OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

Art Deco · 07-26-2025, 01:23 PM

The awful August continues for the Rays as they lost their fifth straight series with an old bugaboo, the bullpen, playing an outsized role. The only good thing I can say for this stretch is they've been at least winning one game in each series.

Transaction: RF Danny Rivera went on the IL with patellar tendonitis but will be back when his 10 days are up (and I'm also reporting this 3 days late). OF Willie Maldonado is up from Durham for his second stint this season.

The opener saw the mother of all bullpen meltdowns as a 7-1 lead in the 7th inning turned into an 8-7 loss at Fenway. Everything was going their way - Tony Fisher homered (#25) and drove in 3, Jeremy Begley was 3-4 with a homer, 4 runs scored and joined the 30-30 club with both the homer and steal, and Ruben Cerrillo went 7 7 2 2 1 4 - but things went south in a hurry. First Ken Battle gave up a pair of runs in the 8th to make it 7-4 and then Walt Kelly (5-6), in a slump of late, imploded in the 9th allowing 4 runs on 4 hits and a walk to lose it. He was one out away from escaping after striking out a Red Sock with men on 2nd and 3rd but then gave up a 2-run single to let them walk it off.

Danny Rodriguez had a massive day and the Rays took the second game from Boston 7-4. The CF, who had been in a bit of a funk, broke out in a big way going 4-5 with a triple, pair of homers (#15 & 16) and 3 RBI, and Salvatore Garza broke a 3-3 tie in the 8th with a solo shot (#5/28) just inside the Pesky Pole. Bryce Barnett scattered the hits but was effective at 5 8 1 0 1 4 but the bullpen was problematic once as first Isaac Washington (9-2) blew a 3-1 lead in the 7th by giving up a 2-run homer but vultured another win, and Walt Kelly came back for the 9th and gave up another run but the lead was too big for him to blow.

The bullpen technically lost the finale when Chad Montgomery (1-2) served up the winning homer in the 8th to break a 5-5 tie and let Boston win 6-5, but the real damage came thanks to ace starter Danny Morales, who threw away a 3-0 lead by giving up 5 runs in the 4th. Billy Doughty cleared the bases with a double to give Tampa Bay a 3-0 lead in the top of the 4th but the usually stingy Morales was blasted for 5 runs in the bottom of the frame and finished 5 8 5 5 1 5. Sal Garza capped a 3-hit day with a 2-run homer (#6/29) in the 7th to tie it up but Montgomery gave up his 10th homer of the year in only 44 innings, an amazing stat for a guy with 70 movement.

Team record: 77-47. The division lead, which I haven't mentioned for a month, is now down to 8 games over New York and the next stop for the Rays is none other than Yankee Stadium where they'll play 3. Get swept and suddenly they have a division race they weren't anticipating.

07-26-2025, 01:23 PM	#1563
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,395	August 19-21, 2039: at Boston (3) The awful August continues for the Rays as they lost their fifth straight series with an old bugaboo, the bullpen, playing an outsized role. The only good thing I can say for this stretch is they've been at least winning one game in each series. Transaction: RF Danny Rivera went on the IL with patellar tendonitis but will be back when his 10 days are up (and I'm also reporting this 3 days late). OF Willie Maldonado is up from Durham for his second stint this season. The opener saw the mother of all bullpen meltdowns as a 7-1 lead in the 7th inning turned into an 8-7 loss at Fenway. Everything was going their way - Tony Fisher homered (#25) and drove in 3, Jeremy Begley was 3-4 with a homer, 4 runs scored and joined the 30-30 club with both the homer and steal, and Ruben Cerrillo went 7 7 2 2 1 4 - but things went south in a hurry. First Ken Battle gave up a pair of runs in the 8th to make it 7-4 and then Walt Kelly (5-6), in a slump of late, imploded in the 9th allowing 4 runs on 4 hits and a walk to lose it. He was one out away from escaping after striking out a Red Sock with men on 2nd and 3rd but then gave up a 2-run single to let them walk it off. Danny Rodriguez had a massive day and the Rays took the second game from Boston 7-4. The CF, who had been in a bit of a funk, broke out in a big way going 4-5 with a triple, pair of homers (#15 & 16) and 3 RBI, and Salvatore Garza broke a 3-3 tie in the 8th with a solo shot (#5/28) just inside the Pesky Pole. Bryce Barnett scattered the hits but was effective at 5 8 1 0 1 4 but the bullpen was problematic once as first Isaac Washington (9-2) blew a 3-1 lead in the 7th by giving up a 2-run homer but vultured another win, and Walt Kelly came back for the 9th and gave up another run but the lead was too big for him to blow. The bullpen technically lost the finale when Chad Montgomery (1-2) served up the winning homer in the 8th to break a 5-5 tie and let Boston win 6-5, but the real damage came thanks to ace starter Danny Morales, who threw away a 3-0 lead by giving up 5 runs in the 4th. Billy Doughty cleared the bases with a double to give Tampa Bay a 3-0 lead in the top of the 4th but the usually stingy Morales was blasted for 5 runs in the bottom of the frame and finished 5 8 5 5 1 5. Sal Garza capped a 3-hit day with a 2-run homer (#6/29) in the 7th to tie it up but Montgomery gave up his 10th homer of the year in only 44 innings, an amazing stat for a guy with 70 movement. Team record: 77-47. The division lead, which I haven't mentioned for a month, is now down to 8 games over New York and the next stop for the Rays is none other than Yankee Stadium where they'll play 3. Get swept and suddenly they have a division race they weren't anticipating.