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The 2025 Amateur Draft
This was not a particularly deep draft class so not the best year to have 3 first-round picks. Still we drafted so let's see what we got:
https://i.imgur.com/3u4SI0e.png Rodriguez: https://i.imgur.com/XERej83.png He's a college product from Mississippi State who had a broad-based set of skills, just none that are elite except for his ability to draw walks. He's also a mediocre shortstop so he may end up at 2B, perhaps ready to take over when Ozzie Albies' contract runs out after 2027. Carmichael: https://i.imgur.com/PO3Vyp4.png Our first supplemental pick (for losing Juan Soto) is a college catcher from Oklahoma who's surprisingly athletic, having stolen 30 bases/season with the Sooners. He looks to be a plus at the plate considering the position and projects to be a good defensive catcher. He's not going to be a JT Realmuto but could be an above-average player at the position. de Anda: https://i.imgur.com/xwmxuO8.png Our second supplemental 1st-round pick (this one for Bregman) is a high-school pitcher who'll need to develop a third pitch to be a starter but is projected to be above-average overall, so his floor is a multi-inning reliever. Wooden: https://i.imgur.com/bXgo3h1.png Our 2nd rounder is a high school pitcher as well, and he has the potential to overpowering, but also wild and homer-prone so he's a high beta pick and will be interesting to follow. Lara: https://i.imgur.com/2wNtc9J.png Rolling the dice on another HS pitcher here in the 3rd round. Lara's a little more of a longshot of course but could have elite ability to keep the ball in the park. Millien: https://i.imgur.com/Za8dRZD.png Another high school pitcher, why not? Our 4th round pick projects to be in the bullpen for now unless he develops a third pitch but could be very interesting with the stuff/control potential. These high school picks are all lottery tickets, maybe one of them hits. Byrd: https://i.imgur.com/PIVgv6p.png Back to college for our 5th round pick. Byrd looks like a potential 4th OF with a nice array of skills although the power and patience will need a bit more development. He should be able to start in full-season minor league ball. |
July 11-13, 2025: at Kansas City (3)
Game 1: 2-10 L. LP-Whitley (2-2, 3 7 7 7 2 2). HR-Mead (9). This one was over by the 4th as the Royals pounded Forrest Whitley.
Game 2: 5-1 W. WP-Rasmussen (8-4, 5 6 1 1 1 4). Ras was solid and was supported by Schmitt (2-4, 2 doubles, 2 RBI) and Alika Williams (2-4, double, 3 RBI). Game 3: 7-9 L. LP-McClanahan (3 8 8 8 2 2). HR-Mead (10), Tucker (18), Vaughn (5), Mears (19). Mac's worst outing of the year put the Rays behind 8-2 early before the bats fought back and made a game of it. Vaughn drove in 3 with his homer and a bases-loaded walk. Team record: 58-33. Despite the two losses the Rays still hold MLB's best record and an 8 1/2-game lead in the AL East as we head into the All-Star break. Next up: After the break we head to Cleveland for 3 starting on Friday. Rays moves: After the finale we optioned Luis Patino to Durham and activated Shane Baz, who has been out since last season with Tommy John surgery. Baz's ratings took a slight hit and he had a rough rehab with Durham, striking out 34 in 24 IP but allowing 7 homers. For now he'll take Patino's long relief role. Meanwhile Taj Bradley should be ready to return to the rotation when we need a 5th starter after the break. MLB News: The struggling Mets offloaded veteran reliever Kenley Jansen to Cincinnati for minor leaguers while the Cardinals signed free agent reliever Craig Kimbrel. Meanwhile on Friday night of this past weekend we had a couple of 3-homer games with Alex Bregman, who had been off to a slow start in Philadelphia, getting it done and Atlanta's Mark Vientos also pulling off the hat trick. |
All-Star Break 2025
The respective squads:
https://i.imgur.com/r5Dc1Rt.png https://i.imgur.com/BiSmkZv.png https://i.imgur.com/DiF6xNq.png Wander and Tucker were voted in, the 3rd nod for the former and 4th for the latter and first as a Ray of course. On the pitching side Luis Castillo makes his 2nd trip (and also of course 1st as a Ray) and Pete Fairbanks does likewise. Former Rays making an appearance include Juan Soto, Taylor Walls, Blake Snell, and Alex Bregman while Genesis Cabrera was once in the Rays' system. The HR Derby: https://i.imgur.com/yDAGtd2.png The game: https://i.imgur.com/Id5H2mQ.png Our Rays did well with Luis Castillo and Pete Fairbanks each pitching a perfect inning and Kyle Tucker drawing a walk and scoring the AL's first run but Ronald Acuna Jr's 3-run homer in the 8th was the memorable moment. |
July 18-20, 2025: at Cleveland (3)
Game 1: 5-8 L. LP-Taylor (2-2). Starter-Swanda (5.2 5 4 4 1 5). HR-Schmitt 2 (12). Rays squandered a 5-0 lead built on Schmitt's pair of 2-run homers, starting with Swanda allowing a pair of 2-run shots himself, Chris Gau giving up a Jose Ramirez solo shot, and Taylor giving up a run and leaving two on for Feyereisen to let them score, so everyone who took the mound had a hand (or arm) in the defeat.
Game 2: 2-0 W. WP-McClanahan (6-4, 7 2 0 0 1 4). S-Fairbanks (19). HR-Tucker (19). Mac was brilliant, bouncing back from his disaster start in KC last week, and Tucker's 2-run homer in the 8th won it. Game 3: 3-2 W (11). WP-Taylor (3-2). S-Fairbanks (20). Starter-Rasmussen (4 5 2 2 1 6). Rays were dead and buried in this one, down 2-0 after 8 and only having managed 4 hits. But a 2-run rally off Cleveland closer Clase tied it, and Josh Mears' double in the 11th set up Alika Williams to bring home the winner on a sac fly. 7 scoreless from the pen was the key today, including one from Shane Baz in his first appearance since last year. Team record: 60-34. Next up: 3 in the desert against Arizona. Rays moves: Taj Bradley was activated from the IL and will start in Arizona with Sandy Gaston optioned to Durham. MLB News: The White Sox lost starter Jameson Taillon to a torn UCL, Cincinnati's Kenley Jensen recorded his 400th save, and Kyle Higashoka had a 3-homer game for the Yankees at Fenway on Sunday. |
July 21-23, 2025: at Arizona (3)
Game 1: 8-4 W. WP-Castillo (7-2, 7 5 3 3 2 4). HR-Arozarena (14), Tucker (20), Albies (7). Tucker's 3-run shot in the 5th broke a 3-3 tie and sent the Rays on their way to the win. Arozarena added 2 doubles to go with his homer, which led off the game.
Game 2: 4-7 L. LP-Bradley (5-4, 5 9 5 4 1 3). HR-Mears (20), J.Lowe (10). A rough start for Taj in his return from the IL as he allowed 3 in the first (all with 2 out) and they never recovered. Game 3. 4-5 L (10). LP-Scott (2-4). Starter-Swanda (6 1 1 1 4 5). HR-Mears (21). This was a tough loss to swallow as the Rays had a 4-0 lead in the 7th and Swanda was pitching a no-hitter. He gave up a leadoff single in the 7th and was pulled at 93 pitches for Ryan Pressly, who promptly gave up back-to-back homers to make it 4-3. Fairbanks then blew his first save of the year in the 9th by giving up a 2-out RBI single and after the D-backs loaded the bases with 2 out against Tanner Scott in the 10th, Chris Gau came in and hit Ramon Laureano to force in the winning run. Team record: 61-36. After losing 6 of 9 of this road trip sandwiched around the ASB, the Rays are still 7 up on the Yankees in the division. Next up: A day off to fly back home where NL East-leading Atlanta (59-38) and former Ray (and 2025 All-Star) Taylor Walls await us. Rays News: At long last our national nightmare is over. Or something like that as Wander Franco has been sent on a rehab to Durham after missing the last two months with injury. The only problem is that Durham is off this week with the AAA All-Star break so we might have to wait an extra 4-5 days to get him back after enough at-bats. MLB News: Former Rays reliever Andrew Kittredge, who signed a free agent deal with the White Sox this winter, has been shipped to Atlanta for a minor leaguer so perhaps we'll be facing him this weekend. However Atlanta will be without star OF Joey Gallo, who will miss 5 weeks with back spasms. Gallo was only hitting 281/412/702 with 37 HR in 302 AB, so it's not like they're going to miss him or anything. |
July 25-27, 2025: vs Atlanta (3)
Game 1: 6-1 W. WP-McClanahan (7-4, 6 3 1 1 0 4). HR-Schmitt (13), J.Lowe (11). Schmitt's 3-run homer in the 4th put the Rays ahead to stay and Mac was excellent again.
Game 2: 6-4 W. WP-Gau (9-2). S-Fairbanks (21). Starter-Rasmussen (4.2 8 3 3 3 7). HR-Albies (8). Ozzie Albies had a big game against his former team with a 2-run HR and RBI single, and Arozarena's fielder's choice RBI in the 6th broke a 4-4 tie. Game 3: 2-5 L. LP-Castillo (7-3, 4.1 5 5 5 5 2). HR-Tucker (21). Luis Castillo had his worst game as a Ray, especially with the walks, and the final two against him were walked in with the bases loaded by Forrest Whitley. Max Fried went 5 2/3 scoreless, shutting down the offense. Team record: 63-37. Despite taking 2 of 3 from a tough opponent we lost ground as the Yanks swept the Jays and crept to within 6 of us in the division. Next up: 3 more at home, against Seattle. Rays News: Tanner Scott pulled a hamstring in the finale and will be out a month. Rather than bring Luis Patino or Sandy Gaston back up, JP Sears is summoned from Durham to give us a third lefty in the pen. Lefty Jovani Moran, who has been great this year, will move up to higher-leverage situations with Scott out. Also Wander Franco went 5 for 13 with a homer and 3 RBI over the weekend with the Bulls and I'm deeming him ready for return against Seattle. Alika Williams, who was better than expected in Wander's stead, goes back to Durham and Royce Lewis stays up as the utility IF as he has more position versatility. |
July 28-30, 2025: vs Seattle (3)
Game 1: 6-2 W. WP-Gau (10-2). Starter-Swanda (5 7 2 2 1 3). HR-Vaughn (6), Mears (22). Rays turned the game around in the 6th on a pair of homers with Mears' solo shot tying it and Vaughn's 2-run blast proving to be the game-winner. Chris Gau continues to pile up the relief wins.
