The last week could not have gone more perfectly on the field for the Rays as they have now won 8 consecutive games for the nth time this season. They played the last 7 games of the streak at Tropicana Field, sweeping the Kansas City Royals over four games and then taking all three from the team with the best record in baseball, the Boston Red Sox, during Players Weekend.

Yesterday afternoon, everything clicked for the Rays as Blake Snell was once again dominant, the offense was relentless in their assault on the Boston pitching staff, and the defense did its thing.

The top four hitters in the Rays lineup — Joey Wendle, Matt Duffy, Ji-Man Choi, and Tommy Pham — all had multi-hit days, with Pham providing three hits. Kevin Kiermaier tripled, Michael Perez doubled. Blake Snell worked six innings, allowing just a run on two hits, while he collected eight strikeouts. Diego Castillo and Andrew Kittredge held Boston in check over the final three innings.

The Rays are now 70-61 on the season, nine games back of the Oakland Athletics, who have won three in a row, for the second Wild Card spot.

The Rays will now have an off-day, before taking on the Braves in Atlanta for a brief two game series, before being off again on Thursday, and then traveling up to Cleveland for a three game series, starting on Friday.

Rays News

• Carlos Gomez gave a young fan a moment of a lifetime as he gifted him his Players Weekend bat following the game on Sunday. The young fan’s face tells you all you need to know.

• The Bullpen of the Week - Once again, it’s the Tampa Bay Rays
• Ji-Man Choi is a treasure
• Mallex Smith was hospitalized on Friday due to a viral infection. However, according to Kevin Cash, he was expected to be released on Sunday and is doing much better.
• Rays Colored Glasses highlights a minor league prospect for the Rays that should not be overlooked, Bowling Green Hot Rods outfielder, Moises Gomez.
• The Opener is working, the Rays have fully bought in to the concept and have flourished.
• It was Wade Boggs day on Saturday at the Trop, with the Chickenman returning, Marc Topkin asked several Rays if they had any superstitions.
• Willy Adames has been among the best shortstops in baseball this past month and it was all due to a simple adjustment
• Is Blake Snell having the best pitching year in franchise history, Marc Topkin investigates

Around the League

• Chris Archer has struggled with the Pittsburgh Pirates since being traded
• The Oakland Athletics have placed Sean Manaea on the disabled list
• Kendrys Morales is on a historic tear as he has homered in seven straight games

Trivia

Name the player based off this excerpt from Baseball America

Hint - He would go on to become an All-Star

The Rays signed [Player] after the 27-year-old tried out for former Tampa Bay manager Hal McRae in January 2002. After two reconstructive elbow surgeries, [Player] started and relieved in Triple-A and was the organization’s pitcher of the year. [Player] had his first major elbow operation in 1997, and missed the entire 2001 season after his second. He’s known for his excellent command, and he relies on changing speeds and getting ahead of hitters. His best pitch is his changeup, followed by his curveball and a fastball with below-average velocity. [Player] also refuses to give in to hitters, and counts on his patience to frustrate opponents. His perseverance has enabled him to overcome long odds, which should help him compete for a relief job on the Rays’ staff this spring.