For a game that looked like it might turn into a track meet, the Rays ended up turning Atlanta into a showcase for power, pitching, and clean execution.
Tied 1-1 after the first inning, this one had all the signs of a wild night between two 85-win division leaders. Both starters were on edge early, and the opening frame made it feel like runs could keep flying in.
Instead, Freddy Peralta settled everything down, and AJ Smith-Shawver never found the same footing. By the time the dust cleared, Tampa Bay had rolled to a 7-1 win over the Braves.
Junior Caminero set the tone right away. In the first inning, he crushed his league-leading 39th homer of the season, a 455-foot blast into the right-field seats that gave the Rays an early 1-0 edge.
Atlanta answered in the bottom half, but that was as close as it would get. With the game still tied at 1-1 in the third, the Rays broke it open.
Caminero reached base again and Josh Lowe Hicks followed by launching his 18th homer of the year to put Tampa Bay ahead 3-1. Simpson then singled, stole second, and later came home on a two-out RBI single from Mesa Jr.
Smith-Shawver’s night ended before he could finish the fourth, while Peralta kept stacking zeros after the first inning. Tampa Bay kept adding on from there. In the sixth, Mateo opened the inning with an infield single, moved to third on a wild pickoff throw from Brent Suter, and then scored when Yandy grounded out to second, stretching the lead to 5-1.
The Rays put the game away with a pair of solo homers late, one from Yandy in the eighth and another from Palacios in the ninth.
With a comfortable margin, Cash handed the ball to Brian Baker in the ninth, and Baker worked through the inning quickly. It was a clean return after being sidelined with an illness.
Tampa Bay finished with 11 hits to Atlanta’s five, and Yandy, Caminero, and Mesa Jr. each turned in multi-hit performances.
Peralta’s final line was strong: six innings, one run, five hits allowed, one walk, and two strikeouts. Kelly, Sulser, and Baker covered the last three innings and didn’t allow a hit.
The Yankees’ win over the Rockies kept the Rays’ division lead at four games as they move into Wednesday night. Griffin Jax is scheduled to take the mound, looking to bounce back after a shaky first start back from the IL. At 86-58, the Rays are 28 games over .500 and own the third-best winning percentage in baseball.
In Other News...
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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 🡒]
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Rays May Be Unlocking Freddy Peralta In A Very Tampa Bay Way
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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 🡒]