The 2020 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays tied the game in the 9th in the most dramatic of fashions but ended up losing their first game back from the break 7-6 in 10 innings at Fenway to the Red Sox. With two out in the 9th and the Sox up 6-4, Ruben Ramirez came off the bench to drill a 2-run homer (#14) over The Monster but Boston got their own dramatic homer when Josh Schulze took Mario Berumen (4-2) deep leading off the 10th. Before all that Tim Johnson had rough outing at 5.2 6 5 5 3 6 and Ezequiel Avalos hit his 21st longball.

Game 2: Tampa Bay scored 3 times in the first off old friend Greg Bookhart and made those runs stand up in a 3-2 win over Boston. Jon Morales' RBI single was followed by a 2-run Ruben Ramirez blast (#15) as the righty slugger picked up where he left off last night. Alec McInerney (6-6) then turned in one of his better performances of the season at 6.2 4 2 2 2 5, and Mario Berumen got the final two outs for save #12. Berumen was in because Steve Talbott left in the 9th with a strained forearm.

July 13: Placed P Steve Talbott on the 15-day IL with a strained forearm, recalled P Eddie Lilly from AAA Durham.

Talbott should miss two weeks with the "moderate" injury. We also sent lefty relievers Alan Rutherford and Kevin Leonard on rehab assignments with Durham and Leonard will probably be back first.

Game 3: The Rays came back from 3-1 down to take a 5-3 win over the Red Sox as Luis Barela and Nesty de la Rosa teamed up to provide the scoring. Barela launched a pair of solo homers to bookend the scoring with one in the 2nd and other for insurance in the 9th, giving him 19 for the season. de la Rosa was 3-4, launching a solo homer in the 5th (#12) and an RBI double in a 2-run 7th which put them ahead. Rogelio Espinoza (8-7) was adequate at 6 7 3 3 1 7 with a pair of homers allowed and Willie Navarro closed for save #3.

Game 4: Tampa Bay took the series from Boston and finally did so with some breathing room as they routed the Red Sox 9-3 in the finale. A 4-run 3rd broke the game open with the big hit a 3-run jack from Luis Barela (#20), his third in two games. David Morales had a big 2-run single early and Jon Morales added a 2-run homer (#18) later. This was more than enough for Dave Rose (10-2), who turned in another excellent outing at 6 5 1 1 1 6 and lowered his ERA to 2.66.

Team record: 64-31. We picked up a game on the Yankees and now lead the division by 8. Next up: A return to Publix Park as Detroit visits for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Kind of an ugly affair as the bullpen lost control of a 4-4 game and Detroit took the opener at Publix Park 8-4. Luis Barela homered (#21) and Ezequiel Avalos knocked in a pair to keep Tampa Bay in it after Melvin Lopez went 5 6 4 3 3 4, but Jon Ward (2-1) and Chris Hetzel each allowed a pair of runs in relief to lose it. To add injury to insult, Jose Lozada tore a meniscus and is done for the season, finishing 317/377/429 with 1.7 WAR. He'll be missed at the top of the lineup.

July 16: Placed OF Jose Lozada on the 60-day IL with a torn meniscus, recalled OF David Alba from AAA Durham.

This marks the second straight year Lozada has missed half a season or more even though he's rated "normal" for injury-proneness. Alba was up earlier and will be the 4th OF.

Game 2: The Rays snapped back from yesterday's defeat to trounce the Tigers 12-2. Ezequiel Avalos had a massive game, going 3-4 with 2 HR (#22 & 23) and 5 RBI while Dantel Chinchilla contributed a bases-clearing double. Tim Johnson (11-2) was excellent at 6 4 1 1 2 6 for the win.

July 17: Placed P Jimmy Bernal on the 15-day IL with a strained oblique, recalled P Kevin Leonard from his rehab assignment.

Bernal, who is under contract for another year at $9M, has been lousy this year but we were reticent to DFA him given the obligations. He'll be out for 6 weeks now with the injury so we can bury him on rehab in September and run out the clock. Leonard is "wrecked" so we'll see how long he lasts.

Game 3: Ezequiel Avalos completed a series for the ages as he led the Rays to another destruction of Detroit 13-1 in the finale. Having already knocked in 7 runs in the first two games Avalos was 5-5 today with 3 doubles and 5 RBI to lead the attack. Jon Morales homered twice to reach the 20-dinger mark and drove in 3 while David Morales knocked in 3 of his own with a couple of two-baggers. Alec McInerney (7-6) was in fine form at 6 3 1 1 2 5 in picking up the win.

