There's no team in the majors currently hotter than the Rays, and after sweeping their fifth series of the season _ taking three games in Miami after a 12-7 win Sunday _ they have an opportunity to take control of the American League East this week.
Tampa Bay, winners of five straight, have matched the best 35-game start in franchise history, tying its 24-11 mark in 2010. The Rays have won 18 of their past 21, their best 21-game stretch at any point in the season since 2013.
In their three-game sweep of the Marlins at Marlins Park, they outscored Miami 18-7.
Two weeks ago, the Rays were third in the division, trailing the first-place Yankees by 2{ games. Since then they've won 12 of 14 and _ pending the outcome of the Yankees' doubleheader Sunday against the Mets _ hold a 4{-game lead atop the AL East heading into their three-game series at Yankee Stadium starting Monday.
Going into that series, the Rays aren't just beating teams, they're winning resoundingly.
They hit four home runs Sunday, starting with Joey Wendle's blast off Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara to open the game. Three batters later, Yoshi Tsutsugo hit a two-run homer to five Tampa Bay a 3-0 lead.
They had a seven-run fifth inning that saw 12 batters come to the plate and took 35 minutes, capped by Willy Adames' second career grand slam. Kevin Kiermaier hit a two-run homer later that inning.
Rays starter Blake Snell retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced before Corey Dickerson recorded the first Marlins hit, a solo homer with one out in the fourth.
But Snell seemed to be affected by his long break from his team's big fifth inning. He needed 29 pitches to get through the bottom half of the inning.
Anthony Banda struggled to give the Rays multiple innings to save the bullpen. He allowed eight of the 11 batters he faced to reach base and yielded five runs, shrinking a 12-2 lead to 12-7.
In the fifth, the first eight batters reached base, with seven of them scoring. After Ji-Man Choi opened the inning with a double, Yandy Diaz reached on a Miguel Rojas fielding error, and a walk to Tsutsugo loaded the bases.
Adames then turned on a 2-0 inside fastball, sending it over the leftfield fence for a grand slam. Former Rays outfielder Dickerson made a valiant attempt to rob Adames, but the ball fell out of his glove.
