Guardians 5, Rays 3: Death by soft contact

In the era of exit velocity defining top offenses, the Cleveland Guardians got the better of one of baseball’s best pitchers this afternoon with nothing but the soft stuff.

But on the note of exit velocity, we should start with the new veteran outfielder David Peralta, who made a quick trip to Tampa Bay following his acquisition, and went right to work in the training room and batting cage Sunday morning.

This photo exudes veteran presence.

The Rays put Peralta where he would be most comfortable in his debut: starting in left field and batting fifth.

Tropicana Field can be a notoriously difficult for outfielders not used to the tarped dome, particularly during a day game, and with Peralta only…