June 3-6, 2024: at Toronto (4)
 

Game 1: 6-5 W (10). WP-Taylor (2-0). Starter-Patino (3.1 8 2 2 3 3). HR-J.Jackson (5). Rays led 5-4 before Fairbanks blew yet another save, his 4th of the year and 3rd in 4 appearances (the other one was yesterday when he nearly blew it and had to be taken out). He's out of the closer role for now. Meanwhile Patino has now allowed 77 hits in 54 IP for a .420 BABIP which is something. The good news is they still won when Jackson's RBI single in the 10th pulled it out.

Game 2: 4-2 W. WP-McClanahan (7-3, 6 6 2 1 2 4). S-Kittredge (2). HR-Bregman (14), Meadows (1/11). The one starter we can rely on came through, Bregman knocked in 3 and Meadows hit his first homer since rejoining the club.

Game 3: 4-5 L (10). LP-Gau (1-1). Starter-Rasmussen (5.2 7 3 2 0 3). Another game lost by the pen as Springs gave up a run in the 7th and Gau the winner in the 10th. Andrew Vaughn was 2-3 with 2 RBI.

Game 4: 6-4 W. WP-Whitley (1-0). S-Feyereisen (3). Starter-Swanda (4 5 3 3 3 6). HR-J.Lowe (3). Handed a 5-1 lead Swanda couldn't make it through 5 but three 1-hit innings from Whitley were key. Meadows had a 2-run double in the first, giving him 6 RBI in 6 games since being re-acquired and Arozarena drove in a pair as the Rays won their first series in a long while.

Team record: 38-23. The Yankees split 4 with Boston so we're back within 1/2 game of the division lead. Next up: We finally return home but it won't be easy as 38-24 San Francisco visits for 3.

June 7-9, 2024: vs San Francisco (3)
 

Game 1: 7-2 W. WP-Chirinos (6-1, 5.2 4 2 2 0 5). HR-Soto (14). Yonny was solid and the Rays scored 6 times in the middle innings with Jeremiah Jackson going 3-4 with 3 RBI and Rene Pinto contributing a 2-run double.

Game 2: 7-4 W. WP-Patino (5-4, 6 7 3 3 1 6). S-Taylor (2/9). Patino survived a rough start, falling behind 3-0 in the 2nd before the Rays put 5 on the board in the 3rd to go up 7-3. Austin Meadows had a 2-run single and has 8 RBI in 7 games since rejoining the Rays while Josh Lowe and Royce Lewis each knocked in a pair. Fairbanks was given another chance to get a save but gave up a pair of hits so Josh Taylor got the final out.

Game 3: 5-1 W. WP-McClanahan (8-3, 7 3 1 1 1 8). HR-Arozarena (12), Mead 2 (7). It was the Mac & Mead show as McClanahan lowered his ERA to 2.90 with another gem and Mead was 3-3 with a walk, the two homers and 3 RBI as the Rays swept a very good Giants team.

Team record: 41-23. The Yankees took 2 of 3 in San Diego but their one loss was enough to allow us to nose back into first by 1/2 game. Next up: Arizona visits for 3 games.

June 10-12, 2024: vs Arizona (3)
 

Game 1: 7-6 W (14). WP-Feyereisen (1-1). Starter-Rasmussen (4.1 6 4 4 3 4). HR-J.Jackson (6). Mead's RBI single in the 14th won it after Royce Lewis tied it with a 2-run single in the 9th. They should have won it in the 9th because after that they had the bases loaded with nobody out but chose instead to do it the hard way. Juan Soto set a club record with 5 walks drawn.

Game 2: 8-2 W. WP-Swanda (6-3, 5 5 1 1 1 4). HR-J.Lowe (4), Arozarena (13). Arozarena had a big game with 3 run-scoring hits including the homer to lead the offense and Swanda actually made it through 5 this time (91 pitches).

Game 3: 6-9 L. LP-Chirinos (6-2, 4.1 6 7 7 2 3). HR-Vazquez (1). We may be 43-24 but outside of McClanahan our starting pitching has been mediocre-to-bad so some work is going to be needed as we can't outscore everybody and tonight was a prime example. They did have the bases loaded in the 9th but couldn't pull it out but it was nice to see Vazquez finally hit a homer this season.

Team record: 43-24. Next up: An off-day then we travel to Chicago for 3 against the White Sox. The Yankees also took 2 of 3 so we remain 1/2 game up in the East.

MLB News: A couple of starting pitchers are done for the year. Atlanta's Ian Anderson and Cleveland's Marcus Stroman suffered arm injuries to put them out of commission.

Also we've sent Wander Franco to Durham on a rehab assignment and will probably activate him after the Chicago series.

June 14-16, 2024: at Chicago White Sox (3)
 

Game 1: 8-1 W. WP-Patino (6-4, 6.1 2 1 1 2 9). HR-Meadows (2/12). Patino was dazzling and Meadows was 3-5 with the homer & 2 RBI as he's been a great pickup. Vazquez also was 2-4 with 2 ribbies.

Game 2: 4-2 W. WP-McClanahan (9-3, 7.1 7 2 2 0 7). S-Taylor (3/10). HR-Meadows (3/13), Bregman (15), Vazquez (2). Mac rolled again and is now tied for the AL win lead, while the offense only managed 5 hits but maximized them with 3 being homers.

Transaction: Wander Franco was activated after going 3-9 with a homer and triple in a pair of rehab games at Durham, and Royce Lewis was optioned to the Bulls.

Game 3: 3-5 L. LP-Rasmussen (2-2, 0 2 2 2 0 0). As you can see Rasmussen left after giving up a 2-run homer to the second batter he faced but it was only a mild calf strain so he'll make his next start. Meadows continued to rake, driving in all 3 runs with a bases-clearing double and he's now third in the AL in RBI with 48, including 15 in 13 games with us. The offense kept trying to rally but hit into double plays in three straight innings (6th-8th). Wander was 3-4 in his return.

Team record: 45-25. Despite taking 2 of 3 in Chicago the Rays find themselves back in second place by 1/2 game as the Yankees hardly ever seem to lose, sweeping Minnesota. Next up: 2 games at home vs Washington before we head up there to play a pair.

MLB News: Boston signed a couple of the better free agents still out there, adding 2B Jean Segura and reliever Andrew Chafin.

June 17-18, 2024: vs Washington (2)
 

Game 1: 8-3 W. WP-Swanda (7-3, 6 7 2 2 2 7). HR-Franco (9), Bregman (16), Mead (8), Pinto 2 (4). Bombs away for Tampa Bay as the Rays hit 5 homers, including a pair (for the second time this season) from the very productive Pinto, hitting 262/324/569. Rays had their way with Washington's Landon Knack and Kendall Williams, whom I just finished writing about in my 2021 save as members of the 2030 Rays.

Game 2: 3-4 L. LP-Feyereisen (1-2). Starter-Chirinos (6 5 3 3 2 5). A 3-3 game until Feyereisen gave up a homer in the 9th to lose it.

Team record: 46-26. Yankees split their two games with Toronto while we played ours, so status quo 1/2 game back. Next up: 2 more against these Nats, but in DC.

June 19-20, 2024: at Washington (2)
 

Game 1: 2-6 L. LP-Scott (3-1). Starter-Patino (6 3 1 1 0 6). HR-Mead (9). The bullpen lost this one as Scott, Springs and Kittredge combined to allow 5 runs in the 7th and 8th to obliterate a 2-1 lead and waste Patino's best start of the season.

Game 2: 12-6 W. WP-Whitley (2-0). Starter-McClanahan (3.2 8 5 5 2 4). HR-J.Lowe (5), Meadows (4/14), Bregman (17), Mead (10). Rays were up 7-0 in the 1st and with Mac on the mound it seemed it'd be a breeze but the lefty had his worst start of the year and Washington pulled within 7-5 before the Rays put it away. That was largely thanks to Bregman, who was 2-5 with the homer, double and 5 RBI. Lowe's homer was a 3-run job in the 1st and the Rays ended up splitting the 4 games with the worst team in the league (23-51).

Team record: 47-27. The Yankees lost both their games to Toronto so we're once again back in first by 1/2 game. Next up: Our interleague stretch continues with 3 in Pittsburgh.

