DETROIT -- Erasmo Ramírez pounded his mitt in frustration when Tampa Bay barely missed out on an inning-ending double play in the third inning. Pitching coach Kyle Snyder had recently been out for a chat, Shawn Armstrong was warming in the bullpen and Ram¨ªrez knew he was on borrowed time.

As the defense reset, Ram¨ªrez¡¯s eyes remained trained on Christian Bethancourt, imploring his catcher to give him a ball before manager Kevin Cash had time to give him the hook.

Ram¨ªrez, who began his second tenure with the Rays shortly after the Nationals released him on June 8, shouldn¡¯t have been on the hill just then. Sunday was Tyler Glasnow¡¯s turn to start, but Glasnow was a late scratch with back spasms, forcing Tampa Bay to pivot to a bullpen game for the finale against the Tigers.

Ram¨ªrez was 52 pitches into his 58-pitch day, by far his highest count of the season and more than he¡¯d thrown since 2018, when he was a starter with Seattle. But he wanted this battle, and he was going to win it.

He lifted both arms in the air, facing home plate. Let¡¯s go, the gesture read. And then Ram¨ªrez got Tigers slugger Riley Greene to strike out swinging on an 80.5 mph curveball to end the frame and his outing during Tampa Bay's 10-6 win over Detroit at Comerica Park.

The Rays churned out 13 hits to claim the series win, led by a homer apiece from Yandy D¨ªaz, Wander Franco and Brandon Lowe. D¨ªaz, who had two RBIs, finished a triple shy of the cycle; Franco also had two RBIs and three hits.

¡°Coming into this road trip, we were having a tough go, but I feel like this road trip kind of re-energized [us],¡± Cash said. ¡°The guys¡¯ at-bats have kind of come to life a little bit.¡±

Behind Ram¨ªrez came a steady procession of relievers -- six total, led by Colin Poche¡¯s 1 2/3 scoreless innings that lowered his ERA to 2.45 in 44 games this season.

Tampa Bay led, 6-2, when Poche took the hill with the bases loaded and one out in the fourth and wasted no time in inducing a sac fly from Jake Rogers. Left fielder Randy Arozarena secured the out and then, in a heads-up play, fired to second base to double off Andy Ib¨¢?ez and end the inning.

Poche returned for the fifth and allowed only a pair of harmless singles to cap his longest outing since Aug. 25, 2022.

¡°I was able to keep the pitch count low, but to pitch and then go back out, it¡¯s not something I¡¯ve done this year,¡± he said. ¡°But a day like today, where the bullpen is going to be called on heavily, I knew it was a definite possibility, and it was something I was prepared for.¡±

The way Ram¨ªrez and Poche attacked their outings offered just a taste of what¡¯s going on with the Rays this season, but each was also a good example of the competitive fire that¡¯s kept Tampa Bay from sinking too low when adversity strikes.

The Rays have indeed dealt with a lot during this road trip -- which included three games each against the Astros, Yankees and Tigers -- and still managed to come away with series wins on each leg. What¡¯s more, Tampa Bay kept a firm hold on second place in the American League East and remained in control of the top AL Wild Card spot.

The club went 3-7 in its first 10 games out of the break, but has trended upwards again lately, including this 6-3 road swing.

Poche said the club¡¯s mentality has had a lot to do with the turnaround.

¡°I think we have a really resilient group here,¡± he said. ¡°I think we have a lot of guys who are willing to do whatever it takes to win, and I think that was kind of on full display today.¡±

Glasnow was the Rays¡¯ second starter to go down with an injury this week. The Rays don¡¯t expect him to miss his next start, but there has been a lot less information available on Shane McClanahan, who is on the 15-day IL and is set for a Monday consult with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache to determine the extent of his left forearm tightness.