Tampa Bay

Rays

Philadelphia fans will be eternally grateful for Martinez’s last-day letdown. The All-Star allowed four runs for just the fifth time this season and did so in his shortest start of the year. He ends the regular season 15-6 with a 3.10 ERA in a career-high 180 innings. Next up for him figures to be a Game 2 start against the Red Sox or Yankees.

One Ray came to play today, as DeLuca took Zach Wheeler and Alex McFarlane deep for his 10th and 11th homers. He finishes the year at .266/.300/.426 in 370 plate appearances. The only problem for the Rays is that he was better against righties than the lefties he typically started against for most of the year. Depending on how the offseason goes, the Rays could give DeLuca a chance to open next year as their starting center fielder, with Jacob Melton potentially overtaking him later if he can stay healthy.

If the Rays had anything meaningful to play for on Sunday, he would probably be in there, but he’ll get an extra day to rest in advance of the postseason. Victor Mesa Jr. will start in his place in left field and will bat leadoff for the Rays against Zack Wheeler and the Phillies on Sunday afternoon.

The rookie right-hander threw 38 pitches against the Phillies on Saturday and wasn’t going to be available for Sunday’s regular season finale, so the Rays opted to swap him out for a fresh arm in Jesse Scholtens. Johnson has posted a 3.52 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and an 11/4 K/BB ratio across 7 2/3 innings in eight appearances with the Rays on the season.

Scholtens has made 11 appearances (two starts) for the Rays this season, compiling a 4.03 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and a 34/14 K/BB ratio over 44 2/3 innings. expect him to work in a bulk role against the Phillies on Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia.

Díaz doubled and singled twice in another excellent game in what has been another strong season for the 35-year-old. If he doesn’t play Sunday, he’ll finish 2026 with a .293/.359/.446 slash at the top of the Tampa Bay lineup.

Palacios drove in a run with a double in the second, walked with the bases loaded in the fifth, and singled in a pair an inning later. That gives Palacios 57 RBI on the season, and his slash now sits at .238/.333/.378 with one game left.

Mesa also singled, and he came around to score three times in the blowout win. The 25-year-old has had a solid season at the plate for the Rays, and he’s now the owner of an .825 OPS and 33 RBI; the latter figure more understandable because he’s played in only 78 games in 2026. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of role he has for Tampa Bay in the postseason; he’s earned a look.

Caminero is now up to 42 homers on the season, with this one coming in the first off Aaron Nola in the first inning. The 23-year-old also scored three runs and added a single and walk. He’s now driven in 101 runs, giving him back-to-back triple-digit seasons. SImply put, Caminero has established himself as one of the truly elite power hitters in the game in a very short time.

Trea Turner lined a ball off Jax that bounced to the shortstop and turned into an out. Jax was then replaced by Steven Matz in the fourth. Jax, who was diagnosed with a low back contusion, will probably be fine by the time the ALDS rolls around, and he likely will serve as the Rays’ fourth starter with Shane McClanahan absent. His regular season ends at 8-10 with a 3.53 ERA in 23 starts and 11 relief appearances.