May 21-24, 2037: vs Oakland (4)
 

Game 1: After winning 8 straight, the Rays dropped their third in a row tonight to Oakland 7-5 at Publix Park. Danny Medina, who had allowed a total of 3 homers over the previous two seasons, allowed his 3rd homer of the year, a 2-run shot in the 8th to provide the A's the winning margin. Jon Soranno turned in another poor start after being staked to leads of 2-0 and 4-2, finishing 4.2 6 4 4 3 5 with his ERA now at 6.31. On offense Danny Ayala had an RBI triple to tie the game at 5, Omar Rodriguez drove in a pair, and Eric Titcombe was 2-3 with an RBI. Toronto remains uninterested in losing and their lead over the Rays grew to 2 1/2 games.

Taking a bit of a deeper dive into the standings, much of Toronto's record is due to smoke and mirrors as they're already 7 games over their Pythagorean record and have already won 13 1-run games. We just need to stay the course:

https://i.imgur.com/4ZhrR3o.png

Game 2: Things looked bleak again when Kevin Kerstetter turned in another in a string of brutal outings from Rays starters of late (2.2 9 5 5 1 3) and they found themselves in a 6-1 hole. But the bullpen came through and the offense came to life with consecutive 4-run innings in the 6th and 7th to come back for a 12-6 win. And with Toronto losing 2-1 in 10 innings, the Jays' lead is down to 1 1/2 games. Eric Titcombe kept the team alive early with a pair of homers (#10 & 11) to get within striking distance at 6-3. Then the bats went to work with Will Quintana's 2-run double capping the 4-run 6th to put the Rays ahead, and Jaiden Hardaway's 2-run single highlighted the 4-run 7th. Bo Angeac, who walked 3 times and scored 4 runs, added a solo shot (#11) while Danny Ayala had 3 hits. Tony Rey took over for Kerstetter and kept them in the game allowing only one run over 3 1/3 for his 2nd win.

Game 3: The Rays took a 4-0 win over Oakland as four pitchers combined on a 3-hit shutout, but the win was costly as reigning AL Cy Young winner Nate Thompson was lost for the season and his Rays career is effectively over. Thompson, who missed his last start with a sprained elbow, was clear to pitch tonight and did well, going 4.2 2 0 0 0 4 but had to leave in the 5th with what turned out to be a torn labrum. As Thompson is a free agent this winter, this will likely be the last time he's seen in a Rays uniform. Tim Gates, who along with Jeremy Curtis is a candidate to replace him in the rotation, retired all 7 A's he faced for his first win with Tampa Bay while Tim Siqueiros and Chris Toombs contributed a scoreless inning each. Not a ton of offense, but Danny Ayala got them on the board in the 1st with an RBI, Omar Rodriguez doubled the lead in the 5th with HR #9 and Jon Jimenez added a sac fly. Toronto remains a team a destiny by scoring 3 times in the bottom of the 9th to beat Seattle 5-4, so they remain 1 1/2 up on us.

May 24: Placed P Nate Thompson on the 60-day IL with a torn labrum, activated P Jim Golunski from the 10-day IL.

Chris Toombs gets a reprieve, and deservedly so as he's pitched quite well.

Game 4: Josh Carsello pitched well and the Rays offense waited out Oakland ace Alex Santamaria in a 5-2 win to make it 3 of 4 in the series. Carsello went 6 6 1 1 3 5 but left trailing 1-0 as Santamaria held the Rays in check through 6. But in the 7th Omar Rodriguez took him deep with HR #10 to put the Rays up 2-1, and former Ray Romulo Canelon served up a 3-run Bo Angeac shot (#12) to make it 5-1. Danny Medina got his first win of the year with 2 scoreless innings in relief of Carsello, with Jim Golunski struggling a bit in his first game back in 19 days, loading the bases with two out. Kikuo Kawase came in and walked in a run, but struck out Chris Robles to end the game and notch save #9. And the Blue Jays actually lost today 8-3 to Seattle, so the Rays move within 1/2 game of the division lead.

Team record: 31-14. Next up: Those Mariners come to town for 3 games.

May 25-27, 2037: vs Seattle (3)
 

May 25: Traded 21-year old minor league RHP Ismael Rivera to the San Francisco Giants, getting 23-year old minor league RF Jared Richardson in return.

A trade of prospects. I was doing some shopping and saw Richardson's name come up so I decided to see what the Giants would take for him. Richardson was the #3 overall pick last season and is ranked as the #32 prospect by BNN, a toolsy OF with power and who can play a 60 RF. The price turned out to be Rivera, whom my assistant GM didn't want to give up. Rivera has 75 stuff in relief and 65 stuff as a starter, but 25 movement and 40 control with potential for 50. Incredible stuff, but hittable. Not sure a guy with 25 movement would ever work in Publix Park, as I discovered with Rayhmer Costa.

Game 1: Memorial Day at Publix Park, and maybe someone should lay a wreath in remembrance of our bats, which were absent today in a tough 2-1 loss. Jim Gebers' 3rd-inning solo homer, his 2nd of the year, was it for the scoring and one of only five hits on the day. As a result, Jeremy Curtis's fine debut start as a Ray (6.2 3 2 2 3 9) was wasted. Fortunately the Jays lost as well, so the deficit remains 1/2 game.

Game 2: The Rays took a wild back-and-forth 9-6 win over Seattle behind a monster game from Omar Rodriguez, but lost another starting pitcher in the process. I'll go with the bad news first as Ron Adams tore a meniscus and will be out until about mid-September. This occurred in the 3rd inning after he gave up a couple of solo homers to put Seattle up 3-1. That's when O-Rod went to work. Having already tripled in a run in the first, he hit his second triple of the game to drive in two more to put the Rays up 4-3 in the 4th. And after Seattle got within 5-4, he homered (#11) to make it 6-4. But Tim Siqueiros gave up a couple of solo homers (Rays pitchers allowed 5 solo homers in total today) in the top of the 7th to allow Seattle to tie it up again before Jim Gebers homered for the second straight day in the bottom of the frame to put Tampa Bay back on top. Jim Golunski ran into some trouble in the 8th, so Kikuo Kawase had to get a 5-out save (#10) and he was helped by a pair of insurance runs in the 8th including a Rodriguez RBI single, his 4th hit and 5th RBI of the day. Siqueiros rather undeservedly ended up with win #4. Tim Gates, who went 2 1/3 scoreless in relief of Adams, will be taking Adams' place in the rotation. Oh yeah, and after all that Toronto lost again so the Rays are finally back on top in the AL East by 1/2 game, the first time in 3 weeks they've had sole possession of the division lead.

