OAKLAND — A confidence boost from the starting rotation felt pertinent following the announcement that Frankie Montas, the A’s ace, would be suspended for 80 games for testing positive for PED use.
Granted, Montas’ shoes were large to fill — Tanner Anderson, in his third start with the A’s this year, left a little too much space for comfort, taking his second loss in the Tampa Bay Rays’ 5-3 win on Friday night.
Anderson’s sinker started him off strong, but the Rays had him decoded the second time through the order. They made enough hard contact to tack three runs on him in his four innings of work.