ST. PETERSBURG — The Rays were doing Wednesday what they’ve being doing a lot lately, looking to take another small step back toward contention.
Ryan Pepiot was giving them a strong start. They hit and hustled their way to a slim early lead. They played good defense to hold the edge.
And then it all went away.
Shawn Armstrong replaced Pepiot in the sixth inning and gave up a three-run home run to Cal Raleigh, turning a promising afternoon into a disappointing one, as a ninth-inning rally also fell short.
The 5-2 loss ended the Rays’ latest winning streak at three games and at least paused their recent run, having won seven of the previous nine. It also denied them a third straight series sweep and kept them from reaching the halfway point of their schedule with a winning record, as they dropped to 40-41.
“That’s the most frustrating part for me (Wednesday) — we’ve been playing really good baseball, I didn’t do my job today to keep us in the game,” Armstrong said. “Expectations are high here. We want to get to the playoffs. We’ve done it (five) years in a row now. … That’s always the expectation here — it’s win or go home.
“Collectively, they’re doing a really good job. I can’t say enough for our offense, especially what they do in late innings and the consistency they’ve (had recently). So hats off to our offense. Hats off to our defense. Our starters have been doing a really good job as well.
“Tough loss today, and that’s on me.’’
Pepiot, after a couple of rough and short outings, did well, taking a one-hit shutout into the sixth.
He struck out the first batter — his eighth of the game — but walked the second, leadoff man J.P. Crawford, and manager Kevin Cash decided he was done, having thrown 88 pitches.
“I thought Pepiot threw the ball really, really well,” Cash said. “Just felt like with the top of the order getting turned over right there that the way ‘Army’ is throwing the ball that that was the right decision to make. It didn’t play out that way. But that happens at times.”
Pepiot said he felt good and that the work he did between starts helped, especially to maintain “command and poise” on the mound. “If I missed the pitch, didn’t take it to the next one,” he said.
Armstrong came in with a 1-0 lead, one on and one out, and that quickly became a 3-1 deficit.
He allowed a fielder’s-choice grounder to Josh Rojas, then after getting ahead of Julio Rodriguez 0-2, walked him on nine pitches.
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Explore all your optionsCash noted the Rodriguez at-bat as a factor. Armstrong said the pitch to the lefty-swinging Raleigh — a 3-1 fastball he pretty much left over the plate — was the big problem, It marked the 12th straight game the Rays allowed a homer, and the ninth allowed in the last 11 games by a reliever.
“I was just trying to go up and away, not middle down,” Armstrong said. “That’s his honey hole. I think he hit two of them this series in the same spot. Three-1 there. I mean, honestly, with a right-handed bat coming up, selfishly, I’d probably rather walk him than pitch to him. But again, bad pitch, good hitter. He did what he needed to do.”
The Rays hitters didn’t do much against Mariners starter George Kirby.
They got their first run in the third on what Cash called “a really heads-up play” after ex-Mariner Jose Caballero led off with a double. With one out, Yandy Diaz — who tied team records by extending his hitting streak to 19 games and his RBI streak to eight — bounced a ball between the mound and first base.
Kirby fielded it and, with first baseman Ty France shifted toward second, had to make the play himself. He slid into first, but Diaz beat him to the base. Caballero raced to third, then turned the corner and headed for home, sliding in ahead of the throw.
“Always aggressive on the bases,” Caballero said. “I saw the weak ground ball to the pitcher, and I saw him heading to first to make the out. So I was like, he had to turn around and throw to home plate, so I’ll take my chances here, and that’s why I went to home.’’
The Mariners added two more off Kevin Kelly in the seventh. The Rays loaded the bases without a hit in the ninth, but got only one. They’ll try again Friday, against the Nationals, to take another step.
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