In response to the Adams injury, a trade:

https://i.imgur.com/7Ubm7tP.png

We turn Nethercutt, just claimed off waivers about a week ago, into Cotton, a solid reliever who can go multiple innings and still has untapped potential as a starter. Once again, I ignored my assistant GM who didn't like the deal.

Game 3: It was another tough game but the Rays ended up prevailing 4-3 in 12 innings on Bo Angeac's RBI single off former Ray Willie Bertone. Not only did they rally against ex-teammate Bertone but a key play in the inning came when another former Ray property, Ricky Loya, dropped a line drive and allowed a man to reach. The big news early was that Jon Soranno actually turned in a decent start for a change, going 6 4 2 2 4 5 but the Rays were down 2-1 into the 7th when Mike McKee doubled home the tying run and one of Omar Rodriguez's 3 more hits tonight was an RBI single to put the Rays on top. But with the bullpen short-handed Chris Toombs was pressed into action in the 8th and allowed the tying run. Mike Wherry ended up with his first win of the year after pitching a scoreless 11th and 12th. Toronto got back in the win column to stay 1/2 game back.

Team record: 33-15. Next up: A much-needed off-day to rest the bullpen from all these early starter exits and extra-inning games before we head to Baltimore for 3.

May 29-31, 2037: at Balitmore (3)
 

Game 1: Another Camden Yards bullpen meltdown from the Rays as they blew a 4-1 lead in the 8th and lost 5-4. Coupled with a Toronto win, the Rays slip back into 2nd place by 1/2 game. The collapse wasted a good start from Kevin Kerstetter (7 7 1 1 0 5) and it started with Tim Siqueiros giving up 3 hits to score a run. With two out, two on and lefty slugger Josh Hutchinson due, Chris Toombs got the call with Jim Golunski still tired from his 2-inning stint two days ago, and the rookie showed he wasn't ready for prime time by giving up a 3-run homer and blowing a save for the second straight game. The Rays had built their early lead on 2nd inning homers from Bo Angeac (#13, a 2-run shot) and Eric Titcombe (#12).

Game 2: No bullpen worries today as the Rays routed Baltimore 7-0. Josh Carsello was brilliant in his old stomping grounds as he went 7 6 0 0 1 8 to improve to 5-2, 2.47 with Billy Hoyte and Tony Rey combining on the shutout. Omar Rodriguez and Bo Angeac stayed red-hot as each had 4-hit days including a homer. O-Rod is now 11-for-19 over his last 4 games and that's despite an 0-3 last night. His 2-run HR (#12) in the 2nd made it 3-0 as he drove in 3 on the day. Angeac took over the AL homer lead with #14, a solo shot later in the inning, while Eric Titcombe homered for the second straight day and stayed one behind Angeac with #13. The Blue Jays prevailed in another one-run game, so they stay atop the division.

Game 3: A nailbiter turned into a rout as the Rays scored 9 times in the 6th inning to turn a 2-1 deficit into an eventual 14-3 win over Baltimore. Bo Angeac led off the 6th with his AL-best 15th homer, Daniel Vasquez went back-to-back with #9, and after the bases were loaded Jon Jimenez hit a 455-ft shot to dead center (off a lefty no less) for a grand slam. Jimenez went deep later with #9 and Omar Rodriguez continued his ludicrous run with HR #13. Vasquez added a couple of RBI doubles and ended with a 4-hit, 4-RBI day while Jimenez drove in 5 with 3 hits. Jeff Baez chipped in with a 3-4, 2-RBI day including his 18th double. Jeremy Curtis went from potential hard-luck loser to comfortable winner, going 6.1 7 3 3 1 6 to improve to 3-1. Damani Cotton made his Rays debut and got Curtis out of a 7th-inning jam with an inning-ending double play and added a scoreless 8th. Toronto won at Minnesota so we remain in 2nd.

Team record: 35-16. Next up: We start a West coast trip with 3 in Anaheim.

Standings & Leaders at 1/3 Mark
 

Here's where things stand in MLB right now one-third of the way through the 2037 season:

https://i.imgur.com/XqdsA0l.png

Also to nobody's surprise:

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

Josh Alexander was the stud prospect we acquired in the offseason from Seattle for Ricky Loya. He struggled with perhaps an aggressive promotion to Durham in April, and went back to AA Montgomery. I'd say he responded:

https://i.imgur.com/JaS9Lvn.png

The news from the farm wasn't all good:

https://i.imgur.com/6cLeomY.png

Lauritsen is one of our top pitching prospects (acquired for Victor de Jesus a couple of winters ago) and was off to a brilliant start at Durham. Now he'll miss the rest of this year and most of 2038. He was more of a finesse/control type than a flamethrower so we'll see how the surgery affects him.

June 1-3, 2037: at LA Angels (3)
 

Game 1: A wild game that twice saw the Rays open big leads only to end up with the Angels relatively close as they held on to win 10-7. The Rays were up against former farmhand Tim Sandstrom and he lived up to his 35-rated movement by allowing 5 - count' em, 5 - home runs. Jim Gebers (#4), Daniel Malone (#6) and Will Quintana (#5) each hit solo shots in the 2nd, Eric Titcombe (#14) added a fourth solo shot in the third, and Omar Rodriguez capped off the fun with a grand slam (#14) in the 4th. These blasts gave the Rays an 8-2 lead with Tim Gates making his first start and he seemed to be settling in but the wheels came off in the 5th when he allowed a 3-run homer to Vlad Guerrero Jr., the one-time Ray's 3500th career hit. Gates put two more on and Danny Medina had to rescue him and keep the lead at 3. Medina went on to get win #2. Although the Rays tacked on a couple of more in the 8th to make it 10-5, Mike Wherry gave up a 2-run homer in the 9th and Kikuo Kawase had to come in for the final out although he didn't qualify for a save. And the good news is that the Rays are back in first after Toronto lost in Washington.

Game 2: The Rays trailed 3-2 after 6 but came back and beat the Angels 7-3. Jim Gebers hit a solo homer in the top of the 7th (#5) to tie it up, and then they broke it open with 4 in the 8th on a Daniel Vasquez RBI double, a Gebers RBI single, and a 2-run double from Jeff Baez. Jon Soranno continues to work his way back to respectability, turning in a solid 7 5 3 3 1 6 performance to improve to 3-3, 5.68 while Damani Cotton and Tim Siqueiros pitched the 8th and 9th. Another Blue Jay loss in Washington now puts the Rays 1 1/2 up in the AL East.

