ST. PETERSBURG -- Thursday¡¯s off-day wasn¡¯t enough to cool off the Rays, who opened their series against the Marlins on Friday with a 5-4 win at Tropicana Field. With the victory, Tampa Bay has now won eight of its past nine games and is 21-4 over its past 25 games, tying the 2013 team for the best 25-game run in franchise history.

The win also gives the Rays nine consecutive wins over the Marlins, setting a new franchise record.

Let¡¯s take a look at three keys to how the Rays got there on Friday.

? Box score

Perez¡¯s case
Though losing Mike Zunino to a left oblique injury hurt the Rays, it also opened up an opportunity for Michael Perez to get more playing time. And so far, the 28-year-old has taken full advantage of it, especially when the team needs him the most.

Perez was responsible for two go-ahead hits against the Yankees earlier this season, and his solo home run against the Orioles on Aug. 26 helped the Rays come out on top. On Friday, Perez delivered a bases-clearing double to give the Rays a 5-2 lead in the fourth.

¡°That was a big one,¡± said Rays manager Kevin Cash. ¡°When you go back and look at the highlight reel, it was a pretty good pitch, well located and down and away. Good for Mikey to stay on it, get the barrel to it, and he really drove it out.¡±

This season, when Perez comes up to the plate with the game tied, he is 6-for-15 with a homer and seven RBIs. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Perez is 3-for-9 with five RBIs.

¡°I would like to have more moments just like that with people on base,¡± Perez said. ¡°I just try and stay as calm as possible and try to do that in every at-bat.¡±

"They started making me work harder,¡± said Marlins starter Pablo L¨®pez about the fourth inning. ¡°They were taking good pitches and forcing me to throw in the strike zone when I was behind in the count. They were taking good at-bats and putting the ball in play. They took a couple of walks, and then, 2-1 count with the bases loaded. I had to put the ball in the zone, and the guy put the barrel on it.¡±

Tsutsugo heating up
Yoshi Tsutsugo¡¯s Major League career hasn¡¯t started out exactly how the Japanese slugger would¡¯ve liked, but he¡¯s starting to show signs of the player that Tampa Bay felt comfortable enough to sign to a two-year, $6 million deal in the offseason.

In the second inning, Tsutsugo hit his sixth homer of the season, sending a solo shot over the left-center-field fence off Pablo L¨®pez, who entered Friday¡¯s game having allowed just one home run all season.

Tsutsugo¡¯s numbers have been much better now that he¡¯s facing teams for a second time. In his past eight games, the outfielder is hitting .368 (7-for-19) with three home runs.

¡°I think he¡¯s getting there,¡± Cash said. ¡°I think we all came in with the expectation that it was going to take a little bit of time for him to get comfortable. I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s probably frustrated to date, but there¡¯s plenty of time to turn this around. The quality of at-bats have started to really get good. ¡­ The more that we can get his bat going, the better we¡¯re going to be. It just makes us that much deeper, and we¡¯ll continue to get him out there and try to get that timing where it needs to be.¡±

The Stable
Despite the stellar play over the past month, the Rays are still hoping to get healthier in the bullpen over the next couple of weeks. The Stable -- which is what Tampa Bay¡¯s bullpen has been affectionately referred to after Cash¡¯s comments earlier this week -- got one of its top horses back on Friday in Nick Anderson.

? Phillips makes Rays debut; Anderson returns

Anderson recorded his fourth save of the season with a scoreless ninth, capping off four solid innings from the Tampa Bay bullpen. Ryan Thompson, Pete Fairbanks, Diego Castillo and Anderson combined to strike out six and allow just one hit.

¡°It feels great having Anderson back. He¡¯s one of our key pitchers, and I¡¯m happy for him,¡± Perez said about Anderson. ¡°He did a good job in his first game back [from the injured list]. It feels good to have him back.¡±

Up next
Blake Snell and the Rays continue their three-game series against the Marlins on Saturday at 6:40 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field. In his last start against the Fish on Aug. 30, Snell allowed two runs and struck out five over five innings. The Rays are 5-2 in games started by Snell this season. The game will be televised on FOX Sports Sun and MLB.TV.