TAMPA -- Just a week after they seemed to be doomed to another mediocre season, everything is going the Rays’ way.

Their lineup? Red hot. Their pitching? Outstanding.

Their postseason hopes? All of a sudden, very much alive.

The Rays pounded Mariners starter George Kirby with eight runs on 10 hits in the first two innings of Wednesday night’s series finale and didn’t look back, as Yandy Díaz ’s first career five-hit performance led a season-high 19-hit attack in a 9-4 win at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

That victory completed a three-game sweep and extended Tampa Bay’s winning streak to six games, tied for the club’s longest of the season. And it brought the Rays within 2 1/2 games of the Mariners, who are losing their grip on the final American League Wild Card spot as they’ve

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