The 2022 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Rays are sending John Swanda, Luis German (a surprise selection) and Diego Cartaya to their first ASG while it's the 5th time around for Wander Franco. Had they not been injured I'm sure Zach DeLoach and Luis Castillo would have merited selection.

The HR Derby:



The game:



Not a pretty affair for the AL. Wander at least acquitted himself well, 2-for-2 with a triple, and Luis German mopped up in the 8th while neither Swanda nor Cartaya saw action.

Next up: We had the Amateur Draft over the break as well, so a recap of that.

[Art Deco]

Lumas:



Certainly a potential elite-hitting 2B, although the glove is going to need some work.

Pico:



The dreaded high-school 1B pick but the dude could be a great hitter.

Arrambide:



Stayed in-state to grab the Gator, who looks to be a fine defensive C with some pop and who will hopefully be ready when Diego Cartaya is too expensive to keep.

Mena:



High school lefty with movement and control ahead of his stuff. Similar profile to a recent high pick of ours Walter Khattak who could be in our rotation next season.

Bell:



A JuCo 1B with some potential, not as much as Pico, but it's the 5th round.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 7-6 W. WP-Gau (3-1). S-Fairbanks (26). Starter-McClanahan (6 5 0 0 0 7). HR-Albies (12), Cartaya (17). Cartaya rescued the Rays from a major bullpen meltdown as Toronto scored 6 off German and Gau in the 7th & 8th to erase a 5-0 Rays lead but his 2-run shot in the 9th won it. Albies had a 2-run shot and Wander was 3-5 with an RBI.

Game 2: 3-4 L (15). LP-Gaston (2-1). Starter-Eldridge (5 4 1 1 4 4). For the second straight game Cartaya homered off Toronto's Emmanuel Clase in the 9th to erase a Jays lead, but this time it only tied the game and the Jays eventually prevailed in 15. Rays batters struck out a whopping 24 times in the 15 innings.

Transaction: Natanael Santana is activated from the IL and Fu-Chi Chin is returned to Durham.

Game 3: 13-1 W. WP-Swanda (9-2, 7 5 1 1 0 3). HR-N.Santana 2 (9), Mead (14), Albies (13), Cartaya (19), Franco (21). Rays opened a can of whoop-ass on Toronto today and Natanael Santana, who homered in the two games before he went on the IL, picked up where he left off with homers in his first 2 AB back and drove in 5 on the day, and Cartaya homered for the third straight game.

Game 4: 6-17 L. LP-Orze (6-4, 2.2 7 8 8 3 4). HR-Caminero (2). And the Jays borrowed that can to use on the Rays today to split the series with an 8-run 3rd and a 7-run 7th. Taj Bradley gave up 6 in 3 2/3 in relief on an ugly all-around day.

Team record: 61-33, 8 games up just as we came into the series. Next up: A day off then back home for 3 vs San Francisco with the Giants having a mirror image of our record at 33-61.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 0-3 L. LP-Gonzalez (1-2, 4 4 3 3 1 5). The Giants may be terrible but reigning NL Cy Young winner Freddy Peralta is one of the game's better pitchers and he shut down the Rays today (6.1 4 0 0 2 8).

Game 2: 6-4 W. WP-McClanahan (11-3, 6.2 3 3 3 2 7). S-Fairbanks (27). HR-L.White (1). Rays were in early trouble when Mac gave up a 3-run homer in the 1st to former Ray Josh Naylor but fought back thanks to Lonnie White, who hit a 3-run homer in the 6th to put them ahead to stay and followed with an RBI double in the 8th for insurance.

Game 3: 6-5 W. WP-German (3-1). Starter-Eldridge (6 8 4 4 0 5). HR-Mead (15), Luciano (13), Wood (11). James Wood saved the Rays from the ignominy of losing a series to the cellar-dwelling Giants with a 2-run walk-off pinch-hit homer in the bottom of the 9th. Mead was 2-2 with his own 2-run homer and 2 walks.

Team record: 63-34. Toronto lost 2 of 3 so the division lead is back up to 9. Next up: We head to Yankee Stadium for 3.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 7-9 L (12). LP-German (3-2). Starter-Swanda (4.1 5 1 0 2 1). HR-Santana (10), Mead (16). Sometimes you just have to tip your cap to the opposition and tonight was one of those times as former Ray Juan Soto hit a 3-run homer off Fairbanks in the bottom of the 10th to keep the Yanks alive and then blasted a 2-run homer in the 12th to win it. It looked like the Rays had it won for the second time (they also blew a 4-2 lead in the 8th) when Tork singled in a run and Mead hit a 2-run homer in the top of the 10th but then Soto struck.

