'Best team in the East'? Rays make a case

ST. PETERSBURG -- Fresh off a 14-0 rout of the Yankees in Thursday’s series finale, the Rays still woke up Friday morning looking up at the Red Sox in the American League East. And their division opponents, specifically the Yankees and Blue Jays, earned some praise for their big moves leading up to the Trade Deadline on Friday afternoon.

But Friday night, the Rays reminded the Red Sox and the rest of the AL East what they’re capable of. Tampa Bay began a pivotal series with a big win at Tropicana Field, beating Boston, 7-3, to move within a half-game of first place.

• Box score

“They're a very, very good team,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said of the Red Sox. “There's a reason why they've been up at the top the entire time, and we're going to have to play good baseball. Feel like we came out and did that.”

Tampa Bay and Boston will see plenty of each other over the next six weeks, with 13 matchups scheduled between Friday and Sept. 8, so this weekend will not decide the division race by any means. But it is an ideal opportunity for the Rays to reclaim the top spot and prove they’re still the team to beat in the division.

“I love our chances. We have the best team in the East, I think,” starter Josh Fleming said. “Just because we're not in first doesn't mean we don't have the best team. ... I think we're set up nicely.”

While Friday’s headlines were dominated by star power and splashy moves, the Rays put together a complete performance that showcased their talent and depth all over the field.

They got a huge home run right away from Yandy Díaz, who finished 3-for-4 and put the Rays ahead with his two-run blast in the first inning. After going 62 games and 210 at-bats without a home run to start the season, Díaz has gone deep seven times in his last 34 games.

“Early on, the beginning of the year, I couldn't really find my swing, and it took some time to keep my routine and get my work going,” Díaz said through interpreter Manny Navarro. “Luckily, I've been able to find it since then.”

All-Star catcher Mike Zunino, homerless since the break, reached the 20-homer mark with an opposite-field solo shot -- his first oppo blast outside the All-Star Game since July 27, 2018 -- in the fourth. And Randy Arozarena pulled his fourth homer in his last 10 games out to left in the fourth off Red Sox starter Martín Pérez.

Top prospect Wander Franco also contributed, ripping a two-run double to right-center field batting right-handed in the third inning then lacing a triple to the gap from the other side of the plate off reliever Yacksel Rios in the fifth.

Tampa Bay’s all-around offensive performance was especially notable because it came against a left-hander in Pérez. Southpaw starters have given the Rays all sorts of trouble this season, but the six runs they scored off Pérez were their most off a lefty starter since they put up seven against Boston's Kyle Hart on Aug. 13 last year.

The Rays are hoping for more performances like that against lefties now that they have Franco playing every day alongside recently acquired DH Nelson Cruz.

“Very confident it's going to help us,” Cash said. “If it evens out just a little, and then you add Nelson and Wander hitting from the right side, we should be in a pretty good spot for the next couple months facing lefties.”

Fleming pitched well early, then survived a 35-pitch fourth inning -- leaving the bases loaded while hanging onto a two-run lead -- to earn the win. Overall, the lefty allowed three runs on eight hits while striking out a career-high seven over five innings. After leaving their rotation intact at the Deadline, the Rays will count on young pitchers like Shane McClanahan, Luis Patiño and Fleming to keep them in games the way the left-hander did Friday night.

“Just going through my head, I was like, 'All right, this is it. No one else. No more. I'm going to get this guy, we're going to go in, we're going to score some runs,’” Fleming said of the fourth-inning jam. “I thought I did a good job, once they got the bases loaded, to really just settle down and make two good pitches that got me out of it.”

And Tampa Bay’s bullpen, battered by injuries as it may be, shut down Boston’s dangerous lineup by allowing only two hits and a walk over four scoreless innings. Trade Deadline acquisition JT Chargois looked especially sharp in his Rays debut, retiring Boston’s 2-3-4 hitters in order on 12 pitches.

“He looked good,” Cash said. “[Zunino] came off after his outing and said, ‘We can work with that.’ Really good stuff.”

With another win on Saturday night, the Rays would gain sole possession of first place in the AL East for the first time since they were a half-game ahead of the Red Sox entering play on June 27. (The two clubs were tied for first place for one day last weekend.) And after winning the AL East last season, the Rays understand the importance of winning the division again this year.

“A team like this, I've always said it's like playing in the World Series. You can never let up on them. You've got to be able to go up there and focus right from the get-go,” Díaz said. “That's the mentality we have, just to get as far as we can. And honestly, I think this year is going to be the year.”