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October 20, 2027: NLCS Game 3
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October 21, 2027: ALCS Game 3 & NLCS Game 4
One win away...
https://i.imgur.com/5tRvXmr.png Luis Castillo was brilliant again and so was Natanael Santana, bidding to be series MVP after hitting a big 2-run homer to propel the Rays to a 4-1 win and 3-0 ALCS lead over the White Sox. The postseason has been the story of regular season strugglers shining (Santana, Tork) and one more to add to the list is Pete Fairbanks who has returned to his once-dominant form in these playoffs with a combined 6.2 1 0 0 0 11 line; the hit he allowed tonight was the first baserunner against him in October. Rookie Bryce Eldridge will try to lead us to a sweep tomorrow. And it's looking like a date with the Diamondbacks: https://i.imgur.com/KShP45K.png |
October 22, 2027: ALCS Game 4 & NLCS Game 5
Now going for the Gentleman's Sweep...
https://i.imgur.com/tP2AVSA.png Despite hitting four homers the Rays were doomed by lousy pitching (outside of Taj Bradley) in a 10-6 loss to the White Sox, keeping the ALCS alive for a Game 5. Bryce Eldridge was not ready for prime time and Zach DeLoach dropping a fly ball from the game's leadoff hitter was not a great omen. Still the Rays came back to tie it up at 4 and we made it there through 6 1/2 before Chris Gau came up small again, giving up a 2-run homer to the second man he faced to put Chicago up for good, and then he and Garrett Whitlock really let it get out of control in the 8th. So Shane McClanahan will toe the rubber tomorrow to try and clinch again; he'll be looking to pitch better than he did in Game 1. Meanwhile it's all over in the NLCS as the 104-win Mets go down to defeat: https://i.imgur.com/Kuxq7dI.png |
October 23, 2027: ALCS Game 5
Can't put 'em away...
https://i.imgur.com/1JU6cLL.png The ALCS marches on as the Rays' bats went silent in Game 5 and an old friend named Austin Meadows had a 2-run homer off Shane McClanahan to provide the winning margin for the White Sox, who have risen from the mat to pull within 3-2 in the ALCS. So instead of heading back to St. Pete to play Game 1 of the World Series the Rays are going there to try for the third time to put Chicago away in Game 6. John Swanda will hope to break out of his postseason funk when he takes the mound. |
October 25, 2027: ALCS Game 6
Back in the Series...
https://i.imgur.com/I6Ijpgy.png After the Rays went up 3-0 in the ALCS it looked like a coronation but instead it became a competition as the White Sox came back to win the next two and for much of the night it looked like they'd force a Game 7. But late magic from the Rays capped by a series-ending walk-off homer from Diego Cartaya leading off the bottom of the 9th gave Tampa Bay the AL pennant and a date with the Diamondbacks as the drive for back-to-back titles remained intact. First they had to overcome yet another lousy John Swanda start as the Cy Young candidate has let his late-September struggles carry over to the postseason. Fortunately the bullpen was brilliant, holding the White Sox at 4 and buying time for the comeback. Taj Bradley had his second excellent long relief outing, and Jovani Moran got a big out to end a White Sox threat in the 7th. This enabled them to tie it in the 8th on Ozzie Albies' double, setting the stage for Cartaya's heroics. Now it's on to Game 1 of the Series against Arizona with Luis Castillo getting the ball right here in St. Pete. |
October 27, 2027: World Series Game 1
You can't win if you don't score...
https://i.imgur.com/8a1vMNT.png The Rays wasted another excellent postseason outing from Luis Castillo, failing to score and failing to field in a 3-0 loss to Arizona in Game 1 of the World Series. Castillo and D-backs ace Deivi Garcia traded zeroes until the 6th, when Arizona opened the inning with two singles, each of which were overrun by a Rays OF (DeLoach & Wood) leading to the only run the Snakes would need. Garcia, who led MLB in walks with 104 (and was near the K lead with 234) only issued one free pass as he kept Tampa Bay bats in check. So now Shane McClanahan tomorrow will try to keep us from going to the desert in an 0-2 hole. |
October 28, 2027: World Series Game 2
That's more like it...
https://i.imgur.com/tlaTmK1.png The Rays got even with Arizona, finally getting some offense in a 5-3 win. After three more scoreless innings the bats finally got going in the 4th when Tork and Mead went back-to-back with solo homers to erase an early 1-0 Diamondbacks lead. And although Arizona equalized in the top of the 6th the Rays fought back in the bottom of the frame with a big RBI double from James Wood off a lefty, followed by a 2-run Diego Cartaya single. Shane McClanahan was in fine form, and despite a late consolation homer allowed by Camilo Doval the bullpen did its job as well. So now we head to Arizona where John Swanda will once again try to snap out of his funk and give us an advantage in a couple days' time. |
Some minor awards
We interrupt World Series coverage to take note of a couple of Durham Bulls who received International League honors:
https://i.imgur.com/hy6dQCj.png Chin was up briefly during the season and looked decent, especially in the speed department where he stole 8 bases for us in 12 games to go with the 32 he swiped for Durham. It's a crowded OF on the big club but neither Joshua Mears nor Hudson Head impressed this season so there may very well be an opening as a 4th OF for Chin. https://i.imgur.com/CeMGrFZ.png The veteran Luzardo put up a great season but we never needed him in the rotation with the emergence of Bryce Eldridge. We'll see how things shake out and see if we can extend him with the big club as McClanahan and Luis Castillo are set to become free agents so there will be a couple of rotation openings. |
October 30, 2027: World Series Game 3
Let's go....
https://i.imgur.com/45Q0oBC.png John Swanda got his mojo back and Wander Franco, who until now has had a fairly quiet postseason, had a huge game to lead the Rays to a rout of Arizona and a 2-1 series lead. Swanda was sharp throughout, fanning 8, and Franco came through with an RBI double to start the scoring in the 3rd and then followed with a massive 446-ft 3-run homer in the 5th to break the game open. In between Curtis Mead hit his own moonshot, a 456-foot behemoth to dead center field. They had 19 baserunners in all and could have hit double digits. Bryce Eldridge will get the ball tomorrow in Game 4 and will hope to have his playoff jitters behind him after a rough ALCS start. |
October 31, 2027: World Series Game 4
One win away...
https://i.imgur.com/eiChnmO.png History was made tonight in the Rays' 11-8 win over Arizona, a win which puts them one game away from becoming back-to-back World Champions. Curtis Mead drilled 4 doubles, something nobody in MLB history has ever done, to lead the offense. Mead drove in a pair but it could be said the game's biggest hits came from James Wood who drilled a 2-run homer to bring Tampa Bay back within 4-3 after Arizona went up on Bryce Eldridge, who struggled again, and then Wood kicked off the scoring in the decisive 7-run 7th with an RBI single to put the Rays ahead to stay. Diego Cartaya had a big homer as well, going back-to-back with Wood to tie the game, and Ozzie Albies capped the 7-run 7th with a 2-run triple. And not only that but they left 13 men on base. The bullpen though nearly gave it back, allowing Arizona to get within 11-8 after it was 11-4, but Camilo Doval put an end to the nonsense in the 9th. Now Luis Castillo will look for the run support he didn't get in Game 1 to try and close this thing out. |
November 1, 2027: World Series Game 5
Not yet...
https://i.imgur.com/TwaVuPt.png Going to go out on a limb here and say no team has ever hit six homers in a World Series game and lost. In fact, some Google sleuthing reveals that IRL no team has hit more than five in one game although six may have happened elsewhere in this save. Anyway, the bottom line is that the Rays lost Game 5 12-10 despite launching six homers, including two each from Tork and Cartaya. But it didn't matter because everyone who took the mound today for Tampa Bay (save perhaps Clayton Andrews) was terrible, none moreso than Luis Castillo who was so brilliant in Game 1 which with the same pitching matchup was the polar opposite of today's affair. Shane McClanahan will take the ball for the Rays' second chance to clinch two days from now in St. Pete. |
November 3, 2027: World Series Game 6
Truly amazing...
