Rays Open Challenging Road Trip on the Wrong Foot in Los Angeles
You can't help but feel a sense of déjà vu with the Tampa Bay Rays and their struggles away from home. Their latest trip out west got off to a rocky start with a 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels, and the issues were everywhere: sluggish offense, shaky pitching, and key defensive missteps. It all unraveled early and never really snapped back into place.
Jo Adell set the tone almost immediately, belting a two-run homer that sent a jolt through Angel Stadium in the first few innings. The crowd barely had time to settle in before Adell launched one over the wall, putting pressure on Tampa Bay right out of the gate. The Rays, who already came in with a rough road record, looked a step behind—not just at the plate, but also on the mound.
Pitching Debut Goes Sideways for Rays
Adrian Houser probably had nightmares about this start. Tasked with his Rays debut, he simply couldn’t find his groove. Giving up 11 hits and letting five runs cross the plate over just 5.2 innings isn’t what the Rays had in mind when they penciled him in. The Angels weren’t exactly patient, either—ever-aggressive in the box, they forced Houser into tough counts and capitalized on nearly every mistake. Manager Kevin Cash didn’t sugarcoat it after the game, calling out how quickly things unraveled. "It was clear early they were going to make him work for every out," Cash said. As far as debuts go, this one left more questions than answers.
But it wasn’t just Houser who struggled. Defensively, Tampa Bay looked tight. A key error let Zack Neto stroke a critical RBI double—another moment where the Angels took full advantage—and the hole grew even deeper. Every time the Rays seemed poised to tighten things up, the Angels nudged the lead a little further out of reach. If there was a silver lining, it was Randy Arozarena’s single. Problem is, nobody else in the lineup could really follow that up.
The Rays' offense stayed quiet most of the night. Facing Yusei Kikuchi, the Angels’ starter, they managed all of four hits over six innings. Kikuchi pretty much had them guessing from the outset. His command never really wavered, mixing speeds and staying ahead in the count. The Rays only managed to avoid the shutout, but in reality, the gap felt much wider than 5-1.
This loss drops Tampa Bay’s road record to 23-29—a number that tells the story on its own. Meanwhile, the Angels get to celebrate their 30th home win of the year, a solid marker for a roster that’s trying to stay relevant in the playoff conversation. The difference on the night? The Angels played loose at home, capitalizing on every Rays miscue, and got exactly what they needed from their stars and their rotation.
Now, as the Rays look ahead on this long road trek, they know the effort has to improve and adjustments need to be made, fast. The lineup will have to wake up, and the pitching—especially new faces like Houser—can’t afford nights like this if Tampa Bay wants any shot at flipping their away game fortunes around.