Junior Caminero hits his 39th homer as the Rays beat the Braves 7-1

Junior Caminero reached the milestone of his 39th home run, contributing to Tampa Bay's 7-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night. Four home runs were hit by the Rays' lineup in the game. Freddy Peralta (8-11) allowed a solitary run over six innings, securing his third consecutive win. Since his trade from the Mets during the trade deadline, Peralta has posted a 3-2 record in his subsequent starts, conceding just two runs in his last 18 innings.

Caminero went 2 for 3 with a walk, hit by pitch, and two runs scored, including the first-inning blast that sent the ball 455 feet into the left field bleachers, giving him the American League lead in home runs. Liam Hicks added a two-run blast in the third inning, giving Tampa Bay a 3-1 lead. Yandy Díaz and Richie Palacios each contributed a solo homer in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.

Victor Mesa Jr., celebrating his 25th birthday, went 2 for 5 with a stolen base and RBI for Tampa Bay. Braves rookie Chandler Simpson delivered a single, a run scored, and stole his 40th base of the season in his debut at Truist Park. Despite a rough start, rookie ace A.J. Smith-Shawver (0-2) marked his second season with 40 stolen bases.

Smith-Shawver surrendered four runs in 3 1/3 innings and has now given up 18 runs in 21 innings across five starts this season. Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. drove in a run for the team in the first inning. Tampa Bay's reliever Griffin Jax (6-10, 3.82 ERA) is set to start Wednesday's game against Braves right-hander Reynaldo López (4-3, 3.64), who will make his first start since July following left knee inflammation.