ST. PETERSBURG — The Tampa Bay Rays extended their American League East lead to 4.5 games on Wednesday, securing a 4-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics at Tropicana Field. The win, Tampa Bay's fifth in a row, moved the club to a 92-59 record as they capitalized on a 5-4 loss by the New York Yankees against the Minnesota Twins earlier in the day.
Tampa Bay built an early 4-0 advantage behind starter Nick Martinez. Junior Caminero, Jonny DeLuca, and Chandler Simpson provided two-out doubles in the first inning, followed by run-scoring hits from Nick Fortes and Ryan Vilade in the second. Although Martinez allowed solo home runs to Tommy White and Henry Bolte in the third, the bullpen preserved the lead. Right-hander Cole Sulser secured his third save of the season in the ninth inning.
“I keep telling our guys: So long as we take care of business, it doesn’t matter,” said Rays starter Drew Rasmussen regarding the team's focus on the standings. With 11 games remaining in the regular season, the Rays are set to conclude their series against the Athletics before hosting the Boston Red Sox this weekend.