Tampa Bay at Texas

Tampa Bay at Texas

This is Missed It. Tampa Bay at Texas, Saturday, September 5, with the Rays. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

Tampa Bay Rays at Texas Rangers. That's the whole table tonight, and it's all we need. The Rays come in looking to keep the good times rolling, and the Rangers are standing in the way. First pitch is moments away, and we've got a ballgame to settle. Let's get into it.

Innings 1-3

We start in the top of the first, score tied at zero. Two outs, bases empty, and Junior Caminero steps in. The crowd is still settling, the Rangers are just getting loose, and Caminero doesn't wait. He gets a pitch he can handle and sends a line drive straight out to center field. It's gone. Just like that, the Rays have a one to nothing lead. Caminero rounds the bases with that easy confidence, and we're up early. That's the kind of start you dream about on the road. One swing, and the whole dugout is alive. The Rangers come up in the bottom of the first, and they're quiet. Three batters, no runs. Our guy on the mound is dealing, keeping them off balance, and we get out of the inning still up one to nothing. The top of the second, we send three batters up and nothing comes of it. No runs, no damage, but we're still holding the lead. The bottom of the second, Texas again goes three up, three down. No runs. We're cruising. Top of the third, same story. Three batters, no runs. The Rangers can't solve us. Bottom of the third, they get their chance, but it's the same result. Three batters, no runs. Through three full innings, it's still one to nothing, Rays. Caminero's blast is the difference, and we're in control.

Innings 4-6

Top of the fourth, we send four batters up but can't push anything across. Still one to nothing. Bottom of the fourth, Texas gets something going. One out, bases empty, and Corey Seager steps in. He takes a swing and lines one to center field, right at Cedric Mullins, but it drops in for a single. Seager's on base, and you can feel the Rangers starting to breathe a little. But we bear down, and the inning ends with no runs. We escape. Still one to nothing. Top of the fifth, two outs, bases empty, and Richie Palacios comes to the plate. This is the kind of at-bat that can change a game. Palacios gets a pitch he likes and drives it on a fly ball to right field. It's carrying, it's carrying, and it's gone. A home run. Palacios circles the bases, and just like that, it's two to nothing, Rays. That's a huge swing. Two outs, nobody on, and we find a way to add on. That's how you win on the road. The dugout is fired up, and we've got some breathing room. Bottom of the fifth, Texas sends four batters up, but no runs. We hold. Top of the sixth, three batters, no runs. Still two to nothing. Bottom of the sixth, the Rangers finally answer. One out, bases empty, and Joc Pederson steps in. He gets a pitch and sends a fly ball to right field. It's deep, it's gone. A solo home run. Just like that, it's two to one. The lead is cut in half, and you can feel the momentum shift just a little. But we're still ahead, and we've got the bats to answer.

The Stretch

So here we are, two to one, Rays. The first half of this game turned on one swing, and it was Richie Palacios with two outs and nobody on in the top of the fifth. That home run gave us a two-run cushion, and it turned out we needed every bit of it, because Joc Pederson answered in the bottom of the sixth. Now it's a one-run game, and every pitch matters. We need to keep the Rangers off the board, and we need to find a way to add on. The bats have been quiet outside of the homers, but this team has a way of stepping up when it counts. Let's finish this.

Innings 7-9

Top of the seventh, we get something going. Two outs, two on, and Ryan Vilade steps to the plate. This is a big moment. We've got runners in scoring position, and a hit here could blow this game open. But Vilade swings and misses, strikes out swinging. The inning ends, and we leave two on. That one stings. We had a chance to put this game away, and we couldn't get it done. Still two to one, Rays. Bottom of the seventh, Texas sends three batters up, and they go quietly. No runs. We get out of the inning, and we're still holding on to that one-run lead. But we need more. We can't keep letting these chances slip away.

The Sequence

This is where the game gets decided. Top of the eighth, score still two to one. We get two on with two outs, and Liam Hicks steps in. He's got a chance to be the hero. Hicks takes a swing and lines one to left field, past Wyatt Langford. Jonathan Aranda comes around to score, and Junior Caminero moves to third. It's three to one, Rays. That's a huge hit. Two outs, two on, and we find a way to push a run across. That's the kind of at-bat that wins ballgames. But Texas isn't done. Bottom of the eighth, no outs, bases empty, and Evan Carter steps in. He gets a pitch and sends a fly ball to right center field. It's gone. A solo home run. Three to two. The lead is down to one, and you can feel the tension in the dugout. Then, with one out and a runner on, Justin Foscue steps in. He lines one to center field, past Cedric Mullins, and Cam Cauley comes around to score. It's tied. Three to three. Just like that, the lead is gone. The Rangers have clawed all the way back, and we're in a ballgame. Top of the ninth, we send three batters up, and nothing happens. No runs. Bottom of the ninth, Texas gets four batters up, but they can't push anything across. We get out of it, and we're headed to extra innings. Tied at three. Top of the tenth, and this is where it happens. One out, two on, and Jonathan Aranda steps to the plate. The game is on the line. Aranda gets a pitch and sends a fly ball to right center field. It's deep, it's gone. A three-run home run. Jorge Mateo scores, Yandy Díaz scores, and Aranda rounds the bases. It's six to three, Rays. The dugout erupts. That's the swing of the game. That's the swing that wins it. Bottom of the tenth, Texas sends three batters up, and they go quietly. No runs. The game is over. Six to three, Rays.

Wrap-up

Final score, six to three, Tampa Bay Rays. Jonathan Aranda's three-run homer in the tenth was the dagger, and we walk out of here with a win. It wasn't easy. We gave up a lead, we let them tie it, but we never stopped fighting. And when it mattered most, we found a way. That's what this team does. That's what we do. Six to three, Rays.