https://i.imgur.com/59vwzsK.png Wow! This game has given me many dramatic moments across all my saves and there were a couple in my Nationals rebuild that rivaled this but tonight the Rays completed the most unlikely of comebacks, scoring 4 times in the bottom of the 9th to erase a 3-0 lead and win their second straight World Series and third in four seasons with a 4-3 triumph over Arizona. I'll just go with the game log here and you can look at the win probability chart above: https://i.imgur.com/1t4tD4Q.png It was still 3-1 with two out before Marco Luciano kept things alive, beating out an infield single on a squibber in front of the catcher, and then Natanael Santana redeemed his miserable regular season with a great playoff and the Series-winning hit, a 2-run double into the RF gap. Before that it was looking like a replay of Game 1 as the Rays were down 3-0 and held to two hits before getting four in the 9th. Shane McClanahan, in his likely final start as a Ray, pitched well until putting a couple on in the 6th and giving up a 3-run Ketel Marte homer. Marte ended up 13-25 with 2 HR and 8 RBI and was named Series MVP despite his team losing in six games. Tork (7-22, 3 HR, 7 RBI) or Mead (9-25, 2 HR, 5 RBI and that record-setting 4-double game) would have been the best candidates from the Rays, and if MLB had an MVP of the entire playoffs (like hockey's Conn Smythe) it might have gone to Santana, who hit 320/404/740 with 6 HR and 13 RBI total. 2028 will be a season of change with our top 2 starters (Mac & Castillo) and top power hitter (Tork) all set to be free agents, so stay tuned. In the meantime, enjoy the celebration: https://i.imgur.com/Fd9JhDG.png |
2027-28 Offseason: State of the Team
Back-to-back champs is the current state:
https://i.imgur.com/wwtIqZq.jpg As I've mentioned previously this will be a bit of an offseason of transition as two of our top starters, Shane McClanahan and Luis Castillo, are free agents as well as Spencer Torkelson (who had a down year as our DH but bounced back in the playoffs) and Ozzie Albies (that team-friendly contract he signed 8-9 years ago with Atlanta is finally up). The pitchers aren't coming back as McClanahan wants too much term and too much $ and while Castillo's demands are more reasonable he'll be 35 in December and I'm not going to gamble on that old of a pitcher. Tork is replaceable, especially off the .215, 25 HR season he had, which leaves Albies. Owner Stu Sternberg wants him re-signed and while I can go either way on it, I decided to offer him 5/90 which Albies will likely take. He'll need to be moved off of 2B before long as his fielding is lousy but he hits to enough to play at 1B. Finally, Camilo Doval is also a free agent as we rented him from Colorado. Pete Fairbanks had a renaissance in the playoffs and since we're paying him $9.5 for one more season the closer job is his by default again. The news is that Stu has given me a $150M payroll, which will give us some money to spend. And I also didn't waste any time making a deal, trading a regular who helped us win three rings in the last four seasons: https://i.imgur.com/05py6mx.png Mead was due $11.5 in his final year of arbitration and while he's been a solid contributor for us over the years, with the exception of 2026 when he hit over .300 with 25 HR he's been a 1.8-1.9 WAR player. And with options to replace him he was shopped and brought us this good-looking offer from Houston which included Rivera, the #49 prospect in baseball: https://i.imgur.com/hLZmAHK.png He's quite the hitter for a catcher and although his defense is mediocre it's not terrible. Diego Cartaya is going to price himself out of Tampa Bay with 2028 his final year of team control so it's good to have a successor. And Encarnacion isn't just a throw-in, he has 60/65 power, 45 contact and plays an average 3B, earning 7.5 WAR in A and A+ ball combined the past two seasons. Soliz, the other guy we sent Houston, is in fact a throw-in 1/2-1 star guy. So this deal gives us $11M to spend, and assuming Albies signs his extension we'll have about $30M or slightly more to play with. The position-by-position outlook: C: Cartaya returns for one more year then Rivera should take over. Rene Pinto will return as this year's backup. 1B: With Mead gone the position is open. I see two internal options here - one, promote Blaze Jordan to play the position. He had 27 HR and 81 RBI at Durham, has 55 contact/65 power. The other is to move Albies here and go with Max Viera at 2B, who hit .269-21-71 at Durham with 2.8 WAR. 2B: Albies, assuming he re-signs and doesn't move to 1B, then it could be Viera or even Jeremiah Jackson who could be freed from years of backup purgatory. SS: Wander 3B: Marco Luciano. LF: Nataneal Santana might have lost his job during the regular season if we had a better alternative, and then he went out and tore it up in the playoffs, and given how productive he was in 2026 the job is his to lose. CF: Zach DeLoach, who had a breakout season RF: James Wood. Wood platooned with Josh Mears but I'm about at the end of my rope with Mears and Wood hit lefties decently in the playoffs when he played every day. So Wood should have the full-time job although I'd like a righty OF backup. DH: With Tork gone the likely replacement is Junior Caminero, who hit for average during his extended run last season but without a lot of power. He's capable of more though. Bench: Pinto is the backup C, Jackson will at least be the utility IF once again, but last year's OF backups of Hudson Head and Mears weren't very good. Head only got to keep his job due to a lack of options and after the season he had I'm not afraid of him being claimed on waivers. Lonnie White and Fu-Chi Chin are much better, offensively and defensively, and are the favorites to replace them. Rotation: The biggest overhaul comes here with Mac and Castillo gone. John Swanda becomes the #1 guy despite his lousy postseason, Bryce Eldridge has a spot, and Eric Orze was OK. Top prospect Walt Khattak is probably ready for the bigs and Taj Bradley has a good shot of getting back into the rotation. That's the five I see for now. Garrett Whitlock is also gone as a free agent, Luis German can start but was highly valuable in a multi-inning relief role I'd like to keep him in and the same applies to JP Sears. Bullpen: As mentioned earlier Fairbanks is the de facto closer, and Chris Gau and Jovani Moran return to set him up. Charlie Ruegger wasn't as effective last year as in 2026 and Clayton Andrews was disappointing, so I definitely want to add a quality reliever or two. German and Sears should return in their long roles. Brian Gonzalez, the lefty who had some nice moments in a swingman role, could contribute as well with his numbers here and in Durham belying his 2-star rating. Therefore the offseason objectives are: 1. Add some pitching. One starter would be nice and a couple of arms for the pen. We'll look at both trades and free agency since we can take on some salary. 2. A possible impact bat. 1B/DH are in flux so someone there could be a solution. |
2027-28 Offseason, Part 1
Notable retirements: JD Martinez, Josh Bell, Mitch Haniger, Jorge Soler, Shane Bieber, Wil Myers, Whit Merrifield, Ken Giles, Jeff McNeil. Bell and Martinez were Rays rentals several years back while Myers of course was 2013's AL Rookie of the Year for Tampa Bay. Merrifield also had a cup of coffee with us.
Some (expected) news: A contract extension between Ozzie Albies and Tampa Bay was reached earlier today. Albies will continue to play for the Rays and will pocket $90,000,000 over the next 5 years. The Rays said the extension "shows our level of confidence in him and in the type of player and person he is." Lifetime Albies is hitting .276 with 314 doubles, 46 triples, 186 home runs, 679 RBIs and 796 runs scored. He has appeared in 1241 games to date and delivered 1383 hits. (Using the new "copy" function in OOTP24 to save me the trouble of screen-grabbing, cropping and uploading to imgur) Awards season: Gold Glove: No Rays were winners. Cartaya was our best candidate but even I voted for KC's MJ Melendez. Former Ray Josh Lowe, who had a nice 3.4 WAR season in Seattle, won the LF award. Reliever of the Year: The AL nod went to Oakland's Billy Sullivan, who saved 40 games with an 0.93 ERA and 3.3 WAR, fully deserved. Chris Gau finished second with one first-place vote (not mine). In the NL the unanimous winner was Arizona's Luis Montas with 46 saves, a 1.23 ERA and an amazing-for-a-reliever 3.9 WAR. Montas though will have to console himself with this award after losing the World Series when blowing that 3-0 Diamondback lead in the 9th in Game 6. Silver Slugger: One Rays winner, and that was Wander at SS. Rookie of the Year: Bryce Eldridge of the Tampa Bay Rays became a fan favorite over the course of the 2027 campaign. The phenomenal rookie racked up a 7-0 record as he reeled in the American League Rookie of the Year Award. In 17 starts, he tallied 93.1 innings, 93 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.41. Eldridge is 23 years old and appears to be the real deal. Bigger and better things could be in store for him in the coming years. He received 23 first place votes out of a possible 30. Julio Quiroz of the Seattle Mariners finished second in voting with 5 first place votes, while Rece Hinds of the Oakland Athletics finished third with 2 first place votes. Player - Team - First Place - Total Points Bryce Eldridge - Tampa Bay Rays - 23 - 121 Julio Quiroz - Seattle Mariners - 5 - 95 Rece Hinds - Oakland Athletics - 2 - 32 Junior Caminero - Tampa Bay Rays - 0 - 21 Brandon Barriera - Kansas City Royals - 0 - 1 Congrats to Bryce. It was a weak rookie crop in the AL this season, though and for him to be a runaway winner despite only making 17 appearances illustrates that. In the NL the unanimous winner was the Cubs' Dean Moss, who hit .259-24-59. Cy Young: Houston's Jack Flaherty won in the AL after a 14-10, 3.52, 225K and 5.4 WAR season. John Swanda finished third with one first-place vote (mine) and Bryce Eldridge was a surprising 5th. In the NL Walker Buehler of the Cubs won unanimously, going 12-5, 3.10 with 203 whiffs in a league-high 220 IP and earning 5.4 WAR just like Flaherty. MVP: Former Ray for a season Kyle Tucker won the AL award back in Houston, hitting .320-36-100 with a league-best 7.6 WAR and receiving 26 of 30 first-place votes. Wander was a distant second with no first-place votes while Vlad Jr. picked up the other 4 and was 3rd. In the NL Arizona's Daulton Varsho got the nod with 20 of the 30 first-place votes thanks to a .282-40-113 year. Colorado's Zac Veen had the other 10 first-place votes and finished second. Arbitration: We worked out deals with all our arb-eligible guys with Cartaya topping the list at $10M. Forrest Whitley (slated to make $3.6M) and Kyle Dohy were non-tendered as both suffered major arm injuries and couldn't be counted on for 2028. Qualifying offers were made to McClanahan and Castillo, who both turned them down. I didn't make one to Tork because I was afraid he'd accept it at $18.9M. And it turns out we have $40M to spend as a result. We have a trade! https://i.imgur.com/vt2a4CN.png Cue up "Narco" and welcome Sugar to Tampa Bay as Edwin Diaz arrives to help out the bullpen. He still has 80 stuff although the Dodgers didn't use him in the closer role last year. He'll be a co-closer with Fairbanks for now and could take the full-time job. The cost wasn't bad at all especially with LA picking up half his salary leaving us with only a $5.3M hit. Cerda is a C+ prospect who has a possible future as a backup catcher. November 30: Kumar Rocker is finally a Met after all these years. After taking him in the 2021 draft and not signing him, New York dealt 3 prospects to the Rockies to acquire the starter. December 6: For the third time Carlos Correa is a Houston Astro. After spending a year in Minnesota in 2022, he came back in 2023 and then last year helped lead Arizona to the World Series. And like the swallow to Capistrano Correa is once again back in Houston on a 4/100 deal. December 7: The Yankees sent a prospect to Colorado for veteran 3B Kris Bryant. It's questionable how much Bryant has left in the tank as he's "wrecked" and only played 74 games last season, hitting .225 with 12 homers. December 9: The Yankees stayed busy, picking up another 3B in Baltimore's Gunnar Henderson for a pitching prospect. Henderson is in the last year of his contract. December 10: Signed OF Yo****aka Matsubara to a minor league contract. Matsubara was one of the international crop that came over in November. He projects as a future 4th OF with 50 power and contact potential. December 13: Some notable free agent signings today. In reverse order of excitement, Atlanta signed our free agent Forrest Whitley to a 1/8.1 deal even though he won't be back until at least June with torn flexor tendon. That amount tells me they see him a starter. CF Christian Pache joined the White Sox for 4/54; in this save Pache has a decent bat to go with the glove. And finally superstar OF Juan Soto is headed to Cleveland of all places on a 7/278 monster contract as the Guardians broke out the checkbook. Soto, who won the AL MVP in his lone year with the Rays in 2024 and won it again the next year with the Yankees, is "fragile" and has played about 120 games/year the past couple of seasons. December 14: Another of our free agents signed elsewhere as Garrett Whitlock returned to the Red Sox on a 1/5.4 deal while the Astros, having already signed Carlos Correa, dealt for Texas's Marcus Semien to join him on the infield. December 16: More free agent signings, including one of our own: Signed P Clayton Beeter to a 1-year, $1.4M contract. Beeter is a candidate to either be in our rotation or the bullpen depending on how things shake out. He was 10-5, 3.71 in a swingman role with Toronto last season and boasts 70 stuff as a reliever and 60 as a starter. The reason he came cheap though was that he's homer-prone which hopefully can be neutralized a little in the Trop. The other big news involving Rays and free agents was that Shane McClanahan found a new home, inking a 6/130 pact with the Giants. He'll net us a compensatory 1st round pick. Other free agent deals: Wilmer Flores to Washington (3/46), Kevin Gausman to Colorado (1/5), Dominic Smith to Boston (4/54) and Tim Anderson to Toronto (4/95). December 18: The top free agent closer on the market, Emmanuel Clase, joined Miami on a 3/20 deal. Another trade! The Rays have reached a deal with Cincinnati, sending 22-year old minor league CF Danny Guerra to the Reds in exchange for 31-year old LHP Max Green. Reports had been hinting at a deal in recent days, but weren't confirmed until this afternoon. Cincinnati will retain a portion of Green's remaining contract. Green has registered 138 saves in his career. Green is a nasty lefty and the Reds are picking up 70% of his contract, leaving us with only $4M to pay. He's rated 70/60/60 and had 25 saves last year and will be a late-inning guy as with him Diaz, and possibly Beeter we've accomplished our goal of upgrading the pen. Guerra is a fine defensive OF but can't hit a lick. December 24: Added OF Christopher Diaz to the 40-man roster. Diaz was the only Rule 5-eligible guy deemed worth adding. He's a good defensive OF in the corners and can play a passable CF, and he has 50 contact/power making him a soft regular or a very good 4th OF. December 26: Lost SP Ian Seymour to Cincinnati, SP Jesus Luzardo to Kansas City and OF Andrew Benintendi to Baltimore in the Rule 5 Draft. This is the second year in a row we've lost Seymour in Rule 5; last year the Cubs took him and he gave them a pretty good 1.1 WAR season, making 11 starts and 38 relief appearances before at the very end of the year they inexplicably returned him to us. Luzardo as noted earlier was the IL Pitcher of the Year at Durham but our scouts downgraded his stuff at the end of the year so he wasn't looked at as a real possibility for the 2028 roster. Benintendi was signed to a minor league deal and is well past his prime. December 29: Signed OF Mitsuyoshi Arakawa to a minor league contract with a major league option. Another of the international FA class, Arakawa is more advanced than the last guy we signed and might actually help us next season. His profile: https://i.imgur.com/0ks3yPb.png Lotsa power, lotsa patience, lotsa speed and lotsa defense but not a lot of contact. Still a very intriguing player. December 30: Cleveland, who broke out the checkbook for Juan Soto a couple of weeks ago, has now signed another of our big free agents as Luis Castillo joins them on a 3/55 deal. It's not too dissimilar to an extension offer I considered and ultimately rejected given Castillo's age. And we pocket a supplemental 2nd round pick as a result so we'll have 4 high picks in next year's draft. December 31: The Mets ring out 2027 by signing 33-year-old SP Jose Berrios to a 4/51 deal. |
2027-28 Offseason, Part 2
January 1: Our closer last year down the stretch Camilo Doval has joined the Cubs on a 1-year, $10M contract.