June 21-23, 2024: at Pittsburgh (3)
 

Game 1: 3-2 W. WP-Rasmussen (3-2, 6 5 2 2 0 5). S-Feyereisen (4). HR-J.Lowe (6). Lowe's homer in the 7th was the difference and Rasmussen pitched perhaps his best game of the year. Albies was 3-4 with 2 doubles and an RBI.

Game 2: 4-5 L (15). LP-Whitley (2-1). Starter-Swanda (5 5 1 1 2 5). HR-Franco (10), J.Lowe (7). Perhaps the most frustrating and annoying game of the season. The Rays led 2-0 and 4-2, blew both leads in regulation, then loaded the bases twice in extras, once with nobody out and once with one out, and couldn't score before ending up losing. Soto (0-7) and Bregman (2-8) left 10 - count 'em, 10 - runners on base.

Game 3: 9-3 W (17). WP-Springs (4-2). Starter-Chirinos (6 8 2 2 0 7). HR-Soto (15). Whee! Just we wanted after playing 15 yesterday, 17 more innings. Scott was the only reliever who was fully rested, the rest were in the yellow, and at one point I had to use Patino, who was scheduled to start the next game. Despite only 5 hits through 16 innings from the offense, they finally broke through for 6 in the 17th against a pitcher in the red for Pittsburgh with Arozarena's 2-run double the big hit.

Team record: 49-28. Next up: Thank God we have an off-day to rest the pen before we return home to host the Dodgers for 3 games. The Yankees took 2 of 3 over the weekend but lost at Coors on our off-day so the lead is 1 game (2 in the loss column).

June 25-27, 2024: vs LA Dodgers (3)
 

Game 1: 8-3 W. WP-McClanahan (10-3, 6 4 3 3 3 6). S-Kittredge (3). HR-Bregman (18), Arozarena (14), Vaughn (4). Bregman was 3-4 with the homer & 2 RBI, Vaughn 2-3 with the homer & 3 RBI. Also 3 more hits for Mead, who's up to 2nd in the AL in BA at .318.

Game 2: 8-9 L. LP-Rasmussen (3-3, 4 7 7 7 2 4). HR-Vazquez (3). Rasmussen gave up a 3-run homer to Freddie Freeman in the 1st and never recovered from there, but credit to the bats to nearly overcome a 7-0 deficit. Meadows had a bases-clearing double and Mead was 2-4 with a double and 2 RBI.

Game 3: 4-3 W. WP-Swanda (8-3, 7.1 3 0 0 2 10). S-Kittredge (4). HR-Soto (16). Swanda pitched the best game of his career, finally shattering the 5-inning glass ceiling he seemed to have. Soto knocked in a pair with a bases-loaded walk and homer, but they had to hang on as LA scored 3 times in the 9th and had a man on 3rd before Kittredge got a grounder to end the game.

Team record: 51-29. The Yankees split a pair in Colorado during our series so the lead is now up to 1 1/2 games. Next up: 3 games in Cincinnati, and a midseason review.

2024 Midseason Review
 

A good first half for the Rays at 51-29, especially considering there was an 8-game losing streak in the middle. This puts us on pace for 102/103 wins but last year we had a great first half then were terrible in the second and finished 89-73 as I still haven't hit 90 wins in this save.

https://i.imgur.com/I8uciwp.png

We're dominant at home, so-so on the road. The offense, as one might expect with players like Franco, Albies, Soto and Bregman (and the emerging Mead) is the best in the league, but the pitching has been quite schizophrenic. The starters have been up (McClanahan, Swanda), down (Rasmussen) and all around (Patino, Chirinos) and while the bullpen has a sterling 2.76 ERA they seem to have a knack for giving runs at the most inopportune moments. And the defense is just as head-scratching as we have a horrible BABIP resulting in a ton of hits, but the zone rating is above average.

https://i.imgur.com/5Ab0AKY.png

The offense has been carried by a couple of guys having MVP-caliber seasons in Bregman and Soto and couple just below that with Franco and Arozarena. But at the other end of the spectrum we've had some lineup spots that have been near-zeroes and one of them surprisingly is Ozzie Albies, who got off to the hottest of starts in April but has been pretty awful in May and June. And now that Mead is entrenched at 1B the DH role continues to be a problem as Vaughn hasn't hit much and Meadows, who does seems to have a knack for driving in runs (21 in 22 games), is overall not that great since the acquisition. And we're carrying Josh Lowe, who has been sub-replacement this year with a complete inability to get anything going offensively after a nice 4-WAR season last year.

https://i.imgur.com/46J9cao.png

As mentioned above the pitching has been a mixed bag, but Chris Gau has really turned into a multi-inning weapon in the pen and deserves a spot in the All-Star Game (he got my vote). Meanwhile Patino and Rasmussen have in particular been victims of our BABIP troubles. Shane Baz should be able to go on a rehab assignment next week and his return will be welcome as we seem to be locked in mortal combat with the Yankees.

For those wondering if I'll be active in trade market keep in mind that we only have $6.3M in payroll available so anything is going to have been close to dollar-for-dollar or any large deal is going to have to involve salary retention from the other team. Odds are if I feel the need for help I might turn to Durham where Casey Schmitt and Josh Mears are more than ready to contribute on the offensive side while pitching-wise top-100 prospect Sandy Gaston has his 70 stuff (77 whiffs in 42 IP so far) available for the pen and Taj Bradley could be called upon to start. In fact, here's a look at where our top prospects stand:

https://i.imgur.com/8OYh6EF.png

June 28-30, 2024: at Cincinnati (3)
 

Game 1: 6-2 W. WP-Patino (7-4, 6 6 1 1 1 5). S-Feyereisen (5). HR-Soto (17). The first four hitters in the lineup (Franco, Albies, Bregman and Soto) were a combined 11-20 and drove in all 6, including a 3-run Soto shot in the 4th that broke open a 0-0 game. Arozarena set a club record by whiffing all 5 times up.

Game 2: 4-6 L. LP-Chirinos (6-3, 4.2 8 6 6 1 3). HR-Arozarena (15). Yonny was rocked, and Arozarena single-handedly kept them in the game driving in all 4 runs, but it wasn't enough.

Game 3: 8-9 L (10). LP-Feyereisen (1-3). Starter-McClanahan (4.1 5 6 6 4 3). HR-Franco (11), Soto 2 (19). Up 6-0 in the 4th with Mac on the mound you had to figure the Rays' win probability was 99% but Mac gave up 4 in the 4th, left with 2 on in the 5th and Gau gave up a 3-run homer to let Cincy tie it after Soto hit the first of his homers in the top of the inning. Soto homered again to tie it, but Feyereisen gave up a couple of hits, including one to a guy I should have intentionally walked, to lose it. Rene Pinto was 3-4 with a double and RBI and has been the ideal backup C, hitting 276/329/553.

Team record: 52-31. The Yankees took 2 of 3 from Milwaukee to pull back within 1/2 game. Next up: 4 games in Baltimore.

MLB News: Juan Soto was named AL Player of the Week, hitting 4 dingers in the period. Minnesota lost C Salvador Perez for 2+ months with a torn abdominal muscle.

Players of the Month: AL-Nick Pratto (KC), .362-5-22; NL-Nolan Gorman (ARI), .355-8-30.

Pitchers of the Month: AL-Patrick Corbin (HOU), 3-0, 0.35; NL-Lucas Giolito (MIL), 4-0, 1.56.

July 1-4, 2024: at Baltimore (4)
 

Game 1: 8-5 W. WP-Rasmussen (4-3, 6 6 0 0 1 6). HR-J.Lowe (8), Bregman (19). Ras was excellent, Bregman was 3-5 with the HR & 4 RBI and Wander was 4-5 with a double and 2 RBI. It was 8-0 before Whitley and Fairbanks combined to allow 5 runs in the final 2 innings to make it way more interesting that it should have.

Game 2: 7-0 W. WP-Swanda (9-3, 7 5 0 0 1 9). HR-Vaughn (5). Swanda keeps getting better and Vaughn was 4-5 with a homer and 3 RBI, Soto 3-4 with a RBI and Mead 2-4 with 3 runs scored, a double and RBI.

Game 3: 7-2 W. WP-Patino (8-4, 7 6 2 2 0 9). HR-Soto (20), J.Lowe (9). Everyone in the lineup had a hit, Soto and Lowe drove in a pair, and Patino was excellent.

