The Rays and Orioles entered play tonight as two of the hotter teams in baseball. The Florida heat only added to their rising temperatures. Tampa had won 18 of their last 25 and were on the heels of a three-game sweep of the New York Mets.

Rays first. Josh Lowe homers to right field. Brandon Lowe singles to center field. Yandy Diaz grounds out to third base. Brandon Lowe out at second. Jonathan Aranda doubles to right field.

NEW YORK - The Tampa Bay Rays scored six runs in the top of the sixth inning to spoil a solid outing from Clay Holmes and beat the New York Mets 7-5 at Citi Fie

The feats we are about to discuss are not Herculean. Some might argue they are not even remarkable. They will not break records, nor are they likely to influence voters of the major offseason awards.

The Rays closed out a 5-1 homestand with Sunday's 3-2 victory. All of this helped Tampa Bay stay strong in the latest MLB Power Rankings, sitting in the No. 14 spot and moving up two from last week's location, according to MLB.com.

The Houston Astros traded right-hander Forrest Whitley to the Tampa Bay Rays after designating him for assignment last weekend, the team announced Friday, ending his tenure in the organization. Houston received cash considerations in the deal for the former top pitching prospect.

The Rays pick up another big win, beating the Mets 8-4.

The Rays beat the Orioles 7-1 on Monday night with their American League-leading 36th quality start of the season.