January 2: Xander Bogaerts signed a 3/53 deal with those same Cubs. January 12: The ballots are counted and the results are in. This year we will witness three players added to the Hall of Fame. Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, and Albert Pujols received the ultimate honor this year in being voted as the newest members of the Hall of Fame. SP Justin Verlander 98.7 (1st year) Inducted HOF 1B Miguel Cabrera 98.0 (1st year) Inducted HOF 1B Albert Pujols 97.7 (1st year) Inducted HOF SP Zack Greinke 72.7 (1st year) CF Carlos Beltran 62.7 (6th year) C Joe Mauer 48.3 (5th year) C Yadier Molina 43.0 (1st year) A loaded first-year class (with Greinke almost getting in) worked to the detriment of Beltran and Mauer. January 19: And there goes the last our of big free agents as Spencer Torkelson signed a 4/56 deal with Washington. February 12: Got this message from owner Stu Sternberg: As we get closer to the start of the season, I have reviewed the team's financial state as of this moment. After seeing how the off-season has gone, I have decided to raise your team's budget from $198,000,000 to $210,000,000. Good to know that we now have $43M to play with. Going to look for an good but expensive starter without much term left. Also this bit of news from MLB: Disappointed by the lack of recent success and a below-average fan support, Robert Nutting, owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates, has decided to pack their bags and move the franchise to San Antonio. The team will be called the San Antonio Seagulls, and a new color scheme and uniform has been revealed already. Emboldened by the extra cash, we went out a made a trade for a front-line starter: https://i.imgur.com/8kP5V55.png Welcome to Tampa Bay, Grayson Rodriguez. G-Rod is a horse, having struck out 200 or more each of the last five seasons and having pitched 211 or more innings the last three. We'll also have him for three seasons at a reasonable price since Baltimore is picking up 50% of his salary. The price was high, though as we sent our third-best prospect (#77 overall) in Covarrubias Baltimore's way but you have to give to get. The Rodriguez acquisition likely means that Walt Khattak can get some seasoning in AAA and not start his arbitration clock earlier than needed (he doesn't even need to go on the 40-man right now). Since we're only going to pay Rodriguez $9M this season we still have $34M to spend, and I'll be looking at hitters now. February 21: On second thought, I've decided not to look at hitters. My early preseason scouting reports have upgraded Blaze Jordan's hit tool to 55 to go with his 65 power and that seems good enough to stick him in the lineup as a Tork replacement. We'll use the $ on hand to fill holes as they may arise during the season or to fill whatever needs may emerge if certain players don't pan out. We'll check back in with the Opening Day post. |
2028 Opening Day Roster and Preseason Predictions
Nobody got hurt during spring training and the team went 12-4 in the preseason (I only play 3 weeks). The roster was pretty much set going in with only two moves to be made. First, Hudson Head was put on waivers as I had hinted at in the State of the Team post at season's end and the other was that with the four new pitchers we acquired (G-Rod, Diaz, Green & Beeter) someone from last year's staff had to go so it was this guy:
https://i.imgur.com/nyqzlYh.png Andrews was in that nether region of not good enough to make the team but good enough to think someone would claim him on waivers, so I shopped him instead. I was looking for someone with options or on a minor league contract since there was no room on the active roster and came up with Leones who has an interesting hitting profile although he's underachieved these ratings in the minors: https://i.imgur.com/L95oeOT.png He's a 50-55 corner outfielder and we have a ton of OFs, but he was the best value I could get for Andrews. So here's how the roster shakes out: C-Cartaya, Pinto 1B-Caminero 2B-Albies SS-Wander 3B-Luciano LF-Santana IF-J.Jackson CF-DeLoach RF-Wood DH-Blaze Jordan OF-Chin, L.White SP-Swanda, G.Rodriguez, Eldridge, Bradley, Orze LR-Beeter, Sears MR-Ruegger, German, Gau, Moran SU-M.Green, Fairbanks CL-E.Diaz Going with Edwin as the closer although Green and Fairbanks can do the job as well. The preseason picks: https://i.imgur.com/4lHbCHE.png They love our pitching but hate our hitting. This won't be the first preseason predictions I've defied. |
April 3-6, 2028: vs NY Yankees (4)
Opening Day:
https://i.imgur.com/w6RUYeV.png Maybe those preseason picks were on to something. Albies' homer was all we could manage in a low-scoring loss. Game 2: 4-2 W. WP-G.Rodriguez (1-0, 6.1 7 2 2 0 6). S-Diaz (1). RBI singles from Cartaya and Luciano in the 5th made a winner of Grayson Rodriguez in his Rays debut and Edwin Diaz converted the save in his with a 1-2-3 9th. Game 3: 8-1 W. WP-Sears (1-0). Starter-Eldridge (4.1 4 1 1 4 6). HR-Cartaya (1). A 6-run 5th capped by Cartaya's slam broke open a 2-1 game. Eldridge ran up a pitch count with some unusual wildness and couldn't make it through 5, missing out on the win. Clayton Beeter pitched 2 scoreless in his Rays debut. Game 4: 5-1 W. WP-German (1-0). Starter-Bradley (3 2 1 1 0 4). HR-Santana (1), Jordan (1). Taj had to leave a 3 with an oblique strain and will miss 2-3 weeks. Beeter will take his place in the rotation. Blaze Jordan hit his first Rays homer and also walked with the bases loaded while Santana had a solo homer and a sac fly. Team record: 3-1. Next up: Oakland visits for 3 games. MLB News: Grizzled vet Javier Baez is back with the Cubs after signing a one-year, $6M deal while another grizzled vet, Bryce Harper, had 4 homers in the Phillies' first two games including 3 in one game. |
April 7-9, 2028: vs Oakland (3)
Game 1: 4-3 W. WP-Diaz (1-0). Starter-Orze (5 4 1 1 3 4). HR-Luciano (1), Wood (1), B.Jordan (2). Blaze Jordan nearly single-handedly won the game, homering in the 6th, tripling in the 8th (but was stranded) and then hitting a walk-off sac fly in the 9th to win it, finishing 3-4.
Game 2: 3-2 W (13). WP-Moran (1-0). Starter-Swanda (6 3 1 1 2 6). New guy Max Green gave up a 9th-inning homer to lose the lead and send us to extras but Jeremiah Jackson picked him up in the 13th with an RBI single for the Rays' second straight walk-off win. Game 3: 2-0 W. WP-Rodriguez (2-0, 9 1 0 0 0 13, 107 pitches). HR-Albies (2). Grayson Rodriguez was utterly dominant, pitching the best game by a Rays starter in the little over 6 seasons of this save, and Albies supplied the offense with a 2-run homer in the 6th as the Rays swept and won their sixth straight game. Team record: 6-1, now in first place 1/2 game up on Baltimore. Next up: Our season-starting homestand concludes with 3 against Minnesota. |
April 10-12, 2028: vs Minnesota (3)
Game 1: 0-2 L. LP-Eldridge (0-1, 1 4 1 1 1 0). The staff did very well with a bullpen day as Eldridge had to leave after an inning with a tender shoulder that will result in his next start being pushed back. Nevertheless the offense took the night off, managing only 6 hits and wasting the fine effort from the staff.
Game 2: 7-1 W. WP-Beeter (1-0, 6 3 1 1 2 6). HR-Caminero (1). It looked like a repeat of last night with the Twins up 1-0 going into the bottom of the 6th before the Rays erupted for 7 runs over the next two innings. James Wood drove in 3 with a 2-run single and sac fly and Caminero had a 2-run homer to support a brilliant first Rays start from Clayton Beeter. Transaction: We claimed C Cal Raleigh on waivers as the "Big Dumper" looks to be an upgrade over our longtime backup Rene Pinto. Pinto was DFA'd despite his years of faithful service (hopefully he'll clear waivers, he had no trade value). Game 3: 0-4 L. LP-Orze (0-1, 6 4 3 3 1 6). Rays are shut out for the second time in the series, this time only managing three hits. Team record: 7-3, 1/2 game up on the 6-3 Orioles. Next up: An off-day to fly cross-country where we'll play our first three road games of the season in Anaheim. MLB News: Former Ray Andrew Vaughn tore his labrum and the Milwaukee 1B will be out until September. |
April 14-16, 2028: at LA Angels (3)
Game 1: 0-4 L. LP-Swanda (0-2, 6 7 3 3 2 7). Rays were shut out for the third time in four games, only scratching out a pair of hits.
