The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Washington Nationals 1-0 on Tuesday afternoon at Tropicana Field, but the real action came after the final out. Sergio Romo struck out Michael A. Taylor with the bases loaded in the ninth inning to nail down the save for Tampa Bay. The Rays reliever then pounded his glove in celebration and shouted toward home plate, prompting a heated exchange that ended with both benches clearing. Your browser does not support iframes. No punches were thrown, but the Nationals clearly weren’t thrilled about Romo yelling in their direction. Romo seemed to shout at Taylor and the Nationals’ dugout, causing Daniel Murphy, who had been stationed at first base, and several other Washington players to confront the right-hander. All in all, it was a bizarre way to cap the game, which saw Rays starter Nathan Eovaldi carry a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Romo and Tampa Bay’s bullpen slammed the door… and ruffled a few feathers. Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images<doc-sep>TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 17: Chris Archer #22 of the Tampa Bay Rays is visited on the mound by Wilson Ramos #40 as they collaborate in the third inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on August 17, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) The Washington Nationals have a couple of needs that could be filled by the Tampa Bay Rays. Could they make a blockbuster trade? 2018 has the potential to be a franchise-changing year for the Washington Nationals. They will be hosting the All-Star week in mid-July and appear to have a legitimate shot at hosting a few World Series games in late-October. However, they have work to do before dreaming of bringing another championship parade to the streets of DC. They have been inconsistent all year and currently find themselves in third place in the NL East. If the season ended today, they would not even make the postseason. It is no secret that Mike Rizzo will be aggressive at the deadline. He has already acquired Kelvin Herrera and is eyeing other upgrades. The Washington Nationals are a solid team, but they have a few holes. In order to fill those holes, Rizzo should look to the Tampa Bay Rays. At 38-40, the Rays are 14 games out of the division and 9.5 games out of the Wild Card race. Crazier things have happened, but it would take a miracle for the Rays to make the postseason. After dealing Evan Longoria and Alex Colome over the last six months, the Rays will likely continue their fire sale this summer. Wilson Ramos and Chris Archer headline the list of Rays potentially on the move, and both players could help the Nats in a big way. Ramos, the former Nats’ backstop, has been dearly missed in DC. Matt Wieters was signed to replace Ramos, but he has struggled mightily. In 146 games for the Nats, Wieters has slashed just .226/.296/.349. Unfortunately, Wieters suffered a hamstring injury in mid-May and has been on the shelf ever since. Pedro Severino and Spencer Kieboom have split the catching duties in his absence, but they have not exactly lit it up either. Wieters, Severino, and Kieboom have combined to hit .189, which ranks second-worst in the majors. Meanwhile, Ramos is having a career year. His .293 batting average and 125 wRC+ both lead all qualified catchers. If the Nats had forgotten what he is capable of with a bat in his hands, they were reminded on Monday night, when he took them deep twice. In addition to improving the catching corps, the Nats could add some rotation depth. Max Scherzer is pitching (and hitting) better than he ever has, but the rest of the rotation has been inconsistent. Stephen Strasburg and Jeremy Hellickson are both on the disabled list, while Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark have struggled at times. If the Nats are going to achieve their lofty goals, they must add a starter. There will not be many great starting pitchers available at the trade deadline, but Archer would be a phenomenal acquisition. Archer’s name has been floated in trade talks before, but this could be the year that the Rays finally decide to pull the trigger. They have already dealt a few key pieces, and Blake Snell is ready to take over as their ace. If Archer is made available, the Nats should be all over him. He has established himself as a solid starter and is under team control through 2021. He is also relatively cheap, which would make Scherzer and Strasburg’s contracts easier to stomach. Although Archer may not be an ace, he would be a terrific third starter for the Nats. A triumvirate of Scherzer, Strasburg, and Archer would be a nightmare for opposing teams in a best-of-five series. With Erick Fedde, Jefry Rodriguez, Seth Romero, and Wil Crowe, among others, appearing to have bright futures, the Nats could have an elite starting rotation for years to come. Acquiring Ramos and Archer makes perfect sense for the Nats, but the Rays would have to get some decent prospects in return. Juan Soto and Victor Robles are understandably off-limits, but a prospect package headlined by Carter Kieboom could get it done. Carter Kieboom, Spencer’s younger brother, is the Nats’ third-ranked prospect. The 20-year-old infielder hit .298 with 11 homers in 61 games for High-A Potomac and was recently promoted to Double-A. He has gotten off to a great start there as well, batting .348 with a homer in his first five games. Want your voice heard? Join the Call To The Pen team! Write for us! The Washington Nationals appear to be all-in in 2018. They are already World Series contenders, but acquiring Wilson Ramos and Chris Archer from the Tampa Bay Rays would further solidify them as one of the best teams in baseball.