The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the San Diego Padres 9-4 on Friday at Tropicana Field. The win was Tampa Bay’s 80th on the season, becoming the first American League team and the third MLB team to reach that mark in 2026.
“It was an all-around win,” Rays left fielder Chandler Simpson said. “Dominated the game in all facets and I’m glad everybody was able to be a part of it.”
Designated hitter Yandy Díaz hit his 20th home run of the season in the third inning, surpassing BJ Upton for the fifth most in Rays history. Díaz’s RBI also gave him sole possession of the fourth-most RBI in franchise history.
Casey Mize turned in another disappointing performance in his fifth start for San Diego, as a five-run fourth inning put the Padres in an early 6-0 hole. On a comebacker that could have been an inning-ending double play, Mize sent the ball into center field and both runners were safe.
Johnny DeLuca walked to load the bases and a fielder’s choice hit to Ty France was unable to produce an out and gave the Rays their first run of the inning. Mize then spiked a ball on a wild pitch, allowing another run to cross without an out.
Jorge Mateo hit a sacrifice fly to score their third run of the inning without a hit. Back-to-back RBI singles from Taylor Walls and Díaz extended the lead. All five of the Ray’s runs in the inning were unearned.
“We just tried to get runners over, get runners in, and just tried to do our part and get everybody on base,” Simpson said about the fourth inning.
The Padres answered in the top of the fifth, as a four-pitch walk to Jackson Merrill, a Xander Boegaerts single, and an error by Mateo loaded the bases with no outs. San Diego’s bottom of the order, catcher Freddy Fermin and second baseman Jake Cronenworth, each hit a fielder’s choice RBI to cut the deficit to four.
Merrill continued his hot night, hitting a two-run home run to deep right center to knock out Shane McClanahan and bring the Padres to within three runs. Since returning from back tightness, McClanahan has not made it through six innings in any of his three starts.
After the seventh-inning stretch, Cedric Mullins hit a ball deep to right field, where a fan in a Fernando Tatis Jr. jersey caught it over him. Tatis Jr. first signaled for fan interference, but once the home run was confirmed, the two-time platinum glover jumped up and gave the fan a fist bump.
Tampa Bay’s relievers held the lead the rest of the way, with Manuel Rodriguez, Kevin Kelly, and Steven Matz combining for 3.1 innings pitched and only one hit. With the win, the Rays improved to 10-2 on Devil Rays Fridays at home in 2026.
Next up
The Rays will look to secure a series victory over the Padres on Saturday. Nick Martinez, Tampa Bay’s leader in ERA and innings pitched, is set to face off against Walker Buehler.
“Every win is important,” Simpson said. “We just focus on the next game, but we definitely appreciate every win for sure.”
First pitch is set for 4:10 p.m. on August 29.