Gathering necessary wins in a pennant race

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – This is the time of the season where each pitch, each play and each event tend to be amplified.

Separation between teams is far from complete and division and wild card races strengthen.

Teams which have risen to the top of the baseball world, here in late August and into September, find themselves in a position to maintain their stature. Within this perspective, teams which tend to stay alive find ways to win and maintain what each club believers is its destiny.

When the AL East leading Tampa Bay Rays came from behind to defeat San Diego, trying to gain a foothold in the NL Wild Card race on August 29, the win represented that kind of victory which tends to “define” a club. More important, this is the kind of win teams need to push forward and gain a divide in the standings.

Down by three in the bottom of the seventh, the Rays rallied for three to knot this one and when Chadler Simpson’s two-out single scored pinch runner Jorge Mateo with the game-winner, the Rays celebrated a 7-6 win before 25,621, a sellout in Tropicana Field.

The win displayed the kind of resiliency needed to survive in September. Equally important, the Tampa Bay win demonstrated that good teams “find” ways to win during the emotional grind of a pennant race.

“We’re getting to the point where every win is magnified,” said Tampa Bay starter Nick Martinez after his ninth no-decision of the season against the Padres on Aug. 29. “Each series is magnified and not to give up like we did, to come back and win says a great deal about this group.”

In a game tied at three, the Padres scored three in the top of the seventh and the Rays faced what manager Kevin Cash called, “becoming a frustrating loss.” Quickly, the bases were loaded on a walk and two singles. Yandy Diaz drove a liner to the center field fence and when the relay throw from second baseman Luis Rengifo, as his left knee appeared to buckle to the plate, bounced, all three scored.

Simpson followed with a two-out, game-winning single to left which scored pinch runner Jorge Mateo. Closer Bryan Baker then slammed a ninth inning door to record his major league-leading 39^th save.

The way in which the Rays managed to pull this out demonstrated the kind of character needed to succeed in a pennant race environment.

“I feel the entire month of September will be like post-season baseball,” said shortstop Taylor Walls, who chipped in with a 2-for-4 night and a run scored. “It’s like every team we play is in a race or will they be there. These games matter for us and sometimes feel like they manner for the team on the other side. Everybody’s in it and the play from here on out will be against tough opponents and in tough environments. This will be good preparation for us to see how we will match up in many games going into October.”

Within the perspective of winning at the most significant time of the season, the Rays took their 33^rd come-from-behind win of the season. For the record book, the win over San Diego on Aug. 29 elevated to team record to 81-54 and the fifth time in franchise history that they secured a .500 or better record before September 1.

“At this point, every win is big,” said Simpson, who turned in his AL-leading 47^th multi-hit game of the season. “Definitely a win like this is satisfying, and especially when we were down by a coupe of runs. They way we came back definitely showed the resiliency.”

Next … The San Diego series concludes on Aug 30. That’s when AL Cy Young candidate Drew Rasmussen takes his 13-5 mark and 3.01 ERA to the hill against former Cy Young winner lefty Robbie Ray (11-7, 3.21). The current home stand concludes with three against the New York Mets. Then, a 7-game game road trip. This includes four with the Rangers in Arington, Tex and three with the Braves in Atlanta. The Rays then return to Tropicana Field for their final home stand of the season. There are three with Houston, three with the A’s and three with Boston.

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