Griffin Jax roughed up in return from IL, Rays lose to last-place Mets

Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times on Sep 2, 2026

Published in Baseball

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TAMPA, Fla. — Griffin Jax looked like he was back to form when he took the mound Wednesday for his first big-league game in a month, having been sidelined by right elbow discomfort that was addressed with rest, an injection and rehab.

But he didn’t have the results he typically does, allowing six runs on seven hits and two walks while failing to get through the third inning.

That was the start of a long night for the Rays, who have aspirations of winning the American League East title and making a deep postseason run. But they lost two of three to the Mets, who are in last place in the NL East.

The 10-4 final on Wednesday was frustrating as the Rays battled back from a 6-0 deficit to get within two by the fourth, but couldn’t do anything else against a Mets pitching staff devoid of any big names.

The loss dropped the Rays’ AL-leading record to 83-56 and could reduce their division lead to 3 1/2 games over the Yankees, who played late at the Angels. The Rays went into the night with a magic number, per team calculations, of 10 to clinch a playoff spot.

Jax was not sharp from the start, though the three first-inning runs he allowed were not all his fault.

After Francisco Lindor grounded out, Juan Soto singled, Bo Bichette hit a fielder’s-choice grounder that forced out Soto, and Carson Benge walked to put runners on first and second with two outs.

Jared Young rolled a single between first and second, and Rays right fielder Victor Mesa Jr. made a strong throw home that would have nailed Bichette, but catcher Liam Hicks didn’t hang on to the ball. Worse, it ricocheted off Bichette and toward the home dugout, allowing both runners to score.

Marcus Semien followed with an RBI double to make it 3-0.

Jax needed 30 pitches to finish the first as the Rays had a reliever warming, then got through the second quickly but couldn’t finish the third.

He allowed a leadoff single to Bichette, the former Blue Jay and Lakewood High product, loaded the bases with a two-out walk and infield single, then allowed a three-run double to Brett Baty on his 63rd and final pitch.

The Rays got a run in the third that took some work, Taylor Walls drawing a two-out walk, then moving on a single by Yandy Diaz and scoring on another by Jonathan Aranda.

They added three more in the fourth on a single by Chandler Simpson, a balk, a one-out single by Cedric Mullins, a Mets error and a two-run homer by Richie Palacios.

The Mets added three more in the seventh. They loaded the bases after a double, a single, a fielder’s-choice out at the plate off Rays lefty reliever Cam Booser and a hit batter by Manny Rodriguez, and then with two outs Nick Morabito laced a double that scored three.

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