April 20-22, 2043: at Kansas City (3)
 

April 20: Optioned P Doug Combs to AAA Durham, recalled P Greg Bookhart from AAA Durham.

Prized prospect (#6 overall by BNN) Bookhart finally makes his major league debut as last week's doubleheader meant we needed a starter for Game 1. I'm likely to keep Bookhart up as another lefty in the pen since we only have two right now (Sato and Zamora).

Game 1: Greg Bookhart was dazzling in his MLB debut although the bullpen blew the win for him. Still the Rays won 4-3 thanks to Josh Beckett's RBI triple in the 9th. Bookhart didn't allow a hit until the 4th and that would be the only hit he'd allow in a masterful 6 1 0 0 3 8 outing on 89 pitches. He left ahead 3-0, and while Dan Anderson got through the 7th, Mike Barkley put 2 on in the 8th and Satoshi Sato let them both score along with one of his own to allow KC to equalize. Beckett's triple made an undeserved winner of Sato and Ed Pretty handled the 9th for his 1st save of the year. Solo homers from Tony Cordova (#1) and Seth Williams (#2) helped stake the Rays to the early lead.

Game 2: It was another tight, low-scoring affair as all the games on this road trip have been so far, and the Rays came away with a 4-2 win. The Royals jumped ahead 2-0 with a couple of unearned runs off Johnny Soland, who pitched his best game of the year at 6 9 2 0 0 2 and won for the first time in 2043. Freddy Zamora recorded his 4th save. The comeback started in the 5th with a Mike Willis RBI triple, and they scored twice in the 7th to win it on a 2-run double from Kevin Morley.

Game 3: Jose Mendoza was all over the place tonight and the bullpen wasn't any relief as the Rays were trounced 13-1 by the Royals in the getaway game. Mendoza finished 4.1 3 6 6 7 6 and saw the last two runs score against him when Sean Forbes gave up a 3-run homer to put the game out of reach. Later Jon Harbour couldn't get the third out in the 8th and ended up giving up 6 more runs. The bats were no help either as the Rays played their worst game of the young season.

Team record: 13-6. Next up: An off-day to travel back to Tampa where we'll play 3 against the first-place Blue Jays, winners of 7 straight and now a game ahead of us.

April 24-26, 2043: vs Toronto (3)
 

Game 1: The Rays rode four solo homers and the fourth excellent start in four outings this year for Jim Brophy to take a 4-1 win over the Jays at Publix Park in an early-season showdown series. The win moved the Rays into a tie with Toronto atop the AL East and while Brophy was in fine form the hero was Doug Johns, who hit two of those solo homers to triple his season total, the second of which broke a 1-1 tie in the 6th. Jimmy Leonard went back-to-back with him in that inning for his 3rd, and Kevin Morley added some insurance with his first of the year in the 8th. Brophy went 6 8 1 1 1 6 to improve to 3-0, 1.95 with only one or two runs allowed in each of his four starts, and Mike Barkley nailed down save #5 with a 1-2-3 two-whiff 9th.

Game 2: It was another tight one at Publix Park but the Rays moved into sole possession of first in the AL East with a 4-2 win over Toronto. Brad Jackson was dominating at 6 4 1 1 2 8 and is now 3-0, 4.05 with the struggles of his first two starts in the rearview mirror. Mike Barkley once again saved with a 2K 1-2-3 9th, #6. Dave Frick led the offense, going 3-4 with HR #2 and 2 RBI and Josh Beckett drove in the other two with a fielder's choice and a sac fly.

Game 3: The Rays completed the sweep of Toronto, coming out on top of yet another low-scoring affair 3-1. Joel Gird had his best start as a big leaguer, going 6 3 0 0 2 6 to lower his ERA to 3.00, but left a scoreless game after the 6th. Tony Cordova supplied the breakthrough, a 2-run homer (#2) in the 7th and Doug Johns added an RBI double in the 8th. Greg Bookhart got the final out in the 7th and picked up the win he deserved in his MLB debut start 5 days ago, and today's save went to Freddy Zamora, his 5th.

Team record: 16-6. Next up: The homestand continues with 4 against Oakland.

Prospect trade!
 

We made a prospect-for-prospect "challenge" deal with the Angels:

https://i.imgur.com/n1PlvVw.png

Cardenas is a 19-year-old lefty who has yet to play in pro ball but was slated to pitch for our DSL team this summer. He's regarded as a potential 55 stuff, 60 control starter so he's a legit prospect. But I figured I'd shop him when I saw his name pop up with some better prospects of ours in "make it work" offers. Which led us to Saro, who looks like the real deal as a CF prospect. His details:

https://i.imgur.com/lmTAc8A.png

Dan Gregory is 31 and while we've got him under contract for a few more years we don't have an heir apparent. While Saro isn't going to be a gold glover, he looks capable of playing the position on a decent level and projects to be an above-average contact and power hitter so it seemed a gamble worth taking, especially given his impressive minor league numbers so far:

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

April 27-30, 2043: vs Oakland (4)
 

Game 1: After a run of 9 straight and 12 of 13 games where they hadn't scored more than 4 runs in a game the Rays' offense broke out today in the series opener at Publix Park, taking an 11-6 win over Oakland. In fact they exceeded 4 runs by the 2nd inning when a 5-run outburst gave them a 7-2 lead. Jimmy Leonard's 3-run HR (#4) was the big hit in that inning, Dave Frick was 3-4 with a HR (#3) and 2 RBI, and Kevin Morley was 3-4 with a double and an RBI. Johnny Soland wasn't dazzling but his 6 9 3 3 0 5 outing was good enough to send him to 2-2, 5.02.

