Monday, 4 a.m.
Nine more runs.
Nine more hits.
Another lopsided victory.
Don’t look now, but the Tampa Bay Rays suddenly have the look of a very good baseball. They completed a sweep over the New York Mets, the best team in the National League, in lopsided fashion. It was 9-0, and it completed a three-game set that included three wins, 24 runs and 31 hits.
Sunday was the most dominant win of the three, as Shane Baz won his fifth game. He threw 6 2/3 shutout innings, allowing just three hits. Baz had struggled lately, but had a strong outing. He struck out slugger Pete Alonzo with the bases loaded in the third.
The win put the Rays seven games above .500. They trail hte first-place Yankees by 3 1/3 games.
Baz held the Mets hitless in 12 at-bats with runners in scoring position.
The Rays had won the first two games with big innings. Sunday, they scored three in both the third and ninth innings.
Junior Caminero had a three-run homer, his 17th long ball of the season. Jonathan Aranda had two hits and two RBI. Every Rays’ hitter but Taylor Walls had a hit.
The Rays return home to Steinbrenner Field Monday night to start a three-game series against Baltimore. Ryan Pepiot will start for the Rays against Zach Eflin.