ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Wander Franco returned Saturday afternoon following a two-game benching for disciplinary reasons. He wasted no time making amends.
Franco, batting second, launched a 2-1 offering from Kansas City righthander Jordan Lyles over the center field wall to give the Rays 1-0 first-inning lead. An inning later, he singled up the middle to score Vidal Brujan to make it 3-0.
Franco flew out to center and grounded to short to finish 2-for-4 in a 9-4 loss to the Royals.
“I am happy to have him back,” manager Kevin Cash said before the game. “We know the impact he has on our team, what a good player he is. We are going to support him. Wander is going to put in good work. We are confident in that and this will take shape over the course of probably our season.”
In the news: Wander Franco Praises Rays, Will Try To Change
Franco had difficulty keeping his emotions in check recently when things were not going his way, which was frequent of late. Slamming his bat to ground and noticeably disagreeing with an umpire’s call were becoming commonplace. He entered Saturday’s game in a 2-for-20 funk with eight strikeouts.
“I’ve been with this organization for a long time, and I think they controlled the situation well with the errors that I’ve made,” said the 22-year-old shortstop, through interpreter Manny Navarro prior to the game.
Franco batted between Yandy Diaz and Luke Raley, both of whom returned to the lineup after sitting out Friday. Diaz remained in the basepath between second and third after wiping out as he attempted to go from first to third on a fifth-inning single by Randy Arozarena in Thursday night’s game. He remained in the game and showed no ill effects. Raley took a Jose Cuas pitch off his right wrist and also remained in the game. A CT scan revealed no damage, and Friday, the lefty hitter said he was feeling much better.
As for Saturday’s game, the Rays scored four runs on six hits in the first two innings against Lyles. The Royals then rattled off nine unanswered runs with Lyles, Carlos Hernandez, and Nick Wittgren retiring the final 17 Tampa Bay batters.
Lyles, who went six innings and threw only 30 pitches over his final four innings after throwing 45 pitches the first two innings, was 0-11 with a 6.72 ERA. The Royals had lost all 15 of his starts.
“It was just a reminder that shaking hands after games is a lot of fun,” when asked if it felt like a weight was taken off his shoulder. “I’m a very positive person overall. I believe that the next day is another day to get the win. Obviously, I wish things were different numbers-wise, but you can’t control certain things at certain points. I am where I am at right now and (Sunday) we have a chance to take three of four from a really good team.”
Tyler Glasnow will be on the mound for the Rays on Sunday afternoon (1:40) and will be opposed by Daniel Lynch (1-3, 4.85).
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