Game 2: This game was rained out on Tuesday so we had a doubleheader on Wednesday to make it up, and the first game was pretty remarkable. Oakland scored 6 times in the top of the 5th to go up 7-1, and the Rays answered with 10(!) in the bottom of the inning to go on to an 11-8 win. Jimmy Leonard homered (#5) and it was 1-1 going into the 5th when Jose Mendoza ran into a lot of trouble, and Sean Forbes made it worse by giving up a 3-run homer and then another run of his own. Mendoza finished 4.2 7 5 5 2 7 but avoided a loss thanks to the bottom of the inning eruption. 4 straight hits plated a run, a sac fly scored another but the Rays made the second out with only 2 in. Then Luis Barela, hovering around the Mendoza line in his debut Rays season, blasted a 3-run HR (#5), Josh Beckett had a 2-run triple, and Kevin Morley had his 2nd RBI single of the inning as they also had 11 hits in the frame. Forbes stayed on and threw 3 scoreless innings afterwards for win #3, and after Doug Johns got a chance to pitch and made a mess, Mike Barkley got the final out for save #7.

Game 3: Jim Brophy made sure the nightcap was considerably more boring as he was pitched a brilliant 3-hit shutout, walking 0 and fanning 10 in an 8-0 Rays win. Brophy needed 114 pitches for the gem, earned a game score of 91, and improved to 4-0, 1.47. Dan Gregory had a monster game at the plate, going 4-5 with HR #3, a steal and 3 RBI and Josh Beckett got things going early with a 3-run HR (#2) in the 2nd.

Game 4: The Rays completed a sweep of the 4-game series with a tidy 5-2 win over the A's behind Brad Jackson. The lefty was an efficient 8 4 2 2 0 5 to improve to 4-0, 3.63 while Mike Barkley had a 1-2-3 9th for save #8. Josh Beckett drove in 3 more runs and Dave Frick had an RBI triple to lead the offense.

Team record: 20-6. Next up: Houston visits for 3 in a rematch of the last two ALCSes.

May 1-3, 2043: vs Houston (3)
 

First some news from the league office:

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

Game 1: The Rays jumped all over former Tampa Bay hurler Ted Hadley and Joel Gird was excellent again in a 9-2 win over the Astros at Publix Park. They put four on the board in the first, capped by a 2-run Jose Mendez homer, his 1st of the year and later Luis Barela showed signs of life by hitting a solo shot and a 3-run blast to give him a 5-RBI game and 7 homers on the season. Gird meanwhile was efficient and effective, going 7 4 2 2 1 4 on 79 pitches for the win to improve to 2-1, 2.90. One bit of bad news, though: Ken Burgess had to leave after pitching the 8th and it turns out he needs surgery for bone chips in his elbow, ending his season prematurely for the second straight year.

May 2: Placed P Ken Burgess on the 60-day IL with bone chips in his elbow, recalled P Doug Combs from AAA Durham.

Game 2: Tampa Bay overcame another poor start from Johnny Soland and the resulting 6-3 deficit to take a 7-6 win, their 9th straight, behind Luis Barela's second straight two-homer game. Barela had a 2-run shot in the 5th to get them back within 6-5, and after Dan Gregory's RBI single tied the game in the 6th Barela hit a solo blast in the 7th to provide the winning margin, and he suddenly leads the AL in homers with 9. Tony Cordova earlier had a 2-run double. Soland was roughed up again to the tune of 4.1 8 6 6 3 4, sees his ERA rise to 6.00 and has allowed a whopping 48 hits in 33 IP. Some of that's due to a .375 BABIP which should come down but he's pitching to hard contact this season. Dan Anderson picked up win #1 with 2 2/3 IP of scoreless relief (although he did give up a 2-run single to score Soland's last two runners), and Freddy Zamora had an impressive 5-whiff 2-inning outing for save #6.

Game 3: The Rays' 9-game win-streak came to an end today in the series finale as they fell to Houston 5-2. Greg Bookhart got another spot start due to last week's rainout and ensuing doubleheader and it did not go as well as his first one. The good news was that he walked 1 and fanned 8 in 5 innings but the bad news was that he gave up 5 runs on 7 hits including a pair of homers. The only bright spot today was the first MLB homer for Tomas Laboy, a solo shot in the 5th.

Team record: 22-7. Next up: We head out west to play 4 games in Anaheim against the Angels.

