A look at how the Rays keep coming up with these comeback wins

NEW YORK — The Rays did it again Friday night.

A rough start by Taj Bradley and some uncharacteristically shaky defense left them down four runs after five innings against the mighty, majors-best Mets, with only a projected 5.5% chance of pulling out a victory.

And, as it turned out, perfectly positioned for their latest comeback story.

“This team, we’re resilient,” said catcher Danny Jansen, whose two-run homer capped a six-run sixth inning and led the Rays to a 7-5 win. “We’re never out of the fight.”

They’ve shown that time and time again this season as it quickly approaches the halfway point.

From Kameron Misner’s walkoff homer on opening day, the Rays have staged their own version of the late show, rallying in the final innings to pull out wins that seemed like — and for lesser teams are — lost causes.

Danny Jansen hits a two-run home run during the sixth inning Friday night against the Mets. [ FRANK FRANKLIN II | Associated Press ]

“I think we’re all taught, as you grow up, like the game’s not over until it’s over. The game’s not over ’til the fat lady sings. Whatever you want to call it,” outfielder Josh Lowe said.

“I think we just believe that. I think good teams believe that, too. So I think that’s a sign of something that’s really good, especially, to see us doing. It’s just kind of the self-belief that we’re going to have to get the job done no matter what the situation is. And it’s kind of cool to see it happen.”

It’s happened plenty, as the Rays, who went into play Saturday at 37-32, have 16 comeback wins, including six when trailing after six innings, with 11 victories decided in their last at-bat, including five walkoffs.

“This team is showing that we’re not giving up, at no point,” infielder/outfielder Jose Caballero said. “The mentality is to win the game, to finish the game. There’s 27 outs they have to make to beat us. And we have a chance until they make the 27 outs.”

There are several examples:

On April 19, at home against the Yankees, they were down 3-0 and 6-1 early, then 8-4 with one out in the ninth and just a 0.6% chance to win per ESPN’s calculations. They rallied to tie, then walked it off in the 10th.

The next week in Arizona, the Rays were down a run in the eighth one night and in the ninth the next; they won both games in extra innings.

On May 20 against Houston, they trailed 2-0 in the eighth with just three hits on the board, but turned that 12.4% chance into a walkoff win.

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Explore all your optionsThe Rays’ Junior Caminero reacts after scoring the game-winning run on a two-run single by Taylor Walls to beat the Rangers on June 5. [ CHRIS O’MEARA | AP ]

Maybe most wild, on June 5 they were behind Texas 3-1 with one out in the ninth and a 5.3% shot. They won it on Taylor Walls’ walkoff two-run infield single, with Junior Caminero — known for a lot of things but not his speed — racing home from second.

“We battled,” Caminero said, via team interpreter Eddie Rodriguez. “When we came into that ninth inning, I thought, and I talked to myself, I was like, ‘This is our inning. We’re going to get them here.’ ”

These comebacks aren’t based on a change in playcalling, like when a football team goes to a hurryup offense. Nor is there a strategic shift, such as a hockey team pulling the goalie to add an extra attacker.

And there certainly are no fiery, inspirational speeches from manager Kevin Cash with the players huddled in the corner of the dugout.

“Nobody thinks about it. It just happens,” Cash said. “There’s certainly a belief — every team believes they can come back, and certainly good ones do. So I don’t think there’s anything that we’re doing necessarily different, or the guys do differently. They stay consistent.”

Those multi-run comebacks can come from mental and physical foundations.

“Probably a little bit of both,” veteran second baseman Brandon Lowe said. “The mentality of the game, it’s an extremely tough game, it weighs on you very heavily mentally. So to be able to not just shut down or lock things out is really impressive. But then in order to do stuff in this game, you got to be able to physically go out there and do it … like not letting yourself try to do too much or get too big, or play outside of who you actually are.

“So I think there’s a big deal in keeping yourself in check, and doing the little things right.”

Junior Caminero and teammates congratulate Jonathan Aranda after his game-winning homer against the Yankees on April 19. [ LUIS SANTANA | Times ]

Cash lauded the hitters for not getting frustrated and remaining positive when falling behind early. Brandon Lowe mentioned intangible factors like grit and “the tenacity to just not give up.”

Another factor can be the closeness and camaraderie of the group.

“When you’re brothers to the guy next to you, and you want him to succeed as much as you want to succeed yourself, it’s going to really help a lot of things move forward,” B-Lowe said. “There’s no selfishness in the clubhouse towards that. It’s not, ‘Oh, man, (Jake) Mangum got four hits today. I wish I had four hits.’ It’s ‘Hell, yeah, Mangum got four hits. That’s huge for us.’ ”

The comebacks are keyed by the offense, but that momentum can be generated by a key defensive play or a great escape act by a pitcher.

And there is a further connection. Pitchers can work a little more confidently early in games knowing their offense is capable of coming back. And a lead the offense rallies to get — short of a walkoff — has to be protected by the pitchers and defense.

Starter, and former reliever, Drew Rasmussen said there is definitely a key connection.

“When the offense is rolling the way that they are, it gives us confidence to be in the zone. And when we’re in the zone, we start to create weak contact. We create weak contact, we start to limit damage and runs. And next thing you know, the two are almost feeding off of each other, where we’re attacking guys and we’re scoring,” Rasmussen said.

Travis Jankowski celebrates with Christopher Morel after Jankowski had a walkoff hit to beat the Brewers on May 10. [ CHRIS O’MEARA | AP ]

“We’re willing to be in the zone. I’m willing to go up and give a solo homer up right now because we’re going to turn around and score three runs in a late inning down the road anyway. So the one run doesn’t really hurt us.”

Winning a few games late can spawn more. Players realize situations that appear to be great challenges are no different than ones they’ve already handled and have more confidence in those situations, that feeling of knowing whatever the circumstances they can end the day shaking hands.

“For sure,” Josh Lowe said. “I talk about it a bunch in terms of momentum. Like, there’s a momentum lift in a game you’re not supposed to win and you end up pulling out. … Those are the games that kind of keep you going for the next one, and go to show you’re never out of a game.”

Or as philosophizing closer Pete Fairbanks said: “Once you do it, you believe that you can do it. And the more that you believe that you can do it, oftentimes, the more you do it.”

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