ST. PETERSBURG -- Hosting the team with the Majors’ second-best record, the Rays issued a reminder Friday night why they’ve been baseball’s top team all season.
They dealt on the mound, led by six strong innings from Tyler Glasnow. They dazzled in the field, pairing their typically reliable glovework with a highlight-reel sliding catch by Manuel Margot, and dashed around the bases.
And the Rays dominated at the plate, with Isaac Paredes playing the role of hero in their 8-3 win over the Rangers before a crowd of 17,447 at Tropicana Field. Paredes homered twice and drove in a career-high six runs in Tampa Bay’s seventh straight victory, which improved the club’s MLB-leading record to 47-19.
“I feel good. I feel really good,” Paredes said through interpreter Manny Navarro. “We knew leading into the series that they were a good team, and we were prepared for them. I'm glad we were able to win the first game.”
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Friday night was the first time since Sept. 14, 2010, that Tampa Bay held the best record in the Majors after June 1 while facing an opponent that owned the second-best mark. But the Rays made the gap between the two look significant in the series opener, silencing the Rangers’ dangerous lineup -- and making plenty of noise of their own.
Paredes did the most damage. He ripped an RBI double to left field off left-hander Andrew Heaney in the first inning to get the Rays on the board, then launched a three-run shot in the third to break a 1-1 tie. Paredes capped his big night by clubbing a two-run blast off reliever Spencer Howard as part of the Rays’ four-run sixth, during which their first six hitters all reached safely.
“We needed it. Very impressive,” manager Kevin Cash said. “He’s just so steady and so solid.”
Paredes’ home runs and RBIs can come in bunches, as he’s put together five multi-homer games and seven games with at least four RBIs over the last two years. But he’s become a bit more steady and well-rounded this season, pairing his tremendous pull-side power with more hits to the opposite field.
Now, Paredes is batting .270 with an .855 OPS, 11 home runs and a team-leading 44 RBIs.
“I think there's more confidence this year. He's been probably a tick more consistent,” Cash said. “We want him to pull the ball; that's his strength. But he has shown the ability many times here this season to go to right field to pick up an RBI with two strikes. So his awareness at the plate is pretty elite.”
Paredes’ performance was also emblematic of the Rays’ depth. He became their sixth player with double-digit home runs this season, compared to only three all of last year.
The 24-year-old third baseman may not receive quite the same level of attention as some other Rays, including potential All-Stars like Randy Arozarena or Wander Franco. But he fits in well in the clubhouse, and he’s earned his teammates’ respect as a big part of their roster the last two seasons.
“He's always locked in, always very consistent,” Glasnow said. “He's just always serious and stern and just always ready to play. And I've never seen him, like, up or down or angry at all. Just always, no matter how he's playing, he's the same dude. And he's a phenomenal baseball player.”
Glasnow, meanwhile, limited the Majors’ highest-scoring team to just one hit -- a Leody Taveras solo homer. Making his third start after a season-opening stint on the injured list, Glasnow walked three and struck out six in his first win -- and longest outing -- since June 8, 2021.
“Inconsistent at times, but I feel like I was able to put everything together,” said Glasnow, whose fastball sat at 96.8 mph after averaging 94.9 mph last Saturday. “I think today was the first time that I felt back to relatively normal.”
The Rays only allowed three hits on the night, and all three were homers: two by Taveras and another by Josh Jung off Luis Patiño in the ninth. Their defense was outstanding as usual, never more so than when Margot slid through foul ground in right field to snag Jung’s fly ball in the fourth inning.
“Especially stealing a foul ball, just stealing an out in that fashion, it's great,” Glasnow said. “The defense tonight made a bunch of really good plays, so it makes my life a lot easier.”
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