Game 2: 6-8 L. LP-Diaz (1-1). Starter-G.Rodriguez (4 8 6 6 3 5). HR-Luciano (2), Caminero (2). Rays fought back all the way from 6-2 down to tie it in the 9th, only for Edwin Diaz to give up a 2-run homer in the bottom of the inning to let LA walk it off as Tampa Bay lost for the fourth time in five games. Transaction: Claimed P Aldry Acosta on waivers from the Yankees, optioned P Andri Tavarez to AAA Durham. Acosta is rated 70/60/55 and gives us a fifth righty instead of a fourth lefty in the pen. He can also start but only has 35 stamina. Game 3: 3-12 L. LP-Beeter (1-1, 3.2 7 6 6 0 4). HR-Franco (1). A miserable series came to an ignominious end as the Angels routed the Rays. Beeter was beaten, and new pickup Aldry Acosta showed why he was on waivers by allowing 3 runs on 4 hits in 2/3 of an inning. Wander was 3-4 with the homer and 2 RBI as the only Ray who could hold his head high after the game. Team record: 7-6. Next up: We head cross-country again to play 4 in Boston. |
April 17-20, 2028: at Boston (4)
Game 1: 8-7 W. WP-Fairbanks (1-0). S-Diaz (2). Starter-Eldridge (3.2 5 3 3 3 5). Rays squandered a 6-0 lead but still won anyway on Caminero's tiebreaking RBI double in the 9th. Santana had a bases-clearing double earlier to help build the lead, and after it was 7-6 Max Green blew the lead in the 8th.
Game 2: 2-4 L. LP-Orze (0-2, 3.2 4 4 4 3 5). HR-Caminero (3). Despite yesterday's 8 runs the offense has been a struggle all year and today was no exception. Game 3: 1-2 L. LP-Swanda (0-3, 6.2 5 2 2 1 7). The bats were pitiful again, managing only 4 hits and fanning 13 times. Swanda is 0-3 but has a 3.42 ERA as they never score runs for him. Game 4: 6-7 L. LP-Diaz (1-2). Starter-G.Rodriguez (6 7 3 3 3 9). HR-Albies 2 (4), Caminero (4), Franco (2). Rays had a 6-3 lead in the 8th before Max Green came up small again, giving up a 2-run homer to Trevor Story and then Edwin Diaz blew it in the 9th. He gave up a leadoff triple but got the next two out with the man held at 3rd only to give up a hit to allow 2 runners to score, giving him two losses and a blown save already this year. They wasted a good game from Albies and dropped below .500. Team record: 8-9. Next up: They'll try to get right in Houston where they'll play three. MLB News: Gerrit Cole, who missed much of 2027 due to injury, is done for 2028 as well with a torn UCL. Meanwhile Fernando Tatis Jr. hit his 300th career homer. |
April 21-23, 2028: at Houston (3)
Game 1: 0-6 L. LP-Beeter (1-2, 5.1 7 5 4 2 4). Another pathetic performance from the bats with only 4 hits.
Game 2: 6-0 W. WP-Eldridge (1-1, 7 1 0 0 1 6). HR-Caminero (5). Bryce Eldridge took a no-hitter into the 6th and pitched his best game as a big leaguer, Caminero was 4-4 with the homer and Blaze Jordan had a 2-run single. Game 3: 4-5 L (10). LP-Diaz (1-3). Starter-Orze (4 8 4 4 1 4). HR-Albies (5). Another rough loss with Edwin Diaz giving up a walk-off homer to Kyle Tucker as he's been a terrible free agent signing so far. Albies had a 2-run homer and Caminero had hits his first three times up to give him seven straight. Team record: 9-11. Next up: Thankfully we return home after this 2-8 road trip with 3 games against Boston. |
April 24-26, 2028: vs Boston (3)
Game 1: 3-1 W. WP-Swanda (1-3, 6 7 1 1 0 2). S-Fairbanks (1). Swanda finally got enough runs to win, thanks largely to Caminero who stayed scorching hot by going 4-4 with 2 RBI while Wood added an RBI triple.
Game 2: 11-2 W. WP-G.Rodriguez (3-0, 6 5 2 2 0 6). HR-Chin (1). Grayson was great and Fu-Chi Chin had his best game as a big leaguer, going 3-5 with a grand slam. Luciano was also 3-4 with a double & 3 RBI. Game 3: 6-0 W. WP-Beeter (2-2, 5 5 0 0 0 6). HR-B.Jordan (3), Luciano (3), Albies (6). Home cooking continues to suit the Rays as they're 10-3 at the Trop while 2-8 on the road. Beeter was solid and Albies had a 3-run homer as they completed the sweep by an aggregate score of 20-3. Team record: 12-11, back over .500 and within 1 1/2 of division-leading Baltimore. And that's where we're headed for 3 games in an attempt to shake our early-season road woes. MLB News: Angels' slugger Keston Hiura will be out 2-3 months with a fractured hand, Houston's Yordan Alvarez is hurt again with a fractured thumb, putting him out 3-4 weeks and former Ray and current Phillie Alex Bregman hit his 300th career homer. |
April 28-30, 2028: at Baltimore (3)
Game 1: 2-4 L. LP-Eldridge (1-2, 7 5 4 2 0 6). HR-Cartaya (2), Franco (3). The Rays continue to be roadkill as they drop to 2-9 away from the Trop this season. A Wander error in the 1st led to a 3-run inning which was the difference.
Game 2: 9-7 W. WP-Acosta (1-0). S-Diaz (3). Starter-Orze (2.2 6 5 5 2 4). HR-B.Jordan (4), Wood (2), Cartaya (3). A wild and wooly day in Baltimore as a pair of rain delays added nearly two hours to the game. Rays were up 3-0, down 5-3, then ahead to stay 6-5 on James Wood's 3-run blast. They extended the lead to 9-5 before Max Green failed again, allowing two of Pete Fairbanks' runners to score. Edwin Diaz did come through with a 1-2-3 9th. Game 3: 5-4 W. WP-Swanda (2-3, 5 3 1 1 4 5). S-Diaz (4). HR-Wood (3), Franco (4), Santana 2 (3). Natanael Santana broke out of a season-long slump to homer twice and drive in 3 to lead the Rays to their first road series win of 2028. The bullpen made things way too interesting again as a 5-1 lead shrunk to 5-4 with Chris Gau today's culprit. Diaz again nailed down the save though so at least he seems to be back on track. Team record: 14-12. The Rays are third, but only a game behind the division-leading Yankees with the Orioles in the middle 1/2 back. Next up: A return home for 3 against Seattle after an off-day. MLB News: Vlad Guerrero Jr is on a 26-game hit streak and was named AL Player of the Month for April, hitting .412-11-30 on the season. |
May 2-4, 2028: vs Seattle (3)
Game 1: 6-1 W. WP-G.Rodriguez (4-0, 7 5 1 1 1 8). HR-Cartaya (4). Grayson was dominant again and Cartaya's 3-run homer capped a 5-run 5th which broke a 1-1 tie. James Wood had a 2-run single earlier in the inning.
Game 2: 4-1 W. WP-Beeter (3-2, 5 3 1 0 1 4). S-Diaz (5). HR-Albies (7). Another well-pitched game (3 hits allowed in total) and just like yesterday the 5th inning was decisive as Caminero's 2-run single snapped a 1-1 deadlock. Game 3: 1-0 W. WP-Moran (2-0). S-Green (1). Starter-Eldridge (5.1 5 0 0 3 5). HR-Cartaya (5). Cartaya's homer in the 6th was the game's only run as Rays pitching completed a dominant series in which they only allowed one run and 13 hits in total. Max Green, who had struggled mightily in his debut Rays season, came through with a 2-inning save today, allowing only a walk and fanning 3. Team record: 17-12. They've now won 9 of 11 including 5 straight, and have regained the top spot in the AL East, 1 up on the Yankees. Next up: The homestand continues with 3 against the Angels. |
May 5-7, 2028: vs LA Angels (3)
Game 1: 9-0 W. WP-Orze (1-2, 6 4 0 0 1 6). Eric Orze, whose rotation spot was in jeopardy, pitching himself a reprieve today with his best outing of the season while Wander was 3-5 with 2 RBI and Wood added a 2-run double to help rout LA.
Game 2: 3-8 L. LP-Swanda (2-4, 4 8 6 6 3 7). Swanda's record is misleading as most of his losses have come due to a lack of support but today he was just bad despite all the Ks. Wander had a 2-run double on which he injured himself, suffering back spasms. Transaction: As Wander's back spasms are moderate for a week, he was ILed and Brooks Lee called up from Durham to back up Jeremiah Jackson who'll take over at short in the interim. Game 3: 6-0 W. WP-G.Rodriguez (5-0, 7 1 0 0 0 10). HR-Albies (8), Cartaya (6). Grayson was utterly dominant again today and now leads MLB in pitcher WAR with 1.7 while Albies (was 3-5 with 3 RBI) and Cartaya slugged 2-run homers in a 4-run 3rd which broke the game open. Team record: 19-13, first by a game over the Yankees. Next up: The lengthy homestand continues with 4 against Boston. MLB News: A couple of pitchers received bad injury news as the Cubs' Devin Williams tore his UCL and Seattle's Sixto Sanchez broke a bone in his elbow (against us in the previous series) and will be out 4 months. |
May 8-11, 2028: vs Boston (4)
Game 1: 7-4 W. WP-Beeter (4-2, 6.2 5 3 3 0 4). HR-Santana (4), Caminero (6), Albies (9). Caminero's 3-run shot in the 6th turned around a 3-1 deficit and Albies' 3-run shot put the game away in the 8th.
Game 2: 2-9 L. LP-Eldridge (1-3, 2.1 7 6 6 2 5). Rays had the bases loaded and nobody out in the 1st, couldn't score, and Boston got 4 in the 2nd and things went downhill from there. Game 3: 3-2 W (10). WP-Fairbanks (2-0). Starter-Orze (6 6 1 1 1 3). HR-Santana (5), Cartaya (7). Cartaya's mammoth blast in the 10th walked it off for the Rays after Orze turned in his second straight excellent start. Game 4: 5-1 W. WP-German (2-0). Starter-Swanda (5 3 1 1 3 3). HR-L.White (1), Cartaya (8). Lonnie White's 3-run homer in the 6th broke a 1-1 tie to win it for the Rays. Luis German got the win with 2 perfect innings and 4 Ks and has this unbelievable line for the year: 23 14 0 0 2 34, already good for 1.3 WAR. Team record: 22-14, now 2 1/2 up on Baltimore who supplanted the Yankees in 2nd by sweeping a series with them. Next up: A marathon 13-game homestand concludes with 3 against Miami. After that series concludes we'll have played 26 of our first 39 games at home so we'll need to improve on that 4-9 road record. MLB News: Angels lost their closer Ryne Nelson for the year with a stretched elbow ligament, Houston will be without reigning AL MVP Kyle Tucker for 5 weeks with shoulder tendinitis, and Atlanta's Matt Olson will be out 2-3 weeks with a hamstring strain. |
May 12-14, 2028: vs Miami (3)
Game 1: 3-1 W. WP-G.Rodriguez (6-0, 6 2 1 1 2 5). S-Diaz (6). HR-Caminero (7). Caminero's 3-run homer in the first stood up for the entire game thanks to another Grayson gem and fine bullpen work.
