[Art Deco]

Game 1: This Orioles team is really bad (now 37-81) and would be relegated to the International League if promotion/relegation were a thing in MLB. Tonight they Rays coasted to a 10-0 win which was pretty much over when Tampa Bay scored 4 times in the 1st inning on Brandon Lowe's 3-run HR (#32) and Mike Brosseau's 4th. Lowe drove in 4 tonight while Randy Arozarena knocked in 1 to pull Lowe within 2 of Arozarena's MLB-leading 96 RBI. Kevin Padlo made his MLB debut and picked up hit #1 in his 5 at-bats. Ryan Yarbrough started and went 6 4 0 0 1 3 to pick up the win and could have pitched longer but had to leave after tweaking his back (he'll make his next start). He's now 10-7, 4.29 but his early exit forced us to use the "A" bullpen in a blowout as they were the only non-tired relievers, so Chaz Roe, Pete Fairbanks and Diego Castillo pitched the final 3 innings. At least Fairbanks got away with only throwing 9 pitches.

Game 2: Another comfortable win over Baltimore (the Rays have taken 13 of their 14 meetings this season) as Brendan McKay pitched his best game as a big leaguer in a 6-1 victory. McKay came within one out of a shutout but I pushed him too hard to get it (113 pitches) and he left with forearm tendinitis and will be out 3 weeks. He went 8.2 8 1 0 1 5 as a Brendan Lowe error behind Brian Moran allowed a run to score before Moran got the final out. On offense Joey Wendle was 2-4 with 2 RBI, Ji-Man Choi likewise, and Austin Meadows was 2-5 with an RBI. A Toronto win means the magic # drops to 28.

August 18: Placed P Brendan McKay on the 15-day IL with forearm tendinitis, recalled P Chris Mazza from AAA Durham.

Mazza gives us an extra arm in the pen which McKay pretty much saved yesterday despite the injury. Luis Patino will get called up again over the weekend to take McKay's place in the rotation.

Game 3: As great as this season has been going for the Rays, one concern has been the relative unreliability of the back end of the bullpen and it came the fore today as the Rays blew two late leads and dropped a 6-5 decision to Baltimore in 12 innings today. Shane McClanahan started and was excellent today, going 6 4 2 2 1 9 and only allowing a 2-run Anthony Santander homer in his final inning of work to let Baltimore back within 3-2. Peter Fairbanks came on for the seventh, struck out the first two men he faced and then struck out the 3rd, but catcher Brett Sullivan misplayed the ball allowing the runner to reach and he scored on a Pedro Severino double to tie it up. Making up for his gaffe, Sullivan tripled to lead off the bottom of the 7th and scored on a Yandy Diaz single, and Diaz scored later on a Ji-Man fielder's Choi-ce to make it 5-3. Diego Castillo came in for the 8th, put the first two men on but got out of it with a double play, and it was Nick Anderson time in the 9th. Nick has been very homer-prone this year, allowing 8 in 40.2 innings, and he immediately gave up a Chance Sisco longball to cut the lead to 5-4. He got the next two out but Severino took him deep to tie it up. Anderson pitched the 10th without incident and Rafael Dolis got through the 11th. But in the 12th Dolis loaded the bases and allowed his first run as a Ray on an Austin Hays sac fly and the Rays couldn't answer back in the bottom of the inning so they suffered a rare loss, both overall and to Baltimore who beat them for only the 2nd time this year in 14 tries.

August 19: Activated Mike Zunino from the 10-day IL, optioned C Brett Sullivan to AAA Durham.

Game 4: The Rays took a 10-5 win over Baltimore behind yet another big day from MVP candidate Brandon Lowe, who was 4-5 with a HR and 2 RBI. Lowe is now .305-33-96 and among the AL WAR leaders at 5.8. Ji-Man Choi had a 2-run double and Joey Wendle drove in a pair as well, and Randy Arozarena was 3-5 with an RBI. Chris Archer started and won, going 6 6 3 3 2 5 to improve to 8-3, 3.68 as he's had a solid reunion year with the Rays. Cody Reed had a 1-2-3 2K 7th but Brian Moran ran into some trouble, allowing a pair of Oriole runs in the 8th. Andrew Kittredge got the final out as the game was 6-5 at that point and then pitched the 9th with a 5-run lead to get his 2nd save.

Team record: 83-39. Magic number: 27. Next up: The White Sox, in the thick of the wild card race and 3 1/2 behind Minnesota, come to town for a 3-game weekend set.

MLB News: Black Thursday in the NL West as the Dodgers and Padres each lost an ace to injury. Clayton Kershaw tore his meniscus and is done for the season while San Diego's Yu Darvish tore his labrum and also sees his season end. The Royals, in the middle of the AL wild card race, lost Hunter Dozier and his 24 HR for the rest of the year as well with a ruptured MCL.