NEW YORK (AP) — Shane Baz combined with three relievers on a five-hitter, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat New York 9-0 on Sunday to complete the first three-game series sweep of the Mets this season.
Baz (6-3) allowed three hits and four walks in 6 2/3 innings while striking out six and throwing a career-high 106 pitches. He held the Mets hitless in 12 plate appearances with runners on base.
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Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero hits a home run, leading Taylor Walls and Brandon Lowe to score, during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Sunday, June 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero reacts after hitting a home run leading Taylor Walls and Brandon Lowe to score during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets Sunday, June 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
New York Mets' Pete Alonso reacts after Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe threw the ball to first baseman Jonathan Aranda to put him out during the sixth inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Tampa Bay Rays' Brandon Lowe, left, and Josh Lowe, right, react after defeating the New York Mets in a baseball game Sunday, June 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Tampa Bay Rays outfielders Jake Mangum, left, Kameron Misner, center, and Josh Lowe, right, react after defeating the New York Mets in a baseball game Sunday, June 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Jonathan Aranda’s two-run double in the fifth off Max Kranick blew open the game for the Rays, who outscored the Mets 24-9 in the series.
New York pitchers walked a season-high nine as the Mets were dealt their most lopsided loss this season and were swept in a series for the first time since last Aug. 9-11 at Seattle. The Rays had 28 hits and 15 walks in the series, and they were retired in order just four times.
Kameron Misner, Danny Jansen and Jake Mangum had an RBI apiece before Junior Caminero hit a three-run homer in the ninth against Ryne Stanek.
Griffin Canning (6-3) allowed six runs, four hits and a season-high five walks over 4 1/3 innings. Canning has a 6.75 ERA in his last five starts after posting a 2.47 ERA in his first nine starts.
Baz struck out Pete Alonso to leave the bases loaded in the third.
New York was playing its 23rd series, the deepest into a season they’d gone before getting swept since 2006.
Mets: LHP David Peterson (5-2, 2.49 ERA) opens a six-game trip Tuesday at Atlanta and RHP Spencer Schwellenbach (5-4, 3.11), who are both coming off complete games.
Rays: RHP Ryan Pepiot (3-6, 3.31 ERA) starts Monday, when the Rays return home to start a four-game set against Baltimore.
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Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero hits a home run, leading Taylor Walls and Brandon Lowe to score, during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Sunday, June 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero reacts after hitting a home run leading Taylor Walls and Brandon Lowe to score during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets Sunday, June 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
New York Mets' Pete Alonso reacts after Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe threw the ball to first baseman Jonathan Aranda to put him out during the sixth inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Tampa Bay Rays' Brandon Lowe, left, and Josh Lowe, right, react after defeating the New York Mets in a baseball game Sunday, June 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Tampa Bay Rays outfielders Jake Mangum, left, Kameron Misner, center, and Josh Lowe, right, react after defeating the New York Mets in a baseball game Sunday, June 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is meeting with oil executives at the White House on Friday in hopes of securing $100 billion in investments to revive Venezuela’s ability to fully tap into its expansive reserves of petroleum — a plan that rides on their comfort in making commitments in a country plagued by instability, inflation and uncertainty.
Since the U.S. military raid to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Trump has quickly pivoted to portraying the move as a newfound economic opportunity for the U.S., seizing tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, saying the U.S. is taking over the sales of 30 million to 50 million barrels of previously sanctioned Venezuelan oil and will be controlling sales worldwide indefinitely.
On Friday, U.S. forces seized their fifth tanker over the past month that has been linked to Venezuelan oil. The action reflected the determination of the U.S. to fully control the exporting, refining and production of Venezuelan petroleum, a sign of the Trump administration's plans for ongoing involvement in the sector as it seeks commitments from private companies.
It's all part of a broader push by Trump to keep gasoline prices low. At a time when many Americans are concerned about affordability, the incursion in Venezuela melds Trump’s assertive use of presidential powers with an optical spectacle meant to convince Americans that he can bring down energy prices.
The meeting, set for 2:30 p.m. EST, will be open to the news media, according to an update to the president's daily schedule. “At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,” Trump said Friday in a pre-dawn social media post.
Trump is set to meet with executives from 17 oil companies, according to the White House. Among the companies attending are Chevron, which still operates in Venezuela, and ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, which both had oil projects in the country that were lost as part of a 2007 nationalization of private businesses under Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez.
The president is meeting with a wide swath of domestic and international companies with interests ranging from construction to the commodity markets. Other companies slated to be at the meeting include Halliburton, Valero, Marathon, Shell, Singapore-based Trafigura, Italy-based Eni and Spain-based Repsol.
Large U.S. oil companies have so far largely refrained from affirming investments in Venezuela as contracts and guarantees need to be in place. Trump has suggested on social media that America would help to backstop any investments.
Venezuela’s oil production has slumped below one million barrels a day. Part of Trump's challenge to turn that around will be to convince oil companies that his administration has a stable relationship with Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez, as well as protections for companies entering the market.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are slated to attend the oil executives meeting, according to the White House.
Meanwhile, the United States and Venezuelan governments said Friday they were exploring the possibility of r estoring diplomatic relations between the two countries, and that a delegation from the Trump administration arrived to the South American nation on Friday.
The small team of U.S. diplomats and diplomatic security officials traveled to Venezuela to make a preliminary assessment about the potential re-opening of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, the State Department said in a statement.
Trump also announced on Friday he’d meet with President Gustavo Petro in early February, but called on the Colombian leader to make quick progress on stemming flow of cocaine into the U.S.
Trump, following the ouster of Maduro, had made vague threats to take similar action against Petro. Trump abruptly changed his tone Wednesday about his Colombian counterpart after a friendly phone call in which he invited Petro to visit the White House.
President Donald Trump waves as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