Game 3: Another comfortable game turned tense as the Rays saw an 8-1 lead nearly completely evaporate when the Angels scored 6 times in the 7th, but they would score no more and Tampa Bay held on to win and sweep the series 8-7. First, the good stuff. Kevin Kerstetter pitched quite well going 6 4 1 0 3 5 to improve to 7-2, 3.14, and Tim Siqueiros and Kikuo Kawase turned in scoreless innings with the game on the line, the latter picking up save #11. Jaiden Hardaway blasted a pair of homers, driving in 3 and giving him 10 dingers for the year, and Danny Ayala launched a 2-run blast (#7) as he tries to improve on a severely disappointing 225/276/397 line. Daniel Malone also had a nice game going 2-3 with a double and RBI. Now the bad: Tony Rey came on with the 8-1 lead, gave up a couple of runs and left the bases loaded for Billy Hoyte, who served up a grand slam to the first man he faced. We'll call it a blip for Rey as despite allowing the 5 runs in 1/3 of an inning he still has an ERA of 2.93. Hoyte though continues to be consistently inconsistent. The Jays won so the Rays did not expand their 1 1/2-game lead.

Team record: 38-16. Next up: 4 games in Seattle, whom we just finished up 3 with at Publix Park last week.

The 2037 Amateur Draft
 

That time of year again..

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

A look at the picks:

Delaney: About the umpteenth time in a row we've drafted a starting pitcher with our pick at the end of the first round, Delaney is a college starter from Cal State-Fullerton who projects mid-back rotation.

Heckler: Our supplemental pick from Dayle Jenkins going free agent is a mammoth 6'6" first baseman out of California who was committed to Delaney's school and projects to have 70 or 75-grade power depending on which scout you talk to. Contact could be an issue but the gap power is massive too.

Babino: A catcher out of UCLA who already grades 65 defensively and has potential 55-65 power. The catch(er)? 25 current contact and 35 potential contact. Sounds like a young Mike Zunino.

Williams: A high-schooler from California who looks like a 5th starter when he grows up.

Forbes: A power reliever out of Alabama. We're about 20-deep at reliever in our system but why not one more?

Gird: NY high-schooler who will be a project at 3B.

June 4-7, 2037: at Seattle (4)
 

Game 1: Since playing the Rays the Mariners have been red-hot, winning 6 straight, and Seattle extended its streak to 7 with a 4-2 win over the Rays. Tampa Bay was done in by one of its former players as Michael Valdez, sent to Seattle in the Alfredo Vega deal last year, hit a 3-run homer off Josh Carsello in the 4th for the game's decisive blow. Carsello finished 6 3 3 3 4 5 and dropped to 5-3, 2.64. Damani Cotton gave up a solo shot in his two innings, while the bats could only manage bases-empty blasts from Bo Angeac (#16) and Eric Titcombe (#15), who are 1-2 in the AL in homers (with Omar Rodriguez right behind them at 14).

Game 2: Another tough loss to Seattle as Kikuo Kawase blows the save in the 9th and Michael Valdez torments his old team once again with an RBI double off Danny Medina in the 10th to give Seattle a 3-2 win. The Rays held a 2-0 lead for much of the game on a Jeff Baez homer (#6) while Jeremy Curtis was in fine form. He allowed a run in the 7th but finished 7 2 1 1 3 3 and deserved better than a no-decision. Jim Golunski got through the 8th but Kawase gave up a 2-out RBI single to Aeverson Arteaga, who was a thorn in their side in the series at Publix Park, and then Medina gave up back-to-back doubles to start the 10th and lose the game. A Toronto win means the Jays are now tied with the Rays for first.

Game 3: The Rays snapped Seattle's 8-game winning streak and a 2-game losing streak of their own with a 7-2 win behind Tim Gates. The righty was much better in his second start since joining the rotation, holding the Mariners to 6 5 1 1 2 6 and getting the win. Jon Jimenez's line-drive opposite field homer to left (#10) tied it in the 4th and a 2-base throwing error by Seattle's catcher Julio Mosquera allowed 2 more to score in the 5th to put Tampa Bay ahead to stay. Daniel Vasquez added HR #10 and Jeff Baez was 3-4 with a double and an RBI. We just can't shake the Jays, though, as they beat Houston again to stay tied with us.

Game 4: Tampa Bay salvaged a split of the series today, although it didn't look like that would happen until late. Seattle went up 3-1 against Jon Soranno after 6, as the lefty turned in another mediocre start (5.1 8 3 3 2 6) and Mariner starter Willie Gutierrez held them to 5 hits and the 1 run through 6. But while one former Ray (Michael Valdez) hurt them in the first two games, the Rays took advantage of another former mate today as they got to the recently-dealt Willie Bertone. First, Jon Jimenez homered off him in the 7th (#11) to cut the lead to 3-2. And in the 8th the Rays went to town on him, scoring the tying run and putting on two more before Danny Ayala took lefty Chris Morocco deep for a 3-run blast (#8) to make it 6-3 Tampa Bay. They kept piling on with 4 more in the 9th highlighted by an Omar Rodriguez bases-clearing double and took a 10-3 win. Danny Medina, who came on in relief of Soranno and went 1 2/3, picked up win #3 while Tim Siqueiros and Chris Toombs added 1-2-3 innings, each throwing fewer than 10 pitches. But those Jays just can't be stopped as they won their 18th(!) one-run game of the year (nobody else has more than 12) to remain deadlocked with us atop the AL East. Based on the Pythagorean standings we should be 8 games ahead of them.

Team record: 40-18. Next up: An off-day, then we return home to face the Angels for 3.

UPDATE: While we were idle on Monday, Toronto did it again: a 3-2 win over Columbus in 10 innings, their 19th one-run win of the year and 7th in extras to move into first. Waiting for the coin to come up tails.

June 9-11, 2037: vs LA Angels (3)
 

Game 1: Some bad bullpen work wasted a fine start from Kevin Kerstetter while the bats didn't do enough in a 5-3 loss to the Angels at Publix Park. Kerstetter was excellent again going 6 5 1 1 1 7 and left a 1-1 game for the pen. Jim Golunski promptly allowed a run in the 7th, and then Damani Cotton and Billy Hoyte combined to give up 3 more in the 8th, and that was that. Jon Jimenez' RBI triple was the offensive highlight, and they did bring the tying run to the plate in the 9th after Eric Titcombe singled home a run, but pinch-hitter Jim Gebers whiffed to end the game. The only good news was that Toronto lost a one-run game, so they remain only 1/2 game ahead.

