Arencibia crushes Rays' longest HR this year

DETROIT -- So far, J.P. Arencibia has enjoyed the month of September.

The Rays' catcher added his third home run in four starts this month with a bomb to left-center in the fifth inning of Monday's 5-4 loss to the Tigers at Comerica Park. And it wasn't just a routine homer -- it marked the longest home run hit by any Tampa Bay player this season, according to Statcast™.

Arencibia belted Tigers starter Randy Wolf's two-seam fastball a projected 464 feet, per Statcast™. It left his bat at 109 mph and returned to Earth at the base of Comerica Park's brick wall honoring its Hall of Famers.

"It was kind of that bittersweet thing," Arencibia said. "It needed to be a few more runs today, obviously. It was a good swing, but not enough."

The catcher finished 1-for-3, giving him a hit in each of his last five starts. The highlight of that streak was a six-RBI performance last Tuesday against the Orioles, when Arencibia tallied a pair of two-run singles and a two-run homer.

He showed off that power again Monday, launching what was the farthest home run hit by an opponent at Comerica Park this year.

"He's been hitting a lot of home runs," said Rays manager Kevin Cash. "It's exciting, but it'd be more exciting if they were game-winners."

"I don't think that necessarily we're playing bad in close games," Arencibia said. "I think most games in the Major Leagues are going to be close games. At the end of the day, execution is key over everything. Sometimes, you have to tip your hat.

" ... We finished the game bases loaded, so we gave ourselves a chance. A guy made a good play."