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October 5, 2039: AL Wild Card Game
It's the Blue Jays, again:
https://i.imgur.com/ZHp1LAE.png For the third straight season the Blue Jays have won the AL Wild Card Game which means for the third straight season they'll be facing the Rays in the ALDS. The teams split the last two years with the Jays winning in 2037 and the Rays getting revenge last year on their way to a World Series title. |
October 6, 2039: NLDS Game 1
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October 7, 2039: ALDS Game 1 & NLDS Game 2
Well that was fun...
https://i.imgur.com/jaMVFAK.png The Rays routed the Jays thanks to four homers and a dominant performance from Danny Romero. Daniel Vasquez started the festivities in the first (and it could have been a 2-run homer but Jaiden Hardaway was caught stealing), Josh Alexander homered in his first career postseason at-bat and Jim Gebers and Jeff Baez added 2-run shots as the Rays played home run derby. Jimmy Leonard had to leave the game early after bruising his knee, but it's minimal and he'll be back in the lineup against righties. Nate Thompson will try to pitch the Rays to a 2-0 series lead tomorrow. Elsewhere: https://i.imgur.com/uUbZ1Bn.png |
October 8, 2039: ALDS Game 2
It's never easy against the Jays...
https://i.imgur.com/vOI8AJh.png A tough loss as a 4-run 9th inning for Toronto off the normally-reliable Ken Burgess saw the Jays break open a 3-2 game and win 7-3. Nate Thompson ran out of juice in the 5th and although Vinny Willard got him out of it with a double play, Willard gave up a run of his own and the Rays couldn't generate enough offense with a pair of Danny Ayala solo homers 2/3 of it. Daniel Malone was hurt in the 9th inning throwing the ball and has back spasms, listed as day-to-day but "moderate". Normally he'd go on the IL under these circumstances but this is the playoffs so we're going to risk playing him through it. Tim Gates will seek to put the Rays back on top on the series in 2 days' time in Toronto. The other ALDS is now even at a game apiece as well: https://i.imgur.com/NXYw5Ea.png It's been a war of attrition for the Houston rotation as they've lost their top 2 starters to injury in these two games. Yesterday they lost their rookie sensation Elias Gomez to biceps tendinitis and he's done for the postseason while today Bob Strout to had to leave with turned out to be a torn elbow ligament and he'll be out through mid-season next year. |
October 9, 2039: NLDS Game 3
A big day for a former Ray as Jon Jimenez keeps the Rockies' season alive:
https://i.imgur.com/Lq5xvBO.png |
October 10, 2039: ALDS Game 3 & NLDS Game 4
Well that was humiliating...
https://i.imgur.com/p04507s.png Tim Gates didn't have it, and neither did the rest of his teammates in what has to be the worst playoff loss in terms of margin that the Rays have suffered and now they find themselves on the brink of elimination. It seems like we're in an odd-year, even-year pattern with the Rays having won the Series in the last 3 even years and eliminated in the ALDS in the odds, and 2039 is unfortunately an odd-numbered year. Elsewhere: https://i.imgur.com/TYnQDT2.png Ex-Rays had a big influence on the day's events. Jesus Castrello had a 2-run homer to help Cleveland knock off Houston, who saw former Ray Jon Soranno get knocked around. Eric Carter allowed 3 runs for Columbus to enable the Cubs to tie their series, and Andy Aparicio and the Rockies forced a Game 5 as well with Jon Jimenez reaching base 4 times in the win. |
October 11, 2039: ALDS Game 4
Heartbreaking...
