The pitch from Miles Mikolas would have been a ball, a changeup well outside the strike zone and quite a reach from where Jonathan Aranda stood in the left-handed batter’s box. It didn’t exactly come screaming off Aranda’s bat when he sliced it down the left-field line, either, registering as a hard-hit ball -- but just barely -- with an exit velocity of 95.2 mph. Aranda wasn’t initially sure if it cleared the wall, thinking it looked like the ball was still rising as it carried toward 162 Landing in the left-field corner at Tropicana Field. He looked hesitant as he neared second base. Then he saw the ballpark’s lights start flashing. Aranda’s opposite-field shot bounced off the foul pole for a go-ahead three-run homer in the third inning, and the Rays didn’t look back as they picked up a 5-2 win over the Nationals on Friday night. “Big swing. We haven't had one of those in a while,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Really impressive piece of hitting by him.” According to Statcast, Aranda’s 12th home run of the season had the lowest exit velocity *and* shortest projected distance (334 feet) on any long ball in his career. It would have only been a homer at three Major League ballparks, in fact: New York’s Yankee Stadium, Pittsburgh’s PNC Park and The Trop. Coming off a 1-5 trip to Southern California, the three-run shot was a perfect “welcome home” gift for Tampa Bay as the club looks to get back on track during a season-long 10-game homestand. The Rays won for just the eighth time in their last 23 games dating back to May 24, but they improved their record at Tropicana Field to an MLB-best 25-9 this season. “This is our home,” said starter Griffin Jax, who picked up his first win as a starter since Oct. 2, 2021. “This is home field, and we have such an advantage playing here.” The Nationals had to shuffle their pitching plans ahead of the series opener, so Mikolas entered the game in the third after two innings from lefty opener PJ Poulin. Hunter Feduccia worked a one-out walk, then Yandy Díaz reached on a single to bring up Aranda. Aranda hadn’t homered since May 31, and his torrid RBI pace slowed as he’d driven in only five runs during his first 14 games this month. But the first baseman started hitting again during the Rays’ recent road trip, with four two-hit games in the two series, and he swatted a handful of opposite-field hits at Dodger Stadium earlier this week. Aranda said he’s noticed that teams have been pitching him outside lately, fully aware of th
