ST. PETERBURG, Fla. — Yandy Díaz had a two-run single in a three-run eighth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied to beat the AL West-leading Seattle Mariners 4-3 on Monday night.

Tampa Bay Rays 4, Seattle Mariners 3: Box score

Ben Rortvedt’s two-out RBI double in the eighth off Austin Voth (2-2) cut Tampa Bay’s deficit to 3-2. Closer Andrés Muñoz loaded the bases with a walk to José Caballero, and Díaz followed with a tough-hop single to right.

Sometimes the hops go your way. This is one of those times. pic.twitter.com/SlGkL5FhPS

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) June 25, 2024

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Phil Maton (1-2) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, and Pete Fairbanks worked the ninth for his 12th save in 14 chances.

Mitch Garver and Cal Raleigh homered for the Mariners, who are 2-5 on a nine-game trip.

tropiCAL pic.twitter.com/9a4Lz4MAf6

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) June 24, 2024

Seattle took a 3-1 lead on Garver’s two-run homer in the seventh off Chris Devenski, who has given up homers in three consecutive appearances for the second time this season.

Absolutely, positively CRUSHED. pic.twitter.com/oVknWmhPKm

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) June 25, 2024

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Díaz extended his career-best hitting streak to 17 games with a third-inning single.

Seattle starter Bryan Woo left in the fourth with right hamstring tightness and was replaced by Tayler Saucedo with a runner on first and no outs.

Saucedo made an errant pickoff throw to first that allowed Richie Palacios to advance to third. Palacios then scored to tie it at 1 on a wild pitch, Saucedo’s initial pitch.

Mariners’ Bryan Woo exits start vs Rays early with leg injury

Raleigh put the Mariners up 1-0 in the fourth against Taj Bradley with his 13th homer. The right-hander gave up one run and two hits over 5 1./3 innings in his fourth straight strong outing in which he has allowed four earned runs in 23 1/3 innings.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mariners: 2B Jorge Polanco (right hamstring strain) was reinstated from the 10-day IL and went 0 for 4, including three strikeouts.

Mariners Roster Moves: Polanco returns, rookie optioned

Rays: 2B Brandon Lowe (broken right pinkie toe) and Amed Rosario (facial lacerations) remain out of the lineup. Both were hit by pitches Saturday. … Ace Shane McClanahan (Tommy John surgery) is throwing at up to 130 feet. The lefty won’t return until 2025.

UP NEXT

Seattle RHP Luis Castillo (6-8, 3.63 ERA) and Rays RHP Zack Littell (2-5, 4.20 ERA) are Tuesday night’s starters.

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• Where’s Julio’s power? Insiders weigh in on ‘mystifying’ first half
• Former Mariners Check-In: Kelenic thriving, Díaz facing suspension
• Trade Targets: Three Marlins players to keep an eye on
• Gregory Santos takes big step toward Seattle Mariners debut

As the first-place Seattle Mariners open a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday at Tropicana Field, they might get an up-close look at some potential trade targets.

Morosi: The familiar Mariners trade partner to keep an eye on

The Rays have struggled to a 38-40 record this season, which has them 13 games back in the American League East and four games out of the AL’s third and final wild card spot. According to FanGraphs, their playoff odds are just 16.8%. That puts them in position to be a potential seller at the trade deadline.

During an appearance on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Monday, 10 Tampa Bay sports director Evan Closky discussed the Rays’ status as a potential seller and mentioned some possible players the Mariners could target to bolster their roster.

“The probability of (the Rays) making the playoffs is still less than 18 percent, so putting that in the grand scheme of things, the Rays are a very smart front office and they understand that this is a seller’s market this season,” Closky said. “So I think it would behoove them to sell if the right deal presents itself. And considering that a lot of teams are going to be in the hunt, they might be able to get some guys for an overpriced amount and really build themselves for the next few seasons. I know the Rays would love a guy like (highly rated Mariners prospect) Harry Ford, because they need a catcher so badly.”

Potential Rays hitters to target

Closky mentioned 25-year-old third baseman Isaac Paredes as a great match for Seattle. Paredes, who is under club control through 2027, hit 31 home runs last season and is batting .280/.365/.459 with 11 homers and an .824 OPS in 73 games this season. He also has just a 16.6% strikeout rate, which ranks 19th out of 71 qualified hitters in the AL, according to FanGraphs. That could be of particular interest for the Mariners, who have an MLB-worst 27.3% strikeout rate.

“If the Mariners can figure out a way to get Isaac Paredes, I do think that that is a perfect guy for them to grab, because he’s somebody who doesn’t strike out often, makes contact, has power,” Closky said. “He does everything that this team lacks a little bit with the bats, considering half of the Seattle Mariners lineup is the three true outcomes of home run, walk, strikeout.”

