[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays rode another big homer from Mike Zunino and some solid pitching from Ryan Yarbrough to a 6-5 win over the Orioles in Baltimore. Zunino, who famously had a pair of 2-run HRs in a thrilling win over the Yankees last week, came through again with the sacks jammed in the 2nd inning as his slam (#8) gave the Rays an early 4-1 lead. They only had 5 hits for the day but made the most of them with Brett Phillips' fielder's choice in the 4th and Austin Meadows' sac fly in the 7th providing the other runs. Yarbrough was very good, going 7.2 5 3 3 0 2 to improve to 4-2, 4.63 and Diego Castillo whiffed Ryan Mountcastle to end the 8th, but it would turn out they'd need every one of their runs when Nick Anderson had a shaky 9th, giving up a 2-run HR to Pat Valaika, and then a single to Chance Sisco, who got himself thrown out at 2nd trying to steal and that seemed to calm Anderson down who finished for save #11. The Yankees pounded Texas and won the night before as well so they're within 1/2 game of the Rays.

May 19: Activated OF Randy Arozarena from the 10-day IL, designated OF Brett Phillips for assignment and placed him on waivers. Optioned P Shane McClanahan to AAA Durham, activated P Alex Wood.

Wood will start tonight in Camden Yards (O/U on HRs allowed: 2). Hoping Maverick clears waivers so we can keep him in the org.

Game 2: Alex Wood was outstanding in his Rays debut and the offense backed him up big-time in a 10-3 thumping of Baltimore. Wood was solid throughout and never really in trouble until he left with two men on and two men out in the 6th up 5-1. He finished 5.2 5 1 0 0 4 on 80 pitches with the lone run against unearned when Mike Zunino threw a squibber in front of the plate into center field to set up the Orioles for a sac fly. Chaz Roe got him out of that jam and pitched the 7th, while Trevor Richards came on in the 8th with the score 10-1 and got all 6 of his outs over the final 2 innings via strikeout but gave up a 2-run homer in between. Ji-Man Choi and Manuel Margot had big days in particular. Choi had an RBI double in a 4-run 2nd and a solo homer (#4) in the 5th in a game where he reached base all 5 times on 3 hits and 2 walks as he's now hitting .321 with a .419 OBP. Margot had an RBI single in that 2nd inning and another one in a 5-run 8th as part of a 4-hit day, and Willy Adames had a 2-run single to take over the team RBI lead with 27 despite hitting only one homer all year. The Yankees blew out Texas again to keep the pressure on.

Game 3: The Rays lost a tough one in 10 innings to Baltimore 4-3 on a walk-off Yolmer Sanchez homer off Andrew Kittredge. This came after the Rays loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the 10th off Tanner Scott but Manuel Margot hit into a 4-2-3 double play and Brandon Lowe flied out. Tyler Glasnow started for the Rays against the venerable Felix Hernandez for Baltimore and after the first four innings Glasnow looked like the old man struggling to stay in the league while King Felix looked like his self from 10 years ago, as he allowed only one hit over the first 4 with 6 whiffs. Glasnow meanwhile struggled, especially with Chance Sisco who doubled off him and scored the first run in the 2nd and then homered off him in the 4th. The Rays righty went 5 7 3 3 2 8 on 101 pitches. But they did fight back from the 3-0 deficit to score twice with two out against Hernandez on a Francisco Mejia single and Hernandez's balk in the 5th. Then Randy Arozarena took The King deep in the 6th with HR #6 to tie it up. Cody Reed, Peter Fairbanks and Diego Castillo all shut down the O's through regulation, but Kittredge gave up the 2-out walk-off blast to Sanchez and that was that. The Yankees suffered their own 10-inning 4-3 walk-off loss in Texas so the Rays cling to first by 1/2 game and New York also lost Giancarlo Stanton for 5 weeks with a sprained ankle.

Team record: 26-19. Next up: a weekend in Toronto to face the red-hot Blue Jays, winners of 8 straight.