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Art Deco · 03-02-2026, 05:16 PM

Once again the Rays took 2 out of 3, this time in the City of Brotherly Love.

It was 6-0 Tampa Bay by the 4th and the Rays went on to pop the Phillies 8-3 in the opener. The big hit which put them ahead to stay was the first MLB homer for Willie Maldonado, whose 2-run shot in the 3rd broke the ice and they also got a big hit from another rookie as Jim Vroom's 2-run single capped a 4-run 4th. That was enough for Sebastian Burns to keep rolling as a starter, going to 5-1 after a 6 4 3 3 0 5 outing while Chad Montgomery nabbed his 3rd 3-inning save of the year.

Brad Paquette's recent struggles continued and he was unable to hold a 5-2 lead but the Rays picked up a couple of late runs to beat the Phillies again 7-5. Paquette was a rough 4.1 11 5 5 0 3 and has allowed 30 hits and 12 runs over his last 15.1 IP covering three starts. The bullpen was magnificent though with Stephen Farrior (4-0) getting the win and Eric Lewis notching save #24. The big blow early was Victor Gonzalez's grand slam (#30) in the 4th but it was Justin Blackwell's RBI double in the 8th which broke a 5-5 tie and Isaac Gardener added a solo shot (#3) in the 9th for insurance.

Leo Gutierrez came into the finale with the best ERA in the AL but to say he labored in a 4-1 loss to the Phillies would be an understatement. The lefty (now 9-5) threw 93 pitches and couldn't even finish the third inning as he went 3-2 on seemingly everyone and ended up 2.2 7 4 3 4 1. His ERA rose to 2.68 but it's still the league's lowest. And while the bullpen was fantastic again with 5 1/3 scoreless innings the bats couldn't get anything going with only Isaac Gardener (3-4, now hitting .355) looking decent.

Team record: 74-33. Next up: An off-day then 3 games in Miami.

03-02-2026, 05:16 PM	#1632
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,708	July 30-August 2, 2040: at Philadelphia (3) Once again the Rays took 2 out of 3, this time in the City of Brotherly Love. It was 6-0 Tampa Bay by the 4th and the Rays went on to pop the Phillies 8-3 in the opener. The big hit which put them ahead to stay was the first MLB homer for Willie Maldonado, whose 2-run shot in the 3rd broke the ice and they also got a big hit from another rookie as Jim Vroom's 2-run single capped a 4-run 4th. That was enough for Sebastian Burns to keep rolling as a starter, going to 5-1 after a 6 4 3 3 0 5 outing while Chad Montgomery nabbed his 3rd 3-inning save of the year. Brad Paquette's recent struggles continued and he was unable to hold a 5-2 lead but the Rays picked up a couple of late runs to beat the Phillies again 7-5. Paquette was a rough 4.1 11 5 5 0 3 and has allowed 30 hits and 12 runs over his last 15.1 IP covering three starts. The bullpen was magnificent though with Stephen Farrior (4-0) getting the win and Eric Lewis notching save #24. The big blow early was Victor Gonzalez's grand slam (#30) in the 4th but it was Justin Blackwell's RBI double in the 8th which broke a 5-5 tie and Isaac Gardener added a solo shot (#3) in the 9th for insurance. Leo Gutierrez came into the finale with the best ERA in the AL but to say he labored in a 4-1 loss to the Phillies would be an understatement. The lefty (now 9-5) threw 93 pitches and couldn't even finish the third inning as he went 3-2 on seemingly everyone and ended up 2.2 7 4 3 4 1. His ERA rose to 2.68 but it's still the league's lowest. And while the bullpen was fantastic again with 5 1/3 scoreless innings the bats couldn't get anything going with only Isaac Gardener (3-4, now hitting .355) looking decent. Team record: 74-33. Next up: An off-day then 3 games in Miami. Last edited by Art Deco; 03-06-2026 at 01:44 PM.