Exactly one year ago, the Tampa Bay Rays were one game under .500 and one game into a 5-13 finish that would see them end up fourth in the American League East.
On Friday, the Rays would become the first major league team to clinch a playoff spot this year if they beat the Houston Astros in the opener of a three-game series in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Rays (87-59) could have sealed no worse than an AL wild-card berth on Thursday, but they lost 3-1 at Atlanta. Nick Martinez threw 6 1/3 innings for the visitors before Kevin Kelly allowed three runs in the eighth.
Tampa Bay beat the National League East-leading Braves in the first two contests of the three-game series, but the Rays are just 5-5 since Aug. 31.
Now the Rays are returning to St. Petersburg, where they are 47-25, after going 4-3 on the road trip against the playoff-contending Texas Rangers and Braves.
“Ready to get home, it’s been a long trip,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said ahead of the upcoming nine-game homestand. “Four-game series (in Texas), an off day off and playing a really good team like Atlanta.”
Tampa Bay’s scheduled Friday starter, Drew Rasmussen (14-5, 2.88 ERA), has allowed two runs or fewer in eight of his past nine starts and is 7-0 with a 2.17 ERA in that run.
He is 2-2 with a 4.85 ERA in six appearances (five starts) against the Astros. Rasmussen struggled in a start at Houston on July 4, when he allowed five runs on six hits in five innings.
The AL Central-leading Astros (75-72) won a pair of one-run games in Philadelphia this week, including a 2-1 triumph in the series finale on Thursday, to take two of three from the National League East’s second-place club.
Cam Smith homered in all three games as Houston seized a three-game lead over the second-place Rangers (72-75).
The right fielder, who is batting .219 with 54 RBIs, clubbed his 20th homer on Thursday. Phillies All-Star reliever Jhoan Duran surrendered the tie-breaking run on Smith’s 421-foot blast to straightaway center with one out in the ninth.
Smith said he kept his approach very simple in his first visit to Philadelphia’s hitter-friendly park.
“That was awesome. I just stayed short,” Smith said. “Sometimes I get in trouble with trying to be the hero, but on that one I was telling myself just to stay short. This atmosphere is electric. And Bryce Harper’s walk-up song ‘Paradise,’ I was jamming to it every time in right field when he came up. I love playing here.”
Smith said he and his group like the showdowns with postseason contenders such as the Phillies and Rays.
“We’re just playing good baseball,” he said. “I think it’s contagious. We feed off each other’s energy. This is big-boy baseball. This is (a strong) head-to-head matchup. Let’s keep moving forward and go to Tampa.”
Astros rookie reliever Miguel Ullola (0-0, 3.86) will make his sixth appearance and first career start Friday, appearing as an opener in a bullpen game.
In seven innings, the right-hander has yielded five hits (two homers) and three runs while striking out 10 with one walk for a 0.86 WHIP. He has yet to oppose the Rays.
–Field Level Media