Team record: 66-32, as we maintain an 8-game lead on the Yankees. Next up: A day off then back on the road with 3 at Toronto.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: They say that double plays are the pitcher's best friend and tonight Rogelio Espinoza threw a party with five of his closest pals as the Rays downed Toronto 5-1. Espinoza (9-7) went 8.1 9 1 1 1 5 as he was able to get a quintet of twin killings turned behind him, and Mario Berumen got the final two outs for save #13. Ruben Ramirez got the offense started with a 1st-inning RBI double and Nesty de la Rosa hit HR #13.

Game 2: Nesty de la Rosa came off the bench and delivered a pinch-hit homer (#14) in the 9th to tie the game and the Rays scored three times in the 11th to take a 6-3 win over the Jays. Juan de Oca's 2-out RBI single brought home the winner and Luis Barela followed with a 2-run shot (#22) to put it away. Tampa Bay overcame four errors to triumph with Dave Rose going 6.2 2 3 1 4 7 and Mario Berumen (5-2) earning the win with two scoreless in relief.

Game 3: Tampa Bay completed the sweep although they had to hang on for a 10-7 win after going up 8-1 in the 7th. Luis Barela had a huge day going 3-5 with 5 RBI including a grand slam (#23) in the 4th, Cesar Scroggins had a 2-run homer (#3), and Dantel Chinchilla's 2-run insurance jack in the 9th (#9) provided some important insurance. Melvin Lopez (8-5) was effective in his start at 6.1 7 3 3 1 4 but the bullpen "led" by Jon Ward and Chris Hetzel gave up 4 more runs in addition to letting 2 runners inherited from Lopez score.

Team record: 69-32. Still 8 up on the Yankees, who also swept their series. Next up: The Mets invade Publix Park for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays put 8 on the board in the first inning, took an 11-0 lead, and then watched as some lesser lights in the bullpen let the Mets get sort of back in it before holding on to win 11-6. A couple of the new boys keyed the big opening rally as Juan de Oca had a 2-run double and Brian Whittaker followed with a 2-run triple. Ezequiel Avalos was 2-5 with 2 RBI and the win went to Chris O'Brien (3-0), who relieved Tim Johnson after three batters and went 4 scoreless. Johnson left with a sore back but will make his next start. Eddie Lilly (4) and Jon McGovern (2), who got a chance to pitch, gave up the 6 runs before Joe Roberts put an end to the madness.

Game 2: The Mets routed the Rays 8-2 in the second game. Alec McInerney (7-7) wasn't very good at 4.1 8 4 4 1 3, the bullpen wasn't much better, and Ruben Ramirez's 16th homer was the lone highlight.

July 24: Claimed P Debashish Banerjee on waivers from Colorado, optioned P Eddie Lilly to AAA Durham.

We had too many lefties and too few righties in the pen so we tried to rectify this with the claim of Banerjee, a veteran reliever who's rated 60/60/60 and who's bounced around of late. Lilly was terrible in his latest stint with the big club.

Game 3: Once again the Rays were mauled by the Mets, losing today 11-1 and held to only 4 hits. Rogelio Espinoza (9-8) returned to his lousy form at 3.1 6 6 6 2 3 and Debashish Banerjee had a disastrous Rays debut, giving up an RBI double and a grand slam in immediate relief of Espinoza and then allowing another homer in the next inning.

Team record: 70-34. The Yankees won't let us get away with anything as they swept their series and moved back within 6 games of the division lead. Next up: An off-day then Arizona visits for 3 games.

MLB News: Josh Alexander, who had 6 excellent years for us including an MVP in 2040, 3 200-hits seasons and just under 30 WAR in that stretch, announced his retirement at age 39 effective at the end of the season. Alexander's career definitely took a turn for the worse after we dealt him to Seattle; in a similar number of games as he played for us, he accumulated a total of only 3.7 WAR as he never had any defensive value and once he stopped truly raking he wasn't very valuable.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: A 5-0 lead after 4 innings, ace Dave Rose on the mound - what could go wrong? Well it turned out plenty as Arizona came back on Rose and the Rays bullpen to take an 8-6 win in the opener at Publix Park. The Rays built that early lead on homers from Ezequiel Avalos (#24), Ruben Ramirez (#17) and Luis Barela (#24) and still led 5-2 after 6 but it all went wrong in the 7th when Rose gave up 3 runs and Steve Morris (4-3) a pair as the lefty allowed consecutive 2-run hits. Rose finished 6 9 5 5 2 7.

Game 2: The Rays saw their losing streak hit 4, a season-high and all at home as the Diamondbacks put 7 on the board in the 2nd against Melvin Lopez and held on for a 9-6 win. Lopez (8-6) didn't have it today, hit like a pinata as he went 1.1 8 7 7 1 2 and put the team in a 7-0 hole. To their credit the offense fought back and got a 2-run Jon Morales homer (#21) and a solo shot from Luis Barela (#25) to pull within 3 in the 7th but couldn't score in the 8th after loading the bases with nobody out.

