Sunday's Win By The Numbers, Venters To DL

ST. PETERSBURG (620 WDAE) -- After a 7-6, walk-off win in 12 innings Sunday, let's take a look at some of the numbers involved in the victory:

4:16: The length of Sunday's game, tied for the longest game played by the Rays (in time of game) this season.  They also went 4:16 in a 13-inning loss on June 1 in Seattle to the Mariners.

29: The number of Rays plate appearances between the team's final two hits in Sunday's game: Jesus Sucre's two-run double in the third and Jake Bauers' walkoff home run.  In between they walked four times and had a batter hit by a pitch.

4: Number of walk-off wins this year for the Rays, matching their total from the entire 2017 season.  Bauers' walk-off home run is their second walk-off homer of the year, doubling the number of game-winning home runs in the 2015-2017 seasons COMBINED.

23,667: Sunday's attendance, the smallest of the three crowds this weekend but still good for the fourth largest announced attendance this season at Tropicana Field, following Opening Day against the Red Sox, Saturday afternoon's game, and Friday night's contest.

25-1: The Rays record when scoring five or more runs in a game.  Their only loss came on April 8, when they dropped an 8-7 decision to the Boston Red Sox to begin 1-8 on the year.

VENTERS TO DL -- The Tampa Bay Rays lost one of their most effective relievers Sunday, when left-hander Jonny Venters pulled up with a strained hamstring trying to cover first base in the 12th inning.

"He's going to go on the DL," manager Kevin Cash said after the game, though he declined to announce who would take Venters' spot on the roster.

Venters returned to Major League Baseball on April 25 after more than a six-year absence due to three elbow surgeries.  The 33-year-old has gone 1-1 with a 3.68 ERA in 21 appearances this year, but five of the six earned runs he has allowed came in the 1/3 inning "open" against the Washington Nationals on June 6.  Taking that outing away, Venters has pitched to a 0.68 ERA with Tampa Bay this year.

"It's disappointing," Venters told me.  "Injuries are part of the game, unfortunately, but I'll get it looked at, get healthy, and hopefully get back out there soon."

The left-hander is scheduled to have an MRI to determine the severity, but said hopefully it's not serious.


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