OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

Art Deco · 11-11-2023, 11:56 PM

Record: 78-56 (14-13 for the month)
1st place, AL East, 5 games ahead of Baltimore

It was a trying month for the Rays as they lost the one player they really couldn't afford to lose as Shane McClanahan, having a Cy Young-caliber season, came down with shoulder inflammation and is done for the season. With the rest of the rotation inconsistent to put it politely his loss is huge, and when he went down in his first start of the month on the 2nd the team fell into a funk, going 3-8 to begin August and was 7-12 through the 22nd before winning 7 of the month's final 8 games. The Orioles got within 1/2 game at one point before they slumped late as the Rays rallied and they ended up the month one game better off in the standings than when it started.

There was some good injury news as Carson Williams and Hayden Juenger came back. Chang-hyeok Kim was initially called up to replace McClanahan but was awful so late in the month Ryan Pepiot was installed in the rotation and won both his starts. The other notable move during the month was the surprise demotion of Kevin Alcantara and recall of Joe Quelch to play LF. Alcantara showed no signs of breaking out of his season-long slump which had him hitting 210/282/370 with 16 HR while Quelch was 308/391/613 with 38 dingers at Durham. Alcantara didn't pout at Durham, hitting 353/389/706 with 3 homers in 9 games and earned a September 1 recall.

How things look around MLB going into September:

Despite a rough 3 weeks the Rays are still in position for a bye and on track to win the division. The game-by-game litany of the rollercoaster month:

The offense remains spotty, having a hard time getting hits but drawing walks and hitting homers so they're middle of the pack. Despite a rotation with an ERA of 4.49 - and that includes McClanhan's 2.28 which is now gone - the bullpen has been so good that they're still #1 in runs allowed.

Nobody had an incredible month at the plate although Williams really did hit for power after coming back while nobody had a really terrible month either except for the catchers and Alcantara as you can see why he was demoted.

Jeffrey Springs pitched like he was happy to be back with the Rays and now becomes our ace with McClanahan out while Jose Ramirez had his best run in the rotation since right after he was first acquired. You can see how bad Kim was in his audition for the rotation. Fernando Costume should have been wearing a costume around Tampa Bay with how rough a month he had in relief.

Quelch graduated off this list although he still has rookie eligibility. Our #1 pick Ethan Holliday hit the ground raking at Montgomery - he's hitting 365/460/657 with 9 HR and 29 RBI in 37 games and clearly is capable of hitting in the bigs right now with his present 70-rated contact tool (potential 80). We moved him to 2B with Elly at 3B and Carson at SS and his defense is a work in progress with a -1.8 ZR in 31 games at the position. He'll never likely be a good defender but with that bat he just needs to not be a butcher. 2nd-round pick Cory Ridell also impressed in complex ball, hitting 272/417/444 with 4 HR in 103 AB.

So it's down to stretch time. As mentioned Alcantara will be back for September and we should also have Waylin Santana back in the rotation as well. Hopefully he'll regain last year's rookie form as we really need it now.

11-11-2023, 11:56 PM	#110
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,587	August 2028 Record: 78-56 (14-13 for the month) 1st place, AL East, 5 games ahead of Baltimore It was a trying month for the Rays as they lost the one player they really couldn't afford to lose as Shane McClanahan, having a Cy Young-caliber season, came down with shoulder inflammation and is done for the season. With the rest of the rotation inconsistent to put it politely his loss is huge, and when he went down in his first start of the month on the 2nd the team fell into a funk, going 3-8 to begin August and was 7-12 through the 22nd before winning 7 of the month's final 8 games. The Orioles got within 1/2 game at one point before they slumped late as the Rays rallied and they ended up the month one game better off in the standings than when it started. There was some good injury news as Carson Williams and Hayden Juenger came back. Chang-hyeok Kim was initially called up to replace McClanahan but was awful so late in the month Ryan Pepiot was installed in the rotation and won both his starts. The other notable move during the month was the surprise demotion of Kevin Alcantara and recall of Joe Quelch to play LF. Alcantara showed no signs of breaking out of his season-long slump which had him hitting 210/282/370 with 16 HR while Quelch was 308/391/613 with 38 dingers at Durham. Alcantara didn't pout at Durham, hitting 353/389/706 with 3 homers in 9 games and earned a September 1 recall. How things look around MLB going into September: Despite a rough 3 weeks the Rays are still in position for a bye and on track to win the division. The game-by-game litany of the rollercoaster month: The offense remains spotty, having a hard time getting hits but drawing walks and hitting homers so they're middle of the pack. Despite a rotation with an ERA of 4.49 - and that includes McClanhan's 2.28 which is now gone - the bullpen has been so good that they're still #1 in runs allowed. Nobody had an incredible month at the plate although Williams really did hit for power after coming back while nobody had a really terrible month either except for the catchers and Alcantara as you can see why he was demoted. Jeffrey Springs pitched like he was happy to be back with the Rays and now becomes our ace with McClanahan out while Jose Ramirez had his best run in the rotation since right after he was first acquired. You can see how bad Kim was in his audition for the rotation. Fernando Costume should have been wearing a costume around Tampa Bay with how rough a month he had in relief. Quelch graduated off this list although he still has rookie eligibility. Our #1 pick Ethan Holliday hit the ground raking at Montgomery - he's hitting 365/460/657 with 9 HR and 29 RBI in 37 games and clearly is capable of hitting in the bigs right now with his present 70-rated contact tool (potential 80). We moved him to 2B with Elly at 3B and Carson at SS and his defense is a work in progress with a -1.8 ZR in 31 games at the position. He'll never likely be a good defender but with that bat he just needs to not be a butcher. 2nd-round pick Cory Ridell also impressed in complex ball, hitting 272/417/444 with 4 HR in 103 AB. So it's down to stretch time. As mentioned Alcantara will be back for September and we should also have Waylin Santana back in the rotation as well. Hopefully he'll regain last year's rookie form as we really need it now.