https://i.imgur.com/Zc7bGEJ.png I'm not sure you could devise a more gut-wrenching way to lose the ALDS than what the Rays managed tonight. I suppose they could have blown a huge lead or something but this was extra painful. Ron Adams came through big-time tonight and thanks to a Danny Ayala homer the Rays held a 1-0 lead going into the bottom of the 8th. As Kikuo Kawase, the guy who I had the misfortune of calling perhaps the best reliever ever, was well-rested he should have been able to manage the 2-inning save. But Kawase struggled in the 8th and allowed the tying run, and then Jeff Baez was thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple in the 9th. Yet they overcame that when Kevin Morley of all people drilled a homer to put the Rays back up 2-1. Surely Kawase would right the ship in the 9th. But nope, he was just as bad, putting two more on with one out and up to 41 pitches and in need of relief himself. Pat Dorminy came on and didn't come through like we acquired him to, giving up a fly ball to tie the game but at least it was the second out. After we intentionally walked the 80-contact Zach Wells, the pesky Ignacio Aguilar singled off Dorminy, bringing home the series-winning run and the Rays' season was over. When someone like Kawase costs you a game, you know it's the odd-year bad mojo once again. Meanwhile the Rays continued their 12-season run of either an ALDS loss or World Series win. And the ALCS will feature Toronto against Cleveland, as the Indians eliminated the 2nd-seed Astros in dramatic fashion themselves: https://i.imgur.com/fMAbfFa.png Nestor Ramirez had 5 hits including a homer and the walk-off series-winning single in the 12th while Alex Calderon homered twice and drove in five to lead the Guardians. |
October 12, 2039: NLDS Game 5
Two games for all the Tostitos, so as is custom I'm providing the boxes for deciding games:
https://i.imgur.com/ADFab6Q.png https://i.imgur.com/uSKt2xW.png What a comeback by the Rockies who were down 0-2 to start the series, and congrats to former Ray Jon Jimenez, series MVP. Unless Toronto goes all the way again after winning 2 years ago, the World Series will be won a team which has never won it before in this save: Columbus (who last won as the Marlins in 2003), Colorado (which has never won it, period), or Cleveland (1948!). |
The 2039 LCS Round, Part 1
October 14, NLCS Game 1:
https://i.imgur.com/WBu2Noo.png Sal Mota's 15th-inning homer wins it for Columbus in a duel of each team's aces. October 15, ALCS Game 1 & NLCS Game 2: https://i.imgur.com/WqBEWzN.png October 16, ALCS Game 2: https://i.imgur.com/vBG2r5c.png October 17, NLCS Game 3: https://i.imgur.com/23QFgII.png October 18, NLCS Game 4 & ALCS Game 3: https://i.imgur.com/NPEIJ3Q.png 41-year-old Bo Bichette still has some life left in his bat as he singled in the game winner to put the Rockies on the cusp of their first World Series appearance since 2007. |
The 2039 LCS Round, Part 2
October 19:
https://i.imgur.com/VqiYkdj.png Congratulations to the Rockies (and former Rays Jon Jimenez, Andy Aparicio and former Rays farmhand Zach Mathias, who was named series MVP for hitting .579) for making their first World Series since 2007 with a chance to win it for the first time. Meanwhile, the Guardians and Jays will go at least 6 games now. October 20: https://i.imgur.com/01bdELc.png The Jays are now one win away from the World Series as they look to repeat their 2037 run which started by upsetting the Rays in the ALDS and ended with a championship. October 22: https://i.imgur.com/UzW4o1J.png We're going the distance! Crusty 42-year-old vet Carter Kieboom had the game-winning hit, an RBI single in the 8th and then former Ray Jesus Castrellon blasted a 2-run homer as the Guardians took the best shot of Toronto ace David Ruiz and broke through against the pen to force a Game 7 tomorrow night. October 23, Game 7: https://i.imgur.com/Nt57Ne0.png The Blue Jays will not be repeating their 2037 playoff run as the Guardians came back to take the series and set up the Cleveland-Colorado World Series we were all expecting. Someone's drought will end as Cleveland hasn't won it since 1948 and the Rockies have never won it at all since their inception in 1993. |
October 25, 2039: World Series Game 1
https://i.imgur.com/klZi3yX.png
yeah no idea why the WP chart and the game highlights are from another game |
October 26, 2039: World Series Game 2
https://i.imgur.com/ARrR2XJ.png
Former Ray Jon Jimenez tied it with a homer in the 9th for Colorado, but former Ray Jeremy Glasson won it for Cleveland with an RBI single in the 13th to even up the series. |
October 28, 2039: World Series Game 3
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October 29, 2039: World Series Game 4
https://i.imgur.com/zTaF0k9.png
Not sure why it refers twice to a "sweep" when Colorado is up 3-1, but either way the Rockies are still only one win away from their first-ever World Series title. Cleveland's only hope to pull a reverse of what they did the last time they were in the Series in 2016 and come back from a 3-1 deficit. |
October 30, 2039: World Series Game 5
It's fitting that this World Series finally had a typical Coors Field game and it was fitting the Rockies won it as they're world champions for the first time in their 47th season.
