2 Rays players shine in pivotal USA-DR matchup

This highly anticipated USA-DR semifinals game did not end the way anyone would've liked as the deciding call of the game was clearly ball four, but the two high-powered rosters certainly lived up to the hype. And if you are a Rays fan, then you especially enjoyed this game as two out of the three participants from the Tampa Bay roster took the field last night and were difference makers in the outcome.

Junior Caminero

The Rays franchise (hopefully) star performed like a season veteran throughout the World Baseball Classic tournament. It's actually really sad to know that Junior Caminero and the Dominicans will no longer be in the WBC, but the 22-year-old superstar infielder broke out on the biggest stage.

After a 45-home run All Star campaign last season, Caminero was poised to be a major contributor for his home country of the Dominican Republic. That's exactly what he did. The 6'1 third baseman primarily served as the designated hitter throughout the tournament, and he proved he was perfect for that role. In five games, Caminero hit .350 with three homers as the DR went 4-1.

The biggest home run for the young Rays star came off of arguably the best pitcher in baseball, Paul Skenes. In the second inning of the pivotal semifinals' matchup between the Dominican Republic and United States, Caminero crushed a hanging off-speed pitch from Skenes and deposited it over the left field fence to give the DR an early 1-0 lead. It would end up being the only run for the DR as USA's bullpen completely shut down the Dominican offense.

Griffin Jax

Griffin Jax is one of two Rays relievers in the United States' powerful bullpen alongside lefty Garrett Cleavinger. Jax made an appearance in yesterday's contest and tossed a perfect sixth inning to keep the score 2-1 in favor of the US.

The former Twins hurler made his first appearance in this edition of the WBC against Great Britain on March 7th. He threw a perfect eighth inning with two strikeouts of Ivan Johnson and Trayce Thompson. Perfect has been a key word for Griffin Jax and many of the USA relievers including David Bednar, Garrett Whitlock, and Mason Miller as they all have produced a 0.00 ERA in their outings.

Spring training is clearly not the only games that can get us excited for the Rays this upcoming season as Junior Caminero (Dominican Republic), Griffin Jax (United States), Garrett Cleavinger (United States), and Jonathan Aranda (Mexico) have all performed exceptionally well prior to Opening Day.