Rays Clinch Postseason Despite Loss To Orioles

By Lily Belcher

The Rays punched their fifth consecutive ticket to the postseason after the Texas Rangers lost Sunday afternoon, despite their own crushing extra-innings loss to the Baltimore Orioles. With a wildcard post season spot secured, the Rays still have a lot to play for in their final 11 games.

Tampa Bay currently sits two games behind Baltimore in the AL East divisional race after going 2-2 in the teams’ final regular season series. The Rays opened the series with two strong victories against the Orioles, who have held the top spot in the division since the Rays’ July slump.

The Rays were looking for a four-game sweep that would have given them first place and the tiebreaker against the O’s. Without game 163, any divisional tiebreaker is determined by the head-to-head record between the teams. In the tight race with Baltimore, a sweep to earn the tiebreaking record seemed like a necessity.

A disappointing game 3 shutout squashed the tiebreaker hopes. Tampa Bay still had a chance to tie the division in the final game of the series, but fell short in eleven innings at Camden Yards.

One positive to come out of the crushing loss was shortstop Tristan Gray making his MLB debut after Taylor Walls went on the paternity list. Gray got his first big league hit early in the game and hit the go-ahead homerun for the Rays in the eighth inning. Before he could finish celebrating, Christian Bethancourt knocked one over the fence, going back-to-back with the 27-year-old rookie.

After the Rays took an exciting 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth, they turned to reliever Pete Fairbanks. Fairbanks gave up a solo shot to Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman to narrow the Rays’ lead and returned for the ninth, looking for the final outs.

Manager Kevin Cash said the decision to use Fairbanks for two innings, a rare outing for the fastball hurler, was made because of the playoff intensity needed for the game.

“It was a big game and we had the lead and [Fairbanks] had been fairly well rested with two days. We talked to him and kind of tried to prep a lot of the bullpen guys coming into this series that usage could alter a little bit,” Cash said.

“I think we looked at this as as close to a post season game. It’s not a postseason game, but [it’s] as close as you’re going to get in the regular season at this point and [Fairbanks] was the right guy for that.”

However, Adam Frazier had other plans with an RBI double to tie the game with two outs. A sacrifice fly by Cedric Mullins allowed Rutschman to score from second in the bottom of the eleventh as the Orioles walked it off.

To pour salt on the wound, the Rays went into the clubhouse after the game to find the couches moved and lockers covered with tarp, clearly prepped for a celebration that never came.

Despite the anti-climactic postseason berth, Cash was proud of his team for making the playoffs for the fifth straight season.

“I’m really excited, really proud of this group. They’re all special in their own way,” Cash said. “…It’s taken a lot to get here. I think everybody realizes that, the injuries, plenty of things have taken place. But [I] really commend this group and [am] happy that we’re in and let’s see where we go.”

The game 4 loss gave the Orioles a two-game lead that the Rays will have to fight to overcome in the final weeks of the regular season. The Rays’ division title chances are now dependent on chipping away at the Orioles lead by tackling their final four series.

Even though the Rangers’ loss gave the Rays’ the postseason berth despite the game 4 outcome, the Rays are looking for most. Winning the division title means avoiding a three-game wildcard series and taking the extra days of rest before battling their way to the World Series.

Sunday’s loss hurt their chances at the division title, but, in the words of Yogi Berra, “it’s not over til it’s over.”

The Rays traveled back to St. Pete where they will host the Los Angeles Angels and the Toronto Blue Jays, who hold the second wildcard spot ahead of the Rangers.

The Angels are on a five-game losing streak, just secured their eighth consecutive season with a losing record and are eliminated from the playoffs. Their star Shohei Ohtani is officially out for the season and Mike Trout is still on the injured list, but expected to travel with the team.

The Blue Jays are set to be the Rays’ biggest challenge, playing both a home and away series against their AL East foes. Toronto is hoping to make it past the wild card series in October after falling in the series in their last two postseason appearances.

Between the two series against the Blue Jays, the

Rays will travel to Beantown for two days to face the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox are currently in a tight race with the Yankees for the worst team in the AL East.

The Orioles will face the AL West first place Houston Astros, wildcard competitor Cleveland Guardians, last place Washington Nationals and the Red Sox in their final weeks.