Walls HRs from both sides of the plate for 2nd time in his career as Rays beat A's 12-4

The Tampa Bay Rays won their eighth straight game, 12-4, over the Athletics. (AP) — Taylor Walls homered from each side of the plate in a 12-4 victory at the Athletics on Tuesday night, becoming the first switch-hitter to do that twice for the AL-leading Tampa Bay Rays.Walls also accomplished the feat on April 18, 2023, at Cincinnati.The 30-year-old shortstop hit his first homer Tuesday left-handed in the fourth inning off Athletics starter Mason Barnett. Walls went deep as a right-handed hitter off reliever Brady Basso in the sixth, helping Tampa Bay win its eighth straight game.Walls is the fifth player this season to homer from both sides of the plate, joining the Chicago White Sox’s Drew Romo, Colorado’s Willi Castro, Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds, and Minnesota’s Josh Bell.Hitting his first long ball of the season, Walls ended his personal home run drought at 105 regular-season games, dating to July 27, 2025.Walls only has 24 home runs in 581 games in the majors, counting the playoffs.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

(AP) — Taylor Walls homered from both sides of the plate for the second time in his career, Nick Martinez tossed a complete game and the Tampa Bay Rays won their eighth straight game, 12-4 over the Athletics on Tuesday night.The 30-year-old Walls, whose homers were his first of the season, went 4 for 5 in his second two-homer game. He last went deep as a righty and lefty on April 18, 2023, against the Cincinnati Reds.Walls hit his first homer of the season, a two-run shot to right-center, in the fourth. He added a solo shot in the sixth inning.

The homers ended a 105-game regular-season drought dating to July 27, 2025.Walls is the fifth player this season to homer from both sides of the plate, joining the White Sox’s Drew Romo, Colorado’s Willi Castro, Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds, and Minnesota’s Josh Bell.Martinez (12-3) struck out five, and allowed four runs on eight hits with a 101-pitch effort for his second career complete game. He previously worked an eight-inning complete-game with the Reds in 2024, but took the loss.The AL East-leading Rays jumped out to an early lead off Junior Caminero’s 412-foot, two-run shot to center field in the first inning.Caminero also scored in the third on Chandler Simpson’s sac-fly, but Liam Hicks was thrown out attempting to tag from first for a double play that ended the inning.Yandy Diaz had a solo homer, Carson Williams had a three-run blast and Victor Mesa Jr. has a two-run shot for Tampa Bay, which banged out 11 hits in the win.Lawrence Butler had a two-run homer for the Athletics in the fifth inning.

Mason Barnett (1-3) took the loss, allowing six runs on five hits in four innings.The Athletics' Jacob Wilson had his MLB-record 112-game errorless streak come to an end in the eighth on a throwing error.Up nextRHP Drew Rasmussen (11-5, 2.75 ERA) goes for Tampa Bay in the finale of the three-game series Wednesday. The A's have not announced a starter.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb