Decisions come with consequences.
In the 10th inning, the Texas Rangers made the decision to intentionally walk Yandy Diaz to face Jonathan Aranda. Aranda launched a three-run homer into right-center-field, propelling the Tampa Bay Rays to a 6-3 victory at Globe Life Field.
The late game heroic swing rescued a game that the Rays led three different times and preserved the strong start from Drew Rasmussen, who held Texas to one run across seven innings. This is just business as usual as Saturday night’s
game extended the Rays winning streak when Rasmussen takes the mound to nine.
Junior Caminero got the party started on this Saturday night.
Jacob deGrom retired the first two Rays hitters in the first before Caminero stepped to the plate and lined his 38th home run over the center-field wall. It was the Rays only hit in the inning, but enough for a 1-0 lead early.
Rasmussen was not giving the Rangers much to feel good about early. He struck out Joc Pederson and Corey Seager as part of a clean first inning and then retired the side in order in the second and third innings.
To the Rangers credit, they kept fighting to keep the game in range. Ezequiel Duran made a diving stop to retire Chandler Simpson in the second inning, then Evan Carter threw out Victor Mesa Jr. on an attempt to stretch a single into a double. Taylor Walls drew a one-out walk in the third, but Diaz grounded into a double play.
Seager broke up Rasmussen’s run of 10 consecutive outs with a one-out single in the fourth inning. Victor Mesa Jr. stopped any potential run by the Rangers by running down Wyatt Langford’s line drive in right before Brandon Nimmo grounded out to end the fourth inning.
The Rays added to their lead in the fifth inning. With two outs, Richie Palacios sent a deGrom pitch over the right-field wall for his eighth home run of the season extending the Rays lead to 2-0.
Pederson cut the margin in half with a solo homer in the sixth inning, but Rasmussen responded by striking out Seager and Langford to end the inning. He retired the side in order in the seventh to finish with three hits allowed, no walks, ands seven strikeouts.
The Rays had an opportunity to add more runs to their lead in the seventh. Mesa and Cedric Mullins collected consecutive singles with two-outs, then executed a double steal to move into scoring position. Then, Ryan Vilade entered as a pinch hitter for Palacios.
The Rays ultimately got their insurance run an inning later. Again, with two outs, Aranada singled to left and was followed by Caminero. Caminero hit a single to right, advancing Aranda to third before a single from Liam Hicks game the Rays a 3-1 lead.
The lead only lasted three batters.
Carter greeted Kevin Kelly with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the eighth inning. Danny Jansen added a single and Kevin Cash brought in Cam Booser. Justin Foscus hit a pinch-hit-double to center allowing pinch-runner Cam Cauley to score and tie the game.
Booser was able to hold Foscue at third. Tyler Wells worked around an error from Walls in the ninth to send the game into extra innings.
Walls opened the 10th by bunting Jorge Mateo to third. Then Texas made the decisions to intentionally walk Diaz with the hopes of creating a double play. Instead Aranda made the strategy an instant regret when he sent his 19th home run of the season over the wall in right-center and put the Rays back up, 6-3.
Wells finished from there by striking out Cody Freeman and Elias Diaz before getting Foscue to groundout and secure the second straight win and their first season-series victory over the Raners since 2022.
These teams will close out the series tomorrow with a first pitch scheduled for 2:35 PM ET.
