The Rays batters drew nine walks against the Angels Monday night, but lost 11-2. LAnaheim starter Garrett Richards walked seven, but struck out six in five innings, allowing just two hits. The Rays went 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position.

Drawing walks is great. Taking the walk rather than making an out expands the offensive context. Hits, however, move base runners, and without the hits, those walks tend to result in men left on base. The Rays scored just seven run during their five game losing streak. Their OBP in that time is poor, .299, but it’s due to their lack of hits, as the team batting average comes in at .195. The team is doing a good job of recognizing balls. They need to do a better job of recognizing strikes they can hit.