ST. PETERSBURG -- A lot of factors contributed to the Rays having their worst stretch of the season over the past month. Their pitching became a little less reliable. Their lineup seemed a little less dynamic. Their sterling record in one-run games went in reverse.
But it’s also pretty hard to ignore the fact that Jonny DeLuca’s time on the injured list overlapped perfectly with that skid. The Rays lost 15 of the 22 games they played after DeLuca went down on May 22 and before he returned from a right hamstring strain on Friday night.
“He's a vibes guy, man. He's a clubhouse guy,” said starter Nick Martinez, who has been the quintessential vibes guy in the Rays’ clubhouse. “We're happy to have him back.”
DeLuca offered another reminder why on Sunday afternoon, ripping a go-ahead two-run homer off reliever Orlando Ribalta in the seventh inning that sent the Rays to a 4-3 win over the Nationals and a series victory at Tropicana Field.
“Very glad to be back,” DeLuca said, smiling.
With the Rays down by a run after the seventh-inning stretch, Yandy Díaz hit a one-out single off Ribalta. Up came DeLuca, who homered in Friday’s victory in his first start off the IL then stole second base as a pinch-runner in the ninth inning of Saturday’s defeat.
DeLuca whiffed on a first-pitch slider from Ribalta, thinking the pitch would be a sinker. He took a high fastball then unloaded on another slider near the top of the zone. DeLuca slowly stepped out of the batter’s box as his fourth home run of the season sailed about a dozen rows deep into the left-field seats.
DeLuca admitted the time he spent on the IL made his big contribution a little more “emotional.” Injuries limited him to only 20 games last season, and he felt like he was doing everything right when he injured his leg while running out an infield single in New York a month ago.
So rather than get frustrated when he struck out in his first two at-bats on Sunday, he felt something different.
“Just having gratitude that I'm just here, healthy, ready to go. That probably helped fuel the last two ABs,” DeLuca said, referring to his double and go-ahead homer. “Just very grateful to be back and helping this team win, because we have a special group.”
When DeLuca was on the shelf, the Rays went 7-15. When he has been on the active roster, they are 36-16. Coincidence? Almost certainly. But it didn’t feel that way this weekend.
“He can hit the homer. He can bunt. He can run. He can play great outfield,” outfielder Ryan Vilade said. “He's a big, big part of this team.”
With a lead in hand thanks to DeLuca, Bryan Baker retired the top of the Nationals’ lineup in order in the eighth, and Kevin Kelly handled the ninth to pick up his third save of the season. Manager Kevin Cash credited the “selfless” Baker, who has 19 saves, for going along with the matchup-based approach. And catcher Nick Fortes played a big part in the ninth, throwing out Daylen Lile at second after a leadoff single.
Before that, it was shaping up to be another day defined by missed opportunities for the Rays -- another close-but-not-close-enough game in a frustrating stretch full of them.
Seven of their past 16 defeats were by a single run, and they were tracking toward another one Sunday.
“When you're losing one-run ballgames, the big hit probably just didn't quite get there,” Cash said. “Today, Jonny took it into his own hands. Huge, huge homer.”
After letting the Nationals pull ahead in the fourth inning, the Rays wasted a couple of opportunities by stranding a pair of runners in scoring position in both the fourth and fifth innings. Meanwhile, the Nationals doubled their lead as CJ Abrams homered for the third straight game. The Nats’ shortstop launched a changeup in the zone from Martinez just over the right-field fence to make it a 3-1 game.
The veteran right-hander still gave Tampa Bay a chance to win, holding the Majors’ highest-scoring offense to only three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out five over six innings.
“Really good lineup, and we battled well enough to keep it close and give the boys a chance to win,” Martinez said.
Vilade answered with an even more impressive solo shot of his own, crushing a Statcast-projected 436-foot shot to center off right-hander Gus Varland to shrink the Rays’ deficit to one run. It was the second-longest homer of Vilade’s career and the fourth-farthest hit by a Ray at Tropicana Field this season.
“When he gets them, he gets them,” Cash said. “And they go a long way.”