August 8-10, 2044: at Toronto (3)
 

Game 1: The Rays fought back from a 4-0 deficit to take a 5-4 lead but still ended up losing 7-5 to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre to see their 10-game win streak come to an end. Brad Jackson was not very good at 4.2 9 5 4 2 5 and Dan Anderson (5-5) allowed the go-ahead run for Toronto. Dave Frick's 3-run homer (#6) capped a 5-run 4th to put them briefly ahead.

Game 2: More bad pitching doomed the Rays to an 8-4 loss in the second game of their series with Toronto, with today's victim Greg Bookhart (13-4) who was hit hard for 7 runs on 10 hits in 3 1/3 innings. Tomas Laboy continued his trend of hitting whenever he gets to play and blasted his 8th homer while Josh Alexander and Jose Mendez each had a triple and an RBI.

Game 3: It looked like the Rays would salvage the series finale after taking a 6-1 lead in the 3rd inning but once again Toronto hitters had the Rays' number as the Jays fought back for a 12-7 win to sweep a series which saw Rays pitching allow 27 runs in total. Josh Alexander had a 2-run HR (#25) and Josh Beckett drove in 3 runs to stake them to the early lead but Johnny Soland was awful (4 4 7 6 4 2) and Joel Gird (2-1) ended up with the loss after allowing 3 runs on 8 hits in only 2 innings. Doug Johns had 3 doubles in a losing effort.

Team record: 82-31. Next up: An off-day to re-calculate our rising ERAs before heading to Yankee Stadium for the weekend.

August 11-13, 2044: at NY Yankees (3)
 

Game 1: Jose Mendez came off the bench in the 9th to sock a 2-run pinch-hit homer, breaking a 3-3 tie and giving the Rays a 5-3 win over New York in the series opener at Yankee Stadium. Mendez' homer, his 14th, made a winner of Jose Mendoza (3-2), and Satoshi Sato secured save #6. Jim Brophy had a mediocre start at 5.1 5 3 3 1 6 giving up a pair of homers to Rays-killer Elias Aragune. Josh Beckett was 2-3 with an RBI earlier in the game.

Game 2: The Rays came from behind to beat the Yankees again 3-2, with Tony Cordova's RBI single in the 6th tying it and Dan Gregory's RBI single in the 7th winning it. Joel Gird (3-1), who relieved Gordie Ager after a 5 5 2 2 2 3 outing, picked up the win and Satoshi Sato nabbed another save (#7). Doug Johns had a solo shot (#11) for the first Tampa Bay run.

Game 3: The Rays were in control of this one the whole time for a change and swept the Yankees with a 5-1 win. Brad Jackson was in good form, going 5.1 7 1 1 1 8 to improve to 10-6, and the normally contact-heavy Dan Anderson struck out all 5 men he faced in relief. Doug Johns homered for the second straight day (#12), a 2-run blast, and Mike Willis was 3-5 with 2 runs scored and a steal.

Team record: 85-31. Next up: Home for some interleague action with 3 against San Diego as we reunite with old friends Daniel Malone and Ramon Ruiz.

August 15-17, 2044: vs San Diego (3)
 

August 15: Placed C Jeff Baer on the 10-day IL with an intercostal strain, recalled C Nelson Bocardo from AAA Durham.

Baer will miss about 3-4 weeks so Bocardo is up for his third cup of coffee in as many years. He's more than ready for the bigs and would hit .300 with light-moderate power if he got to play regularly for us. He was 334/385/456 at Durham.

Game 1: The Padres blasted Greg Bookhart into oblivion, taking a 10-0 lead by the 3rd inning. It wouldn't surprise you to find out the Rays' lethal offense came back and made a game of it, which they did before ultimately succumbing 11-8 as they brought the tying run to the plate in the 9th. Bookhart (13-5) had nothing today, going 2.1 10 9 8 0 3 in his second straight disastrous start which has bumped his ERA up almost a run from the low 3s to the low 4s. But the bats battled back led by Dave Frick who was 3-3 with a walk and a 3-run HR (#7) and Seth Williams, who drove in a pair.

August 16: Placed P Joel Gird on the 10-day IL with a blister, recalled P Jonathan Melendez from AAA Durham.

Gird's blister was pegged at a week's recovery so he went to the IL. Melendez finally makes the bigs after being our #1 pick in 2040. The lefty has decent stuff and can start but his MLB future appears to be long relief. He had 65 whiffs in 47 IP at Durham in that role this year.

