Strong pitching, power hitting by Diaz and Vilade lead Rays by Rangers

Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times on Jul 29, 2026

Published in Baseball

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Rays got more dominant pitching on Wednesday, and combined that with a pair of home runs to beat the American League West-leading Rangers, 3-0.

With Casey Legumina opening, Ian Seymour working 4 2/3 innings and the trio of Garrett Cleavinger, Kevin Kelly and Bryan Baker taking it from there, the Rays posted their third shutout in their last four games, and ninth of the season.

Yandy Diaz and Ryan Vilade provided the offense with a pair of first-inning home runs.

The Rays improved their AL-best record to 63-44 and, at the least, maintained their 1 1/2 -game East division lead over the Yankees, who played later Wednesday in Chicago.

Diaz has been in somewhat of a slump, coming into play Wednesday with just two hits in his previous 15 at-bats.

Manager Kevin Cash said before the game that Diaz was “just not timed up right now,” getting caught “a little in-between” on some pitches and missing some others he usually hits square.

But Cash also noted that Diaz was “working really hard behind the scenes to try to find that timing” and to “get the mechanics of his swing” right.

Also, that “I think it can take one swing or one at-bat to get him right. … Full confidence and full trust, he’ll figure it out real soon."

Cash’s words were prescient, as Diaz led off the home first knocking the first pitch from Texas lefty MacKenzie Gore over the rightfield fence.

That was Diaz’s 15th homer of the season and his first since July 21.

Three batters later, Vilade, who lives in the Dallas area and grew up around a Rangers minor-league team his dad worked for, added a two-run shot to extend the lead to 3-0.

Vilade’s blast came off the bat at 107.8 mph and was estimated at 420 feet, hitting either the D-ring catwalk above left field or an attached light post on the way down.

That was Vilade’s ninth homer of the season (in his 157th at-bat) and gave him 35 RBIs, fourth most on the team.

Legumina retired the first five Rangers, then was lifted after allowing a two-out double in the second. It was the ninth-straight game a Tampa Bay starter allowed two or fewer runs.

Seymour took over and worked effectively and efficiently into the seventh. Cleavinger got the Rays out of a slight jam, then Kelly handled the eighth and Baker the ninth for his 29th save, having converted his last 18 opportunities.