May 4-7, 2043: at LA Angels (4)
 

Game 1: The Rays left it late but Dave Frick's 2-run double in the 9th gave them a 4-3 win over the Angels in the first of their 4-game set in Anaheim. Seth Williams had a solo homer earlier (#6) but it looked like a loss before Doug Johns singled and Jimmy Leonard walked with 1 out in the 9th and Frick came through with the winner. Jose Mendoza started and was OK at 5.1 4 3 2 3 6 while Sean Forbes picked up win #4 in relief and Mike Barkley had a 1-2-3 9th for save #9.

Game 2: More late magic for the Rays as they took a 2-1 win over the Angels in 13 innings. They trailed 1-0 going into the 8th when Josh Alexander broke his homer drought with his 3rd of the year, and Doug Johns went yard in the 13th (#4) for the winner. Jim Brophy was exceptional again at 7 4 1 1 0 10 and looked like a hard-luck loser until Alexander got him off the hook. Freddy Zamora got his first win with 2 2/3 scoreless in relief and Doug Combs got the final out in the 13th for his first save after Zamora put a couple on and was tiring.

Game 3: The cardiac kids did it again, tying the game at 2 in the 8th before putting 4 on the board in the 9th to beat the Angels again 6-3. Josh Beckett's RBI single tied it up and in the 9th Tomas Laboy hit a grand slam (#2) off former Ray Joe Trader to claim victory. Laboy had knocked in the first run so he finished with 5 RBI. The relief win went to Satoshi Sato, his 3rd, after Brad Jackson pitched an effective 5 4 2 2 1 4.

Game 4: The Rays swept the series from the Angels but this time did it right off the bat - and I mean literally as they scored 6 in the first, 3 in the second, 5 in the third and 3 more in the fourth as they went on to crush the Angels 22-5. This is going to be one of these "just post the hitting from the box rather than try and recap" type of games, so here goes:

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

Joel Gird didn't pitch that well but he didn't have to, getting the win after going 6 9 3 3 0 6. Gird is now 3-1, 3.16. The game did see a position player pitch - but it was one of ours as Doug Johns (who actually is a capable pitcher) went 2 innings and gave up 2 runs on 6 hits.

Team record: 26-7. Next up: We head up the coast to face Oakland for 3.

May 8-10, 2043: at Oakland (3)
 

Game 1: Johnny Soland pitched his best game of the season and the Rays kept on rolling with a 5-3 win in their series opener in Oakland. MLB's only 20-game winner from last season went 6 5 2 2 1 5 to improve to 3-2, 5.54 and four relievers held the lead late with Freddy Zamora getting the final out for save #7. Jimmy Leonard was 3-4 and blasted a pair of homers to give him 7, Josh Alexander continued his power surge with a 2-run shot for #6, and Luis Barela hit his 10th for some 9th-inning insurance.

Game 2: Jose Mendoza followed up Johnny Soland with his best outing of the year as well, going 7 3 0 0 1 10 in a 7-0 Rays win over the A's. The lefty's dominant outing got him to 3-1, 4.33, and Sean Forbes went the final 2 to complete the team shutout. Josh Alexander hit his 5th homer of the week and 7th of the year, Josh Beckett added his 4th to go with an RBI triple, and Doug Johns hit a 485-foot 2-run blast to dead center for his 5th.

Game 3: Someone pour some water on Josh Alexander as he hit his 5th homer in 4 consecutive games and 6th of the week in a 9-2 rout of Oakland to give the Rays a sweep of Oakland and a 7-0 road trip. Alexander added 2 singles and drove in 3 for the day while Jimmy Leonard added a 3-run shot (#8). Dave Frick was 3-4 with 2 doubles and an RBI as well. Jim Brophy wasn't quite as dominating as his recent starts but plenty good enough at 6 4 2 2 3 3 to improve to 5-0, 1.63.

Team record: 29-7. You'd think with that record the Rays would have at least a 6-7 game lead and more likely a 9 or 10-game lead in the division, but the Blue Jays have been just as hot lately and sit only 3 games back (2 in the loss column) at 25-9 as they've taken 11 of their last 12. Next up for us: An off-day then back home for 3 against the Yankees.

This came as absolutely no surprise:

https://i.imgur.com/qWxHI3u.png

May 12-14, 2043: vs NY Yankees (3)
 

Game 1: The Rays kept their winning streak alive at 8 by coming from behind to beat the Yankees 5-4 in 11 innings at Publix Park in their series opener. Kevin Morley, who came in late after Tony Cordova was pinch-hit for, delivered the walk-off winner as his RBI double scored Josh Beckett. The Yankees got to Brad Jackson and his 5 8 4 4 1 5 line put them behind 4-1, but Seth Williams had a 2-run double in the 7th to tie it up and solid work from the bullpen (6 scoreless) enabled them to win. Satoshi Sato went the final 2 innings for his 4th win already and he sports an impressive 1/19 BB/K ratio in 13 innings this year. Jose Mendez (#2) homered early for Tampa Bay.

Game 2: Major acquisition Luis Barela got off to a slow start with the Rays after homering on Opening Day but has started to show Tampa Bay fans why he's the reigning NL MVP with games like today's as he went 4-4 with HR #11 and 3 RBI to lead the Rays to a 9-2 rout of the Yankees. Josh Alexander and Dave Frick each also knocked in a pair to back a fine outing from Joel Gird, who's really rounded into form of late and went 6.1 4 1 1 0 7 today to improve to 4-1, 2.91. Gird threw 68 innings last year as a swingman so he isn't qualified for Rookie of the Year but would be a frontrunner otherwise.

