SAN DIEGO -- The Rays needed that one.
They needed the last two, really. After going 5-8 in their most recent homestand against the Angels, Braves, Red Sox and Yankees, the Rays found a way to turn it around on their NL West road trip, notching back-to-back series wins against the Diamondbacks and Padres -- the latter a sweep that culminated in a 4-2 win on Sunday afternoon at Petco Park -- to get back to .500 on the season.
¡°We left home, and I think we were all frustrated a little bit with the way we performed and the lack of wins that we got while we were there,¡± Rays manager Kevin Cash said. ¡°We had a 13-game homestand. We¡¯re only going home for three against a good Royals team but want to continue to play good baseball.
¡°I¡¯m really, really impressed with the way the guys rebounded from getting on the plane, flushing what took place in Tampa, and won two series against two really good teams.¡±
It¡¯s a remarkable turnaround for a team that entered the trip in last place in the AL East. Seven days later, after going 5-1, the Rays are in third place, three games behind the Yankees.
The Rays have a five-game winning streak for the first time since May 3-7, 2024.
¡°I think it¡¯s really good, moreso just to see wins,¡± shortstop Taylor Walls said. ¡°I don¡¯t really feel like we¡¯re necessarily playing better than we were when we weren¡¯t 5-1. I felt like we were playing good ball even when we were, unfortunately, losing some games. So to actually see the result via W is nice.¡±
Sunday¡¯s finale against the Friars was a back-and-forth affair through the middle innings, but it was Chandler Simpson, Saturday night¡¯s defensive hero, who had a starring role offensively with a 3-for-4 performance with an RBI, two runs and a walk.
After Walls tied the game with a solo home run in the top of the third inning, Simpson kept the momentum going by drawing a walk from Padres starter Randy V¨¢squez and promptly stole second base two pitches later. Two pitches after that, Brandon Lowe brought him home on an RBI single to center field, giving Tampa the lead.
¡°I¡¯m loving the way I can fit into the team and the rest of the lineup,¡± Simpson said. ¡°Just being able to impact the game in all aspects, and just being able to put runs on the board.¡±
Simpson sparked another rally in the top of the fifth inning with a two-out single before advancing to third on another single from Lowe. He then scored on a wild pitch from V¨¢squez during Yandy D¨ªaz¡¯s at-bat to regain the lead.
The 24-year-old rookie later drove in an insurance run in the top of the ninth on his third single of the game.
¡°A kid to come to the big leagues and stay who he is, he just never really changes,¡± Rays starting pitcher Zack Littell said. ¡°The at-bats he puts together, he knows who he is. He knows what he does well, and he¡¯s continued to do it.¡±
The run support was crucial for Littell to get his first win of the season, but Rays pitchers haven¡¯t needed much of it throughout the weekend. In these three games against the Padres, the Rays gave up just three runs in 27 innings. They shut the Padres out for the first 14 innings of the series.
¡°Extremely proud. That¡¯s two really, really good teams on the road that we just beat,¡± Littell said. ¡°... The [Padres¡¯] lineup over here is a little thinner than it normally is. They¡¯re missing some guys. But to go out there and compete for five straight games there, it¡¯s impressive. And it¡¯s the type of baseball that we all expect to play in here.¡±
The Rays have been playing their best ball of the season, which they¡¯ll need to keep doing ahead of a quick three-game home series against the Royals before heading over to Yankee Stadium next weekend.
¡°A lot of confidence,¡± Simpson said about the state of the team. ¡°Every W is gonna give us more confidence. Right now, I feel like we¡¯re in a good spot, and we¡¯re just trying to keep this thing going.¡±