TAMPA, Fla. – Kevin Cash was asked following Sunday’s sweep of the Mets what it meant for the Rays to be “inching closer to the Yankees.” While the skipper is very well aware of his team’s standing in the American League East, he likely could care less about anything having to do with the Yankees, or any other team. Rather, Cash’s concern is with his club and how it is performing.
To that extent, the Rays (39-32) have won 19 of their last 25 and, yes, have crept up on their division rival. In fact, they enter play Monday against visiting Baltimore in second place and 3.5 games behind the Yankees.
“It means we are playing good baseball,” said Cash. “We have to kind of control what we can and that means taking it series to series. We did a really good job of re-setting after the Boston series to (arrive in Queens) after a day off and play well. Now, we have to go back home and do that for the Baltimore series.”
READ: Rays Return Home For Seven-Game Homestand Featuring Orioles And Tigers
The Rays lost two of three at Fenway and had Thursday off before sweeping the Metropolitans. A 9-0 Father’s Day victory polished of a series in which, though with its ugly moments, they outscored the hosts 24-9.
Perhaps the most encouraging performance of the weekend was that of pitcher Shane Baz. The righthander, who turns 26 on Wednesday, got off to a strong start in going 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA in April. He then went 2-3 with a 6.75 ERA in eight starts prior to righting the ship Sunday when he blanked the Mets over 6 2/3 innings.
The Rays improved to 14-13 on Father’s Day.
B-Lowe, Yandy hot at the plate: A little more than one month ago, on May 13, Brandon Lowe was hitting .199 and Yandy Diaz was at .238. Heading into Monday evening’s game against the Orioles, the averages are .257 and .265, respectively. As such, it shall not be considered a coincidence the Rays have been winning as those two heated up.
Lowe, who drove in the 400th run of his career Saturday, has been particularly hot hitting .339 with eight homers and eight doubles since the aforementioned date. While he had only one extra-base hit, a double, and two RBI on the Rays’ just-completed trip, he went 9-for-23 (.391), drew three walks and scored six runs in as many games. He leads all MLB second basemen in homers (13) and RBI (37).
READ: Rays Starting Pitching Has Fueled Recent Surge
Diaz, who was given the day off Sunday, is hitting .500 (13-for-26) with four extra-base hits (two HRs) and seven RBI in his last six games. He enters the homestand with 10 homers and 41 RBI, the latter good for second on the team behind Junior Caminero’s 45.
Homestand features Orioles, Tigers: MLB’s most disappointing team and the winningest one visit Steinbrenner Field beginning Monday with the first of four night games (each 7:35) against Baltimore. The Orioles (30-40), who canned manager Brandon Hyde in mid-May, have at least played well of late having swept a three-game weekend series from the Angels and winning 11 of their last 15 under interim manager Tony Mansolino.
Meanwhile, the Tigers possess the best record (46-27, .630) in the majors thanks in large part to a pitching staff that is second in the American League in ERA (3.36) and tied for third in WHIP (1.18). Rays fans will get a chance to see A.J. Hinch’s club over the weekend.
Ryan Pepiot (3-6, 3.31) takes the mound for the Rays on Monday night and will be opposed by a familiar face in Zach Eflin (6-2, 4.08). Speaking of familiar faces, another former Tampa Bay pitcher, Charlie Morton (3-7, 6.05), is slated to take the mound for the O’s on Thursday.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Connect with us: Follow the Tampa Free Press on Facebook and Twitter for breaking news and updates.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
