Don’t bury the Rays just yet.
Perhaps the Zim Bear giveaway fired up the troops, maybe they just get up for big games — like when they’re facing a Justin Verlander — or, more than likely, the Rays might have just reached a point where they had had enough and finally decided to fire back. And fire back they did in an emotional 4-2 win over the Tigers on Friday at Tropicana Field with 19,557 watching.
“We looked more normal,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “More like how we’re supposed to look. I think the energy level was better. Why? I have no idea why. It was just a matter of getting over that weekend at Bernie’s in Kansas City and Philadelphia, it just got better. It was just a matter of time. We have great professionals right here. It’s not always going to be an oil painting, but I really liked the way we went after it tonight.”
