Dein erstes Forum » Hopefully with C.J. getting comfortable, and

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Many things have gone wrong in the Rays losing 17 of their last 20 games, but manager Kevin Cash took a rare step Tuesday, pulling outfielder Steven Souza after he didnt run out of the box on a routine fly to center that ended up dropping between two outfielders.Souza made it to third and scored later, but the message was sent that Cash isnt tolerating any dropoff in effort, even from players known for their energy.I think the bottom line is that I play hard, but right there I didnt play very hard, Souza said. I got caught slipping and took for granted a routine play. I basically wore a triple for it and I got to third, but I could have easily scored if I was running hard.Cash declined to address the issue after the game, saying there are issues that happen in a team that we address in-house. Well keep it in-house and well move on from there.The Rays struggles havent been limited to any one part of their team -- their starting pitching has consistently failed to get beyond the fifth and sixth innings, and their bullpen has been terrible in the past three weeks, allowing runs in 18 of the last 20 games.In the ninth inning of the last six games alone, the Rays have given up 19 runs, this after allowing a total of 23 runs in the ninth inning of the first 77 games.Wednesdays game offers two struggling starters with ERAs over 5.00 -- Los Angeles right-hander Jered Weaver is 6-7 with a 5.51 ERA, and Rays left-hander Drew Smyly is 2-9 with a 5.53 ERA, so it could be another high-scoring affair after seeing the two teams combine for 30 hits in Tuesdays game.As rough as the first eight innings were, the Rays were down just 7-5 entering the ninth, seeing closer Alex Colome come back off the disabled list with a scoreless ninth. Enny Romero faced three batters and allowed all three to score on C.J. Crons three-run home run, and then Dana Eveland replaced him and gave up four hits for three more runs.In the other dugout, the Angels, whose victory over the Rays Tuesday was just their third win in 15 games, were thrilled to show the depth of their lineup for once, with Mike Trout getting a rare day out of the starting lineup and Albert Pujols a quiet 1-for-6 on the night. The rest of the batting order came through for 15 hits, including a pair of homers and four RBI from first baseman C.J. Cron, something manager Mike Scioscia was happy to see.We need our lineup to get deeper, particularly the guys that are going to hit right after Mike and Albert, Scioscia said, talking about players like Cron and Jefry Marte. The 5-6 hole for us is really important. Hopefully with C.J. getting comfortable, and Marte has thunder in his bat. Hopefully well start getting a little deeper.As rough as the first eight innings were, the Rays were down just 7-5 entering the ninth, seeing closer Alex Colome come back off the disabled list with a scoreless ninth. Enny Romero faced three batters and allowed all three to score on C.J. Crons three-run home run, and then Dana Eveland replaced him and gave up four hits for three more runs.In the other dugout, the Angels were thrilled to show the depth of their lineup for once, with Mike Trout getting a rare day out of the starting lineup and Albert Pujols a quiet 1-for-6 on the night. The rest of the batting order came through for 15 hits, something Mike Scioscia was happy to see.We need our lineup to get deeper, particularly the guys that are going to hit right after Mike and Albert, Scioscia said, talking about players like Cron and Jefry Marte. The 5-6 hole for us is really important. Hopefully with C.J. getting comfortable, and Marte has thunder in his bat. Hopefully well start getting a little deeper. HOUSTON -- Cuban shortstop Anibal Sierra will receive a $1.5 million signing bonus as part of his minor league contract with the Houston Astros.The 22-year-old played for Avispas de Santiago from 2012-14 in Cuba. He appeared in 91 games, playing 47 games at second base and 26 games at shortstop.Anibal is an athletic shortstop who can hit and play multiple positions, and possesses the intelligence, work ethic, and baseball instincts to succeed at the highest levels, Astros international director Oz Ocampo said.Sierras deal, whhich was announced Saturday, calls for him to receive the bonus within five days of the deals approval by the commissioners office.ddddddddddddAnibal stood out to me after my first look in November 2015 in the Dominican Republic, Astros senior scouting adviser Charlie Gonzalez said.Earlier this month, the Astros agreed to a a $47.5 million, five-year contract with Cuban infielder Yuliesky Gurriel. ' ' '