Rays watch Yankees lose ... then pad AL East lead with 5th straight win

ST. PETERSBURG -- Before putting on their white uniforms and gathering in the infield for their annual team photo on Wednesday afternoon, a handful of Rays sat on the couches inside the home clubhouse at Tropicana Field, keeping an eye on the early innings of the Yankees’ game against the Twins.

The Rays don’t have to sit around watching any scoreboards, starter Drew Rasmussen will occasionally remind his teammates, except for their own.

“I keep telling our guys: So long as we take care of business, it doesn’t matter,” Rasmussen said. “ ... All we can do is play who’s on our schedule here tonight, and if we win tonight, it doesn’t matter what they did.”

Of course, the Rays aren’t going to complain when both outcomes break their way like they did on Wednesday. The Yankees lost a 13-inning affair to the Twins, 5-4, about an hour before the Rays began their 4-3 win over the A's at Tropicana Field.

“Obviously, we were very aware of how they’re playing and what’s going on over there,” veteran starter Nick Martinez said. “It was good that we took advantage of their loss.”

The narrow victory improved Tampa Bay’s record to 92-59 and increased the club’s lead in the American League East race to 4 1/2 games with 11 to play.

It may not seem like much, but considering how well both teams have been playing ahead of next week’s four-game, three-day showdown at Yankee Stadium, it hasn’t been easy lately to gain a full game in the standings.

“We'll definitely take it, especially this time of the year,” said right-hander Cole Sulser, who picked up his third save on a day off for closer Bryan Baker. “But the big thing is we're just trying to control our own destiny. So to go out there, win another close ballgame after winning so many close ones recently, is awesome.”

With the Yankees off on Thursday, the Rays’ lead could be as high as five games if they win their series finale against the A’s. Even if they don’t complete their MLB-leading 16th sweep behind Rasmussen, they will still hold a four-game lead over the Yankees as they prepare to host a weekend series against the Red Sox at the Trop.

“Whatever anyone else does, you kind of keep your eye on it,” outfielder Jonny DeLuca said. “But all we can do is be in control of what we do on the field.”

The Rays did that well against the A’s to secure their fifth straight win and third straight series victory, jumping out to an early four-run lead before hanging on thanks to Martinez and another strong performance by the bullpen.

Junior Caminero, DeLuca and Chandler Simpson strung together three straight two-out doubles in the first inning to put up two runs, then Nick Fortes and Ryan Vilade delivered run-scoring hits in the second inning to make it a 4-0 game.

It was part of a two-hit night for Simpson that boosted his average to .310 -- just ahead of Astros MVP candidate Yordan Alvarez (.309) for the AL lead. Not that he’s worried about that yet.

“I'm really just focused on the team and just trying to get us to win the AL,” Simpson said. “Eleven games left, so continue to take it one pitch, one AB at a time, and then whatever the numbers are, it will be.”

Martinez surrendered a pair of solo shots to Tommy White and Henry Bolte in the third inning, cutting Tampa Bay’s lead in half, then exited after throwing only 72 pitches in five innings. Manager Kevin Cash said that decision was about “where they were in the game” and wanting “to do everything we could to lock it down.”

That also put Martinez in line to earn his 15th win, becoming the ninth pitcher in franchise history to reach that mark in a single season, and the first Ray to do so since Zach Eflin won 16 in 2023.

Fortunately for the Rays, who are without injured setup man Tyler Wells until the postseason, some of their most trusted high-leverage relievers kept the lead intact.

Right-hander Kevin Kelly gave up a run before recording an out, then struck out the side in the sixth and breezed through the seventh. Lefty Cam Booser continued his incredible season with a clean eighth before Sulser nailed down the final three outs.

“The guys came in behind me, man, and picked me up. Did a great job shutting them down,” Martinez said. “That's the type of baseball we play, man. We've got to believe to our core that the guy behind us is gonna get the job done and play for each other, and that's the way you can win in the playoffs.”