May 5-7, 2026: vs Texas (3)
 

Game 1: 5-4 W. WP-Gau (1-0). S-Fairbanks (5). Starter-Castillo (5 7 4 4 2 2). HR-Cartaya (2), Albies (5). Albies' 2-run homer in the 7th won it for the Rays, who trailed 3-0 before Cartaya's 3-run shot tied it in the 5th.

Game 2: 2-4 L. LP-Moran (0-2). Starter-Rasmussen (5 6 2 1 1 5). Jovani Moran gave up a 2-run homer to David Garcia in the 9th to lose it.

Game 3: 9-3 W. WP-Whitley (1-0). Starter-Swanda (4.1 6 3 3 3 7, 3 HR). HR-Schmitt (5), Cartaya (3). Rays broke open a close one late, going up 4-3 in the 5th on a 2-run Albies double and getting some breathing room with a 2-run Cartaya shot. Casey Schmitt added a 2-run triple after an earlier solo homer.

Team record: 15-14. Next up: Oakland visits for 3.

Forgot to mention in the previous post that Spencer Torkelson was last week's AL Player of the Week, going 8-24 with 5 homers.

May 8-10, 2026: vs Oakland (3)
 

Game 1: 9-8 W. WP-Feyereisen (1-0). Starter-Bradley (6 8 4 4 0 6). HR-Ozuna 2 (5), Torkelson (7/11). The bullpen blew an 8-4 lead in this game with Fairbanks giving up a pair in the 9th but Tork came to the rescue with a walk-off blast leading off the bottom of the 9th. Albies drove in 3 with a double and triple and Ozuna had his best game as a Ray, knocking in 3 with a pair of homers.

Game 2: 5-2 W. WP-McClanahan (2-2, 5.2 7 1 1 2 9). S-Hendriks (2). HR-Mead (4). After starting the season out of the lineup Curtis Mead has forced his way into it and was 3-4 tonight with the homer and 2 RBI. He's now hitting 370/419/600 and is 2nd in the AL in BA.

Game 3: 4-5 L. LP-Fairbanks (1-2). Starter-Castillo (7.2 7 3 3 2 9). HR-Torkelson (8/12). A gut-punch loss which saw a 4-1 lead lost when Castillo gave up 2 in the 8th on a homer before leaving and then Fairbanks blow the save again in the 9th in large part due to his own fielding error, nearly getting out of 2nd and 3rd with nobody out before giving up a 2-out 2-run single. To add injury to insult Diego Cartaya strained an oblique and will be out 5 weeks but it's good timing for Christian Vazquez who had sent me a PM demanding a spot in the lineup.

Team record: 17-15, 1 1/2 behind the Yankees. Next up: Boston comes to the Trop for 4 games.

May 11-14, 2026: vs Boston (4)
 

Transaction: Diego Cartaya goes on the 10-day IL with his strained oblique and last year's backup Rene Pinto is recalled to be this year's.

Game 1: 5-0 W. WP-Rasmussen (2-3, 5.2 3 0 0 2 6). HR-Franco (9). Ras & the pen got it done and Wander had a huge game, going 3-4 with the homer and 3 RBI.

Game 2: 2-4 L. LP-Swanda (2-3, 5 6 4 1 3 7). HR-Mears (4). Swanda's own error led to 3 unearned runs in the 5th and the bats were held to 3 hits with Mears' 2-run shot the sum total of the offense.

Game 3: 7-5 W. WP-Bradley (4-2, 6.1 4 3 1 1 6). S-Fairbanks (6). HR-Mead (5). It was a 4-2 game after 6 and while the Rays and their pen kept giving up runs, they kept tacking them on as well so they hung on to win. Mead & Ozuna drove in a pair and everyone in the lineup got a hit except Mears, who walked twice. After getting the big contract in the offseason Fairbanks was shaky yet again and despite a respectable 2.84 ERA he's given up 15 hits and 10 walks in 12.1 IP so far with 2 blown saves and 2 losses.

Game 4: 2-0 W. WP-McClanahan (3-2, 7 1 0 0 2 6). S-Hendriks (3). HR-Ozuna (6), L.White (1). Mac was spotless and he got homers from Ozuna and Rule 5 guy Lonnie White, his first MLB longball. The win moved the Rays into first place for the first time this season.

Team record: 20-16, 1/2 game up on the Yankees and 1 on Toronto. Next up: The homestand concludes with 3 against Washington.

May 15-17, 2026: vs Washington (3)
 

Game 1: 4-5 L. LP-Castillo (3-3, 5 5 3 3 3 5). HR-Ozuna (7). Castillo gave up a 3-run homer to Jorge Soler in the 5th and the Rays would fall behind 5-1 before Ozuna's 3-run shot in the 9th made the score close.

Game 2: 1-2 L. LP-Rasmussen (2-4, 8 5 2 2 1 7). HR-Torkelson (9/13). Rays wasted a brilliant start from Ras thanks to an almost total lack of offense.

Game 3: 1-5 L. LP-Swanda (2-4, 4.2 5 4 4 4 4). Swanda's line shouldn't have been as bad it was but he left a 1-1 game in the 5th with the bases loaded and Chris Gau immediately gave up a Judson Fabian grand slam. Just when it seemed the team had turned a corner, they get swept at home by a mediocre Nationals team and outside of a consolation 3-run homer in the opener they scored only 3 runs in the 3 games.


Team record: 20-19. We've dropped to third in the AL East but are only 1 game behind the leading Yankees (1/2 behind 2nd place Toronto). Next up: An off-day then we head to Miami to play 3 against our cross-state rival Marlins.

MLB News: The Angels' Dylan Cease's season has ceased as the starter will miss the rest of the year with shoulder inflammation. Meanwhile the Cards gave 2B Tommy Edman a 5/100 extension.

May 19-21, 2026: at Miami (3)
 

Game 1: 2-1 W. WP-McClanahan (4-2, 7 5 1 1 0 4). S-Fairbanks (7). Another stellar outing from Mac and RBI hits from Tork and Schmitt in the first inning stood up. Fairbanks struck out the side in the 9th for the save, bouncing back from a couple of blown ones.

Game 2: 0-3 L. LP-Bradley (4-3, 4.2 6 3 3 2 3). Our offensive woes continue. We did bang out 7 hits and draw 4 walks, but all the hits were singles and we grounded into three double plays.

Game 3: 4-5 L. LP-Scott (0-1). Starter-Castillo (5.2 6 4 4 5 3). HR-Ozuna (8). Ozuna's 3-run homer in the top of the 6th put the Rays ahead 4-3 but Castillo was awful in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases and walking in a man to let the Marlins equalize, then a Wander error in the 7th was the primary culprit in allowing the winner to come home. Loaded the bases in the 9th but Wander capped a horrible day (0-5 and the key error) by grounding out to end the game.

Team record: 21-21, 3rd in the East 1 1/2 behind the Yankees. Next up: 3 games in Atlanta, which sports an identical record to ours.

May 22-24, 2026: at Atlanta (3)
 

Game 1: 2-4 L. LP-Rasmussen (2-5, 3.2 7 4 4 2 1). HR-Ozuna (9). Ozuna's 2-run homer in the 2nd gave the Rays a short-lived lead and they didn't manage another hit until the 9th inning totaling three in all as the offense continues to struggle.

Game 2: 3-5 L. LP-Swanda (2-5, 3.2 5 4 4 4 5). HR-DeLoach (5). The Rays drop 2 games below .500 after another loss that featured a struggling start and lousy hitting. It wasn't until the final two innings they put 3 runs on the board to make it a game at the end, albeit for naught.

Game 3: 3-0 W. WP-Gau (2-0). S-Fairbanks (8). Starter-McClanahan (5 4 0 0 2 5, 96 pitches). HR-J.Jackson (1). Rays snapped a 4-game losing streak thanks to a fine start from Mac, 2 scoreless from Gau, and shaky scoreless innings from Hendriks and Fairbanks which saw them each put three men on base. Ozzie Albies had to miss his return to Atlanta with a back strain and his fill-in Jeremiah Jackson had the big hit, a 2-run homer in the 7th after Casey Schmitt singled in a run to break a scoreless tie.

Team record: 22-23, still only 1 1/2 out of first in a fortunately (for the Rays) mediocre AL East. Next up: Back home for a pair vs the Phillies.

MLB News: Former Rays lefty reliever Josh Taylor, who signed with the Yankees this past winter, is done for the season with a torn labrum.

May 25-26, 2026: vs Philadelphia (2)
 

Game 1: 10-4 W. WP-C.White (2-0). Starter-Bradley (5 5 4 3 1 7). HR-Mears (5), Mead (6), Franco (10). Rays fell behind 4-0 early and with the way they'd been hitting lately it looked like lights out, but it was the Tampa Bay bats which were lights out and Mead's 3-run homer put them up 5-4 and they piled on from there.

Game 2: 5-8 L. LP-Castillo (3-4, 4 4 6 5 3 1). HR-Vazquez (1), Torkelson (10/14), Franco (11). Tork's 3-run homer put them up 4-3 in the 3rd but Luis Castillo has just been miserable this season and he couldn't hold the lead. Tanner Scott coughed up a key 3-run homer to Bryce Harper which turned the game with Castillo's men on in the 5th.

Team record: 23-24. Next up: 2 more against these Phillies, but at Citizens Bank Park.

MLB News: Phillies starter Eduardo Rodriguez left the second game after 2 innings, and it turns out he tore his labrum and is done for the year.

May 27-28, 2026: at Philadelphia (2)
 

Game 1: 9-4 W. WP-Gau (3-0). Starter-Rasmussen (5.1 7 3 3 1 2). HR-J.Jackson (2). This was a scoreless game until the 5th when the Rays went up 1-0 and then blew a 4-0 lead by allowing 4 in the 6th as Gau gave up a 2-run homer, but he got the win when Tampa Bay bounced back with 3 in the 7th with Vaughn's 2-run single the big hit. Jackson and Mead also knocked in a pair.

