There were a lot of candidates for the Rays player of the series, as it should be when you sweep a division rival. Ryan Pepiot pitched 7 scoreless, Brandon Lowe homered in his third straight game, but Junior Caminero truly showed up to play, essentially batting .500 over the weekend while playing some dazzling defense.
In Game 1 of the series, he picked a difficult hot shot that would have gone through the left side if he weren’t shaded toward short. The quick reaction allowed Junior to start a double play with ease in the fifth, killing the Blue Jays best scoring chance of the night.
In Game 2, Junior was coming to the rescue again, making a difficult spin move on bases loaded in the second and firing the throw to Brandon Lowe. Yes, the throw was a little high, but the timing was perfect to get the Rays out of an early jam, and letting Baz continue on for a performance that may prove important to his season.
Baz has been struggling, but he pitched a full allotment of innings in Game 2 for what you need from your starters, and that’s thanks in part to getting out of the second. It’s a confidence builder, and it’s built on the back of Caminero’s important play.
In the same game, Caminero also belted a three run shot by getting a swing out in front on a rare mistake amidst a strong performance from Jays starter Barrios.
The Rays had an avalanche of runs in Game 3 that was started by an RBI double from Caminero in the fifth inning, starting a seven run barrage that led to the sweep.
DRAYSBAY PLAYER OF THE SERIES
1st: Kameron Misner
2nd: Jake Mangum
3rd: Brandon Lowe
4th: Jose Caballero
5th: Joe Boyle
6th: Shane Baz
7th: Chandler Simpson
8th: Christopher Morel
9th: Chandler Simpson
10th: Mason Englert
11th: Taylor Walls
12th: Yandy Diaz
13th: Travis Jankowski
14th: Brandon Lowe
15th: Drew Rasmussen
16th: Curtis Mead
17th: Junior Caminero