Game 2: It was a battle of whose bullpen pitched worse, and fortunately for the Rays it was the Angels' pen as Eric Titcombe's walk-off 3-run homer (#16) in the bottom of the 10th gave them a 9-6 win. The Rays had a 4-2 lead after 7 innings after another great outing from Josh Carsello (6.2 4 2 2 2 12), which is usually money in the bank. But Tim Siqueiros coughed up a 2-run homer in the 8th allowing LA to equalize, and then Kikuo Kawase got the call in the 9th and he gave up a 2-run homer to light-hitting veteran catcher Tim Banfield, who has 45 power and was up against Kawase's 80-rated movement, making it the unlikeliest of longballs. But down to their final out with 2 men on in the bottom of the 9th, Omar Rodriguez came through with a 2-run double, his 3rd 2-bagger of the game and his third and fourth RBI of the day. Kawase made it through the 10th and then the Rays got two men on in front of Titcombe, who walked it off. Earlier Mike McKee banged his first homer of the year. The win, coupled with a Columbus rout of Toronto, propelled the Rays back into sole possession of first place in the AL East by 1/2 game.

Game 3: I think I can safely say this team isn't going to win 130 games or so like its recent predecessors as they were dealt loss #20 by LA's Andy Cormier on the mound and Bob Osorio at the bat in a 2-1 loss. Cormier held them to 1 run on 6 hits through 7 1/3 and Osorio hit a pair of solo homers off Jeremy Curtis, who otherwise pitched well to the tune of 6.2 7 2 2 1 9 and is now 4-2, 2.70. I don't mean to point fingers but Danny Ayala is now "hitting" 209/255/374 with only 8 HR and 29 RBI in 55 games this year. Most everyone else is pulling their weight at the plate (Daniel Vasquez, who's hitting 250/283/475 after a 330/370/670 season is also disappointing but he's gotten hotter of late) but Ayala has been a drag on the offense and after seasons of 7.1 and 6.5 WAR is on pace for -1.6. We're still #1 overall in all the offensive categories except steals and baserunning, but the numbers are still down overall. Toronto was idle, so with this loss the Rays drop back into a first-place tie with the Jays.

Team record: 41-20. Next up: the White Sox come to town for the weekend.

June 12-14, 2037: vs Chicago White Sox (3)
 

Game 1: Eric Titcombe was the offense today in a 5-4 win over the White Sox at Publix Park. The slugger hit a pair of homers, a 2-run shot in the 4th to get them back within 3-2, and then a 3-run blast in the 8th to put them ahead late and bail them out. The two homers gave him the AL lead at 18 and kept the Rays in a tie for first with Toronto. Tim Gates started and was adequate, going 6 6 3 3 1 6 while Damani Cotton continued to struggle, giving up a run on 3 hits. Billy Hoyte had to get the final out of the 8th, and therefore his 3rd win, while Jim Golunski picked up his 3rd save with a 1-2-3 2K 9th.

Game 2: Bo Angeac had a career day and Jon Soranno allowed only 1 hit over 8 1/3 innings as the Rays walloped the White Sox 12-0. The All-Star 3B went 5-for-5, including a bases-clearing double and an RBI double in the same inning (a 7-run 4th) and then added HR #17 for good measure to give him 5 RBI. He hit a third double and finished with 11 total bases. Omar Rodriguez also continued his MVP bid with his own bases-clearing double and an RBI single to give him an MLB-best 58 RBI in 51 games to go with a 347/405/658 line. Soranno meanwhile pitched his best game of the year, taking a 1-hit shutout into the 9th but having to leave with 1 out after walking a pair and seeing his pitch count hit 120. He finished 8.1 1 0 0 4 9 and is now 4-3, 4.98, not bad considering his ERA was over 6 a couple of starts ago. Chris Toombs got the final 2 outs. Of course Toronto won another 1-run game so we remain tied atop the division.

https://i.imgur.com/FNAy8Xd.png

Game 3: Welcome back, Danny Ayala! The superstar slugger was given the first two games of this series off to clear his head after a miserable two months to start the season, and the time off did him good as he went 4-4 today with a solo HR (#9) in a 4-2 win over the White Sox. Ayala also doubled as he looked locked in at the plate for this first time this season. The big hit of the game, though, belonged to Jon Jimenez, whose 3-run homer in the 3rd (#12) supplied 75% of the offense. Kevin Kerstetter started and pitched well for the win, going 5.2 5 2 2 2 7 and improving to 8-2, 3.01. Danny Medina went 1 1/3, Tim Siqueiros and Jim Golunski took care of the 8th, and Kikuo Kawase struck out the side around a single for save #12. And things got better when word came that Toronto lost to Boston 2-1, so the Rays finish the week a game up in the AL East.

Team record: 44-20. Next up: 4 games with the Nationals, with the first two in Publix Park.

June 15-16, 2037: vs Washington (2)
 

Game 1: Stop me if you've heard this before - Josh Carsello pitched a great game and Eric Titcombe bailed out the offense with a big homer, as the Rays took down Washington 6-3 at Publix Park. Carsello was brilliant today, going 7 3 1 1 2 11 to improve to 6-3, 2.53 but allowed a run in his final inning of work which enabled the Nationals to tie it up at 1. But in the bottom of the 7th Titcombe restored the Rays lead with a massive 3-run shot to dead center, his AL-best 19th of the year. Titcombe had driven in the earlier run as well, and Jeff Baez's RBI double and Jon Jimenez's RBI single padded the lead later in the 7th. Tony Rey couldn't quite make it through 2 innings, allowing a pair in the 9th before Mike Wherry had to get the final out, a strikeout of former Ray Eric Batchelder. Toronto won another 1-run, extra-inning game to stay 1 back.

Game 2: The Rays scored early and often in whitewashing Washington 10-0 to sweep the 2-game mini-series with the Nats. Jeremy Curtis was excellent, going 7 4 0 0 1 6 and improving to 5-2, 2.39 while Chris Toombs completed the shutout with 2 1-hit innings with 3 whiffs. Jon Jimenez was the biggest among several offensive stars tonight, driving in four with a pair of doubles, while Jaiden Hardaway hit HR #11 as part of a three-hit day as did Jim Gebers with #6. Jeff Baez added a 2-run homer (#7) and Omar Rodriguez was 3-5 with an RBI triple. The Jays lost at Citi Field against the Mets, so the lead has grown to 2 games.

Team record: 46-20. Next up: Off to the nation's capital to play 2 more against these guys.