Game 3: Tampa Bay stopped the rot in the finale, getting a well-pitched game for a change and beating Arizona 5-1. Tim Johnson (12-2) was outstanding at 7.1 3 1 1 2 6 and got support from Luis Barela whose 2-run homer was his 26th of the year and third in the series.

Team record: 71-36. The Yankees took advantage of the Rays' recent woes by knocking another game off the division lead, dropping it to 5. Next up: off to Milwaukee for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

July 29: Activated P Alan Rutherford from his rehab assignment, designed P Jon Ward for assignment.

Ward wasn't terrible with a 3/12 BB/K ratio in 10 IP since coming over from Columbus, but someone had to go for Rutherford.

Game 1: The Rays' malaise continued as they were soundly beaten by the Brewers 7-2 in the series opener. Alec McInerney (7-8) was lousy again at 4 5 6 4 2 2 with a pair of homers allowed. Ruben Ramirez's solo homer (#18) was as exciting as it got today.

Game 2: The terrible road trip dragged on with a 4-3 loss to Milwaukee which saw them mount a 9th-inning rally that fell short. Rogelio Espinoza (9-9) continues to start since we don't have a better alternative and he put us in a 3-0 hole after going 3 7 3 3 1 5. Nesty de la Rosa had a 2-run double in the 9th putting men on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out but despite that advantageous situation the bats which followed couldn't get the tying run home.

We made a trade at the deadline:



Steele is a rental 2B who can get on base (perennial .380 guy) and we need to get a little more offense going these days. He'll play against righties and push Juan de Oca to the bench when he plays. Kang-cheol Lee, who didn't impress that much after being called up, is sent to Durham to make room.

Game 3: As they did in the previous series the Rays salvaged the finale with a 7-4 win. They broke out the longball today, with Cesar Scroggins (#4, a 2-run shot), Ruben Ramirez (#19, solo) and Ezequiel Avalos (#25, solo) all going deep in a 4-run 4th which put them up 5-1. Luis Barela also went deep later with a solo shot (#27) and Avalos added an RBI double as part of a 4-4 day. Dave Rose (11-2) was sharp until running into trouble in the middle innings and finished 5.1 7 4 4 1 4. The bullpen was sharp though going 3 2/3 hitless with Mario Berumen earning save #14.

Team record: 72-38. The Yankees continue to chip away at the lead while we play mediocre baseball, reducing it to 4 games. And it could get a lot slimmer as after a day off we head to New York to play 3 against them.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays won the first game of their big showdown series in New York, jumping out to a 4-0 lead and holding on to prevail 6-4. They put 3 on the board in the first including a Jon Morales RBI double and then got a couple of insurance solo homers late from Ruben Ramirez (#20) and Morales (#22). Melvin Lopez (9-6) went 5.2 7 2 2 0 3 for the win and Mario Berumen closed it out for save #15.

Game 2: Tim Johnson was brilliant and the Rays won another big one vs the Yankees 5-0. The righty improved to 13-2 after going 8 2 0 0 2 6 on 102 pitches and Jon Morales got things going again with a 2-run shot (#23) in the first. Ruben Ramirez also homered for the second straight day (#21) and Nesty de la Rosa had a 2-run double.

August 4: Activated P Steve Talbott from the 15-day IL, placed P Alan Rutherford on the 15-day IL with a herniated disc in his neck.

It's good to get our closer back even though Berumen was doing a good job, and Rutherford is now "wrecked" so he can barely pitch a game or two without getting hurt.

Game 3: Tampa Bay came into this series with the potential of seeing their division lead slashed to a single game but instead leave New York up by 7 after sweeping the Yankees thanks to a 5-4, 13-inning win. This despite Mario Berumen giving up a 2-out, 3-run homer in the bottom of the 9th that allowed New York to send it to extras. David Morales' RBI single in the 13th made a winner of former Yankee Steve Morris (5-3), and they received regulation homers from Ezequiel Avalos (#26, a 2-run shot) and Jon Morales (#24, solo and giving him homers in all 3 games). Alec McInerney was 4 4 0 0 2 2 and needed rescuing from a jam in the 5th as the pen was very good outside of Berumen's blown save.

Team record: 73-38. Next up: We head south on I-95 to play 3 in Baltimore.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: I've about come to the end of the road with Rogelio Espinoza. Staked to a 3-1 lead in the 3rd he promptly was blasted for 6 runs in the bottom of the inning dooming the Rays to a 7-5 loss in Baltimore. Randy Mastropietro has gone on a rehab assignment and after he makes a start at Durham he'll take Espinoza's place in the rotation so Espinoza will likely get one more start to improve on his dreadful 6.79 ERA after today's 2.2 8 7 7 2 1 outing. Tampa Bay took the 3-1 lead on a 2-run Jon Morales homer (#25, making it 4 straight games with a longball) and a Luis Barela solo shot (#28). Ruben Ramirez added a 2-run blast (#22) in the 5th.