Game 2: 1-4 L. LP-Beeter (4-3, 3.1 5 4 4 3 5). Beeter got beat and the bats only scratched out four hits in a rough night at the Trop. Game 3: 5-0 W. WP-Eldridge (2-3, 5 3 0 0 2 6). HR-Caminero 2 (9). Bryce was nice and Caminero repeated his feat from Friday night with a 3-run homer in the 1st and this time added an insurance shot in the 8th. Luis German had two more scoreless innings to run his season-starting streak to 26. Team record: 24-15, 3 games up on Baltimore through the off-day. Next up: We start making up some of the series home-road imbalance in our schedule with 3 games at Citi Field against the Mets after that off-day. MLB News: Congrats to LA's Mike Trout, who hit his 500th homer. |
May 16-18, 2028: at NY Mets (3)
Game 1: 5-2 W. WP-Orze (2-2, 5.1 6 2 2 1 1). S-Diaz (7). HR-Albies (10), Luciano (4), Santana (6). A fine effort from the pitching staff and three big homers led the Rays to a rare road win for 2028. Edwin Diaz got the save in his old ballpark but they didn't play "Narco" for him.
Transaction: Wander Franco is welcomed back off the IL and Brooks Lee is optioned to Durham. Game 2: 3-1 W. WP-Swanda (3-4, 5 3 1 1 0 7). S-Diaz (8). HR-Santana (7), DeLoach (1). It was a miserable night in New York for everyone but the Rays as they used the same recipe as the night before to win on a cold, rainy night at Citi Field that featured a 44-minute delay in the 4th. Swanda and the pen were great as Diaz this time struck out the side in the 9th and Santana homered again with his 2-run shot the difference in the game. Game 3: 4-0 W. WP-G.Rodriguez (7-0, 6 3 0 0 0 8). HR-Franco (5), Santana (8). It was a matchup of two young pitchers at the top of their games with the 6-0 Grayson Rodriguez facing off against 7-0 Kumar Rocker. And G-Rod got the better of things as he normally does despite another lousy weather night (47 degrees with a 55-minute delay) and Natanael Santana homered for the third straight game to give the Rays a sweep of a Mets team which came in 25-13, actually making them 5-1 in their last two road series after starting the year away from home 2-8. Team record: 27-15. With the sweep and an Oriole loss the division lead is up to 4 1/2 games. Next up: We head south on I-95 to the nation's capital to play 3 against Washington. MLB News: The big news of the last few days came out of New York as well, but from the Bronx as slugging legend Giancarlo Stanton announced his retirement at the end of the season as age and injuries have caught up to him. Last winter New York voided the final year of his contract before coming back to them on a minor-league deal but has been limited to 14 AB so far this year. Meanwhile still going strong (and several years younger than Stanton) is Mookie Betts who picked up career hit #2000. |
May 19-21, 2028: at Washington (3*)
*we were supposed to play three but Sunday's game was rained out and will be made up on Monday the 29th, the rare Memorial Day makeup game
Game 1: 1-2 L (11). LP-Ruegger (0-1). Starter-Beeter (6 5 1 1 1 4). The offense continues to have some struggles scoring, and it cost them tonight with some excellent pitching wasted. Charlie Ruegger was greeted by a leadoff Wilmer Flores homer in the 11th to allow the Nats to walk it off. Transaction: It was finally time to pull the plug on the Blaze Jordan era at 1B. Despite some good ratings (55 contact/65 power), Jordan was only hitting 176/244/303 with 4 homers even though he pretty much played everyday. Coming up from Durham to replace him on the roster and in the lineup is 2B Max Viera, who was hitting 347/369/663 with 8 HR in 98 AB for the Bulls after hitting .269 with 21 HR last season. The switch-hitting Viera is a better defensive 2B than Ozzie Albies, who will slide over to first. Game 2: 9-4 W. WP-Eldridge (3-3, 6 6 3 3 1 3). HR-Caminero (10), Cartaya 2 (10), Luciano (5). The bats came to life today with Caminero hitting his patented 1st-inning 3-run homer (the third time this month he's done so) and Cartaya drilling a pair including a back-to-back jack with Caminero in the first that landed in nearly the identical spot just inside the LF foul pole. Both drove in 3 on the day and Luciano was 3-5 with a 2-run homer as they banged out 17 hits. Not invited to the hit parade was Max Viera in his MLB debut, going 0-5 with a couple of strikeouts. Also Luis German was finally proven mortal today, giving up a solo homer to Luis Garcia which was the first run he'd allowed 31 innings this year. Team record: 28-16. Baltimore was swept, so with our split and the rainout the division lead is up to 6 games as we're the only team now above .500 in the AL East. Next up: Back home for a pair against Atlanta before heading up there for two more. |
May 22-23, 2028: vs Atlanta (2)
Game 1: 5-1 W. WP-Orze (3-2, 5 2 1 1 1 5). HR-Viera (1), DeLoach (2), Franco (6). Orze was dealing, the pen was great and Max Viera endeared himself to the Rays' fan base by hitting his first MLB homer to dead center at the Trop which broke a 1-1 tie in the 5th. DeLoach went back-to-back with him and Wander's 2-run shot was the icing on the cake.
Game 2: 9-1 W. WP-Swanda (4-4, 6.1 4 1 1 1 8). HR-DeLoach (3), Franco (8). DeLoach was 4-4, missing the cycle by a triple and homering as part of a back-to-back again, this time with Wander as the Rays routed Atlanta and swept the 2-game mini-series. Caminero, Santana, and Fu-Chi Chin each knocked in a pair to support a brilliant Swanda. Team record: 30-16, still 6 up on Baltimore. Next up: The away leg of this series as we head to Truist Park for a pair. |
May 24-25, 2028: at Atlanta (2)
Game 1: 7-0 W. WP-G.Rodriguez (8-0, 7 3 0 0 1 9). HR-Viera (2), Wood (4). Grayson Rodriguez's Cy Young-caliber season rolled on, as he's now first in the pitching triple crown (Wins, Ks, ERA) and first in pitcher WAR with 2.5. Viera's 3-run homer made it 4-0 and Wood was 3-3 with a double, homer and the other 4 driven in.
Game 2: 6-7 L. LP-Diaz (1-4). Starter-Beeter (4.1 3 3 2 3 2). HR-Caminero 2 (12). Looked early like another Rays rout as a pair of 2-run homers from Caminero helped make it 5-0 and Beeter didn't allow a hit through 4, but Atlanta crept back within 5-4 after 8. Luciano's RBI single gave them insurance in the top of the 9th but not enough as Edwin Diaz loaded the bases with a hit and two walks and then let Ronald Acuna Jr. clear them with a double to walk it off for Atlanta as the Rays suffered a gut-punch loss. Team record: 31-17, still 6 up on Baltimore. Next up: Off to Detroit for 3 games. MLB News: It was all Marte news as free agent Starling signed for his third go-round with the Mets at age 39 on a 1-year, $14.6M pro-rated deal while Arizona star Ketel will miss a month with a knee sprain. |
May 26-28, 2028: at Detroit (3)
Game 1: 7-3 W. WP-Eldridge (4-3, 6.1 4 3 3 0 7). HR-DeLoach (4), Santana (9), Viera (3), Franco (8). Four solo homers although each of those who homered except Viera drove in a second run, backing Eldridge who was perfect through 4 1/3.
Game 2: 3-2 W. WP-Sears (2-0). S-Diaz (9). Starter-Orze (4 3 0 0 3 4). All three runs came in the 6th with a Wander RBI double the big hit, and they hung on after going to the bottom of the 9th up 3-0 when Edwin Diaz gave up a 2-run homer and put another man on but still eked out the save. Game 3: 6-5 W. WP-Green (1-0). S-Fairbanks (2). HR-Caminero (13). Starter-Swanda (5.2 6 5 2 1 5). Rays went up 1-0, 4-1 and 5-4 with Detroit coming back to tie each time until DeLoach singled in a run in the 8th to win it. He was 3-5 with 2 RBI and Caminero drove in 3 including a 2-run homer as the Rays completed the sweep in Motown. Team record: 34-17, now 9 games up on Baltimore which was swept in Houston. Next up: Back to the nation's capital for Memorial Day where we'll make up a rained-out game from last week. The lucky Nats get to face Grayson Rodriguez. MLB News: Starling Marte, just picked up off the street by the Mets, rapped his 2000th career hit. Also, this: https://i.imgur.com/bk9EUTa.png |
May 29, 2028: at Washington
The makeup game from last week's rainout.
3-4 L. LP-G.Rodriguez (8-1, 6 6 3 3 1 4). HR-Santana (10). Grayson Rodriguez tasted defeat for the first time, pitching decently but allowing a couple of solo homers. Team record: 34-18. Next up: After our quick jaunt to Washington the regular schedule resumes with 3 in Texas. |
May 30-June 1, 2028: at Texas (3)
Game 1: 2-10 L. LP-Beeter (4-4, 2.2 7 5 5 2 2). HR-Cartaya (11). An ugly affair as Beeter was hit hard and then Taj Bradley gave up 5 more to put them well out of it early.
