Jonathan Aranda turned a tense extra-inning game into a Rays win with one swing Saturday night at Globe Life Field.
Aranda broke a 3-3 tie in the 10th inning, launching Jacob Latz’s 1-2 slider to right-center for a three-run homer that powered Tampa Bay past the Rangers, 6-3. The blast, projected by Statcast at 409 feet, capped a night that pushed the Rays’ lead in the American League East to 4 1/2 games, with the Yankees in action against the Padres.
The Rays got there with a mix of early power and late survival. Junior Caminero opened the scoring in the first with his AL-leading 38th home run, coming off Jacob deGrom. Richie Palacios added another in the fifth, turning around a 2-0 sinker for his second homer in as many days.
Tampa Bay appeared to have a cushion when it tacked on a third run in the eighth. Aranda started a two-out rally, then came around to score on Liam Hicks’ base hit. But the bullpen couldn’t make it stand, and Texas clawed back to force extra innings.
That set the stage for Aranda in the 10th. Jorge Mateo began the inning as the automatic runner at second, moved to third on Taylor Walls’ sacrifice bunt, and watched Yandy Díaz get intentionally walked before Aranda stepped in and delivered.
Tyler Wells picked up the win in relief, working scoreless ninth and 10th innings.
The game also featured a strong start from Drew Rasmussen, who held Texas to one run on three hits over seven innings. He struck out seven and didn’t issue a walk, matching deGrom pitch for pitch for most of the night. Rasmussen’s only blemish came in the sixth, when Joc Pederson jumped on a first-pitch curveball for a solo homer with one out.
In Other News...
Rays Suddenly Face Bigger Bullpen Concern With Garrett Cleavinger
The Rays made another bullpen adjustment after placing left-hander Garrett Cleavinger on the 15-day injured list with left forearm tightness, a move that comes on the heels of a rough outing and leaves Tampa Bay with a more immediate question in the late innings. To cover the roster opening, right-hander Ty Johnson was called up from Triple-A Durham, while infielder Oliver Dunn was designated for assignment.
Cleavingers absence matters because he had become one of the left-handed options the Rays could lean on in a relief mix that rarely gets much breathing room. The forearm issue adds another layer of concern, and it now puts his availability for the rest of the season in doubt as Tampa Bay tries to stabilize a bullpen that has already had to absorb plenty of shuffling. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Fans Got An Unsettling Scare With Bryan Baker Late
A late-night scare for the Rays came when Bryan Baker, who has quickly become one of the most important arms at the back end of the bullpen, exited during a game against the Rangers after walking two batters and showing a noticeable drop in velocity. For a team leaning hard on its closer, any sign of physical trouble in that spot is going to grab attention fast, especially with the game still hanging in the balance.
Tyler Wells stepped in and finished the job, locking down the save as Tampa Bay held on for the win. Afterward, Baker pointed to dehydration as the reason for the brief departure and said he did not expect the issue to linger, which should ease some of the immediate concern even if it left plenty of Rays fans uneasy in the moment. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Deadline Move Is Suddenly Looking Huge In AL East Race
The Rays are already in the playoffs, but the bigger prize still sits in front of them as the AL East race tightens. A lot of their deadline attention centered on depth and fit, and one of the quiet developments has been the addition of catcher Liam Hicks, who has given the lineup a noticeable lift since arriving in Tampa Bay. With the division still in play, those kinds of midseason moves can end up mattering just as much as the headline-grabbing ones.
Freddy Peraltas recent run on the mound has only added to the feeling that Tampa Bay is peaking at the right time. The Rays have needed both sides of the roster to come together late, and the combination of steadier pitching and timely offense has put them in position to keep pushing for the division title. What looked like a standard deadline reset is starting to look like one of the moves that could define their finish. [Read more 🡒]