Inside The Rays

Best-in-Baseball Tigers Take Series Finale, Beat Rays 9-3

Tampa Bay took two of three from Detroit over the weekend, but Sunday's 9-3 loss got ugly at the end when new reliever Forrest Whitley gave up six runs on 16 pitches without recording an out. The Rays are 2.5 games out of first place in the AL East.
Tom Brew|
Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) singles against the Detroit Tigers.
Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) singles against the Detroit Tigers. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

In this story:

Detroit TigersTampa Bay Rays

TAMPA, Fla. — Some games are closer than the final score indicates, and that certainly was the case for the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. They lost 9-3 to the Detroit Tigers in their series finale, but in all unraveled in a very ugly ninth inning at Steinbrenner Field.

The Rays tied the game 1-1 in the fourth inning on a Junior Caminero home run, his 19th of the season, but then gave it back in the seventh, when reliever Garrett Cleavinger gave up a two-run homer to Tigers right fielder Wenceel Perez to make it 3-1.

It was still 3-1 in the ninth inning, certainly close enough for the Rays, who've had a lot of comeback wins lately. But Forrest Whitley, who was acquired last week from Houston, couldn't get anyone out — literally. He faced six batters, and they all scored as the Tigers blew the game open.

Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson started the innings with doubles, then Perez and Dillon Dingler singled. Parker Meadows then hit a three-run homer to make it 8-1. After Javier Baez tripled, Cash finally took off Whitley. Baez scored on a sacrifice fly off Mason Montgomery.

The Rays scored two runs in the bottom of the inning, with Taylor Walls driving in two runs with the bases loaded.

Zack Littell started for the Rays, and pitched five innings, allowing just one run and four hits on just 69 pitches.

The Rays are off on Monday, then start a six-game road trip to Kansas City and Baltimore on Tuesday night,.

Related Rays stories

  • TOM BREW COLUMN: Since May 20, the Tampa Bay Rays are 22-8, the best record in baseball. They always have great pitching and defense, but the change has come with a batting order that's been impressive from one through nine almost every night. That's a winning formula. CLICK HERE
  • ESPN INSIDERS LOVE THE RAYS: With each win, the Tampa Bay Rays are compelling the nation to pay attention. ESPN insiders Buster Olney and Paul Hembekides were raviing about the Rays in a recent Baseball Tonight podcast. CLICK HERE
  • RAYS BEAT TIGERS AGAIN (Saturday): Tampa Bay's 8-3 win over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday secured another series victory and once again proved the Rays can hang with the best teams in baseball. CLICK HERE
  • RAYS WALLOP TIGERS IN SERIES OPENER (Friday): The Tampa Bay Rays offense put on a clinic against the Detroit Tigers, winning 14-8 and once again proving they can hang with the best of the best in Major League Baseball. CLICK HERE
  • RAYS 2025 FULL SCHEDULE: The Tampa Bay Rays will play the 2025 season outdoors for the first time, playing their home games at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. Here is their complete schedule, with dates, locations and game times, and results of all games thus far. CLICK HERE
Published
Tom Brew
TOM BREW

Tom Brew is the publisher of ''Tampa Bay Rays on SI'' and has been with the Sports Illustrated platform since 2019. He has worked at some of America's finest newspapers, including the Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He owns eight sites on the "On SI'' network and has written four books.

Share on XFollow tombrewsports
Home/News