Field Level Media
22 Jun 2022, 17:10 GMT+10
With his team struggling at the plate recently and losing ground in the American League East, Tampa Bay's Isaac Paredes used his bat to etch his name in the organization's record book Tuesday.
The Mexican infielder slugged three homers and will look to keep up the power surge Wednesday when the Rays conclude their three-game series with the visiting New York Yankees in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Paredes, 23, became the first Ray to homer three times in the first five innings of a game and is the sixth player to turn the feat. Former Tampa Bay star Evan Longoria did it twice.
"That's a day he will not forget," said manager Kevin Cash of Paredes, who had seven homers in his first 87 games. "We knew we were getting a young, talented player."
Paredes was acquired in an April 4 trade that sent Austin Meadows to the Detroit Tigers.
In the ninth inning Tuesday night, Yankees skipper Aaron Boone got into a position he wanted to be in, sending Aaron Judge to pinch hit as the tying run with two outs. He lofted a deep fly to left, but Randy Arozarena recorded the out on the warning track to preserve the Rays' 5-4 victory.
"We'll chew on this one and try to win the series tomorrow," Boone said.
Judge will have his arbitration hearing tomorrow via Zoom.
"It's all business," said the slugger, who has 25 homers and 50 RBIs. "For me, it's plain and simple: I love this team, I love this organization and everything. But this is a business side of it that I don't like at times."
The Rays could use the punch of Paredes, who tops the club with eight long shots. In addition to Monday's 4-2 loss to the Yankees, the Rays -- now 3-6 against the division leaders -- suffered injuries that have sidelined 2/3 of their starting outfield.
Kevin Kiermaier (left hip inflammation) and Manuel Margot (right knee) were placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday. Margot, who paces them with a .302 average and is third with 27 RBIs, will undergo an MRI.
In their absence, the team called up infielder Jonathan Aranda (.310, 11 homers and 40 RBIs in 63 games) and outfielder Luke Raley (.299, seven homers and 25 RBIs in 24 games) from Triple-A Durham.
In his third start in 2022 and first at home, Shane Baz (0-1, 5.40) will try to win for the third time in the dome. In five career starts, the right-hander is 2-1, with both wins at home.
Baz made his lone career outing against the Yankees on Oct. 2, going 2 1/3 innings in a 12-2 Rays win the day before the 2021 season ended. He allowed one run on a single hit -- Anthony Rizzo's homer -- while fanning four and walking two.
In 12 career starts against the Rays, New York starter Jordan Montgomery (3-1, 2.72) is 4-4 with a 5.02 ERA. They have hit .257 with 11 HRs -- the most surrendered by Montgomery against any club.
Before Tuesday night's defeat, the Yankees claimed pitcher Albert Abreu off waivers from Kansas City.
In 11 relief appearances for the Royals and Texas Rangers this season, the right-handed Dominican hurler posted no record and a 3.46 ERA in 13 innings, with 12 strikeouts and 16 walks.
--Field Level MediaGet a daily dose of Florida Statesman news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Florida Statesman.
More InformationDHARAMSHALA, India: The Dalai Lama turned 90 on July 6, celebrated by thousands of followers in the Himalayan town of Dharamshala,...
ZAGREB, Croatia: A massive concert by popular Croatian singer Marko Perković, known by his stage name Thompson, has drawn widespread...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Elon Musk's entry into the political arena is drawing pushback from top U.S. officials and investors, as his decision...
CULVER CITY, California: TikTok is preparing to roll out a separate version of its app for U.S. users, as efforts to secure a sale...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump claimed he was unaware that the term shylock is regarded as antisemitic when he used it in...
PARIS, France: A strike by French air traffic controllers demanding improved working conditions caused significant disruptions during...
OTTAWA, Canada: With Canada Post struggling to maintain operations amid labour unrest, rivals like FedEx and UPS are stepping in to...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. and global markets showed a mixed performance in Tuesday's trading session, with some indices edging higher...
PARIS, France: French military and intelligence officials have accused China of orchestrating a covert campaign to damage the reputation...
NEW DELHI, India: Birkenstock is stepping up its efforts to protect its iconic sandals in India, as local legal representatives conducted...
HONG KONG: China has fired back at the European Union in an escalating trade dispute by imposing new restrictions on medical device...
NEW YORK, New York - Monday's trading session saw mixed performances across U.S. and global markets, with several major indices posting...