Game 2: The Rays bounced back from yesterday's beating with Johnny Soland's best start of the year in a 6-1 win over San Diego. Soland was 7 2 1 1 2 7 as he improved to 10-3. Jose Mendez's 2-run HR (#15) broke open a 2-1 game and Doug Johns drove in 3 with a single and a double. Jonathan Melendez made his MLB debut with 2 scoreless innings in relief of Soland.

Game 3: Tampa Bay took the series from the Padres with a 7-3 win at Publix Park. They put 3 on the board in the first on back-to-back jacks: a 2-run homer from Seth Williams (#14) and a solo shot from Josh Alexander (#26). Doug Johns, who was 3-3 with 2 RBI on the day, contributed a solo shot of his own (#13). Jim Brophy (14-3) was battling runners but mostly pitched out of his jams at 5 6 2 2 4 7.

Team record: 87-32. Next up: A rare off-day at home before Texas comes to town for 3 over the weekend.

MLB News: Those same Padres went to Arizona directly after this series and were no-hit by a pair of D-back pitchers, five days after also being the victims of a combined no-hitter by the Mets. Meanwhile as few as 10 days ago the Yankees looked a lock for a wild card but since then they've lost 8 straight while the Blue Jays won 9 in a row (including sweeps of the Yankees and of us last week) and Toronto now sits 1/2 game behind New York for the 2nd AL wild card.

August 19-21, 2044: vs Texas (3)
 

This was supposed to be a 3-game series but Sunday's finale was rained out and will be made up in Texas on the final weekend of the regular season.

Game 1: The normally-reliable Satoshi Sato blew the lead in the 7th but the Rays rallied anyway and took a 4-3 win over the Rangers at Publix Park. Seth Williams and Luis Barela had RBI singles and Gordie Ager was very good at 6 7 0 0 1 7 and the Rays were up 2-0. But Jose Mendoza put a man on and then had to leave with a strained back which will shelve him for a couple of weeks. Enter Sato, who gave up a double to let Mendoza's runner score and then a 2-run homer to put Texas ahead. The Rays rallied in the bottom of the inning though on RBI singles from Williams and Josh Alexander and Sato (5-0) stayed in through the rest of the game and whiffed 5 to preserve his own vultured win.

August 20: Placed P Jose Mendoza on the 10-day IL with a strained back, activated P Chris Martin from the 10-day IL.

We get our closer back just as Mendoza goes down. Martin will get an outing or two in middle relief to get him re-acclimated.

Game 2: Brad Jackson was hit hard early and the Rays never recovered, dropping an 8-4 decision to Texas. Jackson (10-7) allowed 5 runs over the 2nd and 3rd and although he settled in to finish 6 8 5 5 1 7 the damage was done. Josh Alexander doubled, homered (#27) and drove in a pair while Luis Barela also went deep (#24) and drove in the other two Rays runs.

Team record: 88-33. Next up: The homestand concludes with 4 vs Boston.

MLB News: The Yankees' losing streak is now 11 games and although Toronto lost 2 of 3 over the weekend they still moved ahead of New York for the 2nd wild card. And St. Louis's Josh Schulze tied the MLB record with a 4-homer game against the Phillies, hitting the last two off former Rays Billy Hoyte and Mike Barkley.

August 22-25, 2044: vs Boston (4)
 

Game 1: The Rays opened up their 4-game series with Boston at Publix Park by taking a 7-2 win. Dave Frick was 4-4, rookie Nelson Bocardo had a 2-run double and Chris Parham had a key 2-run single against his old team to lead the offense. Greg Bookhart started but had to leave after 2 innings with a mild shoulder strain and Jon Harbour (3-0) took over and went 4 2 1 1 0 4 for the win.

Game 2: Tampa Bay beat Boston again in a 16-6 slugfest. They broke open a 3-3 game in the 5th with 4 runs and banged out 24 hits in total. Two players had 5-5 games, including Dave Frick who followed up yesterday's 4 for 4 and drove in 4 including a 3-run HR (#8). Jose Mendez also had a perfect day at the plate including HR #16 with a man on, and Luis Barela hit HR #25 with 3 RBI. Jim Brophy (15-3) got the win despite not pitching well (5.2 7 5 5 3 6) while Ismael Vargas picked up his first MLB save by going the final 2 1/3 after entering when the game was 8-6.