https://i.imgur.com/00SnWgz.png And Colorado proved the adage that no lead is safe in Coors Field as the Guardians looked to be bringing the series back to Cleveland when they held an 11-4 lead in the 6th inning. But the Rockies kept chipping away, and Andy Hannan's 2-run homer in the 8th tied it up before backup catcher Jonathan Dupree turned himself into a Denver-area legend with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the 10th to pull off a rare World Series-winning walkoff hit. Zach Mathias, whom we traded to Colorado a few winters back for slick-fielding but light-hitting infielder Devin Boatman (himself since traded for the unfortunate Pat Dorminy), was named Series MVP as he went a ridiculous 14 for 25 with 3 doubles, a triple, 2 homers and 5 RBI - and that included an 0-6 in Game 2! |
2039-40 Offseason Outlook
Well we're heading into an even-numbered year so the World Series is in the bag, right?
State of the team right now: We've been given up to $180M in payroll to work with, but as always we're striving to come in well below that. Nate Thompson is our only free agent of significance (of course the owner wants me to re-sign him) and here's the salary situation (anyone not listed is making the minimum): https://i.imgur.com/QPrWXb2.png In some ways, 2040 will be the "last hurrah" with this core, as Jaiden Hardaway, Danny Ayala, Tim Gates and Kikuo Kawase are all slated to be free agents at year's end. Keeping everyone will cost $181M so there will be some moves. As for those above, I definitely will be shopping Dorminy (what a disaster) and Balladares (pitched decently for us but I have just as good if not better pitchers who won't cost $6M). That's $13M off. Others who may go: Gates with the one year of team control at $10M, Ron Adams, who had his control downgraded to 45 as he was wild late in the year and at $8.9M, and Joe Trader, a decent but somewhat fungible lefty reliever at $2.7M. Jeff Baez's fragility makes me likely to keep Ramon Ruiz, even if $3.8M is a bit much for a backup middle infielder. Gates and Adams are an either/or, I'm not going to create two holes in the rotation. Finally, Mike McKee is really expensive at $16.2M, but he was missed down the stretch and in the playoffs and is the best catcher in the game, so the chances of me trading him are very slim unless somehow I can acquire another top-notch catcher. Others who could be traded are youngsters from my glut of outfielders. Ben Hill had a nice year even if he did tail off, but while he can hit for average and power he doesn't walk and is horrible in the field. Ray Cervantes is another great hitting prospect who can't field and I need to get more at-bats for Pat Moyer, who can, as well as Jose Mendez, who can also do it all. Meanwhile, here's a look at our top 10 prospects. We've kind of rebuilt the farm system through trades and some players taking steps forward: https://i.imgur.com/1ds6IQb.png Mike Willis, our top prospect, is another guy I've had a hard time finding room for as well. His profile is a high-average, doubles/triples guy without a lot of over-the-fence power who draws walks (a .400 OBP is not out of the question), and he's good for 40 SB. One would think with this profile he'd be a pretty good defensive OF but no, he's a 45 in LF. He's also another lefty hitter with a pronounced but not ridiculous negative split against lefties. Willis has spent the last two years at Durham, and as long as we have Jaiden Hardaway he's not going to be our leadoff hitter. His morale is cratering, listed as "angry", so he may be shopped as well although I'd like to have him around in 2041. I've mentioned Forbes before and depending on how things shake out, he could get a shot at the rotation. Williams, meanwhile, is our Jaiden Hardaway heir apparent as he has a lot of the same skill set as J-Hard, profiling as potentially 60 or better in all the batting ratings. He was acquired from Pittsburgh during last season for a couple of pitching prospects I'm not real high on anymore, including former 1st-round pick Chad Huthmacher. Bottom line is it's going to be an interesting off-season with deals aplenty. |
2039-40 Offseason, Part 1
As always, there are a wave of retirements at the end of the season and there were a handful of former Rays. The most notable was Wander Franco, whose #6 (yeah I know he wears #5 IRL) we retired. Other former stars retiring were Fernando Tatis Jr. (#25 retired by the Padres) and Ray-for-a-season Gavin Lux (#9 retired by the Dodgers). In addition to those three, a couple of other former Rays hung up the cleats: One was Mack Anglin, the best pitcher we developed in the early days of this save and who gave us 4 1/2 really good seasons totaling 17.6 WAR before tearing a flexor tendon in 2030, effectively ending his MLB career. He came back and pitched in the minors for 9 years, never making the bigs again until he got into one game with the Dodgers late this past season, only to be injured again. The other was Nick Gonzales, who filled in for us admirably in 2026 when Wander was injured late in the year and helped us win a World Series before being traded after the 2027 season to the Dodgers in the deal which brought us Lux for a season and where he went to win an MVP award.
