Tampa Bay had the game in hand before Arizona could settle in. Drew Rasmussen was sharp from the first pitch, and the Rays offense gave him all the cushion he needed inside the first two innings. The result was a 5-1 win that extended Tampa Bay's winning streak to three games.
Rasmussen was the story. He worked six innings, allowing just 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 5, and did not allow a run on 99 pitches. The win moves him to 7-4 on the season, with a 2.45 ERA. Junior Caminero backed him with the game's most productive individual performance — going 3-for-3 with a walk, a home run to center (463 feet) in the fifth, and 2 RBI. Cedric Mullins added a solo home run to right center (404 feet) in the second, and Ben Williamson contributed a solo shot to left center (402 feet) in the sixth.
Tampa Bay struck first in the bottom of the first when Caminero singled to left and Díaz scored to put the Rays ahead 1-0. The second inning widened the gap: Mullins homered to make it 2-0, and Díaz followed with a sacrifice fly to right that scored Walls, pushing the lead to 3-0. Caminero's home run in the fifth made it 4-0, and Williamson's blast in the sixth closed the Rays' scoring at 5-0. Ketel Marte's solo home run to center (424 feet) in the eighth provided Arizona's only run.
Merrill Kelly absorbed the loss, falling to 5-8. He allowed 5 runs on 8 hits over 6 innings, walking 2 and striking out 3 on 93 pitches. With a 5.84 ERA, Kelly has now dropped eight decisions this season against five wins.
Tampa Bay improved to 46-33, sitting second in the division. Arizona fell to 41-40 after dropping this one on the road.