Game 3: The Rays made it 10 straight wins and a series sweep with a 7-3 win over the Yankees in which the middle of the order was lethal. Josh Alexander went 3-3 with a walk, two doubles, a solo homer (#9) and four runs scored, Luis Barela was 3-4 with HR #12 and 2 RBI (he went 10-14 with 2 HR and 5 RBI in the series) and Jimmy Leonard was 2-3 with a 1st-inning 3-run HR (#9) and 4 RBI as they accounted for all 7 runs. Johnny Soland abandoned his usual pitch-to-contact M.O. today and instead went 5 4 1 1 3 8 on 99 pitches as he went to 4-2, 5.11 and Freddy Zamora got save #8 by retiring the final four Yankees. Greg Bookhart was also impressive in a critical situation, fanning 4 Yanks in 1 2/3 scoreless.

Team record: 32-7. Next up: New York week continues as the Mets come to Publix Park for 3 games over the weekend.

May 15-17, 2043: vs NY Mets (3)
 

Game 1: The Rays broke open a close game with a 7-run 4th and routed the Mets 11-2 in their series opener at Publix Park. Dan Gregory and Jimmy Leonard each homered twice with Gregory going 3-5 with HRs #4 and 5 and 3 RBI while Leonard drove in 4 with his pair, giving him 11 longballs on the season. Josh Alexander also had a bases-clearing double to give him an AL-best 41 ribbies. Jose Mendoza went 5 7 1 1 0 8 to improve to 4-1, 4.02. Doug Johns was ejected from the game and suspended for 4 more for charging the mound after being hit by a pitch following Leonard's second homer.

May 16: Placed OF Doug Johns on the restricted list, recalled OF Randy Rappaport from AAA Durham.

Game 2: It was another Rays romp as the win streak stretched to 12 after an 8-3 mauling of the Mets. A 5-run 1st inning overcame 2 for the Mets in the top of the inning with Jimmy Leonard's RBI double and Dan Gregory's 2-run single the big hits. Gregory was 3-4 with 2 RBI while Josh Beckett was 2-3 with a double and 2 RBI. Jim Brophy overcame a 2-run homer in the first to finish 6 4 2 2 1 7 and go to 6-0, 1.78, continuing his streak of 8 starts this season allowing 2 runs or fewer. Sean Forbes went the final 3 innings for his 2nd save.

Game 3: Tampa Bay's winning streak reached a baker's dozen as they walloped the Mets for the third straight day, taking an 11-4 decision. The Mets actually jumped out to a 4-1 lead through 4 against Brad Jackson but 4-run innings in the 5th and 7th turned the game on its head. Today's scoring came on a barrage of homers, including two in his first two at-bats of the season for Randy Rappaport, while the ludicrously-hot Jimmy Leonard belted 2 more and drove in 5 as part of a 4-hit day. How hot has he been? How about 5 HR and 14 RBI in his last 4 games. Mike Willis also launched his first longball of the year as he was 3-5 with 2 RBI, and Josh Alexander chipped in 4 hits and an RBI as well as Rays hitters amassed 23 hits today. Jackson ended up with the win after a mediocre 6 7 4 4 2 3 outing and he's now 5-0, 4.26. One bit of bad news, though: the reason Rappaport was in the game was because he replaced Dan Gregory, who sprained his ankle and will be out just shy of a month.

Team record: 35-7. Next up: A day off to let those bats cool before we start a road trip with 3 in Baltimore.

May 19-21, 2043: at Baltimore (3)
 

May 19: Placed OF Dan Gregory on the 10-day IL with a sprained ankle, recalled IF/OF Jeff Googins from AAA Durham.

Game 1: This team has officially entered the realm of the ridiculous after coming back from 8-2 down in the 6th to take an 11-10 win over Baltimore at Camden Yards to extend their win streak to 14. Joel Gird had his roughest start of the season (3.2 8 6 6 1 1), had to leave with a blister which will keep from his next start, and his rotation replacement Greg Bookhart gave up 2 more runs on 5 hits. But they worked back to within 8-4 in the 7th and Josh Alexander delivered a grand slam (#10) to tie it and Jose Mendez hit #3 with a man on to put them ahead. Luis Barela (#13) and Jimmy Leonard (#14) had homered earlier, and they survived some shaky bullpen work in the 8th to hold on for the win which went to Jon Harbour (#1). Mike Barkley had an uneventful 9th for save #10.

Game 2: The win streak went to 15 in a 5-0 win over the Orioles, but it was extremely costly. Johnny Soland had to leave in the 2nd and it turns out he ruptured his UCL, finishing his season and making it a bit dicey that he starts next year on time. Jon Harbour went 3 1/3 perfect relief innings to pick up his 2nd win in as many days, and Sean Forbes and Dan Anderson completed the shutout. All the offense they needed came early with Josh Beckett leading off the game with HR #5 and Jose Mendez homering for the second straight day (#4). Dave Frick added an double and 2 RBI.