Game 2: It was Dave Rose's turn in the rotation which usually means good things and once again it did today as the Rays beat Baltimore 4-2. Rose improved to 12-2, 2.88 after going 6.1 7 1 1 1 9 and after the game it was announced he was signed to a 4-year, $96M extension keeping our ace in place through 2056. Steve Tablott earned save #12 despite giving up a solo homer in the 9th while Luis Barela (#29) and Ezequiel Avalos (#27) homered with Nesty de la Rosa contributing an RBI double and an RBI triple.

Game 3: The Rays took the series with an 8-5, 10-inning win over the Orioles. Luis Barela's 2-run double was the winning blow and gave him a 3-RBI day, and Ruben Ramirez (#23) and David Alba (#1) each provided homers in regulation. Melvin Lopez turned in a mediocre 4.2 7 4 4 3 5 start with 2 homers allowed, Mario Berumen (6-2) earned the win with 2 1/3 perfect innings and Steve Talbott closed it out for save #13.

Team record: 77-39. The Yankees bounced back from being swept by us to pull off a sweep of their own, so they reduced the division lead back to 6. Next up: An off-day then the Angels visit Publix Park for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

August 9: Activated OF Jesus Avalos from the 10-day IL, optioned OF Daniel Alba to AAA Durham.

Game 1: The Rays took a 3-0 win in the opener over the Angels in a game that was cut short in the 7th by a classic Florida summer thunderstorm. Tim Johnson (14-2) was excellent, going 5.1 2 0 0 2 7 on 95 pitches and Willie Navarro ended up with his fourth save, striking out all four men he faced before the rains came. Ezequiel Avalos led the offense with a 1st-inning RBI single and a 6th-inning solo shot (#28).

Game 2: Another well-pitched game for Tampa Bay as they downed LA again 5-2. Alec McInerney (8-8) allowed both runs in the first but nothing after that to finish 6 6 2 2 1 4 and Steve Talbott recorded a 4-out save with three via the whiff. Unfortunately Talbott reported forearm tendinitis after the game ended and he'll sit for about six days without going on the IL. Ruben Ramirez was the hitting star with a pair of 2-run homers, giving him 25 and Nesty de la Rosa was on base all 4 times with 2 walks and 2 hits which included a solo homer (#15).

Game 3: The Rays completed the sweep and made it 9 wins in their last 10 thanks to a more Publix Park-like 9-6 win over the Angels. Luis Barela drove in 4 with an RBI single and a 3-run homer (#30). He reached the 30-homer mark for the 13th straight season which also happens to be the number of full seasons he's played in the majors. Nesty de la Rosa homered for the second straight day, a 2-run blast (#16). Rogelio Espinoza, who is departing the rotation, went out on a high note and evened his record at 10-10 after going 6 4 3 3 2 4 with all 3 runs coming early and Chris Hetzel closed today for save #3.

Team record: 80-39. The Yankees dropped a game while we were sweeping so the lead is back up to 7. Next up: 3 games in Minnesota.

MLB News: Greg Bookhart, our all-time leader in wins with 128 who left for Boston last year in free agency, is done for the year with a torn rotator cuff.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays comfortably took the opener at Target Field, beating the Twins 7-1. Dave Rose (13-2) was excellent as usual albeit a bit wild at 6 3 1 1 6 7 and Ruben Ramirez and Juan de Oca led the offense with a 2-run double apiece.

Game 2: Tampa Bay looked like it had an extra-inning win in Minnesota after Jesus Avalos' 2-run double put them up 4-2 in the top of the 11th but the usually reliable Mario Berumen melted down, allowing 3 runs in the bottom of the frame to send them to a 5-4 loss. Solo homers from Brian Whittaker (his first in the bigs) and Nesty de la Rosa (#17) put them up 2-0 but Melvin Lopez allowed Minnesota to tie in going 5 3 2 1 2 3. The bullpens pitched well from there until the 11th and Berumen (6-3) was saddled with the loss.

August 14: Activated P Randy Mastropietro from his rehab assignment, designed P Debashish Banerjee from assignment.

Mastropietro will go into the rotation and start the finale while Rogelio Espinoza is banished to the bullpen in a long relief/mop-up role.

Game 3: Randy Mastropietro was masterful in his first MLB start, leading the Rays to a 6-2 win in the rubber game of the series. The lefty and 2nd-round pick from 2046 went 6 4 0 0 1 5 in a bravura performance. He was well-supported, primarily by Jon Morales who followed his first-inning RBI single with a third-inning 2-run homer (#26). Ezequiel Avalos added a solo shot (#29).

