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Art Deco · 10-24-2020, 10:42 AM

Game 1: The Rays took a big step toward the division title today with a 6-3 win over the Orioles to expand their lead to 7 games. Matt Manning, who this year has been Forrest Gump's box of chocolates, was the good Manning today going 6 2 2 2 3 7 to pick up his 9th win with the only damage a 2-run HR by Rio Ruiz. Still he found himself down 2-1 going into the bottom of the 5th when Wander Franco drilled a 3-run HR, his 22nd of the season. They added insurance runs on a Judson Fabian RBI single in the 6th and a Brandon Marsh sac fly in the 7th after Keibert Ruiz's RBI single in the 3rd put them on the board. Marsh, who was hot before the break, stayed hot by going 2-2 with 3 runs scored and a walk to go with the ribbie and threw out a runner at the plate trying to score on a fly ball in the 8th. Vidal Brujan had 3 more hits to raise his average to .345. The bullpen did the job, with scoreless innings from Liam Hendriks and Ben Bowden, although Aaron Ashby gave up Austin Riley's 31st HR of the season in the 9th but nothing else.

Game 2: He's been a bedrock of the bullpen since 2019, but time has finally come for Nick Anderson. He's lost his stuff, and his movement was always subpar, leading to the occasional HR. But now he doesn't have the massive # of strikeouts to offset that possibility, and he's probably pitched in his last high-leverage situation at least by strategic choice. So yeah, this is all a prelude to say he blew the game today. Brought into a 0-0 game to start the 8th with a couple of righties due up, he was immediately greeted by a Druw Jones HR, and then walked Jo Adell who came around to score on a sac fly in a 2-0 loss. Steven Casey (his heir apparent) came in and whiffed 2 Orioles, allowing only a hit in 1 1/3 to finish up. But until Anderson's meltdown it was a brilliant pitchers' duel between Mack Anglin and Baltimore's Bryar Johnson, the best pitcher in the AL this year not wearing a Rays uniform. Anglin went 7 3 0 0 2 6 to lower his ERA to 3.46 but the star of the show today was Johnson, who went 8 2 0 0 2 8 against the best offense in baseball. Kozo Horii got the Rays 1-2-3 in the 9th to finish the game, and the Orioles move back within 6 with tomorrow's game pivotal.

Game 3: Things looked good for the Rays early when they raced out to a 4-1 lead after 3 with Shane McClanahan on the mound. But for the second straight start Mac was very hittable, and the Orioles chased him in the 5th after taking a 5-4 lead as he went 4.1 10 5 5 0 5, the second straight game he's allowed 10 hits in. However, the Rays responded in the bottom of the inning on a Hunter Bishop sac fly and a Keston Hiura RBI single to retake the lead 6-5. So now it was up to the same bullpen which blew a 9-3 lead on a Sunday three weeks ago in Baltimore to hold a lead for 4 innings. And hold it they did. It started with Liam Hendriks, who took over for Mac with a runner in scoring position, getting 4 outs with three whiffs. Evan Godwin got him out of the 6th, got two outs in the 7th and then Steven Casey took over, getting the final out and 2 more in the 8th before giving way to Jose Alvarado, who got the final out of the 8th. Alvarado stayed on and whiffed Austin Meadows to lead off the 9th, but gave up a single to Adley Rustchman. Enter Jasseel De La Cruz, to face Austins Hays and Riley and their combined 56 HR this season (including Hays' 25th earlier in the game). Jasseel whiffed them both to emphatically end the game, and pick up save #17 while Hendriks got win #4 in relief. The 4 runs they picked up early in the game all came in the 2nd. Hunter Bishop (out of his mini-slump after 2 hits yesterday) hit HR #11, Orioles starter Grayson Rodriguez walked 3 straight Rays to force in a run with Wander Franco at bat, and Keibert Ruiz drilled a 2-run double. The series win puts them back up 7 games.

Team record: 63-28. A lengthy road trip out west which starts with the first ever series in this save at Coors Field, a venue I haven't even seen in this game which should be exciting (although not for our pitchers). If we had won the second game of the Baltimore series I would have started Asa Lacy in today's game, so now we get to see what happens in Coors. It'll be Glasnow, Lacy and Manning in the thin air.

