Rays use homers, stellar pitching, Taylor Walls’ glove to defeat Mariners

Tampa Bay starter Nick Martinez posted his eighth win on the day he was named to his first All-Star team, and the Rays opened the final series before the break with a 7-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The 35-year-old right-hander replaced injured Boston Red Sox pitcher Ranger Suarez on the American League squad for Tuesday’s game, then went out and tossed 5 1/3 innings, yielding two runs on four hits. Martinez (8-2) fanned one and walked one.

Junior Caminero went 2-for-4 with a homer -- his 28th of the year and 13th in 17 games -- a double, two RBIs, two runs and a walk.

Victor Mesa Jr. (homer), Jonathan Aranda (double) and Chandler Simpson had three hits apiece, while Richie Palacios and Cedric Mullins each went deep.

Cole Young hit a home run, and J.P. Crawford was 2-for-4 with a run as Seattle lost its fourth straight.

Starter Luis Castillo (3-8) allowed four runs on nine hits over five innings. He struck out four with one walk.

After leaving four men on base in the first two frames, the home side cashed in after Caminero lashed a double into the left field corner. Following his advancing to third, Simpson grounded a single through Castillo’s legs and off the second base bag to make it 1-0 in the third.

Tampa Bay shortstop Taylor Walls saved a run in the fourth after Crawford’s leadoff double. With one out, Walls made a diving snag of Dominic Canzone’s grounder at the edge of the outfield and tossed him out, preventing Crawford from scoring. Martinez then whiffed Cal Raleigh.

Palacios jumped on a 94 mph four-seam fastball from Castillo in the bottom of the fourth, belting it out to right for his third homer to double the lead.

However, Young ripped his 11th shot on a 1-2 changeup well below the zone to make it 2-1 in the fifth.

Mullins continued the home run barrage by swatting Castillo’s slider to right for his 11th long ball, and Mesa tagged another slider to right for a 4-1 advantage.

After Canzone’s RBI fielder’s choice cut it to 4-2 in the sixth, Tampa Bay scored three times in the seventh on Caminero’s two-run slice shot down the right field line and Walls’ sacrifice fly.

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This story was originally published July 10, 2026 at 9:44 PM.