Rays’ Jose Siri gets defensive with glove, arm in win over A’s
ST. PETERSBURG — Jose Siri smashed into the wall and stumbled backward a few steps. For a minute, it looked like the Rays centerfielder was stung after robbing Seth Brown of an extra-base hit in the eighth inning of the Rays’ 9-5 win over the A’s Friday night at Tropicana Field.
Asked about it after the game, Siri just laughed and shook his head.
“The wall and I were just giving a little love to each other,” he said through interpreter Manny Navarro. “The wall and I are friends.”
It was the second time Siri showed off his slick defensive skills in the game.
The wall-slamming catch was overshadowed by his run-saving throw to retire A’s rightfielder Ramon Laureano at home plate in the second inning.
“He made it really easy for me,” Rays catcher Christian Bethancourt said. “My only job was to get the ball, catch the ball and tag the runner. We all know Siri. He’s an incredible defender. He showed it after with the grab against the wall, and he’s just fun. I’m happy he’s on my team.”
Siri shrugged off the throw. He knew he had Laureano out at the plate.
“I had a pretty good view, being the centerfielder,” he said. “Yep, pretty good vision and good sight of what’s happening. So I knew I had to put the play there, especially in right in front of me.”
Springs trying to improve on near-perfection
Jeffrey Springs isn’t looking ahead. The left-hander, who has blossomed into a dominant starter for the Rays, is not interested in hearing his name mentioned among the elite pitchers of the game just yet.
“I’m just trying to take it one day at a time, one start at a time,” he said. “None of that stuff even crossed my mind in the slightest bit. ... I try to stay day-to-day, because ... it’s such a long season. There’s so many ups and downs throughout it, that’s so far out of my control, so to speak. I’m just focused on the day, seeing how we do today and get my work in.”
Springs’ season debut was a display of his efficiency and dominance. He allowed just one baserunner — on a walk — and struck out a career-high 12 batters over six no-hit innings Sunday against the Tigers.
Springs has even bigger hopes for his second start, Saturday against the A’s at the Trop.
“Just try to get ahead, go deeper in the game. There’s little things that can always be improved,” he said. “The first thing that comes to mind is, you know, hopefully I can be a little bit more efficient and go a little bit deeper in the game.
“But at the end of the day, honestly, all I care about is giving us a chance to win, and as long as I do that, then I’m happy with whatever that means on that given day.”
Springs is able to keep a low profile because of the company he keeps. The Rays went into Friday night with the third-lowest ERA among starters in baseball, behind the Twins and Dodgers.
“Everybody in that rotation, and in the locker room in general, we feel like we have a special group,” Springs said. “It’s really cool to be a part of. I mean, everybody’s out there, pulling really hard for each other. ... We know everybody’s gonna do their job.”
• • •
Sign up for the Rays Report weekly newsletter to get fresh perspectives on the Tampa Bay Rays and the rest of the majors from sports columnist John Romano.
Never miss out on the latest with the Bucs, Rays, Lightning, Florida college sports and more. Follow our Tampa Bay Times sports team on Twitter and Facebook.