Game 2: 5-1 W. WP-Bradley (6-4, 8 4 1 1 1 9). HR-Albies (9), Vaughn (7). Taj Bradley pitched the best game of his short MLB career and a 2-run homer by Albies in the 2nd and a 3-run shot by Vaughn in the 3rd provided all the offense. Game 3. 4-6 L (13). LP-Taylor (3-3). Starter-McClanahan (5 2 4 4 4 5). HR-Schmitt (14). Mac couldn't hold leads of 3-0 and 4-3 and the offense squandered several chances late and in extras to get the winner home, and then Jarred Kelenic took Josh Taylor deep in the 13th to win it for Seattle. Team record: 65-38. The Yankees took 2 of 3 as well so the lead stays at 6 games. Next up: A day off to fly to the west coast as we visit Anaheim and the Angels for 3. LA has an identical 65-38 record so it should a good series. Rays News: We're letting the trade deadline pass without making any more deals. The Luis Castillo deal in May solved our need for a starter and while an extra bullpen arm might have been welcome, Shane Baz has been like a deadline acquisition as he's been lights-out since coming back from injury. MLB News: The deadline passed without any major deals, with the biggest seeing Oakland deal JT Ginn to the Cubs for Alexander Canario in a swap of two promising young players, while the Mets sent Starling Marte to Baltimore for a mid-level prospect. Players of the Month: AL-Juan Soto (NYY), .333-9-28; NL-Matt Olson (ATL) .381-10-24. Pitchers of the Month: AL-Jacob deGrom (NYY), 4-1, 2.66; NL-Shelby Lackey (LAD), 2-0, 1.23, 7 saves. Ronny Simon of Durham was named the IL Player of the Month for July after a .337-6-21 performance. He's a longshot to help the big club though. |
August 1-3, 2025: at LA Angels (3)
Game 1: 5-6 L. LP-Taylor (3-4). Starter-Castillo (5 5 0 0 1 8). HR-J.Lowe (12), Tucker (22). A dreadful night for the Rays as Castillo left after 5 and 93 pitches with a 5-0 lead, only for the pen to blow it. Forrest Whitley was handed the ball in the 6th, only to give up 3 runs on 2 homers, Jovani Moran gave up another, and then Josh Taylor surrendered a 2-run shot in the 8th to AJ Pollock.
Game 2: 3-5 L. LP-Gau (10-3). Starter-Rasmussen (4.2 5 3 3 1 4). HR-Tucker (23). Deja vu all over again as an early 3-0 lead disappeared, first off Ramsussen then Moran gave up another critical homer, a 2-run shot to Nick Castellanos in the 7th. Game 3: 9-6 W. WP-Swanda (8-6, 5.1 6 4 4 1 7). HR-Schmitt (15), Mead (11), Tucker (24). A 3-run shot by Schmitt and a 2-run homer by Mead in the 1st gave Tampa Bay a quick 5-0 lead but just like the first two games the Angels fought back, getting within 7-5 in the 6th. But unlike the first two games the Rays kept tacking on runs; still, Fairbanks had to survive a 9th in which he allowed a run and left the bases loaded. Schmitt added a run-scoring double to give him a 4-RBI day. Team record: 66-40, still 6 up in the division as the Yanks also lost 2 of 3, but they lost ground to the Angels and KC and are now the #3 seed in the AL. Next up: The road trip rolls on with 3 in Minnesota. Rays News: A couple of guys who were recently with the team won't be back up soon as Alika Williams (strained back, 2 weeks) and Sandy Gaston (sore shoulder, 4 weeks) both suffered injuries at Durham. MLB News: The weekend wasn't all good news for the Angels as closer Raisel Iglesias had to leave Saturday's game against us with what turned out to be a torn flexor tendon and he will on the shelf for a year. |
August 4-6, 2025: at Minnesota (3)
Game 1: 5-4 W. WP-Sears (1-0). S-Taylor (6). Starter-Bradley (5 3 2 1 1 5). HR-Vaughn (8), Arozarena (15), Albies (10). Rays lost a 3-1 lead before Albies' 2-run homer in the 8th won it, and the pen had to work out of a few jams late to hang on. Arozarena was 3-4 with a 2-run shot.
Game 2: 6-1 W. WP-McClanahan (8-4, 7 3 1 1 2 9). HR-Schmitt (16), Tucker (25). Mac pitched perhaps his best game of the year and he had plenty of support with 6 different Rays driving in runs. Game 3: 5-7 L. LP-Castillo (7-4, 5 7 7 7 2 6). HR-Schmitt (17), Tucker (26). Luis Castillo had his worst start as a Ray although he was great in 4 of his 5 innings. Problem was he gave up 7 in the 3rd capped by a Cavan Biggio slam. They almost came back, scoring twice and leaving the bases loaded in the 9th as old friend Nick Anderson struck out pinch-hitter Andrew Vaughn to end the game. Team record: 68-41. The Yankees were swept by Toronto so the lead has ballooned back up to 8 games. Next up: After an off-day we're finally back home for 3 against Baltimore. Rays News: Jeremiah Jackson is finally over his injury and has gone out on a rehab assignment to Durham. |
August 8-10, 2025: vs Baltimore (3)
Game 1: 4-7 L. LP-Rasmussen (8-5, 4 6 4 3 3 5). HR-Schmitt (18). Rays were down 4-0 by the 2nd and couldn't quite catch up although they got within 5-4. Casey Schmitt did homer for the third straight game.
Game 2: 6-2 W. WP-Swanda (9-6, 6 6 2 2 0 4). HR-Albies (11), Tucker (27). Albies' 2-run 6th-inning homer put them up 3-2 and then Tucker added a 3-run shot for insurance in the 8th. Game 3: 2-5 L. LP-Fairbanks (1-3). Starter-Bradley (5 4 1 1 4 4). A tough one for Tampa Bay as they took a 2-1 lead into the 9th with the usually-reliable Fairbanks on to close, but he gave up a string of hits and a couple of sac flies and Baltimore had 4 runs in the 9th to win. Fairbanks seems to go through one of these funks each year and he's blown two saves in his last five outings and allowed runs in 3 of them. Team record: 69-43. The Yankees swept the Phillies to move back within 6 games of the division lead. Next up: Cleveland visits for 3 games. MLB News: Having already missed a chunk of the season previously, the Padres lost superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. for another month with a knee sprain, not great news as they cling to a 1-game lead in the NL West. |
August 11-13, 2025: vs Cleveland (3)
Game 1: 3-2 W. WP-Gau (11-3). S-Fairbanks (22). Starter-McClanahan (4.2 5 2 1 3 6). HR-J.Lowe (13). Josh Lowe's 5th-inning solo homer broke a 2-2 tie and the pen got the job done from there with 5 1/3 hitless innings.
Game 2: 1-2 L. LP-Taylor (3-5). Starter-Castillo (5 6 1 1 3 5). The offense was muted and Cleveland won the game in the 8th when Josh Taylor came in and couldn't get anyone out, loading the bases before the winning run scored on a sac fly. Game 3: 7-3 W. WP-Rasmussen (9-5, 7 6 3 3 0 3). S-Sears (1). HR-Mead (12), Arozarena (16). Ras was unusually efficient, needing only 65 pitches to get through 7 although he did allow a couple of homers to put the Rays down 3-0 before they scored 7 times over the 6th, 7th and 8th to pull it out. Arozarena's 2-run homer in the 7th put them ahead for good, and Mead drove in 3 including his 2-run shot in the 6th to get them on the board. With lefties due and Moran and Taylor fatigued, JP Sears got them through the 8th and stayed on for the 9th after the lead expanded to get his first MLB save. Team record: 71-44. The Yankees swept Minnesota, so despite taking 2 of 3 the Rays saw their lead drop to 5 games. Next up: An off-day then back on the road for 3 in Detroit. The Tigers are 60-55 and sit in the second wild card spot. Rays News: Jeremiah Jackson re-injured himself on rehab, pulling a hamstring so he'll be out another 3 weeks. MLB News: One of those Yankee wins was a Zach Eflin no-hitter in which he was nearly perfect. Eflin allowed only one runner, hitting Byron Buxton with a pitch but getting an immediate double play as he faced the minimum 27 batters, struck out 10 and did it on 99 pitches to record a Maddux as well. |
August 15-17, 2025: at Detroit (3)
Game 1: 4-14 L. LP-Swanda (9-7, 1.1 5 7 6 2 2). HR-Franco (11). Wander homered to lead off the game and it went badly after that with Swanda and Whitley combining to allow the Tigers 9 runs in the first two innings.
Game 2: 3-4 L (13). LP-Baz (0-1). Starter-Bradley (5 3 2 2 4 2). HR-Mears 2 (24). Mears kept them in the game with a pair of homers including the equalizer in the 7th, but they couldn't rub two sticks together in extras and eventually lost on a walk-off homer allowed by Baz in the 13th. Game 3: 4-6 L. LP-Feyereisen (0-3). Starter-McClanahan (4.1 8 3 2 2 5). HR-J.Lowe (14). A gut-punch of a loss as the Rays were one out away from winning before Feyereisen gave up a 3-run homer to Justin Turner in the bottom of the 9th to let Detroit walk it off again and sweep the series, after the Rays had taken a 4-3 lead in the top of the inning. Team record: 71-47. The only silver lining in this dreadful weekend was that the Yankees dropped 2 of 3 to Kansas City so they only shaved one game off the division lead which is down to 4. Next up: If the Rays don't win the next series that lead will be even slimmer as they head to Yankee Stadium for 3 games including two scheduled against Gerrit Cole and Jacob deGrom. Wheeee! MLB News: Atlanta lost star OF Ronald Acuna Jr. for a month with a fractured thumb and White Sox closer Garrett Crochet tore his UCL. |
August 19-21, 2025: at NY Yankees (3)
Game 1: 5-9 L. LP-Castillo (3.1 8 6 6 4 2). HR-Arozarena (17), J.Lowe (15). Rays fell behind big early as Castillo turned in his third poor start in his last five outings, and the Yankees pulled to within 3 of the division lead.
