The Tampa Bay Rays swept the San Diego Padres with a 5-4 extra-inning win, earning their 82nd victory and extending their AL East lead over the New York Yankees. Junior Caminero hit his 37th home run while Jonny DeLuca delivered a clutch homer.
It's another series win for the Tampa Bay Rays. The team needed extra innings but won all three games against the San Diego Padres, taking down the squad 5-4 at Tropicana Field.
The team's extra-inning magic picked up their 82nd win of the season and pushed their AL East division lead up to 4.5 games over the New York Yankees.
Here's what you need to know from the contest.
Pitching was stellar.
Drew Rasmussen wasn't the only pitcher for the Rays who looked like an all-star on the mound Saturday, as the entire pitching staff was outstanding against San Diego.
Rasmussen allowed only two earned runs and picked up six strikeouts in his six innings of work, going 97 pitches deep to set up his bullpen the rest of the way.
Kevin Cash went to five pitchers following his starter to finish this one in 11 innings, and not a single reliever allowed an earned run. Tyler Wells picked up his third win of the season, and the team continues to look like a well-rounded franchise that could make a deep postseason run.
The bats did just enough.
It was an overall good day for the Tampa Bay batting order that included some power hits as well as a decent amount of base traffic. Unfortunately, those opportunities were mostly wasted, but still, the offense came in clutch when needed.
Junior Caminero picked up his 37th homer of the season, which is now good enough to be tied for the best in the American League.
The Rays forced extras in the most interesting way, as Jonny Deluca picked up a two-run home run against big-time San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller. Miller has only allowed two home runs all season, including Deluca's, both coming in his last two appearances of the year.
The Rays' offense finished with seven hits and was 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position. They struck out 10 times against the tough Padres pitching staff, but it's now seen as a measly stat since they picked up the victory.
Might as well win the whole dang thing.
It's a four-game winning streak for the Tampa Bay Rays, and they continue to separate themselves from the rest of the pack in the American League.
With September and the extra two roster spots right around the corner, the team is in a strong position to keep winning and become the top seed once the playoffs begin in just under a month.
Tampa Bay will finish August as they host the New York Mets in a series opener on Monday at Tropicana Field. The three-game series will be the final three games of the current homestand before heading on the road for seven games in what could be a very pivotal road trip for the team. Ian Seymour is set to get the start on Monday for the Rays. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 pm Eastern.
