WASHINGTON — The Rays have made clear their confidence that the long journey through this season will lead to somewhere they have never been: celebrating a World Series championship.
Monday, they took a small step into unexplored territory, a 6-2 win over Washington giving them their first 4-0 start in their 26-season franchise history.
The Rays had won their first three games three previous times — in 2002, 2012 and 2022 — then lost the next one.
Monday’s game was their first away from Tropicana Field, outdoors and at night, but the keys to the victory were very similar to the first three against Detroit — dominant pitching and dynamic/diverse offense.
Drew Rasmussen continued their streak of dazzling starts, allowing just two hits over six shutout innings, and on only 66 pitches — 50 of which were strikes.
Over the first four games, starters Shane McClanahan, Zach Eflin, Jeffrey Springs and Rasmussen have combined for a 0.39 ERA — allowing one earned run in 23 innings.
The Rays grabbed the lead with a combination of hustle (three infield singles) and muscle (two home runs by Luke Raley, one by Isaac Paredes).
Randy Arozarena got them started with two outs in the first, busting down the line after a routine ground ball to short and beating the throw from CJ Abrams. That paid off when Raley crushed the next pitch, from Nats starter Trevor Williams, 429 feet for a 2-0 lead.
The Rays added a run in the third when Josh Lowe and Manuel Margot both reached on infield singles, moved up on an errant throw, and Lowe scored on a Francisco Mejia sac fly.
Paredes homered to lead off the fourth and make it 4-0. After the Nationals scored an unearned run off reliever Garrett Cleavinger, Raley went deep again in the eighth.