Game 2: 2-0 W. WP-Moran (3-0). S-Diaz (10). HR-J.Jackson (1). Starter-Eldridge (5 6 0 0 1 6). Eldridge and four relievers combined on the shutout and Jeremiah Jackson's 2-run homer in the 7th was all the scoring as the Rays' staff bounced back from the previous night's debacle. Game 3: 7-3 W. WP-Fairbanks (3-0). Starter-Orze (4 3 0 0 1 3, 82 pitches). HR-Albies (11), Franco (9). The Albies & Franco homers gave them a 3-0 which Fairbanks lost in the 6th giving up a 3-run homer to the first man he faced, but he vultured the win when Max Viera doubled in a run to restore the lead and they tacked on three more from there. Team record: 36-19, 9 up on the now second-place Yankees. Next up: Back home for some interleague action as 30-22 St. Louis visits the Trop for three. Some transactions: First, we claimed reliever Trey Riley on waivers from Atlanta. Riley has 60 stuff, 65 movement and 70 control and I see him as an upgrade over free-agent-to-be Chris Gau. But Eldridge, Swanda and German are the only pitchers with options meaning I'd have to deal or waive somebody to make room for Riley. They're all too good to waive so I shopped Gau and while I didn't find a deal that impressed me for him I did notice the Giants were offering Elijah Green and it turns out they were just looking to get rid of him. So this swap was made: https://i.imgur.com/JARmeHo.png Jimenez is more suspect than prospect with major control problems and won't be missed. Green meanwhile has a questionable hit tool but is an elite (70-rated) CF who in this universe was the #1 overall pick in 2022, didn't sign with Baltimore, went to college and was taken 18th overall in 2025 by the Giants. The hit tool has never developed (40 current/45 potential) but he does sport 55/60 power and 70 speed. He'll report to Durham for now as he was in AAA this season after hitting 243/299/402 for the Giants in 70 games last year. Meanwhile I'm going to hold off activating Riley for now until I can either make room or room is made with an injury as I have 7 days to figure it out. |
June 2-4, 2028: vs St. Louis (3)
Game 1: 4-1 W. WP-Swanda (5-4, 6.1 4 0 0 2 5). Swanda was dealing and Cartaya had a big 2-run single as the Rays took another tidy victory.
Game 2: 4-5 L (11). LP-Green (1-1). Starter-G.Rodriguez (4 4 3 2 5 8). HR-Franco (10), Luciano (6), Cartaya (12). Caminero's RBI single in the bottom of the 9th dramatically tied it at 3 but Max Green gave up a couple of homers in the 11th. Cartaya got one back but it wasn't enough. Game 3: 1-7 L. LP-Beeter (4-5, 5.1 7 5 5 3 7). Beeter was hit hard for the second straight start and now has an ERA over 5; Taj Bradley might be replacing him in the rotation. Team record: 37-21. With the two losses the division lead was trimmed to 7 1/2 games. Next up: Baltimore visits for 4 games. MLB News: Carlos Rodon, currently with the Phillies, suffered a torn UCL and this time his injury-riddled career is over. Rodon was briefly a Ray although he never pitched for the club; he was signed while rehabbing an injury in late 2024 and helped us land Kyle Tucker for the 2025 season when we dealt him to Houston. Also the Royals will be without star infielder Bobby Witt Jr. for six weeks with back spasms. |
June 5-8, 2028: vs Baltimore (4)
Game 1: 8-2 W. WP-Eldridge (5-3, 5 3 2 1 2 6). HR-Franco (11), J.Jackson (2). Albies was 3-4 with a double and an RBI while Wander and Jeremiah Jackson each blasted 2-run homers to lead the way.
Game 2: 5-2 W. WP-Green (2-1). S-Diaz (11). Starter-Orze (5 3 0 0 1 2). HR-DeLoach (5), Wood (5), Cartaya (13). Cartaya's 3-run homer in the 8th broke a 2-2 tie and won it for Tampa Bay. Game 3: 6-8 L (10). LP-Moran (3-1). Starter-Swanda (7 6 2 2 0 6). HR-Wood 2 (7). An epic bullpen meltdown. Rays led 6-0 after 7 thanks to Wood's two homers and 3 RBI along with a great start from Swanda. But he put two on to start the 8th, JP Sears loaded the bases and gave up a slam, and then Fairbanks put two men on, wild pitched them both into scoring position, and gave up a 2-run single. And to complete the fiasco in the 10th Moran gave up a 2-run homer for the second straight day to lose it. Game 3: 2-4 L. LP-Green (2-2). Starter-G.Rodriguez (5 3 2 2 4 9). HR-Luciano (7). The pen let them down again as after Luciano's solo homer in the 7th brought them back from down 2-0, Max Green gave up 2 runs in the 8th to lose the game. Team record: 39-23. The Jays have been hot and have cut the division lead to 6 1/2 games. Next up: Out west for some interleague action as we visit San Francisco for 3. MLB News: Looks we dodged a bullet by not signing Luis Castillo to a long-term contract as the Cleveland starter tore his flexor tendon and is done for the year. |
June 9-11, 2028: at San Francisco (3)
Game 1: 4-5 L. LP-Acosta (1-1). Starter-Bradley (5 3 2 2 3 8). James Wood's dropped fly ball in the 7th brought home the winner for the Giants. Cartaya and Viera each drove in a pair for Tampa Bay.
Game 2: 4-3 W. WP-Moran (4-1). S-Diaz (12). Starter-Eldridge (6 7 3 3 1 3). DeLoach doubled to lead off the 9th and Wander singled him home for the winner. Game 3: 2-1 W (10). WP-Green (3-2). S-Fairbanks (3). Starter-Orze (4.2 7 1 1 2 3). Albies doubled in Wander in the 10th to win it as the Rays took 2 of 3 in the series without hitting a single homer. Team record: 41-24, still 6 1/2 up on Toronto. Next up: A 3-game date in the desert with the Diamondbacks in a rematch of last year's World Series won by Tampa Bay. |
June 12-14, 2028: at Arizona (3)
Game 1: 3-5 L. LP-Swanda (5-5, 4.2 10 5 5 0 1). Rays had a 3-1 lead into the 5th before Swanda was hit for 4 runs and lost. Max Viera and Lonnie White were each 2-3 with an RBI.
Game 2: 3-2 W. WP-G.Rodriguez (9-1, 7 2 0 0 1 6). S-Diaz (13). HR-Caminero (14), Albies (12). Grayson returned to brilliant form and they survived bullpen runs allowed in the 8th and the 9th to hang on for the win. Game 3: 3-1 W. WP-Bradley (1-0, 7.1 4 1 1 0 6). S-Moran (1). HR-L.White (1). Taj won his first decision and was incredibly efficient (64 pitches!) while Lonnie White came through again off the bench, going 2-4 with a walk, steal and solo homer. Team record: 43-25. The Blue Jays remained red-hot and swept Colorado to pull within 5 1/2 games. Next up: An off-day then we're back home for 3 against Detroit. |
June 16-18, 2028: vs Detroit (3)
Game 1: 0-5 L. LP-Eldridge (5-4, 6 7 2 2 0 8). Eldridge deserved a better fate but the bats weren't going to give it to him, held to four hits with three of them coming from Junior Caminero.
Game 2: 3-1 W. WP-Sears (3-0). S-Diaz (14). Starter-Orze (4 5 1 1 2 3). HR-DeLoach (6). Santana's 2-run triple in the 6th broke a 1-1 tie and the Rays eked out enough runs to win. Game 3: 8-1 W. WP-Swanda (6-5, 6 3 0 0 1 9). HR-Franco (12), DeLoach (7), Cartaya (14), Caminero (15). The offense finally came to life with a 5-run 5th keyed by Cartaya's 3-run shot breaking open a 2-0 game and supporting Swanda who was dealing. Team record: 45-26. The Jays finally cooled off and lost 2 of 3 in KC so the lead is back up to 6 1/2. Next up: 4 games at Yankee Stadium. MLB News: Angels 2-way superstar Shohei Ohtani hit his 300th homer. |
June 19-22, 2028: at NY Yankees (4)
Game 1: 7-3 W. WP-G.Rodriguez (10-1, 5 5 3 3 5 8). HR-Santana (11), Viera (4), Luciano (8). Viera's solo shot in the 6th broke a 3-3 tie to send the Rays on to victory. DeLoach had 4 hits and Grayson got the win despite a very busy outing.
Game 2: 8-6 W. WP-Sears (4-0). S-Diaz (15). Starter-Bradley (4 6 3 3 3 3). HR-Santana (12), Franco 2 (14), Luciano (9). Wander went deep twice among his 3 hits, Santana hit a 470-ft mammoth shot to CF and Sears got the win despite allowing a 3-run homer as the Rays won again. Game 3: 6-7 L. LP-Fairbanks (3-1). Starter-Eldridge (4 6 4 4 2 4). HR-Santana (13), Caminero (16). The Rays fought back from 6-3 down with 2 in the 8th on Caminero's homer and a Wander RBI double with 2 out in the 9th, only for Fairbanks to give up a double, bunt and single to lose it. Santana homered for the third straight game, all to CF. Game 4: 1-7 L. LP-Orze (3-3, 4 5 3 3 1 4). HR-DeLoach (8). The Rays did not pitch well in this series and today they didn't hit either, with DeLoach's homer leading off the game one of only four hits on the day as they continued their recent habit of winning the first two of a 4-game series then losing the second two. Team record: 47-28. The Jays got hot again, sweeping 4 from Boston to shave 2 games off the lead and reduce it to 4 1/2. Next up: Back home for 3 vs the 30-45 Reds. |
June 23-25, 2028: vs Cincinnati (3)
Game 1: 6-2 W. WP-Swanda (7-5, 7 6 2 2 0 3). HR-Caminero (17). The return of the first-inning, 3-run homer from Caminero and a strong outing from Swanda led the Rays to victory. Luciano knocked in a pair as well.
Game 2: 9-0 W. WP-G.Rodriguez (11-1, 6 4 0 0 0 11). HR-DeLoach (9), Franco (15), Viera (5), Santana (14). Tampa Bay blasted former Rays starter Shane Baz for 8 runs on 11 hits including 3 homers and current Rays starter Grayson Rodriguez was almost untouchable as his Cy Young-caliber season rolls on. DeLoach and Viera each had 3 hits. Game 3: 0-2 L. LP-Bradley (1-1, 5 7 2 2 0 8). This time the Rays were done in by a former Tampa Bay player as Ian Seymour, selected by Cincinnati in the Rule 5 draft last year, shut them out for 7 1/3 and is now 9-4, 3.34 for the Reds as they managed only four hits in total. Team record: 49-29. Unfortunately the Jays remain insanely hot, sweeping their series and winning on our Monday off-day to trim the division lead to 3 games as they now have an 8-game winning streak. Next up: That day off is to travel coast-to-coast to go play 3 against the Dodgers. MLB News: Houston's Marcus Semien hit his 300th career homer. |
Trade Alert!
