The Tampa Bay Rays will look for even more production from a slimmer Harold Ramirez in Saturday's game against the San Francisco Giants in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Ramirez legged out a pair of infield hits on Friday in a 3-for-4 outing that also saw him steal a base.
"That's what happens when you lose some weight, you can run better and faster," said Ramirez, who scored both runs in Tampa Bay's 2-1 win over San Francisco. The victory was the fifth in the past six games for the Rays.
While the infield singles were impressive, manager Kevin Cash additionally was pleased with how Ramirez hustled to score what turned out to be the game-winning run from first base on Amed Rosario's third-inning double.
"He's a gamer," Cash said. "He's not a guy known for his speed, but he also did a really good job of busting it around the bases on Rosie's double."
Right-hander Ryan Pepiot (1-1, 4.63 ERA) will look to make a better impression on the home fans Saturday than he did during his club debut on April 1. He allowed six runs on four hits and four walks in 5 2/3 innings of a 9-3 loss to the Texas Rangers on that day.
In his most recent outing, the former Los Angeles Dodgers hurler dealt strikes against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.
In a 94-pitch scoreless effort over six innings, Pepiot allowed just three hits and struck out a career-high 11 batters in a 3-2 win over the Rockies.
In the Dodgers' final regular-season game last Oct. 1, Pepiot made his lone career appearance against the Giants with a no-decision after tossing three relief innings.
He yielded a pair of solo long shots to third baseman Casey Schmitt -- the only runs in Los Angeles' 5-2 win.
Like the Rays, the Giants managed just six hits in the series opener. San Francisco had the potential tying run at third base with one out in the ninth inning before Pete Fairbanks retired the next two batters.
San Francisco right-hander Logan Webb (0-1, 4.86) will take the ball Saturday in his fourth start as he tries to regain his 2022 form.
Over a three-season stretch from 2021-23, Webb proved to be the club's workhorse in taking the mound every fifth day.
In that span, Webb went a combined 37-25 with a 3.07 ERA in 556 2/3 innings pitched, including a major-league-high 216 innings last season.
Manager Bob Melvin, who was ejected late in Friday's game, said he knows the next step for Webb.
"Well, he was second in Cy Young (voting) last year, so the next step is Cy Young," Melvin said. "It's ace of the staff. The guy that when he takes the mound we feel like we have a great chance to win."
This season he has watched his WHIP soar to 1.560, mainly due to allowing 22 hits and four walks in 16 2/3 innings.
That is his highest WHIP since he posted 1.564 over 13 appearances (11 starts) in the COVID-affected season.
The 2014 fourth-round pick will be making his first career appearance against Tampa Bay.
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