Monday, 4 a.m.
When they are hitting -- and as you know, it doesn't always happen -- there is a completely different look to the Tampa Bay Rays. They look bigger. Stronger. More dangerous.
On afternoons such as those, you can picture them in the post-season. They look ... legit.
The Rays continued their rebound prowess Sunday afternoon, slamming 14 hits in a 7-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays, their third straight win. Over that span, the Rays have scored 24 runs and have 41 hits.
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In those three games, the Rays have started 27 batters. Twenty four of them have had hits.
The Rays have had eight homers and 15 extra-base hits in the last three games.
“We should be feeling pretty good right now," Rays' manager Kevin Cash said. "The bats have come to life. We want to see that continue as much as possible."
With the win, the Rays moved to within a half-game of the Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox.
The Rays did most of their damage on Sunday in the fifth inning, when they got home runs from Harold Ramirez, Ji-Man Choi and Randy Arozarena. Tampa Bay had five hits in the inning.
Choi had three hits. Paredes, Yandy Diaz and Ramirez all had two.
In his last 12 games, Ramirez has a .436 average with two homers and seven RBI.
"He's been outstanding," Cash said.
Shane Baz got the win for the Rays, his first of the year. It wasn't without a struggle, however. Baz gave up seven hits in his first four innings. The Blue Jays had the bases loaded with one out in the first, a leadoff double in the second, runners on first and third in the third and first and second with one out in the fourth. However, they scored only one time.
“The biggest pitches of his career are going to come with men on base," Cash said. "He tested that pretty well today. He got a couple of big double-play balls. He had a knack for dialing into the strike zone and his stuff as guys got on base.”
The best pitching performance of the day, however, was by reliever Jason Adam, who came into the game with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth. Adam struck out Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Alejandro Kirk to end the game.
The Rays now move to Boston for a 1:30 p.m. game today at Fenway Park. The Rays will open with Jalen Berkshire. Tbe Red Sox are expected to start Michael Wacha.