ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays couldn’t have asked for a much better setup in the 10th inning Sunday afternoon at Tropicana Field.
After Tampa Bay tied the score in the eighth, Bryan Baker pitched a clean ninth, and lefty Ian Seymour didn’t even let the Giants’ automatic runner advance to third base in the 10th. The Rays needed only one run to walk off as winners.
Standing on second base to begin the bottom of the 10th? Chandler Simpson, arguably the fastest man in baseball. Due up? Junior Caminero, the All-Star who bashed 45 homers and drove in 110 runs last year. On deck? Jonathan Aranda, a fellow All-Star and now the American League leader in RBIs.
“You could say we were feeling good going into the bottom of the 10th,” first baseman Ryan Vilade said. “That's all I'm going to say about that.”
That good feeling quickly turned out to be correct. The Giants intentionally walked Caminero, but Aranda looped a walk-off single to shallow right-center field to give the Rays a 2-1 win over the Giants and their MLB-leading fourth series sweep of the season.
The Rays’ 200th walk-off in franchise history capped their ninth win in their past 10 games. Since a 5-7 start, they’ve won 16 of their past 21 to improve their overall record to 21-12, second best in the AL.
Knowing who was on second base, Aranda figured that any hit past the infield would win the game. After whiffing on a fastball down and in, he got just enough of an up-and-in heater from Caleb Kilian to reach the outfield turf and let Simpson’s speed do the rest.
It was Aranda’s career-high fourth hit of the day and his third career walk-off plate appearance, with two of them coming this season.
“My man said the game is over,” Caminero said, smiling.
Manager Kevin Cash said he understood the Giants’ decision to intentionally walk Caminero. It set up a potential double play. It created forceout opportunities at three bases. Caminero is a dangerous hitter who loves big moments.
Plus, neither option is particularly appealing with the game on the line.
“Flip a coin. You’ve got two really good hitters coming up right there,” Cash said. “But happy for Jonny. … He's got to be feeling good.”
Caminero said he expected the walk, given the situation. As he walked down the first-base line, he pointed at Aranda and said, “Your turn now.”
Aranda was ready.
“I was a little surprised at first when they put him on,” Aranda said through interpreter Kevin Vera. “But regardless of the situation, I was mentally prepared for whatever was coming, and thankfully, I was able to get the result there.”
Aranda’s bloop hit set off a celebration in the infield that carried into the clubhouse and across Tampa Bay. A group of about 20 Rays left the Trop on a bus bound for the Lightning’s Game 7 matchup with the Montreal Canadiens at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa.
Think that outing is unrelated to the Rays’ hot start? They disagree, and they’ve been saying it all season.
“Every day we're all excited to show up to the ballpark, and that changes everything,” starter Steven Matz said. “That's just kind of the camaraderie we have in this clubhouse, and I think it carries on to the field.”
As well as the game-winning play lined up, the Rays were only in that situation because of another tremendous pitching performance and a little more small ball.
Matz allowed one run on two hits in the first inning but shut down the Giants the rest of the afternoon. The veteran left-hander permitted only two more hits and two walks as he completed his second consecutive quality start.
It was the Rays’ 10th straight game allowing three runs or fewer, tied for the second-longest such streak in franchise history with a 10-game run from July 24-Aug. 4, 2016. The longest was a 12-gamer from Aug. 4-16, 2014.
“Ultimately we won that game because of the stellar pitching performance by Matzy and [reliever Hunter] Bigge and everyone that came in there,” Cash said. “They really were super dominant.”
The Rays needed just one run to stay alive, and they got it in the eighth. Caminero worked a leadoff walk and hustled to third on a single by Aranda, putting him in position to score on a sacrifice bunt by the cleanup-hitting Vilade. Caminero said he knew he needed to be aggressive, and Vilade’s only goal was to get the ball down on the right side of the infield.
Caminero slid home, pounded his chest and screamed as the momentum shifted in Tampa Bay’s favor.
“Be electric. Be electric, always. This is my game,” Caminero said. “And you guys see the result today. Pretty fun.”