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Rays' home runs, bunts too much as Diamondbacks lack 'good decisions'
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- Rays' home runs, bunts too much as Diamondbacks lack 'good decisions'
ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The Tampa Bay Rays ' bunting success on Saturday, June 27, didn't necessarily cost the Diamondbacks a win, as the Rays hit a pair of home runs early and pitched well.
But another game without much offensive punch against a quality opponent, coupled with the Rays' success on bunts, led to a 4-2 loss at Tropicana Field.
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"There's a lot of things that we've got to figure out," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. "We've got to continue to try to build innings ... get guys on base and make good decisions on the bases, make good decisions at the plate, and we're going to get there.
"But it's frustrating. These are grinding times right now. The Rays are a good team, and you can't play anything less than your best game and expect to win."
In mentioning baserunning, Lovullo referred to a play in the top of the eighth inning when Geraldo Perdomo was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double. Earlier in the game, Perdomo had a quality slide to score the game's first run.
Lovullo wasn't OK with Perdomo's decision.
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"We've got to be safe there," Lovullo said. "It was hit behind you. But we're fighting it. What it tells me is these guys are gritty, trying to make something happen, but you've got to pull back and be smart every once in a while.
"I don't even need to talk to 'Gerry' (Perdomo). I could tell when he came in the dugout, he knew."
Diamondbacks starting pitcher José Cabrera (0-1) gave up a pair of home runs, one each to the Rays' best hitters. The sizzling Junior Caminero yanked a solo shot over the corner wall in left field in the bottom of the first, and Jonathan Aranda went deep for a two-run blast to right field in the bottom of the fifth.
But Cabrera was able to throw five innings and at least keep the Diamondbacks in the game, as he did in his first start on June 21 when he tossed five scoreless innings.
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"For me everything is the same," Cabrera said. "I feel very comfortable. I work hard, same week, same things. Feel amazing."
The Diamondbacks took a 1-0 lead in the first, as they did in Friday's series opener. Perdomo's headfirst slide helped him get a hand on home plate despite the throw from the outfield beating him on Corbin Carroll's single.
Cabrera escaped trouble in the third when the Rays put two runners on base with one out and had Caminero at the plate. But Cabrera got Caminero to fly out on a pitch slightly outside, then induced clean-up hitter Victor Mesa Jr. to foul out and end the inning.
"Second time, attack with my spins and stuff, so mix a little bit more," Cabrera said of getting the out with Caminero.
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After recording the first two outs of the fifth, Cabrera walked Yandy Diaz before Aranda got a hold of a sweeper that found perhaps too much of home plate.
Cabrera allowed back-to-back bunt singles to start the sixth and was replaced by Juan Morillo. His final line was four runs allowed on five hits with four strikeouts in five-plus innings.
The Diamondbacks couldn't get needed outs on the bunts, as the Rays kept going to it even after they'd successfully reached base three times on bunts. Cedric Mullins squared to bunt on what was a Morillo wild pitch, and the Rays got runners in scoring position for a Mullins sacrifice fly.
The next Tampa Bay batter, Taylor Walls, also showed bunt, though he ended up striking out.
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"Back-to-back bunts to start the sixth really created a lot of momentum for them," Lovullo said. "We kept it to one run, but that was a big run."
Ketel Marte hit his 14th home run of the season with two outs in the top of the eighth, but Perdomo's mistake on the bases ended the inning.
The Diamondbacks (41-41) have lost five of their past seven games and are 17-24 on the road this season. But Cabrera seems to have earned another start, something Lovullo and team decision-makers were weighing after the game.
"I thought he deserved it, he earned it," Lovullo said. "Those are little things we've got to figure out. But overall, attacked the zone against a team that doesn't strike out a lot. They're going to put the ball in play, and he was doing a good job. It's been a very pleasant surprise for us. ... Now he's pitching in the big leagues, meaningful games. He's going to continue to get the ball.
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"You have to like a lot of things to be able to say, 'We're going to continue to pass it off to you.' We all like the demeanor. We all like the stuff and we really like the execution."
Kepler has new outlook on game after return
Diamondbacks outfielder Max Kepler made his second straight start in left field a day after playing in his first major league regular-season game since last Sept. 28.
Kepler completed his 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug and was activated by the Diamondbacks on June 25. He was in Friday's lineup against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.
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He said playing again made him grateful to still be in baseball, and that being away from the game was humbling for him.
"I never had been out of it for the last 15, 16 years, so to have been out of that for a brief moment just kind of made me realize how difficult it is to get back into it," Kepler said. "So yeah, back with a deeper appreciation and understanding that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Kepler said he hopes to play the game with that kind of appreciation in his mind.
"I'm not going to be as hard on myself as I was in past," he said. "Where I might have taken some things for granted because you're just in a constant flow of playing, I feel refreshed. But at the same time, also, I need to make up for the time I lost. So it's like a fine line that I'm trying to balance here."
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Lovullo said he wanted to get Kepler in the big leagues as soon as possible and told Kepler he would get a lot of at-bats against right-handed pitching.
"I believe in getting guys here, getting their spikes dirty and getting back into a rhythm as quick as possible," Lovullo said. "He's been away from the game for a long time, and it was his opportunity to get in there and show us what he's capable of doing."
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Max Kepler (22) swings at a pitch during the fifth inning against Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, on June 27, 2026.
Coming up
Sunday, June 28: At Tampa, 10:40 a.m., Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (5-7, 5.71) vs. Rays RHP Drew Rasmussen (6-4, 2.62).
Monday, June 29: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (6-2, 2.27) vs. Giants RHP Tyler Mahle (1-7, 5.49).
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Tuesday, June 30: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (0-1, 5.92) vs. Giants RHP Landen Roupp (5-7, 4.07).
(This story has been updated to add information.)
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Rays' home runs, bunts too much as Diamondbacks lack 'good decisions'