Game 2: 8-4 W. WP-Swanda (3-5, 5 5 4 4 2 4). HR-Torkelson (11/15), Albies (6), DeLoach (6). Similar story to yesterday: Rays blew a 3-0 when Swanda gave up 4 in the 3rd but the Rays got 2 in the 6th with Lonnie White's RBI single breaking the deadlock and they kept tacking on from there. They ended up taking 3 of 4 from Philly home and away and scored 32 runs in the process after barely being able to generate any offense the couple of weeks before.

Team record: 25-24. The Yankees swept their series so the Rays are still 2 1/2 back. Next up: 3 games in Minnesota, where the Twins have the same 25-24 record as us.

Rays News: Josh Lowe, who has been out since mid-September with a broken bone in his elbow, started a rehab assignment at Durham this week. When he's ready to come back someone's going to have to be the odd man out and with Lonnie White a Rule 5 guy that likely means Andrew Vaughn, a free agent at year's end and who's played his way onto the bench, will probably be dealt.

May 29-31, 2026: at Minnesota (3)
 

Game 1: 6-3 W. WP-McClanahan (5-2). S-Fairbanks (9). HR-Albies (7). Albies' 2-run homer in the 5th turned a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 lead and they went to win from there. Spencer Torkelson strained an ab and will go on the IL but should hopefully be back after 10 days. Meanwhile Fairbanks got yet another save despite allowing 3 hits; he's allowed 23 hits in 16.2 IP thanks to an absurd .537 BABIP, never seen anything like it.

Transaction: Tork goes on the IL and Josh Lowe comes back from his rehab assignment a few games early, ready to make his season debut. Diego Cartaya has also joined Durham to start a rehab assignment of his own.

Game 2: 4-5 L. LP-Hendriks (1-1). Starter-Bradley (5 5 4 4 3 5). HR-Franco (12). A tough loss after squandering leads of 2-0 and 4-2 with Liam Hendriks giving up an 8th-inning homer to lose it. Lonnie White had a double and triple, scoring twice.

Game 3: 5-1 W. WP-Castillo (4-4, 6 3 1 1 2 5). HR-Mead 3 (9), Schmitt (6). Take a bow Curtis Mead as he hits 3 homers to tie the team record, driving in four. Luis Castillo pitched his best game of a rough season for him, and Schmitt was 3-4 with a double and solo homer.

Team record: 27-25, now only 1 back of the Yankees. Next up: An off-day then 3 games in Seattle.

Quite a month for Mac:

https://i.imgur.com/1r67o2z.png

June 2-4, 2026: at Seattle (3)
 

Game 1: 3-4 L. LP-Hendriks (1-2). Starter-Rasmussen (5 6 3 1 4 1). HR-Vaughn (3). Vaughn's pinch-hit 2-run homer tied it at 3 in the 7th but Liam Hendriks immediately gave up a run in the bottom of the inning to lose it.

Game 2: 9-1 W. WP-Swanda (4-5, 7 4 0 0 2 6). HR-Franco (13), J.Lowe (1), Mead (10). The three homers accounted for 8 of the 9 runs with Lowe's first since returning breaking the game open in the 8th before Mead hit a 3-run jack in the 9th. Swanda was brilliant in his best start of the season as he was starting to pitch his way out of the rotation.

Game 3: 4-5 L. LP-Hendriks (1-3). Starter-McClanahan (5.1 6 3 3 1 1). Rays couldn't hold leads of 3-0 and 4-3 as the pen faltered again with Jovani Moran allowing the tying run and Hendriks giving up the winner for the second time in three days.

Team record: 28-27. Next up: A daunting task as the 39-15 Milwaukee Brewers visit the Trop for 3 games. Meanwhile the AL East is a jumble:

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

June 5-7, 2026: vs Milwaukee (3)
 

Game 1: 1-2 L. LP-Bradley (4-4, 5.2 2 2 1 1 10). Taj was brilliant outside of a two-run homer allowed in the first which turned out to be enough to send a punchless Rays squad to defeat.

Game 2: 1-4 L. LP-Castillo (4-5, 5 4 3 2 2 8). Rays were dominated by Corbin Burnes and another fine start was wasted.

Transaction: Diego Cartaya was activated from his rehab assignment and Rene Pinto was optioned to Durham.

Game 3: 0-2 L. LP-Rasmussen (2-6, 6 6 2 2 2 5). Same s**t, different day as it's hard to win games no matter how good your pitching if you can't score any runs. Freddy Peralta shackled them today and showed why Milwaukee is now 42-15.

Team record: 28-30, now 4th in the AL East but mercifully only 2 games behind division-leading Boston. One of those teams in between is next up as the Yankees visit the Trop for 4 games.

June 8-11, 2026: vs NY Yankees (4)
 

Game 1: 5-2 W. WP-Gau (4-0). S-Fairbanks (10). Starter-Swanda (4.2 4 2 2 3 3). HR-Mead (11), Mears (6). Rays' scoring came on a pair of homers: Mead's 3-run jack in the 1st and Mears' 2-run shot in the 5th. Chris Gau continues to be a good-luck charm in the middle innings after winning 13 last season.

Trade time!

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

As hinted at previously Vaughn was going to be the odd man out when Josh Lowe came back, but Tork's injury kicked that can down the road until now as Tork was ready to come off the IL. In return for him (along with Colby White, a useful middle reliever but not much more) we get a power lefty in Ashby who can start as well as relieve. For now he'll go to the pen where he has an impressive 3/33 BB/K ratio in 16 IP.

Game 2: 4-8 L. LP-Ashby (0-1). Starter-McClanahan (4 7 3 2 2 6). Rays fought back to tie the game at 4 in the 7th only for brand new acquisition Aaron Ashby to crap the bed in his Tampa Bay debut, allowing 4 runs in the 8th. Wander was 2-4 with a double and 2 RBI.

Game 3: 6-0 W. WP-Bradley (5-4, 5 4 0 0 1 6). HR-Torkelson (12/16), Mead (12). Rays got the better of Jacob deGrom for once with Tork hitting a 2-run homer in the 2nd and Mead going deep with two men on in the 3rd. Taj was great and Aaron Ashby partially atoned for his debut by throwing 2 scoreless innings.

Game 4: 0-3 L. LP-Castillo (4-6, 6 9 3 3 0 5). Just when it seemed the Rays were scoring runs again with the lineup at full strength they go and lay an egg against Tyler Wells, who came into the game with a 7.84 ERA but threw 5 1/3 scoreless. They did have some opportunities to score but came up small with men on base, including a situation where they had the bases loaded with one out only for Diego Cartaya and Josh Mears to look at called third strikes. Cartaya struck out all four times up and the guy we thought was going to give us a big offensive upgrade at catcher and was our big offseason acquisition is currently hitting .167.

Team record: 30-32. Next up: We head out west for three against the Giants, who have a similar 29-32 record.

June 12-14, 2026: at San Francisco (3)
 

Game 1: 6-0 W. WP-Rasmussen (3-6, 7 3 0 0 1 1). HR-L.White (2). Ras was solid, Wander had a big RBI triple and Lonnie White put the game away with a late 3-run shot.

Game 2: 9-0 W. WP-Swanda (5-5, 7 7 0 0 0 6). HR-Albies (8). Albies' 3-run homered key a 4-run 3rd and Rays pitching was stingy again as the offense banged out 14 hits. Albies drove in 4 and Zach DeLoach was 2-4 with a double and 2 RBI.

Game 3: 2-3 L (11). LP-Scott (0-2). Starter-McClanahan (5.2 6 1 1 2 6). HR-Cartaya (4). Rays should have had the sweep but Fairbanks blew the save in the 9th with help from a Wander error. Former Rays stalwart Yandy Diaz singled in the tying run and then the Giants walked it off in the 11th.

Team record: 32-33, but only 1 1/2 back in AL East. Next up: Pitchers beware as we head to Coors Field for 3 games.

June 15-17, 2026: at Colorado (3)
 

Game 1: 10-2 W. WP-Bradley (6-4, 6 3 1 1 1 7). HR-Franco 2 (15), Mears (7). Monster game from Wander, 4-5 with the two homers and 5 RBI, Mears drove in 3 and Marcell Ozuna was 4-5 with an RBI. Taj, who had been a bit homer-prone, handled Coors Field with alacrity.

Game 2: 6-3 W. WP-Castillo (5-6, 7 8 2 2 0 4). S-Fairbanks (11). Ozzie Albies was the star today, driving in 4 with a 2-run single and 2-run triple, the latter coming in the 9th when Colorado had pulled within 4-3. Once again Fairbanks loaded the bases in the 9th but still got the save (he sports a 1.94 WHIP).

Game 3: 9-10 L. LP-Ashby (0-2). Starter-Rasmussen (1.2 2 1 1 0 2). HR-Torkelson 2 (14/18), DeLoach (7). A remarkable game which saw the Rays once again blow a game late to keep them from sweeping, just as they did in San Fran the last series. They were up 8-2 in the 6th despite having to go with a bullpen game since Ras left in the 2nd with a mild oblique strain (he'll make his next start), and were still ahead 9-8 going into the 9th when Ashby faltered again since joining the club, giving up a 2-run walk-off homer to Zac Veen who completed the cycle with it. And not only did Veen cycle but so did our Zach DeLoach, the first time in MLB history two players had cycled in the same game. This was so notable that I made a detailed post to the main forum complete with the box score.

Team record: 34-34, 2 1/2 behind New York which swept their series with Washington. Next up: An off-day then we return home for 3 vs Minnesota.

June 19-21, 2026: vs Minnesota (3)
 

Game 1: 2-3 L. LP-Fairbanks (1-3). Starter-McClanahan (7.1 4 1 1 0 7). Here we go again. Rays held a 2-1 lead from the 3rd until the 9th, when Fairbanks blew yet another save, his 4th of the year, and Minnesota scored twice in the 9th to steal the game. This marks the third time in five games the Rays have a lost a game with a blown lead in the 9th and they wasted Mac's best start of the season.

Game 2: 10-1 W. WP-Swanda (6-5, 8.1 4 1 1 3 7). HR-Schmitt (7), Mears (8). They bullpen-proofed this one by scoring 4 in the first and continuing to tack on while Swanda pitched his best game of the season. Schmitt and Mears had 3-run homers while Mead was 2-4 with 2 RBI.

