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Art Deco · 04-21-2021, 01:08 AM

Game 1: The Rays kicked off the second half of their season with perhaps their most frustrating loss of the year, falling 3-2 to the red-hot Blue Jays, who have now won 12 straight and moved into second place in the AL East, 6 1/2 behind Tampa Bay. Frustrating was the word as the Rays had 17(!) baserunners but could only plate two of them with the most egregious example coming in the 9th. With the Rays down 3-1, Jays closer Kirby Yates loaded the bases with nobody out and Yandy Diaz delivered a single to make it 3-2 and re-load the bases. Surely they'd at least tie it? Nope. Brandon Lowe and Randy Arozarena struck out, and Wander Franco (who hit into a bases-loaded, 1-out double play in the 1st) grounded out to end the game. Diaz had driven in the first Rays run in the 7th after Ryan Yarbrough allowed Toronto to put 3 on the board in his 6 innings, including a Bo Bichette homer to lead off the game. He still hung in there OK (6 7 3 3 0 4) and Andrew Kittredge had 2 scoreless innings, but the offense's inability to get a key hit doomed them. It's funny because this is precisely the concern that spooked me in my midseason recap: they were so efficient in scoring runs during the 1st half that some of that luck was bound to boomerang on them, and it boomeranged with a vengeance tonight.

Game 2: It was a matchup of two of most exciting young starters in MLB as Tyler Glasnow went up against Nate Pearson this afternoon in Toronto. As it turned out neither was that great, but Glasnow and the Rays' bats were better in a 9-3 win to snap the Rays out of their recent funk and snap Toronto's 12-game winning streak. Glasnow seemed to go full count on everyone, and although he wasn't hit that hard, walks hurt him as it took him 113 pitches to go 5 4 3 3 5 6. Thanks to the Rays taking the lead for good in the 6th, he picked up his 8th win, with Chaz Roe, Peter Fairbanks and Hunter Strickland combining for 4 scoreless innings of relief. The hitting star was Austin Meadows, who led off the game with a dinger against Pearson and then victimized him again in the 5th with a solo shot to tie the game at 3, giving him 21 for the season. The big rally came in the 6th as the Rays got the first two men on and Joey Wendle (who had 3 hits today) doubled one in to make it 4-3 and Kevin Kiermaier followed with a 2-run double. Brandon Lowe tacked on HR #21 in the 7th and Randy Arozarena drove in a pair of runs as the bats were clicking today. The Yankees topped the Mets so they move back into 2nd ahead of the Jays, and the division lead is now 7.

Game 3: The Rays were forced to spend July 4 in another country and they won one for America in one of their more exciting games of the season, 7-6 over the Blue Jays in 10 innings. Michael Wacha put them in an early hole when he gave up a 3-run homer to Reese McGuire to make it 4-0 Toronto in the 2nd, and he made it through 4 innings in a 4 6 4 4 2 5 outing. The bats started chipping away with the big hit in the 4th a Wander Franco triple which brought home a run before he was singled in by Willy Adames. And in the 5th after Austin Meadows doubled, Brandon Lowe singled him home to cut the lead to 1. The bullpen held it close with Collin McHugh going two scoreless, Cody Reed one and Diego Castillo one more but it looked bleak for the Rays as it was still 4-3 going into the 9th. But the young superstar-in-the-making Franco came through with his biggest hit in the bigs, a second-deck homer leading off the 9th off Kirby Yates to tie it up. Castillo got the Jays out in the 9th after giving up a 2-out double, and in the 10th Jordan Romano retired the first two Rays before Ji-Man Choi walked, and Franco kept the inning alive with a single for his third hit of the game. This brought Adames to the plate and he jumped all over a Romano fastball and hit it into the LF seats for HR #7 and a 7-4 Rays lead. Nick Anderson got two quick outs in the bottom of the inning but walked a man ahead of Marcus Semien, who took him deep to cut the lead to 7-6. But Anderson got McGuire to ground out to end it, and the Rays had a special win. Anderson notched save #16, however shaky, and Castillo got his 2nd win of the season. The Yankees won so the lead remains at 7.

Team record: 52-32. Next up: Back home at the Trop for 3 vs Cleveland.

