The Rays’ 9-2 loss to the Yankees on Wednesday night fit the moment just fine: a game with little at stake, a roster being managed carefully, and a team that has already checked off the important boxes.
Tampa Bay still has one number left on the table. The loss means the Rays will need to win out to reach 100 victories, though that was always more of a bonus than a target. They’ve already outpaced their projected win total and locked up home field advantage for the playoffs while skipping the wild card round, so the bigger concern now is keeping everyone healthy before the long wait begins.
That approach showed up in the lineup. Kevin Cash gave Victor Mesa Jr the leadoff spot and sat Yandy Diaz, whose two RBI hits in Tuesday night’s division-clinching win were his first two in quite some time.
Chandler Simpson and Taylor Walls also got the night off. Simpson still holds a three-steal edge over Bobby Witt Jr for the American League stolen base lead, though he entered the game one steal behind Nasim Nunez for the overall lead.
With the finish line here, it would not be surprising to see Tampa Bay continue to be cautious with Simpson, and maybe give Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero a day or two off as well over these final four games unless Caminero wants to chase the 162-game totals posted by Aubrey Huff in 2003, Delmon Young in 2007, and Evan Longoria in 2014.
There was at least one bright spot in the lineup. Cedric Mullins snapped out of a rough stretch and homered, his first since August 28. He came into the game hitting just .159/.284/.222 over his previous 75 plate appearances.
On the mound, Mason Englert was asked to absorb some innings and did exactly that, though not without a fight. He labored into the fourth inning and was charged with eight earned runs, including a grand slam by Ryan McMahon and three solo homers, two of them from Ben Rice. After that, the Rays turned the rest of the game over to the bullpen to finish off the final 12 outs.
Gerrit Cole was not sharp either, even if the final score made it look like the Yankees cruised. Tampa Bay still made him work for more than 90 pitches to get through five innings, and Aaron Boone sent him back out for the sixth despite the six-run cushion.
That move didn’t last long. Boone finally pulled Cole after 105 pitches, following a two-out, four-pitch walk to Liam Hicks, who was left stranded at second.
In a blowout with a rested bullpen behind him, it was a curious extra workload for Cole, and Boone ended up using his entire A-bullpen anyway. That could leave Cam Schlitter in position to put a bow on his AL Cy Young Award in tomorrow’s game.
The cleanest Rays moment of the night came from Brody Hopkins. He opened his inning by getting the aggressive Ali Sanchez to line out to center, then walked Ben Rice after seeing what Rice had done to Englert.
George Lombard Jr followed and was late on a 102-mph heater, fouled off a 101-mph fastball, then swung through an 89-mph breaking ball for a three-pitch strikeout. Hopkins finished off Luis Garcia Jr as well, though it took seven pitches.
He produced four whiffs on seven swings, and that kind of swing-and-miss profile should make him useful in October if he can get ahead with the fastball and finish hitters with the breaking ball.
For Tampa Bay, this is what the rest of the week is likely to look like: maintenance baseball. Stay healthy, stay sharp, and wait out the wild card round while the postseason picture sorts itself out.
There’s still a chance to play spoiler against the Phillies this weekend if Philadelphia loses its series to Milwaukee and Arizona sweeps the Rockies before heading to San Diego. Until then, the message is simple: enjoy these games for what they are and save the stress for Troptober.
In Other News...
Rays Clinched The AL East In The Best Possible Place
For one night at Yankee Stadium, the Rays turned a division race into a coronation. Tampa Bay beat the Yankees 6-1 to lock up the American League East, with Drew Rasmussen delivering one of the sharpest outings of the season, working 6 2/3 innings and striking out 11 while carrying a no-hitter into the seventh. Yandy Daz added the timely power with four RBIs, and the kind of complete performance that has defined this team all year ended with a celebration in the visitors' clubhouse.
The setting only made it sweeter for Tampa Bay, which has spent so much of the season chasing control of the division and finally finished the job in the most hostile of places. The Rays walked out of the Bronx with a title in hand and a loud reminder that their formula still travels, even when the stakes are as high as they can get. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Outfield Picture Just Got More Complicated At The Worst Time
The Rays outfield has been messy for a while, and the latest development only adds to the uncertainty as the season reaches its most sensitive stretch. Jake Fraley, who had already been designated for assignment, was released after declining a minor league assignment, ending his brief run with Tampa Bay and sending him straight into free agency ahead of schedule.
Fraley was always a somewhat awkward fit at this point in the year, given the injury interruptions that cost him significant time and the offensive struggles that followed. With more than five years of service time and impending free agency already looming, he chose not to stick around for a postseason return option with the Rays, leaving the club to keep sorting out an outfield mix that has not gotten any simpler. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Clinched The AL East Behind A Start That Changed October Expectations
A strong start from Drew Rasmussen helped push Tampa Bay into familiar territory again, with the Rays clinching the AL East in a way that underscored how much their rotation can still shape October expectations. In a season where pitching milestones were piling up around the league, from Zack Wheelers 2,000th career strikeout to Carlos Rodons 100th win, Rasmussens outing stood out as the kind of stabilizing performance Tampa Bay has long counted on when the games matter most.
For the Rays, the division title is more than another line on the standings page. It gives them a firm grip on the postseason picture and a reminder that even in a year when other clubs were grabbing attention for bullpen usage records and individual accomplishments, Tampa Bay was building its case through timely starts and steady execution. Rasmussens role in the clincher only sharpened the sense that this team can still set a different tone once October arrives. [Read more 🡒]