New look brings better result for Rays in victory over Mets

ST. PETERSBURG — Coming off a miserable road trip on which they lost five of six games to the White Sox and Brewers and struck out 30 times over the final three, Rays hitters knew something had to change.

Friday, the team shook up its roster, wore its brand-new City Connect uniforms, and its bats finally broke out in a 10-8 win over the Mets in front of 19,077 at Tropicana Field.

The win was the 754th for manager Kevin Cash, tying him with Joe Maddon for most in franchise history. It also snapped a two-game losing streak for the Rays (15-18), who avoided falling five games below .500 for the first time since June 2018.

“We needed a win, no doubt,” Cash said. “Coming off a rough road trip with a day off, it gives you time to think about things, and I am happy with the way the guys responded.”

The Rays changed their roster by adding catcher Alex Jackson and outfielder Jonny DeLuca before the game. They wore their dark gray and neon “Grit x Glow” uniforms for the first time. And they brought much more energy, said rightfielder Harold Ramirez, who had three hits.

“We had low energy (on the road trip),” Ramirez said. “After that last loss (7-1 Wednesday in Milwaukee), we knew we had low energy and something had to change.”

The Rays started the homestand having lost eight of their last 10 games, averaging 3.1 runs while hitting just .165 with runners in scoring position during that span. They scored just four runs in their previous three games combined and entered the night with the third-worst slugging percentage in the American League.

Friday, they scored a season-high 10 runs on 13 hits. They went 7-for-12 with runners in scoring position and got production from up and down the lineup.

With the home fans chanting his name as he came to the plate, Randy Arozarena ended an 0-for-16 stretch by hitting his first home run since April 24. Yandy Diaz snapped an 0-for-17 skid with two hits and two RBIs.

DeLuca drove in three runs, Amed Rosario had three hits and two RBIs, and Ramirez added three hits. Curtis Mead snapped an 0-for-12 skid with an RBI double, and Jose Caballero had his first extra-base hit since April 22.

Cash saw a lineup that was energetic and confident.

“Ultimately, we were getting pitches to handle,” Cash said, “and when we got them we were able to put pressure on the defense by hitting some balls hard and we kind of kept the line moving ... when guys kept getting on base and there were some big hits.”

The Rays also showed resilience after falling behind early.

Brett Baty hit the first of his two home runs in the game off one of the catwalks above rightfield to give the Mets a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning. He later hit a solo shot off Jason Adam in the ninth.

The Rays tied the game in the bottom of the second on DeLuca’s RBI ground out, Mead’s run-scoring double and Diaz’s RBI single.

“That was big,” Ramirez said. “We said we were going to fight back. When we got down, we kept fighting.”

Tampa Bay chased New York starter Jose Quintana with five runs in the third. Rosario, DeLuca and Diaz hit run-scoring singles, and Jackson added a sacrifice fly.

Arozarena’s first home run in seven games, a 445-foot blast to left-centerfield, put the Rays up 9-3 in the fourth.

“It is nice to see everyone’s hard work pay off,” Arozarena said through team interpreter Manny Navarro.

Rays starter Aaron Civale, however, couldn’t get out of the fifth inning for the third straight start. Tyrone Taylor led off the inning with a double and scored on Starling Marte’s sacrifice fly. Francisco Lindor’s double brought in two runs, and Pete Alonso doubled in another to cut the Mets’ deficit to 9-7.

Rosario extended Tampa Bay’s lead to 10-7 in the sixth on an RBI single off the glove of Mets reliever Jorge Lopez.

The Rays now have to hope their new-found energy can help them turn the page on an awful offensive start to the season. Diaz joked that the energy was high from the “manager to the chefs,” and that it stemmed from the new uniforms.

Hopefully we can have that energy going on for the rest of the year,” he said through Navarro.

• • •

Sign up for the Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.

Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on Instagram, X and Facebook.