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Art Deco · 02-22-2021, 05:24 PM

Game 1: The Rays were handed a decisive 11-6 defeat by Boston today as they play out the string before the playoffs start. Jon Hayes wasn't sharp at all tonight, going 4 6 5 5 5 4 with the walks being out of character, and Brad Ballmann had a nightmare inning, giving up a run, loading the bases, and then allowing a grand slam to Enrique Bradfield, he of the 3 homers coming into the game. They actually took a 4-3 lead in the top of the 4th after Mike Lammers' 2-run HR (#4) followed a 2-run HR from Joe Barker (#31) in the 1st. But it was all Boston from there, including 3-hit games from Ryan Mountcastle and David Dahl, long-time Rays killers. They added a couple of runs in the 9th on a bases-loaded walk to Barker (now giving him 97 RBI and 5 more games to get 3 more for 100) and an RBI single from D'Andre Hodges.

Playoff Race Update: Cleveland and Oakland won again, and the White Sox lost again, so barring something radical over the final 5 days, it's looking like a Cleveland-Oakland wild card game as the A's now lead the Sox by 2 games. If the A's hold on it would mark the first time they've made the playoffs in this save going back to 2020, and would leave Boston, Colorado, Kansas City, Pittsburgh and San Francisco as the only teams never to make the playoffs from 2020 forward. Texas and Detroit have clinched their divisions for the third straight year and will meet each other in the ALDS for the third straight year.

Over in the NL, the divisions have been sewn up by Columbus, St. Louis and Los Angeles, with Arizona solidly in the first wild card, leaving the remaining race for the second with the Cubs 1 1/2 up on San Diego. If the Cubs hang on it would mean the same 5 teams make the playoffs in the NL as last season with only Arizona and LA flip-flopping the division and wild card.

Game 2: It was looking like a rerun of last night's game when Jack Leiter had his lunch handed to him by Boston batters to the tune of 8 runs and 11 hits in 3 2/3 innings as his ERA rose from 3.22 to 3.53 in the space of one game very late in the season, and the Rays trailed 8-2. But they scored 5 times in the 7th to tie the game at 8, and then added 7 more in the 8th to end up winning by a football score of 15-10. Joe Barker came into the game needing 3 RBI for 100 and he picked up 4 tonight on a pair of homers to give him 33 with a 3-run shot coming in that 7-run 8th. Also having a big night, perhaps the biggest of his young Rays career, was Victor de Jesus with a solo homer (#10) and a bases-clearing double in the 7th which tied the game at 8 among his 3 hits. Also homering were Isaac DeLeon (#20) and Gabriel Moreno (#10). Andy Aparicio took over for Leiter in the 4th and did Andy Aparicio things, going 3.1 3 0 0 0 7 to up his record to 8-1, Jordan Diaz had a scoreless inning and Evan Godwin allowed 2 runs in the 9th, amazingly the first runs he's allowed of any kind since July 1.

MLB News: Some notable retirements: After helping knock Durham out of the IL playoffs, Anthony Rendon has retired. Freddie Freeman has hung up the cleats and the Braves are retiring his #5. Once-promising pitchers whose careers were wrecked by injuries, MacKenzie Gore and Jesus Luzardo, said farewell. In the former Rays department we say goodbye to Dany Jimenez, who pitched in middle relief for us in the early-to-mid 20s, and Renato Nunez, who famously flopped for us in his 2025 stint but still ended with 331 homers.

Game 3: Rained out, so now we're going to have a play a makeup game on the Monday after the season ends for everyone else. I may just have Marc Wagner, tonight's scheduled starter, start it so we can keep Little-Sachais-Hayes on track for the weekend ahead of the ALDS.

Team record: 117-41. Next up: 3 games in Cleveland, which looked a while back like they'd mean something but now they don't as they clinched a wild card.

02-22-2021, 05:24 PM	#676
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,579	September 24-26, 2030: at Boston (3) Game 1: The Rays were handed a decisive 11-6 defeat by Boston today as they play out the string before the playoffs start. Jon Hayes wasn't sharp at all tonight, going 4 6 5 5 5 4 with the walks being out of character, and Brad Ballmann had a nightmare inning, giving up a run, loading the bases, and then allowing a grand slam to Enrique Bradfield, he of the 3 homers coming into the game. They actually took a 4-3 lead in the top of the 4th after Mike Lammers' 2-run HR (#4) followed a 2-run HR from Joe Barker (#31) in the 1st. But it was all Boston from there, including 3-hit games from Ryan Mountcastle and David Dahl, long-time Rays killers. They added a couple of runs in the 9th on a bases-loaded walk to Barker (now giving him 97 RBI and 5 more games to get 3 more for 100) and an RBI single from D'Andre Hodges. Playoff Race Update: Cleveland and Oakland won again, and the White Sox lost again, so barring something radical over the final 5 days, it's looking like a Cleveland-Oakland wild card game as the A's now lead the Sox by 2 games. If the A's hold on it would mark the first time they've made the playoffs in this save going back to 2020, and would leave Boston, Colorado, Kansas City, Pittsburgh and San Francisco as the only teams never to make the playoffs from 2020 forward. Texas and Detroit have clinched their divisions for the third straight year and will meet each other in the ALDS for the third straight year. Over in the NL, the divisions have been sewn up by Columbus, St. Louis and Los Angeles, with Arizona solidly in the first wild card, leaving the remaining race for the second with the Cubs 1 1/2 up on San Diego. If the Cubs hang on it would mean the same 5 teams make the playoffs in the NL as last season with only Arizona and LA flip-flopping the division and wild card. Game 2: It was looking like a rerun of last night's game when Jack Leiter had his lunch handed to him by Boston batters to the tune of 8 runs and 11 hits in 3 2/3 innings as his ERA rose from 3.22 to 3.53 in the space of one game very late in the season, and the Rays trailed 8-2. But they scored 5 times in the 7th to tie the game at 8, and then added 7 more in the 8th to end up winning by a football score of 15-10. Joe Barker came into the game needing 3 RBI for 100 and he picked up 4 tonight on a pair of homers to give him 33 with a 3-run shot coming in that 7-run 8th. Also having a big night, perhaps the biggest of his young Rays career, was Victor de Jesus with a solo homer (#10) and a bases-clearing double in the 7th which tied the game at 8 among his 3 hits. Also homering were Isaac DeLeon (#20) and Gabriel Moreno (#10). Andy Aparicio took over for Leiter in the 4th and did Andy Aparicio things, going 3.1 3 0 0 0 7 to up his record to 8-1, Jordan Diaz had a scoreless inning and Evan Godwin allowed 2 runs in the 9th, amazingly the first runs he's allowed of any kind since July 1. MLB News: Some notable retirements: After helping knock Durham out of the IL playoffs, Anthony Rendon has retired. Freddie Freeman has hung up the cleats and the Braves are retiring his #5. Once-promising pitchers whose careers were wrecked by injuries, MacKenzie Gore and Jesus Luzardo, said farewell. In the former Rays department we say goodbye to Dany Jimenez, who pitched in middle relief for us in the early-to-mid 20s, and Renato Nunez, who famously flopped for us in his 2025 stint but still ended with 331 homers. Game 3: Rained out, so now we're going to have a play a makeup game on the Monday after the season ends for everyone else. I may just have Marc Wagner, tonight's scheduled starter, start it so we can keep Little-Sachais-Hayes on track for the weekend ahead of the ALDS. Team record: 117-41. Next up: 3 games in Cleveland, which looked a while back like they'd mean something but now they don't as they clinched a wild card. Last edited by Art Deco; 02-23-2021 at 12:32 AM.