OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

Art Deco · 12-17-2022, 11:10 AM

The Rays took 2 of 3 from New York and clinched a wild card spot in the process, all but certain to be the #2 wild card and all but certain to be playing Minnesota which is 3 1/2 behind KC and ensconced in the first WC spot. The division deficit was cut to 5, but with only 7 games left; the Yankees' magic # is 3.

And it was the opener in which any faint dreams of stealing the division were dashed when the Yankees took a 5-3 win. It was a pitchers' duel between Kevin DiCostanzo and New York's Josh Leahy, who came into the game with a 13-1, 1.81 record. Leahy improved on both those counts after shackling the Rays at 7.2 3 1 1 0 0 (talk about soft contact) and DiCostanzo (6-11) blinked in the 5th, allowing the first two runs of the game before things really got away in the 6th as the Yanks scored three more times off Codi Heuer, who allowed two of DiCostanzo's men to score and left the starter with a 5 5 4 4 2 6 line. Three Tampa Bay runs in the final two innings made things close but the 9th-inning rally fell short.

The Rays outlasted the Yankees in the second game, building a 6-3 lead and holding on for an 8-6 win. Wander Franco had a big game, going 3-5 with a pair of homers (#20 & 21) and 3 RBI while Dong-hwan Kim (#26) and Raimfer Salinas (#29 as a Ray and #40 overall) also went yard. Chris Gutierrez contributed a 2-run double. Wes Mendes (4-3) was good enough for the win at 5 8 4 3 0 6 and Raymells Rosa earned a four-out save (#7/25) after Alex Vesia made a mess in the 8th.

Tampa Bay clinched the wild card with a comfortable 7-1 win in the finale, thanks to a fine Matt Manning start and the bat of Joshua Baez. Manning's been on a rollercoaster since joining the Rays, brilliant in his first six starts since being claimed on waivers, terrible in the six after that and now very good in his last two including today's 5.2 2 0 0 3 6 which improved him to 6-3 as a Ray and 12-5 overall. Meanwhile Baez led the offense with a pair of dingers as he eclipsed the 30-homer mark, driving in three. The other four runs came on a pair of 2-run shots from Kelly Crumpton (#47 to go with 125 RBI) and Cristian Hernandez (#23).

Team record: 86-69. This series completed the home portion of the schedule with the Rays finishing a very good 52-29 at the Trop, and we'll start the final week of the regular season with 4 games in Toronto.

12-17-2022, 11:10 AM	#946
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,679	September 26-28, 2031: vs NY Yankees (3) The Rays took 2 of 3 from New York and clinched a wild card spot in the process, all but certain to be the #2 wild card and all but certain to be playing Minnesota which is 3 1/2 behind KC and ensconced in the first WC spot. The division deficit was cut to 5, but with only 7 games left; the Yankees' magic # is 3. And it was the opener in which any faint dreams of stealing the division were dashed when the Yankees took a 5-3 win. It was a pitchers' duel between Kevin DiCostanzo and New York's Josh Leahy, who came into the game with a 13-1, 1.81 record. Leahy improved on both those counts after shackling the Rays at 7.2 3 1 1 0 0 (talk about soft contact) and DiCostanzo (6-11) blinked in the 5th, allowing the first two runs of the game before things really got away in the 6th as the Yanks scored three more times off Codi Heuer, who allowed two of DiCostanzo's men to score and left the starter with a 5 5 4 4 2 6 line. Three Tampa Bay runs in the final two innings made things close but the 9th-inning rally fell short. The Rays outlasted the Yankees in the second game, building a 6-3 lead and holding on for an 8-6 win. Wander Franco had a big game, going 3-5 with a pair of homers (#20 & 21) and 3 RBI while Dong-hwan Kim (#26) and Raimfer Salinas (#29 as a Ray and #40 overall) also went yard. Chris Gutierrez contributed a 2-run double. Wes Mendes (4-3) was good enough for the win at 5 8 4 3 0 6 and Raymells Rosa earned a four-out save (#7/25) after Alex Vesia made a mess in the 8th. Tampa Bay clinched the wild card with a comfortable 7-1 win in the finale, thanks to a fine Matt Manning start and the bat of Joshua Baez. Manning's been on a rollercoaster since joining the Rays, brilliant in his first six starts since being claimed on waivers, terrible in the six after that and now very good in his last two including today's 5.2 2 0 0 3 6 which improved him to 6-3 as a Ray and 12-5 overall. Meanwhile Baez led the offense with a pair of dingers as he eclipsed the 30-homer mark, driving in three. The other four runs came on a pair of 2-run shots from Kelly Crumpton (#47 to go with 125 RBI) and Cristian Hernandez (#23). Team record: 86-69. This series completed the home portion of the schedule with the Rays finishing a very good 52-29 at the Trop, and we'll start the final week of the regular season with 4 games in Toronto.