Home Run Streak Has Tampa Bay Rays On Doorstep Of Another Record

While the Rays were receiving contributions throughout the roster in surging out of the chute with 13 consecutive wins, just about everybody who has grabbed a bat has put the ball over the fence.

While Tampa Bay had to settle for sharing the modern era mark with the 1982 Atlanta Braves and 1987 Milwaukee Brewers in winning their first 13 games, their streak of 18 games with at least one home run from the start of the season is creeping up on the all-time record of 20 established by the Seattle Mariners in 2019.

Seattle, which won 13 of its first 15 games in 2019 and blew past the 2002 Cleveland Indians (14 games) for consecutive games with at least one homer from the start of a season, hit 42 homers during their 20-game streak. There were three games that the M’s hit at least four homers, including five in their home opener against the visiting Red Sox. (Seattle opened the season a week earlier versus Oakland in Tokyo.)

Tampa Bay has hit 41 homers — while allowing only eight! — during its 18-game streak. They have hit at least three homers in seven games and 12 of 14 players to step to the plate have homered. Each of the dozen has circled the bases at least twice while nobody has hit more than five. Indeed, the wealth has been spread and spread very well.

While it is no surprise a healthy Brandon Lowe, who hit 39 homers in 2021, had a four-game homer streak (April 8-11), or that a healthy Wander Franco hit each of his four homers in the Rays’ first nine games, the fact a dozen players have at least a pair of homers underscores how well everything has come together for Kevin Cash’s lineup to this point.

Yandy Diaz, typically a tough out, though not necessarily known for his power, hit his fifth homer Tuesday night in Cincinnati, and in his 15th game. He did not hit his first home run of 2022 until game No. 13 and Diaz did not launch his fifth until July 30, his 91st game and the team’s 101st. He finished the season with nine homers.

There was much focus on left-handed hitters Josh Lowe and Luke Raley during spring training and both enjoyed productive Grapefruit League seasons, which have carried over into the regular season. Raley has only eight hits, though five are for extra bases, including three homers.

Underscoring his superb start (.372) is the fact Lowe’s 10 extra-base hits are second on the team to Franco’s 12, with four of them are homers. He hit two in 198 plate appearances last season.

Taylor Walls, who has scored 15 runs in 12 games, had his first career multi-homer performance against the Reds on Tuesday evening. The switch-hitting infielder has three home runs in his last three games after hitting one in 22 games dating to last season.

Francisco Mejia and Vidal Brujan, called up from Triple-A Durham on April 8 when centerfielder Jose Siri (two homers) went on the IL, were the only Rays without a homer through 18 games. Neither has as many as 30 at-bats.

For the record, the 2019 Mariners hit 239 home runs. That was good for seventh in the American League and 12^th in the majors during a 68-94 campaign. Led by Daniel Vogelbach’s 30, Seattle had five players with at least 20 homers and 10 in double figures.

The Rays hit at least 200 home runs four times in their previous 25 seasons. The 2017 club leads the way with 228. First baseman Logan Morrison had a team-best 38 and right fielder Steven Souza, Jr. was second with 30. Morrison’s total was tied for fifth in the American League.

The Rays hit 139 home runs last season, which was 11^th in the American League and 25^th in MLB. The team’s longest homer streak was eight games. Randy Arozarena and Isaac Paredes each hit 20 to lead the way. Brandon Lowe, Franco and Mike Zunino, now with Cleveland, missed significant chunks of time due to injuries, leaving the lineup lacking much in the way of power most games.