Junior Caminero bashed a walk-off homer for the second time in four games as the Tampa Bay Rays remained unbeaten on their nine-game homestand with a 2-1 victory over the Athletics on Tuesday night in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The slugging third baseman, who launched a walk-off blast Friday against the Houston Astros to send the Rays to the playoffs, led off the ninth inning and sliced a 100 mph 0-2 fastball from Elvis Alvarado (5-4) for his American League-high 41st homer to lift the club to 4-0 on the homestand.
Chandler Simpson went 3-for-3 with a double and a run. Jorge Mateo singled and stole a base for Tampa Bay (91-59), which had six hits.
Griffin Jax started and was nearly flawless over five scoreless innings. The right-hander allowed two hits, while striking out seven and facing just two batters over the minimum.
Bryan Baker (3-2) got three flyouts in a perfect ninth.
Starter Jack Perkins fired 6 2/3 innings and allowed just one unearned run on four hits. He struck out eight and walked one for the A’s (61-90), who are 8-4 in their past 12 games.
Henry Bolte singled and scored for the A’s, who had only four hits.
On Roberto Clemente Day, Simpson showed off speed reminiscent of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Hall of Fame outfielder by stroking a one-out double off the right field wall and moving to third on a groundout in the second. Simpson dashed home when catcher Jonah Heim committed a passed ball on Mateo’s swinging strike.
Perkins and Jax were outstanding over the first five innings, but consecutive one-out singles by Bolte and Jeff McNeil put runners on the corners in the sixth against reliever Ty Johnson, who uncorked a wild pitch to plate Bolte.
Cam Booser replaced Johnson with two outs and the go-ahead run at second, and the southpaw retired red-hot Lawrence Butler on a flyout to right field to keep the contest tied at 1.
The Rays put two runners on against Perkins in the seventh on Liam Hicks’ walk and Simpson’s infield hit, but reliever Luis Medina entered with two outs and whiffed Richie Palacios on a 98 mph fastball.
