Snell holds off Jays for game 1 win

 

*Photo from PennLive*

Tampa Bay leads series 1-0

   The Tampa Bay Rays don't have many household names, but that doesn't seem to matter, they will just keep succeeding. Blake Snell was sharp, Manuel Margot hit a key homer, and the Rays held off the Toronto Blue Jays for a 3-1 win in game one of the wild card round. Snell took a no hitter into the 6th inning in arguably his most important start of the season.

   The game stayed scoreless until the 4th inning, when Willy Adames scored on a wild pitch to put the Rays on the board, giving them a 1-0 lead. It stayed that way until the 7th inning, when Margot crushed a two run homer to left field, a no doubter off the bat, to give Tampa Bay a 3-0 lead. The Blue Jays got a run back in the 8th, when Rowdy Tellez scored on a sac fly from Bo Bichette, but that was all Toronto could muster against the Rays.

   Snell worked 5 2/3 innings, getting the win in a dominant performance for the Rays ace. Snell allowed just one hit on two walks, striking out 9 hitters. Snell said after the game that "I'm getting into a groove. It usually takes me a little while to get going anyway, it's been two months but I usually start slow. I'm starting to get the hang of it, starting to feel it. The playoff energy always gets me a lot more excited, for sure." 

   Rays manager Kevin Cash was pleased not just with Snell's effort, but the all around win for the Rays. Cash said after the game that "Tonight was a pretty good representation of the Tampa Bay Rays - our players, how we go about winning games, we found success being really good in tight games. Pitching, the defense, and timely hits are the reasons for it." 

   Despite the loss, Blue Jays third baseman Cavan Biggio is staying calm, saying after the game that "I think the biggest thing is not to press, not to really panic. That's probably the worst thing we can do as a team. It's a bigger stage right now and not a lot of our guys have really played in the playoffs before, but I think we learned from this one today."

   The series continues on Wednesday, where the Rays look to advance as Tyler Glasnow takes the mound. The Blue Jays counter with ace Hyun-Jin Ryu.