A lot of factors contributed to the Rays having their worst stretch of the season over the past month. Their pitching became a little less reliable. Their lineup seemed a little less dynamic. Their sterling record in one-run games went in reverse. But it’s also pretty hard to ignore the fact that Jonny DeLuca’s time on the injured list overlapped perfectly with that skid. The Rays lost 15 of the 22 games they played after DeLuca went down on May 22 and before he returned from a right hamstring strain on Friday night. “He's a vibes guy, man. He's a clubhouse guy,” said starter Nick Martinez, who has been the quintessential vibes guy in the Rays’ clubhouse. “We're happy to have him back.” DeLuca offered another reminder why on Sunday afternoon, ripping a go-ahead two-run homer off reliever Orlando Ribalta in the seventh inning that sent the Rays to a 4-3 win over the Nationals and a series victory at Tropicana Field. “Very glad to be back,” DeLuca said, smiling. With the Rays down by a run after the seventh-inning stretch, Yandy Díaz hit a one-out single off Ribalta. Up came DeLuca, who homered in Friday’s victory in his first start off the IL then stole second base as a pinch-runner in the ninth inning of Saturday’s defeat. DeLuca whiffed on a first-pitch slider from Ribalta, thinking the pitch would be a sinker. He took a high fastball then unloaded on another slider near the top of the zone. DeLuca slowly stepped out of the batter’s box as his fourth home run of the season sailed about a dozen rows deep into the left-field seats. DeLuca admitted the time he spent on the IL made his big contribution a little more “emotional.” Injuries limited him to only 20 games last season, and he felt like he was doing everything right when he injured his leg while running out an infield single in New York a month ago. So rather than get frustrated when he struck out in his first two at-bats on Sunday, he felt something different. “Just having gratitude that I'm just here, healthy, ready to go. That probably helped fuel the last two ABs,” DeLuca said, referring to his double and go-ahead homer. “Just very grateful to be back and helping this team win, because we have a special group.”
