Rays 7, DBacks 4: Another extra inning win in the desert

Are things starting to bounce the Rays’ way?

It took 10 innings again, but the Rays took the rubber match in their three-game set in the desert on Thursday night, defeating the Diamondbacks 7-4 on the back of Christopher Morel’s go-ahead three-run homer in the 10th.

Yandy Diaz was back in the leadoff spot for a second-straight game, with Chandler Simpson sliding down to eighth. Jose Caballero also made his fourth start in five games at shortstop, signaling that Taylor Walls’ time as the primary player at that position is coming to an end.

Arizona got off to an early 3-0 lead against a shaky Drew Rasmussen, who still managed to go five innings and strike out five. Josh Naylor drove in the first run of the evening with a single to right field in the bottom of the first, scoring Corbin Carroll.

The very next inning Alek Thomas doubled home Gabriel Moreno to make it 2-0. Carroll, who had given the Rays hell all series long, grounded out to second to drive in Eugenio Suarez.

Rasmussen finished his night with four earned runs allowed, the most he’s given up in almost exactly two years, when he gave up five against Houston on April 25, 2023.

Early on it looked like it would be another quiet night for the Rays’ bats, but the lineup fought hard to battle back. It was 4-3 Arizona after the sixth. Caballero doubled home a run in the fifth, before Junior Caminero and Morel added two more in the sixth.

The Rays still needed at least one run in the ninth inning, going up against Ryne Nelson who entered in the seventh. Heavy bullpen usage in recent games left Arizona’s bullpen shorthanded, forcing them to rely on Nelson to work into the ninth with a one-run lead.

Caballero struck out to begin the inning, but Chandler Simpson picked up a one-out single. In a one-run game, there are few players you want on base as the tying run other than Simpson. Jansen singled to move Simpson into scoring position, before he was lifted for pinch runner Taylor Walls.

Yandy Diaz is the one who came through with the RBI single, his third hit of the night, to right field. Even though Carroll has a decent arm in right, he knew right away there was no play to be had at home with Simpson on the bases, the game was now tied 4-4.

Edwin Uceta kept the game tied in the ninth, sending it to extra innings. Caminero doubled home the go-ahead run to lead off the 10th, and then Morel put an exclamation mark on his big night with a two-run homer to make it a comfortable 7-4 lead.

Pete Fairbanks came in to record his fourth save of the season and secure the first road series victory of the season. Next up, a trip to Petco Park, where the Rays won the 2020 American League Championship. The three-game set against the Padres gets started on Friday night at 9:40 eastern.