May 21: Placed P Johnny Soland on the 60-day IL with a ruptured UCL and optioned IF/OF Jeff Googins to AAA Durham; activated OF Doug Johns from the restricted list and recalled P Jose Morales from AAA Durham.

Greg Bookhart will take Soland's place in the rotation although for now he'll take Joel Gird's spot while he misses a start with a blister, and then Gird will slide back in when Soland's turn comes up. Morales is a hard-throwing lefty whom we acquired from the White Sox a few years ago and pitched well at Durham last year, although he struggled in the early going this year. He has 75 stuff (but 45 movement & control).

Game 3: The Rays were up 4-0 in the middle of the third and they looked well on their way to consecutive win #16 but then the roof caved in on Jose Mendoza as he gave up 7 runs on 3 homers in the bottom of the 3rd and then a couple more on another one in the 4th and they fell 11-5. Mendoza was given a long leash because the previous two days' starters had to leave early and it did not go well as he finished a brutal 3 9 10 9 4 5 (if there were a "scorigami" for pitching lines that would have to be one), dropped to 4-2 and saw his ERA balloon to 5.61. The Rays did get homers from Doug Johns (#6) in his first at-bat since his suspension and Josh Alexander (#11).

Team record: 37-8. Next up: 4 games in Toronto.

May 22-25, 2043: at Toronto (4)
 

Game 1: The Rays rode a 6-run second and held on to take an 8-6 win over Toronto in the opener of their four-game weekend wraparound series. Luis Barela's 2-run single keyed the inning but Jim Brophy was knocked around a bit for the first time this year and nearly lost the lead at 6-5. He finished 5.2 8 5 5 2 7 yet improved to 7-0, 2.35. Josh Alexander, who had an RBI single in the 2nd, hit a 2-run HR (#12) in the 9th to provide some insurance and Mike Barkley got the final two outs for save #11 as Freddy Zamora ran into some trouble in the 9th.

Game 2: After yesterday's high-scoring game neither team got on the board until the 8th when the Jays scored twice, but Jimmy Leonard hit a 3-run homer in the 9th to enable the Rays to pull out a 3-2 win. Aces Brad Jackson and David Ruiz were outstanding, with Jackson going 6.1 5 0 0 1 6 and lowering his ERA to 3.79. Viewers of the game were treated to the rare sight of Satoshi Sato allowing a 2-run homer in the 8th, the first he's given up since joining the MLB from Japan last year, covering a span of 72 2/3 innings including last year's playoffs. He nevertheless ended up with his 5th relief win when Leonard launched his 15th in the 9th, and Mike Barkley had a two-whiff 1-2-3 9th for save #12.

Game 3: The righty-dominated Jays have often had their way with Rays lefties not named Brad Jackson, and today they baptized rookie Greg Bookhart for 4 runs and 10 hits in 6 innings in a 4-2 win over Tampa Bay. Bookhart's now 1-2, 3.86 as he moves into the rotation to take Johnny Soland's place. Doug Johns was 2-4 with an RBI double for the only offensive performance of note for the Rays.

Game 4: Joel Gird pitched well but ended up with a no-decision after Toronto tied it at 2 in the 7th, but Dave Frick's solo homer (#4) in the 8th won it for the Rays 3-2. Gird was 6 4 2 2 2 7 and left up 2-1 after giving up a leadoff double in the 7th but Ed Pretty gave up a 2-out hit to tie it. Frick enabled him to vulture his 2nd win, and Mike Barkley picked up his 3rd save of the series and 13th overall with another perfect 2K 9th. Tomas Laboy got a rare start and hit his 5th homer in only 54 at-bats earlier in the game.

Team record: 40-9. Next up: Back home for 3 vs Kansas City.

May 26-28, 2043: vs Kansas City (3)
 

Game 1: Jose Mendoza struggled for the second straight start and the bats were held in check as the Rays fell 5-1 to Kansas City in their series opener at Publix Park. Mendoza flirted with trouble into the 3rd and needed one more out to get out of it down 1-0 but surrendered a grand slam and finished 5 6 5 4 3 8 to drop to 4-3 with an ERA of 5.77. Josh Beckett's RBI double, one of two on the day for him, was all the offense could muster.

Game 2: The offense wasn't much better today but the pitching was and the Rays took a 3-1 win over the Royals. Jim Brophy bounced back from his one not-great start of the season to go 6 3 1 1 1 7 and improve to 8-0, 2.27 and three relievers hurled scoreless innings with Mike Barkley getting save #14. Josh Alexander and Doug Johns had RBI doubles in the first, and Jose Mendez had a solo homer in the 5th (#5) for the Tampa Bay scoring.

Game 3: Whatever funk the offense was in over the first two games of this series dispelled immediately as the Rays scored 4 times in the first and never really stopped scoring in a 14-2 rout of the Royals which saw them bang out 22 hits. Josh Alexander's 3-run homer (#13) in the first sent them on their way and Doug Johns had a huge game going 3-5 with a bases-clearing double and 3-run HR (#7) as part of a 7-RBI day. Josh Beckett was also 3-5 with two doubles and 2 RBI. Brad Jackson was the beneficiary of this outburst, going 5 5 2 2 2 4 to go to 6-0, 3.77 and Steve Forbes chipped in 3 scoreless innings.

