ST. PETERSBURG, FL - Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates after sliding safely into home in the eighth inning during the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Sunday, May 3, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Carlee Calfee/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
MLB Photos via Getty Images
Tampa Bay could make franchise history Wednesday afternoon at Tropicana Field versus the visiting Blue Jays. The game could mark the 13th straight the Rays allow three or fewer runs to best the 2014 staff, which pieced together a string of one dozen such games. First things first, and that is equaling the mark Tuesday evening when Shane McClanahan takes the mound against the American League East rival.
The above is merely one example of how efficient Rays’ pitching has been of late, and credit is widespread. The rotation enters Tuesday’s matchup having yielded two runs or less in 11 straight games while the bullpen has a 0.34 ERA in its last 26 1/3 innings. Starting pitchers, of course, find life far more enjoyable when the bullpen picks up the pieces and carries on with a high rate of success.
“The boys have been doing it,” said Nick Martinez, following Monday evening’s 5-1 win over Toronto in which he got the decision, the club’s 10th win in its last 11 games. “It has been a lot of fun to watch. There is a lot of confidence right now in knowing that I can pass the baton and the boys have my back.”
The 35-year-old Martinez was signed as a free agent at the start of spring training with a one-year pact that guaranteed a team-high $13 million after spending the previous two seasons with the Reds. The Miami native and Fordham University product is 3-1 with a 1.71 ERA that is good for third in the American League.
Whether it is those who toil on the mound, apply the lumber at the plate, or flash the leather in the field, the righthander is impressed with how all phases are clicking for the Rays, who were 22-12 and 1.5 games behind the Yankees in the AL East.
“We’re playing very selfless,” he said. "Guys are doing what is asked of them, what the game is dictating. No one is taking any selfish at-bats and (everyone is) taking pride in doing whatever it takes to help the team win.”
The starting rotation incurred a setback late in spring training when Ryan Pepiot was shelved due to right hip inflammation, an injury that ultimately resulted in Tampa Bay’s 2025 opening day starter being lost for the season. Undeterred, the rotation has propelled the Rays whether it is Martinez, McClanahan, who has looked sharp recently after missing two seasons due to Tommy John surgery and a subsequent setback, Drew Rasmussen, Steven Matz or, of late, opener Griffin Jax.
“They have been super sufficient and most teams are going to say you are only as good as your starting pitching giving you a chance to win ballgames,” said manager Kevin Cash, who will now have to do without Matz for what is hoped be nothing more than a couple of turns in the rotation after he was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with left elbow inflammation. “To their credit, multiple times through the rotation now it feels like we are getting those opportunities.”
Speaking of opportunities, one of the Rays is certainly making the best of his.
The Rays were threatening with runners on the corners with no outs and trailing the Giants 1-0 in the bottom of the eighth at Tropicana Field on Sunday afternoon. Righthanded hitting Ryan Vilade, in the cleanup spot, laid down a textbook bunt to the first base side on lefty reliever Ryan Walker’s initial offering. Junior Caminero scored to tie a game the Rays would win in the 10th inning to sweep their National League opponent.
In the bottom of the first against the Blue Jays on Monday night, Vilade, batting third, launched a 75-mph breaking ball delivered by lefty Eric Lauer 413 feet into the left field seats for a three-run homer. While the Rays tacked on a couple of runs, the blast would be all Martinez and the bullpen needed in Tampa Bay’s 5-1 win.
“That’s how we do it here whether it is bunting or extra-base hits,” said the 27-year-old Vilade, whose homer was his first with the Rays and second in the majors. “That speaks for our team.”
Tampa Bay Rays' Ryan Vilade, right, celebrates his three-run home run off Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Eric Lauer with Junior Caminero, center, and Chandler Simpson, left, during the first inning of a baseball game Monday, May 4, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
It also speaks for the 6-foot-1 and 226-pound Vilade, who acquired the nickname “Big Rig” in 2024 while at Triple-A Toledo in the Tigers’ system. (Former Tampa Bay Lightning forward, Pat Maroon, was also a “Big Rig.”) The Rays sent cash considerations to Cincinnati in November in exchange for Vilade, who had brief stints in the majors with the Reds, Cardinals, Tigers – for whom he hit his first dinger in 2024 -- and Rockies totaling all of 28 games and 64 at-bats before the Rays came calling.
“He’s a very versatile player that we knew could play all over the diamond and give us a good at-bats against lefthanded pitching,” said Cash, when asked about the expectations for Vilade heading into the season. “He has done more than that. I am impressed with his overall defense, especially in right field. For a big guy, he covers a lot of ground out there.”
Vilade has also put on a first baseman’s mitt for the first time as a big leaguer. What he has done underscores how the 2026 version of the Tampa Bay Rays go about their work: Doing whatever it takes – a bunt, the long ball, an extended outing by a pitcher, etc. – to win a ballgame.
Additional proof is in the numbers, which include 51 infield hits (eight bunt singles) an MLB-leading 13 sacrifice bunts and 36 stolen bases to tie for second in MLB.
“It’s been a fun team to work with,” said Cash. “They have executed at a high rate. We have guys that bring a lot of energy to the ballpark and everything comes a little easier when you are winning games.”
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