Another possible target is 32-year-old first baseman Yandy Díaz, who hit a career-high .330 with 22 homers during an All-Star season last year. This season, he’s .271/.331/.384 with six homers and a .715 OPS in 77 games. He has an even lower strikeout rate than Paredes, ranking sixth among AL qualifying hitters at just 13.8%. Díaz is in the second season of a three-year, $24 million deal that includes a club option for 2026.

“I don’t think anybody’s necessarily like off the table,” Closky said. “Now, Yandy Diaz is an amazing player, someone who I’m sure they’re gonna want the next couple of seasons. He’s cheap in the grand scheme of things, but for a very revenue-focused team like the Tampa Bay Rays, that’s very important. … So (I’m) not saying that Yandy’s off the table, but you might have to overpay for him.”

Potential Rays relievers to target

The Mariners could also look to add an arm or two to their bullpen, which has been hampered by injuries this season. Closky said the two relievers the Rays would be most likely to trade are 33-year-old right-hander Shawn Armstrong and 31-year-old right-hander Phil Maton.

Armstrong is a 10-year MLB veteran who spent parts of the 2018 and 2019 seasons in Seattle. He has a 3.53 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 35 2/3 innings this season, with 39 strikeouts and 13 walks.

Maton, who spent the past three seasons with the Houston Astros, is an eight-year MLB veteran who signed a one-year deal with Tampa Bay in February. He had a strong 2023 season in Houston, posting a 3.00 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with 74 strikeouts and 25 walks in 66 innings. However, he has struggled to a 5.28 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in 29 innings with the Rays this season.

“The two (relievers) that I think are probably gonna go by the deadline are Shawn Armstrong and Phil Maton, so if the Mariners wanted to work out a bigger deal with the Rays, I would imagine maybe those pieces get kicked in along with it,” Closky said. “They are some pieces in the bullpen who you throw into a bigger deal and sweeten the pot a little bit.”

Listen to the full conversation with 10 Tampa Bay sports director Evan Closky at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

More on the Seattle Mariners

• Mariners Roster Moves: Jorge Polanco returns, rookie optioned
• Where’s Julio’s power? Insiders weigh in on Mariners star’s ‘mystifying’ first half
• Mariners Breakdown: Where things stand after 2nd straight series loss
• Mariners Trade Targets: Three Marlins to keep an eye on
• Gregory Santos takes big step toward Seattle Mariners debut

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We think of persistent people as heroic individuals achieving great things in the face of adversity. But the untold story is: People don’t persist alone. They have families, friends, and whole communities fueling their determination.

I’ve been persisting — with the help of others — since childhood. I was born into a large family in Philadelphia. My dad realized I needed a different environment to thrive, so he unselfishly sent 10-year-old me to live with my aunt and uncle in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. My aunt was a housekeeper but was determined to do more with her intellect and empathy. Though I was first in my family to graduate from college, she modeled persistence by graduating from college at age 53 to become a family therapist.

I excelled at school but life was challenging. Navigating the two worlds I lived in — Black city life with my family in Philadelphia and the almost entirely white world of the Poconos — required code switching to the point of exhaustion. I was also 6 feet tall, so I stuck out even more. I was tempted to draw inward but my drama teacher urged me: “Brenda, take up all of your space!”

My support structures grew through college, a career in teaching, and graduate school. But even as an accomplished educator, I needed community to persist. When I learned about the opportunity to lead Seattle Girls’ School, my excitement was eclipsed by self-doubt. Thankfully, I was mentored by the only Black, female head of school in Seattle at the time. She encouraged me to pursue my dream job.

Persistence is difficult and leadership can be isolating. In Seattle, finding a community of other Black female leaders has not been easy. This led me to proactively seek out and build my own network to fuel my leadership. In my efforts to find “my people,” I discovered that Seattleites are collaborative and welcoming of new people and ideas even if they need a little encouragement to say “hello” to a stranger.

At Seattle Girls’ School, we’ve created a community that nurtures persistence. It’s thrilling to see young people discovering their strengths and exploring different ways to lead. When I think about how Seattleites could better nurture persistence, I reflect on two important lessons we teach. First, practice radical acceptance of yourself and others. Teaching middle schoolers to accept themselves during adolescence sets the groundwork for acceptance at all stages of life — of ourselves and others. This radical acceptance is critical for women as our roles, lives, and bodies change as we age. Go ahead, take up your space! Second, borrow confidence from your community when you don’t have enough of your own. Watching kids vulnerably and courageously support each other in times of struggle and doubt can inspire all of us to do the same for the people in our lives. I believe persistence and progress are possible for anyone surrounded by a strong community. And if you can’t find the community you need, create it. Seattle is certainly a place where you can do just that.