June 17-18, 2037: at Washington (2)
 

Game 1: It was a pretty routine 6-2 win for the Rays at Nationals Park. They got to a quick start, scoring twice in the second and once in each of the three innings to follow, and Tim Gates turned in a solid start at 6 5 1 1 3 7 to go to 3-0, 3.24. Somehow Gates escaped a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam in the 5th thanks primarily to slow-footed 37-year-old former Rays property Noah Cardenas trying and failing to score on a fly ball. Bo Angeac led the bat attack, singling in a run in the 3rd and adding HR #18 in the 7th while Jim Gebers hit a pair of doubles, one of which brought home a run. Damani Cotton and Billy Hoyte turned in scoreless innings while Tony Rey allowed a solo homer in the 9th. The Jays fell at home to the Mets so the Rays are finally getting some separation as they move 3 games ahead.

Game 2: Jon Jimenez had himself a GAME as the Rays swept both their home and away series against Washington with a 9-4 victory, extending their overall win streak to 7. The first baseman drove in 8 - count 'em, 8 - runs today with a grand slam (#13) in the first off former Ray Marc Wagner, a 2-run double in the 8th and a 2-run single in the 9th. Jimenez fell one short of team single-game RBI record set by Wander Franco in 2022. His big day supported Jon Soranno, who wasn't convincing but effectively scattered his baserunners in a 5.2 8 1 1 2 7 outing which moves him to 5-3, 4.73 as he continues to lower his ERA toward respectability. The bullpen had its issues with Danny Medina and Mike Wherry allowing 3 runs in 2 innings between them but Tim Siqueiros got Wherry out of the 8th and then stayed on after the lead expanded to finish the game and get save #3. The Jays scored twice in the 9th to take another one-run win, but now that the Rays are up 3 games it's become a little less annoying.

Team record: 48-20. Next up: A weekend in Cleveland to play the Guardians.

June 19-21, 2037: at Cleveland (3)
 

Game 1: The Rays' offense was stifled by one of the league's better pitchers in Cleveland's Danny Romero and they fell 3-0 to the Guardians. Kevin Kerstetter pitched decently (6 5 3 3 1 6) but had no chance with no run support. Damani Cotton chipped in with 2 perfect innings. Meanwhile the Jays won to pull back within 2 games.

Game 2: Runs were scarce again at Progressive Field but this time the Rays got both of them in a 2-0 win behind Josh Carsello. The lefty went 7.2 4 0 0 2 8 in another outstanding outing, improving to 7-3, 2.32 as he bids to be the latest in a long line of Rays Cy Young winners. Tim Siqueiros got a huge out in the 8th with a two-on, two-out whiff, and Kikuo Kawase struck out a pair around a single in the 9th for save #13. Will Quintana's 2-run single in the 4th after the inning was extended by a Cleveland error was sum total of the offense tonight, but it was enough. Of course Toronto won in 10 innings 5-4 to stay two back.

Game 3: A largely lousy weekend in Cleveland concluded with a 7-2 loss to the Guardians. Jeremy Curtis started and had nothing, only managing one out in the first and allowing 6 runs before being pulled, and that was pretty much that. The bats went 26 innings with 2 runs scored in the series before finally pushing across a couple in the 9th on a Mike McKee solo homer (#2) and a Daniel Malone RBI double. Tony Rey went 4 2/3 in long relief only allowing an unearned run and Chris Toombs was impressive with 3 1-hit innings with 0 walks and 5 Ks, giving him 2 and 20 in 17 IP since being recalled. Fortunately Toronto actually lost a 1-run game, so the lead remains at 2.

Team record: 49-22. Next up: We play those pesky Jays for 3 game at home starting tomorrow and when we're done we'll be anywhere from a game behind to 5 up.

June 22-24, 2037: vs Toronto (3)
 

Game 1: The Rays gave the Jays a taste of their own one-run walk-off medicine with a thrilling 6-5 win which saw them score 3 times in the 9th to pull out the win. Down to their last at-bat trailing 5-3, Danny Ayala (who earlier had an RBI triple) led off the inning with HR #10, then Bo Angeac singled and Daniel Vasquez doubled to put men on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. After Jim Gebers struck out, pinch-hitter Jaiden Hardaway (who needed to rest) delivered a sac fly to tie the game before Jeff Baez's 2-out single to left scored Vasquez to walk it off and make a winner of Damani Cotton, who had wild-pitched home a Toronto run in the top of the inning. Earlier the Rays led 1-0 after 5 before the Jays got 3 off starter Tim Gates, who finished 6 3 3 3 4 4, and Danny Medina gave up another run in the 8th. Omar Rodriguez was 3-5 with an RBI. As a result of the win the lead is now up to 3 games.

Game 2: For the second straight night the Rays out Blue-Jayed Toronto, coming back to win a walk-off in the bottom of the 10th 5-4. Bo Angeac singled in Jaiden Hardaway, who led off the 10th with a single, stole second and went to third on a fly ball, to win it for Tampa Bay. Kikuo Kawase picked up his 2nd win in relief after pitching the 9th and 10th. The Jays will only have themselves to blame as they should have scored more against Jon Soranno, who was terrible today. As it was they scored 4 on 10 hits off him in 3 1/3 but had a man thrown out at the plate and left 12 on in total. Damani Cotton went 2 1/3 scoreless and Chris Toombs got him out of a 2-on, 2-out jam in the 6th and ended up throwing 2 1/3 scoreless himself. The hitting star in regulation for the Rays was Omar Rodriguez, who hit an inside-the-park homer in the 1st inning and then delivered a huge 2-run shot in the 8th to tie it up, giving him 17 dingers on the year. The Rays now move 4 games ahead of Toronto, who really need to win tomorrow to keep this a race.

Game 3: No need for a walk-off comeback win today as the Rays throttled the Jays 14-3, bashing 5 homers in the process. The ludicrously hot Omar Rodriguez hit his third homer in 2 days with a 2-run shot in the 1st (#18) then in the 3rd the starting-to-heat-up Danny Ayala hit another 2-run blast (#11) and Bo Angeac (#19) went back-to-back with him. Mike McKee added a 2-run homer (#3) as part of a 3-RBI day and Eric Titcombe launched a 3-run shot (#20) as well. Ayala ended up with 4 hits while O-Rod and Angeac each had 3 of the team's 20. Kevin Kerstetter enjoyed all the run support as he struggled with baserunners today but still went 6 6 1 0 3 6 on 108 pitches to improve to 9-3, 2.91. Billy Hoyte went the final 3, allowing a couple of runs but picking up save #2. The lead is now 5 and the Jays will be hard-pressed to catch us now. At least we got nearly a half-season of a division race unlike other years where we didn't have one at all.