Game 4: 7-6 W (11). WP-Kittredge (1-0). S-Springs (3). Starter-Chirinos (5.1 5 4 3 0 4). HR-Vaughn (6), Soto (21). Soto's big fly in the 11th won it in a game which saw the Rays fall behind 3-1, go up 6-3, let Baltimore tie it off the pen before completing the sweep. Vazquez had 2 hits including a 2-run double and Jeremiah Jackson was 2-5 with 2 doubles and an RBI.

Team record: 56-31. The Yankees dropped 3 of 4 to Philadelphia so the lead is up to 3 1/2 games, as healthy a margin as they've had in recent memory. Next up: We head to the friendly confines of Wrigley Field for 3 against the Cubs before hitting the All-Star break.

Rays news: Shane Baz went on his rehab assignment and was roughed up a bit in his first start at Durham; he'll get at least one more, perhaps two and join us the week after the break. Chirinos is probably the odd man out of the rotation in that scenario. Also we made an exciting July 2 signing:

https://i.imgur.com/dIzGaeE.png

The scouts seems to think he can be Juan Soto behind the plate, which would be an incredibly valuable thing indeed. Even if he gets 75% of the way there he'd be one of, if not the, top hitting catchers in baseball and as a result he's already considered a top 10 MLB prospect. Then again the guy we signed two years ago, Alex Duran, looked like Barry Bonds 2.0 and now is a mid-200s prospect who could still be good but not otherworldly.

MLB News: Reigning NL MVP Fernando Tatis Jr. fractured his foot and the Padres will be without him for most of the rest of the month.

July 5-7, 2024: at Chicago Cubs (3)
 

Game 1: 8-3 W. WP-McClanahan (11-3, 6 4 2 2 2 7). HR-Vaughn 2 (8), Albies (12). Andrew Vaughn celebrated his return to the city in which he started his MLB career with 2 dingers and 3 ribbies while Arozarena and Albies each drove in a pair.

Game 2: 6-5 W. WP-Rasmussen (5-3, 6 5 4 4 2 3). S-Feyereisen (6). HR-Mead (11). Mead's 2-run homer in the 7th broke a 4-4 tie and gave the Rays the win and the bullpen barely hung on (a run allowed in the 8th and two on in the 9th). Josh Lowe drove in 3 with a pair of doubles.

Game 3: 5-6 L. LP-Fairbanks (0-4). Starter-Swanda (5.1 5 4 3 0 6). The Rays were up 5-0 middle 6 before it all went wrong, starting with Swanda who took a 1-hitter into the inning. Fairbanks blew the save (his 5th) by allowing the tying run to score then gave up the winner and took the loss (his 4th) as he's become a far cry from the AL Reliever of the Year he was last season.

Team record: 58-32. The Yankees swept a good St. Louis team and moved to within 2 1/2 of the division lead. Next up: The All-Star break after which we'll play 4 games in Boston starting Thursday.

All-Star Break 2024
 

The rosters, including five Rays (four of whom are starting, the fifth is possible):

https://i.imgur.com/0v2fFKl.png
https://i.imgur.com/JNqfdAG.png
https://i.imgur.com/dTSj0I2.png

McClanahan makes the AL staff while Bregman, Franco, Arozarena and Soto were voted in at 3B, SS, LF and RF respectively.

The HR Derby:

https://i.imgur.com/Z3Q1yMU.png

No Rays in the competition, and rookie Jordan Walker almost took it.

The game itself:

https://i.imgur.com/R4OgaQG.png

The Rays, er the AL, beat the NL 8-6 as the Tampa Bay representatives had the biggest say in the game. In fact I'm not sure in All-Star Game history has a team had three of its players all homer in the same inning but that's what happened tonight when Wander Franco and Juan Soto went back-to-back over the Green Monster and then later in the inning with the sacks full Alex Bregman did likewise and earned game MVP honors as the AL scored 7 times in the 3rd to earn the win. And Shane McClanahan did his best to preserve that lead by striking out the side in the 6th. Randy Arozarena was the skunk at the party by going 0-3.

And the Rays' all-star contingent won't have to travel as their teammates will be joining them in a couple of days to play four games at Fenway.

July 11-14, 2024: at Boston (4)
 

Game 1: 7-5 W. WP-Kittredge (2-0). S-Feyereisen (7). Starter-Patino (4.1 5 4 4 1 2). Juan Soto to the rescue as his 2-run single in the 7th made it 6-5 Rays and he added an RBI single in the 9th for insurance. It was a costly win though as Kittredge tore his rotator cuff and is out 10 months while Springs strained his forearm and will be out 2 weeks.

Transactions: Kittredge went on the 60-day IL and Springs on the 15, we recalled reliever Colby White and purchased the contract of lefty Ian Seymour, our 2nd round pick in 2020, who's been a decent starter but will be used in relief.

Game 2: 7-4 W (10). WP-Feyereisen (2-3). S-Seymour (1). Starter-Rasmussen (5 2 2 2 4 3). HR-Arozarena (16), DeLoach (2). Feyereisen blew a 4-2 lead in the 9th but Zach DeLoach bailed him out with a 3-run homer in the 10th. And Ian Seymour pitched around two hits in the 10th to earn the save in his MLB debut. Albies was 4-6 with a double and RBI.

Transaction: After the game we swung a trade with the team hosting us:

https://i.imgur.com/iQiVTQS.png

Having already acquired Josh Taylor from Boston earlier this season we plundered them again for Pressly, still considered a top reliever (65 stuff/60 movement/65 control) and who had 3 wins and 9 saves in 17 appearances for Boston this season. It's a bittersweet farewell to Chirinos, who has been a useful pitcher for us the last couple of years in a swingman role, but room needed to be made in the rotation for the return of Shane Baz as well as the fact we needed a replacement for Kittredge. The two minor leaguers thrown in are nobodies but they got Boston to eat more salary to the point where we netted $, important given how cash-strapped we are currently. Also Baz was activated and Colby White returned to Durham after striking out the side in an inning of work tonight.

Game 3: 1-7 L. LP-Baz (3-4, 5 7 7 7 0 6). HR-Soto (22). A rough return for Baz, although it was a bit of a weird outing. He allowed all 7 runs in the 2nd on a couple of homers, but was perfect in the other 4 innings he worked. Meanwhile, guess who the winning pitcher was for Boston? Yep, Yonny Chirinos, who relieved Garrett Whitlock in the 5th and went 4 4 1 1 1 1.

Game 4: 11-1 W. WP-Swanda (10-3, 6 4 1 1 2 8). S-Whitley (2). HR-Arozarena (17). Swanda dominated again and in his last 7 starts is 5-0 with 8 ER allowed in 44.2 IP for a tidy 1.61 ERA. Arozrena had a slam (which scored 3 of Chirinos' baserunners as Boston ran him out again today after going 4 IP yesterday) and Albies had another 4-hit game. Forrest Whitley had a 3-inning save with 6 whiffs.

Team record: 61-33. The Yankees split their 4 games with Baltimore so the lead is back up to 3 1/2 games. Next up: An off-day then we head back home to the Trop for 3 with Colorado.

While this series was going on we also had the Amateur Draft, so a post on that is next.

The 2024 Amateur Draft
 

https://i.imgur.com/9MNpbOo.png

This makes the second consecutive save I've taken Harris with my first-round 2024 pick; in the 2021 save he didn't really pan out. But I couldn't pass this up at #26:

https://i.imgur.com/YN3MFVC.png

Harris is a high-schooler so he's years away. Here's Abraham:

https://i.imgur.com/YpZjPYf.png

This was a very weak draft class which is why I took the dreaded high-school 1B in the second round.

Mabeus:

https://i.imgur.com/3779TKe.png

Followed by the high-school catcher.

Morrill:

https://i.imgur.com/lkT00Rh.png

No hidden gems in this draft. Morrill is a college pitcher with good stuff but not much else and with 45 stamina his destiny is the bullpen.

Pena:

https://i.imgur.com/3EiOTxx.png

Not a bad-looking high school SS but the reason he was around at the end of Round 5 is that he's seeking an absurd bonus ($10M). I offered him about $7M which is what we had left in our draft budget but this is probably a wasted pick.

So yeah, an underwhelming draft this time around. Thankfully we have a deep prospect pool in the minors and didn't need this draft to bolster it.

July 16-18, 2024: vs Colorado (3)
 

Game 1: 4-1 W. WP-McClanahan (12-3, 7 4 1 1 1 9). S-Pressly (1/10). Mac was dominating and Andrew Vaughn's 7th-inning bases-clearing double was the difference. Ryan Pressly made his Rays debut and got the save but it was a bit shaky with two baserunners and a couple of hard-hit outs.

