Rays' streak ends as Guardians start fast against reliever Ian Seymour

Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times on Sep 5, 2025

Published in Baseball

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TAMPA, Fla. — The Rays have tried to keep as much of what they’re doing the same as much as possible in extending the three-game winning streak they brought home from Washington to a season-high seven this week.

Friday, they made a slight change in their plans, inserting struggling reliever Griffin Jax as the opener and pushing Ian Seymour, who had made two solid starts since moving into the rotation, back to a bulk-inning relief role.

That didn’t work out too well, as the Guardians greeted Seymour with a five-run second inning and rolled to a 7-1 win that halted the Rays streak.

The Rays dropped to 71-70 and stayed two games behind the Mariners, who hold the third American League wild-card spot and lost again at Atlanta.

There was one highlight for the Rays — Junior Caminero hit his 41st homer, moving to within five of Carlos Pena’s franchise record of 46 set in 2007. Caminero also logged his 103rd RBI; Pena had a record 121 in 2007.

The start of the game was delayed 12 minutes due to lightning in the area.

Jax, acquired from Minnesota at the trade deadline, got through the first inning without being scored on, through he did allow back-to-back, one-out singles and nearly gave up a three-run homer to David Fry, whose drive to leftfield was just foul.

But Seymour, who worked five shutout innings Aug. 25 at Cleveland and allowed four runs (though just one earned) Sunday at Washington, had a rough go.

He loaded the bases on his own throwing error then, with one out, hit No. 8 batter Brayan Rocchio and walked No. 9 Austin Hedges. Leadoff man Steve Kwan singled in two runs and, an out later, star Jose Ramirez doubled in two more. A Fry single made it 5-0.

The Guardians expanded the lead to 7-0 in the sixth when Hedges led off with a homer against reliever Brian Van Belle and pinch-hitter George Valera singled in Kwan.

Caminero homered in the bottom of the sixth off Gavin Williams.

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