Team record: 52-22. Next up: An off-day then Boston pays us a weekend visit.

June 26-28, 2037: vs Boston (3)
 

Game 1: The Rays are known for their power but used some small ball today to eke out a 3-2 win over the Red Sox at Publix Park. Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the 3rd, Omar Rodriguez had an RBI single, moving Jaiden Hardaway up to 2nd. O-Rod and J-Hard then pulled off a double steal, and Sox catcher Pierson Gibis threw the ball into left field, allowing Rodriguez to score the tying run, and Hardaway came home on a Jon Jimenez sac fly. That was it for the offense as they only managed 4 hits on the night, but it was enough thanks to Josh Carsello and the bullpen. The lefty ace went 6 4 2 2 3 10 to improve to 8-3, 2.36 and Tim Siqueiros, Jim Golunski and Kikuo Kawase each had a perfect inning of relief with KK striking out the side for save #14. Toronto recovered from being swept by the Rays with a win tonight to stay 5 back.

MLB Note: Gleyber Torres' Hall of Fame career hit another milestone as he picked up hit #3000 tonight to go with his 711 homers, only 4 away from passing Babe Ruth and moving into #4 on the all-time list.

Game 2: Well that was something. The Rays held a 9-1 lead after 5 innings and thanks to a bullpen meltdown of epic proportions, lost 12-9 at Publix Park. Things looked great early when Danny Ayala homered again (#12) and drove in 3, Eric Titcombe went deep (#21) and Jaiden Hardaway was 4-5 with 4 RBI including a bases-clearing double while Jeremy Curtis was mowing down the Sox through 5. Then Curtis ran out of gas in the 6th and gave up 3 runs but Tony Rey got him out of the inning, no big deal. But Rey loaded the bases in the 7th and with a lefty due Mike Wherry got the call and promptly served up a grand slam to Ben Traylor to make it 9-8. Tim Siqueiros then put a couple men on in the 8th and with another lefty due, Jim Golunski came in and gave up a 2-run double to put Boston ahead. Finally in the 9th Chris Toombs gave up a couple of runs partially due to a Hardaway error. The Boston bullpen shut down the Rays over the late innings and the final insult was former Rays property Jimmy Steveson whiffing a pair in the 9th to nail down the save. The Jays won so for the first time in quite a while they made up ground on the Rays, and are now 4 back.

Game 3: Obviously angered by yesterday's epic blown game the Rays came out and put 10 on the board in the first inning on their way to a 13-2 drubbing of Boston. Red Sox ace Sean Nelson is having a nightmare season (a 6.26 ERA coming in) and Tampa Bay made it worse by scoring 7 off him in 2/3 of an inning highlighted by a Will Quintana 3-run shot (#6). That chased Nelson (whose ERA is now 7.04) but they kept putting men on base and Eric Titcombe capped the inning with another 3-run homer (#22, tying him for the MLB lead). Jim Gebers had a 2-run double and Danny Ayala stayed hot with an RBI double of his own. Tim Gates rolled from there on the mound, going 6 3 2 2 2 8 to improve to 4-0, 3.35 and Damani Cotton made sure there would be no repeat of yesterday with 3 scoreless innings to pick up his first Rays save. Toronto lost as well, restoring the 5-game lead.

Team record: 54-23. Next up: Cleveland comes to town for 4 games.

June 29-July 2, 2037: vs Cleveland (4)
 

Game 1: A solid performance from Jon Soranno and some early hitting led the Rays to a 5-2 win over Cleveland at Publix Park in their series opener. Soranno struggled at times with runners, but ended up a tidy 6 6 0 0 0 6 to improve to 6-3, 4.64. Tony Rey struggled again, allowing 2 runs in the 7th but Billy Hoyte did fine work for 1 1/3, setting up Kikuo Kawase for save #15. Eric Titcombe's MLB-leading 23rd homer got the Rays up 1-0 in the 1st and Will Quintana had a big day, going 3-4 with 3 RBI on a 2-run double and run-scoring single. Toronto beat Boston to stay 4 back.

Game 2: The Rays wasted a brilliant effort from Kevin Kerstetter in a 2-0 loss at Publix Park. Guardians ace Danny Romero, who shut them out over 6 2/3 in Cleveland about 10 days ago, did it again over 6 innings today and despite a few attempted rallies the Rays couldn't score against him or the Cleveland bullpen. Kerstetter meanwhile went 8 5 1 1 1 11 with the only damage a 3rd-inning solo homer, while Jim Golunski and Tim Siqueiros combined to allow a run in the 9th. Toronto lost at Boston so at least the division lead did not erode.

https://i.imgur.com/5vv9dGB.png

https://i.imgur.com/3tA3SbB.png

That was unexpected - at no point did Jon Soranno "feel" like the AL pitcher of the month although I recognize he's turned things around after a very rough start.

https://i.imgur.com/8K9nlAI.png

Another outfielder in our system who can hit. Cervantes was our July 2 signing back in 2031 and he's still only 22.

Game 3: Josh Carsello was excellent today, falling one out away from recording a shutout as the Rays blanked the Guardians 5-0. The lefty went 8.2 10 0 0 0 12, a line I don't think ever seen before, on 124 pitches and finally gave way after putting two men on in the 9th. Danny Medina got a popup for the final out to complete the shutout as Carsello goes to 9-3, 2.17 and leads the AL in wins (tied), strikeouts, ERA and pitcher WAR just shy of the season's halfway mark. The offense failed to score for another four innings but finally pushed across a couple in the 5th on RBI singles from Omar Rodriguez and Jon Jimenez, and in the 6th Daniel Vasquez (#11) and Eric Titcombe (an MLB-tops 24) went back-to-back.

Game 4: The Rays broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the 8th with back-to-back-back jacks to take a 6-3 win and 3 out of 4 from Cleveland. Eric Titcombe (who else?) led the homer parade with the game-winner, his 25th, while Jeff Baez (#8) and Will Quintana (#7) followed suit. This made a winner of Jim Golunski, who struck out 3 in the 8th and enabled Kikuo Kawase, who also struck out 3 after allowing hits to the first two men he faced, to grab save #16. Jeremy Curtis had a mediocre start (5 7 3 3 2 2) to put them in a 3-1 hole but Jon Jimenez and Danny Ayala singled in runs in the 5th and 7th to get them level. Omar Rodriguez put the Rays on the board in the 1st with HR #19. Toronto won to stay 5 back.

Team record: 57-24. Next up: 3 games at Yankee Stadium.

