The Rays kept rolling in Atlanta, taking the series with a 7-2 win over the Braves at Truist Park and stretching their lead over the Yankees to four games in the American League East.
Tampa Bay grabbed the first two games of the three-game set, and this one came with a different kind of formula. The offense still did its part, piling up 10 hits, but the pitching staff once again set the tone and gave the Rays exactly what they needed in another important win in the playoff race.
Griffin Jax handled the early work for Tampa Bay, earning his seventh win of the season after allowing one earned run over five innings. The lone damage against him came on a home run by Braves catcher Drake Baldwin.
From there, Kevin Cash turned the game over to the bullpen, and the relief group kept Atlanta quiet. Ty Johnson gave up one earned run in his outing, while Cam Booser, Cole Sulser, and Steven Matz all threw scoreless appearances.
The Rays didn’t need the long ball to carry them this time. In Tuesday’s series opener, power made the difference, but this game was built on traffic and execution. Victor Mesa Jr. supplied Tampa Bay’s only homer, a second-inning shot off Reynaldo Lopez, and the rest of the offense kept the pressure on by stringing together quality at-bats.
Tampa Bay finished 4 for 9 with runners in scoring position and struck out only six times. Everyone in the starting lineup except Jonathan Aranda recorded a hit.
That matters for what’s ahead. The Rays now have 16 of their final 19 games against teams with a winning record, including this trip to Atlanta. Meanwhile, the Yankees have Aaron Judge back and are riding a two-game winning streak, setting up a tight finish as the race for the top spot in the American League goes down to the wire.
In Other News...
Victor Mesa Jr. Is Forcing A Tough Rays October Call
Victor Mesa Jr. has given the Rays another reason to keep watching the outfield picture as October approaches. In a recent game against the Braves, he delivered a home run and other key hits, adding to what has been a strong stretch at the plate. Over his last 15 games, he has produced three home runs and a .288 batting average, the kind of run that can quietly change how a team thinks about its bench and matchup options.
For Tampa Bay, the appeal goes beyond the bat. Mesa Jr. has also shown enough in the field to give the Rays another defensive alternative if they decide his overall skill set belongs in the postseason mix. With roster spots at a premium and the margins getting thinner, his recent play is making an already tricky October decision even harder to sort out. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Prospect Is Suddenly Forcing A Bullpen Conversation
Brody Hopkins is making the kind of noise that tends to get a front office's attention, especially in a Rays system that never seems short on arms. The club's No. 7 prospect has been working out of Durham's bullpen since moving from starter to reliever, and the early signs have been hard to ignore. His performance metrics have ticked up since the switch, giving him a much more convincing case as a power arm than he had when he was trying to work deeper into games.
The headline number is the fastball, which reached 102.1 mph in a Triple-A outing and adds another layer to a profile that is suddenly looking more immediate. Hopkins is not on Tampa Bay's 40-man roster yet, but he has entered the conversation as a possible call-up option if the Rays decide they need more help in the bullpen. For a team that often rewards the right arm at the right time, that kind of climb can happen fast. [Read more 🡒]
Rays May Be Unlocking Freddy Peralta In A Very Tampa Bay Way
Freddy Peraltas first weeks with the Rays have already looked like the sort of pitcher-development project Tampa Bay loves to take on. After arriving, he made mechanical tweaks and reshaped his pitch mix, most notably leaning much harder on his changeup, and the early returns have been encouraging in his recent starts. For a club that has long built value by finding small edges in how pitchers work, Peraltas adjustment fits right into the Rays usual playbook.
The interesting part is how closely his new look lines up with the way Tampa Bay has historically attacked hitters. The Rays have long favored changeups in spots where advanced scouting and statistical modeling point them toward same-handed hitters, and Peraltas increased usage gives them another arm capable of following that blueprint. If the early trend holds, it could become one more example of the Rays helping a pitcher unlock a new level simply by asking him to see the game a little differently. [Read more 🡒]