot (109.1 mph EV) two-run blast off of Jose Urena in the ninth inning. With his three-hit attack, the 30-year-old second baseman is now hitting .220/.272/.373 to go with seven homers and 24 RBI.
Josh Lowe returned to the Rays’ starting lineup with a bang on Thursday, going 3-for-5 with a homer and a pair of runs scored in a victory over the Blue Jays.
Lowe led off the game with a single off of Kevin Gausman and then rode home on Brandon Lowe’s two-run blast. The 27-year-old outfielder then crushed one over the fence himself in the fifth inning — a 408-foot (105.7 mph EV) solo shot off of Gausman — increasing his club’s lead to 5-2. He also singled in the ninth inning but the Rays couldn’t cash him in. As long as he remains healthy, he’ll be a valuable fantasy contributor atop the Rays’ lineup.
Kameron Misner went 1-for-4 and swatted a solo home run on Thursday as the Rays out-slugged the Blue Jays in Toronto.
Misner tagged Blue Jays’ right-hander Kevin Gausman for a 417-foot (109.7 mph EV) in the fourth inning, increasing the Rays’ advantage to 4-2. That would be his only hit in four at-bats on the afternoon. For the season, the 27-year-old outfielder is now slashing .256/.305/.436 with four homers, 13 RBI and three stolen bases in 128 plate appearances on the season.
Zack Littell pitched well in Thursday’s victory over the Blue Jays, giving up three runs on eight hits over his 7 1/3 innings of work.
Littell recorded only two strikeouts on the afternoon while issuing one base on balls. All of the damage done against him came via the long ball — with Addison Barger, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Nathan Lukes swatting solo home runs against him. Littell got six whiffs on 87 pitches on the day, registering a CSW of 28 percent. Now 3-5 on the season, he’ll bring a 4.31 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and a 32/10 K/BB ratio (54 1/3 innings) into Tuesday’s showdown against the Astros.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. smacked a solo home run and drew a walk on Thursday afternoon as the Blue Jays fell to the Rays.
The 26-year-old slugger crushed a 383-foot (114.5 mph EV) solo shot off of Zack Littell in the third inning that pulled the Blue Jays to within a run at 3-2. That would be as close as they would get. He’s slashing a terrific .294/.395/.438 through his first 43 games on the season, though that has come with just five homers, 20 RBI and zero stolen bases.
Kevin Gausman was hit hard in Thursday’s loss to the Rays, giving up six runs on 10 hits over his 5 2/3 innings of work.
On the plus side, the 34-year-old right-hander racked up six strikeouts on the afternoon and didn’t walk a batter. His trouble in this one stemmed from his inability to keep the baseball in the yard, serving up a two-run homer to Brandon Lowe in the opening inning, a solo shot to Kameron Misner in the fourth and another to Josh Lowe in the fifth inning. Gausman generated 16 swings and misses on 101 pitches on the day — eight on his fastball and seven on his splitter — while posting a CSW of 29 percent. He’ll look to bounce back as he carries a 4.59 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and a 46/12 K/BB ratio (51 innings) into Wednesday’s battle against the Padres.