2037 Midseason Review
 

And here we are again, halfway through another season. The MLB Standings:

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

Rays team stats:

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

The offense remains top-ranked, but it's not quite as good as last year's. We're averaging a healthy 5.96 runs/game, but last year it was 6.55/game and that's why we're on pace to win about 15 games fewer this year. Despite losing 40% of the rotation the pitching remains very good, and we're about as good as we've ever been in zone rating even if the defensive efficiency remains poor.

The batting stats:

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

Omar Rodriguez is looking to end Jaiden Hardaway's 4-year reign as AL MVP. One of the main reasons we're down over 1/2 a run per game is that Danny Ayala, Jon Jimenez and Daniel Vasquez are hitting nowhere where they need last year, and in the case of the first two, the last few years. Expecting positive regression from there. We've also been (knock wood) injury-free among our hitters this year.

The pitching:

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

As mentioned several times before, Josh Carsello is the AL Cy Young front-runner but Kevin Kerstetter isn't that far behind him as he's shrugged off last season's injury-shortened year and gotten back to his 2035 form when he was 21-0. We've been through way many more pitchers than hitters this year but at least none of them have provided negative WAR. Meanwhile, some of these BB/K ratios out of the pen are ridiculous (Kawase, Golunski, Toombs, Cotton).

July 3-5, 2037: at NY Yankees (3)
 

Game 1: The Rays apparently left their bats in Tampa as they dropped a 2-1 game to the Yankees when New York scored in the bottom of the 9th. Tim Gates was excellent, allowing only a Victor Robles solo homer in a 6 4 1 1 2 8 outing. Danny Medina got the ball in the 9th and put two men on with one out, and Jim Golunski came in only to allow an infield single and then an outfield single which allowed the Yanks to walk it off. Daniel Vasquez was the sole source of offense tonight, doubling and homering (#12) as he looks to improve on a subpar first half. Mike Wherry had to leave with a herniated disc in the 7th and will miss 3 weeks. Fortunately Toronto was waxed by Detroit 13-1 so the lead stays at 5 games.

July 4: Placed P Mike Wherry on the 10-day IL with a herniated disc, recalled P Jeff Reece from AAA Durham.

Reece is more than ready to make his MLB debut as he's excelled as Durham's closer this season with an 8/46 BB/K ratio in 31 innings with a 1.99 ERA (and 16 saves). He has 75 stuff, 60 movement and, uh 45 control. He also has 60 stamina which means we can use him in a multi-inning role. With Tim Siqueiros ticketed for free agency this winter there will be an opening in the pen next season and Reece has as good a shot as any to take it.

Game 2: The Rays slugged their way to a 10-6 win over the Yankees thanks to a trio of big homers. The first came after Jon Soranno put the Rays in a first-inning 3-0 hole. After a Daniel Vasquez RBI single in the 3rd, Jeff Baez cranked a 3-run homer (#9) to put the Rays on top to stay. Vasquez then continued his hot hitting of late with a 2-run shot (#13) to make it 6-3, and after Soranno gave up two more runs in the 6th to allow the Yankees within one, Eric Titcombe unloaded a 3-run shot in the 8th (#26) to put the game away, the third homer in four games for the MLB leader. Soranno still picked up the win despite an uninspiring 6 7 5 5 1 6 line as he goes to 7-3, Tim Siqueiros had two perfect innings on 21 pitches, and Jeff Reece was given the ball in the 9th for his MLB debut with a 5-run lead. Unfortunately he gave up a homer and then put two more men on with one out, and Kikuo Kawase had to rescue him with a pair of whiffs for save #17. The Jays were tattooed again tonight for another 13 runs in a loss to Detroit, so the division lead grows to 6.

Game 3: Today played out similarly to the first game of the series, a low-scoring game which saw the Rays lose a slender lead. But the end result was different as they scored in the 12th to take a 3-2 win over the Yankees. Omar Rodriguez's RBI single off Bernie Fernandez after a pair of Rays whiffed after they put men on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out was the game-winner. Kevin Kerstetter started and pitched well as usual, going 6.1 3 2 2 2 4 with Damani Cotton giving up a single that allowed the Yankees to score the tying run in the 7th. Jim Golunski, Danny Medina and Chris Toombs turned in scoreless innings before Kikuo Kawase went the final two and secured his 3rd win. Earlier Danny Ayala got the Rays on the board with HR #13 and Jeff Baez had an RBI single. Toronto gave up 10 more runs today (36 in the 3 games) and lost to Detroit so the lead is now 7. Until and unless they get it back within 5 or less I'm going to stop updating the division race.

Team record: 59-25. Next up: We swing west on this road trip for 4 in Kansas City. The Royals are pretty good this year, sitting atop the AL Central at 50-32.

July 6-9, 2037: at Kansas City (4)
 

Game 1: The Rays lost a 3-1 lead in the 9th thanks to a shorthanded bullpen, but scored in the 10th to take a 4-3 win at Kansas City. Jeff Baez drilled a 2-out RBI double in the 10th to score Danny Ayala with the game-winner and Jeff Reece, who in his 2nd MLB appearance nearly lost the game in the 9th but was bailed out by an Omar Rodriguez OF assist at the plate, got his first MLB win by handling KC in the 10th. Josh Carsello started and was his usual brilliant self, going 7 4 1 1 2 7. And when Jon Jimenez hit a pinch-RBI double in the 8th to make it 3-1, it looked good for the Rays. But Danny Medina in his 2nd inning of work put two on to start the 9th and with KC's star lefty hitter Alex Anderson due, Chris Toombs came on. Toombs got Anderson and the next batter but gave up consecutive RBI singles to allow the Royals to tie. And then Reece gave up another single but was bailed out by O-Rod. Jim Gebers got them up 2-0 early with his 7th homer of the year.

Game 2: The Rays rolled to a fairly easy 10-2 win over Kansas City thanks to some early thunder and the arm of Jeremy Curtis. Jim Gebers went yard for the second straight day with a 3-run blast in the 2nd (#8) off Royals ace Tim Levitt, and Eric Titcombe continued on his homer binge with a 2-run shot in the 5th (#27). They later broke it open with a 4-run 8th which included a Daniel Vasquez RBI single, capping a 3-hit day for him, and Gebers and Titcombe each added RBIs to go with their previous homers. Curtis was excellent outside of the 5th, going 7 6 2 2 2 8 and improving to 6-3, 3.56. Billy Hoyte mopped up the final 2 innings.