Game 3: The grounds crew weren't the only ones raking today as the Rays once again hit double digits in a 10-3 win over Boston. They had 15 more hits including a 2-run shot from Josh Alexander (#28) and a Josh Beckett solo homer (#10) while Jose Mendez picked up from his 5-5 game with 3 straight hits including a pair of doubles and a RBI. Johnny Soland (11-3) picked up the win going 5.1 8 3 3 0 5.

Game 4: And...the Rays scored 10 again as they swept the Red Sox with 43 runs over the 4 games as they won 10-5. Gordie Ager was roughed up early (5 9 5 5 1 5) and they fell behind, but with the offense that rarely matters. Jon Harbour (4-0) picked up his second win of the series and Jose Mendez once again had a big game, going 2-4 with a 3-run HR (#17) and was 10-17 with 2 HR and 6 RBI in the series. Chris Parham also continued to torment his former team, hitting his first Rays homer, a 2-run shot.

Team record: 92-33. Next up: We hit the road for 3 in Houston.

August 26-28, 2044: at Houston (3)
 

Game 1: Brad Jackson's had an up-and-down year but today he was up as he twirled his 5th career complete-game shutout in an 11-0 win over Houston at Minute Maid Park. The lefty got his first whitewash in two seasons by going 9 5 0 0 0 8 on 120 pitches and improved to 11-7, 4.24. He had plenty of support as the bats banged out 17 hits, including a 4-4 from Doug Johns with 2 RBI and a 3-3 from Josh Alexander which included his 29th HR and 2 RBI. The red-hot Jose Mendez also contributed a 2-run blast (#18) and Josh Beckett was 3-5 with 2 knocked in.

Game 2: Unlike their last several wins the Rays had to fight for this one, coming back to edge the Astros 3-2. Houston went up 2-1 in the 3rd against Greg Bookhart, and the lefty had to once again leave a game early with back spasms. Joel Gird took over and was impressive with 3 1/3 scoreless before Satoshi Sato went 2 for his 6th win and Chris Martin closed with save #30, his first in nearly a month after an IL stint. Luis Barela was the comeback, homering in the 6th (#26) and doubling in the 8th and scoring on Josh Beckett's sac fly.

Game 3: The Rays made it 7 straight wins and a sweep in Houston as they returned to routing in a 9-3 win. Seth Williams was 3-5 with a double, triple and RBI, Luis Barela went 3-3 with a walk and an RBI and Tomas Laboy was 2-4 with HR #10. Jim Brophy (16-3, 45-7 in his Rays career) gave up 2 runs in the first and nothing thereafter to finish 7 4 2 2 2 4.

Team record: 95-33. Next up: 3 games in Boston.

August 29-31, 2044: at Boston (3)
 

From the league office:

https://i.imgur.com/m62xjEI.png

Game 1: The Big Ray Machine keeps rolling along, flattening the Red Sox in its path 8-2 today in the series opener at Fenway. Luis Barela was 3-5 with HR #27 and 2 RBI, Seth Williams had his own 2-run jack (#15) to put him over 100 RBI and Doug Johns and Josh Alexander each knocked in a pair. Johnny Soland meanwhile has been in fine form of late and that continued with a 6.2 2 0 0 2 5 outing as he's now 12-3, 4.48.

Game 2: Tampa Bay's bats were finally cooled off in a 5-4 loss to Boston, snapping their latest win streak at 8. They nearly came back, scoring 4 times in the 8th after trailing 5-0, but only managed 4 hits on the day, one of which was Dan Gregory's 2-run single to get them as close as they'd get. Gordie Ager (12-5) had his struggles, going 4 6 5 3 2 5.

Game 3: Normal service resumed as the Rays pounded out 21 hits in a 15-5 rout of the Red Sox. There were quite a few big days at the plate among those in the lineup but the biggest belonged to Mike Willis, 4-5 with 3 doubles, 3 RBI, 2 walks and his AL-best 43rd steal of the year. Josh Alexander, Dave Frick and Nelson Bocardo each had 3 hits, with the latter two driving in a pair apiece as none of the 21 hits left the yard. Brad Jackson wasn't as sharp as last time out when he pitched a shutout, but was good enough at 5.1 6 2 2 2 1 to improve to 12-7. Joel Gird went the final 3 2/3 for his first MLB save despite allowing 3 unearned runs.

Team record: 97-34. Next up: An off-day then back home for 3 vs Toronto, which has faded of late while the Yankees suddenly got hot. New York is now in the first card, 1/2 game ahead of Oakland, and 3 1/2 ahead of Toronto.