Game 3: 1-3 L. LP-Hendriks (1-4). Starter-Bradley (6 4 0 0 4 4). This is truly getting absurd. It was a scoreless game until Marcell Ozuna singled in a run in the bottom of the 8th and this time we gave the ball to Liam Hendriks in the 9th. He got the first two out, gave up a double, a single to let Minnesota tie it and then served up a 2-run gopher ball to Byron Buxton and the Rays suffered another gut-punch defeat. If games ended after 8 innings the Rays would be on a 9-game win streak right now. To encapsulate how bad the bullpen has been when it matters (they actually have a 2.60 ERA overall) the Rays' Pythagorean record is 44-27 yet they're 35-36. A 9-game discrepancy is almost unheard of after only 71 games and they're 7-15 in one-run games. Not sure what to do here - Fairbanks and Hendriks are both highly-rated relievers; I suppose every so often you roll snake eyes five straight times.

Team record: 35-36, 2 1/2 back of New York which also dropped 2 of 3 but 4th in the division. Next up: We go to one of the other teams ahead of us, Toronto, for 3 games.

June 22-25, 2026: at Toronto (4)
 

Game 1: 0-4 L. LP-Castillo (5-7, 5.2 7 4 4 2 6). Getting only five hits, none for extra bases, is not a recipe to win games.

Game 2: 6-3 W (12). WP-Moran (1-3). Starter-Rasmussen (5 4 0 0 4 3). HR-Mead 2 (14), Schmitt (8). Would you be surprised to hear that Pete Fairbanks blew another save, giving up a run in the 9th to send us to extras? No, no you wouldn't. Anyway they still won when Mead hit his 2nd homer of the game with a man on in the 12th and Schmitt followed with one as well. Mead finished with 4 RBI and is having a whale of a season at 320/371/545.

Game 3: 4-1 W. WP-McClanahan (6-2, 6.2 5 1 1 0 5). S-Fairbanks (12). HR-Albies (9). Mac is on quite the roll and now leads the AL in ERA at 2.83. Fairbanks actually saved this one despite putting two more men on to keep his ~2 WHIP intact.

Game 4: 4-10 L. LP-Swanda (6-6, 6 8 4 2 1 9). HR-J.Lowe (2), Torkelson (15/19). It was too much to ask of this team determined to hover around .500 to take 3 of 4 in this series and a 4-3 Jays lead in the 6th exploded into a 10-3 lead after Chris Gau couldn't get anyone out (5 runs in 1/3 inning) and Feyereisen gave up a slam with Gau's runners aboard.

Team record: 37-38, but still only 1 1/2 out of the division lead and the third wild card as parity reigns this year. Next up: Home for 3 against another team hovering around .500 as St. Louis is 38-37.

MLB News: Toronto starter Alek Manoah, who pitched against the Rays in the series opener, fractured his elbow in that game and is done for the season. Also Mets slugger Pete Alonso hit his 300th career homer.

June 26-28, 2026: vs St. Louis (3)
 

Game 1: 5-6 L (13). LP-Ashby (0-3). Starter-Bradley (5 8 4 4 2 6). The Rays came back to tie this game in the 8th and the 9th, only to succumb in the 13th as if it's going to be a close game you know they're gonna lose. Wander had 4 hits and a steal in the loss.

Game 2: 1-4 L. LP-Castillo (5-8, 7.1 5 3 3 1 6). This was a 1-1 game until the 8th when Castillo put a couple of men on and Liam Hendriks gave up a 2-run triple with 2 out to former Ray Lars Nootbaar and a single to score him. The bats were stifled by another former Ray, Blake Snell who went 8 6 1 1 2 8 against them.

Game 3: 8-5 W. WP-Moran (2-2). S-Fairbanks (13). Starter-Rasmussen (2.1 3 4 4 5 3). HR-Mead (15), L.White (3). Looked like they'd be swept when Ras's terrible start helped put them down 5-3 but Mead's 2-run homer in the 6th (after his 2-run double in the 1st) tied it, and Lonnie White won it with a 3-run homer in the 8th. Fairbanks actually had a 1-2-3 inning:

https://i.imgur.com/1C6R5eT.png

Team record: 38-40, 2 1/2 back as usual. Next up: An off-day to travel to San Diego where we'll play 3 games.

June 30-July 2, 2026: at San Diego (3)
 

Transaction: Casey Schmitt was involved in a bean-brawl in the last game against St. Louis and was suspended for 3 games. To take his place Brooks Lee will be called up from Durham. The former 13th overall pick in 2022 by the Angels will get the call for the first time; he hit .328 with 3.8 WAR last year at Durham but is only hitting .237 this year although he had gotten off to a miserable start.

Game 1: 6-1 W. WP-McClanahan (7-2, 6 2 1 1 2 7). HR-Torkelson (16/20). What a year Mac is having, he's only allowed more than three earned runs once in his 17 starts and exactly one run in each of his last four. Tork's 3-run homer in the 6th capped a 4-run inning that put them ahead to say and Wander banged out four hits while Mead was 3-4 with a ribbie.

Game 2: 6-2 W. WP-Swanda (7-6, 7 4 1 1 2 4). HR-J.Lowe (3), Cartaya (5), Torkelson (17/21). Speaking of pitchers on a roll, Swanda has only allowed 6 earned runs over his last 6 starts and a 4-run first capped by Lowe's 3-run blast sent them on their way as the Rays got back to .500.

Game 3: 12-1 W. WP-Bradley (7-4, 7 5 1 1 0 3). The Rays were circling the bases all day as they banged out 14 hits and drew 4 walks in scoring 12 and sweeping the Padres, their first series sweep since beating the White Sox April 13-15 and only their second this season as they moved above .500. Wander capped a ridiculous series, going 4-5 with 4 RBI and going 11-16 overall. Diego Cartaya has finally heated up with a 3-5, 2-RBI game and Brooks Lee had a 2-run double in his MLB debut before he goes back to Durham tomorrow.

Team record: 41-40, now only 1/2 game out of first (and 1/2 out of a wild card). Next up: We return home, continuing interleague play with 3 against the Cubs, who are 39-40. If it seems like everyone in MLB is hovering around .500 it's because they are - 18 teams are within 2 games of .500.

Meet our July 2 International Signing
 

Say hello to...

https://i.imgur.com/zOj8U8D.png

We've signed Vazquez at the ripe old age of 15, although he'll turn 16 in about 10 days. The potential is mouth-watering but it's a long, long time from coming to fruition, should it ever.

July 3-5, 2026: vs Chicago Cubs (3)
 

Game 1: 5-4 W (11). WP-Fairbanks (2-3). Starter-Castillo (4.1 7 2 2 3 4). HR-Albies (10), Torkelson (18/22). Maybe the worm is turning for the Rays as this is the kind of game they would have lost up until recently. Liam Hendriks gave up a 2-run homer to Will Smith in the 7th to let Chicago tie, and normally they'd lose after that. But Josh Mears walked it off with an RBI single and Fairbanks actually pitched two perfect innings. Tork homered for the third time in four games as they made it 5 straight wins and took over first place in the AL East.

Game 2: 4-1 W. WP-Rasmussen (4-6, 5.1 5 1 1 3 5). S-Fairbanks (14). HR-Torkelson (19/23). Tork continues to carry the team as his 3-run homer in the 4th was the big hit while the pitching was sterling again, a recipe for 6 consecutive wins.

Game 3: 7-0 W. WP-McClanahan (8-2, 7 3 0 0 3 7). HR-Torkelson (20/24), Mead (15). There's no hotter pitcher in MLB than Mac and there's no hotter hitter than Tork, whose 3-run homer broke open a 3-0 game and has homered in three straight and five of six as the Rays made it 7 in a row. He also added an RBI single to give him a 4-ribbie day.

Team record: 44-40, 1/2 game up on Boston and 1 1/2 up on the Yankees. Next up: Baltimore comes to town for 4 games.

2026 Midseason Review
 

Until this current 7-game win streak it had been an extremely frustrating season with the Rays losing game after game they should have been winning, primarily thanks to a bullpen that statistically is pretty good but has been about as un-clutch as imaginable and that's reflected in the major negative discrepancy in our actual record vs our expected (Pythagorean) record. Fortunately the AL East collectively spun its wheels and despite the mediocre start they still find themselves in first place, hopefully auguring well when we get some positive regression.

https://i.imgur.com/ixY07pK.png

As I mentioned a couple of posts back, parity reigns supreme in MLB this year with only the Brewers separating themselves from the pack as the majors' top team. As the Rays have shown all it takes is a hot streak to make a move in the standings.

https://i.imgur.com/gi0K0cV.png

A look at the underlying numbers shows this isn't a ~.500 team; in fact it should be the dominant team in the AL right now. But our well-chronicled woes and bad luck have kept the record down so we'll just have to keep up these numbers and let the wins flow from them. This is a really bad defensive club, though with the primary culprits being our keystone combo of Wander Franco and Ozzie Albies, who sport ZRs of -4.3 and -4.5 respectively. Wander at least makes up for it (and then some) with the bat, but Albies has not hit well this year and is barely above replacement value. Also, after holding his own last year with a neutral fielding numbers, Casey Schmitt is a defensive liability at 3B too (-3.3 WAR). Pete Fairbanks has been much-maligned this year with the blown saves - and his 16 walks in 27 IP has a lot to do with it - but you can also see why he has a .411 BABIP.

https://i.imgur.com/4dWF8Gf.png

We've really been a 4-man offense this year with Wander, Tork, Mead and DeLoach carrying things with Albies and Schmitt dropping off significantly from last year. And the bottom third of the order has been a black hole with Cartaya not hitting like we'd hoped (although he's picked it up a bit lately after being down to around .167) and Mears (RF) and Ozuna (DH) have largely been worthless. Changes could be in the offing with those two. Ozuna has already been relegated to platooning against lefties with Josh Lowe back, but Lowe has been anemic with the bat as well. By the way Andrew Vaughn has been raking for Milwaukee since we traded him, which figures.

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

With the exception of the back end of the pen (Fairbanks and Hendriks), the pitching has been sterling this year. The rotation has been extremely consistent with only our #2 guy, Luis Castillo, having some struggles this year, and Mac is a Cy Young contender. Our long guys (Whitley & Sears) have been exceptional although it's been a struggle for Aaron Ashby since coming over but his stuff is still great with control the issue.

