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Rays Are Becoming a Team That Simply Refuses to Go Away
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- Rays Are Becoming a Team That Simply Refuses to Go Away
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
The Tampa Bay Rays just continue to find ways to win baseball games.
It doesn't always have to be pretty, and since June, that definitely has been the case during some stretches.
Tampa Bay picked up win number 82 on the season on Sunday with a 5-4 victory over the San Diego Padres after 11 innings, completing the sweep and extending its winning streak to four games.
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And this might have been one of the craziest wins of the season.
The Rays trailed 3-1 entering the bottom of the ninth inning and had to face Mason Miller , one of the best closers in all of baseball.
Yet, somehow, Jonny DeLuca hit a two-run home run to tie the game and force extra innings. It was only Miller's second homer allowed all year, and his outfielder didn't give him any help, basically allowing the ball to go over the fence.
Despite the epic homer, even that wasn't enough to seal the win. They needed extras.
After failing to score in the 10th, Tampa Bay fell behind again in the 11th before eventually getting the game tied, and Jorge Mateo finished things off with the walk-off hit.
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They are certainly making this summer run interesting, as It's starting to become difficult to count this team out.
The Rays were down three runs on Saturday against one of the best bullpens in baseball and came back to win. Less than 24 hours later, they needed another comeback against that same pitching staff.
These are the type of things to remember if the AL East lead gets tight and when crunch time happens once October arrives.
It wasn't perfect, but yet the Rays still found a way to win. That's something all the analytics in the world can't teach.
The Rays went just 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position and missed several opportunities to take control of the game. They also made defensive mistakes and allowed San Diego to retake the lead on a wild pitch in the 11th inning.
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Usually, that's a recipe for a loss. Instead, the Rays found a way to win anyway.
Rays starter Drew Rasmussen was also a big reason the team was in the game to begin with and should not go unmentioned. He has been one of the most consistent, yet underrated pitchers across baseball the past few seasons.
The All-Star probably won't be the player most people remember from this game. DeLuca's home run and Mateo's walk-off will understandably receive most of the attention.
However, Rasmussen kept Tampa Bay alive long enough for those moments to happen.
He didn't have his best performance of the season, allowing seven hits and two walks while throwing 97 pitches, but he battled through six innings and allowed only two earned runs.
Good teams find ways to win games they probably shouldn't. The Rays are starting to do exactly that and fans should be very excited on what the next few months could bring for this franchise.
