Tampa Bay rolled to an 8-2 win over Oakland as Drew Rasmussen delivered six solid innings, ending a rough patch with six scoreless frames to start. The offense broke through early, plating four in the first and adding two in the second behind a 458-foot Brandon Lowe blast and a multi-RBI night from Junior Caminero — his 34th homer of the season. Caminero later doubled, driving in more runs to push the lead to 6-0 before the night ended. The Rays bullpen closed it out as they push to salvage a series on this 14-game, 12-game road swing, now 59-63 and within striking distance of the AL wild-card chase at 5½ games back.

The Rays seized control with an aggressive two-out rally in the first, highlighted by Lowe’s RBI double and Caminero’s run-scoring hits, then doubled the lead in the second with Lowe’s homer and timely two-out singles. Rasmussen faced little resistance until a third-inning homer by Lawrence Butler and a fifth-inning run-scoring single by Gio Urshela kept Oakland within reach for a moment, but the Rays answered by tightening the defense and letting their bullpen finish the job. Chandler Simpson and Jake Mangum set the tone with speed on the bases, and the Rays tacked on late to secure the series victory and maintain momentum heading into the weekend against the Giants.

The A’s fell 8-2 to the Rays in a night where Tampa Bay jumped on JT Ginn early and never let up, leaving Oakland with a tough series-ending defeat. Ginn battled to find his command in a warm, bandbox-like environment, allowing four runs in the first and finishing after two innings. The Rays tacked on two more in the second behind a Brandon Lowe two-run homer, widening the gap to 6-0. Oakland finally got on the board with Lawrence Butler’s 16th homer in the third and Gio Urshela’s RBI single in the fifth, but the night belonged to Rasmussen, who controlled the tempo from the start. The A’s bullpen steadied for a stretch, but Elvis Alvarado surrendered two runs in the ninth as the Rays completed the win and the series split. Oakland now faces an off-day before hosting Los Angeles in a weekend set, with uncertainty surrounding the A’s Friday starter. Fantasy takeaway: Ginn’s next start is high-risk, Rasmussen remains a stable operator, and the A’s offense is still anchored by a core of Urshela, Butler and Soderstrom with upside for multi-homer contributions from the lineup.

The Oakland Athletics are trying to turn their season around after a disheartening nine-game losing streak by making significant roster adjustments. They called up five players from Triple-A Las Vegas, including promising center fielder Denzel Clarke, who is set to make his major league debut. Clarke, known for his defensive skills and speed, has been performing well in Triple-A, batting .286 with 21 RBIs in 31 games. Alongside Clarke, the A's also recalled Jacob Lopez and CJ Alexander while designating veteran Seth Brown for assignment.

General Manager David Forst expressed optimism about the changes, aiming for more flexibility amid the team's struggles, where they have been outscored 72-26 and are batting a mere .209 with a team ERA of 8.23. Furthermore, the A's placed Gio Urshela on the injured list after a hamstring strain, compounding their challenges. JJ Bleday was also sent back to Triple-A in search of a reset. With these moves, the A's hope to regain momentum as they prepare to face the Philadelphia Phillies at home.