ST. PETERSBURG (620 WDAE) -- Chris Archer had his shortest outing of the 2018 season Saturday, going just four innings and allowing seven runs as the Philadelphia Phillis defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 9-4 at Tropicana Field.
ARCHER TAKES WALLOPING AT HANDS OF PHILLIES: A large part of Archer's problems came in a 34-pitch second inning, where seven of the first eight hitters in the inning reached safely. Back-to-back doubles by Nick Williams and Scott Kingery to start the frame gave the Phillies the lead. Maikel Franco drew a walk and after Jorge Alfaro struck out for the first out of the inning, J.P. Crawford made it 2-0 with a double of his own.
Cesar Hernandez, Carlos Santana and Odubel Herrera each singled in a run for a 5-0 advantage, and when Rhys Hoskins grounded into a fielder's choice by beating out the back end of a double play, Archer's throw to try and get Santana at the plate ended up in the visiting dugout for an error and a 6-0 lead.
Archer (1-1) also allowed a solo homer by Crawford in the fourth to extend the deficit to 7-0. He would leave after the inning having thrown 80 pitches, 54 strikes.
PRUITT SAVES BULLPEN: Austin Pruitt took over for Archer to begin the fifth and despite giving up a pair of runs in his first inning of work on a double by Kingery and sacrifice fly by Franco, settled down to go the rest of the way, pitching five innings and allowing five hits total, walking one and striking out one.
CRON DRIVES IN TWO OF FOUR: C.J. Cron finished with a pair of RBI thanks to a sacrifice fly in the fourth and a RBI groundout in the sixth. Matt Duffy drove in the Rays' only other run in the fourth with an RBI double that plated Kevin Kiermaier.
Tampa Bay managed just seven hits total off Phillies starter Jake Arrieta (1-0), who needed just 88 pitches to get through nearly seven full frames.
The Rays tried to capitalize in the ninth off Lakeland-native Drew Hutchinson, loading the bases with nobody out on a base hit by Joey Wendle, a walk to pinch-hitter Daniel Robertson and a fielder's choice grounder by Wilson Ramos. Adeiny Hechavarria's sacrifice fly made it 9-4, but Hutchinson got Johnny Field, playing in his first big-league game, to ground into a double play to end the game.
SUNDAY'S MATCHUP
Rays vs Philadelphia Phillies, Tropicana Field, 1:10 p.m. first pitch, coverage on WDAE beginning at 11:00 a.m. with The Inside Pitch presented by Crown Eurocars
Rays starter - LHP Ryan Yarbrough (0-0, 2.25 ERA)
Phillies starter - RHP Ben Lively (0-1, 5.56 ERA)
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Monday - Rays vs Texas Rangers, LHP Blake Snell vs. LHP Martin Perez, 7:10 p.m. first pitch
Tuesday - Rays vs Texas Rangers, TBD vs. LHP Matt Moore, 7:10 p.m. first pitch
Wednesday - Rays vs Texas Rangers, RHP Jake Faria vs. LHP Cole Hamels, 1:10 first pitch.