Game 1: I'll let a picture say a thousand words (although I'll write a few hundred anyway):
As you can see it was quite the dramatic walk-off win for the Rays against the Dodgers in what would be nice to be a preview of the 2023 World Series. Chris Paddack, who has pitched against LA a time or two during his years with the Padres, was outstanding through 6, only allowing a Joc Pederson HR. With one out in the 7th, he put a couple of men on and unfortunately Jose Alvarado let them score, allowing an RBI single to Cory Seager and then uncorking a wild pitch to let the go-ahead man score. This was after a Alec Bohm 500-ft HR to dead center tied the game in the 5th and Vidal Brujan doubled in Rylan Bannon who had walked to put the Rays up 2-1. Julio Urias was otherwise tough on Tampa Bay, though, and left ahead 3-2 in the 7th. It stayed that way through the 8th and then Aaron Ashby didn't exactly distinguish himself, allowing 3 baserunners and a run to make it 4-2 heading to the bottom of the 9th. That's when Edwin Diaz, the Dodgers' new closer, after retiring Bohm on a pop-up gave up a single to pinch-hitter Max Kepler, then a walk to pinch-hitter Seth Beer, an infield single to Brandon Marsh to load the bases, and then a single to center from Brujan who scored Kepler to make it 4-3 but the slow Beer was held at 3rd against the cannon arm of Cory Bellinger. No matter, though, as brief former Ray Taylor Rogers came on to face Wander who had his own infield single to tie it, and then Rafael Devers hit one over the head of RF Jacob Robson to win it. Ashby got this 3rd win of the season, however undeserved. Paddack ended up 6.1 4 3 3 3 6 and really pitched better than that. Baltimore won with a run in the bottom of the 9th against the Yankees and had won yesterday while the Rays were idle so the lead is 7 1/2.
Game 2: No drama at the Trop tonight as the Rays jumped all-over All-Star pitcher Walker Buehler for 5 runs in the first inning and never looked back in a 14-1 rout of the Dodgers. Rafael Devers picked up where he left off with his walk-off hit the night before by going 5-5 and hitting for the cycle, scoring 4 and driving in 4, while Keibert Ruiz terrorized his former team with a pair of 2-run HRs. Brujan and Wander started the bottom of the 1st with infield hits, and after a Meadows fielder's choice, Devers doubled in Brujan, Ruiz walked to load the bases and then Alec Bohm drilled a double to deep LCF scoring a pair, Seth Beer singled in Devers, and Max Kepler's sac fly scored Bohm. Ruiz tacked on a 2-HR in the 3rd, Devers homered to lead off the 5th, and then Ruiz doubled his season-to-date HR total with his second 2-run shot in the 7th. Brandon Marsh added a 2-run HR of his own in the 8th, and then the only suspense left was Devers' cycle and he obliged with a 2-run triple to complete it. The beneficiary of all this run support was Max Fried, who held the Dodgers in check to the tune of 7 7 1 1 0 7, rarely getting into any trouble and improving to 5-2, 2.77. Austin Franklin and Drew Strotman pitched scoreless innings to finish it out. Baltimore finished a sweep of the Yankees to stay 7 1/2 back.
Team record: 34-14.