ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — There was nothing flashy about the Rays’ win over the A’s Wednesday night, nothing overly exciting or dramatic like, you know, a walk-off home run by Junior Caminero or something. But sometimes, boring is better. Just ask the Yankees, who rallied frantically for two runs in the ninth inning Thursday afternoon at Minnesota but then lost in 13 innings and saw star Aaron ...

The Tampa Bay Rays' Jonny DeLuca celebrates with teammates after hitting an RBI double, then scoring on a Chandler Simpson double, in the first inning against the Athletics at Tropicana Field on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times/TNS

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — There was nothing flashy about the Rays’ win over the A’s Wednesday night, nothing overly exciting or dramatic like, you know, a walk-off home run by Junior Caminero or something.

But sometimes, boring is better.

Just ask the Yankees, who rallied frantically for two runs in the ninth inning Thursday afternoon at Minnesota but then lost in 13 innings and saw star Aaron Judge leave the game with right lower leg tightness.

But by the time the Rays closed out their mundane 4-3 victory, they had logged their fifth straight win, improved their American League-leading record to 92-59, extended their AL East lead to 4 1/2 games and reduced their magic number to clinch the division to seven.

The Rays came out swinging again and quickly took a 4-0 lead.

They got two in the first inning on a trio of two-out doubles.

Junior Caminero, after a 111.1-mph foul ball that forced third-base umpire Alex McKay to dive out of the way, laced a double to center.

Jonny DeLuca laced a ball down the left-field line that scored Caminero. Then Chandler Simpson hit a sharp grounder that second baseman Jeff McNeil deflected but couldn’t grab, resulting in another RBI double.

The Rays added on in the second.

Jorge Mateo singled with one out, stole second and scored on a double by No. 9 hitter Nick Fortes. The first time through the order, five Rays hit the ball in excess of 100 mph. Ryan Vilade delivered a two-single to score Fortes and log his 40th RBI.

Simpson went 2 for 4 on the night to improve his batting average to .310. Houston’s Yordan Alvarez went into the night with an AL-leading .310 average and was playing later.

With starting pitcher Nick Martinez cruising through the first two innings, the Rays seemed to be in good shape.

But A’s infielder Tommy White, a St. Petersburg native and former Calvary Christian High School star, made a memory in his first start at Tropicana Field, capping a 10-pitch at-bat against Martinez with a homer to left. Five pitches later, Martinez gave up another to Henry Bolte.

Martinez worked only five innings (and 72 pitches), allowing two runs on five hits and no walks, striking out three.

Manager Kevin Cash summoned Kevin Kelly for the sixth, and that didn’t start well. Kelly gave up a first-pitch double to McNeil, then a second-pitch single to Shea Langeliers. But Kelly struck out the next three A’s, then allowed only a leadoff single to White in getting through the seventh.