San Diego Padres at Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays took a moment to celebrate their future on Friday, as their organizational dream to secure a “Forever Home” ballpark in Tampa became that much closer to reality following votes by the Tampa City Council and Hillsborough County Commission. But in case you missed it, things are going pretty well in the present, too. The Rays returned to Tropicana Field on Friday night and began their penultimate homestand of the regular season with a 9-4 win over the Padres, maintaining the momentum they regained by winning three of their last four games on the road. The victory improved Tampa Bay’s record to 80-54, making the club the first team in the American League with 80 wins, ensured the Rays would keep a four-game lead over the Yankees in the AL East with 28 games remaining. The road to October will not be easy for the Rays. They entered this series with the hardest remaining schedule in the AL, based on their opponents’ .513 winning percentage. They will play nine series over the next month, and six are against teams who began the day in position to make the postseason. That began Friday night with what felt like a statement showing how much the Rays are welcoming that challenge. “It's a nice time to get going, right?” veteran starter Nick Martinez said. “We've earned the spot to play some meaningful games this time of year, and to play against teams that are either already a lock to make the playoffs or fighting to make the playoffs should make for a fun month.” The Rays made it look like fun in the series opener, as their dynamic lineup put up runs in five straight innings in their highest-scoring home game since an 11-3 win over the Guardians on July 24. Yandy Díaz got things started in the third inning, ripping an opposite-field homer off Padres right-hander Casey Mize. It was Díaz’s 20th home run of the season and his 119th with Tampa Bay, breaking a tie with B.J. Upton for fifth-most in franchise history. The solo shot also pushed Díaz past Carlos Peña and into fourth place on the club’s all-time RBI leaderboard.