Rays Steal Series From Athletics With 8-2 Victory

The Tampa Bay Rays don’t need to be perfect to revive their playoff hopes; they just need to win each series. 

On Wednesday night, Tampa Bay did just that with an 8-2 win over the Athletics to take the three-game set, 2-1. After getting shut out the night before, the Rays received a wealth of contributions to leave Sacramento on a high note.

From big-time at-bats to elite pitching, Tampa Bay executed on both sides of the ball. 

Lowe and Caminero go Deep

After the Rays pounced on the A’s early with a four-run first inning, All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe opened the second inning with a 458-foot two-run blast to left center field to give his team a 6-0 lead. With his latest deep ball, Lowe has 24 home runs on the season and 150 in a Rays uniform, placing him at No. 3 on the franchise’s all-time home run list behind Evan Longoria (261) and Carlos Pena (163).

After hitting an RBI double in the first inning, Junior Caminero circled back around in the ninth to crush his 34th home run of the season to seal the deal for Tampa Bay. The 22-year-old All-Star has six home runs in his last seven games.

Wednesday also marked the fourth game in the last six in which Lowe and Caminero both homered.

Rasmussen Dominates, Bullpen Delivers

While the offense was putting runs on the board with ease, right-hander Drew Rasmussen (10-5, 2.60 ERA) made life difficult for the A’s.

The 30-year-old went six innings with five strikeouts, no walks and only three hits allowed in his tenth winning decision of the season. The only blemish on his outing came as a result of a third-inning solo shot by A’s center fielder Lawrence Butler. 

Rasmussen is posting elite numbers in his sixth MLB campaign. In his last 16 starts, Rasmussen has a 9-1 record accompanied by a 2.20 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. Moreover, the Rays are 12-4 in those starts by their All-Star.

After Rasmussen’s night ended, Tampa Bay’s bullpen took care of business. Bryan Baker, Griffin Jax and Mason Englert combined for three innings and eight strikeouts while allowing only one hit.

Up Next

The Rays move on to San Francisco, where they will conclude their 12-game West Coast road trip against the Giants (59-62) with a three-game series. Currently, Tampa Bay (59-63) sits in eighth place in the American League wild-card standings and 5.5 games behind the New York Yankees (64-57) for the third and final spot.

The Rays will enjoy an off day before opening their series against the Giants on Friday at 10:15 p.m. ET. Tampa Bay Right-hander Joe Boyle (1-2, 3.82 ERA) will face Landen Roupp (7-6, 3.11 ERA).

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