Team record: 82-40, 7 1/2 up on the Yankees. Next up: An off-day then we return home for 3 against Seattle.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays had to go deep into the night to pull out a victory, edging Seattle 5-4 in 15 innings after Mario Berumen gave up a 2-run homer in the 9th to blow the lead in regulation. The winner came courtesy of Ruben Ramirez, who capped a 4-hit day with a walk-off homer (#26) in the bottom of the 15th, making a winner of Chris O'Brien (4-0). Tim Johnson turned in another fine start at 5.2 6 2 2 2 8 and Andy Steele made his first real contributions as a Ray, singling in a run and hitting a solo homer (#1/8).

August 17: Placed P Kevin Leonard on the 15-day IL with back tightness, activated P Alan Rutherford from the IL.

We trade one oft-injured lefty reliever for another.

Game 2: Alec McInerney was brilliant and Ruben Ramirez was the hitting hero again as the Rays continued to win, beating Seattle 4-1 to make it 13 wins in their last 15 games. McInerney (9-8) was effective and efficient, going 7.2 4 1 1 1 7 on 87 pitches while Joe Roberts got the final four outs for his 2nd save. Ramirez meanwhile made it 5 straight hits by going 4-4 today with a solo homer (#27) and a pair of RBI singles. Nesty de la Rosa was 3-4 with a double and 2 runs scored.

Game 3: It was your typical Publix Park slugfest in which Tampa Bay is typically the winner as the Rays completed the sweep with a wild 11-9 win. Pitching was an adventure today as ace Dave Rose surrendered a quartet of homers in going 6.2 7 6 6 2 9 but still managed to improve to 14-2. After they went up 11-6 after 8 it looked like things would be simple but Chris Hetzel gave up a run and loaded the bases with 2 out before Mario Berumen, fresh off a blown save in the opener, walked the first two men he faced to force in a pair of runs before getting a ground out for a shaky save #16. The bats of course were the big story with Ezequiel Avalos matching Ruben Ramirez's 4-4 from yesterday but this time with 4 RBI, including a 2-run homer (#30). Luis Barela was 3-3 with HR #31 before leaving with a sore knee (a day-to-day thing) while Nesty de la Rosa crushed a 2-run homer (#18) among his 3 hits. And for good measure Dantel Chinchilla launched a 2-run blast (#10).

Team record: 85-40, 8 1/2 up on the Yankees. Next up: Texas visits for 3.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: It was a rare 1-0 game at Publix Park and an even more rare 1-0 walk-off win for the Rays as Dantel Chinchilla's RBI single plated the decider in the bottom of the 9th. Melvin Lopez pitched around a lot of traffic at 5 5 0 0 4 5 and Mario Berumen (7-3) ended up with the win after pitching the 8th and 9th.

Game 2: The Rays had trouble scoring again and this time it cost them as they fell 4-2 to the Rangers. Randy Mastropietro (1-1) started and for the first 4 innings he picked up where he left off in his first MLB start throwing zeroes but it all came apart in the 5th when he loaded the bases with nobody out and ended up 4 6 3 3 1 6. Ezequiel Avalos' 2-run double accounted for all the Tampa Bay scoring.

Game 3: Texas ended up taking the series as a Rays rally fell just short and the Rangers won 5-4. Tim Johnson (14-3) had a rough start at 4.2 7 5 1 2 5 with a Dantel Chinchilla error opening the door for four unearned runs. The Rays had solo homers from Nesty de la Rosa (#19), Ezequiel Avalos (#31) and Jon Morales (#27) to climb back in it and put men on first and third in the 8th before Andy Steele lined out to right to end the threat, and they went 1-2-3 in the 9th against former teammate Mel Mejia.

Team record: 86-42. The Yankees took advantage of the Rays' losses to lop two games off the division lead, remaining nominally in it at 6 1/2 back. Next up: Four games in Toronto.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays couldn't hold a 7-4 lead in the middle innings and wound up dropping the opener at Rogers Centre 9-7 to the Jays. Willie Navarro gave up the equalizer in the 7th and then Alan Rutherford (1-2) surrendered the winning runs in the 8th after they got a lousy Alec McInerney start (4.2 10 6 6 0 2). The 7 Rays runs all came on homers: a 2-run Jon Morales shot (#28), a 2-run Cesar Scroggins poke (#5) and a 3-run Ezequiel Avalos blast (#32).

Game 2: The bullpen squandered another late lead but this time the offense recovered to score twice in the 9th and the Rays took a 6-4 win. Dave Rose was solid as usual at 6.2 4 2 2 2 9 and a 3-run Jon Morales homer (#29) had them up 4-1. Joe Roberts gave up a pair of runs in the 7th to let Toronto tie before Jesus Avalos went deep with a man on in the 9th (#2) to provide the winning runs. Mario Berumen (8-3) picked up the win while Steve Talbott notched save #15.