One month to go
 

Here's a look at the standings into the final month of the season (through games of September 4):

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

Quite the race in the NL both for the Central and the wild cards. Things are bit more cut and dried in the AL.

We also some monthly awards go to minor leaguers:

https://i.imgur.com/szAS2uy.png

Herring is one of those guys I've targeted in drafts as a market inefficiency - players who are listed as pitchers, usually with mediocre ratings, who have good potential hitting tools. So I make them hitters, or at least two-way players, and have had some success with them. Herring has raked at Low-A and we'll see if he can keep it up.

https://i.imgur.com/ZeIoX2B.png

Thomas was a more traditional hitting pick, a high-school 1B we took with our supplemental 1st round pick last year. He struggled in his first go-round at rookie-level Princeton but has mashed this year with 65 RBI in 59 games. We'll see how he does in full-season ball next year.

September 2-4, 2044: vs Toronto (3)
 

September 1: Purchased the contract of P Leo Bernal from AAA Durham, recalled IF/OF Jeff Googins from AAA Durham.

September roster expansion time. We'll give the former Cardinal closer Bernal a shot to see if he's playoff-worthy. His 40 movement still worries me, though, so he's going to be used in low-leverage situations. Utility man supreme Googins has been up before and has pop and speed.

Game 1: The Rays scored 4 times in the first but had to hang on for a 5-4 win over Toronto in the series opener at Publix Park. Luis Barela's 3-run homer (#28) highlighted the first and Dave Frick later singled in what proved to be the game-winner. Greg Bookhart continued to labor but at least he made it through a game without leaving with back spasms. He went 5 7 4 4 2 4 which was good enough for him to go to 14-5 thanks to a bullpen which saw 4 relievers each pitch a scoreless inning, culminating with Chris Martin's 31th save.

Game 2: Tampa Bay took another, winning 8-4 over the Jays in large part thanks to Josh Beckett's big day. The All-Star 2B tripled and homered (#11), driving in 3 and setting a career high in RBI with 92. Mike Willis had a pair of doubles and an RBI while Jose Mendez added a 2-run single. Jim Brophy showed why he's 17-3 but with a 4.80 ERA after going 6 7 3 3 1 6 today as he remains well-supported.

Game 3: Up 9-3 after 7 the Rays had to hold off a late Blue Jay rally to sweep the series with a 9-7 win. Luis Barela was 3-5 with HR #29 and 2 RBI to hit the century mark in ribbies while Josh Alexander blasted #30 and drove in a pair. Johnny Soland's recent renaissance came to an end after going 3 6 3 3 5 4 but Jon Harbour went to 5-0 with 4 shutout innings in relief. Things got dicey in the 9th when Jonathan Melendez struggled and Toronto scored 3 times, requiring Chris Martin to get the final out for save #32.

Team record: 100-34. Next up: 3 at home vs Baltimore.

September 5-7, 2044: vs Baltimore (3)
 

September 5: Activated P Jose Mendoza from the 10-day IL, optioned P Jonathan Melendez to AAA Durham.

Before getting knocked around in his last outing, Melendez was impressive in relief and has a shot at a bullpen spot next season.

Game 1: The Rays' bats for a change labored on Labor Day as they only scored once. It looked like it'd still be enough for a win but Chris Martin gave up 2 runs in the 9th to blow his 3rd save and the Rays fell 2-1 to the Orioles. Gordie Ager was outstanding (7 2 0 0 1 6) and Sean Forbes had a 1-2-3 8th but Martin was hit right off the bat in the 9th for the two runs. Dave Frick's RBI single brought home the only Rays score.

Game 2: After running roughshod on their opponents lately the Rays were sent to defeat for the second straight day as Brad Jackson was lit up in an 8-4 loss. Jackson (12-8) was 5.2 10 6 4 0 6 as everything found a hole today. Dave Frick (#9), Jose Mendez (#19) and Josh Beckett (#12) had late solo homers to make the final score a bit more respectable.

Game 3: The Rays have only been swept once in a 3-game-or-more series this season and they weren't going to let it happen again as they blasted Baltimore 15-1 at Publix Park. The 15 runs and 15 hits were all the more impressive given that the bench was emptied today. Sub supreme Tomas Laboy hit 2 more homers to give him 12 in only 155 at-bats as he's hitting a cool 348/399/658 this year, Jeff Googins was 3-5 with a double, steal and 3 RBI, and Chris Parham had a 2-run double. Lineup mainstay Luis Barela did play and hit HR #30. The beneficiary of all this bench bopping was Greg Bookhart, who had his best start in a month at 6 4 1 1 2 3 and improved to 15-5.

