Rays again rally late but come up just short this time against Mets

Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times on Aug 31, 2026

Published in Baseball

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TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays are getting good at this comeback thing.

After dramatic late-inning rallies to beat the San Diego Padres on Saturday and Sunday, they found themselves battling back again Monday night but this time fell just short.

Jonny DeLuca, who had a huge hand in Sunday’s 11-inning walk-off win, opened the ninth by drawing a walk off Kodai Senga. But Richie Palacios grounded into a fielder’s choice, Taylor Walls flied out and Yandy Diaz took a called third strike.

The 3-2 loss to the New York Mets dropped the Rays’ American League-leading record to 82-55 and could shrink their East division lead to 3 1/2 games over the NEw York Yankees, who played a late game at the Los Angeles Angels.

Held scoreless into the eighth inning and trailing the Mets 3-0, the Rays cobbled together a rally.

Taylor Walls slapped a leadoff single off reliever Daniel Duarte. After Yandy Diaz flied out, Jonathan Aranda walked. Junior Caminero then flied out before Liam Hicks delivered their first run with a single to right.

Chandler Simpson, who provided the most clutch hit in Saturday’s win, singled to score Aranda and send pinch-runner Jorge Mateo to third. Simpson promptly stole second to put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position, but Cedric Mullins grounded out off reliever Chris Devenski.

Rays starter Ian Seymour delivered a somewhat typical performance.

When starting or working behind an opener, the second-year lefty will provide a solid overall outing, rack up a bunch a strikeouts and give up a a home run.

That script played out again Monday — Seymour worked six-plus innings, struck out 10 and allowed a seventh-inning homer.

Seymour got the Rays off to a strong start, striking out the first three Mets — on 10 pitches — and his fan club grew. Overall, he struck out five of the first six Mets and 10 while working into the seventh.

Seymour allowed only four hits over the first six innings, but still the Rays trailed 1-0.

Former Toronto Blue Jay Bo Bichette led off the fourth with a ground-ball double to left and went to third on a single by Carson Benge. Seymour did well to get Mark Vientos to ground a ball to shortstop that started a double play, but it was still enough for Bichette to score.

The Rays had a prime opportunity in the fifth but let Mets starter Robert Stock wriggle out of it.

Mullins, who finished last season with the Mets after a deadline trade from Baltimore, led off with a single. The Rays loaded the bases as DeLuca and Palacios hit balls Mets infielders got their gloves on but couldn’t convert into outs to load the bases.

That brought up Walls who, for a guy with a .219 average, has had extraordinary success with the bases loaded, hitting .571 this season (4-for-7) with two walks and 11 RBIs in nine plate appearances; and .400 for his career (14-for-35) with 10 walks and 45 RBIs in 48 plate appearances.

But the Rays may have used up all of their karma and good luck over the weekend. Walls popped out to third, then Diaz struck out and Aranda lined a ball to left that ex-Ray Christopher Morel snared with a running and leaping catch.

The Mets expanded their lead in the seventh. Vientos, just activated off the injured list, led off with a homer, the eighth Seymour allowed in August, and 20th of the season. Of the 17 games Seymour has either started or worked bulk innings, he has allowed a homer in 14.

Morel slapped a one-out single, which ended Seymour’s night. Marcus Semien and Francisco Alvarez then rapped hits off reliever Casey Legumina to extend the lead to 3-0.

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