A big night from their top offensive weapon has the Tampa Bay Rays primed to sweep the club they are chasing for a wild-card spot.
Holding a five-game winning streak, the Rays (69-69) will close their series with the visiting Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night after taking the first two games, 10-2 and 6-5.
All-Star Junior Caminero provided the lift Tuesday by going 3-for-4 with a home run, double and four RBIs. The long ball was No. 40 of the season while the RBI total reached 100.
Carlos Pena owns the team record for single-season homers with 46 in 2007. Caminero, 22, became the seventh Rays player to reach the century plateau in RBIs.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Caminero, whose two-run double in the seventh broke a 4-4 tie. “I will never forget this game today.”
The game-winning hit pulled Tampa Bay to within 3 1/2 games of the Mariners, who possess the third and final American League wild-card spot.
A win Wednesday behind right-hander Adrian Houser (7-4, 2.85 ERA) would tighten the race with the Cleveland Guardians coming to Tampa for four games starting Thursday.
In his Tampa Bay career, which has spanned all five of his August outings since he was acquired from the Chicago White Sox in July, Houser is 1-2 with a 4.85 ERA over 26 innings. Opposing batters have hit .314.
During his nine-year career, the 32-year-old Oklahoman has the same record and ERA in three starts against the Mariners as he did in his first month in Tampa: 1-2 and a 4.85 ERA.
The Mariners (73-66) have little margin of error with 23 games remaining.
Manager Dan Wilson’s club is three games behind the AL West-leading Houston Astros and just 1 1/2 ahead of the Texas Rangers, who lost for the first time in seven games Tuesday.
“We’ve got to get it turned around,” said Wilson, who received his second career ejection in the third inning and watched from his clubhouse office. “It’s not where you want to be. It’s difficult to be in there, but I was happy with the way the guys continued to fight tonight.”
The Mariners will send right-hander George Kirby (8-6, 3.94 ERA) to the mound on Wednesday. Over his last five starts (four quality ones), he has gone 2-1 with a 3.52 ERA that was skewed by Kirby surrendering seven runs and 12 hits in 4 2/3 innings in a 7-3 loss to the against the New York Mets on Aug. 17.
The rest of his work has been stellar, including seven shutout frames allowing three hits against the Baltimore Orioles in the start before the disastrous one in Queens.
Seattle has been wanting a little more from the 27-year-old Kirby.
“We’ve talked about him getting deeper and deeper into games, more and more comfortable as he’s going here,” Wilson said after Kirby beat Baltimore 1-0 on Aug. 12. “As we’re seen with all our guys: Leaving it on the field and emptying the tank in (his) last inning. … It was just a great outing for him from beginning to end.”
The fourth-year pitcher, a former first-round pick (20th overall) by Seattle in the 2019 draft, will look to keep the strong effort rolling when he makes his 19th start this season.
Against the Rays in four career starts, the former Elon University pitcher has good numbers — a 2-0 record and a 2.49 ERA with 27 strikeouts and four walks in 25 1/3 innings. The AL East club has hit only .170 against him.
–Field Level Media