Team record: 101-36. Next up: 4 games at Yankee Stadium.

September 8-11, 2044: at NY Yankees (4)
 

Game 1: Trailing 3-1 into the 7th, the Rays exploded late to score 7 times in the 7th and 8th and take an 8-5 win over the Yankees in the first of their 4-game set at the Stadium. Seth Williams had an early solo shot (#16) and singled in another run while Dan Gregory was 3-4 with a 3-run HR (#7) to cap a 5-run 8th. Jim Brophy (18-3) hung around long enough to get yet another win, going 7 7 3 3 2 6. Chris Martin loaded the bases in the 9th but didn't allow a run for save #33.

Game 2: A scoreless game into the 6th ended up a 5-0 Rays win as Johnny Soland pitched well. The veteran righty went 5 3 0 0 3 4 on 95 pitches to improve to 13-3, 4.41 and Jose Mendoza went 2 2/3 scoreless in relief of him. A 3-run 6th won it for the Rays keyed by a 2-run Josh Beckett double, and Doug Johns was 3-3 with 2 RBI.

Game 3: The Rays hurled their second straight shutout of the Yankees, taking a tight 2-0 affair behind Gordie Ager. The lefty was 7 3 0 0 2 5 and upped his record to 13-5, 2.95. Sean Forbes pitched the 8th and Satoshi Sato the 9th for save #8. Mike Willis' 2-run homer in the 5th (#6) accounted for the game's only scoring.

Game 4: Brad Jackson was excellent before the Rays had to hold on in the end for a 6-4 win over the Yankees to sweep the series. Jackson (13-8) was 7 5 1 1 1 5 but Leo Bernal and Jose Mendoza combined to allow 3 runs in the 8th to let New York back in it, and Chris Martin had another shaky save (#34) after putting a pair of runners on. Seth Williams was 4-5 with an RBI single in the 3rd, an inning which saw the Rays score 4 times capped by a 2-run Doug Johns homer (#14). Josh Alexander was also 2-4 with a pair of doubles and an RBI.

Team record: 105-36. The division was clinched for the 24th straight season at the beginning of the series. Next up: We've helped Toronto pull within 3 games of the Yankees for the second wild card and now it's our turn to return the favor for New York as we visit the Jays for 3.

September 12-14, 2044: at Toronto (3)
 

Game 1: Rays pitching notched their third shutout in four games with a 2-0 win over Toronto at Rogers Centre in the series opener. Greg Bookhart started and went 5.2 6 0 0 1 3 but left before Dave Frick's RBI single in the 7th broke a 0-0 tie, so the win went to Ed Pretty (3-0). Josh Alexander came off the bench for a pinch-RBI double in the 9th and Sean Forbes threw a perfect 2-whiff 9th for his 3rd save.

Game 2: Jim Brophy pitched the game of his life and the Rays recorded yet another shutout as they edged the Jays 1-0. Brophy threw a complete-game one-hit shutout, walking nobody and facing one over the minimum as he struck out 8. It was a "Maddux" as well as he only threw 92 pitches. Brophy went to 19-3, and although his ERA is still bloated at 4.52, he's mainly been the victim of a bad BABIP; it was .259 last year in his Cy Young season but is .320 this year even after the 1-hitter. Seth Williams' RBI triple in the 1st stood up for the entire game as the only run.

Game 3: I honestly do not recall this happening in the 25 seasons of this save (or the 6 1/2 seasons of my 2021 save) but the Rays managed to shut out an opponent for an entire series as Johnny Soland and two relievers combined to whitewash the Jays 5-0. Soland (14-3) went 6 4 0 0 2 3 on 99 pitches while Dan Anderson went 2 innings and Sean Forbes the 9th to also make it 5 shutouts in 6 games for Tampa Bay pitching. The bats only managed 5 hits but one of them was a 3-run homer from Jeff Googins in the 2nd, his first of the year with the big club and the key hit of the game. Tomas Laboy got a start and of course added a solo shot later, his 13th.

Team record: 108-36. Next up: 4 games in Baltimore.