Team record: 42-10. Next up: A rare Friday off-day then 2 games at home against Philadelphia, where Luis Barela, Andy Ruggles and Chris Williams get to catch up with their old teammates. The eagle-eyed among you may have already noticed we're playing the 2021 MLB schedule this year.

May 30-31, 2043: vs Philadelphia (2)
 

Game 1: The Rays took a 7-2 win over Philadelphia in the first of their brief 2-game interleague series. Jimmy Leonard had a massive game, going 4-4 with a 3-run homer in the first (#16) which sent them on their way, and Doug Johns and Josh Beckett were each 2-5 with an RBI. Greg Bookhart was solid, evening his record at 2-2, 3.45 with a 5.2 7 1 1 2 4 outing.

Game 2: The Rays used a 4-run 4th to take a 6-4 win over the Phillies and sweep the 2-game series. Tony Cordova kept the inning alive with an RBI single to cut the Philly lead to 3-2 and then Jose Mendez blasted a 3-run homer (#6) to put Tampa Bay ahead to stay. Seth Williams, who's not off to the start he had last year, hit his 5th homer in the first to tie it at one before former Ray Daniel Vasquez drilled a 2-run shot off Joel Gird in the top of the 4th to put the Phillies up. Gird hung in there for the win, going 5.2 7 3 3 0 4 to improve to 5-1, 3.84 and Mike Barkley continued to excel with yet another 2-whiff perfect 9th for save #15.

Team record: 44-10. Next up: We visit the Yankees for 4 games.

June 1-4, 2023: at NY Yankees (4)
 

Game 1: After dramatically tying the game with 2 out in the 9th the Rays wound up losing anyway in 10 innings to New York 2-1 in the opener of their four-game set at Yankee Stadium. Jose Mendoza snapped out of his recent funk by going 6.2 5 1 1 2 7 but the bats were held to 1 hit through 8 before stringing 3 together in the 9th with Luis Barela's single tying the game. But Ed Pretty enabled the Yankees to rally in the 10th and they pushed across a run to win.

Game 2: Today had a real Groundhog Day feel to it as once again the Rays got great pitching, little hitting and lost a 2-1 walk-off to the Yankees, this time in 10 innings. Jim Brophy was his usual excellent self, going 6 2 1 1 2 7 and Seth Williams' RBI double tied the game in the 7th but this time it was former Yankee Mike Barkley who coughed up a homer to former Ray Alex Buitrago in the bottom of the 10th and it was another tough loss.

Game 3: Apparently the Rays forgot to pack their bats for this road trip as for the third straight day they were held to one run and wasted another fine start in a 3-1 loss. Again they were held to four hits and while Brad Jackson was fine at 6 6 2 2 1 2 he would have had to pitch a shutout if he wanted to win. Mike Willis' triple was the extent of the offense as he scored on a Seth Williams sac fly.

Game 4: The good news: the Rays scored 4 runs, one more than they scored in the previous 3 games in this series combined. The bad news: Greg Bookhart was hit hard and they gave up 8 as the Yankees swept the 4-game series and I'm hard pressed to remember that happening in this save. Bookhart has suddenly become very hittable as today he went 3.2 11 5 5 2 0 and has allowed 33 hits in his last 17 innings over 4 starts, falling to 2-3, 4.37. Tony Cordova had a solo homer (#3) and after the game was out of hand Seth Williams drilled a 2-run blast (#6) to cap a 3-RBI day.

Team record: 44-14. Next up: They'll try to snap out of it with 3 games in Texas.

The 2043 Amateur Draft
 

https://i.imgur.com/rdc9LwZ.png

Williams: I don't think we've ever drafted a hitter with this much current ability, mainly as we always draft at the end of the first round. He's rated 50 contact and 55 power right now, and while he doesn't walk much (40 eye) he doesn't strike out either (65 avoid Ks). We could plug him into the lineup right now and he'd probably hit .260-.270 with 25 HR. He has 60 potential for contact and 65/70 for power depending on which scout you can believe. So why did he drop to the 30th pick? As you might have guessed he's a lousy OF with his range rated at 45. And he's a lefty hitter with a significant platoon split. But he can rake, and I'll probably start him at AA Montgomery given that ability. Either a future long-side-of-the-platoon regular or a nice trade chip.

Thomas: Our supplemental pick is a high-school 1B so there's no defensive value there. But he is projected for 55 contact and 60 power, with a 50 eye so there's real offensive upside here.

Wagner: While he seems a decent SP prospect out of Cal State Fullerton (potential 50 stuff, 60 movement, 40 control), I like him more as a potential CF (60 OF range and 65 arm of course) who has 60 contact, 65 gap power, 55 power and 60 avoid Ks potential. Hopefully he can follow the Francis Moranchel path (listed starting pitcher turned into elite hitting prospect).

