The Tampa Bay Rays, in free-fall in recent weeks, have climbed back into the lead in the American League East. They re-passed the New York Yankees by percentage points with a 4-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Once again, the Rays rode their big three -- Yandy Diaz, Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero — to their victory.
Caminero fourth in the American League in home runs./KIM HUKARI
For instance:
-- The Rays had five hits that were not bunts. The Big Three had three of them.
-- The Rays had four RBI. The Big Three had three of them.
-- The Rays had two home runs. The Big Three had them both.
Think about this. This season, the trio has accounted for 67 percent of the Rays' home runs, 46 percent of their RBI and 39 percent of their hits.
Oh, they weren't the only solid performers Saturday. Victor Mesa Jr. had two hits and threw a baserunner out from right field. Relief pitcher Michael Grove made his return to the game with three scoreless innings. Bryan Baker earned his 21st save. The Rays had three bunt singles.
The Rays got off to a good start with yet another home run by Caminero, who has five in his last three games. They took a 3-1 lead on a home run by Aranda after Diaz had walked.
The Rays close out their series with Arizona today at 1:40 p.m. at Tropicana Field. Drew Rasmussen (6-4) will start for the Rays against Merrill Kelly (5-7).
The relentless attack of Junior Caminero isn't over yet.
One day after his three home-run day, Caminero kept it going Friday night at Tropicana Field. Caminero launched a 437-foot home run to lead the Rays to a 6-1 win over Arizona.
Caminero, who now has 20 home runs on the season, homered on a 2-2 pitch with Yandy Diaz (walk) and Jonathan Arana (hit by pitch) on base.
That was the Rays' only hit until the sixth inning, when Diaz doubled. But in the seventh, Cedrick Mullins homered, Diaz singled and Aranda doubled.
Diaz had two hits for the Rays.
That was plenty for Nick Martinez, who ran his record to 7-2. He pitched 5 2/3 innings of one run baseball. He gave up six hits, but the Diamondbacks were 0-8 with runners in scoring position.
The Rays and Diamondbacks play again tonight at 6:10 p.m. at Tropicana. The Rays will start a yet-to-be named starter against Jose Cabrera (0-0).
For nine innings, they were in a race toward history. The bat. The arm. No one could stop either of them.
There was the star, Junior Caminero. Already one of the finest young stars in baseball. Camerino has never been better. He launched three home runs in the game, leading the Rays to a 13-2 victory over Kansas City at Tropicana Field. Caminero had six RBI in the game, hitting a 372-foot homer, a 387-foot homer and a 393-foot homer.
Caminero now has 19 homers on the season.
It wasn't just Caminero's day, however. How about the underdog pitcher Ian Seymour. Seymour brought the Rays to the brink of the franchise's second-ever no-hitter.
Seymour smothered the Royals./TIM WIRT
Seymour went 6 2/3 innings of no-hit, shutout baseball. It was an impressive outing considering that most of Seymour's outings have been one or two innings.
He came in in the second inning, replacing starter Casey Legumina (who got the game's first four outs).
Craig Kimbrell gave up the Royals' only hit, a two-run home run by Carter Jensen in the ninth.
Jonathan Aranda also had three hits for the Rays. Richie Palacios, Cedric Mullins and Taylor Walls all had two hits.
The Rays are home against Arizona tonight at 7:10 p.m. Nick Martinez will start for the Rays against a starter-to-be-named for the Diamondbacks.
When the losing streaks of the Tampa Bay Rays are broken, it usually comes down to Yandy Diaz who leads the way.
Diaz did it again Wednesday night, getting four hits as the Rays were finally able to beat the Kansas City Royals, 5-3, at Tropicana Field.
Diaz, whose average is up to .332, has led the Rays in batting average most of the season. He currently leads the American League.
He wasn't alone in this one, however. Jonathan Aranda had two hits and two RBI in the win.
Diaz has had 25 multi-hit games this season.
The Rays scored three times in the third inning and twice in the fourth to take a 5-0 lead.
Kansas City came back with two in the fifth, both scoring because of Rays' errors. Shortstop Taylor Walls missed a routine ground ball and left fielder Chandler Simpson dropped a routine foul ball.
The Royals scored once more on a home run by Josh Rojas in the ninth, but that was all the Rays' bullpen gave up.
The Rays and Royals close out their four-game series today at 12:10 p.m. at Tropicana Field. Ian Seymour (3-1) will start for the Rays against Seth Lugo (3-4).
Tuesday, 4 a.m. You’ve heard this story before. The Rays, still contending, are playing at home, where they’ve been successful. They’re playing the Kansas City Royals, the last-place team of the AL Central Division. They’re facing former teammate Michael Wacha, who had lost seven straight games. They held the Royals to four hits and retired […]
Wednesday, 4 a.m. The Tampa Bay Rays may be blowing their biggest chance of the summer. The opportunity to get back into the race was at hand. They had a 10-game homestand. Their schedule was packed with beatable foes. Instead, the air continues to drain from their balloon. The Rays lost again Tuesday night. They […]
Monday, 4 a.m. Well, welcome back, Jonny DeLuca. DeLuca, making his return from the injured list, homered for the second time in three games. He launched a two-run shot in the bottom of the seventh inning, bringing the Rays from behind and leading the Rays to a 4-3 win over Washington at Tropicana Field. DeLuca, […]
Sunday, 4 a.m. This time, they left the victory on base. The Rays offense left repeated scoring chances go by the wayside in Saturday’s 4-3 loss to the Washington National. In a one-run loss — their seventh in their last eight one-run games — it was toxic. Consider: — The Rays had 10 hits and […]
Saturday, 4 a.m. Maybe it was being home. More likely, it was the home runs. The Tampa Bay Rays, comfortable at home after a terrible (1-5) road trip, came from behind to beat the Washington Nationals, 5-2, at Tropicana Field. The Rays, who have won 25 games at home this year, relied on the long […]
Thursday, 4 a.m. Wherever the cure for the sliding Tampa Bay Rays is, we can be sure it isn’t in Los Angeles. Yeah, the Rays lost again Wednesday afternoon. That isn’t new. The Rays fell for the fifth time in six games in L.A. The Rays, now 2 1/2 games behind the Yankees in the […]
Gary Shelton Sports is a subscription site. The following options are available:
• Buy a season ticket ($4 a month).
• Splurge on a club seat ($24 a year).
• Or go all in with a skybox ($54 for three years, which is only $1.50 a month).
About Gary Shelton
• No one covers Tampa Bay like Gary Shelton.
• No one has seen as many moments, as many athletes, as many coaches as he has over the last quarter of a century.
• No one has won more awards, including two national Associated Press Sports Editors Best Columnist awards and eight top 10 finishes. He also just received his sixth Sportswriter of the Year award for Florida by the NSSA.
• No one has seen more big events, including 29 Super Bowls, 10 Olympics and 11 Final Fours. Gary still goes into the locker rooms to obtain his stories.
• No one has made you angrier, or laugh louder, or think harder about what he has written.
Now, he begins a website designed to keep him in touch with the readers who have grown up on his words.