September 15-18, 2044: at Baltimore (4)
 

Game 1: The team shutout streak ended at 29 innings when Baltimore scored twice in the 2nd off Gordie Ager, and the 8-game win streak ended as well as the Rays were soundly beaten 6-1. Ager (13-6) didn't have it today (5.1 8 6 6 2 4 with 2 homers allowed) and neither did the bats as they only had 1 hit through 8 before Jose Mendez and Luis Barela hit doubles in the 9th to avert a shutout.

September 16: Activated C Jeff Baer from his rehab assignment, optioned C Nelson Bocardo to AAA Durham.

Game 2: The bats weren't going to be held down again as they routed the Orioles 9-4 in the second game. Dan Gregory led the charge going 3-4 with HR #8 and 3 RBI, Seth Williams had a 2-run HR (#17) and Josh Alexander went solo for #31. Brad Jackson (14-8) wasn't anything special today but 5 6 3 3 2 3 was good enough for a win.

Game 3: Luis Barela smacked a couple of homers and Greg Bookhart was in fine form as they led the Rays to an 11-1 thumping of Baltimore. Barela was 3-5 with the two homers to take the team lead with 32 and drove in 3, Mike Willis was 3-6 with a steal and RBI, and Dan Gregory (#9) and Dave Frick (#10) contributed 2-run homers. Bookhart (16-5) meanwhile turned his third fine start after an August slump, going 6.2 4 1 1 1 6 and getting his ERA back below 4 at 3.96.

Game 4: Jim Brophy became a 20-game winner for the second straight season, pitching 6 shutout innings in a tight 1-0 win. The lefty went to 20-3 with an excellent 6 3 0 0 1 7 performance and Chris Martin preserved it for save #35. The lone run came in the 4th on a Josh Alexander groundout after Jose Mendez doubled and went to third.

Team record: 111-37. Next up: Our final off-day of the regular season then 3 at home vs the Yankees, who have lost their firm grip on the second wild card by losing 6 straight and 9 of 10 and now lead the Jays by only 1 1/2 games. That race, and Oakland trailing Seattle by 1 game for the AL West lead (with the second-place team in pole position for the first wild card) are the only ones really contested with two weeks to go.

September 20-22, 2044: vs NY Yankees (3)
 

Game 1: The Rays took a 7-5 win over the slumping Yankees at Publix Park to open a 3-game set. A 6-run 3rd inning sent the Rays on their way, keyed by 2-run singles from Luis Barela and Doug Johns. Seth Williams was on base four times with two singles and two walks and drove in a run as well. Johnny Soland started and shut New York out for 4 innings before leaving with a strained back which will force him to miss his next start, so Jon Harbour (6-0) got the win with 3 strong innings in relief. After Chris Parham and Jose Mendoza made a mess in the 8th as Mendoza gave up a grand slam to former Rays star Jon Jimenez with Parham's runners on, Chris Martin struck out 3 in the 9th for save #36.

Game 2: Gordie Ager pitched well and Dave Frick drove in 4 runs as the Rays sent the Yankees to defeat once again 6-2. Ager (14-6) was 6 3 2 2 1 7 while Tony Cordova and Mike Willis added RBI doubles. I'll take this moment to acknowledge the incredible seasons Satoshi Sato and Sean Forbes are having as each pitched a scoreless inning. Sato has a 1.03 ERA and 10/90 BB/K ratio in 59 innings, good for 2.9 WAR and Forbes has an 0.53 ERA and 5/68 BB/K ratio in 51 innings, worth 2.6 WAR.

Game 3: Brad Jackson went the distance for his second complete-game shutout of the season as he scattered 7 hits in a 3-0 Rays win over the Yankees. Only the struggles of Toronto have kept New York afloat in the second wild card race as they're 1 up on the Jays and have also allowed Minnesota to sneak within 2 1/2. Jackson walked none and fanned 7 to improve to 15-8 and get his ERA below 4 for the first time since June 3 at 3.97. All of the runs came courtesy of a 3-run Luis Barela homer (#33) in the 3rd inning.

Team record: 114-37. Next up: We close out the home portion of our regular season schedule with 3 against Boston.

September 23-25, 2044: vs Boston (3)
 

Game 1: The one thing you don't want while playing out the string ahead of the playoffs is injuries, and unfortunately the Rays suffered a key one today to mar their 8-3 win over the Red Sox. Greg Bookhart, slated to be the #4 starter in the playoffs and brilliant as a rookie in last year's postseason, is pretty much done for the year with elbow inflammation, diagnosed after he left today's game after pitching one inning. It's a 4-week injury so theoretically he could pitch in the World Series if we get that far, but I would be reluctant to use him without rehab. He finishes his second season an impressive 16-5, 3.93 with 3.2 WAR. This means the inconsistent Johnny Soland will be the 4th starter, although Joel Gird is an option. As for the game, Jon Harbour (7-0) went 3 innings with 6 whiffs for the win, and Jose Mendez highlighted the offense by going 2-5 with 2 RBI.

