Despite Early Struggles, Taylor Walls Came Through In The Clutch

On a Tuesday night game against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Rays needed an unlikely hero to secure a walk-off win. With two outs in the bottom of the tenth inning, up came Taylor Walls. His struggles at the dish have been well documented with a slash line of .154/.252/.262. However, due to injuries to both Wander Franco and Brandon Lowe, he has been forced into action.

Despite all odds, however, Walls delivered the defining moment of his season and was one of the most exciting for the Rays in general. Facing 2-2, Walls turned on a pitch high in the zone and just kept it fair by hitting the foul pole for a three-run home run.

The homer was Walls' third of the year and gave him seven RBI's on the season. Truly an unlikely hero, it was just his seventh extra-base hit. Still just 25 years old, this could be the moment that helps propel him forward and help him show some signs of life at the plate.

As mentioned, the Rays will need all the help they can get from Walls with both Franco and Lowe out. One of the best players in the MLB, Franco was placed on the 10-day injured list with a quadriceps strain. The initial hope was that it would be a short stay but, as of Monday, he has yet to resume baseball activities.

While things have not gone the way that many Rays fans hoped they would, the team has still been able to win. Sometimes, these wins will have to come from unlikely places. As Taylor Walls proved, this team is not going to roll over for anyone.