[Art Deco]

Game 1: Offense is completely out of control in this year's version of my save, I think next year I'm going to set the offensive environment to 1988 just to keep my sanity. Tonight was a great example as what was a 4-2 game in the 6th inning ended 14-10. Fortunately it was the Rays with two touchdowns again but I can't say that I enjoy these games that much. Anyway, McKay was largely terrible again and bailed out by 4 double plays (they turned a 5th after he left, has to be a season high), although he hung in there after a 4-run second and kept it that way until the Rays could come back. And come back they did. Cristian Javier had kept them pretty much in check through 5 with a Kepler HR being one of the two runs, but the wheels came off for him in the 6th when he issued a single and four walks consecutively, another run scored on a passed ball and then Kiermaier hit a grand slam, his second homer in as many games since coming back (he's slugging .711, folks!) to cap a 7-run inning to make it 9-4. With a huge lead (not really that huge these days) McKay stayed in and of course gave up a couple of runs, but the Rays added 4 more in the 7th and Wander homered in the 8th (he had a double, triple and HR but no single) to make it 14-6 and surely I could leave Zack Britton in with an 8-run lead. Nope, he got into trouble, brought in AJ Puk and he didn't do much better and suddenly it was 14-10 and I finally had to bring in Alvarado to stop the nonsense, which he did with a pair of Ks. Toronto had lost the night before but was idle today, so the lead is up to a season-high 8.

Game 2: Ah it was nice to have a game that wasn't arena baseball for a change as Max Fried dominated an extremely dangerous Astros lineup to the tune of 8 5 0 0 1 8 in his best outing in several games as the Rays took their second straight over Houston by a 7-3 score. You'll notice the "3" in there for the Astros; as the saying goes "those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it" and with a 7-0 lead in the 9th I brought in Zack Britton once again, and once again he crapped the bed and this time Nick Anderson had to clean it up. Austin Adams is due back in a couple of days and I was going to send out a position player but I may just drop Britton if he can't be trusted with 7 and 8-run leads. This was a 3-0 game for most of its duration with runs off a wild pitch, a Kepler sac fly and a Nelson Cruz RBI single by the 3rd inning. The Rays finally busted it open in the 8th with 4 more runs including a Cruz solo shot (his team-high 23rd) to get things going. Elsewhere, Keibert Ruiz and Ji-Man each had 4 hits tonight with Choi driving in a pair in the 8th. The win takes the team to the halfway point of the season at 55-26 and a 110-win pace will always play. The Jays won so they stay 8 behind.

July 2: Designated P Zack Britton for assignment and placed on waivers, recalled P Shane McClanahan from AAA Durham. Signed P James Paxton to a minor league contract.

As mentioned above, I've had it with Britton and would rather go with McClanahan in the role of middle-inning lefty. Paxton's a long shot to contribute to the Rays but he will bolster the Durham rotation. The Angels let him go in the second year of a big contract they gave him but he cost me nothing now.

Game 3: Tyler Glasnow just didn't have it tonight, and against a team like Houston they will make you pay and they did to the tune of an 11-6 win over the Rays. Glasnow went 5 9 7 6 2 3 and although the Rays took a 3-2 lead after 1 on a 2-run Kepler double and RBI single by Cruz, he let Houston tie it up in the 2nd and gave up 3 more in the 4th. Meanwhile after that first inning the offense couldn't get anything going against Cuban free agent signee David Villegas and a 7-4 game was broken open with 4 Houston runs in the 9th against Shane McClanahan, doing his best Zack Britton impression. Toronto lost so the lead remains 8.

Game 4: It was the Joe Ryan show at the Trop on a Sunday afternoon as the Rays righty pitched one of the best games of his career, going 7 4 1 1 0 12 against a very good offensive team (one that admittedly was without Bregman and Springer who had to rest due to fatigue). He received plenty of backing from the offensive in a 10-2 win, with his only blemish a homer allowed to former Ray Randy Arozarena as he goes to a team best 8-2. The offense scored early and often against Bryan Abreu and the star of the game with the bat was Brandon Marsh, who's on the bubble to go to Durham when Austin Adams comes back tomorrow (we've been only going with 12 pitchers since Kiermaier came back). Marsh was 4 for 5 with a HR, 3 RBI and a stolen base spelling Kiermaier. Khris Davis, the other hitter in jeopardy, got the start and went 1-4 with an RBI infield single. As it was Sunday other benchwarmers got to play and Alec Bohm took advantage also, spelling Ji-Man and going 3-5 with a HR and 3 RBI. Abe Toro had 3 hits too as the Rays banged out 17 on the day. In Toronto, reigning Cy Young winner Nate Pearson led the Jays past Detroit to keep the lead at 8 games. Pearson had been struggling and his 6 2/3 shutout innings lowered his ERA to 5.08. So it's not just the Rays "aces" who are struggling with tennis balls this season.

Team record: 56-27.