The Rays found the runway they needed in Denver and never really let go, piling up offense early and then surviving the kind of late Coors Field chaos that can make a comfortable game look messy on the scoreboard. Tampa Bay beat the Rockies 13-9, a result that was far less dramatic than it appears after Colorado’s ninth-inning push.
The tone was set immediately by Junior Caminero, who jumped on Michael Lorenzen in the first inning and sent a 442-foot blast the other way. Lorenzen entered the night with an 8.86 ERA at home, and that number took another hit as the Rays kept stacking traffic and damage behind him.
The second inning turned into a full-on rout. Chandler Simpson and Richie Palacios opened with consecutive singles, bringing Kenny Piper to the plate for his first major league appearance.
Piper, the 56th different catcher to wear a Rays uniform, worked a walk to load the bases. Taylor Walls followed with a single that drove in the first two runs, Yandy Diaz added a sacrifice fly to bring in Piper, and Walls later stole second before scoring on the second of Jonathan Aranda’s four hits.
Caminero wasn’t done. He came back later and launched another long homer, this one into the wind that was blowing in from left field and knocked down a ball that otherwise had a chance to leave the yard. The weather played a real role throughout the night, including on one of the most notable plays of the game in the ninth inning, when the wind helped hold up a ball that would have driven in the first three baserunners before an out had even been recorded.
While the offense kept rolling, Ian Seymour gave Tampa Bay exactly what it needed on the mound. He worked six innings, struck out nine, walked none, and allowed seven hits while keeping the Rockies from ever truly climbing back in.
Seymour got 18 swings and misses, with 11 of them coming on the changeup. The only real blemish on that pitch was a hanging one that Ezequiel Tovar sent out.
After Seymour, Michael Grove, Casey Legumina, and Kevin Kelly handled the final nine outs, though the last inning wasn’t exactly smooth. Legumina and Grove helped make it interesting enough that Kelly had to come in and throw one pitch to finish the game.
The ninth also gave the Rays one more big moment at the plate. Richie Palacios crushed a no-doubt homer after Cedric Mullins doubled to lead off the inning, and the dugout’s reaction to Piper’s first major league hit stood out just as much. The 28-year-old had spent the last five years in the organization, and his first knock drew a huge celebration from his teammates.
Piper was brought up from Double-A Montgomery as an emergency backup plan for the trade deadline situation, and the move paid off. Tampa Bay finished with 15 hits and went 6 for 14 with runners in scoring position. After the offense had gone quiet in the series against the White Sox, this was the kind of night the Rays badly needed.
They’ll try to carry it forward Tuesday evening against Gabriel Hughes, with Liam Hicks likely hitting cleanup and Freddy Peralta set to start.
In Other News...
Rays Added One More Outfielder But His Role Is The Real Story
The Rays added another name to their outfield mix late in the lead-up to the 2026 MLB trade deadline, bringing in Jack Suwinski from the Dodgers in a move that also sent Hunter Fuduccia and Jacob Kmatz out of the organization. Suwinski brings major league experience with him, but most of his time this season has come at the Triple-A level, which fits the kind of depth-and-flexibility approach Tampa Bay has long favored when it starts shopping near the deadline.
What makes the deal interesting for the Rays is less the addition itself than the role Suwinski might fill once he arrives. Tampa Bay has been active in the market, and this was its fourth move before the deadline, a sign the front office is still looking for useful pieces rather than just headline names. The club also added international bonus pool money in the trade, leaving the door open for more maneuvering as the deadline picture keeps taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Fans Will Have Strong Feelings About This Dodgers Deadline Deal
A late deadline move with a familiar feel sent Hunter Feduccia and Jacob Kmatz to Los Angeles as the Dodgers looked for help behind the plate and on the mound after injuries hit catchers Will Smith and Dalton Rushing. For Tampa Bay, it was another reminder of how quickly the roster churn can work this time of year, especially when a player like Feduccia comes full circle after already spending time in the Dodgers organization before landing with the Rays.
The return centered on outfielder Jack Suwinski and international bonus pool money, which gives Tampa Bay a different kind of asset to work with as it keeps managing both the present roster and the pipeline behind it. Kmatz, a recent Rays draft pick, adds another layer of short-term sting to the deal for fans who like to track the development side as closely as the major league results, and this one figures to prompt plenty of second-guessing on both ends. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Catcher Shuffle Created An Opportunity Kevin Piper Wont Forget
The Rays catching depth took another unexpected turn this week, and it opened the door for a moment Kevin Piper is not likely to forget. Tampa Bay had just acquired Liam Hicks from the Miami Marlins, only for Hicks to arrive in Denver a day late, and the club had also sent Hunter Feduccia to the Los Angeles Dodgers, leaving a temporary void behind the plate as the team settled in at Coors Field.
With the Rays needing coverage in a hurry, Piper was pulled from standby and given the kind of chance players wait around for. He was on the scene but still not officially called up when manager Kevin Cash reached out and got him over to the ballpark, and Piper ended up starting a game in one of baseballs most unpredictable settings. For a catcher caught in a sudden shuffle, it was the sort of assignment that can linger long after the trip ends. [Read more 🡒]