04-21-2021, 01:08 AM	#32
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,636	July 2-4: at Toronto (3) Game 1: The Rays kicked off the second half of their season with perhaps their most frustrating loss of the year, falling 3-2 to the red-hot Blue Jays, who have now won 12 straight and moved into second place in the AL East, 6 1/2 behind Tampa Bay. Frustrating was the word as the Rays had 17(!) baserunners but could only plate two of them with the most egregious example coming in the 9th. With the Rays down 3-1, Jays closer Kirby Yates loaded the bases with nobody out and Yandy Diaz delivered a single to make it 3-2 and re-load the bases. Surely they'd at least tie it? Nope. Brandon Lowe and Randy Arozarena struck out, and Wander Franco (who hit into a bases-loaded, 1-out double play in the 1st) grounded out to end the game. Diaz had driven in the first Rays run in the 7th after Ryan Yarbrough allowed Toronto to put 3 on the board in his 6 innings, including a Bo Bichette homer to lead off the game. He still hung in there OK (6 7 3 3 0 4) and Andrew Kittredge had 2 scoreless innings, but the offense's inability to get a key hit doomed them. It's funny because this is precisely the concern that spooked me in my midseason recap: they were so efficient in scoring runs during the 1st half that some of that luck was bound to boomerang on them, and it boomeranged with a vengeance tonight. Game 2: It was a matchup of two of most exciting young starters in MLB as Tyler Glasnow went up against Nate Pearson this afternoon in Toronto. As it turned out neither was that great, but Glasnow and the Rays' bats were better in a 9-3 win to snap the Rays out of their recent funk and snap Toronto's 12-game winning streak. Glasnow seemed to go full count on everyone, and although he wasn't hit that hard, walks hurt him as it took him 113 pitches to go 5 4 3 3 5 6. Thanks to the Rays taking the lead for good in the 6th, he picked up his 8th win, with Chaz Roe, Peter Fairbanks and Hunter Strickland combining for 4 scoreless innings of relief. The hitting star was Austin Meadows, who led off the game with a dinger against Pearson and then victimized him again in the 5th with a solo shot to tie the game at 3, giving him 21 for the season. The big rally came in the 6th as the Rays got the first two men on and Joey Wendle (who had 3 hits today) doubled one in to make it 4-3 and Kevin Kiermaier followed with a 2-run double. Brandon Lowe tacked on HR #21 in the 7th and Randy Arozarena drove in a pair of runs as the bats were clicking today. The Yankees topped the Mets so they move back into 2nd ahead of the Jays, and the division lead is now 7. Game 3: The Rays were forced to spend July 4 in another country and they won one for America in one of their more exciting games of the season, 7-6 over the Blue Jays in 10 innings. Michael Wacha put them in an early hole when he gave up a 3-run homer to Reese McGuire to make it 4-0 Toronto in the 2nd, and he made it through 4 innings in a 4 6 4 4 2 5 outing. The bats started chipping away with the big hit in the 4th a Wander Franco triple which brought home a run before he was singled in by Willy Adames. And in the 5th after Austin Meadows doubled, Brandon Lowe singled him home to cut the lead to 1. The bullpen held it close with Collin McHugh going two scoreless, Cody Reed one and Diego Castillo one more but it looked bleak for the Rays as it was still 4-3 going into the 9th. But the young superstar-in-the-making Franco came through with his biggest hit in the bigs, a second-deck homer leading off the 9th off Kirby Yates to tie it up. Castillo got the Jays out in the 9th after giving up a 2-out double, and in the 10th Jordan Romano retired the first two Rays before Ji-Man Choi walked, and Franco kept the inning alive with a single for his third hit of the game. This brought Adames to the plate and he jumped all over a Romano fastball and hit it into the LF seats for HR #7 and a 7-4 Rays lead. Nick Anderson got two quick outs in the bottom of the inning but walked a man ahead of Marcus Semien, who took him deep to cut the lead to 7-6. But Anderson got McGuire to ground out to end it, and the Rays had a special win. Anderson notched save #16, however shaky, and Castillo got his 2nd win of the season. The Yankees won so the lead remains at 7. Team record: 52-32. Next up: Back home at the Trop for 3 vs Cleveland. Last edited by Art Deco; 04-21-2021 at 06:05 PM.