WEST SACRAMENTO -- With 43 games remaining in the regular season, the Rays appear to have a legitimate contender to lead the Major Leagues in home runs.
Can Taylor Walls pull it off?
Even though Junior Caminero tied for the MLB lead with his 35th homer of the season, even though three other Rays launched home runs at hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park, even though starter Nick Martinez threw his second career complete game, Tuesday’s 12-4 rout of the Athletics proved to be Walls’ show.
The slick-fielding but light-hitting shortstop came into the night without a home run in his previous 365 plate appearances, dating back more than a calendar year. He left with his first two dingers of the season -- one from each side of the plate -- and helped power the Rays to their eighth consecutive win.
Batting left-handed against righty starter Mason Barnett, Walls pulled a two-run homer into Tampa Bay’s right-center-field bullpen in the fourth inning. He turned around to bat right-handed against lefty reliever Brady Basso in the sixth and just cleared the left-field wall for his second career multihomer game. The other came on April 18, 2023, in Cincinnati, the site of Walls’ previous home run on July 27, 2025.
Caminero smoked a two-run homer to open the scoring in the first inning, and designated hitter Yandy Díaz went back to back with Walls in the fourth. Outfielder Victor Mesa Jr. ripped his 10th homer of the year in the seventh inning, and infielder Carson Williams pinch-hit in the eighth and slugged a three-run homer, his first of 2026.
The powerful performance helped the Rays improve to 73-46, one game shy of the Brewers for MLB’s best record. With a win in Wednesday’s 3:05 p.m. ET series finale, they can sweep their nine-game road trip through Colorado, Seattle and West Sacramento.