Nothing separated these teams for long. The lead changed hands four times before Jonny DeLuca settled it in the seventh, sending a two-run shot to left that turned a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 advantage Tampa Bay would carry to the final out.
DeLuca finished 2-for-4 with a home run and 2 RBI. He entered the night hitting .276 with 4 home runs and 22 RBI on the season. Ryan Vilade also went deep for the Rays, a solo shot to center in the sixth that measured 436 feet and cut Washington's lead to 3-2, setting the stage for DeLuca's go-ahead blast an inning later.
The scoring began in the third. James Wood's sacrifice fly to center brought Jose Tena home to give Washington a 1-0 lead. Tampa Bay answered immediately: Díaz scored on a double by Díaz — Walls scored on Díaz's double to right, evening the game at 1-1. Washington retook the lead in the fourth when Dylan Crews doubled to left, scoring C. J. Abrams to make it 2-1. Abrams then homered to right center in the sixth — a 368-foot drive — to push the margin to 3-1. Vilade's homer pulled Tampa Bay within one before DeLuca's two-run shot in the seventh gave the Rays the lead for good at 4-3.
Nick Martinez started for Tampa Bay and worked 6.0 innings, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits with 3 walks and 5 strikeouts on 88 pitches. He did not factor into the decision. Abrams led Washington's offense, going 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, and 1 RBI while scoring twice. He carries a .283 average with 17 home runs and 57 RBI this season.
Tampa Bay moved to 42-31, sitting second in its division. Washington won for the first time after a loss, improving to 40-37 and third in its division.