Game 2: 7-4 W. WP-Sears (2-0). S-Taylor (7). Starter-Rasmussen (4.2 7 4 4 3 2). HR-Tucker (28). Rays put all 7 on the board in the first 5 but Ras couldn't get it done to get the win. Instead the bullpen went 4 1/3 scorless allowing only 1 hit led by former Yankee JP Sears, who went 2 2/3 and hasn't allowed a run in 13.1 IP since being recalled. The win was costly though as we lost our keystone combo of Wander (herniated disc, 4 weeks) and Albies (back stiffness, 10 days) once again. Transactions: The middle infield shuffle returns with Wander and Albies going on the IL and Alika Williams and Brett Wisely back up from Durham. Unfortunately Jeremiah Jackson re-injured himself so we can't go with him as we've been snakebit at 2B and SS. Game 3: 4-3 W (12). WP-Gau (12-3). Starter-Swanda (6 7 3 3 0 6). HR-Schmitt (19). The pen came through again with 6 scoreless innings, including two by Gau who has 3 more wins than anyone else on the staff. Arozarena's RBI single in the 12th was the winner in an extremely important game, and Schmitt was 3-5 with his 2-run HR and now has 83 RBI in a successful rookie season. Team record: 73-48, now 5 up on New York after this pivotal series. Next up: Back home for 3 vs Toronto. |
August 22-24, 2025: vs Toronto (3)
Game 1: 9-6 W. WP-Baz (1-1). S-Feyereisen (2). Starter-Bradley (4.1 5 3 3 2 6). HR-J.Lowe (16), Schmitt (20). A back-and-forth game which saw the Rays give the lead away twice before Schmitt's 3-run homer in the bottom of the 7th made it 7-6. Josh Lowe was 3-5 with his homer and Baz picked up the win despite allowing a 3-run Vlad Jr. homer.
Game 2: 6-3 W. WP-McClanahan (9-4, 6 3 1 1 4 4). S-Pressly (3). HR-Vazquez (6), Tucker (29), Schmitt (21). Schmitt was 4-4 with a 2-run homer while Josh Lowe was 2-3 with 2 steals and 2 runs scored. Game 3: 2-1 W (13). WP-Baz (2-1). Starter-Castillo (6 3 0 0 1 7). Casey Schmitt's great series and week concluded with the walk-off winner, an RBI single in the bottom of the 13th. Josh Mears had 3 hits including 2 doubles and scored the Rays' run in regulation as they won their 5th straight. Team record: 76-48. The Yankees lost 2 of 3 in Boston and another on our off-day so the lead is back up to a comfortable 7 1/2 games after it was down to 3 only five days ago. Next up: An off-day then we play 3 at Texas. The league recognized Casey Schmitt's big week: https://i.imgur.com/ao4MKkG.png MLB News: Lorenzo Cain, whom we picked up as a rental last year and helped us win a World Series, will not be returning to the Fall Classic this year regardless of whether his Phillies return as he broke his kneecap and is done for the year. |
August 26-28, 2025: at Texas (3)
Game 1: 3-5 L (10). LP-Sears (2-1). Starter-Rasmussen (6 5 1 1 0 8). HR-Tucker (30), Vaughn (9). Andrew Vaughn's 2-run homer in the 9th appeared to give the Rays a 3-1 win but Fairbanks blew the save in the bottom of the inning and JP Sears picked a bad time to give up his first runs with the big club this season, surrendering a 2-run shot to Marcus Semien to let Texas walk it off.
Game 2: 9-1 W. WP-Swanda (10-7, 5.1 4 0 0 2 4). HR-Arozarena 2 (19), Mead (13). Arozarena led off the game with a homer, doubled, and added a 3-run shot later as the Rays romped. Mead's homer was a 3-run jack as well. Game 3: 4-5 L. LP-Pressly (6-1). Starter-Bradley (4.2 6 0 0 0 5). HR-Mead (14), DeLoach (2). Another blown game by the pen as they took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the 8th before Jovani Moran (who has been great all season) and Ryan Pressly (who was great in the first half and shaky in the second) combined to allow 4 Texas runs to doom the Rays to defeat. And to add injury to insult Taj Bradley tore his meniscus, ending his season. He was really outstanding when healthy (6-4, 2.71, 29/96 BB/K ratio in 96 IP) but that was the rub - he was on the IL multiple times this year. Team record: 77-50. The Yankees split the two games they played so the lead is 7 games and the magic # to clinch the division is 29. Next up: We return home for 3 vs Minnesota. Transaction: Bradley went on the 60-day IL, finally giving us a 40-man opening which we might use for someone we want on the playoff roster. For now, Luis Patino is recalled and Shane Baz will take Bradley's rotation spot. |
August 29-31, 2025: vs Minnesota (3)
Game 1: 5-3 W (10). WP-Taylor (4-5). Starter-McClanahan (5.2 5 2 2 3 2). HR-Schmitt (22), Vaughn (10), J.Lowe (17). Looked like the Rays had won in regulation on Vaughn's pinch-homer in the bottom of the 8th which made it 3-2 but Fairbanks blew the save. Josh Lowe came to the rescue though with a 2-run walk-off blast in the bottom of the 10th.
Game 2: 3-2 W (10). WP-Taylor (5-5). Starter-Castillo (7 5 2 2 1 5). HR-Vaughn (11). Vaughn came up big again as the Rays walked it off in extras once again on his solo homer. Josh Taylor picked up the win retiring only one batter for the second straight day. Transaction: Ozzie Albies was activated off the IL and Brett Wisley optioned to Durham. Game 3: 6-1 W. WP-Rasmussen (10-5, 5 2 1 0 7 3). HR-Vaughn (12), Mears (25), Tucker (31). Weird game for Ras with all the walks but he kept getting out of trouble. Vaughn homered for the third straight game and may be on the verge of taking the 1B job from Mead. Team record: 80-50. The magic number is down to 24 for the division and more importantly the Rays have re-passed KC and the Angels to regain the league's best record (in fact they now have MLB's best record). Next up: 4 games in Toronto. The Jays are 3 back of the third wild card and are making a run, having won 5 straight. MLB News: Players of the Month: AL-Juan Soto (NYY), .349-8-22 (looking like he'll repeat as MVP); NL-Nolan Gorman (ARI), .340-8-33. Pitchers of the Month: AL-Sonny Gray (HOU) 4-0, 2.30; NL-Nick Lodolo (CIN) 5-0, 2.95. Manny Machado also recorded his 2000th hit. Rays News: Sandy Gaston's sore shoulder is not recovering as quickly as hoped and now he has an "uncertain return date", so he may not be the X-factor he was in last year's playoffs come this postseason. |
September 1-4, 2025: at Toronto (4)
Game 1: 1-3 L. LP-Swanda (10-8, 5.2 6 2 2 2 6). HR-Schmitt (23). Rays were shut down by Toronto's Luis Medina and got their only run when Schmitt homered with 2 out in the 9th.
Game 2: 5-7 L. LP-Baz (2-2, 3.1 10 6 6 1 2). Shane Baz's return to the rotation was a disaster and included in that lousy line was 2 more homers allowed, giving him 6 coughed up in 23 IP since returning from injury. The bats made a nice effort to come back from the 6-0 hole he put them in, but not enough. Game 3: 9-1 W. WP-McClanahan (10-4, 6 3 1 1 3 5). HR-Schmitt (24). A good old-fashioned rout led by Andrew Vaughn, who was 4-5 with 4 RBI singles. Vaughn has wrested the 1B job from Curtis Mead and has been our hottest hitter the last couple of weeks. Schmitt, who has also been hot, was 3-6 with the homer and 2 RBI. Game 4: 3-4 L. LP-Pressly (6-2). Starter-Castillo (1 1 1 1 0 1). Quite simply the worst game of the season of the Rays, and not just because they lost a late 3-2 lead when Ryan Pressly's inability to get people out in the 2nd half of the season manifested itself again when he gave up 2 in the 8th. No, it was the abbreviated outing of Luis Castillo you see above that created the dark cloud as he suffered an elbow strain and is done for the season. With Taj Bradley on the shelf the Rays have now lost 2 of their 3 most effective starters this year and are in poor shape for a title repeat. And it wasn't just Castillo - just when Andrew Vaughn had gotten hot and won the 1B job, he too is done for the year after suffering an oblique strain today. Combined with the fact that the Yankees swept a 4-game home-and-home with the Marlins and are in a nominal race again at 6 back, it was a dark day indeed. Team record: 81-53. Next up: Back home for 3 vs Houston. Rays news/transactions: As a result of the injuries Luis Patino now moves back into the rotation to take Castillo's spot; Patino had looked good since returning with 6 scoreless over 2 long relief outings. Colby White is back up to take Castillo's spot on the staff. On the position player side, Jeremiah Jackson is activated from his second rehab assignment and will take over at SS from Alika Williams, who was sent back to Durham, until Wander returns in a couple of weeks. To take Vaughn's roster spot Kyle Manzardo gets the call for the first time. The 2nd round pick from 2021 has MLB-caliber hit and power tools even though he wasn't tearing up Durham (265/322/462 with 14 HR). He'll get some starts at 1B against righties to see what we have. MLB News: The Rays weren't the only team suffering serious injuries. Houston will come into town without Yordan Alvarez, who severely strained a hip muscle and is out 6 weeks, and the Angels, who are locked in a battle with the Rays for a playoff bye, lost 2B Gavin Lux for 2025 to elbow ligament reconstruction surgery. |
September 5-7, 2025: vs Houston (3)
Game 1: 7-5 W. WP-Rasmussen (11-5, 5.2 6 5 5 1 5, 4 HR). S-Fairbanks (23). HR-Schmitt (25), Mears (26), Tucker (32). Ras was handed a 5-0 lead on a Schmitt slam (which brought the rookie to 100 RBI) and a Mears solo shot, but gave it all back on 4 homers to Houston to let them tie. Fortunately Tucker struck against his old team with a 2-run shot in the bottom of the 5th and the pen held from there.
Game 2: 2-1 W. WP-Swanda (11-8, 6 3 1 1 2 3). S-Fairbanks (24). HR-Tucker (33). Tucker won it again against his former club with a solo homer in the 6th to break a 1-1 tie while Swanda was outstanding. Kyle Manzardo made his MLB debut and was 0-4. Game 3: 6-3 W. WP-Patino (5-1, 6 3 2 2 0 8). HR-Albies (12), J.Lowe (18). Luis Patino was outstanding in his return to the rotation, giving up a pair of solo homers and nothing else and Albies and Lowe hit 2-run homers to pace the offense as the Rays completed the sweep. Team record: 84-53. The dark cloud of earlier in the week was lifted with the sweep and an Oakland sweep of the Yankees so the division race is really over at 9 games with the magic # down to 17. Next up: A big series in the only race that matters now, the one for a playoff bye. Kansas City, 1/2 game behind the Rays for the #2 seed, visits for 3 games. Tampa Bay is one game behind the Angels for the top seed. MLB News: The Angels will have to do without two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani for the next 2-3 weeks with a bone bruise in his wrist after being hit by a pitch. Also former Rays reliever Oliver Drake announced his retirement effective at season's end. Meanwhile here's a look at the standings as we're down to the season's final weeks: https://i.imgur.com/koyLOFy.png A historically bad season for the Giants, who are at risk of having the worst record since the notorious 2003 Tigers. |
September 8-10, 2025: vs Kansas City (3)
Game 1: 1-4 L. LP-Baz (2-3, 5.1 5 3 3 3 5). Rays got a run on two hits in the first inning and had none of either the rest of the way as the Royals moved ahead of them into the second seed in the AL.