Game 2: 6-2 W. WP-Patino (9-4, 6 3 2 2 3 7). Patino didn't look like he'd be long for the game, taking 35 pitches to get through the 1st allowing 2 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks. But he only allowed 1 hit and 1 walk in the next 5 innings for the win. Rays scored 3 times in the 1st without a hit (3 walks, HBP, 2-base throwing error).

Game 3: 1-0 W. WP-Rasmussen (5.1 3 0 0 1 5). S-Taylor (4/11). Ras outdueled Kumar Rocker (sort of, Rocker left in the 4th) and the Rays survived leaving 11 on base as Meadows' 3rd-inning RBI single proved to be the only hit they needed with runners on tonight.

Team record: 64-33. The Yankees dropped 2 of 3 to Texas so the Rays finally got real separation in the standings with the division lead now up to 5 1/2 games. Next up: 3 games in Baltimore.

Rays news: Jeffrey Springs is going to be out an additional week with his forearm strain while we claimed Caleb Ferguson on waivers from the Dodgers. Ferguson has dominant stuff (70) but 40 movement and 45 control. Ian Seymour has really pitched well since being called up in a lefty bullpen role (5 2 0 0 2 8 in 3 appearances) so perhaps we need Ferguson a little less than we claimed him but since he's out of options he'll go on the roster and we'll see what we have.

July 19-21, 2024: at Baltimore (3)
 

Game 1: 6-4 W. WP-Baz (4-4, 6 3 0 0 2 9). S-Pressly (2/11). HR-Albies (13). More like it from Baz in his best start of the year. Wander was 2-5 with 2 RBI.

Game 2: 3-2 W. WP-Swanda (11-3, 6 5 1 1 0 6). S-Pressly (3/12). HR-J.Lowe (10), W.Franco (12). Swanda continues to look like an ace, and all 3 runs came on those 2 homers with Wander going 3-4.

Game 3: 5-3 W. WP-McClanahan (13-3, 5.2 7 3 3 1 6). S-Taylor (5/12). HR-Bregman 2 (21). Bregman brought the Rays back from an early 2-0 deficit with a solo homer and a 3-run shot and Albies added an RBI triple.

Team record: 67-33. We're on a roll now, 14-2 in July and the division lead expanded again to 6 1/2 over the Yankees. Next up: Back home for 3 vs Detroit.

Transaction: We let Ian Seymour stay the weekend with the big club and he had another nice 1 1/3 scoreless in the third game, but afterwards he was sent back to Durham and Caleb Ferguson was activated. To make room for Ferguson on the 40-man, Jonathan Aranda was DFA'd.

MLB News: Houston, which has remarkably turned its season around from a 14-35 start (which started with a 3-game sweep of us in May) to go above .500 at 51-50 lost starter Luis Garcia for the year with a torn labrum.

July 22-24, 2024: vs Detroit (3)
 

Game 1: 2-5 L. LP-Patino (9-5, 5 3 4 4 3 5). Patino was hit for 4 runs in the 2nd inning and the Rays never recovered. Caleb Ferguson gave up a homer to the first man he faced as a Ray with Riley Greene taking him deep.

Game 2: 4-3 W. WP-Fairbanks (1-4). S-Pressly (4/13). Starter-Rasmussen (6 5 3 3 1 3). HR-Meadows (5/15), Soto (23). Rays were down early 3-0 but a pair of homers brought them back with Meadows' 3-run shot tying it in the 6th and Soto's jack winning it in the 8th. Unfortunately Ozzie Albies had to leave with back stiffness and he'll miss two weeks as it's a "moderate" injury.

Transaction: Albies goes on the 10-day IL and with our normal replacement choice Royce Lewis also out injured, we had to purchase the contract of 2019 1st-round pick Greg Jones from Durham. Jones hasn't panned out with the bat but has a good glove at 2B and blazing speed. Jeremiah Jackson will make the bulk of the starts while Albies is out. To make room for Jones on the 40-man, Bryan Bello was DFA'd.

Game 3: 2-4 L. LP-Taylor (2-1). Starter-Baz (6 5 0 0 0 7). The pen blew this one as Baz left ahead 2-0 after 6 but in the 7th Feyereisen gave up a homer and then with two out and nobody on Taylor allowed a lefty to reach and then gave up a 2-run homer to another lefty, Riley Greene. Greg Jones made his MLB debut as a pinch-runner in the 7th and stole a base but was stranded.

Team record: 68-35. The Yankees took 2 of 3 in Seattle to move back within 5 1/2. Next up: An off-day then we travel to Minnesota for 3.

July 26-28, 2024: at Minnesota (3)
 

Game 1: 1-5 L. LP-Swanda (11-4, 5.2 9 3 3 1 8). Not much to talk about here as the Rays were held to 4 hits.

Game 2: 2-4 L. LP-McClanahan (13-4, 5.1 7 4 2 1 5). HR-Franco (13). Wander was 3-4 with his 2-run homer but that was about it.

Transaction: Caleb Ferguson was terrible in his 3 outs and Jeffrey Springs was due off the IL so Ferguson was DFA'd and Springs activated.

Game 3: 8-4 W. WP-Patino (10-5, 5.2 7 1 1 2 6). HR-G.Jones (1). Vazquez drove in 3 with a double and a single, Lowe had a 2-run single and Greg Jones hit his first MLB homer in his first start to back a quality outing from Patino.

Team record: 69-37. The Yankees dropped 2 of 3 to Detroit so the division lead remains 5 1/2. Next up: An off-day then 3 at home vs Baltimore.

July 30-August 1, 2024: vs Baltimore (3)
 

Before we recap the Baltimore series we made a trade of significance just before the deadline:

https://i.imgur.com/Pklst1t.png

We've given him four months but Josh Lowe has showed no signs of snapping out of his season-long funk nor regaining the form of his 3.6 WAR 2023 season, so it was time to make a change in center. So out is Lowe's 197/274/327 bat with a -4.3 ZR (by contrast he was -2.0 ZR in the a full season last year), and in is the 38-year-old vet Lorenzo Cain, who had signed a 1-year deal with the Marlins. Cain was a solid 280/350/363 with Miami, good for 2.1 WAR with a 3.3 ZR in center. The cost was Zevallos, who has emerged as a player of interest when I've looked at some trades during the season but is still probably a C+ prospect with a 5th-starter ceiling. Lowe was sent to Durham to make room as I prefer Zach DeLoach's bat off the bench. We were probably still going to win the division with Lowe in CF but I like our postseason chances better with Cain.

Game 1: 5-0 W. WP-Rasmussen (7-3, 5.1 7 0 0 1 6). HR-Mead (12), Franco (14). Mead's 3-run homer in the 1st was all the offense Rasmussen and 3 relievers needed.

Game 2: 3-1 W. WP-Baz (5-4, 6 2 1 1 1 8). S-Pressly (5/14). HR-Soto (24). Another 1st inning homer, Soto's 2-run shot, was all Baz needed in a brilliant outing. Lorenzo Cain was 2-3 with 2 steals and scored the insurance run in his Rays debut.

Game 3: 4-7 L. LP-Swanda (11-5, 5.1 3 5 5 3 7). HR-Bregman (22). Rays got another 1st-inning homer to take the early lead but Swanda's run of good starts came to an end and the pen did not help out either, allowing 2 of Swanda's men to score and 2 of their own.

Team record: 71-38, still 5 1/2 up on the Yankees who also took 2 of 3 from Boston. Next up: Those same Yankees visit for 3 games. A Rays sweep effectively ends the division battle while a Yankees sweep makes it a real race.

Rays news: A couple of farmhands won monthly awards. Remember this guy?

https://i.imgur.com/rbaZQXh.png

Ramos, who carried the Rays during the first couple months of last season before slumping so badly he was demoted by July and never heard from again, is having a decent season at Durham and had a great month. He's still in consideration for a return next season especially if Joshua Mears, who will get first crack at replacing upcoming free agent Juan Soto, struggles in the majors. We also had this:

https://i.imgur.com/OM62dxe.png

The likes of Taj Bradley and JJ Goss are ahead of him in the pecking order of Rays pitching prospects, but Munoz is moving up the charts. He has 50/45/45 ratings so he's a 5th starter at best, but a few more months like this one and you never know.