Our first big trade of the offseason: https://i.imgur.com/a4Z3JVK.png In response, I received this: https://i.imgur.com/W6erSvw.png You gotta be kidding me! The guy did nothing but stink after being acquired last year and he gave up the walk-off hit in the ALDS which eliminated us. Anyway, about the deal. You may see those numbers for Billy Haroutunian and wonder what the big deal is. Well first of all he was the #1 overall pick in the 2036 draft and until he exhausted his rookie eligibility last season as a reliever he was rated the #20 prospect overall. Here are his ratings: https://i.imgur.com/s4yYxmJ.png Now he was terrible with Arizona in relief last year as it seemed they rushed him to the bigs with only 27 innings pitched above A-ball on his resume. Control was the problem with 48 walks in 55 IP but as you can see above, he's rated 50 and those numbers are more reflective of someone with 30 control. My initial thoughts are to put him in the rotation at Durham and see how he does. Both OSA and my head scout Rob Metzler describe him as a potential ace. Not bad for a reliever who disappointed and I didn't want to keep at his price although we did have to throw a halfway decent prospect in Adkins in the deal, our supplemental 1st rounder in 2038 who hit well in complex ball but struggled mightily at rookie-level Princeton. November 9: Despite our lousy team defense we had two players win Gold Gloves: Daniel Vasquez at 1B (which was a surprise) and Jeff Baez at SS (which wasn't). November 10: What a joke! Kikuo Kawase was jobbed out of the AL Reliever of the Year award in favor of former Ray Jim Golunski on a close vote (116-112 with 16 1st place for Golunski and 12 for Kawase). Golunski had a great year at Houston and I voted for him 2nd or 3rd, I can't remember but I would have left him off the ballot if I knew this was going to happen. Kawase had 3.8 WAR to Golunski's 2.1 and 30 saves to Golunski's 4, so I'm really hard-pressed to see in what manner Golunski was better. Didn't realize OOTP had this in their algorithms but I guess there's a "tired of voting for the same guy, even if he is the best" factor in there. November 11: The Silver Slugger Awards were announced and 4 Rays were winners: Mike McKee (C), Jaiden Hardaway (2B, despite playing about 60% of the season), Danny Ayala (LF) and Jimmy Leonard (RF). November 14: Texas's Willie Valdez (14-5, 3.38) won the AL Cy Young in a close vote over Seattle's Greg Doyle and our Danny Romero. Valdez actually received fewer first-place votes (7) than Doyle (12) or Romero (9). WAR said Romero was clearly the best pitcher, but his 4.21 ERA apparently scared some voters off. Ron Adams, Tim Gates and Nate Thompson finished 6th, 7th and 8th in the voting. Juan Rosales (16-3, 2.64) of Columbus got the nod in NL. Well a couple of Tampa Bay players got screwed out of awards, but one didn't: https://i.imgur.com/RZqCVEJ.png Ayala was the unanimous winner and mainly needs to thank Jaiden Hardaway for missing 2 months of the season, although it was a well-deserved MVP after he came on like gangbusters over the final two months of the season. Good to see Jimmy Leonard 3rd and Hardaway even took 5th for his partial season. This marks the 9th straight year a Ray has won the award with Dayle Jenkins (2031), Andy Aparicio (2032), Hardaway (2033-36, 38) and Omar Rodriguez (2037) the others. The last non-Ray to win was Vlad Guerrero Jr. with the Yankees in 2030. In the NL Andy Hannan completed a dream season by leading the Rockies to the World Series title and taking the MVP after a .289-53-146 season good for 7.5 WAR. He nosed out Cincinnati's third-year superstar Nelson Gamez, who hit .272-58-142 with 7.9 WAR and got my vote. Deal time! https://i.imgur.com/ImlvxBE.png We acquired one of the best arms in baseball for a couple of fine young bats (and a guy who I didn't want to pay $6M for). The blurb above says Perez has struck out 600 in his career, but it doesn't mention that those came in 449 IP. He was used mostly as a starter by Columbus last year and was 9-10, 3.87 with 199 whiffs in 155 IP and also chipped in 7 saves. He saved 3 more in the postseason as the Lightning used him as a closer but he'll be in our rotation. Plus he makes the minimum and is viewed as a clubhouse leader. Jose Mendez will take Hill's spot as a RH OF bat. We also made a minor trade sending minor league pitcher Jim George, who didn't want to extend his minor league contract, to the Mets for 1B Willie Duran. I don't expect anyone to remember this, but he was our July 2 signing