Rays hope to continue small-ball success, aim to sweep visiting Padres

The Tampa Bay Rays are the American League's top team, and they have arrived at the summit by running at will and putting pressure on their opponents.

The Rays will likely employ that same approach Sunday afternoon, probably with Chandler Simpson right in the thick of it, when the club goes for a series sweep against the San Diego Padres in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The Rays lead baseball with a .261 team batting average and are sixth in stolen bases with 131, using a speedy approach instead of a slugging one that more resembles the high-speed Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals four decades ago, both of whom blazed the basepaths on their artificial turf.

The 25-year-old Simpson, who delivered the game-winning RBI and had two hits in Saturday's 7-6 comeback victory, epitomizes that attacking, small-ball frenzy.

In Friday's 9-4 win, he chopped a ball between first and second that rolled into shallow right field manned by San Diego's Fernando Tatis Jr.

Simpson hustled out of the box and slid head-first into second for a double, willing to challenge Tatis' elite arm. He also stole two bases.

The Atlanta native ranks third in AL hitting (.311). He is also third in stolen bases (37 of 51) and has a 90% contact rate. He is one of a few Rays who routinely bunts, even with the bases loaded.

"We try to get runners over and get runners in," said Simpson, after his game-winner off tough lefty Adrian Morejon. "We just try to do our part to get everybody on base. ... I just trust in the work and the process and try to perfect my craft."

Padres skipper Craig Stammen said the series opener was textbook Tampa Bay.

"That's how they play: Steal bases, put pressure on you and make you play the defense in different spots to account for their speed and what they do with the bunt game," he said. "(When) they get a bunch of people on base, they're very tough to defend."

On Saturday, the Padres blew a 6-3 lead after scoring three in the top half of the seventh.

And it came at a cost.

During Tampa Bay's four-run rally, second baseman Luis Rengifo was injured as his right leg collapsed on an awkward throw. He was then carted off the field.

"It doesn't look good," Stammen said of the right knee, which was called a sprain and forced the club to send Rengifo back to southern California.

The assignment of keeping the Rays off base Sunday and traffic to a minimum falls to San Diego's Ray - Robbie Ray (11-7, 3.21 ERA).

This month has been a grind for the 34-year-old left-hander, who won 10 games for the San Francisco Giants before being traded down-state on Aug. 3.

He is 1-1 with a 3.98 ERA in four starts with San Diego.

Against Tampa Bay, Ray is 2-5 with a 3.21 ERA in 10 career starts.

Tampa Bay starter Drew Rasmussen (14-5, 2.95 ERA) has been dominant in August, winning all five of his outings and posting a 2.48 ERA.

The right-hander, who has established a career-high in wins, has no record and a 6.00 in two relief appearances against San Diego.

-Field Level Media