The Tampa Bay Rays are glad to be back in their domed home, where they win much more often than not, and it helps to get run-producer Jonathan Aranda swinging well again.
A night after Aranda poked an opposite-field, three-run homer off the left-field foul pole early in a 5-2 victory over Washington, the Rays will face the Nationals again on Saturday afternoon in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Trailing 2-0 in the third inning of Friday’s series opener, Aranda drove in three runs with one swing, moving him to 51 RBI, just eight from tying his career high set last season during an All-Star campaign.
“It was a key at-bat,” Aranda said through a translator of the go-ahead shot. “I was really focused in the moment. Just trying to stay mentally strong and help my teammates out in any possible ways.
“Happy to help get us back in the win column and happy to be back at home. The fans do a lot for us.”
Added manager Kevin Cash after the victory: “We haven’t had an (important) swing like that in a while.”
Winning pitcher Griffin Jax tossed five innings and echoed Aranda’s thoughts on the dome, saying, “This is our home. This is home field, and we have such an advantage playing here.”
The home-field advantage is real.
The American League East squad improved to a majors-best 25-9 at home, the only team still sporting single digits in losses and the first AL club to reach 25 victories in its park.
Reliever Ian Seymour (3-0, 4.93 ERA) will start Saturday for the third time for the Rays. He is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in one career start vs. Washington, a five-inning outing in a 7-4 win over them Aug. 31 in Washington.
On Friday, the Nationals got solo home runs from CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr., but one of the surprise teams in the National League managed only six hits.
“Not missing the pitch to hit,” Abrams said of the importance of pitch selection. “Don’t get too many of them, so don’t miss the ones that are in the middle.”
Entering this three-game series, Cash said it was important to be “mindful” of his team not letting the visitors get on base, create plenty of traffic and run wild.
In addition to just six hits, Washington’s batters did not work one walk off Tampa Bay pitching — stymieing the Nationals’ speed and prolific offense for the most part.
Nasim Nunez did record his NL-best 27th steal, but little basepath traffic took place under the dome.
Washington manager Blake Butera gave credit to the home side’s bullpen, which did not allow a run in four innings, including a perfect ninth from closer Bryan Baker for his 19th save.
“Just really good arms and different angles and different stuff,” said Butera. “They threw a bunch at us … When they have a lead late in the game, it’s really hard to come back from that. We had a chance there, I thought, in the eighth, just couldn’t come through.”
Scratched on Friday morning after getting food poisoning, Cade Cavalli (4-4, 3.98 ERA) will make his first-ever outing against the Rays on Saturday.
The right-hander has won three of his past five decisions dating to May 16.
–Field Level Media