10-24-2020, 10:42 AM	#333
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,423	July 17-19, 2026: vs Baltimore (3) Game 1: The Rays took a big step toward the division title today with a 6-3 win over the Orioles to expand their lead to 7 games. Matt Manning, who this year has been Forrest Gump's box of chocolates, was the good Manning today going 6 2 2 2 3 7 to pick up his 9th win with the only damage a 2-run HR by Rio Ruiz. Still he found himself down 2-1 going into the bottom of the 5th when Wander Franco drilled a 3-run HR, his 22nd of the season. They added insurance runs on a Judson Fabian RBI single in the 6th and a Brandon Marsh sac fly in the 7th after Keibert Ruiz's RBI single in the 3rd put them on the board. Marsh, who was hot before the break, stayed hot by going 2-2 with 3 runs scored and a walk to go with the ribbie and threw out a runner at the plate trying to score on a fly ball in the 8th. Vidal Brujan had 3 more hits to raise his average to .345. The bullpen did the job, with scoreless innings from Liam Hendriks and Ben Bowden, although Aaron Ashby gave up Austin Riley's 31st HR of the season in the 9th but nothing else. Game 2: He's been a bedrock of the bullpen since 2019, but time has finally come for Nick Anderson. He's lost his stuff, and his movement was always subpar, leading to the occasional HR. But now he doesn't have the massive # of strikeouts to offset that possibility, and he's probably pitched in his last high-leverage situation at least by strategic choice. So yeah, this is all a prelude to say he blew the game today. Brought into a 0-0 game to start the 8th with a couple of righties due up, he was immediately greeted by a Druw Jones HR, and then walked Jo Adell who came around to score on a sac fly in a 2-0 loss. Steven Casey (his heir apparent) came in and whiffed 2 Orioles, allowing only a hit in 1 1/3 to finish up. But until Anderson's meltdown it was a brilliant pitchers' duel between Mack Anglin and Baltimore's Bryar Johnson, the best pitcher in the AL this year not wearing a Rays uniform. Anglin went 7 3 0 0 2 6 to lower his ERA to 3.46 but the star of the show today was Johnson, who went 8 2 0 0 2 8 against the best offense in baseball. Kozo Horii got the Rays 1-2-3 in the 9th to finish the game, and the Orioles move back within 6 with tomorrow's game pivotal. Game 3: Things looked good for the Rays early when they raced out to a 4-1 lead after 3 with Shane McClanahan on the mound. But for the second straight start Mac was very hittable, and the Orioles chased him in the 5th after taking a 5-4 lead as he went 4.1 10 5 5 0 5, the second straight game he's allowed 10 hits in. However, the Rays responded in the bottom of the inning on a Hunter Bishop sac fly and a Keston Hiura RBI single to retake the lead 6-5. So now it was up to the same bullpen which blew a 9-3 lead on a Sunday three weeks ago in Baltimore to hold a lead for 4 innings. And hold it they did. It started with Liam Hendriks, who took over for Mac with a runner in scoring position, getting 4 outs with three whiffs. Evan Godwin got him out of the 6th, got two outs in the 7th and then Steven Casey took over, getting the final out and 2 more in the 8th before giving way to Jose Alvarado, who got the final out of the 8th. Alvarado stayed on and whiffed Austin Meadows to lead off the 9th, but gave up a single to Adley Rustchman. Enter Jasseel De La Cruz, to face Austins Hays and Riley and their combined 56 HR this season (including Hays' 25th earlier in the game). Jasseel whiffed them both to emphatically end the game, and pick up save #17 while Hendriks got win #4 in relief. The 4 runs they picked up early in the game all came in the 2nd. Hunter Bishop (out of his mini-slump after 2 hits yesterday) hit HR #11, Orioles starter Grayson Rodriguez walked 3 straight Rays to force in a run with Wander Franco at bat, and Keibert Ruiz drilled a 2-run double. The series win puts them back up 7 games. Team record: 63-28. A lengthy road trip out west which starts with the first ever series in this save at Coors Field, a venue I haven't even seen in this game which should be exciting (although not for our pitchers). If we had won the second game of the Baltimore series I would have started Asa Lacy in today's game, so now we get to see what happens in Coors. It'll be Glasnow, Lacy and Manning in the thin air. Last edited by Art Deco; 10-24-2020 at 02:32 PM.