Monday, 4 a.m.

Most days, there is a lot to be said for a baseball player working a count.

He crouches at the plate, and he determines which ball is just in the zone and which one is just out of it. He fouls off pitches. Eventually, he hopes to wear a pitcher down.

And then there are the other batters, who can't wait to get at the opponent.

Take Sunday's 6-3 victory by the Rays over the Florida Marlins at Tropicana Field, when first-pitch swinging was the order of the day.

Start with Taylor Walls' big hit, a bases-clearing triple in the fourth inning. The Marlins looked as if they might get out of a jam with Walls, the Rays' No. 9 hitter, at the plate. Walls was hitting only .211 coming into the day.

And he lined the first pitch he saw into right-center to give his team a 4-2 lead it would not surrender.

More evidence? Earlier in the inning, Jonny DeLuca had set things up with a first-pitch double to left and Yandy Diaz on base.

Oh, and after the three-run inning, Diaz homered off Eury Perez. It was on the first pitch of his at-bat, too.

The Rays also scored on a home run and a walk, both by Junior Caminero,

On the mound, the hero of the day was relief pitcher Ian Seymour. Seymour came into the game as Garrett Cleavinger was in the middle of a meltdown. cleavinger got only one out in the eighth and gave up three hits and a walk.

Seymour, however, struck out Leo Jimenez and got Hiriberto Hernandez to line out to short to get out of trouble.

Bryan Baker finished the ninth for his 12th save.

DeLuca had two hits for the Rays.

The Rays are at Tropicana again tonight to face the Orioles. Shane McClanahan will start for the Rays against Trevor Rogers.

Sunday, 4 a.m.

Are you worried about the Tampa Bay Rays' bullpen all over again?

And it not, why not.

The Rays' relief corps exploded loudly in Sunday's 10-5, 10-inning loss to Miami Sunday After a stellar start by Nick Martinez (seven innings, no runs), the pen collapsed in giving up nine runs in the Marlins' final two at-bats.

Byron Baker gave up the go-ahead run in the ninth. Then, in the ninth, Hunter Bigge was ravagtee for six hits and seven earned runs.

The Rays scored three times in the botom of the 10th, but it was nowhere near enough.

The Rays took a 1-0 lead in the third when Chandler Simpson singled in Taylor Walls of Marlins' starter Sandy Alcantara. But in the seventh, Hiriberto Hernandez homered off of Garrett Cleavinger to tie he game.

Javier Sanojo doubled in the go-ahead run in the ninth off off Baker. But the Rays forced extra innings when Nick Fontes, a former Marlin, singled to left off Pete Fairbanks, a former Ray.

The 10th inning was a nightmare for Bigge, who saw the Marlins blew open the game. Sonoja had the big hit with a bases-loaded double to drive in three runs.

The Rays scored three runs runs on doubles by Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda in the bottom of the inning.

Caminero and Richie Palacios each had two hits for the Rays.

The teams play again at Tropicana Field at 12:15 p.m. Drew Rasmussen will start for the Rays against Eury Perez.

Saturday, 4 a.m.

It has been a rough go of it for Cedric Mullins.

A former All-Star, Mullins has flailed mightily in his first season with the Tampa Bay Rays. He entered Friday night's game hitting .150 while headlines wondered how safe his position was with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Ah, but on Friday night, Mullins was a star again.

He had four hits -- including a home run-- to drive his average up 26 points. Two of the hits were bunts. It was his first four-hit game in three years.

It led the Rays to a 7-2 victory over the Florida Marlins.

Chandler Simpson and Richie Palacios had two hits. Taylor Walls. drove in three runs.

Jesse Scholtens, who pitched in the bulk role, went five innings to increase his record to 4-2.

The Rays and Marlins play again at Tropicana Field at 4:10 p.m. Nick Martinez will start for the Rays against Sandy Alcantara.