back in 2030 but was sent to Mets in 2032 when we rented C Francisco Alvarez from them. He's had a very slow ascent through the Mets' system and hit 293/333/469 at Syracuse before getting a cup of coffee with the big club. He's rated 65 contact and 60 HR power so the bat plays and he's still 26. He's Durham-bound but gives us depth at the position with Marco Recinos there as well. December 2: First of the big free agents to sign was former Atlanta star Jon Redondo. Redondo has been the Rod Carew of our era, with 3 batting titles, 5 200-hit seasons and a career .334 batting average, although he's never hit more than 14 HR in a season. He's also a former Gold Glover and a 70 at 1B and he's now going to be picking it for Milwaukee on a 4/105 deal. December 3: Another big-name free agent switches teams as Chris Luster leaves Arizona for the south side of Chicago, joining the White Sox on a massive 6/209 deal. He's been one of the better players in the NL, averaging about 5 1/2 WAR over the last four seasons, boasts 30-HR power and has 3 Gold Gloves to his name as an 80-ranked RF. December 9: It's like the old days as the Yankees made a huge free agent splash, signing newly-minted AL Cy Young winner Willie Valdez to a 6/169 deal. Meanwhile in news of former Rays, Nate Clark could have gone elsewhere but re-upped on a 2/49.8 pact with the Cardinals, while Kevin Kerstetter, who twice won 20 games for us, moves from San Diego to the White Sox on a 2/28.2 agreement. |
2039-40 Offseason, Part 2
December 12: As the Winter Meetings get underway, we had a bevy of free agent signings today:
* Cleveland signed veteran slugging 3B Cristhian Rodriguez, 37 and of 629 career homers, to a 2/40 deal. * Former Rays July 2 signing (and key piece sent to San Francisco in the deal that brought us Jaiden Hardaway 11 years ago) Jose Gonzales, who got his career going in recent years and won a Gold Glove at 3B with San Diego, cashed in to the tune of 5/83 with the Angels. * Another former Ray Jim Golunski, who usurped the AL Reliever of the Year from Kikuo Kawase this year, went for 3/33 to Arizona. * Still another former Ray reliever, noted clubhouse cancer Jordan Diaz, came full circle to his original team the Cubs for 2/23.9. OK, time for some deals of our own. The first: https://i.imgur.com/PgzYiqI.png We were up against our budget limits with only $7M to play with so we needed to create some flexibility and Vasquez was making $16M after his latest arbitration award. In return I got two pretty good prospects, both of whom are fine defensive players with pop. Cordova is rated 65 at catcher and has life in his bat (40 2B/15 HR guy). He'll be ready to step in next year or the year after when Mike McKee either gets traded for making $22M in arbitration next year or goes free agent after that. Googins (no relation to Walton Goggins) was the Rockies' 1st-round pick last year (#16 overall) and put up an excellent 4.8 ZR in only 22 games at SS in his pro debut. He too has some pop in his bat and should hit 20-25 HR in the bigs although that will come with a lot of whiffs and a low batting average, but if he's a defensive standout that's acceptable. Delaney was needed to make it work and while he was a #1 pick of ours a few years ago, he's torn his rotator cuff and was only projected in the 50s before he gets re-scouted when he comes back next summer. But how do we replace Vasquez's bat? Glad you asked: https://i.imgur.com/D3NMz7R.png Now you may be saying "What? You just acquired a pitcher." But not really, while he's a credible two-way player, Ruggles is a much better hitter. How much better? Take a look: https://i.imgur.com/huA3yCH.png And he's not just a desert topping, he's a floor wax too (now there's a dated SNL joke): https://i.imgur.com/vOwogA5.png Those are his ratings as a lefty reliever. Oakland gave him 8 starts and 8 relief appearances last year where he pitched to a 5.03 ERA, we may use him out of the bullpen occasionally when he sits some against LHP. The plan though overall is to use him as the DH against righties as he has a pronounced platoon split (you knew there had to be some catches here), play Josh Alexander (who doesn't have much of a platoon split) at 1B and suck it up with his 35 D there (after Vasquez was a Gold Glove, yes we're making our defense worse, although 1B doesn't matter too much in the grand scheme). So the OF will be Ayala in LF, Malone in CF, a Leonard/Mendez platoon in RF and a Ruggles/Moyer platoon at DH. As for what we gave up, Zerman became expendable with the acquisition of