MLB News: There were two no-hitters thrown over these last three days, and one was truly bizarre as the Nationals threw a team no-hitter led by Nathan Florence, traded by us to Washington in the Juan Soto deal, which saw them allow 3 runs which is a major league record for an official 9-inning no-hitter. I posted the box and wrote about it in the main forum.

A much more conventional - and much more impressive - no-hitter was thrown by Milwaukee's Freddy Peralta, who walked none and struck out 14 against Pittsburgh, missing a perfect game only because he hit a batter. This outing gave him a rare 100+ Game Score of 101, and he threw 114 pitches in the contest.

August 2-4, 2024: vs NY Yankees (3)
 

Game 1: 2-0 W. WP-McClanahan (14-4, 6.2 3 0 0 2 6). S-Taylor (6/13). It was billed as the pitching matchup of the year (Mac vs. Jacob deGrom) and it lived up to billing with the Rays coming out on top. Lorenzo Cain's RBI single off deGrom in the 2nd stood up before a Wander RBI double in the 8th gave us insurance.

Game 2: 5-1 W. WP-Scott (4-1). Starter-Patino (4.2 3 1 1 5 7). HR-J.Jackson (7), Cain (1/6), Vaughn (9). Tanner Scott got Patino out of a bases-loaded jam in the 5th in a 1-1 game before Bregman's RBI double broke the tie and Cain and Jackson went back-to-back off Gerrit Cole to break it open. Juan Soto left with knee inflammation; it's "minimal" but supposed to last 3 weeks. With a now 7.5-game lead we'll baby him (and possibly put him on the IL).

Game 3: 4-2 W. WP-Springs (5-2). S-Feyereisen (8). Starter-Rasmussen (5 5 2 2 1 6). HR-Meadows (6/16), J.Jackson (8), Bregman (23). Bregman's 2-run homer in the 6th broke a 2-2 tie in a game which also saw Meadows hit one of (if not the) longest homers in Rays history, a 482-foot shot off Zac Eflin. While the Rays completed the sweep and have pretty much put away the division with an 8 1/2-game lead, it wasn't all fun and games as Ryan Pressly left in the 9th with shoulder inflammation and is done for the year, only a couple of weeks after we acquired him from Boston. Fortunately Pete Fairbanks has regained his form of late and he and Josh Taylor should serve as closers depending whether lefties or righties are due up.

Team record: 74-38. Next up: We're off to Philly for 3 games against Philadelphia, which is 67-46 and running away with the NL East.

August 5-7, 2024: at Philadelphia (3)
 

Transaction: Ryan Pressly went on the 60-day IL and he'll go to free agency, so adios to him. Colby White, who pitched well in a previous stint with the big club, comes up from Durham.

Game 1: 4-5 L. LP-Scott (4-2). Starter-Baz (5 6 3 3 1 5). HR-Arozarena (18). Arozarena's 2-run shot in the 4th gave them a 4-0 lead which they then proceeded to squander thanks at the end to a rare ineffective outing from Tanner Scott.

Game 2: 8-6 W. WP-Scott (5-2). S-Taylor (7/14). Starter-Swanda (4 6 5 5 5 3). This time the Rays were the comeback kids, scoring 4 times in the 9th with 2 out to pull out the win. Mead's infield single tied it and Vaughn's 2-run double won it. Fairbanks got the first crack at the save but loaded the bases and needed Taylor to bail him out so as good as he looked in the 7th & 8th innings lately he still has his problems in the 9th.

Game 3: 8-7 W. WP-Feyereisen (3-3). S-Taylor (8/15). Starter-McClanahan (4 7 6 6 3 3). HR-DeLoach 2 (4), Vazquez (4), Vaughn (10). They did it again in the 9th with DeLoach's 2nd homer of the game, a 2-run shot, winning it and completing a comeback from 6-1 down after another lousy start. Greg Jones had a big 2-run single to get them back within one, and Feyereisen earned the win with 3 perfect 4-whiff innings of relief on only 28 pitches.

Team record: 76-39, now 9 1/2 up on New York. Next up: An off-day traveling cross-country to play 3 in Seattle.

August 9-11, 2024: at Seattle (3)
 

Game 1: 2-3 L (11). LP-Gau (1-2). Starter-Patino (6 4 1 1 2 10). A brilliant outing from Patino was wasted by the offense and the bullpen, which blew a 2-1 lead in the 10th and then allowed the winner in the 11th.

Game 2: 2-1 W. WP-Rasmussen (8-3, 6 3 0 0 2 7). S-Fairbanks (14). HR-Soto (25). Rasmussen was excellent in his home Pacific Northwest and Soto's 2-run homer in the 1st held up for the win.

Game 3: 0-3 L. LP-Baz (5-5, 5.1 5 2 2 0 9). The Rays had numerous chances, loading the bases 3 times and all 3 times Alex Bregman left them loaded as he had 10 LOB on the day.

Team record: 77-41. Next up: An off-day then finally back home for 3 vs Boston.

MLB News: The Giants lost OF Mike Yastrzemski for the season with a broken bone in his elbow and the Angels lost 2B Gavin Lux for 5 weeks with a broken finger.

August 13-15, 2024: vs Boston (3)
 

Game 1: 7-4 W. WP-Gau (2-2). S-Fairbanks (15). Starter-McClanahan (2.2 4 4 4 4 6). HR-W.Franco (15). They overcame an early 4-2 deficit after Mac struggled with Mead delivering the big hit, a 2-run double to put them up 5-4 as he had 3 hits on the night.

Game 2: 9-3 W. WP-Whitley (3-1). S-Springs (4). Starter-Swanda (0.1 1 0 0 0 0). HR-Bregman (24), Vaughn 2 (12). As you might have guessed Swanda left early with an injury, in this case wrist soreness with won't keep him from his next start. Whitley put them behind 3-0 but a 7-run 3rd turned it around featuring a 2-run single from Mead and 2-run Bregman homer. Springs went 3 perfect innings with 4 whiffs to earn a save.

Game 3: 5-4 W. WP-Taylor (3-1). Starter-Patino (5 2 1 1 5 7). Rays led 4-1 before Colby White gave up 3 in the 7th but they won it in the 9th when Albies, who had already driven in 3 with 2 hits, led off with a single and scored on Lorenzo Cain's walk-off hit.

Team record: 80-41. Next up: A 3-game weekend series in Toronto.

August 16-18, 2024: at Toronto (3)
 

Game 1: 7-6 W. WP-Springs (6-2). S-Fairbanks (16). Starter-Rasmussen (4.2 6 5 5 4 3). HR-Soto (26), Arozarena (19), Franco (16), Albies (14). Rays had 4 homers but it was Mead's RBI single in the 9th that won it as they overcame a poor start from Rasmussen.

Game 2: 4-5 L. LP-Baz (5-6, 4 8 5 5 2 1). Rays trailed 5-1, scored 3 times in the 5th to cut the lead to 5-4 and had the bases loaded and nobody out but couldn't take further advantage and didn't score again. Wander drove in a pair with two hits.

Game 3: 8-5 W. WP-Gau (3-2). S-Fairbanks (17). Starter-McClanahan (4.2 7 4 4 3 4). HR-Soto (27), Arozarena (20). Arozarena's 6th-inning homer broke a 4-4 tie and the Rays took 2 out of 3 despite receiving lousy starts in each game. Jeremiah Jackson was 2-3 with a double and 2 RBI as well.

Team record: 82-42. We're 10 up on the Yankees and the magic # for clinching the division is 28. Next up: An off-day then we return home to the Trop to play 3 against Oakland.

August 20-22, 2024: vs Oakland (3)
 

Game 1: 1-2 L (12). LP-Whitley (3-2). Starter-Swanda (6 6 1 1 0 7). The offense had its chances (especially Curtis Mead, 0-5 with 7 LOB) but couldn't get the hits when needed and eventually succumbed in extras.

Game 2: 2-4 L. LP-Rasmussen (8-4, 4.1 7 4 4 2 6). HR-Franco (17). More struggles for the offense although Bregman was 3-4 with an RBI double.

Game 3: 5-1 W. WP-Patino (11-5, 6.1 3 1 1 2 6). HR-Franco (18). It looked like more of the same for the bats until Franco broke a 0-0 tie in the 5th with a 3-run shot while Patino has really turned his season around.

Team record: 83-44, magic # down to 25. Next up: Texas visits for 3 games.

