By Rays Return Home With AL East Lead Shrinking and October Pressure Rising
By Ken Filler | Tampa Bay Sports Journal
ST. PETERSBURG — The Tampa Bay Rays accomplished what they needed to accomplish in Atlanta. They won the series.
Unfortunately, the way Thursday’s finale ended made the trip home feel a little less satisfying.
The Rays took two of three from the Braves, outscoring them 15–6, but missed an opportunity to complete the sweep when Atlanta scored three times in the eighth inning for a 3–1 victory.
The Rays return to Tropicana Field with an 87–59 record and the best record in the American League.
But after the Yankees completed a sweep of Colorado, the Rays’ lead in the AL East has been reduced to 3 games with 16 games remaining.
The margin is still meaningful. It is just not as comfortable anymore.
Now comes the Rays’ final homestand of the regular season. A nine-game stretch against Houston, the Athletics and Boston. It begins Friday night with Drew Rasmussen on the mound against the AL West-leading Astros.
For a Rays team trying to secure its first division championship since 2021, this is where the pressure becomes real.
Rays take care of business in Atlanta
The Rays looked like a championship-caliber team during the first two games against the Braves.
The Rays opened the series with a convincing 7–1 victory, using four home runs to overpower Atlanta. Liam Hicks, Richie Palacios, Yandy Díaz and Junior Caminero all went deep.
Caminero’s first-inning blast traveled 455 feet and gave him 39 home runs for the season, putting him atop the American League home run race.
It was another reminder that Caminero is no longer simply the most exciting young player in the Rays’ organization. He has become one of baseball’s most dangerous power hitters.
The Rays followed that performance with a 7–2 victory Wednesday.
Victor Mesa Jr. homered, the Rays scored three runs in both the second and fourth innings, and Griffin Jax allowed one run on two hits over five innings.
For two nights, the Rays combined power, timely hitting and strong starting pitching—the formula they will need in October.
The series finale was different.
Nick Martinez delivered exactly the start Tampa Bay needed, throwing 6⅓ scoreless innings while allowing only two hits and no walks. He has now worked 20⅓ consecutive scoreless innings over his last three starts against Atlanta.
But the Rays could not reward him.
The Rays loaded the bases in the first inning but failed to score. The offense managed only four hits and two walks in seven innings against Braves starter Martín Pérez.
The game remained scoreless until Atlanta broke through against Kevin Kelly in the eighth.
The Braves had five consecutive one-out hits, beginning with Ozzie Albies’ triple.
Austin Riley drove him home before Ha-Seong Kim delivered the decisive two-run single.
Mesa’s pinch-hit home run in the ninth prevented the shutout, but it was too late.
One difficult inning spoiled an otherwise outstanding afternoon of pitching.
That has been one of the uncomfortable themes surrounding this Rays team recently.
The starting pitching has frequently been good enough to win, but the bullpen has occasionally been unable to finish the job.
Against playoff-caliber teams, those mistakes get punished.
A pitching staff being stretched
The Rays’ pitching depth continues to be tested.
Shane McClanahan remains sidelined with left forearm tightness. Garrett Cleavinger and Manuel Rodríguez are also out, removing two important bullpen options at the point in the season when every late-inning matchup matters.
That puts additional pressure on Rasmussen, Martinez, Freddy Peralta, and the remaining members of the rotation to work deep into games.
It also forces manager Kevin Cash to navigate the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings without a complete bullpen.
The Rays have overcome injuries throughout the season. That is part of the organization’s identity.
But overcoming injuries in May is different from doing it in the middle of September while the Yankees are applying pressure.
Houston arrives with something to play for
The Astros are not coming to St. Petersburg to complete the schedule.
Houston is 75–72 and leads the AL West.
The Astros just won two of three games against Philadelphia and are 10–6 during a difficult six-series stretch that has included five contending opponents.
Cam Smith is also heating up at exactly the right time. Smith homered in all three games against the Phillies, including a ninth-inning shot Thursday that gave Houston a 2–1 victory. He now has 20 home runs.
Houston manager Joe Espada understands what his club is facing.
“Their offense is pretty dynamic,” Espada said of the Rays. “They have guys in the middle of the lineup that can hit the ball out of the ballpark and put the ball in play. It’s pretty well-rounded. They also can pitch; they throw a ton of strikes; it’s a well-coached team.”
Houston beat Tampa Bay two of three times when the teams met in July.
The Rays need Rasmussen to set the tone
Rasmussen gets the ball Friday, and there may not be a better pitcher for the Rays to have opening this homestand.
He has been one of Tampa Bay’s most dependable starters, consistently giving the team a chance to win while keeping pressure away from an injured bullpen.
The Rays need innings from him, but they also need their offense to give him room to work.
Houston plans to use Miguel Ullola as an opener Friday, with Ethan Pecko and Ronel Blanco among the possible bulk-inning options. Peter Lambert and Hayden Wesneski are expected to start the final two games of the series.
The Rays have reached the point where winning series may no longer be enough to create breathing room. The Yankees are close enough that every missed opportunity matters.
That does not mean Rays fans should panic. The Rays still control the division race, own the American League’s best record, and have six remaining games against New York and Boston.
But the Yankees are not going to disappear.
The final homestand begins Friday, and Tampa Bay has nine games at the Trop to strengthen its grip on the division before finishing the season with difficult road series against the Yankees and Phillies.
The Rays won the series in Atlanta. That was the good news.
Now they must make sure Thursday’s missed opportunity doesn’t become the start of something bigger.
October is close. The Yankees are closer.
And the Rays’ final push begins at home.
