The Seattle Mariners (48-49) defeated the Tampa Bay Rays (56-38) 8-2 on Sunday afternoon at Tropicana Field. With the loss the Rays were unable to sweep the three-game series before the All-Star Break, but go into the break with the best record in the American League and three games ahead of the Yankees for first place in the AL East.
The Mariners erupted for three in the second and four in the fourth to take control of this game early. The Rays only offense came from Jonathan Aranda, who hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning when the game was already out of hand.
The Rays will now send five players - Junior Caminero, Yandy Diaz, Drew Rasmussen, Bryan Baker and Nick Martinez - to the All-Star Game festivities in Philadelphia this week. They begin with the Home Run Derby on Monday night, which Junior Caminero will participate in, followed by the All-Star Game on Tuesday night. Then the Rays open the second half of the season with a four-game series against the Red Sox coming up on Friday. You can hear every Rays game all season long on 95.7 WDAE & AM 620, your Home of Rays Baseball.
COVER PHOTO COURTESY GETTY IMAGES