ATLANTA -- For most of Thursday afternoon, the Rays looked ready to do two things at once: finish off a sweep and punch their ticket to the postseason. Instead, both of those waits continue after a 3-1 loss to the Braves at Truist Park.
Tampa Bay was locked in a scoreless fight deep into the game before Atlanta broke through in the eighth inning against reliever Kevin Kelly. The Rays still have a path to clinch the American League playoff field as soon as Friday night, when they open their final regular-season homestand against the Astros at Tropicana Field. They can get even closer if the Rangers lose in Seattle on Thursday or if the White Sox fall to the Pirates.
The game had been a showcase for Nick Martinez, who was sharp from the start and into the seventh. He worked 6 1/3 scoreless innings on just 68 pitches, allowing only two singles while retiring 18 of the 20 batters he faced.
Matt Olson singled in the first, Ha-Seong Kim singled in the sixth, and Martinez then erased Kim with a quick pickoff move to first. He never let a runner get to second base.
Even so, manager Kevin Cash pulled him after Martinez retired Ronald Acuña Jr. to open the seventh. Cam Booser handled the next two left-handed hitters, getting Olson and Michael Harris II to line out to right.
Atlanta’s breakthrough came fast once Kelly entered in the eighth. Pinch-hitter Ozzie Albies opened the rally with a triple to right-center. Austin Riley followed with an RBI single through the Rays’ drawn-in infield, Mike Yastrzemski added a ground-rule double to right, and Ha-Seong Kim capped the burst with a two-run single to center.
The Rays had chances against Braves starter Martín Pérez, who gave them plenty of baserunners but nothing on the scoreboard across seven scoreless innings. Tampa Bay did finally get on the board in the ninth when Victor Mesa Jr. launched his 12th homer of the season, and the first pinch-hit homer of his career.
Still, the biggest opening came in the first inning and disappeared immediately. Yandy Díaz, Ryan Vilade and Jonny DeLuca strung together three singles to load the bases, giving Chandler Simpson a chance to strike first in his Atlanta homecoming. Instead, he grounded to first, and the Braves turned a 3-2-3 double play to escape.
Tampa Bay had another shot in the sixth with runners on first and second and two outs. Simpson dropped a bunt in front of the mound that seemed headed for a hit and maybe more, but Pérez made a strong play and threw to Olson at first. Simpson was ruled out, and the call held after replay review.
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