Wait. Did you hear the latest about Junior Caminero?
Well, he led the Rays to a victory again. He hit another home run, his eighth in the last seven games. He drove in three more runs, giving him 18 in the last seven. He has hit .481 over those seven games.
Oh, yeah. And the Rays won, their sixth in a row.
And again, it's easy to ask. When is the last time a player was ever this hot?
Caminero led the Rays to a 10-4 win over Kansas City at Kauffman Stadium. It was enough to stretch the Rays' lead in the AL East to two games over the Yankees.
The Rays had 11 hits -- and drew 11 walks -- in their win. But the most impressive was Caminero's three-run shot in the third inning. This one went 438 feet.
One pitch after Caminero's homer, Ryan Vilade hit one 416 feet.
Bobby Witt Jr. hit two home runs for Kansas City.
Caminero, Jonathan Aranda and Nick Fortes all had two hits for the Rays. Aranda drove in a run to give him 58 on the season.
The Rays might have scored more, but both Chandler Simpson and Yandy Diaz were picked off of first base. Fortes was out after overrunning first.
Griffin Jax, the converted reliever, went six innings and allowed just five hits to improve his record to 4-5.
The Rays and Royals play again tonight at 7:40 p.m. at Kauffman. Shane McClanahan (6-5) will start for the Rays against Seth Lugo (3-5).
He has outgrown all of the adjectives. Any further descriptions of Junior Caminero seem stale, insufficient. He is the hottest hitter in Major League Baseball, and no one else is second.
Yes, Caminero hit another home run Sunday. Of course he did. It was his seventh home run in six games, and this time, it was his longest of the year at 463 feet.
Who has ever been hotter? Well, Frank Howard hit 10 in seven days back in 1968. But not many have been.
The Rays won their fifth straight game, a 5-1 decision that completed a sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Rays' pitching was sharp as well. The Rays gave up just five hits. In their three-game series, the Diamondbacks were one-for-sixteen with runners in scoring position.
Drew Rasmussen improved his record to 7-4, going six innings of three-hit, shutout baseball.
Caminero had three hits on the day. Cedric Mullins and Ben Williamson also homered.
The Rays travel to Kansas City to start a series on Tuesday at 7:40 p.m. at Kauffman Stadium. Griffin Jax (3-5) will start for the Rays against Noah Cameron (4-5),
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).
Friday, 4 a.m. 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 […]
Thursday, 4 a.m. 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 […]
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 […]
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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.
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• No one has made you angrier, or laugh louder, or think harder about what he has written.
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