TAMPA BAY RAYS NEWS

Taylor Walls - Seeing steady starts at shortstop Walls will start at shortstop and bat seventh in Thursday's game against the Athletics.

Impact Though he appeared to be at risk of moving into more of a part-time role when the Rays recalled infielder Junior Caminero from Triple-A Durham on Aug. 13, Walls still looks to be the team's top option at shortstop. Walls will pick up his fifth start in six games Thursday, while Jose Caballero has instead taken the bigger hit from a playing-time perspective following the arrival of Caminero. Caballero boasts the better fantasy profile of the two players thanks to his willingness to run (35 steals in 48 attempts this season), but the Rays seem to place greater value on Walls' defense at shortstop.

AUGUST 22 • ROTOWIRE

Junior Caminero - Receiving afternoon off Caminero is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Athletics.

Impact For the first time since getting called up from Triple-A Durham on Aug. 13, Caminero will head to the bench, breaking a stretch of eight consecutive starts. Jose Caballero will pick up the start at third base Thursday, but Caminero is viewed as the organization's long-term answer at the hot corner and should handle a near-everyday role down the stretch.

AUGUST 22 • ROTOWIRE

Alex Jackson - Retreating to bench Wednesday Jackson is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Athletics.

Impact Jackson will give way to Rob Brantly behind the dish as the Rays wrap up their series in Oakland. Ben Rortvedt (personal) is likely to return from the paternity list this weekend in Los Angeles, so Jackson's brief run as the Rays' No. 1 backstop should soon come to an end. Jackson owns a lowly .434 OPS over 144 plate appearances on the season, but he's shown some improvement since the All-Star break with a .200/.294/.378 slash line across 18 games.

AUGUST 22 • ROTOWIRE

Yandy Díaz - Piling up hits Diaz went 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI on Wednesday against the Athletics.

Impact Diaz suffered an injury scare Sunday after being hit by a pitch in the arm. He didn't miss any action and went 4-for-11 with two doubles in the Rays' ensuing three-game series against Oakland. Diaz has had a strong month of August, maintaining a .297 average with six RBI and eight runs scored across 18 games.

AUGUST 22 • ROTOWIRE

Rays' José Caballero Addresses Infighting in Rays Dugout During Win Over Oakland Emotions got the best of Caballero and teammate Yandy Diaz.

AUGUST 22 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM

Jonny DeLuca - Swipes two bags in win DeLuca went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases, an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's win over Oakland.

Impact DeLuca grounded into a fielder's choice play in his second at-bat, scoring Jose Caballero to tie the game at 1-1. The outfielder would then go on to steal second before coming around to score on a Yandy Diaz double. DeLuca reached twice in the contest and swiped his 12th and 13th bags of the season. He's now recorded two steals in two of his last three games.

AUGUST 22 • ROTOWIRE

Manuel Rodríguez - Picks up first save Rodriguez picked up the save over the Athletics on Wednesday, striking out one over a perfect ninth inning.

Impact Rodriguez took over with a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth and needed nine pitches to get through the leadoff batter before ultimately retiring the side in order for his first save of the campaign. Rodriguez now appears to be working in a closer-by-committee situation with Pete Fairbanks on the injured list due to a lat strain, as Edwin Uceta recorded the Rays' previous save on Aug. 20. The 28-year-old right-hander is still yet to allow a run in August, posting a 10:3 K:BB over that seven-inning stretch (eight appearances).

AUGUST 22 • ROTOWIRE

Ryan Pepiot - Strong outing in win Pepiot (7-5) picked up the win over the Athletics on Wednesday, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk over six innings while striking out five.

Impact Pepiot left a cutter up in the zone with two outs in the first and watched on as JJ Bleday launched it into the stands for a solo shot to put Oakland on top 1-0. However, the right-hander looked sharp from that point on, hurling four consecutive shutout innings before surrendering a second run in the sixth. Pepiot induced 18 whiffs on the night and he's now won his last three decisions (spanning four starts). In two starts since returning from the injured list he's posted a 1.59 ERA to go along with a 10:2 K:BB.

AUGUST 22 • ROTOWIRE

Rays bring 2-1 series lead over Athletics into game 4

The Tampa Bay Rays play the Oakland Athletics with a 2-1 series lead

AUGUST 22 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Clinging to slim playoff hopes, Rays seek series win vs. A's Two consecutive victories in Oakland have moved Tampa Bay two games above .500 and 6 1/2 games out of the final American League wild-card sp...

