WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As you may have noticed, very little has gone the way the Rays have planned of late.

Wednesday night was a welcome exception.

With All-Star starter Drew Rasmussen taking a 15 ⅓-inning scoreless streak and the confidence that comes with it to the mound, they were banking on a strong start.

And after a quiet Tuesday at the plate, manager Kevin Cash made a reasonable request during his pregame media session: “I’d like to see us get him some early runs.”

Rasmussen did his part, working six strong innings.

The hitters did theirs, scoring four runs in the first and adding two more in the second on a mammoth homer by Brandon Lowe. (They tacked on two more in the ninth on Junior Caminero’s 34th homer of the season.)

And just like that, the Rays won a game, 8-2 over

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