Game 3: Toronto took a low-scoring affair from the Rays, edging them 3-2. Melvin Lopez (9-7) was 5 8 3 3 1 5 in the loss as the bats were quiet today.

Game 4: The bats certainly weren't quiet in the finale as the Rays trounced Toronto 12-1 behind outstanding performances from a pair of rookies and salvaged a series split. Jesus Avalos had the game of his young career, hitting a bases-clearing double and a pair of homers (#3 & 4) and driving in 6 runs altogether. Meanwhile Randy Mastropietro (2-1) was an effective 5.1 6 1 1 0 6 for the win. Also having his best day in a Rays uniform was deadline pickup Andy Steele, 2 for 3 with a triple and 3 RBI.

Team record: 88-44. The Yankees are 6 back. Next up: Back home for 3 vs Cleveland.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Rookie Jesus Avalos led the Rays to a wild 9-7 win over the Guardians at Publix Park. Coming off a career-best 6 RBI the day before in Toronto, Avalos drove in five more today including a 5th-inning grand slam (#5) which broke open a 5-4 game. Our other Avalos, Ezequiel, contributed a 2-run shot for his 33rd of the year. Tim Johnson (15-3) picked up the win despite a semi-lousy outing (5 4 4 4 5 4) and after Joe Roberts gave up a couple of runs in the 9th Steve Talbott was summoned for the final out, picking up save #16.

Game 2: Alec McInerney turned in a solid start and the Rays beat Cleveland again 6-3. The lefty went to 10-8 after a 6 6 2 2 3 2 performance and Mario Berumen recorded the final four outs for his 17th save. The big hit of the game came from rookie Brian Whittaker, a 2-run double in the 2nd to put the Rays ahead for good while still another rookie, Juan de Oca, hit his 2nd homer.

Game 3: Dave Rose was dominant and came within two outs of pitching his third complete-game shutout of the year as Tampa Bay gouged the Guardians 8-1. Rose took a two-hit shutout into the 9th before giving up a one-out homer and finished 8.1 3 1 1 1 11 in improving to 15-2, 2.94. He had plenty of support led by none other than the red-hot rookie Jesus Avalos, who hit his second grand slam (#6) in three days and has knocked in 15 runs in his past three games (he sat against a lefty yesterday but hit his slam off one today, former Ray Nicola Grieco). Ruben Ramirez (#28) and Luis Barela (#32) piled on with solo homers in the 7th.

Team record: 91-44. Thanks to the sweep and a couple of the Yankee losses the division lead is back up to 8 games with a little over a month left. Next up: A day off then Baltimore visits for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: There's hot and then there's whatever you want to call Jesus Avalos right now as he homered (#7) and doubled in a run to lead the Rays to a 4-3 win over Baltimore in the opener at Publix Park. Avalos has now homered six times in as many games and is 11-23 with 5 HR and 17 RBI in his last 4 games. Melvin Lopez (10-7) turned in a fine start at 6.2 5 1 1 2 4 and Steve Talbott closed for his 17th save.

Game 2: The Rays had their lunch handed to them to the Orioles 10-1, although they held a 1-0 lead after 6 before the bullpen imploded. Randy Mastropietro was excellent once again at 5 4 1 0 2 5 but Mario Berumen (8-4) gave up 2 runs in the 7th to let Baltimore take the lead before Joe Roberts gave up 5 more in the 8th to let it get away.

September 1: Recalled OF Marco Cano from AAA Durham and activated P Kevin Leonard from his rehab assignment.

The 34-year-old Cano was once and up-and-comer with the Royals about 10 years ago and was a minor league signing with the Bulls where he hit 322/384/424. He boasts 65 contact, 50 power and 70 avoid Ks, making him a useful guy off the bench when we might need a hit.

Game 3: The bullpen let another one get away after 6 as a 4-3 lead turned into a 7-4 loss to allow Baltimore to take the series. Tim Johnson started and was 4 5 3 3 2 2 before being ejected to for starting a brawl after hitting an Oriole after allowing a homer, and will be suspended 6 games. Kevin Leonard went two scoreless before it all went wrong, with Willie Navarro (1-3) putting a man on with two out in the 7th before Alan Rutherford lit the torch, giving up 4 hits, allowing Navarro's man to score and two of his own. Luis Barela had a 2-run homer (#33) and to add injury to insult Ruben Ramirez suffered a broken thumb after he was hit by a pitch and will miss most of September.

Team record: 92-46. The Yankees gained back the two games they lost earlier in the week and are now only 6 back. Next up: Those same New Yorkers come to town for 3 games so it would behoove the Rays to win at least one of them.