July 6-9, 2026: vs Baltimore (4)
 

Game 1: 6-7 L (11). LP-Ashby (0-4). Starter-Swanda (5 10 5 5 0 5). The Rays scored 5 in the first and looked on their way to an 8th straight win but Swanda couldn't hold it and the offense didn't tack on after that. Mead was 3-5 with 2 RBI.

Game 2: 4-3 W. WP-Scott (1-2). S-Fairbanks (15). Starter-Bradley (5.2 4 2 2 4 3). HR-Albies (11). Albies' 2-run homer in the 8th erased a 3-2 deficit and Tanner Scott got the win despite allowing a go-ahead run in the top of the innings. Fairbanks had a rare 1-2-3 9th.

Game 3: 3-11 L. LP-Castillo (5-9, 3.1 9 7 7 2 4). Luis Castillo was horrible and the Rays were blown out for the first time in a long time as all their recent losses seemed to be heartbreakers.

Time for a trade!

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

In an effort to beef up the bottom of the order, we acquired the Japanese vet who has had a bit of an up-and-down career with the Cubs and Pirates. As you can see from the numbers above he wasn't exactly setting the NL on fire, but the price was cheap. Schultz is a minor-league vet we won't miss and with the Cubs already picking up most of Suzuki's salary when they dealt him to the Pittsburgh and the Pirates picking up the rest he's a free player essentially. Joshua Mears is the odd man out as he and his 194/284/359 line were sent packing to Durham. Mears was 0 for his last 18, 3 for his last 35, saw his contact rating downgraded to 40 and his above-average power was only showing up sporadically.

Game 4: 0-4 L. LP-Rasmussen (4-7, 5.1 7 4 4 2 3). Diego Cartaya's double in the 3rd was the only hit the Rays managed until Albies singled in the 9th in a forgettable day at the Trop which saw the Rays drop 3 of 4 to the Orioles after seemingly turning things around. Seiya Suzuki was 0-3 in his Rays debut.

Team record: 45-43, 1/2 game behind the Yankees in the AL East. Next up: 3 games in Detroit before we hit the All-Star Break, and the Amateur Draft is Saturday.

July 10-12, 2026: at Detroit (3)
 

Game 1: 3-4 L. LP-Hendriks (1-5). Starter-McClanahan (6 7 2 2 1 6). HR-Torkelson (21/25). Rays took a 2-1 lead in the 6th, Tigers tied in the bottom of the inning off Mac and then won it with a pair off Liam Hendriks, who's been more Lame Hendriks this season as they suffered another one-run loss.

Game 2: 1-8 L. LP-Swanda (7-7, 2.2 8 6 4 0 6). A good old-fashioned butt-kicking as it's now five losses in six games and we drop back to .500. The only bright spot was that Seiya Suzuki got his first two hits as a Ray, a pair of doubles.

Game 3: 3-6 L. LP-Bradley (7-5, 3.2 6 4 4 1 4). HR-Franco (16). A miserable weekend in Detroit sees the Rays losers of six of seven going into the All-Star Break and falling back below .500. A week ago it had seemed they'd turned the corner but they ran right into an oncoming truck. The bats were especially anemic today, fanning 17 times against Detroit pitching.

Team record: 45-46. Remarkably in the division nobody wants the Rays are still only 1 1/2 games out of first, albeit in fourth place. Next up is the All-Star break of course and when we come out of that we'll play three the following weekend in Kansas City, no easy task.

The 2026 Amateur Draft
 

https://i.imgur.com/SH7cKMb.png

Khattak:

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

A college righty - but from a Canadian college (Ryerson in Toronto) - Khattak is a nasty sidearmer with groundball tendencies who's very tough to square up. Perhaps by the time he's ready we'll have improved the infield defense.

Covarrubius:

https://i.imgur.com/FckBuN0.png

Aside from sharing a last name with a disliked X-Files character, Covarrubius is a high-schooler from Louisiana with a bat we can really dream on. His pick was a supplemental one courtesy of losing Kyle Tucker to free agency.

Napier:

https://i.imgur.com/p97ozl8.png

Wright State's Napier is another OF with a big bat but one who's closer to the bigs, and with the way our OF is hitting this year we could use him sooner rather than later. He also looks like an above-average corner OF who can play CF in a pinch.

Gutierrez:

https://i.imgur.com/xUToVE1.png

A bit of an older high-schooler (19), Bob looks like a potential mid-to-back end starter with a potentially nasty slider. A lottery ticket to be sure.

Marsh:

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

A pick I like as Marsh is a college bat who can play all across the infield as well as an outstanding baserunner and could end up a Ben Zobrist-type.

Chambers:

https://i.imgur.com/Jxzm4If.png

Speaking of lottery tickets, Chambers certainly is one but could hit really big if he lives up to that potential 70 stuff and manages to get the control into the 40s.

All-Star Break 2026
 

The rosters:

https://i.imgur.com/r8jho5i.png
https://i.imgur.com/L10QhyP.png
https://i.imgur.com/3EzKyB3.png

Wander, Tork and McClanahan were not surprises but Forrest Whitley was, although he merited it with his fine pitching this year even if little of it was high-leverage.

The Home Run Derby:

https://i.imgur.com/w8kKMCO.png

At least Tork won a round.

The game:

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

The Rays representatives acquitted themselves well with Whitley and Mac pitching scoreless innings and Whitley earning the win while Wander clubbed a 2-run homer in the first. Only Tork's 0-1 wasn't notable.

July 17-19, 2026: at Kansas City (3)
 

Game 1: 4-2 W (11). WP-Gau (5-0). S-Fairbanks (16). Starter-Castillo (6 2 0 0 5 6). Tork was 3-5 with 2 RBI including a single to score the go-ahead run in the 11th after Jovani Moran blew a 2-0 lead in the 8th by giving up a Bobby Witt Jr 2-run shot.

Game 2: 6-9 L. LP-Scott (1-3). Starter-Rasmussen (2.1 5 3 3 4 0). Rays took a 5-0 lead in the 3rd before Ras gave 3 back and departed early, then Tanner Scott gave up a grand slam to former Ray Brandon Lowe in the 6th to complete the collapse. Tork and Mead drove in a pair in a losing cause.

Game 3: 3-2 W (10). WP-Moran (3-2). S-Fairbanks (17). Starter-McClanahan (5 3 2 2 2 5). Wander singled in Josh Lowe, who had singled and stolen second, in the 10th to win it and take the series.

Team record: 47-47, still 1 1/2 back in the AL East, and 1 out of a wild card. Next up: We travel to LA to play 3 against the Dodgers, with ex-Ray Luis Patino scheduled to pitch the second game.

MLB News: 2-way star Shohei Ohtani of the Angels will miss 6 weeks with a herniated disc.

Down on the farm: Jose Contreras, an OF on one of our DSL squads, had a remarkable week. He did this in one game:

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

then he did this the next day:

https://i.imgur.com/bFw6ArX.png

I don't care what level of pro ball we're talking about here - 7 homers in 2 games is extraordinary and a feat I'm not sure has even been done in pro ball (certainly not in the majors). Contreras is a middling prospect with only potential 40 contact and 45 power so this will likely be the highlight of his professional career, but still - wow.

July 20-22, 2026: at LA Dodgers (3)
 

Game 1: 3-4 L. LP-Swanda (7-8, 4.2 5 3 3 4 4). HR-Franco (17), Torkelson (22/26). Rays could never quite catch up in this one, getting within 3-2 and 4-3 before succumbing.

We made a big trade that necessitated a lot of lineup and roster shuffling:

https://i.imgur.com/D1GO2qd.png

So who is Jose Rodriguez and why did he bring us three players from the Giants? He was our July 2 signing in 2024, a potential power-hitting catcher with great potential. But after a year and a half playing in the DSL, in early July his potential ratings were downgraded to 50 contact and 45 power and the bloom was off for us. Still BNN had him ranked as the #70 prospect. Rather than see him further deteriorate (as so often happens with these guys) I figured I'd shop him and the Giants offered up 3 pretty decent players who can help us now but are still cheap with years of team control left. Here's the lowdown.

Luciano:

https://i.imgur.com/2d6pBH9.png

He was having a down year with SF at 231/291/368 but was much better the previous two years.

Santana:

https://i.imgur.com/Qlglz9B.png

Santana is in his rookie season and was hitting 245/314/427 with 14 homers for the Giants and is an above-average fielder in left.

German:

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

The stuff rating is as a reliever, as a starter it's 65/70. He'd been in the Giants rotation of late after starting the year as a reliever - in 31 appearances including 7 starts he was 3-2, 3.47 with 92 whiffs and 29 walks in 72.2 IP. We'll use him in long relief for now.

What does this mean to the lineup and roster? We had to open 3 spots on both the active and 40-man rosters. And it's a surprise demotion to Durham for Casey Schmitt, who was so good last year as a rookie but like fellow 2025 rookie Joshua Mears, the sophomore jinx hit him hard and Schmitt was only hitting 236/291/377. I know those numbers are similar to Luciano's this year but the difference is Schmitt's defense has also fallen off (-4.3 ZR) while Luciano is +3.2. Also going down was perpetual yo-yo guy Josh Lowe, just miserable this year at 157/239/298 since coming back from injury and on the pitching side Aaron Ashby was optioned to Durham as well thanks to 11 walks in 15 IP and a 4.80 ERA despite 23 whiffs. We also didn't need 4 lefties in the pen. So Luciano takes over Schmitt at 3B, Santana takes over LF from Lowe and German takes Ashby's spot in the pen.

On the 40-man Alika Williams, Kyle Manzardo and JJ Goss were all DFA'd as none had shown anything outstanding this year and have plateaued as prospects. They all cleared waivers though, and are staying at Durham.

And one more move:

Traded 35-year old LF Marcell Ozuna to the Toronto Blue Jays, getting 23-year old 1B Blaze Jordan in return.

