The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Texas Rangers 6-3 in extra innings to improve to 85-57 and maintain a four-game AL East lead. Jonathan Aranda hit a three-run homer in the 10th, Junior Caminero launched his AL-leading 38th home run and Drew Rasmussen dominated.
It took extra innings, but the Tampa Bay Rays got it done once again in Arlington.
The team took down the Texas Rangers 6-3 on Saturday night and moved to 85-57 on the season, And begin a two-game winning streak. The team holds their four-game lead against the New York Yankees in the American League East standings.
Here is what you need to know for the contest.
Pitching continues to be strong.
It was another good day at the mound for Drew Rasmussen.
As he battled with the Rangers' offense, he only allowed one earned run on three hits across seven innings of work and set up his bullpen nicely with limited base traffic. He recorded 97 pitches and picked up 7 strikeouts and no walks.
His only blunder was a home run given up to Joc Peterson in the bottom of the sixth inning.
The bullpen got things done as well, as Tyler Wells picked up the win, throwing the final two frames of the contest. Bryan Baker did not pitch for the Rays following yesterday's early exit due to illness.
Offense steps up when it matters.
It was another great game at the plate for the Tampa Bay Rays, especially late in the contest.
The team was held to limited success in the early innings as Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom was dealing from the mound. The veteran pitcher only allowed two hits and two earned runs, both homers from Junior Caminero and Richie Palacios, in the outing.
The long ball from Junior Caminero was his 38th of the season and now leads all batters in the American League, including perceived MVP frontrunner Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros.
The clutch hit came with another home run, as Jonathan Aranda hit a three-run long ball in the top of the 10th inning to give the Rays the runs they need to take control of the series in Arlington.
Go big in Texas.
The team can pick up a series win with a victory on Sunday against the Rangers. And leaving the Lone Star State on a three-game winning streak would be huge as they prepare to head back to the East Coast to take on the Atlanta Braves before heading back home.
Ian Seymour will get the start as the left-hander will look for his 10th win of the season. He will battle against another lefty on the mound in MacKenzie Gore for the Rangers. This is a crucial game for Texas, as they now sit two games outside the final wild card spot in the American League. First pitch is scheduled for 2:35 pm Eastern.
