Seymour Implodes as Rays Drop Heartbreaker 4-3, DarkHorse Pick Torched

So much for that "meaningful starting pitcher advantage." Ian Seymour got shelled, Kyle Bradish showed up, and the Orioles walked out of Tropicana Field with a 4-3 victory that made our Rays -144 pick look foolish. Baltimore now leads the season series 5-3, and Tampa's vaunted "elite form" hit a speed bump at the worst possible time.

The entire premise collapsed in the early innings when Seymour couldn't locate and Baltimore's lineup—the one we said was inferior at .236—jumped all over him. Bradish, meanwhile, pitched well enough to make that 3.69 ERA look generous, keeping Tampa's bats quiet when it mattered. The Rays managed just three runs despite their supposed offensive superiority, and that 9-1 run in their last 10 became 9-2 in a hurry.

Sure, Tampa's bullpen kept it close and the home crowd had hope late, but you can't dig early holes against competent opponents and expect to claw back every time. The Orioles proved they're not intimidated by the Trop or the analytics darlings, and Bradish outdueled the guy we crowned before first pitch. Sometimes the numbers lie, sometimes they don't—today they flat-out lied. Rays backers, myself included, took the loss. On to the next one.