Ozuna had played his way out of the lineup at 218/300/368 with only 9 homers and we did pretty good getting Jordan for him, who has 45/50 contact and 60/65 power. He'll go to Durham. To fill Ozuna's slot we called up OF James Wood, who started the year with us and has 65 power while playing a decent LF. He was 3-30 with 1 homer before he was sent down and didn't exactly tear the cover off the ball at Durham but I like his potential as a 4th OF.

Now back to the baseball:

Game 2: 3-4 L (13). LP-Sears (0-1). Starter-Bradley (4.1 6 2 2 3 2). HR-Albies (12). Rays were up again old friend Luis Patino, put the first two men on to start the game and then Albies clubbed a 3-run homer. And that would be the only offense they'd get as the lead slipped away and they finally succumbed in extras. Luciano (1-6) and Santana (0-6) made undistinguished Rays debuts.

Game 3: 5-6 L. LP-German (0-1). Starter-Castillo (6 6 2 2 1 7). HR-Cartaya (6), Wood (2). Well this one hurt - they led 5-2 going into the bottom of the 8th and Luis German had a disastrous Rays debut, allowing 4 runs in the inning to let LA win. German was pushed into this spot as the pen had been burned out from last night's extra-inning game. Luciano singled in his first Rays run and James Wood homered in his return but those were small consolations as the team has now dropped 8 of its last 10 games and is starting to fall out of the race.

Team record: 47-50, now 3 1/2 out of first, the farthest they've been back in a long time. Next up: An off-day to fly cross-country back home where the Mets will await for 3 games. New York is another fellow struggler at 48-49. Winning soon and often is going to be a priority.

July 24-26, 2026: vs NY Mets (3)
 

Game 1: 0-2 L. LP-Rasmussen (4-8, 5 6 2 2 1 4). Yet another frustrating loss as the Rays kept getting baserunners and kept hitting into double plays, 4 of them in all and 3 coming off the bat of Curtis Mead.

Game 2: 18-1 W. WP-McClanahan (9-2, 6 5 1 1 0 5). S-German (1). HR-Luciano 2 (2/11), Torkelson (23/27), DeLoach (8). One of the reasons our Pythageorean record is so much better than our actual is that we've had 3-4 routs like this and today they were scoring so many runs that I was actively angry that they weren't coming in other games. Marco Luciano was 3-4 with 2 HR and 5 RBI and Zach DeLoach was 4-5 with 2 doubles, the homer and 3 RBI. Luis German went 3 perfect innings fanning 7 for the save.

Game 3: 5-6 L. LP-Hendriks (1-6). Starter-Swanda (4.1 5 2 2 4 1). HR-Cartaya (7), Santana (1/15), Luciano (3/12). Rays led this 5-2 after 6 with homers from the new acquisitions before it all went wrong, culminating in Liam Hendriks giving up a 3-run homer to Ronny Mauricio in the 8th for the winner, a game that just encapsulated this incredibly annoying season. Hendriks might be the least clutch pitcher I've ever had in a save, taking his 6th loss and 4th blown save despite having numbers that are superficially good (a 3.20 ERA, 12/46 BB/K ratio in 39 IP) but every one of the six homers he's allowed has been a back-breaker. Not sure I can trust him in any kind of high-leverage role again.

Team record: 48-52. Still 3 1/2 back in the division and 3 in the wild card but it's getting late in the season and there are some years when your luck just doesn't even out in the end. Next up: Seattle visits for 3.

July 27-29, 2026: vs Seattle (3)
 

Game 1: 7-2 W. WP-Bradley (8-5, 7 6 2 2 0 5). HR-Santana (2/16), Torkelson (24/28). Nathaniel Santana's 3-run homer in the 5th broke open a 3-2 game and the Rays rolled. Santana also had an RBI triple in the 2nd as he and Marco Luciano have hit since coming over in the big trade.

Trade: Sent C Christian Vazquez to the Mets for 30-year-old LHP Brian Gonzalez. Vazquez made another trade demand and rather than let him poison the clubhouse with his discontent, he was shipped out for a song, although Gonzalez was pitching well at AAA Syracuse (1.93 ERA and 77 Ks in 79 IP). Rene Pinto was recalled to back up Diego Cartaya.

Game 2: 5-4 W. WP-Feyereisen (2-0). Starter-Castillo (2.1 4 2 2 0 3). HR-Suzuki (1/4). Seiya Suzuki had been a bust since coming over from Pittsburgh, going 3 for his first 36 with 16 strikeouts before a 2-hit game last night. And tonight he came through in the biggest of ways, hitting a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 9th to turn a 4-1 loss into a 5-4 win. Luis Castillo had to leave in the 3rd with a blister and will miss a couple of weeks.

Transaction: Castillo went on the 15-day IL and Aaron Ashby was called back up from Durham to take his place in the rotation after he went 8 innings with 1 run allowed in a start for the Bulls.

Game 3: 3-8 L. LP-Gau (5-1). Starter-Rasmussen (5 6 3 3 1 5). This one got away as the Rays were up 3-1 early on a couple of RBI from Albies, and it was 3-3 into the 7th when Gau put a couple on and Jovani Moran gave up an RBI single to Julio Rodriguez. Fairbanks then allowed 4 in the 9th in a non-save situation to put it out of reach.

Team record: 50-53. Next up: An off-day then we travel to Texas for 3 against the Rangers.

Rays news: We signed veteran hurler Frankie Montas to a minor league deal at Durham after he was released by the Yankees. Montas had a 4.05 ERA in 53 IP with a 17/47 BB/K ratio with New York and could be of some use.

MLB News: Former Rays reliever Diego Castillo, now with the White Sox, tore his rotator cuff and will be out 9-10 months. Also going on the shelf is Milwaukee's All-Star starter Corbin Burnes, who tore his UCL and will be out 10 months.

July 31-August 2, 2026: at Texas (3)
 

Made one last trade at the deadline:

Traded 37-year old RHP Liam Hendriks to the Boston Red Sox, getting 30-year old RHP Garrett Whitlock (retaining 100%) in return.

My frustration with Hendriks has been well-chronicled here and when the Red Sox were willing to offer a quality swingman like Whitlock and pick up 100% of his salary for this year and the rest of the next season I couldn't pass it up. Whitlock will go into the pen for now but could make some starts. He's earned 3+ WAR the last two full seasons and was 5-14, 4.15 this year in the Boston rotation but has had some bad luck.

Game 1: 11-9 W. WP-Sears (1-1). S-Moran (1). Starter-McClanahan (0.1 0 0 0 0 1). HR-Torkelson (25/29), Franco (18), Suzuki (2/5), N.Santana (3/17). A weird, wild game which saw Mac leave after one batter with hamstring soreness (a 2-day injury), meaning we'd have to piece together a bullpen game. Jumping out to early leads of 7-0 and 9-3 helped but it was an adventure til the end when Texas scored 4 times in the 9th, and Alex Verdugo was a remarkable 6-6 with a homer and 5 RBI for the Rangers. Nathaniel Santana continues to impress and he was 4-5 with a 2-run homer and 3 runs scored to pace the offense.

Game 2: 2-3 L (11). LP-Fairbanks (2-4). Starter-Ashby (5.2 4 0 0 0 9). HR-Torkelson (26/30). A brilliant spot start from Aaron Ashby was wasted as the bats couldn't get anything going outside of a 2-run Tork homer in the 8th which sent us to extras (which we didn't need after yesterday's bullpen game) where we lost. Alex Verdugo killed us again with a 2-run single in regulation.

Game 3: 1-6 L. LP-Bradley (8-6, 4 5 4 4 2 3). Just an ugly day all around as the slog of mediocrity continues.

Team record: 51-55, still only 2 1/2 back in the division somehow. Next up: 3 games in Cleveland.

Just to show how stuck around .500 most of the league is, here's a look at the latest standings:

https://i.imgur.com/069olIq.png

Despite being 4 under .500 if the Rays go on a hot streak they can put themselves in good position. Of course that hot streak hasn't come and may very well never.

August 3-5, 2026: at Cleveland (3)
 

Game 1: 5-10 L. LP-Moran (3-3). Starter-Rasmussen (4 8 5 5 1 5). The Rays came back to tie this one up by the 6th after falling behind 5-0 after 4, only to see the bullpen give up five runs to lose it. Albies was 3-5 with a double 3 RBI while DeLoach was 2-4 with 2 doubles and an RBI. Garrett Whitlock made his Rays debut with 2 scoreless innings.

Game 2: 9-6 W. WP-McClanahan (10-2, 5.2 7 6 5 2 5). S-Fairbanks (18). HR-Pinto (1), Torkelson (27/31), Franco (19). On paper this looked like it'd be a pitchers' duel between Mac and Shane Bieber but instead it turned into a slugfest. Wander had a 2-run double and 2-run homer and a 6-run 4th was pivotal as the Rays scored enough to offset a rare poor start from McClanahan.

Game 3: 1-3 L. LP-Swanda (7-9, 5 6 3 3 3 3). Rays were dominated by Cleveland's Tink Hence in this one (7 3 1 1 2 10) but had great chances against the Guardian bullpen to tie or go ahead in the 8th (bases loaded) and 9th (two men on) but couldn't get the key hit they needed as they dropped another series.

Team record: 52-57, as their lack of wins finally is starting to catch up with them as combined with a Toronto sweep they now find themselves a season-high 4 1/2 out in the division and 5 back of the third wild card. Barring a ridiculously hot run they've shown no signs of embarking on, this is really shaping up to be a lost season.

August 7-9, 2026: vs Baltimore (3)
 

Game 1: 4-5 L. LP-Ashby (0-5, 5.1 5 2 2 1 4). HR-Cartaya (8), Albies (13). Aaron Ashby's made two excellent starts since joining the rotation but received no support as the Rays didn't score until the 8th when they were already 5-0 behind on a pair of 2-run homers from Cartaya and Albies. They dropped a season-high (or low) 6 games below .500.

Game 2: 8-5 W. WP-Whitlock (1-0). S-Fairbanks (19). Starter-Bradley (4.2 6 4 4 1 5). HR-Franco (20), Wood (3). Taj lost a 4-0 lead in the 5th but the Rays bounced back with an RBI double from Nathaniel Santana while Marco Luciano knocked in a pair as they finally won one.