Cordova above and although Zerman will be one of the best-hitting catchers in the league (perhaps eventually at McKee levels) he's a 35 behind the plate which I can't abide in a regular (yes, even I have my limits for bad defense). Rivers is the opposite of Zerman, he's an 80 glove at 2B, a wizard, but really can't hit and was probably going to be taken in the Rule 5 Draft if I didn't add him to the 40-man. If Rivers were an 80 SS, I could see him as a regular but not at 2nd with a projected OPS somewhere in the 600s. Plus Steven Williams has leapfrogged him on the organization depth chart and is the Hardaway heir. December 22: Added P Dan Anderson and OF Randy Bahr to the 40-man roster. It's Rule 5 time again, and while I'm long past trying to predict whether we'll lose anybody and if so who, but I feel like we might get dinged this year. I could see Jon Callahan (whom we acquired from Arizona in the Bo Angeac deal), Randy Rappaport (who has 40-HR power but whose best position is DH) or relievers Eric Mora or Ian Mullin taken. We didn't have many openings on the 40-man this year so we're going to ride this one out. And.....the Rule 5 draft turned out to be a nothingburger, with only one player selected (Houston took a backup catcher from Arizona). January 4: The Hall of Fame voting is in: https://i.imgur.com/LbbBViR.png The only surprising thing about Mike Trout getting in on his first attempt is that someone didn't vote for him. Mike Soroka also sailed in after a fine career with Atlanta, and in his 3rd year Thor got in. He'll always have a special place in our hearts after helping take the Rays to their first World Series title in his one year with us in 2023. Nobody else was close although Rafael Devers had an impressive 51.7% in his first year on the ballot. January 15: Our lone free agent of consequence, Nate Thompson, signed a 4/75.2 deal with the Mets. As we qualified him when he went free agent the first time a couple years back, he was ineligible for a QO this time so no draft pick for us. January 24: Rays legend Christian Little signed a 1-year, $6.3 contract with the Dodgers as he tries to come back from a torn flexor tendon suffered last season with the White Sox. February 21: Another former Ray on the move as one-time staff ace Nate Schultz was traded by Phillies to the Cubs for 3 minor leaguers coming off an 11-8, 4.21 season. February 22: One-time Rays bullpen mainstay Danny Medina inked a 2-year pact with the Padres for $2.6M. Medina is coming off a horrendous season between Minnesota and Houston as a starter where he had a brutal 64/48 BB/K ratio with 124 hits allowed in 95 1/3 IP and a 6.99 ERA. March 3: Mike Barkley, the best reliever in MLB not named Kikuo Kawase, left the only team he knew as the Brewers traded him to the Dodgers for 3 minor leaguers. Barkley is the highest-paid reliever in baseball at $23M and Milwaukee is picking up a quarter of that. |
2040 Opening Day Roster & Preseason Predictions
A new decade and season dawns for the Rays. Will it end in the ALDS or with a parade? Stay tuned. We got through Spring Training without any injuries and there aren't many surprises on the Opening Day roster, which is as follows:
C-McKee, Morley 1B-Alexander 2B-Hardaway SS-Baez 3B-Gebers IF-Ruiz, Beckett OF-Ayala, Malone, Leonard, Mendez, Moyer DH-Ruggles SP-Romero, J.Perez, Gates, Adams, Abeles LR-Harbour MR-Toombs, Trader, Pretty, Willard SU-Burgess, Neil CL-Kawase The one decision forced on us was to go 14/13 with hitters since Josh Beckett is out of options. Trade offers weren't that great for him but I'm sure he wouldn't clear waivers. This meant Jose Mendoza went back to Durham as he would have been the 14th pitcher. Ed Pretty makes the squad as a rookie, and he has dominant stuff, and while Ken Neil is listed as a setup man he had a terrible spring on top of his terrible season with us last year so his lease will be short and I may just go with righty setup men exclusively. Here are the preseason predictions, which last year were famously down on us calling for a 2nd place, 88-win season which we managed to better by 21 games. This time they think we'll take the division, but with only 92 wins as they are seriously bullish on our pitching. https://i.imgur.com/biN6v3j.png |
March 29-April 1, 2040: vs Boston (4)
I'm going to stick with my normal posts of the entire series at once rather than updating posts with each game of the series like I did before last season, but I'm making an exception to get Opening Day up quickly, especially since this is a 4-game series.