<doc-sep>Max Scherzer held the Tampa Bay Rays to one run on four hits in a seven-inning start, but Rays’ right-hander Nathan Eovaldi took a no-hitter into the sixth and held the Nationals to one hit total over six scoreless inning in what ended up a 1-0 win. The Rays swept the two-game series with Washington in Tropicana Field after dropping two games in D.C. earlier this month. Scherzer vs Tampa Bay: Max Scherzer held the Rays to two runs on five hits in his June 5th outing against Tampa Bay in the nation’s capital, striking out 13 of the 28 batters he faced in an eight-inning, 99-pitch outing. “When you go out there and control the count like that, and consistently put them behind the eight-ball of being 0-1, you’re dictating the action,” Scherzer told reporters, as quoted by MLB.com’s Jamal Collier, after that start. “It gives you so many more chances to mix and match and throw the pitch you want.” Scherzer was winless in his next three outings leading into today’s rematch with the Rays in Tropicana Field, however, and he fell behind early after giving up back-to-back hits by Kevin Kiermaier and Matt Duffy (who battled Scherzer for 10 pitches) that put runners on the first and third with no one out before Jake Bauers grounded into a force at second and brought in a run, 1-0. Scherzer held the Rays there through five innings, but Rays’ starter Nathan Eovaldi held the Nats’ hitters hitless through five and scoreless through six to preserve the 1-0 lead. A 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth left Scherzer at 88 pitches, and he came back out for the seventh and gave up back-to-back singles by C.J. Cron and Daniel Robertson, and Mallex Smith bunted both runners over in front of Adeiny Hechavarria, who went down swinging at a 1-2 slider. Kevin Keirmaier stepped in next with two on and two out, and popped out to foul territory off third to end the threat. Max Scherzer’s Line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 Ks, 104 P 63 S, 8/3 GO/FO. Max Scherzer lowered his ERA to 2.04 this afternoon. #Scherzday pic.twitter.com/dxIpoCFXDN — Washington Nationals (@Nationals) June 26, 2018 Eovaldi vs Washington: In his second start of the season back on June 5th, Nathan Eovaldi, who was coming off his second Tommy John surgery when he signed with the Rays, gave up four hits and four earned runs in five innings in what ended up a 4-2 loss to the Nationals the Rays’ right-hander was facing again this afternoon. In four June starts, including that outing, Eovaldi was (0-3) heading into today’s outing, with a 6.17 ERA, a .253/.266/.571 line against, two walks, and 17 Ks in 23 1⁄ 3 IP, over which he gave up eight home runs. Eovalid retired the first nine batters he faced, striking out five on 46 pitches, but his bid for perfection ended in the top of the fourth inning when he hit Adam Eaton on the elbow and walked Bryce Harper in the first two at bats. One out later, after Anthony Rendon popped up on the first pitch he saw, a blown double steal attempt gave away a runner when Eaton pulled up after starting from second base, and Harper didn’t look up as he left from first, hanging Eaton out to dry. For the second time in 24 hours... pic.twitter.com/YXaaqQWbl3 — Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) June 26, 2018 Juan Soto took the second walk of the inning with two down, but was stranded as Eovaldi completed his fourth hitless frame, and he retired the side in order in the fifth, but Bryce Harper hit a two-out double to left on an 0-2 fastball in the sixth to break up the no-hit bid. Harper was stranded, however, as Eovaldi preserved the shutout, completing six scoreless on 100 pitches overall. Nathan Eovaldi’s Line: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 Ks, 100 P, 64 S, 51 GO/FO. Harper double trouble: Bryce Harper’s last six hits coming into today’s game were all two-base hits, and he made it seven doubles in-a-row when he lined an 0-2 splitter from Rays’ right-hander Nathan Eovaldi off the left field fence, just feet from a game-tying home run. Harper had hits in six of seven games overall before this afternoon’s affair, over which he was 6 for 22 (.273 AVG) with the six doubles, three RBIs, six walks, and three runs scored, over that stretch, and he’d hit safely in four of the seven games and reached base safely in six. Harper’s double off Eovaldi today was his 11th of the season. BULLPEN ACTION: Diego Castillo took over on the mound for the Rays in the seventh, and worked around a one-out walk for a scoreless 15-pitch frame. Castillo came back out with a 1-2-3 eighth as well, to keep it a 1-0 game. Kelvin Herrera stranded two runners in a scoreless bottom of the