Game 3: 3-2 W. WP-Rasmussen (5-8, 6.1 4 1 1 0 6). S-Fairbanks (20). HR-Santana (4/18), Mead (17). Rays actually took a series and strung together two straight wins behind a great Ras outing and a couple of big homers.

Team record: 54-58. Despite taking 2 of 3 they actually lost ground to first-place Toronto (5 1/2 back) and they're 5 out of the wild card so there's no point in looking at the playoff picture until and unless they get on a roll and start making up ground.

August 10-12, 2026: vs Kansas City (3)
 

Game 1: 7-6 W. WP-Scott (2-3). S-Moran (2). Starter-McClanahan (3.2 10 6 6 1 6). Things looked bleak after Mac was pounded for 6 runs on 3 homers and 10 hits and the Rays found themselves behind 6-0, but they fought back and won the type of game they've lost quite a bit this year. Nathaniel Santana was the hero as his 2-run single tied it in the 5th and his RBI double won it in the 7th. 5 1/3 scoreless from the bullpen was a big factor as well.

Game 2: 6-3 W. WP-Swanda (8-9, 5.2 2 2 1 2 8). Swanda was excellent and the offense was a team effort as nobody had more than one hit or one RBI but they still scored six times.

Game 3: 11-5 W. WP-Ashby (1-5, 5 2 0 0 4 5). HR-N.Santana (5/19), Torkelson (28/32). Aaron Ashby finally picked up his first Rays win despite an ERA with the club of now 2.90 and he got plenty of support led by Santana who drove in 4 more runs, Tork who was 3-5 with the homer and 3 RBI, and Wander who was 4-5. It was an 11-1 game before JP Sears got in trouble mopping up in the 9th and gave up a grand slam to JD Martinez. But with the series sweep over the top team in the AL coming in (KC was 61-51) the Rays made it 5 straight wins.

Team record: 57-58. And amazingly Toronto was swept so the Rays now find themselves second in the AL East, 2 1/2 games out and only 2 in the loss column. As I've said all it takes is a hot streak to get back into things in this league of parity and the Rays have done that; now the trick will be keeping it up. Next: An off-day then 3 games in Chicago against the White Sox.

MLB News: Milwaukee's Christian Yelich hit his 300th career homer.

August 14-16, 2026: at Chicago White Sox (3)
 

Game 1: 1-6 L. LP-Bradley (8-7, 2 7 5 5 1 5). HR-Franco (21). Taj is now in a slump after his third straight poor start, this one the worst with a pair of homers allowed and being ran in the 3rd before getting an out.

Transaction: Luis German left the game with shoulder inflammation and will be out a couple of weeks, so he goes to the 15-day IL and reliever Charlie Ruegger, claimed on waivers earlier this year and optioned to Durham, is recalled.

Game 2: 6-3 W. WP-Gau (6-1). S-Fairbanks (21). Starter-Rasmussen (5.2 3 1 1 4 1). HR-Torkelson 2 (30/34), N.Santana (6/20). Homers were the story for Tampa Bay as Tork's 2nd of the game broke a 3-3 tie in the 8th. Santana's 2-run shot in the top of the 7th put them up 3-1 before Gau gave up a 2-run shot of his own in the bottom of the inning but he still picked up the win.

Game 3: 3-4 L. LP-McClanahan (10-3, 4 5 4 4 4 1). HR-Luciano (9/13), Franco (22). One step forward, two steps back: the story of the 2026 Rays season. Mac's personal 10-game win streak came to an end in his second straight poor start and a couple of late homers weren't enough.

Team record: 58-60, now farther out in the division (4 1/2) than the wild card (3). Next up: An off-day then 3 games in Boston.

MLB News: The Guardians have lost closer Emmanuel Clase to shoulder inflammation; he's done for the season.

August 18-20, 2026: at Boston (3)
 

Game 1: 13-4 W. WP-Whitley (2-0). Starter-Ashby (3.2 5 3 3 2 4). HR-Albies (14). Ozzie Albies had a big game with a 2-run homer, 2-run triple and 5 RBI while Mead and Wander each had 2 hits and 2 RBI as every Ray had at least one hit, including two who came off the bench. It was a costly win though as Aaron Ashby tore his UCL and will undergo Tommy John surgery, lost for the rest of this year and all of 2027 as well.

Transaction: Ashby of course goes on the 60-day IL and we purchased the contract of veteran starter Frankie Montas to take his place. Also Luis Castillo was sent on a rehab assignment where he'll probably just make one start so the rotation is covered.

Game 2: 9-2 W. WP-Montas (1-0, 7 6 0 0 0 6). HR-Franco (23). Another rout of the Red Sox with Frankie Montas brilliant in his Rays debut and may end up forcing someone else out when Luis Castillo is ready to return. Wander was 3-4 with the solo HR and Tork was 2-2 with 2 walks, a HBP and 3 RBI while Mead was 3-6 with 2 more ribbies.

Game 3: 4-2 W. WP-Fairbanks (3-4). Starter-Swanda (5.1 2 2 1 2 5). HR-N.Santana 2 (8/22). Nathaniel Santana to the rescue as his second homer of the day was a 3-run shot in the 9th which turned a potential 2-1 loss into a 4-2 win. Until then it looked like a day of frustration as the Rays short-circuited rallies by having two guys picked off and another caught stealing. Instead they got the sweep and moved back over .500 for the first time in a couple of weeks.

Team record: 61-60, 2 1/2 back in the division and 2 back of the third wild card, so they've fought their way back to relevance with this recent 8-2 run. Now to keep it up as they return home for 3 against the Yankees, who have fallen a couple of games back of the Rays.

August 21-23, 2026: vs NY Yankees (3)
 

Game 1: 0-11 L. LP-Rasmussen (5-9, 4.2 3 2 2 5 4). Ras wasn't bad but the bullpen was, and it got to the point where backup C Rene Pinto pitched the 9th and after walking the first two got a double play and a fly ball for a scoreless inning. That was the extent of the excitement as Gerrit Cole, who had missed much of the year for New York, pitched a 2-hit shutout.

Game 2: 5-3 W (10). WP-Fairbanks (4-4). Starter-McClanahan (6 5 3 3 2 7). HR-Torkelson (31/35), Mead (18), DeLoach (9). A much-advertised pitchers' duel between Mac and Jacob deGrom ended in a draw with each giving up 3 runs before Zach DeLoach sent the Trop crowd home happy with a 2-run walk-off homer in the 10th.

Game 3: 6-7 L. LP-Bradley (8-8, 3 7 6 6 1 2). HR-Cartaya (9). Taj was terrible for the 4th straight start, helping put them in a 7-0 hole that they almost climbed out of before falling just short as they once again followed up a good series with a lousy one which is why they're a .500 team.

Team record: 62-62. We're 3 back in the division and 2 1/2 in the wild card, which might be exciting if this team could ever get out of its own way. Next up: An off-day then 3 games in Houston.

Transaction: After his latest terrible start Taj Bradley was optioned to Durham to make room for Luis Castillo, who was sharp in his rehab start, and Frankie Montas will stay in the rotation for now.

MLB News: Washington's Simeon Woods Richardson tossed a no-hitter against the Cubs, a BABIP-aided one as he walked 4 and only struck out 3. Also Phillies superstar Bryce Harper reached the 2000-hit mark.

August 25-27, 2026: at Houston (3)
 

Game 1: 2-11 L. LP-Montas (1-1, 3.1 8 6 6 1 1). Frankie Montas' second start was the polar opposite of his first and the Rays were routed at Minute Maid Park. And to make matters worse their only effective pitcher today, Forrest Whitley, suffered a season-ending elbow strain after pitching two scoreless.

Transaction: Whitley goes on the 60-day IL and Taj Bradley gets a reprieve from Durham. He'll take Whitley's long/middle relief role for now.

Game 2: 3-1 W (10). WP-Scott (3-3). S-Fairbanks (22). HR-DeLoach 2 (11). Starter-Castillo (6.2 6 0 0 1 5). Luis Castillo made a triumphant return from the IL and Zach DeLoach's second homer of the game was a 2-run shot in the 10th to win it. Tanner Scott earned the win when he came on to strike out former Ray Kyle Tucker with the bases loaded and 2 out in the bottom of the 9th.

Game 3: 11-3 W. WP-Rasmussen (6-9, 5 8 2 2 3 1). HR-Torkelson (32/36). Tork had a big day with a 3-run homer and RBI single while Wander was 3-4 with 3 doubles and 3 RBI as the Rays routed the 'Stros. Rene Pinto was also 3-5 with a double and RBI in a rare start.

Team record: 64-63. Despite taking 2 of 3 the Rays are still 3 1/2 out in the division and 3 in the wild card. Next up: home for 3 vs Cleveland.

August 28-30, 2026: vs Cleveland (3)
 

Game 1: 4-0 W. WP-McClanahan (11-3, 6.2 1 0 0 3 6). HR-Luciano (5/14). Another big-time pitching matchup with Mac up against Shane Bieber again and Mac come out on top with a brilliant outing while Luciano's 2-run homer off Bieber was all the Rays needed to win.

Game 2: 0-2 L. LP-Swanda (8-10, 6 7 2 1 1 3). The bats were held to 6 hits and another good pitching performance was wasted.

Game 3: 5-1 W. WP-Montas (2-1, 6 1 1 1 4 5). HR-DeLoach (12), Wood (4), Mead (19), Luciano (6/15). The offense scored all 5 runs in the first 2 innings on the 4 homers and took the rest of the day off, but a brilliant outing from Montas meant they could.

Team record: 66-64. The good news is that with Toronto being swept they're only 1 1/2 back in the division; the bad news is that the red-hot Yankees swept their series and leapfrogged the Rays into second place in the division. They're 3 1/2 back in the wild card. Next up: A huge 3-game series with those very Yankees in New York. One break for the Rays though: the Yankees will be without superstar and former Ray Juan Soto for the rest of the regular season with a hamstring strain.

August 31-September 3, 2026: at NY Yankees (4)
 

Game 1: 1-8 L. LP-Castillo (5-10, 4.1 9 8 7 1 4, 3 HR). Biggest game of the year and the Rays laid an egg with Luis Castillo particularly awful, although the bats did their part by only getting 5 hits, shackled again by Gerrit Cole.