Game 2: 2-3 L. LP-McClanahan (10-5, 7 6 3 3 1 6). Nick Gordon homered for the second straight day with today's off Mac breaking a 2-2 tie in the 7th as the Rays fell further back in the seeding race. Game 3: 4-3 W. WP-Taylor (6-5). Starter-Rasmussen (5 5 3 3 2 4). HR-Tucker (33). Ras couldn't hold a 3-0 lead but the Rays won anyway in the bottom of the 9th when Arozarena singled, stole second, went to third on the bad throw and scored on a Royce Lewis single. Team record: 85-55. The Yankees swept their series so the magic # was only reduced by one to 16. Next up: An off-day then we head to the west coast for 3 at San Diego. The Padres are in the thick of a tight NL West race, only 1 up on Colorado. |
September 12-14, 2025: at San Diego (3)
Game 1: 4-2 W. WP-Swanda (12-8, 5.1 4 2 2 3 4). S-Fairbanks (25). HR-Mead (15). Mead's 2-run homer in the 4th proved to be the difference as the bullpen was excellent with 3 2/3 scoreless.
Game 2: 1-0 W. WP-Patino (6-1, 7 3 0 0 1 5). S-Fairbanks (26). Luis Patino has been a revelation since being brought back up a few weeks ago and today he shackled his old team to make it 2 runs allowed in 19 IP with a 4/19 BB/K ratio in that span. He may be pitching his way into the playoff rotation after the injuries to Taj Bradley and Luis Castillo. Speaking of injuries, we were dealt yet another serious blow when Josh Lowe broke a bone in his elbow scoring the game's only run in the 1st inning on a Mead RBI single. Not only is Lowe done for the year but he's likely out until May-June of next season, a shame as he was having a great bounce-back season (2.3 WAR in 300 AB). Game 3: 3-2 W (15). WP-Sears (3-1). Starter-Baz (5 8 2 2 0 4). HR-Mead (16), J.Jackson (6). Jeremiah Jackson's homer in the top of the 15th helped end a 5-hour, 20-minute marathon as the Rays completed the sweep of the Padres and dropped San Diego into 2nd in the NL West. They went 13 innings without scoring after Curtis Mead's career-high 16th homer, a 2-run shot in the 1st, capped a big weekend for him. Sears was the 9th pitcher for the Rays who thankfully have an off-day tomorrow. Transactions: Goodbye Josh Lowe but hello Wander Franco as our star SS returns from his rehab assignment and was in the lineup in the finale for the first time in nearly a month. The rust showed a bit as he went 1-7. Royce Lewis was also sent down after the finale and Heliot Ramos gets the call as we needed another OF. Lineup-wise this will likely make a regular of Michael A. Taylor, whose Gold Glove-caliber defense in CF will be appreciated (he made an incredible running catch on the final batter to preserve the 1-0 win in the second game) with Arozarena sliding over to LF. Randy was decent in center (about a 0 ZR) but is Gold Glove-caliber himself in LF. Team record: 88-55. A great weekend for Tampa Bay as they reduced their magic number to 11 and the Royals were swept at home by top-seed LA, so the Rays are now two games up on KC for the all-important 2nd seed and a bye. Next up: An off-day to travel coast-to-coast again and they'll land in Baltimore where they'll play 3. |
September 16-18, 2025: at Baltimore (3)
Game 1: 12-3 W. WP-McClanahan (11-5, 5.2 8 3 3 0 5). HR-Franco (12), M.Taylor 2 (2). Michael A. Taylor homered twice and drove in five to lead the Rays to a rout of the Orioles. Wander set the tone by leading off the game with a dinger and was 3-6, scoring 4 times.
Game 2: 2-3 L. LP-Pressly (6-3). Starter-Rasmussen (6 2 2 2 0 5). After a few good outings it looked like Ryan Pressly was turning the corner but brought into in a 2-2 game in the 8th he gave up a homer to let Baltimore win. The bats were held to four hits with Tucker's 2-run double the only one of significance. Game 3: 5-9 L. LP-Swanda (12-9, 3 9 8 5 0 0, 2 HR). HR-Mead (17), Pinto (4). Swanda was awful, and although the Rays tied it up at 5 in the 3rd on Pinto's homer and another 2-run Tucker double, the righty gave it right back to Baltimore on a night he had nothing. Team record: 89-57. The magic # is down to 10 and the Yankees actually did us a favor by sweeping KC so we still lead them by 2 1/2 for the 2-seed. Next up: Finally back home for 3 vs Boston. MLB News: Aaron Judge of the Cubs hit career homer #300. |
September 19-21, 2025: vs Boston (3)
Game 1: 9-0 W. WP-Whitley (3-2). Starter-Patino (2 2 0 0 0 2). HR-Schmitt (26), Tucker (35), Franco (13). Luis Patino had to leave early with a minor oblique strain but won't miss his next start and the bats had a big night with Schmitt driving in 4 to give the rookie 106 while Tucker's 3-run shot has him at 111. Five pitchers combined on the shutout.
Game 2: 4-14 L. LP-Baz (2-4, 3.1 7 6 6 2 4). HR-J.Jackson (7). Don't think there's much mystery as to who the 4th playoff starter behind McClanahan, Rasmussen and Swanda will be as Baz has been horrible while Patino has shone of late. After a team shutout the staff couldn't get anyone out today. Game 3: 4-11 L. LP-McClanahan (11-6, 3 6 6 2 4 3). HR-Pinto (5). Another shellacking of the staff, it took Mac 90 pitches to get through those 3 innings. Not sure a team has allowed 25 runs in a 3-game series while still pitching a shutout. Rene Pinto at least had a good day with an RBI single and 2-run homer. Team record: 90-59. Magic number is down to 8 for the division, and we're still 2 1/2 up on the free-falling Royals for a bye. Next up: An off-day then the Cubs come to town. Chicago is in the thick of a race that puts the "wild" in wild card over in the NL: https://i.imgur.com/VpyI6BD.png |
September 23-25, 2025: vs Chicago Cubs (3)
Game 1: 7-6 W (17). WP-Swanda (13-9). Starter-Rasmussen (5 2 1 1 2 5). HR-Franco (14), Schmitt (27). Wander's 2-run homer in the 7th gave us a 4-1 win, which should have been enough to win, but Pressly gave up 2 more runs in the 8th and after it was 5-3 Fairbanks blew the save with 2 allowed and on and on we went. The teams traded runs in the 16th before Casey Schmitt walked it off in the 17th with a homer, making a winner of Swanda who was supposed to be tomorrow night's starter but instead was the 11th pitcher of the night for the Rays. Ozzie Albies had 5 hits on the night including 3 doubles.
Game 2: 1-4 L. LP-Patino (6-2, 4 8 2 2 2 3). Patino's first (semi-)lousy start since coming back up, and the bats were shackled by Chicago's Walker Buehler. Game 3: 6-3 W. WP-Gau (13-3). S-Fairbanks (27). Starter-Baz (4.2 5 2 2 4 7). HR-Tucker (36), Mead (18). Wander's RBI double and a Mead solo shot keyed a 3-run 5th which put the Rays ahead to stay. Tucker was 3-4 with the homer, a triple and 2 RBI. Team record: 92-60. The magic # is down to 5 and with the Royals dropping a pair in Philly the Rays' lead for the #2 seed is up to 3 1/2 games with 10 left. MLB News: The Mets, in a battle for both the NL East (a bit of a longshot) and a wild card (along with half the league), lost closer Andres Munoz for the rest of the season with a fractured elbow. And the Blue Jays, in a 3-way battle with Detroit and Chicago for two wild card spots in the AL, suffered a big blow when star SS Bo Bichette tore his hamstring and will be out three weeks. Rays News: We claimed catcher Drew Romo on waivers. The supplemental first-round pick of the Rockies in 2020 was dealt to Arizona in June and they waived him. He's not much of a hitter (40 contact/45 power) but has a 70 glove behind the plate so he'll make a potentially good backup. For now he's off to Durham. |
September 26-28, 2025: vs Milwaukee (3)
Game 1: 3-2 W. WP-Fairbanks (2-3). Starter-McClanahan (4.1 4 2 0 2 3, 96 pitches). Rays walked it off in the 9th when Josh Mears hit a pinch-double and scored on Rene Pinto's RBI single. Unfortunately we lost standout lefty reliever Jovani Moran for the year with recurring back spasms; he had 102 whiffs in 64.2 IP, a 1.67 ERA and 1.9 WAR. He was a weapon who will be missed.
Transaction: Moran goes on the IL and to replace him with another lefty we brought up a blast from the past, Josh Fleming, who had been operating as Durham's closer. Game 2: 1-4 L. LP-Swanda (13-10, 4.1 6 3 3 4 3). HR-Albies (13). Corbin Burnes shut down the Rays to the tune of 8 4 1 1 2 7, allowing only the Albies homer. Game 3: 2-1 W. WP-Pressly (7-3). S-Fairbanks (28). Starter-Rasmussen (5.1 5 1 1 2 1). Curtis Mead's 2-run double in the 8th pulled out the win for the Rays who, combined with the Yankees being swept in Cincinnati, clinched the AL East with 7 games to go. Unfortunately the win was once again costly as this time we lost Mead, who suffered a concussion on the game-winning hit and is also out for the playoffs. We've now lost Luis Castillo and Taj Bradley from the rotation, Moran from the pen, and both our 1B, Mead and Andrew Vaughn. It's getting ridiculous. Team record: 94-61. Next up: This series closed out our regular season home schedule; barring a complete collapse the next game at the Trop will be Game 1 of the ALDS. We will close things out on the road with 4 in Baltimore and 3 in Boston, a pair of teams long out of it. Going into the final week of the season the wild card races in both leagues remain wide open: https://i.imgur.com/2VqGhiy.png The divisions are spoken for in the AL but in the NL Atlanta is only 1 up on Philly and San Diego 2 on the Dodgers so there's intrigue there as well. |
September 29-October 2, 2025: at Baltimore (4)
Game 1: 7-11 L. LP-Patino (6-3, 3.1 9 9 9 4 1, 3 HR). HR-Vazquez (7), J.Jackson (8), Manzardo (1). Whatever good vibes we had from Luis Patino after returning from the minors are pretty much gone now after this disastrous outing. It was 11-1 before the bats got going with the highlight being Kyle Manzardo's first MLB homer, a 3-run shot.