Game 2: Jim Brophy got knocked around and the Rays squandered several scoring opportunities as they fell to Boston by the same 8-3 score they won with yesterday. Brophy went 5 8 4 4 2 7 as his BABIP issues resurfaced, and he fell to 20-4. Dan Anderson was later hit for a 3-run homer. Jose Mendez was once again the offensive standout, 2-3 with a walk and a solo homer (#20). The Rays left 10 men on base, hit into three double plays and had two men thrown out at the plate in the same inning.

Game 3: The Rays took the series from Boston with an 8-2 win behind strong pitching from Joel Gird and another big day for Jose Mendez. Gird was 6 4 1 0 2 5 and improved to 4-1, 1.49 as he'll slot into the rotation for the final week (and perhaps the playoffs) while Mendez was 2-3 with a double, homer (#21) and 2 RBI. Chris Parham added a solo homer, his second of the year with both coming against his former team.

Team record: 116-38. Next up: We spend the final week of the regular season on the road with 8 games in 7 days, starting with 4 in Chicago against the AL Central-winning White Sox.

MLB Playoff Race Update: The Yankees continue to hurtle towards Earth like a skydiver whose chute won't open as they've lost 12 straight including three to the Jays, who are now 2 games up on them for the final wild card. They play one more time on Monday. Seattle and Oakland are both in the playoffs with the Mariners two up on the A's and the loser locked in as the first wild card. Over in the NL the Mets, Cubs and Giants either have clinched their divisions or are on the verge (Chicago is 4 up). Washington and Cincinnati look like the wild cards with the Phillies 2 1/2 back of the Reds.

September 26-29, 2044: at Chicago White Sox (4)
 

Game 1: Gordie Ager was solid and the Rays beat the White Sox 3-1. Ager went 5.2 4 1 1 1 7 but didn't get the win as he couldn't finish the 6th and the Rays went ahead in the 7th, so Ed Pretty (4-0) picked it up. Chris Martin recorded save #37 with a perfect 9th. Jeff Baer's RBI single in the 7th was the game-winner and Seth Williams got the Rays on the board in the 1st with HR #18.

Game 2: The Rays won another low-scoring affair, scoring twice in the 10th to take a 4-2 win. Josh Alexander's RBI single broke the tie, and Luis Barela had HR #34 earlier in the game and Josh Beckett was 3-5 with an RBI as he reached the 100-ribbie mark for the first time. Johnny Soland was the usual mixed bag, going 5 5 1 1 4 3 and Leo Bernal picked up his first Rays win pitching the 9th and 10th.

Game 3: It was Chicago's turn to win a close, low-scoring game as Satoshi Sato (6-1) surrendered a homer in the 8th to allow the White Sox to take a 3-2 win. Brad Jackson pitched well in his final regular season start at 6 3 2 2 2 4, finishing the year 15-8, 3.94 and with an impressive 4.4 WAR. Jose Mendez led off the game with HR #22 but the offensive did little from there.

Game 4: The Rays took the series from Chicago with a 5-1 win in the finale behind a fine Jim Brophy performance. The lefty closed out the followup season to his 2043 Cy Young by going 6 2 0 0 2 5 and ends up 21-4, 4.31 with 4.9 WAR as a .319 BABIP inflated his runs against. Doug Johns was 3-5 with a double and 2 RBI to lead the attack.

Team record: 119-39. Next up: We close out the regular season with 4 games in Texas, including a makeup of a Publix Park rainout with a doubleheader on Friday.

MLB Playoff Race Update: Everything is done and dusted in the NL with the Mets, Cubs and Giants division winners and the Nationals and Reds clinching wild cards. The AL contains the only race remaining, the battle for the second wild card between the Yankees and Jays as New York has pulled into a tie with Toronto. Toronto goes to Fenway while the Yankees host the Orioles over the final weekend. Otherwise the Rays, White Sox and Mariners have won their divisions and the A's hold the first wild card.

September 30-October 2, 2044: at Texas (4)
 

September 30: Optioned C Nelson Bocardo to AAA Durham, recalled P Jonathan Melendez from AAA Durham.

