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Art Deco · 04-29-2022, 12:18 PM

It was a rough series for the Rays with the starting pitching almost universally terrible (even not that great in the James Hays-started game) and it took a minor miracle to win the one game they did. Of course Toronto is a good offensive team with several very dangerous hitters, but they weren't this much trouble in recent seasons with our outstanding starting pitching. The good news to be taken out of the series though is that the offense looks like the team's best in years as it kept them in every game.

The Rays actually got their best-pitched start in the opener as Shane Panzini made his Tampa Bay debut and was shutting down the Jays through 5 with a 5-1 lead. But he started running out of gas in the 6th and a Vlad Guerrero Jr triple brought in a run and then he scored off the pen, leaving Panzini at 5.1 5 3 3 0 5 but encouraging nonetheless. Unfortunately the bullpen imploded in this one with Landon Knack allowing 3 runs and Osvanni Gutierrez 2 and they fell 8-6. As a result a good game from the hitters was wasted as Brayden Jobert had a huge game in his maiden MLB start, going 3-4 with a solo homer, his first in the bigs. Wander Franco was 3-5 with a double and 2 RBI and Andrew Greckel drove in a pair.

Longtime prospect Dave Cedeno finally made his MLB debut and it was a mixed bag in a 6-5 loss to the Jays. Cedeno held the Jays to one run through the first 4 (back-to-back doubles to start the game), but the wheels came off in the 5th and he ended with a 4 7 4 4 2 6 line. There was still enough there to be impressed by, but not a storybook debut by any means. The Jays went up 6-1 and the Rays mounted a furious rally to get close, but Franmil Reyes threw out Wander Franco at home with the potential tying run on Andrew Greckel's 2-run double in the 8th. Franco earlier hit a solo homer (#1) and drove in a pair and Kelly Crumpton homered again (#3) with the bases empty.

The third game was one of the more thrilling Rays fans will see this year as longballs from Victor Robles (#1) and Home Run (Ed) Howard off Alex Manoah tied the game in the 9th and then Howard went deep again leading off the 13th to walk off a 5-4 Tampa Bay win. Had the Rays lost the big story would have been how mortal James Hays looked, as he surrendered a pair of homers and was in trouble through most of his start at 5 7 3 3 3 6, with only striking out the side in his final inning making the line look semi-respectable. But for a change the bats picked him up, with Andrew Greckel commencing his 5-hit day with a first inning solo shot (#1) to go with the later taters. Howard is off to an incredible start with 4 through the team's first 6 games, especially for a guy with 10-15 HR power.

Joe Ryan was bombed for the second time in two starts this season and like the second game, a late Rays rally wasn't enough to climb out of the hole the starter created in another 6-5 loss. Ryan was brutal and stayed in as long as he did as the bullpen was fried from the previous 3 games. He gave up 3 in the first and finished 5 7 6 6 2 4 with 3 homers allowed. Slade Cecconi did an admirable job of buying time for the offense with 4 scoreless innings of relief, and it was the usual suspects coming through with 2-run homers from Kelly Crumpton (#4) and Andrew Greckel (#2, now hitting .500) to get them back into it. A 9th-inning rally saw Ed Howard come through in the clutch again with an RBI single, but with the tying run in scoring position and 2 out Wander Franco grounded out to end the game, although he did earlier extend his hitting streak to 16 games.

Team record: 3-4. Despite the bad series, we're only 1 game off the division lead so no early holes dug. Next up: We visit Detroit for 3 in a rematch of the last two ALCSes.

04-29-2022, 12:18 PM	#621
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,583	April 6-9, 2028: vs Toronto (4) It was a rough series for the Rays with the starting pitching almost universally terrible (even not that great in the James Hays-started game) and it took a minor miracle to win the one game they did. Of course Toronto is a good offensive team with several very dangerous hitters, but they weren't this much trouble in recent seasons with our outstanding starting pitching. The good news to be taken out of the series though is that the offense looks like the team's best in years as it kept them in every game. The Rays actually got their best-pitched start in the opener as Shane Panzini made his Tampa Bay debut and was shutting down the Jays through 5 with a 5-1 lead. But he started running out of gas in the 6th and a Vlad Guerrero Jr triple brought in a run and then he scored off the pen, leaving Panzini at 5.1 5 3 3 0 5 but encouraging nonetheless. Unfortunately the bullpen imploded in this one with Landon Knack allowing 3 runs and Osvanni Gutierrez 2 and they fell 8-6. As a result a good game from the hitters was wasted as Brayden Jobert had a huge game in his maiden MLB start, going 3-4 with a solo homer, his first in the bigs. Wander Franco was 3-5 with a double and 2 RBI and Andrew Greckel drove in a pair. Longtime prospect Dave Cedeno finally made his MLB debut and it was a mixed bag in a 6-5 loss to the Jays. Cedeno held the Jays to one run through the first 4 (back-to-back doubles to start the game), but the wheels came off in the 5th and he ended with a 4 7 4 4 2 6 line. There was still enough there to be impressed by, but not a storybook debut by any means. The Jays went up 6-1 and the Rays mounted a furious rally to get close, but Franmil Reyes threw out Wander Franco at home with the potential tying run on Andrew Greckel's 2-run double in the 8th. Franco earlier hit a solo homer (#1) and drove in a pair and Kelly Crumpton homered again (#3) with the bases empty. The third game was one of the more thrilling Rays fans will see this year as longballs from Victor Robles (#1) and Home Run (Ed) Howard off Alex Manoah tied the game in the 9th and then Howard went deep again leading off the 13th to walk off a 5-4 Tampa Bay win. Had the Rays lost the big story would have been how mortal James Hays looked, as he surrendered a pair of homers and was in trouble through most of his start at 5 7 3 3 3 6, with only striking out the side in his final inning making the line look semi-respectable. But for a change the bats picked him up, with Andrew Greckel commencing his 5-hit day with a first inning solo shot (#1) to go with the later taters. Howard is off to an incredible start with 4 through the team's first 6 games, especially for a guy with 10-15 HR power. Joe Ryan was bombed for the second time in two starts this season and like the second game, a late Rays rally wasn't enough to climb out of the hole the starter created in another 6-5 loss. Ryan was brutal and stayed in as long as he did as the bullpen was fried from the previous 3 games. He gave up 3 in the first and finished 5 7 6 6 2 4 with 3 homers allowed. Slade Cecconi did an admirable job of buying time for the offense with 4 scoreless innings of relief, and it was the usual suspects coming through with 2-run homers from Kelly Crumpton (#4) and Andrew Greckel (#2, now hitting .500) to get them back into it. A 9th-inning rally saw Ed Howard come through in the clutch again with an RBI single, but with the tying run in scoring position and 2 out Wander Franco grounded out to end the game, although he did earlier extend his hitting streak to 16 games. Team record: 3-4. Despite the bad series, we're only 1 game off the division lead so no early holes dug. Next up: We visit Detroit for 3 in a rematch of the last two ALCSes.