TAMPA \u2013 The best best team won Friday.<\/p>\n
The Tigers went into the game with the top overall record in the majors at 48-28. The Rays have been the hottest team over the last month with a 20-8 mark.<\/p>\n
And it wasn\u2019t much of a contest.<\/p>\n
The Rays did a lot of what they\u2019ve been doing, cobbling together big innings with a versatile offense getting contributions from throughout the lineup, complemented by strong pitching and playing solid defense.<\/p>\n
And winning, with a 14-8 final.<\/p>\n
The Rays (42-34) have done particularly well against good teams. <\/p>\n
By one measure, better than anyone. With Friday\u2019s win, the Rays have a majors-best 27-18 record against teams that went into play Friday at .500 or better.<\/p>\n
That includes last weekend, when after two straight losses to the Red Sox, they rolled into Citi Field to face a star-studded Mets team that at the time had the best record in the baseball \u2014 and crowds in excess of 40,000 each day \u2014 and swept the series.<\/p>\n
Next they went 2-2 against an Orioles club that came into Steinbrenner Field on an 11-4 roll. <\/p>\n
And then certainly Friday, when they tamed a Tigers team that has been playing at a very high level.<\/p>\n
Christopher Morel (24) celebrates with Yandy D\u00edaz (2) after the latter’s second homer of the night in the fifth inning. [\u00a0LUIS SANTANA | Times\u00a0]<\/p>\n
\u201cI think what it says most is that we\u2019re a good team,\u201d manager Kevin Cash said. \u201cOther than that, I don\u2019t know how to say it. But we\u2019re a good team, and certainly you\u2019ve got to find ways to beat good teams. And right now I\u2019m happy that we are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yandy Diaz, whose two homers led Friday\u2019s 16-hit attack, took it a step further.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me, for the past month, we\u2019ve been the best team in baseball,\u201d he said, via team interpreter Eddie Rodriguez. \u201cAnd it says a lot about us.\u201d<\/p>\n
And how they handle the challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that we just show up against good teams,\u201d said starter Shane Baz, who worked into the sixth inning to win his fourth straight decision and seventh overall. \u201cWe have kind of found our identity, I think, a little bit. <\/p>\n
\u201c(Detroit\u2019s) a great team. They had great at-bats all night against me. They\u2019re kind of a complete team also, and I think it just speaks to what we can do and just are going to try and keep doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Plus, infielder Curtis Mead, who reached base five times, said the success they\u2019re having now will payoff in October.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s awesome,\u201d Mead said. \u201cI feel like we want to challenge ourselves against the best teams, because that\u2019s ultimately who we\u2019re going to play in the playoffs. So it\u2019s been a pretty cool run to be a part of.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Explore all your options<\/a><\/p>\n The offense has been the driving force in the Rays\u2019 month-long surge, with the ability to put together multi-run innings.<\/p>\n They did that twice Friday.<\/p>\n In the first inning, Diaz hit his third leadoff homer of the season and 19th of his career, then a Jake Mangum single, Jonathan Aranda walk, Mead single and a two-out double by Matt Thaiss made it 4-0 as they sent eight men to the plate against Detroit starter Jack Flaherty.<\/p>\n The Tigers cut the lead to 4-3 in the third when Riley Greene hit a three-run homer off Baz.<\/p>\n But the Rays roared right back with another four-run outburst.<\/p>\n Mead singled, Josh Lowe and Thaiss walked, Taylor Walls delivered a bases-clearing double (then took third on an errant throw) and Kameron Misner dropped a perfect safety squeeze bunt to score Walls.<\/p>\n The Tigers got within 9-5 in the sixth, and the relentless Rays answered again.<\/p>\n By the end of the night, all nine starters had a hit (for the fifth time this season, second most in the majors), seven scored runs and six drove at least one in. The 7-8-9 hitters (Thaiss, Walls, Misner) were 7-for-14 with eight RBIs.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think it would even matter what order we put people in right now,\u201d Baz said. \u201cEveryone\u2019s just doing so well at the plate. Just getting a lead like that is so nice. It\u2019s just fun. It\u2019s fun to be a part of. It takes a lot of pressure off you as a pitcher, so yeah, really grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n The 14 runs were their third most of the season. They reached double digits for the seventh time in their last 25 games, and 10th overall, tied for third most in the majors. And it was the 18th game they had an inning scoring four or more runs.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s fun to be a part of right now,\u201d Mead said. \u201cI feel like we\u2019ve got some guys making good decisions. We\u2019ve got some guys who can leave the yard. I think we\u2019re pretty dynamic. It takes a pretty good approach to get all of us out.\u201d<\/p>\n Though it\u2019s still June, it is worth noting that the Rays do hold the top American League wild-card spot. More intriguing, Friday\u2019s win moved them within 1 \u00bd games of the AL East-leading Yankees.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re always looking to continue to improve,\u201d Cash said. \u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019re content with where we\u2019re at, but we\u2019re happy with the way we\u2019re playing. Just want to see that consistently show up night after night.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022 \u2022 \u2022<\/p>\n Sign up for our Sports Today newsletter<\/a> to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.<\/p>\n Every weekday, tune into our Sports Day Tampa Bay podcast<\/a> to hear reporter Rick Stroud break down the biggest stories in Tampa Bay sports.<\/p>\n Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on X<\/a> and Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\nJake Mangum gets high-fives in the dugout after scoring in the first inning. [\u00a0LUIS SANTANA | Times\u00a0]<\/p>\n
Yandy D\u00edaz celebrates in the dugout with teammates after hitting a homer in the first inning. [\u00a0LUIS SANTANA | Times\u00a0]<\/p>\n