Game 2: 1-4 L. LP-Rasmussen (6-10, 4.1 10 4 3 1 2). HR-Mead (20). Rinse and repeat, today they only managed 4 hits with Mead's career-high 20th homer averting a shutout in the 9th.

Game 3: 8-0 W. WP-McClanahan (12-3, 7 3 0 0 2 8). HR-Torkelson (33/37), Wood (5), N.Santana (9/23). Mac won another marquee pitching duel as his mates got the better of Jacob deGrom although it was a 3-0 game before they exploded for 5 in the 8th.

Game 4: 3-4 L. LP-Moran (3-4). Starter-Swanda (4 3 2 2 3 4). HR-Franco (24). The story of the 2026 Rays season: Follow up a blowout win with a close loss, and today they led 3-2 going into the 8th when Jovani Moran served up a 2-run homer after they squandered several opportunities to add to their lead. Losing 3 of 4 in this series essentially brings the curtain down as they're 3 1/2 back in the division and the wild card with teams closer than them.

Team record: 67-67. Next up: Back to the Trop for 3 against the Angels.

Some awards, though:

https://i.imgur.com/QLRQK7x.png

https://i.imgur.com/yXx0rp3.png

Diaz projects as a 4th OF at his peak.

September 4-6, 2026: vs LA Angels (3)
 

Game 1: 6-8 L. LP-Feyereisen (2-1). Starter-Montas (4 8 5 4 0 6). HR-DeLoach (13). Feyereisen gave up 3 runs in the 8th including a 2-run Mike Trout homer as the Rays lost a 6-5 lead and the game. Luciano and Santana each drove in a pair. Montas developed a blister significant enough to put him on the IL.

Transaction: Frankie Montas to the IL with his blister and Brian Gonzalez was called up from Durham. He's the lefty we acquired from the Mets in the Christian Vazquez deal and he's impressed with the Bulls with a line of 19.1 9 1 1 6 26 and 8 saves in 17 outings. Taj Bradley is back in the rotation.

Game 2: 8-4 W. WP-German (1-1). S-Fairbanks (23). Starter-Bradley (3.2 4 4 4 5 5). HR-Torkelson (34/38), DeLoach (14), Albies (15). Wander's 2-run double put the Rays ahead to stay in the 4th and DeLoach and Albies' solo shots put it away.

Game 3: 2-1 W (11). WP-Fairbanks (5-4). Starter-Castillo (7 4 1 1 0 6). HR-Torkelson (35/39). Luis Castillo was brilliant but the Rays trailed 1-0 until the 8th when DeLoach (who had a big weekend) singled in the equalizer and Tork won it in the 11th with a walk-off homer.

Team record: 69-68. Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. The Yankees and Jays were swept this weekend so with the two wins the Rays are only 1 1/2 back in the division and their playoff chances are up to 33%. I've seen about a dozen false dawns before in this season so I'm not getting too carried away. Next up: 3 at home vs Detroit.

September 7-9, 2026: vs Detroit (3)
 

Transactions: Forgot to mention this a couple of posts back but for September roster expansion we called up deposed 3B Casey Schmitt and activated P Luis German from the IL.

Game 1: 1-0 W (13). WP-Feyereisen (3-1). Starter-McClanahan (7 1 0 0 3 8). HR-J.Jackson (3). Rays pitching was brilliant tonight, holding the Tigers to only two hits over 13 innings with Mac his usual excellent self. The pitching had to be good since the offense was almost non-existent but Jeremiah Jackson finally sent everyone home with a walk-off blast in the 13th.

Game 2: 9-0 W. WP-Rasmussen (7-10, 9 4 0 0 0 9). HR-J.Jackson (4), Torkelson (36/40). Drew Rasmussen pitched the game of his life (and perhaps the game of this save as apparently it was the first-ever CG shutout in the nearly 5 seasons they've played as I had an achievement unlocked message after it was over) and the bats came out to play as well. Tork and last night's hero Jackson homered and drove in 3 while Albies was 3-5 with 2 RBI and the Rays made it 4 straight wins and only one run allowed in their last 3 games.

Game 3: 3-1 W. WP-Swanda (6.1 3 1 1 4 6). S-Fairbanks (24). HR-Torkelson (37/41). Ladies and gentlemen, your first-place Tampa Bay Rays! Yes with the sweep and losses by Toronto and the Yankees the Rays moved into a tie atop the AL East with the Jays, 1/2 game ahead of New York. Today it was great pitching again which made it 5 straight wins and only two runs allowed in the last 4. Tork's 2-run 6th-inning homer against his former team broke a 1-1 tie and he now leads the AL in homers with 41.

Team record: 72-68. We were off Thursday and the Yanks and Toronto both won, so we're now tied New York 1/2 game behind Toronto. Next up: After that off-day we head to the desert to play 3 against the Diamondbacks.

MLB News: Edwin Diaz of the Phillies recorded his 300th career save.

September 11-13, 2026: at Arizona (3)
 

Game 1: 1-5 L. LP-Bradley (8-9, 5 7 2 2 0 1). Rays were dominated by Deivi Garcia, who fanned 11 and held them to 4 hits. Brian Gonzalez made his Tampa Bay debut and it was a disaster, allowing 3 runs in the 8th to put the game out of reach.

Game 2: 5-4 W (14). WP-Feyereisen (4-1). Starter-McClanahan (5 9 3 3 0 7). HR-Torkelson (38/42), Suzuki (3/6). Seiya Suzuki had his biggest hit since joining the club, a 14th-inning solo shot to give them a hard-fought win after they tied it up in the 9th. The pen was stellar, giving up 1 run over 9 innings.

Game 3: 6-4 W. WP-Castillo (6-10, 6 7 3 3 3 5). S-Fairbanks (25). HR-Franco (25). Luis Castillo won for the first time since June 16 as the Rays scored 4 times in the 7th to turn the game around. Suzuki was big again, going 3-4 with 2 RBI including an RBI double in that 7th while Zach DeLoach was 3-4 with an RBI.

Team record: 74-69; I believe the 5 games over .500 are a season-high and they're tied with the Yankees in first place, 1/2 game up on Toronto. Next up: A day off then we head to Baltimore for 3.

September 15-17, 2026: at Baltimore (3)
 

Game 1: 7-5 W. WP-Ruegger (1-0). S-Fairbanks (26). Starter-Rasmussen (5 6 3 3 4 2). HR-Franco 2 (27), DeLoach (15), Albies (16), Torkelson (39/43), Suzuki (4/7). Rays scored all their runs on six homers with Tork's the only 2-run shot with Wander and he going deep to break a 3-3 tie in the 7th, giving them 8 wins in 9 games.

Game 2: 2-7 L. LP-Bradley (8-10, 4 5 5 5 4 3). HR-Mead (21), Luciano (7/16). Baltimore's Cole Winn came into this game 0-14, 7.32 with the club but somehow held the Rays to 7 6 1 1 1 7 as Taj was torched once again and is back out of the rotation (replacement TBD, probably Luis German).

Game 3: 6-7 L. LP-Ruegger (1-1). Starter-McClanahan (5 10 6 5 2 4). HR-Torkelson (40/44), Albies (17), Suzuki (5/8). Mac picked a bad time to have a bad start and this was a gut-punch loss as they came back with 5 in the 7th to erase a 6-1 deficit, only to give up the winning run in the bottom of the inning. Seiya Suzuki is finally heating up and was 3-4 with the homer and 3 RBI, giving him 3 longballs in his last 5 games.

Team record: 75-71, 1 behind the Yankees and 1/2 game up on Toronto, which happens to be our next opponent for 3 at the Trop.

MLB News: Although the Yankees took over sole possession of first the news wasn't all good for them as Gerrit Cole, who missed much of the season but gave them 10 great starts after coming back (6-2, 2.49) tore his rotator cuff and is done for the year as well as just about all of 2027.

September 18-20, 2026: vs Toronto (3)
 

Game 1: 3-2 W (16). WP-German (2-1). Starter-Swanda (6.1 4 0 0 1 5). HR-Mead 22, Santana (10/24). Santana's 16th-inning homer put an end to the marathon after Chris Gau gave up a 2-run Bo Bichette homer in the 8th to send us to extras. Swanda was excellent and has been over his last 5 starts (5 ER in 28 IP).

Game 2: 12-3 W. WP-Castillo (7-10, 5.2 4 3 3 4 7). HR-Mead (23), Luciano (8/17), Suzuki (6/9). Curtis Mead's grand slam with the help of a couple of Jays errors opened the door for an 8-run 2nd and the rout was on. The resurgent Seiya Suzuki had 4 hits including a homer.

Game 3: 2-4 L. LP-Rasmussen (7-11, 5.1 4 3 1 0 6). HR-Franco (28). Although he hit a 2-run homer and moved into the AL WAR lead at 6.4, Wander's key error led to 3 unearned runs in the 6th which cost them the game. Gau came up small again as well, giving up a 2-run single which scored the deciding runs, and the bats were chilled once again by former Ray Jonathan Loaisiga who always seems to shut them down.

Team record: 77-72. The Yankees also took 2 of 3 so it's status quo one game behind in the East, although they at least put a little more distance between themselves and Toronto. Next up: An off-day then some late-season interleague play as 74-76 Cincinnati comes to town for 3.

MLB News: Good news and bad news for the Cardinals' young star 3B Jordan Walker, who has clubbed over 100 HR the last 3 seasons. The good: he was signed to an 8/145 extension. The bad: he strained his hamstring and is out for the season. St. Louis is in the third NL wild card spot, 3 games up.

Also Suzuki's recent hot streak was recognized by the league:

https://i.imgur.com/d9sMgKa.png

September 22-24, 2026: vs Cincinnati (3)
 

Game 1: 6-4 W. WP-German (3-1). S-Fairbanks (27). Starter-McClanahan (4.1 7 4 4 2 6, 2 HR). Rays overcome Mac's third straight subpar start to come back and win with Luciano's 2-run go-ahead single and Cartaya's earlier 2-run double the big hits.

