BALTIMORE -- In the ninth inning of the Rays’ series finale in Philadelphia on Wednesday night, catcher Francisco Mejía launched a go-ahead three-run homer to right field that led Tampa Bay to a 7-4 win. In the seventh inning of the Rays’ series opener at Camden Yards on Friday night, catcher Mike Zunino unloaded on a 453-foot homer to center field that wound up being the difference in the Rays’ 6-3 victory over the Orioles.

Many factors have led to the Rays’ success at the plate this season, from Brandon Lowe’s 30 home runs and Austin Meadows’ 88 RBIs to the recent additions of Wander Franco and Nelson Cruz. But it’s hard to overstate the impact their catching tandem has had on the lineup.

Entering Saturday night, the Rays’ catchers -- Zunino and Mejía -- were leading the Majors at the position with 33 homers and 82 RBIs. Their .834 OPS was second in the Majors, behind only the Giants’ .861 mark. Tampa Bay has never had a season with its catchers ranking among the top 10 by OPS. In fact, the franchise has finished in the top half of the Majors only three times: in 1999 (13th), 2008 (12th) and ’18 (12th).

“Those guys have done such a good job at the plate, behind the plate,” manager Kevin Cash said. “They feed off each other. They're great teammates. They are so supportive. And the production, I don't think we could ask for much more.”

They’ve gone about hitting in different ways, too. Zunino has delivered pure power, with a career-high 27 homers and a .211/.296/.563 slash line in 86 games. Friday’s blast was his fourth home run of the season to travel at least 450 feet, tied for third most in the American League behind Shohei Ohtani and Salvador Perez, and his 13th with an exit velocity greater than 110 mph. This season, only three players have hit more home runs at least 110 mph: Ohtani (21), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (15) and Cruz (14).

The Rays have always held the 30-year-old Zunino’s defense and leadership behind the plate in high regard, and his work with hitting coach Chad Mottola has unlocked even more in his bat this year.

Meanwhile, Mejía began Saturday’s game slashing .267/.326/.446 with six homers and 31 RBIs in 68 games. The knock on him as he joined the organization in the Blake Snell trade was his defense. But the Rays have been happy with what the 25-year-old has provided on both sides of the ball in his first year with the team.

“We've got a ton of confidence in both guys,” Cash said. “I can't imagine there's too many other teams in baseball that have been so fortunate with that area. I know what the offensive numbers are. But defensively, they have really handled pretty unique circumstances with a lot of different faces, a lot of pitchers coming up, pitchers that they didn't know here as of late maybe from Triple-A, and they're getting them to have successful outings and innings with us.”

Archer eager to start
After leaving his last outing after two innings due to left hip tightness, right-hander Chris Archer has been cleared to start Sunday’s series finale against the Orioles at Camden Yards.

Archer threw a bullpen session in Philadelphia on Wednesday and felt good coming out of that, reporting no further issues with the hip that kept him from fully airing out his fastball when he took the mound at Tropicana Field. Archer said he has experienced no discomfort since then and feels “pretty much like a normal pitcher” heading into Sunday’s outing.

Sidelined for four months and limited to only 6 1/3 innings in three appearances this year, Archer is hoping he can finally contribute as the Rays approach the final stretch of the regular season.

“I want it more than anything in the world, to be honest,” Archer said Saturday. “You guys know how much I love the city. You guys know how much I love the organization. I feel like I have a personal connection with [general manager Erik] Neander and Cash and the whole staff and a lot of these players, so I'm invested with everything I have. Baseball's what I love to do the most. So I want to be out there really, really bad.”

Record saves
Right-hander Chris Mazza recorded his first career save before being optioned to Triple-A Durham on Friday night, becoming the 12th Rays pitcher with a save this season. That ties the Major League record held by the 1973 Rangers and, yes, the 2020 Rays. Since the All-Star break, Tampa Bay has had 10 saves from nine different pitchers.

Draft debuts
Three of the Rays’ top four picks in this year’s MLB Draft made their professional debuts together for the Rookie-level Florida Complex League Rays in a 10-1 win over the FCL Braves on Friday.

Third-round pick Ryan Spikes hit leadoff, started at third base and went 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Cooper Kinney, the 34th overall pick, batted second and played second as he went 1-for-2 with two runs scored. First-round pick Carson Williams hit third, started at shortstop and reached base four times with a double and three walks.

Rounding out the infield at first base and batting cleanup was Kyle Manzardo, the Rays’ second-round pick, who went 1-for-3 with a three-run double in the sixth that scored Spikes, Kinney and Williams.