Rays rally past Diamondbacks for victory behind Josh Lowe's clutch ninth-inning hit

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The Tampa Bay offense hadn't done anything all night and Josh Lowe wasn't due up at the plate until the sixth batter of the ninth inning.

It's safe to say the situation didn't look great. But almost immediately upon coming back to the dugout after the eighth, the right fielder grabbed his helmet and batting gloves. There's a reason the Rays have the best record in the majors and he figured he might be needed.

Sure enough, Lowe was the man who delivered a two-out, two-run double in the ninth to lead Tampa Bay to a 3-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night.

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Josh Lowe #15 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates after hitting a two-RBI double against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the ninth inning of the MLB game at Chase Field on June 28, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona.  (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

"I had my helmet and batting gloves on from the first batter of the inning," Lowe said. "Just ready to go no matter what happens. If I get up to hit, try to do something to help the team win. I was ready to go."

The Rays were in danger of losing the best record in the big leagues to the Atlanta Braves, but Lowe's big swing meant Tampa Bay gets to keep the spot it has held since starting the season with 13 straight wins.

"Really clutch — I'm happy for Josh," Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash. "We have a number of guys who are kind of grinding through it right now, and he's probably one of them. He put a charge into one and picked us up with obviously the biggest hit of the game."

Tampa Bay trailed 2-0 entering the ninth, but Yandy Díaz and Wander Franco started the inning with