Yandy Diaz leads way as MLB-best Rays beat Orioles but leaves hurt

Not that the Rays needed another reminder, but the last week has shown them again how and why Yandy Diaz is so important to their lineup.

In extending his latest torrid tear to 11 hits in 24 at-bats over his last six games, Diaz on Tuesday delivered two of the biggest moments in a 4-1 win over the Orioles at Tropicana Field.

He doubled in a run in the first inning after the Rays fell behind early, then put them ahead to stay with a solo home run in the sixth.

"Yandy is definitely on a heater right now," manager Kevin Cash said. "He's swinging the bat really, really well."

What the Rays didn't seem to know as they left Tropicana Field was whether Diaz would be sidelined for any significant amount of time after being hit on the fingers of both hands by a 93.9 mph Yennier Cano fastball in the eighth inning and leaving the game in apparent pain and anger.

"It kind of nicked both hands," hitting coach Chad Mottola said. "It's one of those that, when you hit fingers with 95 (mph), it doesn't matter if it's glancing or not. So it's one of these things. Let's just see what the doctors say."

Cash said the team likely would have an update on Wednesday. Diaz was not made available for comment.

The Rays improved their majors-best record to 32-15, moving to a season-high 17 games over .500 and matching the 2010 team for the second-best 47-game start in franchise history, trailing only their 34-13 mark in 2023.

They also won their eighth straight series, two shy of the franchise mark, and ninth straight against American League teams (and fifth straight against AL East foes).

"(It's) just all hands on deck, just putting good swings on balls, bunting guys over, stealing bases, our arms doing what they always do," said second baseman Richie Palacios. "I just feel like it's a complete victory, (a) complete team, and we've just got to keep rolling like that."

Having made the transition from reliever to starter fairly seamlessly over his previous four outings, Griffin Jax gave the Rays a solid five innings Tuesday.

He allowed a homer to Taylor Ward on his second pitch of the game but not much else - just two singles and a walk - while striking out six and making use of his full six-pitch arsenal.

"Definitely the best one of this new role for me," Jax said. "The first guy gets me, but you've got some innings to play with after that. So I can't just let it snowball, have to just reset and get back to attacking guys. And happy that I was able to do that."

There was some other help.

Palacios started a key double play in the sixth and doubled in a run in the eighth. Jonny DeLuca singled in Palacios for the final run. And relievers Kevin Kelly, Ian Seymour, Casey Legumina and Bryan Baker teamed to allow one hit and one walk over four innings.

After leaving a game on May 1 due to left oblique tightness and missing the next two, Diaz returned to the lineup but didn't look much like himself over the next week and a half, going just 5-for-33, including a 1-for-17 stretch.

But since then he's been pretty much unstoppable, and a treat for the Rays to watch.

What is Cash seeing?

"Just a guy that's on time. He seems like he's just locked in every pitch that he's swinging at right now, laying off tough pitches, and then hanging in there on some pitches to extend the at-bat. Then when he gets a ball he can handle, he's finding a lot of barrels."

Mottola?

"Yandy. Obviously, the two balls to centerfield, that's the part that is really good to see. Him staying through the ball when he's good, they're accidents. When they're 430 (feet) to center, and in a big moment like that, the double in the first inning to left-center - every centerfielder plays him in right-center for good reason. So it's a part of him just using the whole field as always."

Jax?

"It's just Yandy. You expect him to do that every single night, I guess."

After Jonathan Aranda worked a 10-pitch walk off Kyle Bradish in the first, Diaz scored him with a 113.7 mph double to center. In the sixth, he jumped on a 1-0 slider and launched it 439 feet, a foot shy of his longest career blast.

In his 11-for-24 tear, Diaz has three doubles, three homers and 10 RBIs.

"It's one of these things that we almost expect it out of him," Mottola said. "It's not fair to him to think that way, but when we know there's a couple games where he doesn't do it, you're more surprised at that than you are at these stretches."

Mottola said Diaz's hands were being checked for precautionary reasons; his temper was definitely running hot.

"When you're this hot and you get a fastball up and in, there's a little bit of upset," Mottola said. "I don't think there was any intention behind it - that's what (Cano) does, he's throwing two-seamers, one got away as you saw by his reaction. But as Yandy has the right to do, he can be upset also."

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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 1:13 AM.