ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Wednesday's series finale here began inauspiciously for the Tampa Bay Rays, who lost leadoff man Nick Franklin after he was hit in the head by a warmup swing from teammate Kevin Kiermaier. It ended with a sweep.
Franklin drew a walk in the bottom of the first, then exited the game with a head contusion. A few minutes later, cleanup batter Brad Miller clubbed his third home run in four at-bats.
Though Padres left-hander Christian Friedrich responded, his supporting cast never did. They lost their fifth consecutive game, this by a score of 2-0, and headed for the airport, weary from a 2-7 road trip.