Rays Ride Caminero’s Bombs, Aranda’s Bat to 13-9 Slugfest Win Over Rockies at Coors

Rays bring the thunder to Coors

The Rays scored 13 runs at Coors Field and still couldn’t offer anybody a peaceful evening. Apparently, a comfortable win was not on the menu.

Tampa Bay outlasted the Colorado Rockies 13-9 in a game built for people who think pitching changes interrupt the entertainment. Junior Caminero supplied the heavy artillery. Jonathan Aranda kept finding hits. And the Rays left Denver with the only souvenir that mattered: a win.

For Pinellas fans watching in St. Pete, Clearwater, Dunedin or out on the beaches, this was less a lean-back-and-relax broadcast than a reminder to keep the remote untouched. Stepping away was your business. Missing another burst of offense was the occupational hazard.

The Rays jumped ahead 6-0, scoring twice in the first and four times in the second. That is usually a pretty persuasive opening argument. At Coors, it was more like putting your name on the waiting list for a victory.

Colorado kept pushing. Tampa Bay kept needing its bats. Nobody should confuse the final result with a tidy night at the office.

Caminero swings big, Aranda keeps collecting

Caminero’s line did not require much decoration: 2-for-5, two home runs, three RBI and three runs scored. Both hits cleared the fence. That is an efficient way to avoid leaving your evening in the hands of an outfielder.

He gave this win its loudest moments, and the power was the headline for good reason. In a game where the Rays could not simply bank an early lead and coast, those swings carried real weight.

But don’t let the home runs shove Aranda into the background. He went 4-for-5 with a double, drove in two runs and scored twice. Caminero brought the boom; Aranda brought the steady aggravation for Colorado’s pitching staff.

There is something especially satisfying about that combination. One hitter can change the mood with a swing. Another can make an opposing pitcher feel as though there is no clean route through the lineup. The Rays got both versions of offensive trouble here.

Ian Seymour deserves room in this conversation, too. His six innings included seven hits allowed, two earned runs and nine strikeouts. Read that again before filing the entire pitching performance under whatever-that-was.

Seymour gave Tampa Bay a substantial start. The late pitching made things uncomfortable, but his work should not disappear beneath the final score. Nine strikeouts and two earned runs allowed are not the story of a starter getting dragged through a slugfest.

Take the win, skip the victory nap

The useful takeaway is straightforward: Tampa Bay’s offense did enough to keep a messy game from becoming a miserable result. That counts. Style points do not get their own column in the box score.

The less comfortable takeaway is just as obvious. An early cushion and a strong start from Seymour did not buy the Rays a stress-free finish. The bullpen left plenty of room for nervous conversation wherever Pinellas fans were gathered around a screen.

Still, this was a night to appreciate Caminero’s power, Aranda’s relentless hitting and an offense that kept supplying what the game demanded. Not every win needs a ribbon. Some just need the final out.

The road trip continues. Check the Rays schedule for the next matchup, and find more from our Pinellas Sports Desk.

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