Sunday, 4 a.m.
When it comes to the offense of the Tampa Bay Rays, you always start with Yandy Diaz.
Yes, Jonathan Aranda (before being injured) has the best average. Junior Caminero has the most power. Brandon Lowe has had a nice season.
But if you want to talk about impact, you start with the guys with all the muscles.
Diaz was at his best Saturday, launching two home runs and a single and driving in three to help the Rays stop their fall, at least temporarily. Diaz drove the fifth pitch he saw from former teammate Blake Snell over the right field fence. He then took the third pitch he saw in the third inning and drove that one out, too. He now has 20 home runs and 65 RBI.
Starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen went 5 1/3 innings of shutout, four-hit baseball for his ninth win of the season.
The bullpen, which has struggled as of late, was almost as impressive. They pitched 3 2/3 innings of two-hit, shutout baseball. Garrett Cleavinger got out of the sixth by coaxing a double play. Edwin Uceta went two innings of hitless baseball. And, in the ninth, Pete Fairbanks struck out the side (Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez) to close out the game.
Caminero hit his 28th home run of the year in the sixth inning for the Rays’ other run.
Josh Lowe also had two hits for the Rays.
Tampa Bay and Los Angeles end their series today at 12:10 p.m. at Steinbrenner Field. Joe Boyle will start for the Rays against Yoshinobu Yamamoto.