August 23-25, 2024: vs Texas (3)
 

Game 1: 3-9 L. LP-Baz (5-7, 5 7 5 5 1 9). Baz gave up all his runs in the 2nd and was good otherwise but the damage was done. Soto was 2-3 with a walk and an RBI.

Game 2: 5-4 W. WP-Scott (6-2). S-Fairbanks (18). Starter-McClanahan (4.2 7 4 4 2 3). HR-Mead (13). Mead's 2-run homer in the bottom of the 8th won it for the Rays and Vaughn had a 2-run single. The poor start was the 4th straight for Mac, who's allowed 18 runs in 16 IP in that span with his ERA rising from 3.39 to 4.12.

Game 3: 9-0 W. WP-Swanda (12-5, 7 2 0 0 4 11). A laugher with a dominant outing from Swanda (whose ERA sits at 3.50). Wander and Mead had 3 hits while Soto and Bregman each drove in a pair.

Team record: 85-45. Magic number: 23. Next up: Toronto comes to the Trop for 4 games.

MLB News: The Dodgers, in the thick of the NL wild card race, will have to fight for a spot without star SS Trea Turner, who tore his groin and will miss the rest of the regular season and at least the wild card round should LA make it.

August 26-29, 2024: vs Toronto (4)
 

Game 1: 7-9 L. LP-Rasmussen (8-5, 4 6 6 6 2 6). HR-Soto (28), Pinto (5). Ras put them in a 6-0 hole, the offense kept fighting back, but unfortunately the pen gave up 3 more runs which were the difference. Vaughn had a 2-run single to go with the two 2-run homers.

Game 2: 1-3 L. LP-Fairbanks (1-5). Starter-Patino (6 6 0 0 1 7). HR-Vaughn (13). Rays took a 1-0 lead into the 9th behind a great Patino outing but Fairbanks reverted to his save-blowing form of midseason by giving up an RBI double and a 2-run homer in the 9th to blow his 6th save.

Game 3: 4-8 L. LP-Baz (5-8, 0.1 2 3 3 0 0). HR-J.Jackson (9). Baz's star-crossed, injury-plagued, inconsistent year continued with giving up a 2-run homer in the 1st, and then plunking Orelvis Martinez, setting off a brawl and getting a 6-game suspension. It didn't get much better from there for the Rays as they dropped their third straight in the series.

Transaction: Baz went on the restricted list and we purchased the contract of veteran reliever Lou Trivino from Durham. Trivino had a 1.33 ERA in 16 innings with Milwaukee earlier this year (albeit with a shaky 12/17 BB/K ratio) and we'll see if he can help.

Game 4: 3-1 W. WP-McClanahan (15-4, 7 1 1 1 0 6). S-Fairbanks (19). After 4 straight lousy starts Mac bounced back in a big way, with Vlad Jr the only Jay to reach with a solo homer, his 3rd of the series. Rene Pinto was the unlikely offensive hero, tripling (!) and scoring on an Albies single and then hitting a 2-run double in the 6th to win it as the Rays salvaged a game from the series.

Team record: 86-48. The Yankees split four in Boston so the magic number is down to 20. Next up: A weekend in Detroit where we'll play 3.

MLB News: The Padres, 2 back of the Giants and in the first NL wild card spot, will be without superstar Fernando Tatis Jr for the rest of the regular season with a fractured foot.

August 30-September 1, 2024: at Detroit (3)
 

Game 1: 6-8 L. LP-Swanda (12-6, 3.2 9 6 6 1 3). HR-Vazquez (5), Soto (29). Swanda put them behind 6-2 before they made it a game. Vazquez drove in 4 with the homer and a triple(!). Lou Trivino was lousy in his Rays debut, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks in an inning.

Game 2: 13-7 W. WP-Rasmussen (9-5, 6 5 2 2 4 4). HR-Bregman (25), Vaughn (14). Juan Soto drove in 5 with 3 of the team's 18 hits, Albies was 3-5 with 2 RBI and Vazquez stayed hot with 4 hits and an RBI.

Transactions: September roster expansion time and we called CF Josh Lowe back up after he was Player of the Month at Durham (.306-9-24) as well as Jovani Moran, who was brilliant as Durham's closer (16 saves, 80 whiffs in 44.1 IP) but struggled with his control in previous stints with the big club.

Game 3: 1-6 L. LP-Patino (11-6, 5 6 5 5 3 7). HR-Albies (15). It was a 0-0 game until the 5th when Patino imploded, allowing 5 runs. Five was also the number of hits the offense managed today.

Team record: 87-50. Magic number: 17. Next up: An off-day then we start a homestand with 3 vs Seattle.

MLB News: Yankees 2B Jazz Chisholm is done for the year after suffering a concussion when he fell off a stage at an awards show.

September 3-5: 2024: vs Seattle (3)
 

Game 1: 9-2 W. WP-McClanahan (16-4, 6 5 2 2 1 8). HR-Cain (2/7), Arozarena (21). LoCain's slam highlighted a 5-run 1st and the Rays cruised to victory.

Game 2: 6-3 W. WP-Swanda (13-6, 6 6 3 3 0 7). S-Fairbanks (20). HR-Cain (3/8). Rene Pinto's 2-run double putting Tampa Bay up 4-0 was the game's big hit and he was pressed into action when Christian Vazquez pulled a hammy.

Transactions: Vazquez goes in the IL with the hamstring but should be back when his 10 days are up, Anthony Siegler is called up from AA as he was the only other catcher on the 40-man. Also Shane Baz comes off the restricted list and Jovani Moran is sent back to Durham without getting into a game.

Game 3: 3-5 L. LP-Scott (6-3). Starter-Baz (5 5 3 3 4 4). HR-Vaughn (15). Vaughn's 3-run homer tied it in the 5th but Scott gave up an unearned run in the 6th and the offense couldn't get anything else going.

Team record: 89-51. Magic Number: 12. Next up: Houston visits for 3 games.

September 6-8, 2024: vs Houston (3)
 

Game 1: 7-3 W. WP-Gau (4-2). Starter-Rasmussen (6 5 3 3 1 6). HR-Bregman (26). Rays overcame an early 3-0 deficit, and won it on a 2-run Albies single followed by A-Breg's 2-run shot.

Game 2: 3-2 W. WP-Taylor (4-1). S-Fairbanks (21). Starter-Patino (5 2 1 1 1 9). The pen blew a 2-1 lead for Patino, who was brilliant, but Wander's RBI double in the 8th got them the win.

Game 3: 4-5 L. LP-White (0-2). Starter-McClanahan (5 5 4 4 2 8, 3 HR). Rays rallied from 4-1 down to tie it up in the 5th, but Colby White's wild pitch on strike three to former Ray Mike Zunino allowed the winner to score.

Team record: 91-52. Magic number: 9. Next up: An off-day then we travel to Yankee Stadium for 3 where we can really put a dent into the magic number.

September 10-12, 2024: at NY Yankees (3)
 

Game 1: 5-1 W. WP-Swanda (14-6, 6.1 7 1 1 1 8). Rays scored single runs in each inning from the 5th through the 9th to win with five different players knocking them in.

Game 2: 1-3 L. LP-Baz (5-9, 6 4 2 2 3 7). Jacob deGrom dominated for the Yankees; he along with Cole makes them a daunting opponent in a short playoff series. Baz pitched well but homers continue to plague him as he gave up a 2-run shot to Austin Nola, the catcher's first in 320 AB this season.

Game 3: 4-0 W (11). WP-Fairbanks (2-5). Starter-Rasmussen (5 1 0 0 3 7). Rasmussen started the game by walking the bases loaded with nobody out, escaped that jam and Rays pitching held New York to only 2 hits through 11. LoCain's RBI single broke the scoreless tie in the 11th and Wander followed with a 2-run single.

Team record: 93-53. Magic number: 5. Next up: Back home for 3 vs Cleveland, which holds the first wild card.

September 13-15, 2024: vs Cleveland (3)
 

Game 1: 1-5 L. LP-Patino (11-7, 5.1 1 3 2 3 7). Patino had a no-hitter going into the 6th but loaded the bases and left with one out. Tanner Scott came in to face the lefty Anthony Rizzo, who greeted Scott with a grand slam and that was the game.

