TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Taylor Walls hit a two-run single to second baseman Marcus Semien in the ninth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied to beat the Texas Rangers 4-3 on Thursday night.
Junior Caminero, who homered off Jack Leiter in the second inning, had an RBI single against Robert Garcia (1-3) to pull the Rays to 3-2 earlier in the ninth. After Jake Mangum flied out for the second out, Christopher Morel singled to load the bases.
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Texas Rangers' Marcus Semien, right, celebrates his home run off Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Kevin Kelly with third base coach Tony Beasley during the seventh inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Texas Rangers' Jake Burger watches his home run off Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Ryan Pepiot during the third inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero watches his home run off Texas Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter during the second inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero reacts after scoring the game-winning run on an RBI single by Taylor Walls off Texas Rangers pitcher Robert Garcia during the ninth inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Walls then hit a grounder to Semien, but no one was covering first base and Caminero came around to score from second for the winning run.
It marked the second straight night the Rays won on a defensive miscue. On Wednesday night, Tampa Bay took advantage of Rangers pitcher Kumar Rocker forgetting to cover first base to score a run and then scored another when Rocker then held the ball as Jonathan Aranda scored from second.
Semien had two solo homers and Jake Burger also went deep for the Rangers.
Cole Sluser (3-1) picked up the win with a scoreless ninth inning for the Rays.
With two outs in the ninth, Morel singled on a ground ball to third baseman Josh Jung, who bobbled the ball with Morel racing to first to beat out the play and keep the inning going.
Ryan Pepiot allowed two runs and three hits over six innings. Burger’s hoer in the third snapped Pepiot’s 20-inning scoreless streak, the second-longest active streak in the majors behind teammate Drew Rasmussen’s 23 innings. Pepiot also gave up a homer to Semien in the fifth.
Rays RHP Zack Littell (5-5, 3.86 ERA) stars against Marlins RHP Edward Cabrera (2-1, 4.14) in the teams' series opener on Friday in Tampa. Rangers RHP Patrick Corbin (3-4, 3.71) faces Nationals RHP Michael Soroka (2-3, 5.81) in the series opener at Washington.
AP MLB: https://www.apnews.com/hub/MLB
Texas Rangers' Marcus Semien, right, celebrates his home run off Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Kevin Kelly with third base coach Tony Beasley during the seventh inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Texas Rangers' Jake Burger watches his home run off Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Ryan Pepiot during the third inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero watches his home run off Texas Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter during the second inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero reacts after scoring the game-winning run on an RBI single by Taylor Walls off Texas Rangers pitcher Robert Garcia during the ninth inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Lamar Jackson thought it was over. That the Baltimore Ravens' unwieldy season would end up in a familiar spot: the playoffs.
Then, rookie kicker Tyler Loop's potential game-winning field goal from 44 yards out drifted a little right. And then a little further right. And then a little further right still.
By the time it fluttered well wide of the goalposts, the playoffs were gone. So was Jackson's certainty after a 26-24 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday night sent the Ravens into what could be a turbulent offseason.
“I'm definitely stunned, man,” Jackson said. “I thought we had it in the bag. ... I don't know what else we can do.”
Jackson, who never really seemed fully healthy during his eighth season as he battled one thing after another, did his part. The two-time NFL MVP passed for 238 yards and three touchdowns, including two long connections with Zay Flowers in the fourth quarter that put the Ravens (8-9) in front.
It just wasn't enough. Baltimore's defense, which played most of the second half without star safety Kyle Hamilton after Hamilton entered the concussion protocol, wilted against 42-year-old Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers passed for a season-high 294 yards, including a 26-yard flip to a wide-open Calvin Austin with 55 seconds to go after a defender slipped, symbolic of a season in which Baltimore's defense only occasionally found its form.
Still, the Ravens had a chance when Jackson found Isaiah Likely for a 28-yard gain on fourth down from midfield. A couple of snaps later, the 24-year-old Loop walked on to try to lift Baltimore to its third straight division title.
Instead, the rookie said he “mishit” it. Whatever it was, it never threatened to sneak between the goalposts.
“It’s disappointing,” Loop said.
Loop was talking about the game. He might as well have been talking about his team's season.
The Ravens began 1-5 as Jackson dealt with injuries and the defense struggled to get stops. Baltimore found a way to briefly tie the Steelers for first in late November, only to then split its next four games, including a home loss to Pittsburgh.
Still, when Jackson and the Ravens walked onto the Acrisure Stadium turf on Sunday night in the 272nd and final game of the NFL regular season, Baltimore was confident. The Ravens drilled Pittsburgh in the opening round of the playoffs a year ago behind the ever-churning legs of running back Derrick Henry.
When Henry ripped off a gain of 40-plus yards on the game's first offensive snap, it looked like it was going to be more of the same. While Henry did rush for 126 yards and joined Hall of Famer Barry Sanders as the only running backs in NFL history to have five 1,500-yard seasons, he was less effective in the second half.
Even that first run was telling of what night it was going to be, as an illegal block by wide receiver Zay Flowers cost Baltimore some field position. The Ravens ended up scoring on the drive anyway, thanks to a 38-yard fourth-down flip from Jackson to a wide-open Devontez Walker, but it started a pattern that was hard to shake as several steps forward were met with one step back on a night the Ravens finished with nine penalties for 78 yards.
“We were having a lot of penalties, which kept stopping drives," Jackson said. “But I'm proud of my guys because we kept overcoming. We kept overcoming adversity and situations like this. Divisional games (can) be like that sometimes.”
Particularly when the Steelers are on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Pittsburgh has won 10 of the last 13 meetings. And while a handful of them have been in late-season matchups with the Ravens already assured of reaching the playoffs, the reality is the Steelers have been able to regularly do something that most others have not: found a way to beat Jackson.
“It comes down to situations like this,” Jackson said. “Two-point conversion one year. Field goal another year. And again this year. Just got to find a way to get that win here.”
And figure out who is going to be around to help get it.
Head coach John Harbaugh's 18th season in Baltimore ended with the Ravens missing the playoffs for just the second time in eight years. Jackson turns 29 this week and is still one of the most electric players in the league.
Yet Harbaugh and Jackson have yet to find a way to have that breakthrough season that Harbaugh enjoyed with Joe Flacco in 2013 when the Ravens won the Super Bowl.
There was hope when the season began that the roadblocks that have long been in the franchise's way — Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes chief among them — would be gone.
While the Ravens did get their way in a sense — the Chiefs will watch the playoffs from afar for the first time in a decade after a nightmarish season of their own — it never all came together.
Jackson declined to endorse Harbaugh returning for a 19th season, saying the loss was still too fresh to zoom out on what it might mean for the franchise going forward.
Harbaugh, for his part, certainly seems up for running it back in the fall.
“I love these guys,” he said afterward. “I love these guys.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, right, hands the ball off to running back Derrick Henry (22) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh talks with an offical during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Justin Berl)
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, left, greets Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) after an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Steelers safety Jabrill Peppers (40) reacts after Baltimore Ravens kicker Tyler Loop (33) missed a field goal attempt in the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