[Art Deco]

September 2: Placed 1B Ruben Ramirez on the 10-day IL with a fractured thumb, recalled 1B Takayui Tsujimura from AAA Durham.

Game 1: Rays' bats went AWOL today as they only scratched out three hits in a 3-1 loss to the Yankees as New York crept within 5 games of the division lead. Alec McInerney (10-9) pitched well again but couldn't hold a slender 1-0 lead in the 6th, finishing 5.1 4 2 2 2 7.

Game 2: The Rays had their ace Dave Rose on the bump and supported him with 6 runs but unfortunately it wasn't enough as Mario Berumen surrendered a 7th-inning grand slam and the Yankees continued to put the pressure on Tampa Bay with a 9-6 win, moving them within 4 games. They could have used a big game from Rose but he served up 3 homers going 4.2 7 5 5 3 6. Still they held a 6-5 lead thanks to homers from Jon Morales (#30, a 2-run shot) and Luis Barela (#34, a 3-run blast). Barela's homer put him over the 100-RBI mark for the 13th time in 13 full seasons as a big leaguer. But Berumen (8-5) loaded the bases in part due to his own fielding error and was one out away from escaping before giving up the deciding slam.

Game 3: The collars are now officially tight around the necks of the Rays as the Yankees came into Publix Park and swept the series thanks to a 4-3 win and leave Tampa behind only 3 games out after trailing by as many as 8 barely a week ago. Melvin Lopez (10-8) turned in a lousy start at 4 9 4 4 1 2 with a couple of homers allowed and while the bullpen did excellent work holding the Yankees at 4 the rest of the way the bats couldn't generate enough offense to come back. Interestingly they recorded no RBI today as their three runs scored on a double play ball and two wild pitches.

Team record: 92-49. Next up: An off-day to lick our wounds before traveling to Austin for 3 against the Dukes.

MLB News: Veteran slugger Nelson Gamez hit career homer #600.

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Game 1: The Rays got five solo homers and a fine outing from rookie Randy Mastropietro as they downed the Dukes 5-1 in Austin, snapping their season-high 5-game losing streak. It was a 2-1 game going into the 9th on solo shots from Dantel Chinchilla (#11) and Luis Barela (#35) before they received back-to-back blasts in the 9th from Nesty de la Rosa (#20) and Jon Morales (#31) and a homer later in the inning from Ezequiel Avalos (#34). Mastropietro meanwhile was masterful at 6 7 1 1 1 5 to improve to 3-1, 2.79.

Game 2: Dantel Chinchilla's 3-run homer in the 2nd (#12) was all the scoring while Alec McInerney and three relievers combined on a 5-hit shutout as the Rays handled Austin again 3-0. McInerney (11-9) continued his good run of late by going 6.1 3 0 0 2 7 and Steve Talbott finished off the Dukes with a 1-2-3 9th for save #18.

Game 3: Dave Rose came up two outs short of pitching his third complete-game shutout of the season and the Rays completed the sweep with a taut 2-0 win over Austin, allowing but one run in the entire series. Rose (16-2) was perfect through 5 2/3 and finished 8.1 3 0 0 0 10. Steve Talbott came in with two on in the 9th and closed it out for his 19th save. Ezequiel Avalos' solo homer (#35) in the 1st and Jon Morales' RBI single in the 2nd was all the offense needed today.

Team record: 95-49. The Yankees dropped a game so the lead is back up 4 and the magic number for the division down to 15. Next up: Back home for 3 against Boston.

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Game 1: The Rays scored early and often and held on to beat Boston 7-5 in the series opener at Publix Park. Luis Barela's 2-run homer (#36) in the first got things going and David Morales drove in 4 with a pair of 2-run singles. Tim Johnson improved to 16-3 despite a pedestrian 5.2 6 4 4 3 5 outing and Steve Morris got the final two outs for his 2nd save.

Game 2: Ezequiel Avalos clubbed a pair of 2-run homers and the Rays routed the Red Sox 9-3. The 25-year-old LF launched his shots in the 1st and 7th innings to give him 37 HR and 107 RBI on the year and he was joined in the longball department by Jesus Avalos (#8) who went back-to-back with him in the 7th and Cesar Scroggins (#6). Melvin Lopez (11-8) pitched his best game in some time at 7 2 0 0 3 8 on 100 pitches exactly.

Game 3: The Rays were unable to complete the sweep as the bats went dormant until it was too late and they fell 4-2 to Boston. Randy Mastropietro (3-2) was decent at 6 6 3 3 1 3 with two runs against in his final inning of work. They were shut out until the 9th when Luis Barela hit a 2-run jack (#37) and they did manage to put two men in scoring position with two out looking to tie but Dantel Chinchilla struck out to end the game.

