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Rays Rip Off Eighth Straight Win, Bury Six Homers to Extend AL East Lead
Nick Martinez tossed just the second complete game of his career and Tampa Bay launched six home runs in a 12-4 rout, stretching their winning streak to eight and their division lead over the Yankees to six games.
The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Athletics 12-4 on Tuesday night, extending their winning streak to eight straight games and pushing their American League East lead over the New York Yankees to six games, according to MLB.com.
Tampa Bay pounded out six home runs in the win, its 73rd of the season. Taylor Walls hit two — one from each side of the plate, only the second time in his career he's gone deep as both a lefty and righty in the same game — while Junior Caminero, Yandy Diaz, Carson Williams and Victor Mesa Jr. each added one of their own. The Athletics' only home run came off the bat of Lawrence Butler.
Martinez Goes the Distance
Starter Nick Martinez, who earned his first career All-Star selection earlier this season, threw just the second complete game of his career: 101 pitches, four earned runs on eight hits, and five strikeouts, improving to 12-3 on the year, according to a Yahoo Sports/AP report.
Caminero's homer was his 35th of the season, putting him on pace for roughly 47 and fueling growing talk of the 23-year-old third baseman as an American League MVP contender. Between his power numbers and Tampa Bay's pitching depth, the Rays have quietly built one of the best rosters in baseball on a fraction of what the Yankees and other AL East contenders are spending.
ONE OF THE BEST ROAD TRIPS IN FRANCHISE HISTORY
MLB.com and the AP are framing the run as one of the best road trips in Rays franchise history, with Tampa Bay putting real distance between itself and the rest of a weakened AL East as the Yankees continue to slump. The Rays' pitching staff has been especially sharp during the streak, keeping opponents in check even on nights when the offense isn't at its loudest.
Tampa Bay closes out the series finale in Sacramento on Wednesday, with Drew Rasmussen taking the mound against the Athletics' Jack Perkins at 4:05 p.m. ET. A win would make it nine straight for a Rays team that, division rivals hope, can't keep this pace up forever — though for now, nobody in the AL East looks capable of slowing them down.