Game 1: Although the opener was in Texas the Rays were the home team for the first game of today's doubleheader as it was a makeup of a game rained out at Publix Park. Being the home team didn't help though as the Rays fell 5-0 to the Rangers, only managing 6 hits. The important news from the game was another injury, this one to Joel Gird (4-2) who started the game and went 6 7 3 3 0 5. He suffered a sprained elbow and will be out 2 weeks, taking him out of contention for the #4 starter job in the ALDS which is now Johnny Soland's by default.

Game 2: Jonathan Melendez got the start in the nightcap and struggled in his first MLB start after pitching well earlier this year in relief, helping to put the Rays in a 10-1 hole. But in the end it didn't matter as they came all the way on a Chris Parham grand slam in the 9th to win 11-10. Melendez was a brutal 4 8 7 7 1 3 and the game looked a lost cause. But Tomas Laboy had a 2-run double to start the comeback, and after entering the 9th down 10-6 they scored five times as Parham capped his best day with the Rays with 4 hits and 5 RBI including the winning slam, and also threw a scoreless inning in the first game. Ismael Vargas (1-0) picked up the win and Ed Pretty took the 9th for his 1st save of the year.

October 1: Placed P Joel Gird on the 10-day IL with a sprained elbow, recalled P Aidan Williams from AAA Durham.

Game 3: The Rays took a 5-1 win over the Rangers as Gordie Ager made his final regular season start and burnished his Cy Young credentials. The lefty was 5 3 1 1 2 3 to finish the season 15-6, 3.08 and led the AL in strikeouts (192) and WAR (5.8) while his ERA is 4th. The "A" bullpen (Pretty, Forbes, Sato, Martin) combined for 4 hitless innings in their final tuneup before the playoffs. Speaking of burnishing credentials, Luis Barela looks primed to win his 3rd straight MVP (2nd in the AL with the Rays), capping his season by going 3-3 with 2 doubles, a homer (#35) and 3 RBI. He'll win the AL batting title at .348 and WAR crown (9.2). Jose Mendez is also finishing the season strong and he was 3-5 with HR #23.

Game 4: The Rays took the regular season finale 6-1 but the big news was yet another late-season significant injury. Josh Beckett was beaned with a pitch and suffered a concussion which will knock him out for the duration of the playoffs. You could say he's out third-best overall hitter behind Barela and Alexander and he'll be missed. Tomas Laboy is his likely replacement as we'll sacrifice some defense (45 at 2B) for offense (325/375/595). As for the game, Aidan Williams made his season debut and first MLB start and pitched well (and to contact) by going 6 5 1 1 1 1 for the win. Doug Johns (#15) and Jose Mendez (#24) had solo homers, Laboy had a 2-run double and Seth Williams banged out a pair of hits to go over the 200-hit mark for the third time in his four MLB seasons. One Ray who didn't reach his milestone was Mike Willis, who missed out on 50 SB when he was thrown out attempting to steal in the 9th.

Final Regular Season Record: 122-40. Next up: Game 1 of the ALDS at Publix Park.

MLB Playoff Race Update: And who will the Rays be facing in the ALDS? Well it won't be the Blue Jays, who dropped 2 of 3 at Fenway while the Yankees swept the Orioles. New York will travel to Oakland to face the A's in the AL Wild Card Game.

Final 2044 Regular Season Standings and Rays Stats
 

https://i.imgur.com/DV7PLjs.png
https://i.imgur.com/owd272t.png

Our final team stats:

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

Will you look at those defensive numbers? 7th in DI, 3rd in zone rating? What is this new devilry? Truly our best showing in those categories in memory.

The player hitting stats:

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

What a year for the hitters, with everyone in the lineup plus a 10th man earning at least 3.4 WAR, and Tomas Laboy with 2.3 in only 57 games.

The individual pitching:

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

Forbes and Sato just had incredible years in relief and Ed Pretty bounced back from last season's debacle to regain his dominant form (nothing like going from 10 HR allowed in 2043 to 0 in 2044). The rotation was fine, and even weak link Johnny Soland wasn't terrible.

October 4, 2044: AL Wild Card Game
 

And after 19 regular season games we'll have at least three more with the Yankees:

https://i.imgur.com/jew4RNF.png

October 5, 2044: NL Wild Card Game
 

The Reds advance despite the best efforts of former Ray Chris Toombs to blow the game as he allowed a couple of homers and put men on in the 9th.

https://i.imgur.com/MEd7Azu.png