Game 2: 7-3 W. WP-McClanahan (17-4, 6.2 7 3 1 0 3). S-Taylor (10/17). HR-Soto (30), Cain (4/9). Soto's 2-run shot and Cain's solo blast in the first two innings got them an early 4-1 lead and after Cleveland got within 4-3 a 3-run 8th highlighted by a 2-run Mead single iced the game.

Game 3: 5-7 L. LP-Swanda (14-7, 4 8 6 6 2 5). Swanda was terrible but the Rays had numerous chances to win this one, leaving 11 on base and putting 19 men on in total. They loaded the bases with one out in the 9th and to sum up the game, Cain (who left 8 on base) grounded into a game-ending double play, the third they hit into. Arozarena was 4-4.

Team record: 94-55. Magic number: 4. Next up: A day-off then 3 games in St. Louis including one scheduled against former Rays ace Blake Snell.

September 17-19, 2024: at St. Louis (3)
 

Transaction: Christian Vazquez was activated and Anthony Siegler optioned back to Montgomery.

Game 1: 8-6 W (12). WP-C.White (1-2). Starter-Baz (5.1 6 3 3 2 5). HR-DeLoach (5), Bregman 2 (28), Albies (16). The Rays blew three leads in this game before the fourth one finally stuck when Albies (who had a 3-hit game and 2 RBI) and Bregman hit solo homers in the 12th.

Game 2: 3-2 W. WP-Rasmussen (10-5, 6 3 2 2 1 4). S-Taylor (11/18). This time the bullpen held the lead as Soto and Arozarena were each 2-3 with a double and RBI.

Game 3: 6-2 W. WP-McClanahan (18-4, 5.1 5 1 1 2 6). HR-Arozarena (22). Mac probably gets only one more start so he won't win 20, but he'll come close. DeLoach's 2-run triple keyed a 5-run 2nd which sent the Rays on their way. With the win the Rays officially clinched the AL East, winning it for the 6th time in team history.

Team record: 97-55. Next up: Our interleague road trip continues with 3 in Milwaukee, where the Brewers hold the first wild card in the NL relatively securely.

September 20-22, 2024: at Milwaukee (3)
 

Game 1: 12-3 W. WP-Patino (12-7, 7 3 3 3 0 8). HR-J.Lowe (11), Bregman (29), Soto (31), W.Franco (19). A 5-run 3rd featuring a solo Lowe homer and a 3-run Bregman shot overcame an early deficit and they never looked back. Bregman drove in 5 on the day while Soto plated 3.

Game 2: 5-1 W. WP-Swanda (15-7, 5.2 6 1 1 1 6). HR-Soto (32). Swanda was excellent, Soto had a 2-run shot in the 3rd and they scored twice off Freddy Peralta in the 4th on a wild pickoff throw and a balk. The defense also shone with three outfield assists.

Game 3: 0-2 L. LP-Baz (5-10, 5.1 2 2 2 3 8). The Rays fielded a makeshift Sunday lineup featuring several bench players and Corbin Burnes took advantage, fanning 11 in 6 1/3 shutout innings with Rays hitters whiffing 17 times in all. This was their final road game of the regular season and they were an impressive 47-34 away from the Trop.

Team record: 99-56. Next up: Back home for the season's final week starting with 4 against Baltimore.

Playoff race update: As we enter the final week here's where things stand: The AL playoff field is pretty set as the Rays and Royals ran away with their divisions and the Yankees, Cleveland and Seattle should have wild cards wrapped up although the precise order is subject to change. The only modicum of suspense is in the West where the Angels lead Seattle by 3 games, a tough lift for the Mariners.

In the NL the divisions are set with the Phillies, Cardinals and Padres either having clinched or on the verge of clinching. The wild card race however is another matter:

https://i.imgur.com/AxqzTra.png

Not shown here are the Cubs and Dodgers, both mathematically in it but 3 1/2 back.

September 23-26, 2024: vs Baltimore (4)
 

Game 1: 0-3 L. LP-Rasmussen (10-6, 6 8 2 2 0 2). Rays were shut down by Baltimore's Grayson Rodriguez and managed only 3 hits on the night.

Game 2: 10-9 W. WP-McClanahan (19-4, 6 4 4 4 2 2). S-Taylor (12/19). HR-Vaughn (16), Soto (33), Albies (17). The Rays won their 100th game of the season and Soto went over 100 RBI with 3 tonight including his homer, joining Bregman on the team lead with 102. It was a 10-4 game going into the 9th before Whitley and Taylor nearly blew it, allowing 5 runs.

Game 3: 1-3 L. LP-Patino (12-8, 5.2 9 3 3 4 5). Feast or famine for the Rays offense in this series. DeLoach had two doubles and the lone RBI.

Game 4: 6-5 W (11). WP-Gau (5-2). HR-Mead (14), DeLoach (6). Rays came from 5-2 down after 7 1/2, getting homers from Mead in the 8th and the tying shot from DeLoach in the 9th before Vazquez singled in the winner in the 11th.

Team record: 101-58. Next up: We close out the regular season with 3 at the Trop against Minnesota.

Playoff race update: Seattle took 3 of 4 from the Angels to pull within one game of the AL West lead in the only remaining Junior Circuit suspense. Over in the NL the wild card race remains wild:

https://i.imgur.com/HFz2zZ9.png

Milwaukee is sitting fairly pretty but the other four are fighting over the final two spots. At one point during the last few days all four were tied. The only teams going head-to-head are Pittsburgh and Milwaukee, and the Pirates probably need to sweep. If they do then they'll drag the Brewers into the morass.

MLB News: Several playoff-bound teams lost key contributors for the season over the past few days. The Royals will have do without star C MJ Melendez, the Yankees lost their closer Yerry De Los Santos, and the Angels lost former Ray Ryan Yarbrough, who had a very good 15-11, 3.95 season.

September 27-29, 2024: vs Minnesota (3)
 

Game 1: 3-8 L. LP-Baz (5-11, 6 5 4 4 1 9). HR-Mead (15), Soto (34). Was a close one until Scott and Feyereisen allowed 4 runs in the 9th, albeit unearned.

Game 2: 9-4 W. WP-Springs (7-2). Starter-Rasmussen (6 6 2 2 0 4). HR-Pinto (6). 5 runs in the 7th & 8th broke a 4-4 tie. Bregman and Pinto each plated 3 runs.

Transaction: Colby White was sent to AAA on a paper move (he'll be on the playoff roster) and JP Sears was called up to start the regular season finale and skip McClanahan.

Game 3: 2-5 L. LP-Sears (0-1, 6 7 2 2 1 4). HR-Cain (5/10). A makeshift lineup struggled to score runs as numerous regulars rested for the playoffs, with Cain's 2-run homer in the 9th averting a shutout. We still ended up getting a couple of players hurt with Forrest Whitley (who will be missed) straining his elbow and putting him out for the playoffs while Josh Lowe (who was iffy to make the playoff roster) strained his oblique and is also done for the year.

Final Regular Season Record: 102-60. Next up: The ALDS against either the Guardians or the Yankees. All I can say is "Go Cleveland" because I'd rather not face deGrom and Cole in a short series.

Playoff race update: The Mariners truly blew the AL West, finishing a game behind the Angels thanks to blowing a 7-1 lead in the 8th inning in Saturday's game against Oakland. Seattle had the tiebreaker on LA otherwise. Those two teams will meet in the ALDS now with Seattle visiting Anaheim.

In the NL the crazy wild card race saw Milwaukee sweeping Pittsburgh to secure the 1st wild card and eliminate the Pirates; the Mets took 2 of 3 to finish 82-80 and take the second, and Atlanta and San Francisco ended up tying for the third wild card with the Braves winning on the second tiebreaker (intradivision record) as the teams split their 6 games this year. So this is the playoff tree:

https://i.imgur.com/xfFzf61.png

Final 2024 Regular Season Standings and Rays Stats
 

https://i.imgur.com/Q769Cfb.png

https://i.imgur.com/R3pzbjj.png

When have I ever had a team with really good defense in any of my saves?

https://i.imgur.com/23lIfxE.png

Speaking of defense Randy Arozarena had a higher WAR than Wander Franco despite an 80-point OPS deficit thanks to his outfield play and Wander's iffy defense at short. Also how about those 155 walks from Soto? Somehow he only scored 93 runs in the process. Meanwhile Austin Meadows was dreadful and had pretty much lost his job against RHP anyway so he's off the playoff roster, and with Josh Lowe hurt LF against RHP is going to go to Zach DeLoach, who played well in September.

https://i.imgur.com/y4BLJHT.png

Despite McClanahan's gaudy W/L record WAR says John Swanda was our ace this year. Mac will start Game 1, Swanda Game 2, and Patino Game 3 of the playoffs. I like Baz's stuff better than Rasmussen's for the 4th starter but I'm still undecided whether that's enough. Our secret weapons were Gau and Whitley in multi-inning relief and we'll miss Whitley. To replace him on the playoff roster we're going to call up a rookie with no previous MLB experience a la McClanahan in 2020, Sandy Gaston. The flame-throwing righty fanned 136 in 86 IP at Durham (albeit with 47 walks). He pitched mostly in relief but made 7 starts and with 55 stamina he can go multiple innings.

