ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. _ One thing about these Rays, perhaps more than any other of their quirky things, is that they keep interesting.
Lose five of seven on the road to the Yankees and Astros, then come back and sweep the Yanks over the weekend.
For example Monday, when they cruised to an 11-0 win over a Nationals team that played like it got in at 5:30 a.m., when the big question was who had the best night.
Was it Blake Snell?
All he did was work six no-hit innings, and a seventh without allowing a run, in picking up his 10th win.
Snell walked the first two Nationals, and then got a roll that prompted no-hit alerts, retiring 18 straight, striking out 10 in a dazzling 14-batter stretch.
Snell opened the seventh with 80 pitches, so finishing off what would have been the second no-hitter in franchise history was at least possible.
But Anthony Rendon quickly took away the drama, lashing a ball off the left-field wall for a double. Snell walked two more in the inning, but escaped with the shutout intact.
Was it Kevin Kiermaier?
All he did was deliver the big hit of the night, a grand slam in the six-run second inning.
Kiermaier had been off to a slow start since coming back early from right thumb surgery, hitless in his first 13 at-bats and just 2-for-22 until stepping to the plate in the second and crushing one of the few pitches Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez got over the plate.
Was it Wilson Ramos?
All he did was hit two home runs against his former team, and enjoy the view.
Ramos has been having a solid season for the Rays, including leading the balloting for a starting spot in the All-Star Game, which will be held next month in Washington, where he played for seven seasons.
Could there be a more permanent reunion coming? The Nationals do need a frontline catcher as they battle to get into the playoffs. The Rays are going to be looking to get something for Ramos before he leaves as free agent. And, for what it's worth, the fans there still seem to like him a lot.
Was it Jake Bauers?
All he did was go 4-for-5.
The rookie had a pretty big day Sunday when he hit a 12th-inning walk-off homer that secured a sweep of the Yankees, so an encore was going to be tough.
Rapping four hits wasn't a bad way to go, hiking his average to .297.
The Rays jumped quickly on Gonzalez, the Nationals lefty who is prone to some erratic outings. After a scoreless first, they put up six in the second, as Gonzalez faced seven batters and didn't get any out, going walk-double-walk-walk-walk-grand slam-walk, with a run-scoring wild pitch in there.
The win was the Rays fourth straight, and sixth in their last eight games as they improved to 38-40. It also was their seventh straight at the Trop, their longest such streak since 2013. After a 2-7 start at home this season, the Rays have won 17 of their last 26.
The Rays and Nationals have a quick turnaround with a 12:10 game on Tuesday.
