Rays Complete Perfect Road Trip With Ninth Straight Win
· Yahoo Sports
It was a perfect road trip for the Tampa Bay Rays as they took down the Athletics in Sacramento 8-4 in the final game of the series.
The team picks up their ninth win in a row and moves ahead by six games over the New York Yankees. The American League East division title.
Visit h-doctor.club for more information.
Here is what you need to know from the contest.
Ray's bats are red hot.After a slow-ish start from the Rays' offense to begin the road trip, the batting order is red hot as they head back home this weekend.
The team recorded 15 hits in the contest, and catcher Liam Hicks picked up another home run in a Tampa Bay uniform, his 16th of the season. Everyone except for Victor Mesa Jr. picked up a hit in the game, and every batter found themselves safely on base against the Athletics.
Both Hicks and Jonny DeLuca recorded three hits in the contest, and the team did a fantastic job putting teammates in scoring position. Tampa Bay finished 6 for 19 with runners in scoring position. Only struck out four times, and we'll head back to the East Coast with a full sense of confidence.
Pitching continues to shine.Following Tuesday night's complete game, Rays starter Drew Rasmussen picked up his 12th win of the season after going five innings strong and allowing the bullpen to get some work.
Rasmussen allowed two earned runs on four hits and picked up three strikeouts in the process. He was followed by Steven Matz and Casey Legumina, who both pitched flawlessly in their inning of work. Michael Grove got the final two innings, and he allowed two home runs by the Athletics' offense.
Thankfully, he was still able to secure the victory thanks to the Rays bats.
Can they bring the success back home?The Rays have been very successful at Tropicana Field this season and normally have struggled on the road. That obviously changed on this latest road trip, as they went 9-0 in a series against the Colorado Rockies, Seattle Mariners, and the Athletics.
The team will return home on Friday for a weekend series against AL East Division rival Baltimore Orioles. The O's are struggling this season, 58 and 63, last place in the division, and were big-time sellers last week at the trade deadline.
Right-handed pitcher Kyle Bradish will go for the Orioles on Friday night. It is yet to be determined who will be the starter for Tampa Bay. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. EST.