BOSTON — The penultimate game of the Rays' season on Saturday began in a way that seemed like a fitting homage to many of the other games before it. They got their first two hitters on, loaded the bases with one out, but got nothing.

But as the crisp afternoon continued, the Rays — despite a historically poor performance over six months with runners in scoring position — showed they could occasionally score big in key situations, beating the Red Sox 7-2.

Amid the disappointment of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2018, there was great excitement about the development and progress of their pitching staff, with a plethora of starters (including Shane Baz, who pitched six strong innings on Saturday) and a stable of tough hitters -Throwing relief supplies.

But in order to get back to where they want to be and play into October, they need to improve their flagging offense.

And while there will be extensive discussions and significant speculation surrounding possible offseason acquisitions, they will also need some of their prominent younger players to step up.

There were signs for this Saturday.

Junior Caminero hit a two-run home run over the Green Monster and hit another run single as part of a three-hit game. Josh Lowe delivered a two-out, two-run single to cap a four-run fifth inning. And Jonathan Aranda and Christopher Morel each drove in runs as the Rays went 5 of 13 with runners in scoring position.

“There’s some flashes,” reliever Drew Rasmussen said. “(Caminero) shot the ball to the moon. It's lightning, and that's what makes next year really exciting, right? You can see some of the things we can do as we start to put some innings together. … Just seeing what they were able to accomplish (Saturday) is really exciting for the future.”

The Rays improved to 80-81, and with another win on Sunday they can avoid their first loss of the season since 2017 and move past the Red Sox into third place in the American League East. The last time they finished lower than third was 2016.

Caminero, 21, is a big part of the Rays' future as he has been one of the top prospects in the game since last year. He's proven that since his promotion from Triple A in mid-August, batting .255 with six homers, 18 RBIs and a .741 OPS in 42 games, playing well at third base.

Caminero downplayed his day, saying through team communications director Elvis Martinez that he was just trying to take advantage of the opportunity by emphasizing “my consistency, focusing on things, making small plays and not trying to do too much.” provides.

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Manager Kevin Cash said the Rays didn't want to set expectations or limits for Caminero.

“He’s a really talented player,” Cash said. “What he did, we’re thrilled with how he competed and held his own in the box. His defense was very secure there. So we are thrilled with the work he has done and the results he has achieved.”

Baz said: “It’s exciting. Junior, I think he can be a very special player. I think he already is, but yeah, just seeing it is great.”

Another key factor will be Lowe, the 26-year-old who broke out in the 2023 season but was set back by injuries this spring and never seemed to quite get back on track. He is batting .241 with 10 home runs, 34 RBIs and an OPS of .696 after driving in runs in consecutive games.

“I’m thrilled with how the last two games went for Josh,” Cash said. “You’re happy that all the boys are having success. If it has been a tough season as a team and we can see some positives in the last series then that must be a good thing.”

The offense was bolstered by another strong pitching performance led by Baz, who made a successful 14-start return after a nearly two-year injury layoff. He allowed two runs on three hits over six innings, striking out seven, and finished with a 4-3 record and a 3.06 ERA.

“Child is very special,” said Rasmussen. “He hadn’t played in almost two years and he was as strong as ever in almost every outing, especially when you look at what he did here on the track.”

Rasmussen also impressed, capping his return from elbow surgery in 2023 (his third) by pitching the final two innings. He has a 2.83 ERA over 16 outings, with 35 strikeouts in 28⅔ innings.

“It wasn't perfect (Saturday), but looking back at where I've been over the last 18 months or so, I'm really blessed to have the opportunity to play on the field again,” Rasmussen said. “It’s been a pretty good year and we’re excited to see what happens next.”

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