TAMPA, Fla. — For a team that has manufactured runs in a variety of ways this season, the Rays botched a potential winning rally in the eighth inning against the Athletics on Monday night on the way to a 6-4 loss.

It was Tampa Bay’s third loss in its last four games.

The bullpen kept the Rays in the game after an atypically abbreviated start by Drew Rasmussen.

Rookies Paul Gervase and Mason Montgomery got the Rays through the fourth and fifth innings before Edwin Uceta and Garrett Cleavinger combined to shut out the A’s in the next three innings.

That ended in the ninth when closer Pete Fairbanks surrendered two singles and a triple to the first four batters he faced.

Just minutes earlier, the A’s had retired only one of the four Tampa Bay hitters who came to the plate, yet somehow escaped without surrendering a run.

Yandy Diaz led off with an infield single and was replaced by pinch-runner Chandler Simpson who stole second. Pinch hitter Brandon Lowe was intentionally walked to bring Junior Caminero to the plate.

Caminero hit a hard grounder to third baseman Max Muncy, who raced to the bag for the force-out and then threw to first to get the slow-moving Caminero. With Brandon Lowe at second base, Josh Lowe lined a single to left field.

Rookie Colby Thomas, who made his major-league debut as a pinch hitter earlier in the top of the inning, aggressively charged the ball, caught it on a short hop and threw Lowe out at the plate.

For the first few innings, Jacob Lopez was making a pretty convincing argument that the Rays erred in including him in a deal with Jeffrey Springs to bring Joe Boyle to Tampa Bay in the offseason. Lopez retired the first 10 hitters on 36 pitches.

That streak ended quietly enough when Curtis Mead drew a one-out walk in the fourth.

What followed was anything but quiet.

Caminero blasted a 425-foot homer to dead center field to cut the lead to 4-2. This was followed by three consecutive singles from Christopher Morel, Jake Mangum and Jonathan Aranda for another run.

The unraveling of Lopez was hastened when Mangum broke early while trying to steal third base. Lopez turned and appeared to have Mangum picked off, but he threw wildly to second base. Mangum advanced to third and scored the tying run on Jose Caballero’s bunt single.

Rasmussen, who came into the game seventh in the American League in ERA at 2.45, had his roughest start of the season. After getting two quick outs in the first, he gave up a double to Brent Rooker followed by a walk to Nick Kurtz.

Four pitches later, the Rays were trailing 3-0 when Shea Langeliers drilled a 96-mph sinker 408 feet for a home run.

Rasmussen, who had pitched into the fifth inning in all 16 of his starts in 2025, ran into trouble again in the third with three consecutive singles to drive in another run. He eventually escaped when Caminero started an inning-ending double play.

The Rays, who have been mindful of Rasmussen’s workload coming off a third major elbow surgery, opted to pull the right-hander after three innings and 54 pitches.

Tuesday: vs. A’s

7:05 p.m. ET, Steinbrenner Field

Pitchers: Rays — RH Shane Baz (8-3, 4.37); A’s — LH Jeffrey Springs (6-6, 4.30)

Info: raysbaseball.com

On deck

Wednesday: vs. A’s, 12:10 p.m. Rays — RH Ryan Pepiot (5-6, 3.36); A’s — TBA

Thursday: Off

Friday: at Twins, 4:10 p.m. Rays — RH Zack Littell (7-7, 3.61); Twins — TBA

Saturday: at Twins, 2:10 p.m. Rays —RH Taj Bradley (5-6, 4.79); Twins —TBA

Sunday: at Twins, 2:10 p.m. Rays — RH Drew Rasmussen (7-5, 2.45); Twins — TBA

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