Game 2: 8-5 W. WP-German (4-1). Starter-Montas (4 8 5 5 0 1, 2 HR). Similar to yesterday the Rays had to overcome a poor outing from their starter but did so scoring 4 runs in the 8th with Natanael Santana's RBI single the winner. Luciano, Suzuki and Cartaya each drove in a pair.

Game 3: 3-4 L (15). LP-Feyereisen (4-2). Starter-Swanda (6 6 3 3 1 3). A tough loss in a game the Rays really needed as a 3-2 lead after 6 was short-lived and they couldn't get the big hit they needed in extras. Mead and Wander each had 3 hits, although Wander was caught stealing twice which didn't help.

Team record: 79-73. The Yankees also took 2 of 3 to stay a game ahead, and with New York having won the season series 9-5 it's effectively a 2-game lead with only 10 games left in the season. Next up: the Rays will have to make hay against Pittsburgh, which visits for 3 games.

September 25-27, 2026: vs Pittsburgh (3)
 

Game 1: 5-1 W. WP-Rasmussen (8-11, 6 3 1 1 3 6). S-Fairbanks (28). HR-DeLoach (16), Torkelson (41/45), Mead (24). Ras was solid, DeLoach led the game off with a homer and the Rays rolled to victory.

Game 2: 5-2 W. WP-Castillo (8-10, 6 7 2 2 2 5). S-Ruegger (1). HR-Mead (25). Castillo was solid and Mead was the hitting star with a 2-run homer and bases-loaded walk as the Rays moved into sole possession of first place in the AL East.

Game 3: 6-4 W. WP-McClanahan (13-3, 7 6 4 4 0 11). S-Fairbanks (29). HR-Torkelson (42/46), Franco (29). It looked like "here we go again" with Mac, who has struggled mightily in September, after he gave up 4 runs in the first 2 innings but he got locked in and the bats rode to his rescue as Wander was 3-4 with the homer and Tork drove in a pair with a single and a homer.

Team record: 82-73. The Yankees were swept in St. Louis so the Rays are now 2 games up on New York as we head into the season's final week. Of course with the tiebreaker favoring the Yankees it's effectively a one-game lead. The home portion of the schedule is over, and next up we'll play 4 games in Baltimore before closing the season out with 3 in Toronto.

Here's a look at the MLB standings, including a crazy 4-way race in the AL Central where it looks as though all 4 of those teams will make the playoffs:

https://i.imgur.com/3dJf1O9.png

Not only do the Rays have a good shot at the division they also have a shot at a bye if they can stay ahead of Seattle, but they'll have to do it on the road.

September 28-October 1, 2026: at Baltimore (4)
 

Game 1: 5-6 L. LP-Fairbanks (5-5). Starter-Montas (1.2 5 4 4 3 1). HR-Franco (30), N.Santana (11/25). It looked like the Rays had pulled out a thrilling victory on Cartaya's RBI single in the 9th (his second of the day) but Pete Fairbanks picked a bad time to allow his first runs in 21 appearances, allowing the O's to score twice in the bottom of the inning without recording an out. With the Yankees winning the division lead was reduced to 1 and with the Yanks holding the tiebreaker the Rays' margin for error is gone.

Game 2: 11-1 W. WP-Swanda (10-10, 7.1 4 1 1 2 6). HR-N.Santana 2 (13/27), Torkelson (43/47). They bounced back admirably from last night's heartbreak in routing Baltimore. It was a 3-man offense with Santana hitting a pair of 2-run homers, Tork knocking in 3 and Rene Pinto driving in 3 with a double and single. Swanda meanwhile remains the team's hottest pitcher and is set to pitch on the final day of the regular season in what could be a make-or-break game.

Game 3: 7-4 W. WP-Moran (4-4). S-Ruegger (2). Starter-Rasmussen (3.2 8 4 4 0 4). HR-Torkelson (44/48), N.Santana (14/28). Ras put them in a 4-1 hole but they fought back and Santana's 3-run homer in the 9th, his 4th in 3 games this series, won it. 5 1/3 scoreless from the pen was huge as well.

Game 4: 4-3 W. WP-Castillo (9-10, 6 6 3 3 3 3). S-Fairbanks (30). HR-Cartaya (10), Albies (18). Luis Castillo gave up 3 in the 1st and they were down early once again, and once again they fought back with Albies' 2-run shot, his 3rd hit of the game, in the 6th the difference. The pen came through again with Gau, Ruegger and Fairbanks tossing scoreless frames.

Team record: 85-74. Unfortunately the Yankees swept their 4-game series with the Red Sox, so they remain a game back and only need to tie the Rays to win the division. The good news for Tampa Bay is that there's a possible escape route via the wild card as Cleveland has also dropped to 85-74. However the Guardians also have the tiebreaker on the Rays as they have a better intradivision record (the teams split their 6 games this season). The even better news is that Cleveland and the Yankees will play each other on the final weekend while the Rays are in Toronto. This means that the Rays can guarantee a playoff spot by winning two of three regardless of what happens in New York. Of course a sweep of Toronto guarantees the division and a sweep by either the Yankees or Cleveland would mean the Rays are in with one win. Should they take the division they'll likely get a bye as Seattle, tops in the west, is 2 back of them.

MLB Playoff Update: Aside from the scenarios involving the Rays detailed above, the AL Central remains as wild as ever with Kansas City, Chicago and Detroit all tied and one game up on Cleveland. Seattle leads its division by 3 on Texas but the Rangers do hold the tiebreaker so they'd have to win all 3 and Seattle lose all 3. The playoff field in the NL is set but two divisions are up for grabs: Philly leads Atlanta by a game and Colorado leads Arizona by the same margin. Milwaukee has clinched the Central and St. Louis has clinched a wild card.

A surprise AL Rookie of the Month winner:

https://i.imgur.com/l9grJuY.png

We've used him sparingly of late but he's produced when called upon.

October 2-4, 2026: at Toronto (3)
 

Game 1: 1-2 L (10). LP-Scott (3-4). Starter-McClanahan (7 1 0 0 1 8). HR-Torkelson (45/49). Tork homered in the 7th to put the Rays up 1-0 behind a brilliant Mac performance, but the bullpen blew it with Feyereisen giving up the tying run in the 8th and Scott the winner in the 10th. Combined with a Yankee win the Rays dropped into 2nd in the division on the tiebreaker, but at least Cleveland lost to drop into a wildcard tie.

Game 2: 1-0 W. WP-Sears (2-1). S-Fairbanks (31). Starter-Montas (1.2 0 0 0 0 2). Runs remained scarce north of the border and the Rays got the only one in this game on a Mead groundout in the 4th. Frankie Montas had to leave with a blister and JP Sears came to the rescue with 3 perfect innings as he's been an unsung hero of the staff this year. The Yankees keep winning but at least it means the Rays move into sole possession of a wild card.

Game 3: 4-1 W. WP-Swanda (11-10, 7.1 9 1 1 1 5). S-Fairbanks (32). The Rays are in the playoffs, but as a wild card as the Yankees completed a sweep of Cleveland, knocking the Guardians out. New York ended up winning its last seven games. Luciano was the hitting hero today with a double and 2 RBI, including one in the 6th when they broke a 1-1 tie although it turned out they'd get in even if they had lost.

Final Regular Season Record: 87-75. Next up is the AL Wild Card Round and with the White Sox losing a pair the Rays are actually the second wild card and will travel to first wild card Detroit.

The playoff race: Kansas City emerged from the crowded Central field to take the division and earn the top seed while of course the Yankees won the East and will also earn a bye. Third seed and AL West winner Seattle will host the White Sox in the other Wild Card round. Over in the NL the Braves managed to make up 9 games on the Phillies over the final two weeks as Philadelphia lost 12 straight games(!) to end the season and fall to second in the NL East. They're still in the playoffs though as a wild card and will travel to Arizona while Atlanta hosts St. Louis in the other NL wild card series, with Milwaukee and Colorado earning byes.

Leaders: Spencer Torkelson led MLB in homers with 49 and Shane McClanahan won the AL ERA title at 3.25.

Final 2026 Regular Season Standings and Rays Stats
 

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

An incredible year of parity in MLB, especially in the AL where nobody won 90 games, something I'm not sure I've ever seen in all my years following baseball. In fact only one team (Milwaukee) won more than 90 games.

https://i.imgur.com/fyK6d90.png

Of course had we played anywhere near our Pythagorean record there wouldn't have been talk about the lack of a 90-win team in the AL. Still we did play very well down the stretch (21-10 in Sep/Oct) to get into the playoffs and nearly win the division as it took a Herculean effort from the Yankees over the final week to pip us. The offense was pretty good even though we were allergic to taking walks, and the pitching was fine but the defense was brutal (typical of most every team I've had in any of my saves) with the Franco/Albies middle infield combo particularly bad in the field.

https://i.imgur.com/YNF0Dlx.png

While the offense was pretty good, it was largely a 3-man affair (Franco, Tork, Mead), and we gave hundreds of at-bats to sub-replacement hitters you can see in detail at the bottom of the above list. Once we weeded them out things did get better later in the season.

https://i.imgur.com/tqMhbY9.png

The pitching was a strength when it wasn't being undermined by the defense and Pete Fairbanks in particular was a victim, with a BABIP over .400 during the first half before things stabilized in the second.

October 6, 2026: AL Wild Card Game 1
 

Ugh...

https://i.imgur.com/P2Sa76G.png

The Rays fought back to tie a game they trailed 3-0 only to lose in extras when Chris Gau couldn't find the plate, coming in with a man on and one out and walking the next two before hitting Riley Greene with a pitch to force in the winner and send the team one game from elimination. Tampa Bay should have won in regulation with all the chances they had, including Diego Cartaya grounding into a double play with the bases loaded and one out, Curtis Mead getting thrown out at third trying to stretch a double into a triple leading off an inning, Jeremiah Jackson* being thrown out at home and consecutive strikeouts with the bases loaded and one out in another inning. So it's up to Shane McClanahan, the one guy we would want pitching an elimination game, tomorrow to save the season.

*I forgot to mention in the last post that Ozzie Albies seriously sprained an ankle and is out 4 weeks, so Jackson became the 2B starter and Brooks Lee was called up from Durham.

In the other AL WC game:

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

Former Ray Austin Meadows helping the White Sox jump out to the advantage.