Rays' bullpen strategy leads to five-inning save

The Tampa Bay Rays are trying to do things a little differently these days. And on Sunday, it would lead to something not seen since 2002. And while there’s an argument to be made against this strategy, the Rays did make it work against the Baltimore Orioles. Sergio Romo made another start, only lasting 0.1 inning before giving way to Vidal Nuño — who would get Tampa Bay through the next three despite surrendering four walks.But then in came Austin Pruitt, a hurler who made eight starts last season but served out of the bullpen for 22 of his 30 appearances. Pruitt would pitch the final 5.2 innings, yielding no runs along the way. But that’s not all. He would enter in the fourth with the Rays already up 7-3. But since Romo didn’t pitch through five (obviously), Nuño would be in line for the win. Therefore, Pruitt would’ve been in position to pick up quite the special save — a five-inning one. And he did just that, striking out five over the final 5.2 innings while not allowing a single run.And now, he’s the fi

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