Junior Caminero's 42nd homer fuels Rays' 12-1 rout of Phillies

Junior Caminero launched a two-run homer in the first inning and finished with three runs scored as the Tampa Bay Rays routed the Philadelphia Phillies 12-1 on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park.

The Associated Press highlighted Caminero's early blast - his 42nd home run of the season - as the swing that pushed him to 101 RBI for the AL East champions. Per ESPN's box, Caminero went 2-for-3 with a walk, three runs, two RBI, and that first-inning shot off Aaron Nola.

First-inning damage, then a pile-on

Yandy Díaz doubled to open the game, and Caminero drove a two-run homer to left-center for a 2-0 lead. Victor Mesa Jr. followed with a double, and Richie Palacios doubled him home for 3-0 before Nola (7-12) was done after one inning. ESPN's scoring summary matches that opening frame: Caminero's homer and Palacios' RBI double.

Tampa Bay broke it open in the fifth. Mesa Jr. singled home Díaz, Palacios walked with the bases loaded, and Cedric Mullins singled in two more for a 7-0 cushion. In the sixth, Mesa Jr. doubled home another run and Palacios singled in two, stretching the lead to 10-0. Ryan Vilade's two-run single in the ninth closed the scoring at 12-1.

Mesa Jr. finished 4-for-5 with three runs, two RBI, and two doubles - his first four-hit game in the majors, the AP noted. Palacios drove in four. Díaz went 3-for-4 with three runs before giving way to Vilade.

Bullpen night after Jax exits

Starter Griffin Jax worked three scoreless innings before a Trea Turner line drive struck him in the lower back. The ball caromed to shortstop Taylor Walls, who threw out Turner for the third out, and Jax left the game. Steven Matz (6-6) followed with a hitless fourth for the win.

Brody Hopkins, Cameron Booser, Manuel Rodríguez, Ty Johnson, and Cole Sulser finished a night in which Philadelphia's only run was unearned in the seventh.

The Phillies used six relievers after Nola. José Alvarado was booed after allowing three runs in the fifth, the AP reported, and José Urquidy gave up three more in the sixth as fans headed for the exits on a rainy night.

Wild-card pressure for Philadelphia, not Tampa Bay

Philadelphia dropped its fourth straight and entered Sunday still trying to lock down the NL's third wild-card berth. The Diamondbacks lost 10-7 at San Diego but remained one game back with the tiebreaker, the AP wrote, so the Phillies need a win Sunday or an Arizona loss. Zack Wheeler is lined up for Philadelphia; Tampa Bay plans Nick Martinez.

For an already-clinched Rays club at 98-63, Saturday was about finishing strong on the road. Caminero's 42nd homer and 101st RBI set the tone in a 17-hit attack that left little doubt after the first inning.

Sources

ESPN

CBS Sports