[Art Deco]

Game 1: It was your typical, tight, low-scoring affair at the Trop and thanks to Tyler & Tork it was a 2-1 Rays win. Glasnow survived a first inning HR by Rowdy Tellez and went 7 5 1 1 0 9 for the win to get his ERA out of 5s (now 4.40) after a string of mediocre starts. Jose Alvarado did a good job of earning his $15M tonight with a 2K perfect 8th and then getting Tellez on strikes to start the 9th before giving way to Jasseel De La Cruz, who got the final two batters for save #6. Former Ray (for about a month and a half in 2021) Lucas Sims held their bats largely in check as the offense only managed 4 hits. Fortunately two of them were for extra bases courtesy of Spencer Torkelson, who haunted his former organization with an RBI double in the 2nd and a solo HR (#7) in the 4th to supply both Tampa Bay runs. Triston Casas was 0-3 once again, and he's just about lost the 3B job to Keston Hiura and the other serious slumper, Vidal Brujan, was 0-4. At least they're back over .500 (for now).

Game 2: It was good to have a low-pressure, laugher of a game with how the season has started and the Rays supplied one by jumping on KC starter Logan Allen for 6 runs in the first, and scoring 11 in the first 3 innings on the way to a 12-1 pasting of the Royals. KC actually took the lead in this game when former Rays farmhand JJ Bleday singled in a run in top of the 1st off Matt Manning but that would be all the reigning Cy Young winner would allow as his 7 4 1 1 0 10 outing was yet another brilliant outing which saw actually saw his ERA rise ever so-slightly to 1.22 as he looks to repeat the honor. Unlike their rout of Minnesota a couple of days ago which saw them hit 5 homers, today they didn't hit any, just hit after hit (with only 3 for extra bases) as they pounded out 15 for the game. It started at the top of the order where Vidal Brujan and Wander Franco led off with singles, Austin Meadows scored Brujan with a groundout, Keibert Ruiz and Alec Bohm had RBI singles, and then Nick Schnell had the biggest hit of them all, a bases-clearing double. Bohm had another RBI single and Keston Hiura laced a 2-run double in the second, and Brujan had an RBI triple in the 3rd and scored on a Wander grounder. Keibert added his 2nd RBI single in the 7th for the final run. Mitchell Verburg finished with 2 scoreless innings in his first action since returning from the IL. Boston lost so the Rays now move to within 2 of the division lead.

Game 3: It was revenge of the former Rays in an 11-7 Kansas City win. Xavier Edwards led off the game with a homer, JJ Bleday homered later in the inning, Ronaldo Hernandez homered in the 7th, Tyler Zombro got the win in relief and Drew Strotman pitched a scoreless inning. Daniel Lynch got the spot start because of the Wednesday doubleheader, meaning neither Shane McClanahan nor Dustin May had enough rest. Lynch was horrible, going 1.2 8 5 5 4 1, but miraculously the Rays managed to tie the game after falling behind 5-0, largely on a 3-run HR from Alec Bohm, #10 in 23 games. But Sandy Gaston in relief gave it right back in the top of the 5th as he was probably pressed an inning too long, giving up a 3-run HR to Khalil Lee as part of a 4-run inning that put KC ahead to stay. Wander had a couple of sac flies, and Vidal Brujan had an RBI double but flew out to end the game as the tying run at the plate. The Rays had plenty of chances in addition to that one to score more than the 7 they did, including a bases-loaded nobody out situation in the 1st that saw Bohm whiff, Torkelson pop out, and Nick Schnell ground out. Chris Betts got the start at catcher and was 0-4. In 5 starts Betts has a CERA of 7.33 as opposed to Keibert Ruiz's 2.87. He's a 45 at catcher but this is kind of ridiculous. Another couple of bombings with him starting and I need to start looking for another catcher.

Game 4: For once the Rays didn't respond to a loss with another loss as they edged Kansas City 4-3, although the win was a bit costly. After Dustin May and his 11+ ERA coming in recovered from a "here we go again" first inning allowing 3 hits and a run, he settled down and went 6 6 1 1 1 7 and left with a 2-1 lead. Jose Alvarado came on for the seventh, got the first two men out but sprained his ankle and will have to go on the IL as it's a 1-2 week injury. Nick Anderson came in with three lefties due up, and all three of them picked up hits, including 2 doubles and KC regained the lead 3-2. Khalil Lee was thrown out at 3rd on the second double so Anderson left without retiring a batter yet still picked up the win when the Rays got those 2 runs back in the bottom of the inning. They loaded the bases with nobody out and it looked like it might be another wasted opportunity when Vidal Brujan grounded into a force at the plate but Drew Strotman threw a wild pitch to score Nick Schnell and then Wander hit yet another sac fly to give the Rays the lead. With more lefties due up, Asa Lacy came in with Aaron Ashby tired and gave up a pair of hits but got Rowdy Tellez to ground into a DP, and Jasseel De La Cruz came in to face the righty Thairo Estrada and got him to ground out, then pitched the 9th, getting a DP of his own after walking the leadoff man for save #7. Earlier Alec Bohm hit his MLB-leading 11th homer to give them the 2-1 lead in the 6th inning and Wander had an RBI double in the 3rd for the Rays runs.

Team record: 13-11. Next up: 3 big games vs Boston at the Trop against the 14-7 Sox, whom they trail by 2 1/2.