Game 2: 4-5 L. LP-Feyereisen (0-4). Starter-Baz (4.1 7 2 1 2 3). HR-Tucker (37), Franco (15). Another guy who seemed to turning things around came up wanting today as J.P. Feyereisen was entrusted with a 4-2 lead in the 8th and gave up 3 runs on 4 hits without getting anyone out. 2-run homers by Tucker and Wander had given them the lead before it was blown. Game 3: 8-2 W. WP-McClanahan (12-6, 7 4 0 0 1 4). HR-Albies (14). Mac closed his regular season with a flourish and finished the year with a 3.31 ERA and 3.6 WAR. Albies drove in 3 with a homer and Wander and the slumping Josh Mears each drove in a pair. Game 4: 0-11 L. LP-Swanda (13-11, 2.1 7 7 7 3 2). At the other end of the spectrum is Swanda, who saw his final 2025 ERA rise to 5.01 after this horrible start. In the last post I said the Rays' next game at the Trop would be the ALDS barring a collapse, and that's what they're working on here as the Royals swept their series and gained 2 1/2 games on us to pull within 1 for the #2 seed. And we'll have to finish ahead of them outright since they took the season series 4-2. Team record: 95-64. Next up: 3 in Boston to finish the regular season, which a few days ago looked meaningless but are now vitally important. MLB Playoff Update: The races in both leagues continue to be insane: https://i.imgur.com/n7sI9tH.png Normally the 3-way race for the second and third wild cards in the AL would be the talk of baseball, but relative to what's going on in the NL that seems cut and dried. Seven(!) teams within one game of the third wild card going into the final weekend in the NL, just amazing. And the NL East isn't decided yet either as Atlanta is only one game up on both the Phillies and Mets. There are no head-to-head matchups in the AL but in the NL the Phillies play the Mets (which is to Atlanta's benefit) and the Reds (who are almost there) play the Cubs. A few serious injuries have cropped up with the contenders, none moreso than the Dodgers losing Freddie Freeman with a ruptured MCL which will not only cost him the rest of 2025 but at least the first half of the 2026 season. Over in Anaheim the Angels will be without Anthony Rendon for the playoffs thanks to an intercostal strain. Minor League Update: AAA Durham won a tiebreaker game to clinch a wild card in the International League, AA Montgomery is up 3-2 in their SL playoff series against Pensacola, and A+ Bowling Green lost their playoff series in 7 games, so good years all around for our affiliates. I'll update Durham and Montgomery's progress as we go forward. |
October 3-5, 2025: at Boston (3)
Game 1: 1-8 L. LP-Rasmussen (11-6, 5 7 3 2 0 4). It was 3-1 after 6 before the bullpen let it get away but it probably didn't matter as the bats were held to only four hits.
Game 2: 3-4 L. LP-Feyereisen (0-5). Starter-Patino (5 6 3 3 0 7). HR-Albies (15). They battled back from 3-0 to tie it up, only for Feyereisen to lose it in the 7th as the Rays circle the drain heading into the playoffs. The loss took the #2 seed out of their hands as KC tied them in the standings and have the tiebreaker. Game 3: 6-7 L. LP-Baz (2-5, 3 6 5 5 2 3). HR-Albies (16). It's hard to understate how bad Baz has been after being forced into the rotation with the injuries to Bradley and Castillo. Anyway he put us in a hole from which we couldn't climb out despite a late comeback and a 4-hit, 2-RBI game from Wander. It didn't matter anyway since KC won their game and with a 3 1/2-game lead over the Royals going into the final week somehow they managed to blow that by losing 6 of 7 while KC won 5 of 6 to overtake them for a bye. Final Regular Season Record: 95-67. Next up: We'll have to play in the wild card round now where we'll host #6 seed Detroit, which held off Toronto for the final AL wild card. NL Playoff Race Update: The wild NL races which saw about 9 teams with their playoff spot or position up in the air ended with three teams tied for the two wild card spots after #1 Milwaukee and thanks to tiebreakers the Cubs and Cincinnati took them. The Mets were the hard-luck team, losing tiebreakers for NL East to Atlanta and to Chicago and Cincinnati for the wild card despite finishing 84-78 just like the rest of them. And LA, Pittsburgh and Philly all finished at 83-79, a game back of that bunch. |
Final 2025 Regular Season Standings and Rays Stats
https://i.imgur.com/f1ae0oV.png
I was so caught up in the Rays travails and the wacky wild card races that I didn't notice this until it happened: https://i.imgur.com/xgW4y5z.png I don't know about MLB history, but it's the first triple crown in this save and first since Miguel Cabrera in 2013. This is the playoff tree: https://i.imgur.com/uv1koxC.png So if we get by Detroit, Kansas City awaits. Injuries have really set us back, especially in the rotation, so my expectations are very low going into the playoffs. https://i.imgur.com/K9mC8Tx.png The bats are going to have carry us in the playoffs, at least when McClanahan isn't starting - as you can see above the rotation was pretty mediocre. https://i.imgur.com/iisNDri.png Josh Mears faded badly in August and September, to the point where I wonder if I even want him in the lineup. And Randy Arozarena had a miserable year, never getting untracked after 4.7 and 4.4 WAR seasons the previous two years. And of course we're without Josh Lowe, Curtis Mead and Andrew Vaughn for the playoffs. https://i.imgur.com/XbDe4Rn.png What a season for Pete Fairbanks, I'm not sure I've seen many relievers approach 4 WAR. What helped in that category was not allowing a homer all season. With Castillo and Bradley out, Mac and Rasmussen are our only two good starters and hopefully that'll be enough to get us through the wild card round but after that, hoo boy. And the pen is going to be without a key cog in Jovani Moran. It didn't help that our primary righty setup men Feyereisen and Pressly were really bad in the second half except for a stretch while Feyereisen was good before faltering in the final couple of weeks. |
October 7, 2025: NL Wild Card Game 1
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October 8, 2025: AL Wild Card Game 1 & NL Wild Card Game 2
https://i.imgur.com/4aNXhfk.png
Well here we go, one game from elimination as we couldn't come through with the big hit over the final 3 innings. They loaded the bases in the 7th with 2 out and Ozzie Albies grounded out; Randy Arozarena doubled with 2 out in the 8th but Josh Mears struck out, and Michael Taylor walked in the 9th and stole second with one out but Zach DeLoach and Wander Franco grounded out. Meanwhile the Tigers were able to get key two-out hits as they scored 3 times in the 2nd on a pair of them off McClanahan. Mears snapped out of his slump to deliver a 2-run homer but his and Taylor's weren't enough. Now it's up to Drew Rasmussen tomorrow to try and force a Game 3. Elsewhere: https://i.imgur.com/RBnTli6.png |
October 9, 2025: AL Wild Card Game 2 & NL Wild Card Game 3
We actually won one...
https://i.imgur.com/4yFVMSa.png Casey Schmitt had a hand in most of the scoring in this game, hitting a 3-run homer in the 1st, committing a costly error in the 5th that made Detroit's 3 runs which tied it unearned, and then after the Tigers went ahead 4-3 he homered again leading off the 6th to tie it up. That set up Josh Mears, who has regained his power stroke in the nick of time, to homer for the second straight day with a man on to give the Rays the lead for good, and the bullpen locked it down from there with even Ryan Pressly turning in a second straight scoreless inning. So now we go to a winner-take-all Game 3 tomorrow with John Swanda starting but on a short leash. Two more teams booked their places in the division series: https://i.imgur.com/Ggnd6qQ.png The Yankees will take on the Angels in one ALDS, and Milwaukee faces St. Louis after Atlanta had already secured their spot against San Diego in the NLDS. |
October 10, 2025: AL Wild Card Game 3
Ugh...
https://i.imgur.com/ErGESOh.png The Rays' title defense came to an ignominious end at Tropicana Field today as they blew a certain win and advancement to the ALDS, losing instead 8-5 in 17 innings on Spencer Torkelson's 3-run homer off Forrest Whitley. Whitley gave up a 2-out double and with Riley Greene due, who had killed us in the 3 games and was voted series MVP, he was intentionally walked to bring up the righty-on-righty matchup with Tork, who made us pay. None of this would have transpired had not Pete Fairbanks had an epic meltdown in the 9th, wasting the game of John Swanda's life after the righty held Detroit to 1 hit through 7 innings and the Rays held a 3-0 lead. In that fateful inning Fairbanks recorded two outs with a man on 2nd, gave up a 2-run homer to Greene and still needing just one more out instead gave up a walk and two singles to allow Detroit to tie it. That was very likely Fairbanks' final appearance as a Ray as he's a free agent after the season. It was a year of promise and a year for long stretches where we held one of the two top spots in the AL, only to collapse down the stretch after a wave of injuries and end up in this 3-game playoff round. Detroit will now play Kansas City in the ALDS. At least there was some good news in the minors: https://i.imgur.com/Gf56hjC.png The Biscuits are Southern League champs, and Durham has advanced to the International League finals against Lehigh Valley after dispatching Memphis in 5 games in their best-of-7 first round matchup. |
The 2025 ALDS
Since the Rays are eliminated I'm not going to do day-by-day playoff posts; instead I'll just recap each round, starting with the ALDS:
https://i.imgur.com/P2gMzFN.png https://i.imgur.com/fKxZDPR.png https://i.imgur.com/aHGhABD.png |
The 2025 NLDS
https://i.imgur.com/3Hrcaaq.png
https://i.imgur.com/HQuCOMK.png https://i.imgur.com/3bII8jB.png https://i.imgur.com/NjRpWMU.png Manny Machado hit one of the more dramatic homers this decade, a 3-run walk-off shot in the bottom of the 9th of the deciding Game 5. |
The 2025 ALCS
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The 2025 NLCS
https://i.imgur.com/NEySxLC.png
Game 3 was interesting for Rays fans as it featured a matchup of former Tampa Bay aces Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, with Snell (who is having a magnificent postseason) and his Cardinals prevailing. |
October 30-31, 2025: World Series Game 1 & 2
Going back to box scores for the World Series:
https://i.imgur.com/lQoC1AJ.png Update: The Yankees will be without ace Jacob deGrom as he's suffered a moderate shoulder strain, so between that and the Game 1 loss, not a great start for them. https://i.imgur.com/nDm1VUk.png Somehow the Cardinals scored only one run despite getting 13 hits. |
November 2-3, 2025: World Series Game 3 & 4
https://i.imgur.com/LVB65Th.png
Juan Soto looking for his 3rd ring with 3 different teams after winning one with the Rays last season. https://i.imgur.com/raCtdnQ.png Makes a difference when Willie Seanez is pitching instead of Jacob deGrom. |
November 4-6, 2025: World Series Game 5 & 6
https://i.imgur.com/iHUuO7p.png
https://i.imgur.com/n5hmHrX.png Congrats to the Cardinals on their 12th World Series win! |
2025-26 Offsesaon: State of the Team
Before I get into the State of the Team, I figure I'd write it instead after we made a blockbuster trade once the season finished:
