Walls Goes Boom From Both Sides as Rays Keep Rolling, A's Keep Sinking

WEST SACRAMENTO — Some droughts end with a whisper. Taylor Walls ended his with a BOOM — twice.

The Rays' 30-year-old switch-hitter launched a pair of homers from both sides of the plate for the second time in his career, powering Tampa Bay to a 12-4 beatdown of the Athletics on Tuesday night. It was the Rays' eighth straight win, and they look absolutely unstoppable.

Walls Finally Goes Yard

Walls entered the game with zero homers on the season. He left with two — a two-run rocket to right-center in the fourth, then a solo shot in the sixth. The eruption ended a 105-game regular-season homer drought dating back to July 27, 2025. His first career two-homer game came back on April 18, 2023, when he went deep as both a righty and lefty against the Reds.

He's now the fifth player this season to homer from both sides of the plate, joining Drew Romo, Willi Castro, Bryan Reynolds, and Josh Bell. Not bad company.

Martinez Masters the Complete Game

Nick Martinez didn't need a bullpen. The right-hander fired his second career complete game, striking out five and scattering eight hits over 101 pitches. Yes, he allowed four runs — but when your offense drops a dozen, that's just a footnote. He moved to 12-3 on the season, and the AL East-leading Rays are steamrolling everyone.

The Bats Came Alive Early

Tampa Bay wasted no time. Junior Caminero launched a 412-foot two-run bomb to center in the first inning. Yandy Diaz added a solo shot, Carson Williams crushed a three-run blast, and Victor Mesa Jr. chipped in a two-run homer of his own. The Rays racked up 11 hits and made the A's pitching staff look completely helpless.

Lawrence Butler gave the A's a brief spark with a two-run homer in the fifth, but by then the damage was done. Starting pitcher Mason Barnett took the loss, falling to 1-3 after allowing six runs on five hits in just four innings.

Wilson's Streak Dies in the Eighth

Meanwhile, the A's had their own piece of history — and not the good kind. Jacob Wilson's MLB-record 112-game errorless streak came crashing down on a throwing error in the eighth inning. Records are meant to be broken, but that one hurt.

Up Next

The Rays go for the sweep Wednesday with Drew Rasmussen (11-5, 2.75 ERA) on the mound. The A's haven't named a starter — probably because nobody wants to face this juggernaut right now.

Buckle up. Tampa Bay isn't slowing down.