One swing changes Odorizzi’s fate

ST. PETERSBURG — The ball cracked off of the bat, and Jake Odorizzi didn’t turn to look where it landed.

He’d faced 20 batters, and none of them had gotten a hit, just one measly walk. A dominant and consistent fastball had put together what manager Kevin Cash argued might be the best start of the year for his team.

Then one swing from Starlin Castro and one hit — the only hit of the afternoon for New York — went so far that Odorizzi didn’t need to watch it to know what it meant. A 1-0 Tampa Bay lead had turned into a 2-1 deficit, the score the Rays would eventually lose by on Sunday.

“One swing can change the whole outcome,” Odorizzi said following the loss.

The Rays’ right-hander retired the first 16 batters he faced, and he had a no-hitter through 6 1/3 innings. He lasted seven innings, struck out six, walked a batter and threw 71 strikes in 108 pitches.

But the most torturous number for Odorizzi was one — the one hit that erased a no-hitter, a shutout and a …

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