https://i.imgur.com/1OINS5a.jpg Some background: after coming off 4+ WAR seasons in 23 and 24, Arozarena dipped badly last year to 0.9. Can he bounce back? Sure, but it would cost me $16M to find out and 2026 is his final year of team control. Same story with Patino, who had a pair of nearly 3-WAR seasons before struggling big-time in 2025 including a demotion to Durham. And he was going to cost a projected $7.5 in what is also his final year of team control. So I was able to package these two along with a "C" prospect in Cortorreal and a 1/2-star MiLB free agent we signed last year in Diaz for one of the game's top young catchers in Diego Cartaya. (Not sure why Bendix didn't like the deal, he was OK with it until we put the two minor leaguers who won't be missed in it). Cartaya meanwhile hit 270/333/418, earning 1.2 WAR in only 40 games as the caddy to Will Smith, who had an MVP-quality season and wasn't going anywhere with a big contract. He can do it all from behind the plate: (50/55 contact) (60/60 power) (50/55 eye) and (60/65 defense). Because he's languished for three years as Smith's backup he now qualifies for arbitration (projected at $3.4M this year and he'll get much pricier assuming he has the big year we hope as a regular). Christian Vazquez opted into the final season of his $6M/year deal with us, unsurprisingly after a 217/275/297 year which saw him earn the same 1.2 WAR as Cartaya but in over 3 times as many games, so he'll now be the veteran mentor backup as nobody wanted to offer me anything for him in trade that wasn't a worse contract. Also Rene Pinto will likely head back to Durham after two years as Vazquez's backup, something I'm sure he's not thrilled about but I'd like to keep him around to back Cartaya up in 2027. So with that deal in the books, here's how our salary situation breaks out, with everyone making more than the minimum listed: https://i.imgur.com/a1OEqI4.png This crop adds up to $91.5M in salary commitments. And we received some good news on the financial front. First: https://i.imgur.com/gkbcrOC.png All these folks keep moving to Florida, so we're no longer a "tiny" market. Possibly as a result, Stu told me this: https://i.imgur.com/vFU0EFb.png So you can do the math - we have just shy of $50M to play with this winter. More like 35-40 of course as I always like to keep a cushion but we may be players in the free agent market as we have some holes to fill (an impact bat, several spots in the bullpen for example). Here's how it shakes out by position: C: Already discussed at length above with regard to the Cartaya deal. 1B: Curtis Mead had lost the job to Andrew Vaughn after 2 1/2 seasons of 1.5-1.7 WAR ball, then Vaughn got hurt and then Mead got hurt. Both are back, and both are righties so it's not like I can platoon them. I'd like more production out of the position and I'm not sure that Kyle Manzardo, who took over for them late in the year, is the answer either. 2B: Ozzie Albies is back, and although he was brutal in the field the bat is still good enough to earn him around 3 WAR overall. SS: Same thing goes for Wander Franco, only a better bat than Albies. 3B: Casey Schmitt may not win Rookie of the Year thanks to Elly De La Cruz's monster 2nd half with Detroit but he had a great year (.258-27-107) with solid defense so he's entrenched. IF: Jeremiah Jackson hit 283/339/520 when he got to play although he missed a month or two with injury. When healthy he's the perfect backup IF. Alika Williams and Royce Lewis played a lot last year with Wander, Albies and Jackson all hurt at the same time but neither can hit much and will be back at Durham, although I believe Lewis is out of options. Brooks Lee, who hit something like .340 at Durham, has to go on the 40-man this year and therefore will be an alternative as well. LF: Kind of open right now. Zach DeLoach is a decent hitter and probably deserves to play as the long side of a platoon (with Heliot Ramos perhaps?). That's where we are right now until and unless we make an acquisition. CF: We're going to need one, at least early. Josh Lowe had a great bounceback year before he too got hurt (man we had a lot of injuries) and won't be back until June or July. He spent most of it in LF with Arozarena in CF but could move back here where he can provide league-average defense. The Michael Taylor signing came in handy but he's a free agent and he didn't hit much although he played great D. Maybe we try and bring him or a similar veteran back as a stopgap. RF: Our revolving door of option-year superstars which saw Juan Soto man the position in 2024 and Kyle Tucker last year revolves again with Joshua Mears the apparent incumbent, but like in LF we might find another Soto/Tucker-type since we have money to burn and we will need a true impact bat. Heliot can play here too DH: This could be the odd OF out or Vaughn/Mead/Manzardo or someone else entirely. Rotation: Assuming everyone stays healthy (a big IF) this is one area where everyone comes back as it should be McClanahan/Castillo/Rasmussen/Swanda/Bradley. Shane Baz really struggled last year but still has some potential, and guys like Forrest Whitley and JP Sears can start but they're more needed in the bullpen. Bullpen: Well our pretty good pen of last year is just about completely decimated as ace closer Pete Fairbanks, setup men Ryan Pressly and Josh Taylor, and lefty middle man Tanner Scott are all free agents. Returnees include JP Feyereisen, who was up and down last year, lefty Jovani Moran, who was brilliant and can be used in a higher-leverage role, multi-inning "Steady Eddie" Christopher Gau, Colby White and the aforementioned Whitley and Sears. This will probably be the year Sandy Gaston gets a full-time big-league gig, and JJ Goss is also ready to contribute. Lefty Ian Seymour also could have a shot. I've no interest in bringing Pressly back after his miserable 2nd half but I'd love to re-sign Fairbanks (who wants 4/44), Taylor or Scott if their markets are reasonable, and I will of course be looking at other FA relievers. So the tl;dr version of our goals for the offseason now that we've upgraded the catching slot are: * find an impact bat to replace Kyle Tucker, either at 1B or OF * find someone to start in CF for at least the first half of the year * add at least 1-2 top-notch relievers |
2025-26 Offseason Part 1
November 12: We signed all our arb-eligible guys except McClanahan, Andrew Vaughn and Diego Cartaya, all of whom wanted long-term, big-money deals. Mac still has this year and next under team control while this is Vaughn's last year, and Cartaya has two more after this year. I was interested in signing Cartaya to a longer deal but he wants something like 8/85 and I'm not ready to go there yet.
Around MLB some young arb-eligible guys got locked up to big deals. Among them were Jonathan India (CIN, 4/68), Nolan Gorman (ARI, 8/115), Oneil Cruz (PIT, 8/105), Grayson Rodriguez (BAL, 5/84), Keibert Ruiz (WAS, 4/59), CJ Abrams (SD, 8/100), Nick Lodolo (CIN, 5/52), and Max Meyer (MIA, 5/62). November 16: Awards season is underway. Christian Vazquez won his 2nd straight Gold Glove as the only Ray to receive the honors. The Giants also traded young starter Will Bednar to San Diego for a couple of prospects as the 48-114 Giants go on a deep rebuild. November 17: Reliever of the Year was today, and amazingly Pete Fairbanks, who led all of MLB in relief WAR at 3.7, was named only on my ballot in first place. I know WAR isn't everything but he had a great season. Instead, the AL nod went to Baltimore's DL Hall, 9-5, 1.31 with 2 saves, 114 whiffs in 89 IP and 2.4 WAR while in the NL the winner was Milwaukee's Josh Hader, who took 29 of 30 first-place votes after a 43-save season with a 1.71 ERA, 118 whiffs in 73 IP and 3.2 WAR. November 18: We took a couple of Silver Sluggers with Ozzie Albies (2B) and Kyle Tucker (RF) recognized. November 19: Casey Schmitt finished a distant second to Elly De La Cruz in the AL Rookie of the Year balloting. De La Cruz, who received 28 of the 30 first-place votes, came over early in the season from Cincinnati in a trade and had 37 HR and 111 RBI, all but 3 and 9 of them with Detroit. Schmitt got my first-place vote (the only one he got), Josh Mears finished third, and someone gave Taj Bradley the other first-place vote as he finished 5th. The NL award went unanimously to San Diego's Cesar Damian, an independent league signee last winter who hit 279/342/462 with 15 HR and near-Gold Glove defense, earning 3.6 WAR. November 21: Jacob deGrom won his second consecutive Cy Young with the Yankees after winning two earlier with the crosstown rival Mets. deGrom, a unanimous winner, was 19-8, 2.74 with 293 Ks in a whopping 265 IP, good for 8.6 WAR. Our Shane McClanahan was a distant sixth and Luis Castillo was right behind him in seventh. And former Ray Blake Snell has now won Cy Youngs in both leagues thanks to a 16-9, 2.85 season with St. Louis which was capped by a big postseason and a World Series ring. He took 27 of 30 first-place votes. deGrom and Snell were both winners in 2018 in the other league. In a trade Oakland sent defensive wizard Christian Pache to Milwaukee, trading the CF for four minor leaguers. November 22: MVP time and to nobody's surprise Juan Soto won his 2nd straight AL award after winning with us last season. This year the Yankee was unanimous again after a monster 337/491/674 season with 39 HR and 128 RBI, leading the Bombers to the World Series. Our Kyle Tucker finished a close 3rd behind Adley Rutschman. And there was no doubt in the NL either as Triple Crown winner Bryce Harper was also unanimous after a 315/435/694 season with 58 HR and 143 RBI. It was Harper's 4th MVP, his second consecutive and third in five seasons. November 30: Arbitration hearings were held. Diego Cartaya and Andrew Vaughn lost, while Shane McClanahan won his hearing and will make $10.6M instead of the $8.9 we offered him, so there's $1.7M off the budget. December 1: Free agency filings were today, and the Dodgers shipped out a couple of pitchers, sending Dustin May to Atlanta for a couple of minor leaguers and Tony Gonsolin to Detroit for prospect Izaac Pacheco. To nobody's surprise Kyle Tucker declined our qualifying offer, so we'll collect a comp 1st rounder. December 11: It seems I was mistaken about the Dodgers having Will Smith locked up. They didn't, he was a free agent and he signed a whopping 7/195 deal with the Cubs. Having traded Cartaya to us, it seems their catcher right now is a rookie named Carson Taylor who's rated a 35 defensively. Maybe they'd be interested in Christian Vazquez! December 14: Kyle Tucker has signed - and he's back with Houston! The Astros re-acquired him on a massive 7/279 deal, which is just under $40M/year. We'll take the supplemental pick. December 16: Some more free agents signed: The Mets inked 2B Jorge Polanco to a 5/94 pact, Alex Verdugo joined Texas for 3/37, and Marcus Stroman takes his talents to Philadelphia for 3/20. December 23: Good-sized deal as Toronto sent SP Kevin Gausman, who missed all of 2024 and 2025 with injuries but is still rated well, to San Diego for prospects including 3B Jackson Merrill, who had a huge year in AAA last season. December 24: Placed 1B Junior Caminero, IF Brooks Lee, OF Marcell Ozuna, and Ps Yoniel Curet and Andri Tavarez on the 40-man roster. Designated C Drew Romo for assignment. Rule 5 protection time, with all but Ozuna among our top prospects and Ozuna right now penciled in as our DH after spending the year with Durham. Romo was an intriguing pickup late last year but the Cartaya acquisition gave us five catchers on the 40-man. Meanwhile 3B Gio Urshela signed a 4/73 deal with the White Sox. December 26: Claimed OF Lonnie White from Philadelphia in the Rule 5 Draft. Well we may have found our CF in an unlikely place. White had an excellent season last year mostly in AA where he earned 4.6 WAR and won both the platinum stick and glove wizard awards in the Eastern League: https://i.imgur.com/fbxXHIB.png The glove will play in the majors right now, the bat is an iffier proposition. Right now my thought is to play Zach DeLoach in CF, he's a 50 there but White could platoon with him. Of course White will have to stay on the roster we'll see. Only 3 players in all were taken in Rule 5 including White, and one interesting name that was available was Cooper Kinney, the key prospect we sent to Texas in the Luis Castillo deal. Kinney is still Texas's though as he went undrafted despite being the top-ranked player available. December 31: As we end the year (and Part 1 of this offseason outlook), we're in negotiations to bring back Pete Fairbanks. It seems his big hangup is a no-trade clause in a 3-year deal and we're willing to give it to him so we'll see how it goes. |
2025-26 Offseason Part 2
January 1: Veteran closer Edwin Diaz is taking his talents to South Beach as he inked a 1-year, $8.9M deal with the Marlins. He's slipped a bit with ERAs of 4.25 and 5.43 the last two seasons and he may not even be Miami's closer as they also signed Raisel Iglesias to a 2/21 deal.