eighth. Jose Alvarado got the save opportunity in the ninth and fell behind Bryce Harper 3-1 in the first at bat and missed with a 3-2 pitch, putting the tying run on base. Rays’ skipper Kevin Cash went to right-hander Chaz Roe, but put Alvarado at first base to keep him in the game for Juan Soto, with Jake Bauers shifting/hiding in left field. Anthony Rendon stepped in with a runner on, and went down swinging at a 1-2 pitch up high from Roe, who left the game with Alvarado returning to the mound to face Soto. Soto singled to center to put two on in front of Daniel Murphy hit a bloop single to left field to load the bases, but Trea Turner popped out to short right on the first pitch he saw, and a Michael A. Taylor strikeout ended the game. At which point Romo decided to bark at Taylor after the outfielder stole a base on him late in the series in D.C. Romo’s revenge, I guess. Ballgame. Final Score: 1-0 Rays Nationals now 41-37<doc-sep>“Sergio was a little upset that we ran on him at home, which I didn’t find a big deal. If he gets mad, he should get mad at me, but don’t show up one of our players,” Martinez said. “I know [Rays Manager] Kevin Cash. He will take care of that over there. Don’t do that. [Romo] has been in this league long enough to know you don’t do that kind of stuff.”<doc-sep>
The Tampa Bay Rays are getting hot and are now on a five-game win streak, while the Washington Nationals continuing to struggle, having lost nine of their last 12. Tension between the two teams escalated Tuesday after the Rays swept the Nats in a two-game interleague series, shutting them out 11-0 Monday and 1-0 Tuesday afternoon. Tampa Bay pitcher Sergio Romo is apparently still mad that when the two teams met on June 6, Nationals center fielder Michael A. Taylor stole third on him while Washington had a 9-2 lead. Taylor ultimately scored on an error from Rays catcher Wilson Ramos during the Nats’ 11-2 victory. So Tuesday when Romo entered the game in the ninth inning with the bases loaded, he made it clear he was still angry. He struck out Taylor for the game’s final out before yelling in the direction of the batter and the Nationals’ dugout, leading to both teams’ benches clearing. Things got chippy at the The Trop following the #Rays’ 5th straight win. pic.twitter.com/AaOUP68UhR — MLB (@MLB) June 26, 2018 Benches cleared after the #Nats game vs. the Rays. pic.twitter.com/PxlYgqK38h — Nationals on MASN (@masnNationals) June 26, 2018 The incident, however, was a bit anticlimactic as the players met on the field to exchange enraged words with each other without leading to a full-on baseball brawl. #Rays Romo made it very clear the issue went back to he “disrespect” from Taylor stealing a base with a big lead in DC a couple weeks ago — Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) June 26, 2018 After the game, Romo explained himself, via the Tampa Bay Times: “I think I said enough out there,” Romo said. “Self-explanatory, I think. No disrespect to that team, no disrespect to their coaching staff, no disrespect to anybody on that team other than the person I felt disrespected me and my team. “Don’t know him personally, nothing against him off the field. Just let you know that this game is very unforgiving. The way I was taught to play this game it governs itself, and just had to let him know I didn’t like it.” Here’s what Taylor and Nationals manager Davey Martinez had to say about it, according to The Washington Post‘s Chelsea Janes: Michael A.: "They're upset I stole a base at home in the sixth… you saw how many runs they scored with nine outs yesterday. So the game's not over. Obviously, they think differently, but I'm not worried about that. We lost the game. That's the only thing that upsets me." — Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) June 26, 2018 Michael A. also said "I'm not big on drama," which is the understatement of the week. — Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) June 26, 2018 Davey: "Sergio was a little upset that we ran on him…If he gets mad, he should get mad at me, but don't show up one of our players. I know Kevin Cash, he'll take care of that. Don't do that. He's been in this league long enough to know you don't do that kind of stuff." — Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) June 26, 2018 After the Rays’ 11-2 loss to the Nationals in Washington earlier this month, Romo explained his initial frustration with Taylor stealing third at that point in the game. More via the Tampa Bay Times: “I’m just pretty sure no one is stealing with (Nationals ace Max) Scherzer on the mound with a seven-run difference, no matter what the inning,” he said. Taylor scored as C Wilson Ramos made an errant throw, which added to the situation. “I understand it. It’s foot on the gas pedal. I get it. … You’re playing hard, and you saw an opportunity to take a bag,” Romo said. “There’s just things that were here before you and will be here after you that definitely don’t need to be said or written about. … I’ve got no quarrels. I just didn’t like that he took off.” Tuesday was the last time these teams see each other this regular season, so hopefully by the next time they meet, this is all old news.