AUGUST 22 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM

Tampa Bay Rays at Los Angeles Dodgers Preview - 08/23/2024 This browser does not support the video element.

AUGUST 22 • MLB.COM

How to Watch Rays vs. Athletics: TV Channel & Live Stream - August 22

Preview the August 22 matchup between the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics with recent trends, how to watch, livestream info, and more.

AUGUST 22 • DATA SKRIVE

Rays beat A's behind Jose Siri, Ryan Pepiot Jose Siri hit a go-ahead two-run homer and Ryan Pepiot allowed just two runs in six innings as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the host Oakland A’s...

AUGUST 22 • CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.COM

Tampa Bay Rays at Oakland Athletics Preview - 08/22/2024 This browser does not support the video element.

AUGUST 22 • MLB.COM

Siri homers, Pepiot shines in birthday win OAKLAND -- Rays manager Kevin Cash said he had no idea he was sending starter Ryan Pepiot to the mound on his 27th birthday. “Really?” Cash...

AUGUST 22 • MLB.COM

Jose Siri hits go-ahead homer for second straight game, pushes Rays to 4-2 win over Athletics

Jose Siri hit a late go-ahead homer for the second straight game, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Oakland Athletics 4-2 on Wednesday

AUGUST 22 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rays vs. Athletics Prediction, Odds, Picks - August 22

Preview the August 22 matchup between the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics with odds over/under, game spread, betting lines and more.

AUGUST 22 • DATA SKRIVE

Tampa Bay Rays at Oakland Athletics Game Story, Scores/Highlights - 08/21/2024 This browser does not support the video element.

AUGUST 22 • MLB.COM

Dylan Carlson - Idle Wednesday Carlson isn't in the Rays' lineup for Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Impact Carlson has slashed .267/.353/.489 with three homers and nine RBI across 51 plate appearances since joining the Rays, but he'll step out of the lineup for a second consecutive game Wednesday. While he sits, Josh Lowe, Jose Siri and Jonny DeLuca will serve as the Rays' starting trio in the outfield.

AUGUST 21 • ROTOWIRE

After two lackluster offensive showings, Rays seek spark vs. A's The Tampa Bay Rays have just one run on five hits through the first two contests of their four-game series at Oakland.The limited offense, h...

AUGUST 21 • SACBEE.COM

Oakland Athletics take on the Tampa Bay Rays Wednesday

The Oakland Athletics square off against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday

AUGUST 21 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

How to Watch Rays vs. Athletics: TV Channel & Live Stream - August 21

Preview the August 21 matchup between the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics with recent trends, how to watch, livestream info, and more.

AUGUST 21 • DATA SKRIVE

Rays' Shane Baz, Rob Brantly team up for triumphant comebacks as Tampa Bay beats A's

On one side of the winning Tampa Bay clubhouse, pitcher Shane Baz celebrated his first win in more than two years after a long journey back from Tommy John surgery

AUGUST 21 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jose Siri - Clubs homer in win Siri went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 1-0 win over the Athletics.

Impact Siri took Oakland starter Joey Estes deep in the eighth inning for the lone run of the game. Prior to Tuesday, Siri was 0-for-19 across his last eight games, a slump that had started to cost him playing time in center field. The outfielder is up to 15 homers through a career-high 105 contests this season, but he's slashing just .195/.268/.375 with 39 RBI, 41 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. Jonny DeLuca and Kameron Misner have most often replaced Siri in center field, though the Rays have not deployed a strict platoon at the position.

AUGUST 21 • ROTOWIRE

Edwin Uceta - Grabs first post-Fairbanks save Uceta struck out one over 1.1 perfect innings to earn the save in Tuesday's 1-0 win over the Athletics.

Impact Uceta received the first save opportunity since Pete Fairbanks (lat) went on the injured list Monday, and he went on to convert his first major-league save. Uceta retired four batters on a total of nine pitches (seven strikes), extending his scoreless streak to 10.1 innings in the process. He emerged as a setup man after the All-Star break and now has a chance to be part of a closing committee that doesn't have a clear favorite to lead the way just yet. For the year, Uceta has a 0.90 ERA, 0.57 WHIP and 36:4 K:BB over 30 innings. While he doesn't have stellar velocity -- he doesn't throw a four-seamer, and his fastest pitch is a 93.9 mph sinker -- Uceta continues to thrive mostly by inducing weak contact and getting batters to chase pitches at an above-average rate.

AUGUST 21 • ROTOWIRE