Curt Casali cemented his grasp on the Tampa Bay Rays’ starting catcher job, as the 2007 NCHS grad capped off a six-run 7th inning by hitting a key two-run home run in Wednesday night’s 9-6 win over Atlanta.
The Rays overcame a three-run deficit in the win, improving to 58-56 on the season. It was the fourth win in a row for Tampa Bay, who trails division leader Toronto by 4.5 games in the AL East. The Rays also sit just 1.5 games out of a Wild Card spot in the American League.
Casali—who made a huge splash in the majors last month by hitting two homers in two consecutive games—finished the night going 1-for-4 at the plate with three RBI. He is now hitting .224 on the year with eight HR’s and 14 RBI. He was making his second consecutive start behind the plate after missing several games due to a minor head injury suffered on August 8th against the Mets.