Jonathan Aranda’s 10th-Inning Blast Lifts Rays Past Rangers in Arlington

Jonathan Aranda delivered the biggest hit of the night for the Tampa Bay Rays, crushing a three-run homer in the top of the 10th inning to secure a 6-3 victory over the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on Saturday.

The win moved the Rays to 85-57, maintaining the best record in the American League. Tampa Bay has won two straight after dropping the series opener and continues to hold a comfortable lead in the AL East. The Rangers fell to 70-73, now three games behind the Houston Astros in the AL West and two games back of both Cleveland and Toronto for the league’s final wild-card spot.

Extra-inning heroics decide a tight contest

After the Rays and Rangers traded leads through the middle innings, the game went to extra innings tied at 3. In the 10th, automatic runner Jorge Mateo stood at second base. Taylor Walls laid down a sacrifice bunt off Rangers closer Jacob Latz, advancing Mateo to third. Latz then intentionally walked Yandy Díaz to set up a potential double play, bringing Aranda to the plate.

Aranda did not miss the opportunity. He sent a 1-1 pitch from Latz over the right-field wall and into the home bullpen, giving Tampa Bay a three-run cushion. It was Latz’s first loss since April 10. Rays reliever Tyler Wells worked two scoreless innings to earn the victory, improving to 4-2 on the season.

Key facts

Early power from Caminero and Palacios sets the tone

The Rays struck first in the opening inning. Junior Caminero launched his American League-leading 38th home run of the season off Rangers starter Jacob deGrom, giving Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead. Caminero’s power surge has been a major storyline for the Rays this season, and his 38 homers place him among the top power hitters in the league.

Richie Palacios added a solo shot in the fifth inning, his career-high eighth home run of the year. It was his second homer in two games and his third in the last four. Both long balls came against deGrom, who allowed four hits over six innings while striking out seven and walking one.

DeGrom’s first-inning struggles continued. He has now allowed a major league-high 10 home runs in first innings this season, posting a 9.00 ERA in 27 first-inning frames. After the first inning, his ERA drops to 2.79.

Rangers rally late but fall short

Texas got on the board in the sixth when Joc Pederson hit his team-leading 25th home run of the season. The Rangers then tied the game in the eighth inning off Rays reliever Kevin Kelly. Evan Carter led off with a homer, and Justin Foscue followed with a line drive to left-center that got past outfielders Chandler Simpson and Cedric Mullins, scoring pinch-runner Cam Cauley to make it 3-3.

Rays starter Drew Rasmussen turned in a strong outing, allowing one run on three hits over seven innings while extending his bid for an eighth consecutive win. Liam Hicks drove in Aranda on a two-out single in the eighth, but the Rangers answered quickly to force extras.

What this means for the playoff picture

Tampa Bay remains firmly in control of the AL’s top seed, holding a four-game lead over the Houston Astros in the loss column. The Rangers, meanwhile, face an uphill climb in both the AL West and the wild-card race. With only 19 games remaining, Texas will need to close the gap quickly to keep its postseason hopes alive.

The four-game series concludes Sunday afternoon. The Rangers will send left-hander MacKenzie Gore (8-10, 4.31 ERA) to the mound against Rays lefty Ian Seymour (9-6, 4.21 ERA).

Source: Sportsnet MLB – Aranda hits three-run homer in 10th to give Rays win over Rangers (https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/aranda-hits-three-run-homer-in-10th-to-give-rays-win-over-rangers/)