With 26 regular-season games left in a full month of September baseball, the Tampa Bay Rays have to keep doing what they have done lately and rack up victories.
Triumphant in six of their past eight games, manager Kevin Cash’s club needs to use the formula it has relied on when it hosts the Seattle Mariners on Monday in the opener of a three-game series.
The Rays’ way is simple: Excel on the mound with starting pitching, score enough to play out front and shut it down with a strong bullpen to clinch tight games.
That approach has worked lately as the Rays (67-69) finished August by sweeping the Washington Nationals.
The first two games in the nation’s capital were textbook Rays: Identical 4-1 wins with stellar pitching, four total homers and flawless defense.
They closed it out Sunday by using infielder Brandon Lowe’s grand slam to topple Washington 7-4 and bring the momentum of a three-game winning streak back home to Florida.
Since quiet bats have more often than not been Tampa Bay’s root cause of setbacks so far, outfielder Josh Lowe’s left-handed swing producing a pair of home runs was a welcome sight on Saturday.
“It’s huge just being able to produce for the guys,” said Lowe, who had a double and triple on Sunday. “When, you know, some days I feel like I haven’t been able to do that, to (then) go out there today and to provide offense and help the team win. It’s a big stepping stone for me to build on and to go out and do some more good things.”
Right-hander Shane Baz (8-11, 5.19 ERA) will make his debut against the Mariners after going 0-4 with a 7.92 ERA in August.
The Rays completed the month by splitting 26 games.
Currently holding the final American League wild-card spot, the Mariners (73-64) have made a habit of coming up just short to start their nine-game road trip.
“We’ve just got to finish the game,” said Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh, who tops baseball with 50 homers. “We’re in these games. As bad we’ve played (on the road), we’ve had chances to win. We’re just missing the one hit or one pitch. I’m not too worried.”
Seattle lost three of four previous contests, each by one run, before finishing up its three-game stay in Cleveland by rallying from a two-run deficit in the final game, 4-2, behind Randy Arozarena’s two-run homer.
The win snapped a seven-game road losing streak.
“Outstanding game today, on both sides of the ball,” Seattle manager Dan Wilson said after Sunday’s win. “Getting down 2-0 is not how you draw it up, but our guys fought. … This time of the year, it’s the little things.”
Outfielder Julio Rodriguez, whose infield single with the bases loaded drove in the Mariners’ final two runs, went 2-for-4 on Sunday, giving him a majors-best 19 multi-hit games since the All-Star break.
The Mariners will open the series with Luis Castillo (8-7, 3.75), who is 2-1 with a 3.16 ERA in 37 innings over six career starts against Tampa Bay.
The right-hander was 0-1 with a 6.66 ERA in August, while the AL West club went 15-12 in the month.
–Field Level Media
