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Art Deco · 12-14-2022, 12:21 AM

The Rays' fine September continued with their first series sweep in over two months (when they swept the Red Sox right before the All-Star break). They're still the longest of long shots to win the division (5 1/2 back) but are very close to clinching a wild card (magic number of 8).

It was bombs away in the opener as the Rays hit five homers in an 8-3 win over the White Sox at Tropicana Field. JT Realmuto - at the age of 40 - hit his career-high 29th homer to tie it at 2 in the 2nd and then the Rays went ahead for good in the 3rd on solo homers from Dong-hwan Kim (#25), Kelly Crumpton (#43) and Orlando Tosado (#16/18). Crumpton later added his 2nd of the game and AL-best 44th of the year in the 7th to cap a 5-RBI day. Wes Mendes (3-2) stayed on his roll going 5 4 2 2 1 8 after needing 46 pitches to get through the first two innings.

High drama in the second game as the Rays rode the longball again to a come-from-behind, walk-off 6-5 win in 10 innings. Matt Manning's struggles continued (5 7 4 4 2 2) and Tampa Bay trailed 4-1 in the 6th. Kelly Crumpton started the comeback with a solo homer to make it 4-2, JT Realmuto doubled in a run to cut the Chicago lead to 4-3 and then Crumpton homered again for his second straight 2-dinger game and 46th of the year in the 8th to tie it. Raymells Rosa (2-3) then gave up a run in the top of the 10th after being pushed to a second inning and things looked bleak, but Crumpton beat out an infield single in the bottom of the inning and Raimfer Salinas stepped up and hit an oppo taco to right (#27/38) to walk it off. Arturo Gutierrez earlier hit his 3rd Rays homer and 24th overall for the first run.

Tampa Bay completed the sweep with a good old-fashion rout in the finale, whupping the White Sox 11-2. JT Realmuto is making a stealth run at MVP (up to 5.6 WAR, 3rd in the AL) as he led the charge with 5 RBI, including a grand slam to reach the 30-homer mark for the first time in his Hall of Fame-bound career. Arturo Gutierrez, getting a chance to play a little, homered for the second straight day (#4/25) and Raimfer Salinas doubled and drove in a pair. John Swanda (5-4) overcame a shaky first and turned in his best outing as Ray, going 8 5 1 1 1 6.

Team record: 81-65. Next up: Last place in the AL Central Detroit visits for 3 games.

MLB News: Longtime Phillies star Bryce Harper has decided to hang up the cleats with the expiration of his 12-year contract at the end of this season. He's struggled with injuries the last few years and sits on 463 career homers.

12-14-2022, 12:21 AM	#943
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,607	September 16-18, 2031: vs Chicago White Sox The Rays' fine September continued with their first series sweep in over two months (when they swept the Red Sox right before the All-Star break). They're still the longest of long shots to win the division (5 1/2 back) but are very close to clinching a wild card (magic number of 8). It was bombs away in the opener as the Rays hit five homers in an 8-3 win over the White Sox at Tropicana Field. JT Realmuto - at the age of 40 - hit his career-high 29th homer to tie it at 2 in the 2nd and then the Rays went ahead for good in the 3rd on solo homers from Dong-hwan Kim (#25), Kelly Crumpton (#43) and Orlando Tosado (#16/18). Crumpton later added his 2nd of the game and AL-best 44th of the year in the 7th to cap a 5-RBI day. Wes Mendes (3-2) stayed on his roll going 5 4 2 2 1 8 after needing 46 pitches to get through the first two innings. High drama in the second game as the Rays rode the longball again to a come-from-behind, walk-off 6-5 win in 10 innings. Matt Manning's struggles continued (5 7 4 4 2 2) and Tampa Bay trailed 4-1 in the 6th. Kelly Crumpton started the comeback with a solo homer to make it 4-2, JT Realmuto doubled in a run to cut the Chicago lead to 4-3 and then Crumpton homered again for his second straight 2-dinger game and 46th of the year in the 8th to tie it. Raymells Rosa (2-3) then gave up a run in the top of the 10th after being pushed to a second inning and things looked bleak, but Crumpton beat out an infield single in the bottom of the inning and Raimfer Salinas stepped up and hit an oppo taco to right (#27/38) to walk it off. Arturo Gutierrez earlier hit his 3rd Rays homer and 24th overall for the first run. Tampa Bay completed the sweep with a good old-fashion rout in the finale, whupping the White Sox 11-2. JT Realmuto is making a stealth run at MVP (up to 5.6 WAR, 3rd in the AL) as he led the charge with 5 RBI, including a grand slam to reach the 30-homer mark for the first time in his Hall of Fame-bound career. Arturo Gutierrez, getting a chance to play a little, homered for the second straight day (#4/25) and Raimfer Salinas doubled and drove in a pair. John Swanda (5-4) overcame a shaky first and turned in his best outing as Ray, going 8 5 1 1 1 6. Team record: 81-65. Next up: Last place in the AL Central Detroit visits for 3 games. MLB News: Longtime Phillies star Bryce Harper has decided to hang up the cleats with the expiration of his 12-year contract at the end of this season. He's struggled with injuries the last few years and sits on 463 career homers.