The white-hot Tampa Bay Rays continued their onslaught on the unfortunate teams on their schedule and the MLB record books, crushing the visiting Oakland Athletics 11–0 on Easter Sunday in St. Petersburg, Fla., for their ninth straight win to open the season.
The Rays’ 9-0 start matched that of the 2003 Kansas City Royals for the hottest streak to start a season in baseball’s wild-card era.
Brandon Lowe hit a grand slam to lead the Tampa Bay assault and Drew Rasmussen (2–0) and two relievers combined on a one-hitter. Ramon Laureano doubled with two outs in the second for the lone Oakland hit….