Krisik: The Wake Forest junior is a righty starter who has potential 65 stuff to go with potential 50 control and movement, seems pretty good for a pick at the end of the 3rd round.

Kempton: A high-school SS with real pop (70 potential power according to my scout, 75 per OSA) although it's an open guess as to whether he remains at the position.

Herring: See Wagner above, another pitcher drafted for his bat. His projections at pitcher are 50 stuff, 35 movement, 40 control, so yecch, but as a hitter he projects to 55 contact, 60 gap power, 50 power and seems like he could play the outfield OK.

June 5-7, 2043: at Texas (3)
 

June 5: Optioned P Jose Morales to AAA Durham, recalled P Ismael Vargas from AAA Durham.

Swapping out lefties in the pen here. Vargas was our supplemental 1st round pick two years ago as a college closer, and he made it to Durham this year where he had 31 whiffs in 17 innings. It came with 8 walks, and his 80 stuff and 60 movement is tempered by 35 control.

Game 1: It was looking like another low-scoring struggle for the Rays as they were held to 2 runs on 3 hits through 9 innings but the pitching was there to force it to extras and their found their hitting shoes with 8 hits after the 9th and scored 4 times in the 13th to take a 7-3 win over the Rangers. Mike Willis' RBI double in the 11th gave them a 3-2 lead but Freddy Zamora gave it right back in the bottom of the inning. Then in the 13th consecutive RBI singles from Tony Cordova and Jose Mendez gave them the win, and Josh Alexander added a 2-run single to give him a 3-RBI day. Joel Gird had an excellent start at 7.2 7 2 2 0 3 on an efficient 89 pitches and Zamora ended up with win #2 after pitching the 12th.

Game 2: Jose Mendoza was solid again and Doug Johns had a big day with the bat to lead the Rays to a 6-2 win in the second game of their series with Texas. The lefty went 6 6 1 1 2 7 to improve to 5-3, 4.87 while Johns was 3-4 with a 2-run homer in the 4th (#8) which put Tampa Bay ahead to stay. Josh Alexander had a 3-hit game as well.

Game 3: The Rays completed the sweep with a 13-5 blowout of Texas in which Jose Mendez homered twice in a 9-run 8th inning which broke open a 4-2 game. Mendez got things going with a 2-run shot early in the inning and then capped it with a 3-run blast, making him the only (or one of the few) Ray I remember in this save to homer twice in an inning as he now has 8 on the year. Also going yard were Luis Barela, (#14, a 2-run blast in the 1st) and Randy Rappaport (#3, a solo shot in the 8th). Josh Beckett was also 2-4 with a triple and 3 RBI. Jim Brophy went to 9-0, 2.16 with another top-notch performance (6 5 1 1 3 3) while Ismael Vargas was a mixed bag in his MLB debut. After the Rays jumped ahead 13-2, he pitched a 1-2-3 8th but ran into trouble in the 9th, allowing a 3-run homer as we probably pushed him too far (35 pitches).

Team record: 47-14. Next up: An off-day then back home for 2 games vs Washington.

June 9-10, 2043: vs Washington (2)
 

Game 1: The Rays scored 5 times in the 3rd inning to take a 6-3 win over the Nationals to open their 2-game interleague set at Publix Park. Dave Frick's 2-run single was the big hit in the inning and Josh Alexander homered in the first (#14). Brad Jackson was lean and mean today, shutting out Washington into the 7th on a low pitch count. He wound up giving up a couple of homers but went 8 5 3 3 0 6 on only 85 pitches to improve to 7-1, 3.67. Mike Barkley had his customary 2-whiff 1-2-3 9th for save #16.

Game 2: Seth Williams has been good this year but nowhere near his MVP season of last year so it was good to see him break out tonight in a 10-7 Rays win over Washington that really wasn't all that close. Williams was 4-5 with 2 RBI to lead the offense and he was supported by Josh Alexander (3-4, 2 doubles, RBI), Doug Johns (3 RBI) and Josh Beckett (a 2-run homer, #6). Greg Bookhart got the start and was adequate at 5 7 2 2 2 3 to go to 3-3, 4.28 but the bullpen wasn't that great behind him, giving up a total of 5 runs over the final 4 innings including 3 off Doug Combs in the 9th.

Team record: 49-14. Next up: Another off-day then Baltimore visits for 3.

June 12-14, 2043: vs Baltimore (3)
 

Game 1: The Rays took a 5-2 win over Baltimore in the opener of their series at Publix Park. Joel Gird got the win and improved to 6-1 after going 5.2 6 2 2 4 4 with Mike Barkley bagging save #17. Luis Barela was 2-3 with an RBI single and Kevin Morley belted a 2-run HR (#2) to lead the offense.

Game 2: Something about the Baltimore Orioles and Jose Mendoza doesn't mix. After giving up 4 homers to the Birds in a start at Camden Yards a few weeks back he surrendered three more today as Baltimore downed the Rays 7-3. Mendoza went 4 7 6 6 1 6 and fell to 5-4, 5.40. Seth Williams blasted a pair of homers to give him 8 and drove in all 3 Tampa Bay runs.