This one is big enough to warrant its own post:
https://i.imgur.com/SPxkPht.png Never let it be said we didn't go for it this year. Riley Greene is one of the league's top players, a 75 defender in RF who's won the Gold Glove each of the previous two seasons, and a deadly hitter who's hitting 293/361/547 with 18 HR and 40 RBI in half a season so far and who averaged 25 HR and 85 RBI the previous two years. After 4.0 and 4.5 WAR seasons he's on pace for 6 this year. Of course Detroit was willing to move Greene since he's a free agent this winter and they haven't been able to work out an extension. We give up a really good prospect in Saenz, who's 17 and far away from the majors but profiles as a top leadoff hitter with 75 speed, contact, gap and avoid Ks potential (but not much power). de Anda was a supplemental 1st rounder in 2025 who has struggled at all stops in the minors but still has 50/40/60 potential as a starter. The Greene acquisition will set off a domino effect on the lineup with him taking Max Viera's spot against righties with Caminero going from DH to 1B, Ozzie Albies back to 2B, James Wood moving to LF and Natanael Santana becoming the DH. Against lefties we'll play the lineup we've been playing except Greene will take Fu-Chi Chin's RF platoon spot with Wood. To make room on the active roster Lonnie White was optioned to Durham as he just never hit when getting the chance to play, and to make room on the 40-man pitcher Yoniel Curet was DFA'd. Hopefully Greene can duplicate his first half and give us another 3 wins as that could be critical in this race with the Jays. |
June 27-29, 2028: at LA Dodgers (3)
Game 1: 7-8 L. LP-Fairbanks (3-2). Starter-Eldridge (3.2 8 7 7 2 3). HR-DeLoach (10), Santana (15), Franco (16). Eldridge was handed a 6-1 lead in the 4th inning thanks to those three homers and a 2-run double from Riley Greene in his Rays debut, but he gave up hit after hit (three of the infield variety) and the Dodgers went up 7-6 by the time it was done. The Rays tied it in the 7th but Fairbanks put the leadoff man on in the bottom of the 9th and Max Green gave up a 2-out Austin Hays double to lose it.
Game 2: 5-3 W (13). WP-Sears (5-0). Starter-Orze (5 3 1 1 2 3). HR-Albies (13). Another bullpen breakdown as Fairbanks gave up a 2-run homer in the 8th to let LA tie it at 3 but Cartaya's RBI double against his old team broke the tie in the 13th and the Rays eked out the win. Bad news though as starting 3B Marco Luciano broke his elbow and is done for the year. Transaction: Luciano goes on the 60-day IL and we purchased the contract of 3B Freili Encarnacion from Durham. Encarnacion was acquired from Houston in the Curtis Mead trade last winter and was hitting 266/340/438 with the Bulls with 11 HR and 39 RBI and playing a solid hot corner. He'll get a lot of starts with Jeremiah Jackson and Max Viera mixing in. Game 3: 2-4 L (18). LP-Beeter (4-6). Starter-Swanda (6 6 0 0 1 7). Ugh. We lost a 1-0 lead in the 9th and a 2-1 lead in the 10th and had to end up playing 31 innings in two days with it finally ending when Beeter gave up a 2-run homer. They only managed 10 hits in the 18 innings with Wander getting five of them and Caminero three, so the rest of the team was an incredibly bad 2 for 47. Team record: 50-31. The Jays demolished the Giants by a combined 22-2 in the two games they played to make it 10 straight wins and pulled to within 1 1/2 games as the division lead keeps dwindling. Next up: 3 at home vs the San Antonio Seagulls, who are the relocated Pittsburgh Pirates. |
2028 Midseason Review
Tough to complain about a 50-win first half of the year, but the team has been kind of treading water lately and there has been a bullpen issue or two.
The big picture: https://i.imgur.com/rQW5o6K.png Obviously our biggest problem right now is Toronto, which has gone on a tear to nearly erase our division lead was as much as 9 games a month ago. https://i.imgur.com/EFLe8za.png Pythagoreas says we are who we are, although outside of our red-hot May this has been a team only slightly above .500. Considering we lost Shane McClanahan and Luis Castillo it's saying something how elite our pitching has been this year and the offense has been decent but needs to be better, and hopefully the Riley Greene acquisition will address that. Marco Luciano wasn't an offensive force at 3B but his replacements aren't quite as good so we'll have a bit of a dropoff there. Just about all the 3B on other teams who would be an improvement are on big contracts extending beyond 2028 so I'm afraid help isn't coming from outside. https://i.imgur.com/NRh3fJ2.png 6 of our 9 starters are having good seasons (although one day recently I looked up and saw Ozzie Albies was hitting .227 after going 8 for his last 56) and hopefully Greene will make it 7 of 9 starters. James Wood can't seem to get going and the bench has been abysmal, especially Cal Raleigh whom we brought in as the backup C hoping he'd provide us with some pop; instead he can barely make contact. https://i.imgur.com/xWHktjm.png Quality all around as seen by our team numbers. Even the guys with ERAs over 4 have been solid contributors, and Trey Riley and Aldry Acosta were inspired waiver claims. Grayson is on track for a Cy Young, Swanda isn't too far behind him, and Luis German has been incredible in multi-inning relief. https://i.imgur.com/n6WaLDH.png One aspect of the franchise that hasn't been good of late has been the farm system, where we've both traded guys away and had several others fail to develop and it might be time to start paying more attention and making an emphasis there. Haro and Khattak of course are the glaring exceptions; despite his pedestrian numbers in AA ball Haro will be an offensive force, and Khattak could be in our rotation next season. After that there isn't really help on the way. |
June 30-July 2, 2028: vs San Antonio (3)
Game 1: 1-3 L. LP-G.Rodriguez (11-2, 5.2 7 3 2 2 6). HR-Chin (2). After the marathons in LA several players were fatigued so the bench was used liberally and as you saw in the midseason review they haven't hit at all this year and tonight was no exception as the Rays were no-hit until Chin homered in the 8th.
Game 2: 5-2 W. WP-Bradley (2-1, 6 6 2 2 1 6). S-Diaz (16). HR-DeLoach (11). Taj was solid and DeLoach was 3-5 with a homer, triple and 2 RBI. Riley Greene, who sat out last night, was on base all 4 times in his Trop Rays debut with 2 singles, a walk and an HBP. Game 3: 7-0 W. WP-Eldridge (6-4, 8 3 0 0 1 9). HR-Franco 2 (18), Caminero (18), Albies (14). Bryce Eldridge bounced back from a pair of lousy starts with his best as a big leaguer, taking a shutout into the 9th before leaving after giving up a leadoff hit. Wander was 3-5 with the two homers and Wood knocked in a pair. Team record: 52-32. The Jays finally did lose a game, but one is all they lost so they remain within 1 1/2. And Toronto is our next opponent, coming to the Trop for 4 games. It's Wander Franco's world and we're all living in it: https://i.imgur.com/05naVxw.png and https://i.imgur.com/yTW3Srl.png |
July 3-6, 2028: vs Toronto (4)
Game 1: 0-5 L. LP-Orze (3-4, 4.2 3 4 4 4 6). The Rays laid an egg in the opener of their big series with Toronto, managing seven hits and nary a run.
Game 2: 5-1 W. WP-Swanda (8-5, 6.1 3 1 1 1 7). HR-Santana (16). Swanda was dazzling again and Santana's grand slam in the 3rd made it 5-0 as the Rays evened up the series with the Jays. Game 3: 4-1 W. WP-German (3-0). S-Diaz (17). Starter-G.Rodriguez (6 2 1 1 4 7). HR-Encarnacion (1), Santana (17). Freili Encarnacion picked a great time to hit his first MLB homer as his 2-run shot in the 7th broke a 1-1 tie and led the Rays to victory. Game 4: 5-7 L. LP-Bradley (2-2, 3 9 7 7 1 4). HR-Wood (8). Taj was barraged by the Blue Jays, with 5 of the runs against coming on a pair of homers. Wood's 3-run homer in the 7th brought them back within 7-5, but a two man-on rally in the 8th fizzled out and they went meekly in the 9th to end up splitting the series. Team record: 54-34, still 1 1/2 up on Toronto. Next up: A weekend in Kansas City with 3 against the Royals, struggling this year at 37-50, before we hit the All-Star break. MLB News: Joe Musgrove of the Yankees tossed a no-hitter against Washington, walking 2 and fanning 11 on a healthy 126 pitches. Meanwhile Milwaukee's Brandon Woodruff tore his UCL and will undergo Tommy John surgery, sidelining him until late 2029. |
July 7-9, 2028: at Kansas City (3)
Game 1: 2-8 L. LP-Eldridge (6-5, 3 6 7 7 4 6). HR-Encarnacion (2). Eldridge has now sandwiched two horrible starts around a gem as the Rays were blown out today.
