[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays got a scare when ace Nate Thompson had to leave in the 2nd inning but it turned out to be a mild hamstring strain and he should be good to go in Game 1 of the ALDS. After that the game became secondary but the Rays did in fact win it 3-1 after having to piece a bullpen game together. Thompson's season finale leaves him at 23-2, 2.89 with a 50/223 BB/K ratio in 202.2 innings, good for 6.7 WAR and perhaps the majors' best depending on how Josh Doyle and his 6.6 fare this weekend. Bob Sirna ended up with win #5 going 2 1/3 in relief of Thompson and four pitchers later Kikuo Kawase got save #40. Bo Angeac stayed hot with his 4th HR in 7 games (#33) and Danny Ayala hit the round number of 50 with a 6th-inning blast. Sadly Jaiden Hardaway's hitting streak was snapped at 26 tonight, although he did reach on a walk.

Playoff race update: Advantage Royals as they beat the White Sox while the Twins succumbed to Detroit, giving KC a 1-game lead with 2 to go. As for the 2nd AL Wild Card after Seattle, Texas lost while the Angels won and suddenly LA is only 1 game behind. Over in the big showdown series in the NL East, Columbus continued with the momentum, taking Washington 7-5 to move into sole possession of first and can clinch with a win tomorrow. In the West, both the Dodgers and Padres won in the first at-bat as LA clinched at least a tie for the division, up 2 games with 2 to go. San Diego is already in as a wild card.

Game 2: The Rays squeaked out another low-scoring win with a 2-0 decision over Cleveland in the penultimate regular season game. Josh Hanna started and went 5 4 0 0 0 7 to finish his regular season 18-6, 3.82 with 208 whiffs in 188.1 IP and 4.6 WAR. Mike Thomas, eyeing a rotation spot next season, went the final four without allowing a walk or a hit and fanning 7 for his first MLB save. Both runs came in the 6th off former Rays prospect Jeff Baker on consecutive infield singles from Bo Angeac and Danny Ayala.

Playoff race update: The Royals inched closer to the AL Central title with a 5-1 win over the White Sox but didn't clinch because Minnesota pasted Detroit 11-5. A Royals win tomorrow clinches the division and at least gives them a .500 record. Texas clinched the second AL wild card and will face off against Seattle thanks to a 15-7 win over Oakland while the Mariners scored in the bottom of the 9th to beat the Angels 2-1 and eliminate them. Columbus won the NL East by beating Washington again 3-0 to cap an amazing run of 16 wins in 18 games to close out the season, and the Dodgers wrapped up the NL West with a 7-3 win over Colorado. So all that's left for the final day is the AL Central race.

Game 3: The Rays closed out their regular season in muted fashion with a 5-1 loss to Cleveland. Alfredo Vega's second-half swoon continued as he was hit hard (4 9 5 5 1 3) and finishes his first season as a Ray 12-3, 4.16. There's a good chance he's left off the playoff roster. Billy Hoyte went 3 hitless innings and Willie Bertone had a scoreless frame. With some regulars sitting they only managed 6 hits, with a bases-loaded walk to Dayle Jenkins bringing home the only run.

Final Regular Season Record: 130-32, two games off last year's record. Here's hoping they better last year's playoff record though. Next up: Texas or Seattle in the ALDS.

Playoff Race Update: Minnesota lost and KC won so the Royals take the AL Central and at least don't enter the playoffs with a losing record. They'll face Houston in the other ALDS. In the NLDS it's Columbus vs the Dodgers and St. Louis vs either the Cubs or San Diego.