[Art Deco]

September 15: Optioned P Clarke Schmidt to AAA Durham, recalled P Shane McClanahan from AAA Durham.

Schmidt goes back to start Game 2 of Durham's championship series while McClanahan comes back up to get re-accustomed to the bullpen where he'll be used in the multi-inning, mid-innings role he's thrived in with the big club.

Minor League Playoff Update (Sep. 15): Durham dropped Game 1 of the IL Championship Series to Louisville 8-4. Josiah Gray put the first two men on in the top of the 1st and served up a 3-run HR to Oneil Cruz and he left the first with a 4-0 deficit from which the Bulls never recovered. HRs from Christian Vazquez and Seth Beer helped get Durham within 5-4, but Cruz homered again (and Bren Spillane had a pair of his own) and the Bulls now need to win 3 of 4.

Game 1: It took 12 innings, but the Rays ended up prevailing against Oakland 5-4 for win #100 of the season and their 4th AL East title in their history as Toronto had lost last night while the Rays were idle. Wander Franco, who had homered twice earlier in the game off Jesus Luzardo, had a two-out double in the bottom of the 12th and scored on Keibert Ruiz's single. Ruiz had also homered in the first off Luzardo as Wander and he went back-to-back. The three homers the two hit staked the Rays to a 4-1 lead but Blake Snell couldn't hold it, allowing a 2-run HR to Mark Payton in the 4th and a solo shot by Franklin Barreto in the 7th which tied it. He ended 7 6 4 4 2 9. It was a battle of bullpens after that, and Oakland's ended up blinking first. Gio Gallegos struck out the side in a perfect 8th, Alvarado showed no ill effect from his back spasms pitching a scoreless 9th and lowering his ERA back below 1 at 0.98, Dany Jimenez had two scoreless, and even the much-maligned Trevor Gott worked around a leadoff double to stave off Oakland in the 12th and pick up his 3rd Rays win. The win was the team's 7th straight and 38th in their past 42 games. Franco and Ruiz were the entire offense tonight, accounting for all 5 RBI and 5 of the team's 8 hits.

Minor League Playoff Update: In a thrilling back-and-forth affair, Durham rallied for 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th to beat Louisville 7-6 and even their best of 5 series at a game apiece. Josh Lowe singled to lead off the ninth and Xavier Edwards walked. After Trevor Larnach struck out, Lowe and Edwards pulled off a daring double steal to put men on 2nd and 3rd. Alec Bohm's single scored Lowe to tie it, and then Seth Beer singled to left to score Edwards with the winner. The Bulls survived another 2-HR game from Louisville's Oneil Cruz and had longballs of their own earlier in the game from Alex Kirilloff and Andrew Vaughn, back-to-back in the 2nd inning. Tommy Romero pitched out of a jam in the ninth to pick up the win as the series heads to Louisville in two days for the pivotal Game 3.

Game 2: Max Fried started off slowly, putting the Rays in a 4-0 hole, the Rays came back and tied with 4 runs in the 6th, but then Fried gave up 3 more in the 7th (he entered the inning at 83 pitches so it wasn't me channeling Grady Little again) and Oakland beat the Rays 7-4 to snap their 7-game win streak. Fried's start was reminiscent of June/July starts from this staff when they'd have a disaster inning early as to start the game he allowed a leadoff single, got a double play, and then saw 2 more reach before Matt Olson drilled a 3-run HR. Old friend Sal Perez hit one in the 3rd to make it 4-0 and the Rays looked cooked, struggling against Sean Manaea. But they rallied in the 6th and got a pair of two-out, two-run singles from Josh Bell and Joey Gallo to equalize, but then Fried gave up a 2-run HR to David Fletcher then an RBI double to Daniel Johnson and he was done. Shane McClanahan came on for the first time since August 3 (which was the final game the Rays lost before the 25-game win streak) and was brilliant, pitching 2 1-hit innings, walking 0 and striking out 4. Wander continues red-hot with 3 more hits (2 of the infield variety) to raise his average to .320, Whit Merrifield banged out 2 more of his own, and Abe Toro had 3 hits as well after a recent quiet spell. Seems weird not to have to look up the Jays score, but it doesn't matter anymore.

Game 3: The Rays took the series and the season series from Oakland with a 5-3 win behind Tyler Glasnow, who improved to 13-2. The right-hander was 7 6 3 3 0 10 today, although he lost a 3-0 lead before the Rays recovered in the bottom of the seventh on a Merrifield RBI single to re-take the lead. Josh Bell gave them some insurance with solo shot in the 8th after Will Harris pitched a scoreless top of the inning, and Jose Alvarado got save #5 despite walking a pair of A's in the 9th. It was empty-the-bench day as Wander, Nelson Cruz and Joey Gallo all got the day off but the offense did enough without them. Max Kepler had a 2-run double and Kiermaier had HR #14 to put the Rays up 3-0 but Glasnow gave up a 2-run double to Sheldon Neuse and solo blast to Matt Chapman (#40 for him) to tie the game up before the late-inning heroics.

Team record: 101-47.

Minor League Playoff Update: An ugly night for the Bulls as Louisville crushed Durham 9-1. Joey Lucchesi was knocked around for 5 runs in 2 innings and Louisville's Min Yo-Hang struck out 10 in 7 shutout innings as the Bulls are on the brink of elimination.