Game 3: Jim Brophy continued to do Jim Brophy things as the lefty handled the Orioles in a 5-1 win. He went 6 3 1 1 1 6 to up his record to 10-0, 2.11 and he's allowed more than 2 runs in only one of his 13 starts this season. He's also 17-1 since joining Tampa Bay last year at midseason. Satoshi Sato got the final five outs, four via strikeout, for his 1st save of the year. 5 different Rays drove in the 5 runs with Tomas Laboy going 2-4 with an RBI.

Team record: 51-15. Next up: 3 games in Chicago against the White Sox.

June 15-17, 2043: at Chicago White Sox (3)
 

Game 1: The Rays opened up their series against a team that could be considered their peer, as the White Sox have followed up last year's 109-win season by going 48-18 thus far in 2043. And they failed the first test, getting blown out 13-6 by the Pale Hose. Brad Jackson did not have it today, hit to the tune of 3.1 8 7 7 2 1 to drop to 7-2, 4.31, and the pen didn't either as Ismael Vargas and Jon Harbour were hit hard. The 6 Tampa Bay runs came courtesy of 2-run homers from Jose Mendez (#9), Josh Alexander (#15) and Luis Barela (#15).

Game 2: The Rays lost a tough one to the White Sox 4-3 after the bullpen faltered in the 8th. Greg Bookhart was very impressive at 6 5 2 2 0 7 and Satoshi Sato navigated the 7th, but Mike Barkley couldn't get anyone out in the 8th, allowing a run and putting two men on, and while Freddy Zamora got three outs in succession one of them was a sac fly which brought home Chicago's winner. Jose Mendez homered for the second straight day (#10) with a man on and Josh Beckett's RBI double had given them the lead.

Game 3: Tampa Bay salvaged the final game of the series with a 4-0 win but it came at a steep cost. Second-year man Joel Gird pitched two scoreless innings but had to leave with what turned out to be a torn labrum and his season is over at 6-1, 3.53. It's a tough blow to a rotation which already lost Johnny Soland for the year and now there's no replacement like Greg Bookhart ready to step in. Dan Anderson went 4 scoreless in relief of Gird to pick up win #2, and the four Rays runs came via solo homers from Jimmy Leonard (a pair, #s 17 & 18), Luis Barela (#16) and Josh Alexander (#16). Our internal options to replace Gird include Jon Harbour, who has started in the past; Anderson, who has 70 stamina but only 2 pitches; 2040 first-round pick Jonathan Melendez, who's doing OK at Durham but isn't quite ready; or we can always try to swing a trade.

Team record: 52-17. Next up: 4 games in Seattle.

June 18-21, 2043: at Seattle (4)
 

June 18: Placed P Joel Gird on the 10-day IL with a torn labrum, recalled P Aidan Williams from AAA Durham.

Could have put Gird on the 60-day, but we already have 5 40-man spots open on the roster. Williams was our 3rd round pick in 2037 and has bided his time in our system. He's not spectacular but a decent righty reliever with 60 stuff, 50 movement and 55 control, and 60 stamina so he can go multiple innings. Right now the thought is to try Dan Anderson as a starter but for now we can skip Gird's turn with an off-day on Monday.

Game 1: The bats were as cold as a Seattle rain in the opener against the Mariners as the Rays fell 3-0. Jose Mendoza went 6 2 2 2 4 6, allowing a 2-run homer for all Seattle needed and he's now 5-5, 5.20.

Game 2: Runs were scarce in Seattle again, but the Rays scored more of them and took a 3-2 win. A 3-run 3rd highlighted by a 2-run Luis Barela single was all that was required thanks to the typical fine outing from Jim Brophy (6 5 2 2 1 8, now 11-0, 2.17 and the early AL Cy Young favorite) and quality bullpen work culminating in Mike Barkley's 18th save, a 5-out special.

Game 3: Yet another low-scoring affair went the Rays' way this time as they snuck past Seattle 2-1. Brad Jackson went to 8-2, 4.01 after going 6 3 0 0 1 6 and they barely hung on in the 9th with Freddy Zamora on the mound as he gave up an RBI triple to Jorge Vazquez, who was thrown out at the plate by Mike Willis trying to score on a fly ball to preserve the win. Zamora got his 9th save even though it really belonged to Willis. Seth Williams (#9) and Josh Beckett (#7) had solo homers for the Rays' runs.

Game 4: Tampa Bay was staring down the barrel of a 4-2 defeat before erupting for 8 runs in the 9th and took a 10-6 win over Seattle to win the series from the M's. It was sloppy baseball from Seattle in the 9th as two walks, two errors and a hit batter enabled the Rays to tie before Seth Williams crushed a 2-run double to break the deadlock and Jose Mendez capped the inning with a 2-run homer (#11). Greg Bookhart started and after being roughed up for 3 runs in the first 2 innings, settled down to finish 6 6 3 3 1 4. Ismael Vargas picked up his first MLB win after getting the final out in the 8th but couldn't get through the 9th, allowing 2 runs and putting 2 on without getting an out before Mike Barkley had to clean up his mess.

Team record: 55-18. Next up: An off-day then we return home for 3 against Boston.