ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays rallied in the seventh inning to edge the Washington Nationals 4-3 on Sunday at Tropicana Field, extending their recent dominance at home. Jonny DeLuca’s two-run homer proved decisive, helping the Rays secure their eighth series win in nine tries on their home turf, where they now hold a 26-10 record this season.

Washington, which had been riding a five-series road winning streak—just one shy of the franchise record set by the Montreal Expos in 1994—was unable to maintain its momentum. The Nationals fell to 40-38 overall as they prepare for a four-game home series against the Philadelphia Phillies later this week.

DeLuca, who returned from injury on Friday with a home run, delivered again off Nationals reliever Orlando Ribalta (0-1) with one out in the seventh inning, sending a deep shot to left field that scored Yandy Díaz and gave Tampa Bay the lead. Ryan Vilade also contributed a solo home run in the sixth inning, pulling the Rays within a run before the decisive seventh.

The Nationals scored first in the third inning on a James Wood sacrifice fly and took a 2-1 lead in the fourth with an RBI double by Dylan Crews. Washington extended its lead to 3-1 in the sixth when CJ Abrams hit his 17th home run of the season, his third consecutive game with a homer. The ball barely cleared the right-center field wall after a replay review, but it stood, putting the Nationals ahead by two runs.

However, Washington managed only two additional base runners after Abrams’ homer—both singles—and failed to add to its lead. Tampa Bay responded in the third inning when Yandy Díaz’s double brought home Taylor Walls, cutting the deficit early.

On the mound, Nick Martinez started for Tampa Bay, allowing three runs over six innings. Garrett Cleavinger (2-2) earned the win in relief, and Kevin Kelly secured his third save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning. Kelly has now pitched 18 consecutive scoreless innings at home to begin the season.

For the Nationals, Andrew Alvarez pitched four innings, giving up one run on four hits while striking out six without issuing a walk.

The Rays’ victory marked yet another demonstration of their resilience at Tropicana Field, while the Nationals’ road winning streak came to an end as the team shifts focus to an upcoming divisional series.