Rays Clinch the Series Sweep!
Sunday’s series finale at Tropicana Field was poised to be, as Rays manager Kevin Cash described, “a frustrating extra-inning ballgame.”
Early in the game, the Rays lost their leadoff hitter, Yandy Díaz, to a left forearm contusion. They had a combined no-hitter and a six-run lead by the sixth inning, only to see both evaporate. Their usually reliable closer, Pete Fairbanks, surrendered a game-tying three-run homer in the ninth and subsequently left with an injury that will land him on the injured list.
They squandered several scoring chances in extra innings. Taylor Walls was put out at third base after his game-tying hit in the 10th. And despite loading the bases with nobody out in the 11th, the Rays couldn’t push across a run.
Relief finally came in the 12th inning when Dylan Carlson lined a walk-off single to left field off hard-throwing reliever Justin Martinez, sealing an 8-7 victory and a three-game sweep against the D-backs.
“Exciting game, you could say,” Carlson remarked about the three-hour, 46-minute marathon. “There were a lot of key contributions from everyone. It’s just great to come out on top.”
The D-backs had entered the series with a scorching record, winning nine consecutive series and 30 of their last 40 games. However, the Rays cooled them off dramatically, completing only their second sweep of three games or more this season—their first since sweeping the Mets in early May.
With this sweep, the Rays remain 6 1/2 games out of the final American League Wild Card spot but have climbed back above .500 with a record of 62-61, as they head into a 10-game road trip through Oakland, Los Angeles, and Seattle.
“It was nice to bounce back with some tight games, big wins,” Cash said. “We needed contributions from hitting, defense, and certainly the pitching. We’re feeling good as we get ready to head out West.”
Despite the promising start, the game proved to be tough. The Rays seemed to cruise towards victory with a six-run lead, while opener Drew Rasmussen and bulk-innings lefty Tyler Alexander held the D-backs hitless until the seventh inning.
Corbin Carroll shattered the no-hitter with a leadoff single in the seventh and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly. Carroll then hit a two-run homer off Alexander in the eighth.
Fairbanks, who allowed a game-tying homer to Carroll in the ninth on Friday night, permitted a leadoff single to Jake McCarthy and walked Joc Pederson. With one out, Gabriel Moreno hit a three-run homer to tie the game and two batters later, Fairbanks signaled that he needed to leave the game, pointing to his right shoulder.
Though Fairbanks did not speak to reporters post-game, it’s expected he will head to the injured list and undergo an MRI on Monday. There’s concern over his right lat, which had previously cost him half the season in Spring Training 2022.
In extra innings, the D-backs scored a run in the tenth off lefty Garrett Cleavinger, but the Rays responded instantly.
Walls slapped a single to left field off right-hander Kevin Ginkel to score Jackson from second base, tying the game. However, Walls was thrown out at third, and after that, the Rays could only manage a Carlson single and a stolen base before Christopher Morel struck out to end the inning.
In the 11th inning, the Rays blew a golden opportunity. After the D-backs intentionally walked Brandon Lowe and Martinez hit José Caballero to load the bases, Jose Siri and Junior Caminero struck out, and Alex Jackson grounded back to the mound.
“A lot of ups and downs,” Lowe reflected on the game. “A lot of back-and-forth.”
But in the end, they emerged victorious. Jonny DeLuca dropped a sacrifice bunt to advance Jackson to third base. Walls then walked, and with Arizona’s infield playing in, Carlson slapped a 1-1 splitter from Martinez to left field, clinching the Rays’ wild win with his first career walk-off hit.
“I’ve come up in a lot of situations and haven’t come through,” Carlson said. “So to come up there and come through now, it definitely felt good.”
Carlos SME
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