Game 1: Opening Day was a rousing success and an auspicious debut for Andy Ruggles as the Rays blanked Boston 3-0 at Publix Park. The second-year outfielder, acquired from Oakland in the offseason, made a great first impression on the Tampa Bay fanbase by going 4-4 with an RBI double for the second run of the game and a solo homer for run #3. Jimmy Leonard homered in the 6th to break up a pitchers' duel between two of the top hurlers in the AL and Ruggles took over from there. If not for Ruggles the big story would have been Danny Romero, who flashed his Cy Young form with 6 2/3 shutout innings for the win. As I alluded to in the Opening Day roster post above, Ken Burgess got the setup call in the 8th despite two lefties due, and he responded by striking out the side before Kikuo Kawase got the Sox 1-2-3 in the 9th on only 5 pitches for the save. Here's the box: https://i.imgur.com/AvKflr8.png Game 2: The Rays got more excellent pitching and enough hitting to take a 5-2 win over Boston to make it 2 for 2 in 2040. Jordan Perez made his Rays debut, and although he scuffled a bit early he got into a grove and finished 6 6 2 2 2 8 for the win. The much-maligned Ken Neil got the call in the 7th and struck out a pair in a 1-2-3 inning and then stuck around to fan Mario Aguilar to lead off the 8th. Kikuo Kawase made it 2 saves in 2 days in the 9th. All of the Rays' runs came in one inning, the 3rd, and most of it came on one swing: a grand slam homer by Jimmy Leonard, his 2nd round-tripper in as many days. The rally continued and Andy Ruggles came through again with an RBI double for the fifth run. Game 3: It was the Josh Alexander show as the second-year 1B homered twice and then singled in the game-winning run in the bottom of the 11th to give the Rays a 5-4 win and a 3-0 start to 2040. Alexander also walked twice in his six plate appearances and did his best to make the Tampa Bay fans forget Daniel Vasquez in providing the walk-off winner. It was a comeback job for Tampa Bay as Tim Gates served up a 3-run homer to Mario Aguilar to put Boston ahead 3-1 and it was 4-2 when Jimmy Leonard stayed on pace for 162 homers by going deep for the third straight day with a man on to tie the game in the 6th. From there it was a battle of the bullpens and ours didn't blink with Ken Neil coming through big again (1 2/3 scoreless) and Ed Pretty fanning 3 in 1 1/3. Vinny Willard, the Rays' 6th pitcher of the day, was credited with the win after a scoreless 11th. The winning rally came with two out and nobody on when Boston's Omar Widener walked Jeff Baez and Jaiden Hardaway before Alexander singled the former home. Gates was a mixed bag, going 4.2 5 4 1 2 4 as an error preceding Aguilar's homer made those 3 runs unearned. Game 4: The Rays will not go 162-0 after being blown out by Boston today 9-2. Ron Adams did not have it as after a quick first he was tattooed for 7 runs in 2 2/3 innings with a pair of homers allowed. Andy Ruggles hit his 2nd homer for one of the Rays' 2 runs. Team record: 3-1. Next up: 2 games at Yankee Stadium. |
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