Game 3: Tampa Bay took its third straight against the Royals and 5th overall with a 6-3 win behind a great outing from Tim Gates and three early solo homers. Gates pitched maybe his best game in a Rays uniform, going 7.2 4 0 0 1 8 and is now 5-0, 2.81 as he's looking like an inspired acquisition. Tony Rey got him out of the 8th but made his own mess in the 9th, giving up 3 hits and a run before Jim Golunski gave up a 2-run double to score the other two runners. Golunski got through the 9th, though and the win was secure. Danny Ayala and David Vasquez each hit their 14th homer of the year, both solo shots, in the 2nd, and Omar Rodriguez deposited #20 into the seats in the 3rd. Ayala added an RBI double in the 6th as the Rays got separation.

Game 4: The Rays overcame a poor start from Jon Soranno to pull out a 7-4 win and sweep the 4-game series from the Royals. Soranno put them in an early 3-0 hole thanks in large part to the 8 (not a typo) walks he issued, finishing with a bizarre 4 2 3 3 8 4 line. He was actually in position to get the win if he could have made it through 5, but he walked two more to start the 5th. Damani Cotton took over, and after hitting a man to load the bases with nobody out, got out of the inning unscathed with a pair of whiffs, earning his 2nd win in relief. Danny Medina went 1 2/3 and Kikuo Kawase pitched the 9th for save #18. Danny Ayala was the hitting star as he's officially hot now, blasting a 2-run HR (#15) and adding a 2-run double as part of a 3-hit, 4-RBI day. It was his 5th straight multi-hit game, raising his average from .238 to .260 in the process. Daniel Malone added a 2-run homer (#7) and Will Quintana had a solo shot (#8). Jeff Baez had to leave with his annual injury, a pulled rib cage muscle that will allow him to play but hamper him for 3 weeks. Given how fragile and valuable he is, I'm just going to IL him to be on the safe side.

Team record: 63-25. Next up: 3 at home vs Houston before we hit the All-Star break.

July 10-12, 2037: vs Houston (3)
 

July 10: Placed SS Jeff Baez on the 10-day IL with a strained rib cage muscle, purchased the contract of IF Devin Boatman from AAA Durham.

As mentioned in the last post, Baez is going on the IL so as not to chance things. Coming up is Boatman, who is a defensive wizard (75 at SS) but can't hit a lick (.190 this year at Durham, .209 last season). We acquired him the winter before last for Zach Mathias, who went on to win the NL Rookie of the Year last season, so no pressure kid.

Game 1: Kevin Kerstetter had a nightmare first inning, allowing 8 runs on 3 homers, and the Rays were waxed by the Astros 10-3. Fortunately for his ERA, all but one of the runs against KK were unearned thanks to an error from Devin Boatman, handling his first MLB chance and coming in a 75-rated SS. But the inning was really on Kerstetter, who gave up a 2-run homer with 2 out to start things off and couldn't get anyone out after that, throwing 41 pitches and not making it out of the inning. Tony Rey provided some mediocre middle relief but Jeff Reece was impressive, going 4.2 2 1 1 1 6 on 62 pitches, showing off his 100+ MPH fastball. Bo Angeac knocked in a couple of runs on offense, and while it didn't come close to atoning for his error, Boatman had an RBI single in his first MLB at-bat.

Game 2: Not a lot of offense today at Publix Park but thanks to Josh Carsello the Rays didn't much and took a 3-2 win over Houston. The lefty finished the "first half" with a 6 5 2 2 1 7 outing to improve to 10-3, 2.16. He'll likely be elected to start the All-Star Game but won't since he pitched today. The bullpen did fine work over the final 3 with Tim Siqueiros going 2/3, Jim Golunski 1 1/3 and Kikuo Kawase striking out three straight batters after allowing a leadoff double in the 9th for save #19. Jon Jimenez brought home Omar Rodriguez, who had tripled, with a groundout in the 1st and Eric Titcombe (#28) and David Vasquez (#15) added solo homers to provide just enough scoring.

MLB News: Gleyber Torres tied Babe Ruth tonight with HR #714.

Game 3: It was a ridiculous game today as the Rays took a 7-2 lead, blew it, saw Houston go ahead 8-7 in the top of the 11th only for the Rays to score twice in the bottom of the inning and pull out a 9-8 walk-off win. Omar Rodriguez had a huge day, going 4-6 with HR #21 and 2 RBI and heads into the break at 360/415/665 and the runaway leader in WAR at 6.1. Jeremy Curtis had a solid 5 4 2 2 2 5 start but it took him 100 pitches, so Damani Cotton got through the 6th but Chris Toombs loaded the bases with 2 out in the 7th. Up stepped Andy Azucena for Houston, who is 30-rated for power, has never hit an MLB homer and had only 22 total in a 10-year minor league career. So of course hit he a grand slam off Toombs to make it 7-6. Jim Golunski took care of the 8th but the Astros loaded the bases with nobody out against Kikuo Kawase and he would have been out of the 9th except for an infield hit which tied it. Danny Medina then allowed a run in his 2nd inning of work but it wasn't a problem as Will Quintana led off the bottom of the frame with a walk, pinch-hitter Daniel Vasquez doubled home pinch-runner Jeff Hayes and a couple of batters later Jon Jimenez singled home Vasquez for his 3rd hit and 2nd RBI of the day and the Rays went home winners. Medina picked up win #4.

Team record: 65-26. Next up: The All-Star break of course, and then we resume play on Friday with 3 games in Toronto which a few weeks back might have looked important but the lead is now 10 games.

In today's Futures Game, Montgomery's Josh Alexander, MLB's #24 prospect, was named MVP with a homer and two walks as the AL beat the NL 6-4. His teammate Dan Anderson went 2 scoreless innings to save the game.

Meanwhile, is Danny Ayala hot? You tell me:

https://i.imgur.com/n16mG6P.png

All-Star Break 2037
 

The Rays sent their usual complement to the ASG and here are the full rosters:

https://i.imgur.com/WzpPOxP.png
https://i.imgur.com/nqXBaLc.png
https://i.imgur.com/U6dLOib.png

This was Carsello's 2nd ASG trip, his first as a Ray, the 4th in 4 seasons for Kawase, the first for Quintana, the 5th for both Hardaway and Angeac, the 3rd for Baez (who will miss the game), the 2nd for O-Rod, and the 4th for Titcombe but his first as a Ray.

Meanwhile one of these years a Ray will win the Home Run Derby but this is not that year:

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

And the game itself:

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

Congrats to Bo Angeac, whose 3-run homer was the game's big hit in an AL win and was named MVP, the latest of several Rays to achieve the honor.