October 1, 2024: AL Wild Card Game 1
 

https://i.imgur.com/HhCNFzy.png

Cleveland took it to Gerrit Cole to surprise the Yankees and the Angels took advantage of home cooking to open their best-of-3 wild card series.

October 2, 2024: AL Wild Card Game 2 & NL Wild Card Game 1
 

https://i.imgur.com/kkOqD5n.png

The Angels are through to the ALDS where they'll play Kansas City while the Rays will have to wait another day to learn their opponent as the Yankees evened things up behind a dominant Jacob deGrom start.

Over in the NL Brandon Woodruff went 7 2/3 scoreless backed by a pair of Christian Yelich homers while former Ray Jonathan Loaisiga helped pitch Atlanta to a win in San Diego to open up their series.

October 3, 2024: AL Wild Card Game 3 & NL Wild Card Game 2
 

https://i.imgur.com/WoYhdJg.png

So it will be the Yankees after all to face the Rays in the ALDS as Zach Eflin turned in a brilliant outing and Kyle Schwarber homered in all three games of the series. Milwaukee will take on the Phillies in the NLDS thanks to Jace Peterson's 2-run walk-off homer to turn defeat into victory, and former Rays homered for both teams as San Diego and Brandon Lowe stayed alive against Atlanta and Taylor Walls.

October 4, 2024: NL Wild Card Game 3
 

https://i.imgur.com/1OTs6Tt.png

And San Diego completes the Division Series field with a deciding win over Atlanta. They'll move on to play St. Louis.

October 5, 2024: ALDS Game 1
 

Not a great start...

https://i.imgur.com/hVnF7ac.png

Just what I was afraid of, dropping Game 1 and having to face Gerrit Cole and Jacob deGrom in the next two games. I'm still looking for my first playoff win in this save after missing out on the postseason in 2022 on a tiebreaker game loss and getting swept by Minnesota in the ALDS last year. Pete Fairbanks gave up three straight hits to plate the winning run in the 9th and the offense couldn't get enough going. We had a chance to go up 3-2 in the 6th but Alex Bregman was thrown out at the plate by Giancarlo Stanton after Curtis Mead's single. So now rookie John Swanda is going to have come through against the veteran Cole to get us back to even or another playoff run could be over almost as soon as it starts.

Elsewhere the Angels continue their run:

https://i.imgur.com/2HgXV9r.png

October 6, 2024: ALDS Game 2 & NLDS Game 1
 

Finally...

https://i.imgur.com/UdwXVXs.png

The Rays got the win they needed, evening up the ALDS behind the 21st century Mr. October, Randy Arozarena, who blasted a 3-run homer and added an RBI single to propel Tampa Bay to a 5-3 win. Unfortunately though they lost Arozarena for the rest of the ALDS and probably the ALCS should they advance as he seriously bruised his collarbone diving for a catch in the 9th inning. The "substantial" injury will sideline him for two weeks, and now Andrew Vaughn will likely take over LF with Zach DeLoach and Heliot Ramos, who spent the year at Durham, platooning in RF. John Swanda was impressive early, fanning 6 over the first three innings but had walked three by that point and put two more on via free passes in the 4th, necessitating his early exit. Fortunately the pen did the job from there although winner Jeffrey Springs gave up an RBI single. Drew Rasmussen's two strong innings were key and Pete Fairbanks didn't falter this time. So we're off to Yankee Stadium in two days for Game 3 with Luis Patino going up against Jacob deGrom, not the most favorable of matchups.

Elsewhere in the DSes, Kansas City also got even while St. Louis and Philly got gems from their Game 1 starters:

https://i.imgur.com/cFlLOve.png

October 7, 2024: NLDS Game 2
 

October 8, 2024: ALDS Game 3
 

https://i.imgur.com/uWXxBtg.gif

https://i.imgur.com/c9pUcNf.png

The Rays have their backs to the wall after an all-too-predictable 6-1 loss to the Yankees and Jacob deGrom. The best pitcher in baseball shackled them over 7 innings with only Curtis Mead cracking the code, singling and homering for two of the Rays' 3 hits on the night. Austin Meadows, added to the roster after Randy Arozarena was put on the IL, got the surprise start but didn't surprise anyone by going 0-3 with two strikeouts. Luis Patino was lucky not be down 4-0 or 5-0 after the first few innings but hung in there until Kyle Schwarber took him deep for a 2-run shot and then Schwarber did it again off lefty Tanner Scott to give him 5 homers in 6 games this postseason. And we're turning to our most inconsistent starter this year, Shane Baz, to save the season tomorrow. Wheeee!

Meanwhile the Royals grabbed a big road win and are one victory away from the ALCS:

https://i.imgur.com/j61vbLu.png

October 9, 2024: ALDS Game 4 & NLDS Game 3
 

All hail the Wizard of Baz!

https://i.imgur.com/nS7zYwv.png

Shane Baz was been terribly inconsistent this year (5-11, 4.60, 21 HR allowed in 129 innings) but has great stuff (65/60/60 and fanned 148 in those 129 IP) so it's always possible he puts it together. And put it together he did tonight when it mattered the most as he went 5 2/3 brilliant shutout innings with 8 whiffs to get the Rays back to the Trop for a deciding Game 5 in the ALDS. It also helped that the Rays' biggest star Juan Soto came through, first with an RBI single in the opening frame to get them a quick lead and then with a 2-run single in the 7th to break the game open. Also coming through huge was a guy at the other end of the star spectrum as Zach DeLoach delivered a 2-run homer in the 4th that made it 3-0 and gave Baz and the Rays some breathing room. So in two days we'll have our ace Shane McClanahan on the hill and we'll try to score a few more runs than we did in Game 1.

In the other DS games, the Angels also forced a Game 5 with a homer barrage against the Royals while the Brewers and Padres got a leg up and pulled with one game of the NLCS:

https://i.imgur.com/lcyuMHF.png

October 10, 2024: NLDS Game 4
 

It'll be the Padres and Phillies in the NLCS:

https://i.imgur.com/i48iihN.png

October 11, 2024: ALDS Game 5
 

Escape from New York...

https://i.imgur.com/IJqUkUT.png

The Yankees were the one team I didn't want to face in a short series with their deGrom/Cole combo and while it turned out I was right to fear deGrom the Rays had no problems with Cole and beat him a second time to take the ALDS in 5 games from the Yankees. Shane McClanahan was in good form and closed with a flourish, striking out the side in the 6th, and Josh Taylor went 6 up, 6 down to close it out. Meanwhile Juan Soto, named series MVP, set the tone with a first-inning solo shot against Cole and then Andrew Vaughn followed up with a 2-run blast to give the Rays all the runs they'd end up needing. So who will we be hosting in a couple of days at the Trop to open the ALCS? Let's see:

https://i.imgur.com/cSkPK9d.png

Like the Rays, the higher-seeded Royals were extended the distance but came through. Kansas City is no slouch, having won 99 games themselves this year and will give Tampa Bay all it can handle.

Also we're experiencing similar success on the farm as next year's projected starting RF Joshua Mears led Durham to a playoff series win:

https://i.imgur.com/RdDOkEN.png

October 13, 2024: ALCS Game 1
 

https://i.imgur.com/mSaQ67X.png

A great start for the Rays in the ALCS as they took care of Kansas City 6-2 in the opener at the Trop. John Swanda was solid in his 5 1/3 innings, the pen was lights out, and the bats banged out 13 hits including a solo homer from Christian Vazquez and a 2-run shot by Curtis Mead, but Wander Franco's triple in the 5th was the key hit, tying the game before Ozzie Albies brought him home with what proved to be the winner. We're going to push Luis Patino back to Game 4 and start Shane Baz tomorrow in Game 2.