Brandon Lowe’s hitting streak, Yandy Diaz’s hot bat, and the addition of Gold Glover Ha-Seong Kim fuel Tampa Bay’s push for the top spot in a demanding pre-All-Star break schedule.
TAMPA, Fla. – Having played 53 of their first 87 games at home, taking to the road is something the Rays will do plenty of beginning Friday afternoon (4:10 ET) in Minnesota. In fact, combined with a 10-games-in-10-days trip that gets underway with a three-game series against the Twins that will be followed by three games in Detroit and four in Boston, the Rays will play 19 games in 20 days with 16 of 19 away from Steinbrenner Field prior to the all-star break, which is July 14-17.
“I think we were just kind of tired coming into this homestand,” said Josh Lowe, referring the three-game series the Rays completed against the A’s on Wednesday afternoon – a 6-5 win to avoid a sweep – that followed a six-game road trip to Kansas City and Baltimore. “Glad we could get a win and have some momentum going into the road trip,”
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A few of the Rays have been playing with plenty of momentum of late. Brandon Lowe heads into the holiday weekend with an 18-game hitting streak, tied for third-longest in team history and two behind Yandy Diaz’s mark of 20 set last season. Speaking of Diaz, he hit exactly .400 in June and has reached base safely in 26 straight games. It is momentum he seeks to carry into the trip.
“Simply, we will go on the road with the mentality of trying to win those series, go on a good stretch before the all-star break and make it to first place,” said Diaz, through interpreter Eddie Rodriguez.
Speaking of first place, only one game separates the top three teams in the AL East. Toronto (49-38) completed a four-game sweep of the Yankees on Thursday night to move into the lead. The Rays (48-39) and Yankees are tied for second. There is no telling how things will look at the break, though the Rays have played well on the road (20-14) and need to get out in front of a Twins team that has been terribly inconsistent under Rocco Baldelli.
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“We start with Minnesota and go in there and try to play good baseball, set a tone with our pitchers,” said manager Kevin Cash. “We get to bat first and see if we can score some early runs. I really like the way we have played as a whole, home or road.”
Zack Littell (7-7, 3.61) will be on the mound for the Rays to get the holiday weekend underway. He has permitted three runs or less in 13 of his last 14 starts. Littell will be opposed by righthander Chris Paddack (3-7, 4.70), who took the loss after yielding two runs in 5 1/3 innings of a 7-2 defeat at Steinbrenner Field on May 26.
Shortstop Joins Rays
After missing the Rays’ first 87 games due to a shoulder injury that ended his 2024 season with the Padres in mid-August last year, Ha-Seong Kim joined the club Thursday exactly five months after he was signed to a two-year, $29-million deal. The South Korean, making $13 million this year, can opt out following this season.
The 29-year-old made his MLB debut with the Padres in 2021 and was a Gold Glove winner (utility) in 2023 when he played mostly at second base. Kim spent most of his time at shortstop in 2022 and 2024. A .242 career hitter, his best season was 2023 when he established career highs with 17 homers, 60 RBI, 38 stolen bases and 75 walks.
To make room for Kim on the active roster, Curtis Mead was sent to Durham. The infielder was hitting .225 with three homers in 47 games.
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