Junior Caminero has become a full-fledged star this season and he’s currently hotter than the August weather.
The All-Star third baseman will look to continue a sizzling stretch when the Tampa Bay Rays visit the Athletics on Tuesday night at West Sacramento, Calif.
Caminero has five homers over the last five games. The Dominican Republic native hit his 33th homer of the campaign when the Rays prevailed 7-4 over the A’s in Monday’s opener of the three-game set.
The 22-year-old Caminero was 3-for-4 with two runs in a victory in which Tampa Bay racked up 15 hits. He also made multiple standout defensive plays.
Over the past nine games, Caminero is batting .412 (14-for-34) with six homers and 10 RBIs.
“I just continue my work,” Caminero said through a translator after the victory. “I’ve been working a lot and working hard and thank God the results are being seen right now.”
Teammate Brandon Lowe also is thriving, and his homer on Monday was his fourth in the past six games.
Lowe and Caminero hit back-to-back homers in the seventh inning on Monday to give the Rays a 6-1 lead. Caminero said his blast was no accident.
“Every time he goes to hit,” Caminero said of Lowe, “(I say) if you hit one out, I will hit one out.”
The victory was just the sixth in the past 21 games for the Rays, who are 5 1/2 games behind the New York Yankees for the American League’s third wild-card spot.
The Athletics lost for just the sixth time in the past 17 games.
Tyler Soderstrom slugged a three-run blast and Shea Langeliers went 3-for-4 with a homer.
Star rookie Nick Kurtz extended his streak of reaching base to 26 straight games when his pop fly into shallow left field in the ninth inning dropped between two Tampa Bay defenders for a double.
Kurtz has failed to homer in his last 14 games since his memorable four-homer game against the Houston Astros on July 25.
The A’s left just two runners on base and Monday but Athletics manager Mark Kotsay was glad to see his team rally back from five runs down.
“Offensively, we put together some good at-bats there late in the game and got ourselves back into it, which isn’t easy to do,” Kotsay said.
“When you get behind against a good pitching staff, it’s tough to come back.”
Right-hander Shane Baz (8-8, 4.92 ERA) will be on the mound for the Rays on Tuesday. He is 0-5 with a 6.27 ERA over his past seven starts.
Baz, 26, struck out nine in four-plus innings in a no-decision against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. He allowed four runs and five hits.
Baz matched his career high of 11 strikeouts when he gave up three runs and seven hits in seven innings against the A’s on July 1. He is 1-0 with a 1.84 ERA in two career starts versus the Athletics.
Langeliers is 3-for-5 with a homer off Baz.
Left-hander Jacob Lopez (5-6, 3.59) will start for the A’s. He was outstanding in a 6-0 win over the Washington Nationals on Thursday.
Lopez established career longs for innings (7 2/3) and strikeouts (10) and held the Nationals to three hits without walking anyone. He hasn’t allowed a run in 17 innings over his past three outings.
Lopez, 26, struggled against the Rays — his former team — on June 30. He allowed four runs (three earned) and five hits in just 3 1/3 innings in a game the Athletics won 6-4. Caminero smacked a two-run homer off Lopez.
–Field Level Media
