(Photo credit score: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images)
The Tampa Bay Rays dramatically earned a playoff berth Friday evening for the primary time since 2023.
On Saturday, they are going to look to take the sequence from the Houston Astros in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The sequence opener couldn’t have been scripted any higher for the American League’s high membership, which is 88-59 and waited till the ninth inning to start out readying playoff tickets.
Junior Caminero notched his first profession walk-off hit together with his AL-leading fortieth blast to attain pinch runner Jonny DeLuca, who ran for Jonathan Aranda after the primary baseman practically gained it with a double off the highest of the wall.
Caminero joined New York Yankees star Aaron Judge as the one gamers with present back-to-back 40-homer seasons.
‘I used to be in search of a excessive pitch, and I used to be in a position to get it and ship it out,’ mentioned Caminero, who launched the Rays into the postseason for the sixth time in eight seasons within the 3-1 win.
Soaked in champagne, supervisor Kevin Cash mentioned his workforce would savor the second.
‘We’ve been fairly constant all season lengthy,’ Cash mentioned. ‘We thought this group was particular. … The guys are pumped in there and rightfully so. We’ve all acknowledged we wish to proceed this.’
Starter Drew Rasmussen took a no-decision Friday after one other sharp outing, permitting one run on eight hits in seven innings. The Rays are 10-0 because the All-Star break when Rasmussen takes the mound.
As the battle rages on towards the in-state rival Texas Rangers, the AL West-leading Astros will flip to right-hander Peter Lambert (8-8, 3.67 ERA) and his seven-pitch repertoire to even the sequence.
In July, he was 2-0 with a 1.88 ERA in 5 begins with 32 strikeouts and eight walks in 28 2/3 innings.
According to Fangraphs, Lambert is one in all a dozen pitchers to ship seven completely different pitches 100 instances or extra.
He returned from his 2025 season in Japan with a sturdy arsenal of choices – three fastballs, three breaking pitches and a changeup – and has excelled with the Astros (75-73) on the rotation’s entrance finish.
‘I experimented with some completely different pitches (in Japan), however it by no means actually caught,’ mentioned Lambert. ‘I used to be at all times a real four-pitch man over there. With some assist from the Astros, and it being a essential focus of the offseason for me, I used to be in a position to get these pitches to stay.’
Lambert is 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA in two begins and a aid look versus the Rays.
Slugger Yordan Alvarez (.310, 38 homers, 96 RBIs, 1.017 OPS) missed the opener with a sprained proper ankle.
Tampa Bay’s Ian Seymour will proceed his chase for 10.
Since beating the Seattle Mariners on Aug. 9, the left-handed Seymour (9-6, 4.33) has been winless in 5 outings.
After transferring to 9-3 by beating the M’s with six innings of one-run ball, the 27-year-old Virginia Tech alum fell right into a brutal stretch that noticed him go 0-3 with a 5.19 ERA, although he did whiff 34 batters in his 26 innings pitched.
Firmly entrenched in one of many last two spots on the rotation’s again finish now however absolutely shifting to the bullpen within the playoffs, Seymour can be dealing with the Astros for the primary time when he makes his 14th begin and forty fourth look to this point.
-Field Level Media