January 2: Our first big free agent signing of the winter, and it's a familiar face: https://i.imgur.com/baL7w10.png Is it an overpay? Probably. We also had to give him a no-trade clause which could be problematic. But he's been one of, if not the, best relievers in the league the last three years, saving 82 games and earning 7 WAR. Yes he has the occasional maddening stretch where he blows a couple of saves but he's been pretty good and with all the other defections from the pen we needed him back. To make room for Fairbanks on the 40-man we DFA'd Brett Wisely. And one of those defectors landed elsewhere as lefty Josh Taylor signed a 3/22 deal with the Mets. January 4: Former Ray Yonny Chirinos surfaced in Houston on a 1/1.8 deal. January 6: Another veteran closer found a new home as the recently-itinerant Kenley Jansen went to the Yankees for 1/3.4 after saving 31 games between the Reds and Mets last year albeit with a bloated ERA. January 8: Longtime Dodger Brusdar Graterol was shipped to the Mets for veteran catcher Tomas Nido and a minor leaguer. January 9: Another former Ray is on the move as SS Willy Adames signed up with the White Sox for 3/27. We still have Rasmussen and Feyereisen from our Adames trade in 2021 and it made room for Wander so that worked out. January 12: Claimed 1B/OF James Wood on waivers from the Chicago White Sox. Willy Adames continues to bring us players as to make room for him on the 40-man the White Sox waived Wood, a serious power prospect, and we were glad to pick him up. Although we have tens of millions of $ burning a hole in our pocket this winter our new acquisitions have either been in trade (Cartaya) or free (Lonnie White and now Wood). https://i.imgur.com/4SnByYS.png He has big-time power and earned 3.5 WAR between AA/AAA last year and can either play 1B or the OF corners between 50 and 60 defensively. Not sure where he fits in yet but since 1B/LF/RF are in flux for us he has a shot and if not he has two option years left. To make room for Wood on the 40-man we're DFAing Josh Fleming, who's been with the organization for several years and will stay if he clears. January 14: The Hall of Fame balloting is in: https://i.imgur.com/PuMAV7F.png A lot of guys came close (Ichiro agonizingly so) but only Adrian Beltre cleared 75% so congrats to him, a deserving selection. Sayonara to Manny Ramirez, who was never going to get over the hump. The new class underwhelmed the electorate with Ryan Braun's paltry 17.5% their best showing. January 21: A couple of the top free agent starters put their signatures on paper with Michael Kopech headed to Baltimore for 6/55 and Ranger Suarez went to Texas for 4/85. Also the oft-injured Carlos Rodon signed a 1/2.6 deal with St. Louis which could be good if he actually stays healthy for more than a month at a time, as we found out in 2024 before shipping him off to Houston in the Kyle Tucker deal. January 24: Austin Slater, who turned himself from a fourth outfielder into a semi-decent starter, signed a 4/52 seal with Oakland. January 25: Noah Syndergaard, no longer the pitcher he once was, rejoined former Mets running mate Jacob deGrom with the Yankees on a modest 1/1.5 contract. January 28: Jesse Winker, one of the biggest names left on the free agent market, joined the Mets on a 4/98 deal. February 1: https://media.tenor.com/E37r4zSVGyMA...k-together.gif https://i.imgur.com/I8iO9tD.png Welcome back Tanner Scott! We needed a lefty back in the pen to go with Jovani Moran and Scott has been pretty reliable for us the last couple of seasons with ERAs of 2.58 and 2.87, and the price was right. To make room for Scott on the 40-man, we DFA'd Ian Seymour. February 14: Ryan Pressly has found a new home, remaining in the division with the Yankees on a 2/8.3 deal. Hopefully he pitches like he did in the second half with us last year when we face him. February 19: Old friend Austin Meadows parlayed a bounce-back year with Kansas City into a 4/57 deal with the White Sox. February 21: Big trade time! https://i.imgur.com/1IHkxpq.png Our bullpen makeover is complete, although since we re-signed Fairbanks and Scott it wasn't quite that dramatic. But anyway we got one of the top closers in baseball in Hendriks, even if he is getting long in the tooth at 37. He had 44 saves last year for the Marlins with 1.5 WAR, rated 70 for stuff and 70 for control (albeit 45 for movement as he will give up some homers here and there, 9 in 71 IP last season). He will take Ryan Pressly's role as the RH setup guy and sometimes closer. The cost was Ramos, who had a nice couple of months to start 2023 for us and wound up a fixture at Durham. With our OF wide open this year he was going to get another look, but he's out of options and we already have to keep Rule 5 draftee Lonnie White, so he was likely the odd man out anyway. We still have $33M to spend but this year's version of Kyle Tucker or Juan Soto isn't out there to rent so we'll have to mix and match on offense a bit more and see what opens up during the season. February 22: Eugenio Suarez has moved on to Minnesota on a 2/16 deal, and starter Tyler Mahle is going to see his ERA rise after signing for 4/68 with the Rockies. March 2: The Phillies acquired veteran starter Sandy Alcantara from Miami for a shortstop prospect. March 19: OF Teoscar Hernandez joins Boston on a 1/3.3 deal. March 24: Veteran slugger Kyle Schwarber joined the Mariners on a one-year deal for $3.2M. |
2026 Opening Day Roster and Preseason Predictions
Made it through spring training unscathed, and to get the roster down to 27 we made a trade:
https://i.imgur.com/Nr97PB4.png Lewis, while possessing an excellent glove, can't really hit and was out of options and we have Brooks Lee and Alika Williams on the 40-man as well to summon should we have another run of MI injuries like last year (let's hope not). Sasaki doesn't look like he has a real MLB future. Meanwhile we acquire a potentially useful OF in Head: https://i.imgur.com/uJJPVWp.png He has a good glove and was worth 3.9 WAR last year in the minors, a leadoff type albeit a bit low on contact. He'll start the year at Durham. We also have to waive Ps Ian Seymour and Chase Lee, but both cleared and went to Durham as well. This leaves the following Opening Day roster: C-Cartaya, Vazquez 1B-Vaughn 2B-Albies SS-Franco 3B-Schmitt IF-J.Jackson, Mead LF-Wood CF-DeLoach RF-Mears DH-Ozuna OF-L.White SP-McClanahan, L.Castillo, Rasmussen, Swanda, Bradley LR-Whitley, Sears MR-T.Scott, Feyereisen, Gau, C.White SU-Moran, Hendriks CL-Fairbanks Sandy Gaston and JJ Goss were the last cuts off the staff. As far as the lineups go, Wood is going to platoon with Mead with Vaughn moving to LF against lefties, and White may spell DeLoach in CF against some tough lefties and will be used as a defensive replacement. Unsurprisingly without a Tucker/Soto-type in the lineup the preseason predictions don't like us much: https://i.imgur.com/F6c5nRS.png The good news is that the AL East is seen to be weak, and I don't ever remember underperforming the preseason picks. |
April 6-9, 2026: vs Toronto (4)
Transaction: We signed former Ray Manuel Margot, who played for us from 2020-22, to a minor league deal with a major league option to give us another CF option.
Opening Day: https://i.imgur.com/tITCm5h.png Well the big worry coming into 2026 would be whether the new-look lineup sans a superstar like Soto or Tucker could score enough runs, and Opening Day was far from an encouraging sign in that department. Former Ray Jonathan Loaisiga shut them out on 6 hits and although Shane McClanahan pitched well, he put two men on only for Christopher Gau to come in and immediately give up a 3-run homer to Gabriel Moreno to put the game out of reach. Game 2: 8-12 L. LP-Castillo (0-1, 5 3 6 6 5 2, 2 HR). HR-Schmitt (1). The good news - we exploded for 8 runs. The bad news - we gave up 12. Luis Castillo walked 5 and gave up 2 homers, a bad combination, and the bullpen was equally horrible letting Toronto score every time they got back in it with Feyereisen's 4 runs allowed in one inning the worst of the lot. Albies drove in 4 including a bases-clearing double. Game 3: 3-5 L. LP-Rasmussen (0-1, 6 6 5 5 0 6, 2 HR). HR-Schmitt (2), Cartaya (1). Rays actually held their first lead of the year, 3-2 after 2, but it obviously didn't last as they were held to only 3 hits on the day and shut out after the 1st. Game 4: 5-4 W. WP-White (1-0). S-Hendriks (1). Starter-Swanda (6 5 3 1 1 5). HR-Ozuna (1), Franco (1), Albies (1). A win! It almost wasn't one on a couple of occasions though as after the first two men reached in the 7th for Toronto on errors with the Rays up 2-1, another Rays reliever was hit for a 3-run homer as Jovani Moran gave up a Bo Bichette blast to put the Jays up 4-2. Then after a 2-run Wander homer and an Albies shot back-to-back restored the lead in the 8th, Liam Hendriks got the first save call of the year, only to allow a double and then with two out a single to center but Zach DeLoach threw the runner out at the plate to end the game. But when it's your first of the season a win is a win. Team record: 1-3. Next up: Houston and Kyle Tucker visit for 3 games. |
April 10-12, 2026: vs Houston (3)
Game 1: 4-5 L. LP-Bradley (0-1, 6 9 5 5 0 3). Taj was hit for 5 runs in the first two innings and although he settled in after that the damage was done. Schmitt had a 2-run double and Vaughn was 2-3 with a double, triple and RBI.
