Junior Caminero homered to ignite a five-run fourth inning Saturday, while Taylor Walls doubled twice and knocked in two runs as the visiting Tampa Bay Rays stopped the New York Mets by an 8-4 count.
Drew Rasmussen (6-4) allowed four runs on seven hits and a walk over five innings, fanning three, as Tampa Bay won for the 17th time in 23 games. The Rays handed New York just its second series loss in 13 series this season at Citi Field and tied Toronto for the American League’s top wild-card spot.
Tylor Megill (5-5) surrendered seven hits and six runs, three earned, over 3 2/3 innings and 82 pitches. He walked two and struck out five, succumbing to Tampa Bay’s second big inning in as many games.
After using a six-run sixth on Friday night to subdue the Mets 7-5, the Rays embarked on a game-shaping rally a couple of innings earlier in this one. After Caminero led off the fourth with his 16th homer of the season to knot the score at 2-2, Walls would put the visitors ahead to stay with a one-out safety squeeze bunt. Jake Mangum, who was hit by a pitch after the Caminero long ball, scored on the play and Walls reached safely when Megill bobbled the ball and threw late to first.
Megill got the second out before the inning caved in on him. Brandon Lowe and Yandy Diaz delivered RBI singles to make it 5-2. Jonathan Aranda walked to fill the bases and Megill tossed a wild pitch, enabling Lowe to score.
Walls added a run-scoring double in the fifth for a 7-2 advantage, one of 12 hits by Tampa Bay. Lowe, Diaz, Josh Lowe and Matt Thaiss also rapped out two hits.
New York fought back within 7-4 in its half of the fifth, getting a solo homer from Ronny Mauricio, his second of the year, and Brandon Nimmo’s second consecutive RBI single. But Diaz answered with a run-scoring triple in the sixth that plated Brandon Lowe and four relievers kept the Mets off the board over the final four innings.
Josh Lowe’s RBI single initiated scoring in the third but New York grabbed a 2-1 edge in its half of the inning via Brett Baty’s eighth homer and Nimmo’s run-producing single.
