ST. PETERSBURG — Thomas Bassinger’s takeaways from the Rays’ 7-2 win over the Marlins on Sunday:
- After the Rays went 5-1 on their most recent road trip, the question was whether they would stall at home, where they’ve been a .500 team. The answer, at least so far, is no. Sure, they beat up on the Marlins, the worst team in the National League, but wins against the Marlins count as much as other wins. Tampa Bay’s next 19 games are against teams who have losing records.
- Manager Kevin Cash went with an entirely right-handed lineup against Marlins lefty Caleb Smith, and it worked.