Game 2: 7-4 W. WP-Orze (4-4, 5.1 4 1 1 1 2). S-Diaz (18). HR-Wood 2 (10), Caminero (19). Wood homered twice and drove in 3, Caminero was 3-5 with the homer and 2 RBI, and Albies had a big early 2-run double as Tampa Bay got back in the win column. Game 3: 4-7 L. LP-Swanda (8-6, 4.1 7 4 4 2 4). HR-Santana (18), Greene (1/19). Swanda celebrated being named to the AL All-Star team by getting shelled as the Rays' lousy play of late continued with their fourth loss in five games. Riley Greene's 2-run blast to make the score a little more respectable in the 9th was his first as a Ray. Team record: 55-36. The only good news was that Toronto also dropped a pair of games in Missouri to the Cardinals so the lead remains at 1 1/2 games. Next up: The All-Star break after which we head to Chicago for 3 against the White Sox beginning Friday. MLB News: One guy we won't be facing with the White Sox is ace starter Aaron Nola, who is done for the year with bone chips in his elbow. |
All-Star Break 2028
For the American League, the roster includes:
SP Robert Ahlstrom (TEX) - 10-5, 3.14 ERA, 123.1 IP, 1.09 WHIP, 10.7 K/9, 4.7 WAR SP Tyler Holton (HOU) - 3-2, 2.14 ERA, 80.0 IP, 0.96 WHIP, 6.5 K/9, 1.3 WAR SP Dustin May (CWS) - 7-5, 2.77 ERA, 104.0 IP, 1.28 WHIP, 8.2 K/9, 2.5 WAR SP Grayson Rodriguez (TB) - 11-2, 2.31 ERA, 109.0 IP, 0.99 WHIP, 11.2 K/9, 3.3 WAR SP Dakota Stone (BOS) - 7-8, 2.58 ERA, 115.0 IP, 1.00 WHIP, 10.3 K/9, 3.2 WAR SP John Swanda (TB) - 8-5, 2.77 ERA, 104.0 IP, 1.11 WHIP, 8.6 K/9, 2.8 WAR SP Case Williams (CLE)* - 7-2, 2.21 ERA, 81.1 IP, 1.01 WHIP, 10.4 K/9, 2.1 WAR RP Luis German (TB)* - 3-0, 0.70 ERA, 51.2 IP, 0.87 WHIP, 12.2 K/9, 2.0 WAR RP Chujiro Muraoka (LAA) - 3-1, 2.28 ERA, 67.0 IP, 1.00 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, 1.4 WAR RP Jack Neely (OAK) - 4-3, 2.56 ERA, 45.2 IP, 1.38 WHIP, 11.6 K/9, 0.7 WAR CL Alex Lange (KC) - 1-1, 9 SV, 1.02 ERA, 35.1 IP, 0.93 WHIP, 8.9 K/9, 1.1 WAR CL Caleb Logerwell (TOR) - 2-1, 23 SV, 1.62 ERA, 33.1 IP, 0.87 WHIP, 14.3 K/9, 1.4 WAR CL Billy Sullivan (OAK) - 1-2, 22 SV, 2.34 ERA, 34.2 IP, 1.01 WHIP, 16.1 K/9, 1.2 WAR C Diego Cartaya (TB) - .257/.314/.467, 261 AB, 14 HR, 120 wRC+, 2.9 WAR C Gabriel Moreno (TOR) - .262/.350/.453, 225 AB, 12 HR, 127 wRC+, 2.0 WAR C Adley Rutschman (BAL)* - .271/.359/.454, 280 AB, 11 HR, 128 wRC+, 3.4 WAR 1B Junior Caminero (TB) - .292/.350/.512, 346 AB, 19 HR, 140 wRC+, 2.3 WAR 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR)* - .360/.440/.720, 322 AB, 33 HR, 1 SB, 222 wRC+, 5.9 WAR 1B Gavin Sheets (NYY)* - .297/.354/.523, 306 AB, 18 HR, 147 wRC+, 2.4 WAR 1B Justin Williams (HOU) - .252/.330/.526, 321 AB, 23 HR, 134 wRC+, 2.0 WAR 2B Bo Bichette (TOR) - .281/.358/.493, 306 AB, 17 HR, 7 SB, 140 wRC+, 2.5 WAR 2B Jake Fox (CLE)* - .306/.366/.466, 337 AB, 12 HR, 21 SB, 135 wRC+, 4.2 WAR 2B Jonathan Schoop (DET) - .244/.317/.390, 336 AB, 11 HR, 4 SB, 98 wRC+, 0.4 WAR 3B Gunnar Henderson (NYY) - .265/.333/.503, 294 AB, 18 HR, 6 SB, 134 wRC+, 3.2 WAR 3B Ronny Mauricio (MIN) - .245/.281/.504, 335 AB, 23 HR, 2 SB, 113 wRC+, 1.8 WAR 3B Wilfred Veras (CWS)* - .315/.384/.649, 333 AB, 31 HR, 1 SB, 184 wRC+, 5.2 WAR SS Tim Anderson (TOR) - .313/.361/.469, 275 AB, 9 HR, 5 SB, 133 wRC+, 2.8 WAR SS Wander Franco (TB)* - .310/.368/.558, 310 AB, 18 HR, 11 SB, 159 wRC+, 3.5 WAR LF Juan Soto (CLE)* - .291/.408/.542, 299 AB, 18 HR, 4 SB, 168 wRC+, 4.3 WAR CF Derek Curiel (TEX) - .316/.356/.428, 339 AB, 6 HR, 13 SB, 121 wRC+, 3.1 WAR CF Julio Rodriguez (SEA)* - .303/.375/.522, 251 AB, 12 HR, 22 SB, 155 wRC+, 3.2 WAR CF Mike Trout (LAA) - .228/.367/.490, 298 AB, 21 HR, 5 SB, 143 wRC+, 3.5 WAR RF Riley Greene (TB)* - .292/.363/.517, 298 AB, 18 HR, 4 SB, 144 wRC+, 3.1 WAR RF Shohei Ohtani (LAA) - .227/.339/.545, 242 AB, 21 HR, 9 SB, 145 wRC+, 2.6 WAR For the National League these players have been selected: SP Corbin Burnes (MIL) - 7-7, 3.28 ERA, 115.1 IP, 1.30 WHIP, 10.3 K/9, 2.9 WAR SP Jacob deGrom (PHI)* - 5-6, 5.13 ERA, 107.0 IP, 1.38 WHIP, 8.2 K/9, 1.0 WAR SP Jonathan Edwards (ARI) - 10-4, 2.65 ERA, 105.1 IP, 1.08 WHIP, 11.2 K/9, 3.1 WAR SP Tyler Glasnow (SD) - 10-4, 2.87 ERA, 119.0 IP, 0.98 WHIP, 12.0 K/9, 3.1 WAR SP Brailyn Marquez (MIA) - 6-6, 3.20 ERA, 112.2 IP, 1.23 WHIP, 13.7 K/9, 3.3 WAR SP Shane McClanahan (SF) - 7-4, 2.38 ERA, 106.0 IP, 1.04 WHIP, 10.1 K/9, 3.2 WAR SP Kumar Rocker (NYM) - 11-4, 2.57 ERA, 112.0 IP, 1.03 WHIP, 9.3 K/9, 2.4 WAR RP Ben Leeper (CHC) - 4-1, 1.38 ERA, 45.2 IP, 1.01 WHIP, 10.1 K/9, 0.8 WAR RP Jesus Liranzo (LAD) - 2-0, 1.23 ERA, 51.1 IP, 0.76 WHIP, 8.2 K/9, 0.8 WAR CL Joey Gerber (NYM) - 0-1, 34 SV, 1.19 ERA, 45.1 IP, 0.88 WHIP, 11.9 K/9, 2.0 WAR CL Josh Hader (MIL)* - 2-3, 16 SV, 2.56 ERA, 31.2 IP, 1.23 WHIP, 16.2 K/9, 0.9 WAR CL Shelby Lackey (LAD) - 3-3, 18 SV, 2.92 ERA, 37.0 IP, 1.14 WHIP, 11.9 K/9, 0.6 WAR CL Luis Montas (ARI) - 3-3, 23 SV, 2.49 ERA, 43.1 IP, 1.15 WHIP, 13.3 K/9, 2.6 WAR C Francisco Alvarez (NYM)* - .276/.325/.525, 261 AB, 18 HR, 1 SB, 139 wRC+, 3.1 WAR C Luis Campusano (SD) - .259/.348/.475, 255 AB, 11 HR, 133 wRC+, 2.2 WAR C Tyler Stephenson (CIN) - .253/.377/.395, 253 AB, 8 HR, 124 wRC+, 2.4 WAR 1B Pete Alonso (NYM)* - .268/.350/.449, 314 AB, 14 HR, 129 wRC+, 1.8 WAR 1B Jake Cronenworth (PHI) - .262/.350/.477, 321 AB, 17 HR, 3 SB, 132 wRC+, 2.7 WAR 1B Oneil Cruz (SA) - .301/.359/.558, 346 AB, 24 HR, 5 SB, 156 wRC+, 3.5 WAR 1B Jordan Walker (STL) - .253/.336/.487, 320 AB, 21 HR, 13 SB, 132 wRC+, 2.6 WAR 2B Diego Castillo (SA)* - .378/.434/.595, 294 AB, 13 HR, 3 SB, 192 wRC+, 4.0 WAR 2B Jacob Gonzalez (ARI)* - .284/.332/.544, 338 AB, 24 HR, 3 SB, 142 wRC+, 3.1 WAR 2B Yunior Severino (COL) - .302/.372/.546, 328 AB, 19 HR, 150 wRC+, 3.1 WAR 3B Manny Machado (SD)* - .275/.354/.479, 334 AB, 15 HR, 1 SB, 137 wRC+, 2.7 WAR 3B Colson Montgomery (COL) - .265/.348/.531, 324 AB, 21 HR, 3 SB, 136 wRC+, 3.1 WAR 3B Austin Riley (ATL) - .269/.359/.492, 309 AB, 16 HR, 139 wRC+, 2.9 WAR 3B Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD)* - .267/.389/.534, 281 AB, 20 HR, 13 SB, 156 wRC+, 3.9 WAR SS Trea Turner (LAD) - .298/.334/.481, 349 AB, 16 HR, 12 SB, 126 wRC+, 3.4 WAR LF Joey Gallo (ATL) - .227/.338/.515, 309 AB, 27 HR, 2 SB, 138 wRC+, 3.4 WAR LF Alek Thomas (ARI) - .300/.342/.529, 350 AB, 16 HR, 7 SB, 141 wRC+, 3.9 WAR LF Spencer Torkelson (WSH)* - .292/.356/.509, 346 AB, 19 HR, 2 SB, 139 wRC+, 1.9 WAR CF Bryan Reynolds (SA)* - .258/.343/.447, 275 AB, 11 HR, 124 wRC+, 1.7 WAR RF Dylan Carlson (STL)* - .303/.411/.613, 271 AB, 19 HR, 13 SB, 189 wRC+, 4.8 WAR RF Ketel Marte (ARI) - .318/.380/.561, 214 AB, 11 HR, 1 SB, 163 wRC+, 2.7 WAR . It's the first ASG for G.Rodriguez and Caminero, the second for Swanda, Cartaya and German, the third for Greene and the sixth for Wander. The derby (with no Rays participating): https://i.imgur.com/E8iiLdH.png The game: https://i.imgur.com/BZeWnex.png Not the best showing from the Rays' participants as our pitchers allowed 4 of the 5 NL runs with Grayson giving up 2 in the first thanks to a 2-run double by former Ray Spencer Torkelson, and Luis German allowing the go-ahead runs in the 7th with his own error figuring in large as well as another big hit from a former Tampa Bay player in Jake Cronenworth. Wander and Greene each had a single but that was about it from our hitters. |
July 14-16, 2028: at Chicago White Sox (3)
Game 1: 6-3 W. WP-Eldridge (7-5, 5.1 6 2 2 0 9). S-Diaz (19). HR-Franco (19). Wander's 3-run homer in the 2nd made it 4-0 and the Rays rode a fine Eldridge outing to resume action with a win. DeLoach was 3-5 with a double and 2 RBI.
Game 2: 12-4 W. WP-Swanda (9-6, 6 5 4 4 1 5). S-Beeter (1). HR-Wood (11), Santana (19), Greene (2/20), Franco (20), DeLoach (12). It was home run derby for the Rays as they hit 5 in a rout. DeLoach drove in 4 and Wood 3. Game 3: 4-1 W. WP-Bradley (6 5 1 1 1 5). S-Diaz (20). HR-Encarnacion (3). Taj was on his game today, Freili Encarnacion's 2-run shot was the game's big hit and Riley Greene had a pair of RBI singles to lead the Rays to the sweep. Team record: 58-36. So what did the sweep earn them in terms of expanding their division lead? Zip, zilch, nada. In fact they lost ground because Toronto played 4 games and won them all, slicing the division lead to one game. Next up: an always-fun trip to Coors Field for 3 against the Rockies, who are fighting for a wild card at 51-44. MLB News: A couple of milestones and a no-hitter. Atlanta's Greg Olson hit HR #300, Toronto's Tim Anderson, having a great year and one of the reasons the Jays are breathing down our necks, had career hit #2000, and the Giants' Gerardo Carrillo no-hit the Rockies in San Francisco, walking 3 and fanning 9 on 116 pitches. |
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