Team record: 97-50. The Yankees will not go away and their sweep means they're back within 3. And after an off-day guess who's coming to Publix Park? You got it, New York for the biggest series of the season. The Rays can't afford to suffer being swept like they were at the beginning of the month.

MLB News: Former Rays superstar Omar Rodriguez announced his retirement, ending what should be a Hall of Fame career. The Giants retired his #5 as he played 10 seasons there, although he earned more WAR with Tampa Bay (37.6) in six seasons than he did his entire time in San Fran (30.8). OOTP is showing him in a Giants cap as well.

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Game 1: The Rays took the opener of this critical 3-game series with the fate of the AL East at stake, scoring 3 times in the bottom of the 7th to pull out a 4-2 win over the Yankees. Dantel Chinchilla's 2-run single was the winning blow, putting the Rays ahead 3-2 with Jesus Avalos delivering a sac fly for insurance. Alec McInerney pitched well at 5.1 3 2 2 1 3, Willie Navarro (2-3) got the win, and Steve Talbott pitched around men at 2nd and 3rd in the 9th to nail down save #20.

Game 2: Tampa Bay bats were bedeviled by New York's Jose Anez, who 1-hit them in a 4-0 loss. Anez was utterly dominant at 9 1 0 0 0 9 with Takayuki Tsujimura's 8th-inning double the only time a Rays runner reached base. Dave Rose (16-3) took a rare loss but it was his third poor start in his last four outings, allowing 3 homers in a 5.1 7 4 4 3 4 performance.

Game 3: The AL East race was on the line as the Rays and Yankees went to extra innings in the finale, with a New York win pulling them within 2 games and a Rays win making it a much healthier 4-game lead. Fortunately for Tampa Bay, Nesty de la Rosa's RBI single in the 11th gave the Rays a 5-4 walkoff win and breathing room in the division with 12 games left. It was a strange game which saw all the regulation scoring come early as the Yankees hit a pair of homers off Tim Johnson and scored 4 in the 2nd before Ezequiel Avalos answered in the bottom of the 3rd with a grand slam (#38) to tie it up. Johnson settled down to go 5.2 4 4 4 3 7 and the bullpen was excellent the rest of the way with former Yankee Steve Morris (6-3) picking up the win. The Rays also overcame 4 errors they committed.

Team record: 99-51. There's still work to be done with the magic number now sitting at 9 and that will start with 3 games in Baltimore.

MLB Playoff Race Update: With two weeks left in the season the AL field is set with Rays, White Sox and Astros atop their respective divisions and the Yankees and Angels in the wild card slots. Houston is only 3 up on the Angels, who are healthy 7 ahead of Minnesota for the second wild card. Things are bit more in flux in the NL with the Dodgers (5 1/2 up) the only comfortable division leader. Philly is 1/2 game up on Columbus and 2 on the Mets while the Cubs are only 1 up on the Cards. The Cubs/Cards loser is a lock for the first wild card but Columbus, the Rockies, the Mets and Milwaukee are all still in the hunt for the second.

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Game 1: The Rays' bats were held to 4 hits in a 5-1 loss at Baltimore. It was 1-1 going into the bottom of the 6th when Melvin Lopez (11-9) ran into trouble, Kevin Leonard pitched to one guy who reached and then was injured, and Alan Rutherford came in and gave up a 3-run homer to let it get away. Lopez finished 5.2 7 3 3 0 7 and Dantel Chinchilla's 13th homer in the 5th was the sole Tampa Bay score.

Game 2: A brutal loss in Baltimore as Steve Talbott blew a 7-6 lead after the Rays came back to tie and go ahead in the 8th and 9th, only to lose 8-7. Randy Mastropietro had his worst start at 4.2 9 4 3 0 2 and Baltimore led 6-3 after 7. Nesty de la Rosa homered in the 8th (#21) to cap a 4-4 day and Jesus Avalos' RBI single in the 9th put them ahead but Talbott (5-1) took his first loss and fifth blown save of the season when he gave up 2 runs on 4 hits (including an infield dribbler to tie it with two out) to lose it.

Game 3: The Rays took out their frustrations of the previous two days by laying the lumber to the Orioles in a 12-2 win, the team's 100th of the season. Jon Morales was 2-4 with a 3-run homer (#32) which was the key hit in a 7-run 4th as they broke the game open. Dantel Chinchilla homered again (#14), Jesus Avalos was 3-6 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI, David Morales went 4-5 with 2 doubles and an RBI, and Andy Steele had a 2-run double in the 2nd to put them on the board. Alec McInerney (12-9) was 7 4 1 1 1 3 as he coasted to the win.

Team record: 100-53. The Yankees took 2 of 3 against the Angels to move back within 3, and the magic # sits at 7. Next up: An off-day then 3 games in Anaheim against those same Angels.