Rays take advantage of Royals error, other opportunities to roll to win

Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times on Jun 24, 2026

Published in Baseball

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TAMPA, Fla. — When you’re struggling like the Tampa Bay Rays have been, losing 18 of their previous 27 games, scoring three or fewer runs in 14, coming up a single run short eight times, you’ll take anything to get you going.

Wednesday, it was an errant throw home by Royals first baseman Jac Caglianone in the third inning that led to two runs and started the Rays on their way to a 5-3 victory.

The Rays have a chance for their first back-to-back wins in more than two weeks, and a series split, on Thursday, though with a quick turnaround given the 12:10 p.m. ET first pitch.

Griffin Jax gave the Rays five solid innings, allowing two unearned runs in the fifth after errors by shortstop Taylor Walls and left fielder Chandler Simpson, and extending his pitch count to 88, a key step in his ongoing transition from reliever to starter. Four relievers took it from there, with Bryan Baker, after allowing a one-out homer in the ninth, earning his 20th save.

The Rays’ rally in the third started with an infield single by Nick Fortes and the first of Yandy Diaz’s four hits. With the Rays going back to their small-ball offense, Jonny DeLuca bunted both runners up a base. After starter Noah Cameron fell behind 2-0 to Junior Caminero, the Royals elected to put him on and load the bases.

Ryan Vilade bounced a ball to first that Caglianone, a Tampa Plant product who homered twice Tuesday, gloved and took to the base for an out but then threw wide of home plate. DeLuca scored, and as the ball caromed off his leg and away from catcher Salvador Perez, Diaz also crossed the plate. Jonathan Aranda followed with a single to score Caminero and make it 3-0.

Not taking advantage of early scoring opportunities has been an issue for the Rays through their extended struggles, but they did so in the fourth, adding two more runs.

Walls led off with a double, Simpson bunted him to third and Fortes was hit by a pitch. Diaz delivered the run with a single, giving him 447 RBIs with the Rays. He moved past former longtime teammate Brandon Lowe and into a tie for seventh place on the franchise all-time list with BJ Upton. DeLuca, a boost to the lineup since returning Friday from a month-long injured-list stint, followed with a double to make it 5-0.

The Royals got two runs in the fifth. With one on and two out, Walls whiffed on Caglianone’s grounder up the middle. That put Royals on second and third, and both scored when Simpson misplayed Perez’s liner to left.

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