Game 1: The Rays used up one of the 5 losses they can suffer if they want to break the MLB single-season wins record as they fell 6-2 to the Angels today. Of course the Angels have more important matters to play for as they remain neck-and-neck with Seattle for the AL West lead and Garrett Williams was dominant today for LA. He went 5.1 4 1 1 2 9 in 103 pitches, an impressive performance given how tough as a team the Rays are to strike out. Daniel Lynch on the other hand was far from impressive, knocked around for 10 hits in 4.2 innings and allowing 5 runs, although only 2 were earned. Shane McClanahan, though, could have helped his line had he not surrendered a lefty-on-lefty 2-run double by Billy McKinney, the first batter he faced, which turned a 3-1 game into a 5-1 game. Dustin May allowed an inherited McClanahan runner to score in the 7th but otherwise pitched 2 scoreless innings in his first relief appearance. Austin Meadows' RBI single was the offense as the other run scored on a wild pitch. Trevor Larnach got another start against a lefty but this one didn't go so well, 0-4 and whiffing all four times up (although he did have another outfield assist). When Brandon Marsh comes back the answer to "Schnell or Larnach?" might just be Yusniel Diaz.
Durham Playoff Update: Shane Baz had a brutal first inning, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits, and the Gwinnett Stripers built a 5-2 lead in the 5th, but it didn't matter to the Bulls as they came back from a big early deficit once again to score a 9-5 win and take a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-5 first round playoff series. In the 6th the Bulls scored 7 runs before Gwinnett could get an out, capped by a 3-run Hunter Bishop blast. Tyler Frank had the big hit before that, a 2-run double to go with an earlier RBI double. Austin Franklin (remember him too?) pitched 2 1/3 innings in relief of Baz (who gamely made it through 4 2/3) to pick up the win and Tyler Zombro had 2 scoreless innings to finish it off. And finish it off is what the Bulls hope to do in two nights' time behind Asa Lacy.
Game 2: The more things change....
This real-life 2020 headline from a couple of days ago immediately sprung to mind in tonight's game as on the heels of lefty Garrett Williams shutting them down, lefty Yohander Mendez (who came into the game with an ERA near 5) went 8 6 1 1 1 2 in a 2-1 win over the Rays, seriously damaging their hopes of setting the MLB wins record. For 6 innings though it looked once again like Tyler Glasnow might be the story as he had another potential no-hitter going, although with a few walks and 8 strikeouts mixed in he was already at 100 pitches entering the 7th. But Mike Trout led off the inning with a long HR to tie the game though Glasnow ended a still-spectacular 7 1 1 1 3 10. Jasseel De La Cruz pitched around a hit and a walk to lead off the 8th but the wheels came off in the bottom of the 9th with Jose Alvarado, who walked the first three batters he faced to load the bases. With the infield in, he got Anthony Rizzo to hit a grounder right at Alec Bohm at 1B and get the force at the plate, and Nick Anderson came on in hopes of striking out Nelson Cruz. Instead Cruz singled to right and the game was over. The lone Rays run came in the first when Austin Meadows doubled with two out and Rafael Devers singled him home. They had a chance to retake the lead in the 8th when with one out Nick Schnell doubled and Vidal Brujan had an infield single, but Wander grounded into a double play. Meanwhile, with the scoreless inning De La Cruz extended his Rays scoreless streak to 18 2/3 innings, and Glasnow with his performance today lowers his AL-leading ERA to 3.07. This is also the first time the Rays have lost two straight since August 6-7 vs Miami and Toronto.
Game 3: It was a miracle comeback until it wasn't and the Rays were swept as the Angels pulled off another walk-off win, 9-8. With 2 out in the top of the ninth the Rays trailed 8-4 but Rafael Devers hit a grand slam to equalize. Jasseel De La Cruz came on for the 9th and picked a fine time to give up his first Rays run as he allowed Nick Solak to lead off with a single and then wild-pitched him to 2nd. Mike Trout was intentionally walked, bringing up Anthony Rendon, and De La Cruz threw another wild pitch to put the winning run on 3rd and Rendon singled him home. The big news for the Rays (aside their hopes of the MLB win record pretty much going by the wayside) was that Noah Syndergaard had to leave the game with an oblique strain which came on the last batter he was facing anyway. The report says "DtD (minimal) 2 weeks" so obviously we're not going to fool around with it and his regular season is over but he should be over it come playoff time. In his final regular season outing (most assuredly as a Ray, as we aren't going to be able to afford to re-sign him) he had a strange game, yielding 3 HRs and going 6 8 7 4 0 10. The three unearned runs came as a result of his own fielding error and it was a game where he was hard to hit at times, but when he was hit it was hard including 3 HRs allowed. In addition to the Devers slam, the Rays had HRs from Triston Casas (#12) and Trevor Larnach (#3), and a Meadows sac fly. The Devers slam made him the third Ray to go over 100 RBI at 102, joining Wander at 114 and Meadows at 103. Speaking of Wander, he had a brutal weekend going 0-14 in the three games and has fallen well behind Vlad Jr for the AL WAR lead now. Yusniel also was 0-for-LA and is in a 1-19 slump of his own, so with the HR today the arrow is pointing up for Larnach in the 3rd OF spot derby. Syndergaard's regular season ends at 18-4, 3.31 with a 33/186 BB/K ratio in 204 innings and 4.2 WAR.
Team record: 108-43.
Durham Playoff Update: The Bulls advance to the Championship Round after sweeping mighty Gwinnett with a 6-0 win. Asa Lacy pitched his first professional shutout, going 9 4 0 0 1 6 on 104 pitches, and Durham broke open a scoreless game by scoring 6 runs with 2 out in the 6th. It marked the second straight game they had a lengthy rally in which Gwinnett couldn't retire anyone. With two out, Chris Betts singled, Wil Myers walked, Tyler Frank had an RBI single, Greg Jones doubled in Myers, Owen Miller singled in Frank and Jones, Spencer Torkelson walked, and then Hunter Bishop doubled in Miller and Torkelson. That was more than enough for Lacy, and the Bulls will play the Indianapolis-Scranton winner in the final round. Here's hoping the "Tampa Bay organization team sweeps the first round of the playoffs" omen is stronger than the "Team with best record by far is swept in the opening round" omen.