3 takeaways from Rays' up-and-down road trip

TORONTO -- The Rays whiffed on a chance to completely erase the frustrating outcome of last weekend’s four-game sweep against the red-hot Red Sox at Fenway Park.

They still headed home Thursday night feeling pretty good about themselves, even after falling just short of securing a four-game sweep of their own against the Blue Jays.

The Rays won the first three games of this series in impressive fashion, getting strong pitching performances across the board and meaningful contributions from all over the lineup. They simply ran into a dominant Shane Bieber in Thursday afternoon's series finale, managing only three hits and no walks as their lineup had seven 1-2-3 innings in a 3-1 loss at Rogers Centre.

“Obviously, today you want to win the fourth game and get the sweep, but you've still got to be grateful for the three games that you won,” third baseman Junior Caminero said through interpreter Kevin Vera. “We wanted to go home happy, but we're happy going home with the series.”

Here are three takeaways from the finale:

1. It was still a nice bounceback series

For all the concern that fans may have felt after being swept in Boston coming out of the All-Star break, the Rays were clearly not worried by their season-long five-game losing streak. But they were determined to ensure it stretched on no longer.

“That's a credit to the three guys who pitched and the offense coming alive for those three games,” left-hander Ian Seymour said. “To take three out of four on the road is not easy to do.”

They took care of business in that regard this week. Breaking even on the trip would have been ideal, considering how it started, but they still left Toronto with their first four-game series win since May 2024.

Despite a 3-5 road trip against two division rivals, their lead over the Yankees in the American League East standings (and for the AL’s best record) shrank only from three games to two. It’s the latest into the season they’ve led the division since they last won it in 2021.

“The vibes are good. I think we're playing good baseball right now,” catcher Hunter Feduccia said. “Just keep it going.”

2. Their lapses in the finale were costly

Despite Bieber’s brilliant outing, Thursday’s game was still within the Rays’ reach. That made their mistakes even more frustrating.

The Blue Jays had runners on first and second with two outs in the first inning when Alejandro Kirk bounced a grounder down the third-base line. Caminero charged it and attempted to barehand the ball, but he missed it.

The ball rolled past Caminero, whose momentum was taking him toward the plate. Seeing the play in front of him, Ernie Clement aggressively rounded third and dashed home to score the game’s first run.

“It might be a tough play, but look, I'm not going to use it as an excuse,” Caminero said. “I should have went and used my glove.”

The Rays tied the game in the second, when Feduccia doubled and scored on a single by Yandy Díaz, although he initially thought Díaz's ball was caught and briefly froze on the basepaths when he heard his teammates yell before eventually crossing the plate.

Seymour had a strong outing in relief of opener Casey Legumina -- permitting only two runs over six innings -- but he also lamented his mistakes.

Seymour fell behind on an “uncompetitive” 2-2 curveball to George Springer with a runner on second and two outs in the third before Springer hit a go-ahead single. Seymour said he should have stepped off the rubber when he couldn’t nail down the pitch he wanted to throw in that situation.

In the seventh, Seymour walked No. 9 hitter Myles Straw, then let him steal second to put him in position to score on a single by Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

“I just can’t walk the nine-hitter,” Seymour said. “Could have kept it to a one-run game, and maybe something different happens in the ninth.”

3. The best part? Going home

Now comes a nine-game homestand, leading up to the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline, against opponents also vying for spots in the postseason: the Guardians, White Sox and Rangers.

The Rays will begin with their best foot forward, sending their top three starters to the mound against Cleveland: Shane McClanahan, Nick Martinez and Drew Rasmussen.

“Every game at this time of year is important,” Seymour said. “Try to distance ourselves and maintain the lead that we have.”

It’s a big opportunity, and it comes in the right place for the Rays. They have been the Majors’ best team at home this season, with a 35-15 record at Tropicana Field.

“We had a nice run here of three games, three solid games,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Continue that when we get back home.”