Game 2: 3-8 L. LP-McClanahan (0-2, 6 7 7 6 1 5, 2 HR). HR-Albies (2). Like Bradley yesterday Mac was hit hard early, giving up 6 in the first 3 innings as the miserable start to 2026 continues. All 3 Rays runs came on an Albies homer, he now has 8 RBI in the first 6 games as one of the few on the team producing. Game 3: 4-3 W. WP-Castillo (1-1, 5.2 6 3 3 0 4). S-Fairbanks (1). HR-Franco (2). Finally a win and finally a win from a starter. The pen was outstanding, holding Houston hitless over the final 3 1/3. Schmitt's RBI double and Wander's homer were the big hits but the winner came courtesy of an Albies sac fly, his 9th RBI already which is 2nd-best in the AL. Team record: 2-5. Next up: We'll try to get right against the White Sox, who visit for 3. |
April 13-15, 2026: vs Chicago White Sox (3)
Game 1: 5-4 W. WP-Fairbanks (1-0). Starter-Rasmussen (5 4 3 3 3 5). Rays won consecutive games for the first time this year. After coming back from down 3-0 to go ahead 4-3, Liam Hendriks gave up a tying homer in the 8th but Mears saved his bacon with a walk-off RBI double in the 9th. DeLoach was 3-3 with 2 walks, a double and an RBI.
Game 2: 12-4 W. WP-Swanda (1-0, 5 6 4 4 3 4). HR-DeLoach (1), Wood (1), Franco (3), Mead (1). Curtis Mead got a chance to start and ran with it, going 4-5 with a double, homer and 4 RBI while Diego Cartaya had 4 hits and an RBI as the Rays finally won comfortably. Game 3: 2-0 W. WP-Bradley (1-1, 6.1 3 0 0 0 6). S-Fairbanks (2). HR-DeLoach (2). Taj pitched a gem after a rough season debut and they hung on despite Fairbanks loading the bases in the 9th. Zach DeLoach is off to a blinding start at 394/487/606 as he finally gets the opportunity to play every day. Team record: 5-5. After winning four straight we're only 1/2 behind the Yankees for the division lead. Next up: An off-day then our first road trip of the season begins with 3 in Oakland. |
April 17-19, 2026: at Oakland (3)
Game 1: 3-2 W (10). WP-Hendriks (1-0). S-Fairbanks (3). Starter-McClanahan (5 4 0 0 3 5). HR-Schmitt (3). Schmitt's 10th-inning homer won it for the Rays, who lost a 2-0 lead in regulation but still made it 5 straight triumphs.
Game 2: 4-2 W. WP-Castillo (2-1, 7 4 2 2 3 5). S-Fairbanks (4). HR-DeLoach (3). Zach DeLoach was 2-3 with 2 walks and a game-leading off homer as he's now 390/490/659 to start the year. Fairbanks loaded the bases in the 9th but escaped. Game 3: 3-9 L. LP-Rasmussen (0-2, 4.1 9 4 3 0 2). HR-Mears (1), Franco (4). Rays pitching was brutal in this one with all four hurlers allowing at least one run after they took an early 3-0 lead in the 3rd on the homers as their 6-game win streak was snapped. Team record: 7-6, actually tops in the AL East now. Next up: After flying from Tampa to Oakland we turn around and fly all the way to Boston where we'll play 4. The schedule maker is apparently employed by the airline industry. |
April 20-23, 2026: at Boston (4)
Game 1: 3-5 L. LP-Swanda (1-1, 3.1 5 5 5 5 5). HR-Franco (5). Never a good thing when you're a pitcher with a lot of 5s in your line and that was Swanda tonight.
Time for a big trade: https://i.imgur.com/K54bwsZ.png Welcome to Tampa Bay, Tork! Detroit seemed eager to get rid of him and his $11.3M salary won in arbitration so with money available and the need for a thumper in the lineup, we were glad to oblige. The cost wasn't particularly high with as Margot came in on a minor league deal and was playing at Durham, as was Bello who never lived up to his promise. Lorenzo is a 1/2-star "make it work" guy. Torkelson has hit 141 HR over the last 4 years with the Tigers and while he's not Juan Soto or Kyle Tucker, he will be a boost to the offense. He'll play LF for us as Curtis Mead has gotten red-hot and reclaimed the 1B job from Andrew Vaughn, who will lose the most at-bats as a result. To make room for Tork on the active roster, rookie James Wood who was 3-for-30 with 1 homer was optioned to Durham. Game 2: 18-1 W. WP-Bradley (2-1, 6 5 1 1 2 6). HR-Ozuna (2), Franco (6), Albies (3), Vaughn (1). The Tork effect? Spencer Torkelson made his Rays debut and although he didn't drive in any of their 18 runs, he was 2-3 with 2 walks and scored 5 runs. His walk started a 4-run rally in the 2nd and they just keep hitting and scoring from there. Ozuna drove in 5 on the night including a 3-run homer, Vaughn had a 3-run shot off the bench and Wander was 3-6 with 2 RBI, homering for the third straight game. Game 3: 5-1 W. WP-McClanahan (1-2, 5 5 0 0 2 8). HR-Mead 2 (3), Vaughn (2). Mac was excellent even if it took him 95 pitches to get through 5 and Curtis Mead remained toasty with 2 HR and is now hitting 439/477/805. Jeremiah Jackson gave Wander a breather and contributed a 2-run double. Game 4: 2-3 L. LP-Castillo (2-2, 6 9 3 3 0 6). HR-Ozuna (3). A tough one as the Rays couldn't get much offense going after scoring 23 runs over the previous two nights. Ozuna had a solo homer and an RBI single for the lone Rays runs, with the latter coming in the 9th. Tork was 2-3 with a walk. Team record: 9-8, 1/2 game up in first. Next up: After flying from Oakland to Boston we fly back across the country to LA to play 3 against the 14-3 Angels, which is nobody's idea of fun. |
April 24-26, 2026: at LA Angels (3)
Game 1: 1-5 L. LP-Rasmussen (0-3, 6 5 3 2 3 6). Ras pitched well in the loss but Rays' bats were held to 6 hits with only DeLoach, who doubled and tripled, worthy of mention.
Game 2: 4-0 W. WP-Swanda (2-1, 6 6 0 0 1 6). HR-Torkelson (1/5), Mears (2). Swanda was outstanding and Tork hit his first Rays homer, a solo shot to get them on the board. Schmitt was 3-4 with a 2-run double and Mears added a solo shot. Game 3: 3-8 L. LP-Bradley (2-2, 3 8 6 6 1 6). Despite piling up the whiffs, Taj was rocked and gave up a pair of homers and this one got out of hand early. Team record: 10-10. Next up: Back home for 3 vs Boston. MLB News: In the series opener LA's superstar Mike Trout ruptured a finger tendon and will be lost for 4 months. Also we had this: https://i.imgur.com/uz0k7uk.png You might be thinking, yeah 3 HR in a game is nice but it happens probably 8-10 times a year so what's the big deal? But if you look at Kinney's season stat line at the bottom you'll see the 3 HR are his only stats and in fact those 3 HR came in Kinney's MLB debut, something that my limited research shows has never been done (the best I can find is that Bert Campaneris hit a pair of HRs in his debut in the 60s). Kinney of course was the key prospect we sent to the Rangers last year in the deal to acquire SP Luis Castillo. (This also makes the AI-generated quote in the blurb about him always having loved to hit at Guaranteed rate funny). |
April 27-29, 2026: vs Boston (3)
Game 1: 3-4 L (11). LP-Fairbanks (1-1). Starter-McClanahan (3 5 3 3 3 4). HR-Franco (7), Albies (4). Rays came back from 3-0 down but after Franco and Albies homered to tie it in the 3rd they couldn't get anything going on offense after that, managing only 5 hits through 11 innings and Boston broke through against Fairbanks in the 11th largely due to his own error.
Game 2: 4-1 W. WP-Castillo (3-2, 7 7 0 0 0 9). HR-Torkelson (2/6). Luis Castillo pitched his best game of the season and Tork drove in 3 with a 2-run single and solo homer to supply Castillo's support. Game 3: 8-4 W. WP-Rasmussen (1-3, 5 5 2 2 2 5). HR-Torkelson 2 (4/8). Tork was at it again, going 3-5 with a double, 2 homers and 2 RBI while Wander was 3-5 with 3 RBI. Team record: 12-11, 1 1/2 behind New York. Next up: An off-day then 3 big early season games at Yankee Stadium. MLB News: April's monthly awards were handed out. Players: AL-Vlad Jr (TOR) .400-6-22; NL-Ronald Acuna (ATL) .348-11-21. Pitchers: AL-Matt Brash (SEA) 3-0, 0.94; NL-Max Meyer (MIA) 3-0, 1.06. Also Devin Williams signed a whopping 1-year, $20M contract with the Yankees in this year's version of OOTP's quirk where a star reliever goes through ST unsigned and inks a whopping 1-year deal with someone. |
May 1-3, 2026: at NY Yankees (3)
Game 1: 2-5 L. LP-Swanda (2-2, 5 5 5 3 1 4). HR-Torkelson (5/9). Swanda (and the defense) put them in a 5-0 hole after 2 from which they couldn't recover.
Game 2: 15-4 W. WP-Bradley (3-2, 5.1 3 1 1 2 9). HR-Mears (3), Franco (8), Schmitt (4), Torkelson (6/10), DeLoach (4). Taj was great and he was handed a huge lead thanks to Mears' 4 RBI on a homer and single and an early 3-run shot from Wander. Tork homered for the fourth straight game as well. Game 3: 4-5 L. LP-Moran (0-1). Starter-McClanahan (6 5 3 3 0 8). This was a tough loss to swallow as the Rays took a 3-0 lead in the 1st, saw Mac give up three solo homers (including a pair to former Ray Juan Soto) to let New York tie, had Albies single in a run in the 7th to put them back up, only for Jovani Moran to give up a 2-run homer to a lefty to lose it in the 8th. Also they scored the 3 runs in the 1st with nobody out and had the bases loaded but blew their chance to really break it open. Team record: 13-13. Next up: An off-day then back home for 3 vs Texas. |
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