Outro

That was Tampa Bay at Texas, from the Rays side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.

Tampa Bay at Texas

This is Missed It. Tampa Bay at Texas, Saturday, September 5, with the Rangers. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

Tampa Bay Rays at Texas Rangers. That's the whole table tonight, and it's all we need. The Rangers are home, the Rays are in town, and we've got a ballgame ahead of us. No score yet, nobody's crossed the plate, and both sides are just waiting to see who blinks first. We're in the early innings of a fresh one, and the air is full of that first-pitch energy. Let's get to it.

Innings 1-3

Top of the first, and Tampa Bay comes out swinging. Two outs, bases empty, and Junior Caminero steps in. He gets a pitch he likes and sends it on a line drive to center field. That ball is gone. Just like that, a solo homer, and the Rays have themselves a one-nothing lead. Caminero rounds the bases, and we're down a run before we've even had a bat. It stings, but it's early. We've got nine innings to answer. Bottom of the first, and we send three batters up. No runs. We're still down one-nothing, but the order is turning over. Top of the second, Tampa Bay sends three up, three down. No runs. We match them in the bottom half, three batters, no runs. Still one-nothing. Top of the third, same story for the Rays, three up, three down. Bottom of the third, we get our shot, three batters, no runs. It's a quiet game so far, but that one swing from Caminero is the difference. We're down one, and we haven't found our rhythm yet.

Innings 4-6

Top of the fourth, Tampa Bay sends four batters to the plate, but they can't push anything across. Still one-nothing. Bottom of the fourth, and here's something. One out, bases empty, and Corey Seager steps in. He takes a swing and lines one to center field, right past Cedric Mullins. A single. That's our first real spark of the night. Seager's on first, and the crowd lets him hear it. But we can't bring him home. Four batters, no runs, and we're still down one. Top of the fifth, and Tampa Bay strikes again. Two outs, bases empty, and Richie Palacios gets a hold of one. Fly ball to right field, and it just keeps carrying. Gone. Another solo homer, and just like that it's two-nothing. That one hurts. We had a chance to build something, and instead they've doubled the lead. Bottom of the fifth, we send four up, but nobody scores. Still two-nothing. Top of the sixth, Tampa Bay goes quietly, three up, three down. Bottom of the sixth, and we finally answer. One out, bases empty, and Joc Pederson steps in. He swings, and it's a fly ball to right field. That ball is gone. A solo homer of our own, and the score is two-one. The crowd is on its feet. We're back in this thing. Pederson rounds the bases, and for the first time all night, it feels like we've got momentum.

The Stretch

So here we are, two-one, and the game is hanging in the balance. The play that turned the first half was that Palacios homer in the top of the fifth. Two outs, nobody on, and he made us pay. That was the moment the lead stretched from one to two, and it changed everything. We clawed one back with Pederson's blast, but we're still chasing. What we need now is to keep that energy. We need to lock it down on the mound, keep the Rays off the board, and find a way to tie this thing up. The bats are waking up. We just need one more push.

Innings 7-9

Top of the seventh, and Tampa Bay is threatening. Two outs, two on, and Ryan Vilade is at the plate. The tension is thick. He takes his swings, and he strikes out swinging. That's a huge out for us. We escape the jam, the score stays two-one, and the crowd exhales. Bottom of the seventh, we send three up, three down. No runs. Still two-one, and we're running out of time. Top of the eighth, and the Rays are at it again. Two outs, two on, and Liam Hicks steps in. He lines one to left field, and Wyatt Langford can't get there. Jonathan Aranda scores, Junior Caminero moves to third, and just like that it's three-one. That's a gut punch. We had a chance to hold them, and they found a way through. Bottom of the eighth, and we need an answer. No outs, bases empty, and Evan Carter steps in. He swings, and it's a fly ball to right center field. Gone. A solo homer, and the score is three-two. We're within one. The crowd is roaring. Then, one out, a runner on, and Justin Foscue steps in. He lines one to center field, past Cedric Mullins, and Cam Cauley scores. Tie game. Three-three. We've done it. We've fought all the way back, and this ballgame is brand new. Top of the ninth, Tampa Bay sends three up, three down. No runs. Bottom of the ninth, we get our chance to walk it off. Four batters, but nobody scores. Three-three, and we're heading to extras.

The Sequence

This is where it's decided. Top of the eighth, two outs, two on, and Liam Hicks singles to left. Jonathan Aranda scores, Junior Caminero to third, and it's three-one. We're down two, and it feels like the air is leaving the building. But bottom of the eighth, no outs, bases empty, Evan Carter homers to right center. Three-two. One run. Then one out, a runner on, Justin Foscue doubles to center, Cam Cauley scores. Three-three. We've tied it. The place is electric. Top of the ninth, Tampa Bay goes quietly. Bottom of the ninth, we can't finish it. Three-three, and we go to the tenth. Top of the tenth, and this is the one that breaks us. One out, two on, and Jonathan Aranda steps in. He swings, and it's a fly ball to right center field. Gone. A three-run homer. Jorge Mateo scores, Yandy Díaz scores, and Aranda touches home. Six-three. The lead is gone, and the game is slipping away. Bottom of the tenth, we send three up, three down. No runs. That's the ballgame.

Wrap-up

Final score, six-three. Tampa Bay by three. We fought back, we tied it, we gave ourselves a chance. But that tenth inning did us in. Aranda's homer was the dagger, and we couldn't find an answer. It's a tough one to swallow, but we never stopped battling. We'll take this one on the chin and come back tomorrow. That's all we can do.

Outro

That was Tampa Bay at Texas, from the Rangers side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.