WEST SACRAMENTO — The Tampa Bay Rays capped the first perfect road trip of three or more series in franchise history with an 8-4 win over the Athletics, completing a 9-0 sweep through Colorado, Seattle and West Sacramento that is just the 13th road trip of 9-0 or better by any team in the Modern Era since 1900, per Stats Perform.
“We did everything really well,” manager Kevin Cash said. “We hit well. We pitched well. We defended well. We ran the bases well. As a result, we found a way to get nine wins. Very impressive by that group.”
Catcher Liam Hicks, acquired from the Marlins ahead of the Trade Deadline, went 3-for-5 and came a triple shy of the cycle in the finale. His three-run home run — his second in just eight games with Tampa Bay — broke the game open in a four-run fourth inning after Junior Caminero blooped an RBI single with two outs. Hicks also delivered a crucial grand slam in a comeback win over the Rockies on Aug. 4.
“He’s got a knack for putting the ball in play and finding the barrel, and he’s come up with two of the biggest hits on this trip, for sure,” Cash said.
The Rays averaged 10 runs per game in the three-game sweep of the A’s, rapping 15 hits in the finale with five players — Hicks, Caminero, designated hitter Yandy Díaz and outfielders Cedric Mullins and Jonny DeLuca — recording multi-hit games. Shortstop Taylor Walls had the go-ahead hit Monday and his first two home runs of the season Tuesday, while outfielder Chandler Simpson hit .429 (15-for-35) in the first eight games before sitting the finale.
The club’s two-out production was staggering: 36-for-112 (.321) with a 1.025 OPS with two outs on the nine-game trip. Tampa Bay leads MLB this season in both batting average (.268) and OPS (.762) with two outs. “Two-out RBIs are a killer,” Hicks said. “The pitcher feels like he’s about to get out of the inning, and then you’re able to put something in play and then pass the baton to the next guy.”
Starter Drew Rasmussen picked up his 12th win of the season with five innings of two-run ball. “There are so many different ways that we can find to score runs,” Rasmussen said. “Our ability to score, it’s never reliant on one facet of the game. We have a bunch of different options, and continuously, we get to see our skill sets on display.”
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the only other team to win all nine-plus games of a road trip entirely in Mountain or Pacific time zones was the 1977 Red Sox, who went 9-0 against the Angels, Mariners and Athletics. “On offense, it’s just a pesky team,” Hicks said. “They can steal bases, put the ball in play, and then we’ve got guys who are going to hit homers as well and drive them in.”
The Rays hold an American League-best 74-46 record and a 6 1/2-game lead over the Yankees in the AL East. They return to Tropicana Field on Friday to open a four-game series against the Orioles.