Game 2: 5-4 W. WP-Bradley (4-3). S-Moran (2). HR-Torkelson (22), Wood (12). Starter-Orze (5 7 3 3 1 4). The Rays turned the tables on New York, coming back in the 7th on Tork's homer to tie it and Wood's 2-run shot, capping a 3-hit day for him, to provide the winning margin.

Game 3: 2-5 L. LP-Ruegger (4-4). Starter-Gonzalez (5.2 3 0 0 1 5). Another blown game as Gau gave up a 2-run homer in the 7th to tie it and Ruegger allowed a 3-run walk-off blast in the bottom of the 9th, wasting a great start from Brian Gonzalez. Mead drove in both Rays runs with a pair of singles.

Team record: 64-36. Toronto also dropped 2 of 3 so the division lead remains 9 over the Jays and now also the Yankees. Next up: Home for 3 against the White Sox.

[Art Deco]

First, a trade:



Was this an overreaction to the bullpen meltdowns over the weekend in New York? Maybe. But Doval is one of the better closers in the game even if he was struggling this year in Colorado (19 saves but a 5.95 ERA with 31 walks in 39 IP, double his BB rate from the previous year), coming off consecutive 1.6 WAR seasons with 50 saves. I'll trust the 75 stuff and 70 movement and figure the 50 control means he's due for positive regression. A little sad to part with Gaston who had 65 whiffs in 43 IP for us but I was never going to trust him in a high-leverage role (although the Rockies have and he saved a game in his debut for them).

Game 1: 7-8 L. LP-Sears (3-2). Starter-McClanahan (5 4 1 1 3 6). HR-Torkelson (23). Then again maybe the Doval deal wasn't an overreaction as the bullpen (Luis German and JP Sears) combined to allow 7 runs in the 7th to turn a potential 7-1 rout into an 8-7 loss, capped by a 3-run homer from former Ray Austin Meadows. Tork had a 2-run homer to put us ahead and Lonnie White a 2-run single to give us a commanding lead that turned out to not be so commanding. And to add injury to insult, Diego Cartaya had to leave with a strained hip. Although the injury is "minimal" we're not going to chance it with a healthy division lead.

Transaction: Cartaya goes to the IL, and Drew Romo's contract is purchased from Durham. The switch-hitter is an elite defensive C (75) but isn't much of a hitter (40 contact/45 power).

Game 2: 5-2 W. WP-Eldridge (3-0, 5 6 2 2 1 8). S-Doval (1/20). HR-Torkelson (24), Franco (22). Garrett Whitlock is on a rehab assignment but he's going to have a hard time dislodging Bryce Eldridge from the rotation (and Brian Gonzalez as well) after the rookie turned in another fine outing. 2-run homers from Tork and Wander (for insurance) set up Camilo Doval for a save in his Rays debut.

Game 3: 4-3 W. WP-Swanda (10-2, 6.1 6 3 3 1 4). S-Doval (2/21). HR-Franco (23), Romo (1). Swanda's Cy Young-caliber season continues apace and the new boys came through as Drew Romo's solo homer proved to be the difference and Doval struck out the side in the 9th for his second Rays save in as many days, leading Tampa Bay to its customary 2 wins out of 3.

Team record: 66-37. Toronto dropped 2 of 3 while the Yankees were swept so the division lead is now double digits over both. Next up: An off-day then three in Kansas City. The trade deadline is in a couple of days but I think we're done.

MLB News: Phillies superstar Bryce Harper hit his 500th career homer.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 8-4 W. WP-Sears (4-2). S-Fairbanks (28). Starter-Orze (2.2 6 3 2 3 3). HR-Albies (14), L.White (2), Mears (6). Rays erased a 3-1 deficit with a 5-run 5th thanks to a 3-run Mears homer and a 2-run shot by White.

Game 2: 6-5 W (11). WP-Doval (1-0). S-Fairbanks (29). Starter-Gonzalez (4.1 3 3 3 3 4). HR-Torkelson (25). Rays lost the lead twice but took it for good in the 11th when Lonnie White came through again with an RBI single with Luciano doubling twice and driving in a pair.

Game 3: 1-3 L. LP-McClanahan (11-4, 5 3 3 3 3 6). Since the Rays won the first two games they were bound to drop this one given their status as Team Meat Loaf with the offense only managing five hits.

Team record: 68-38, still 10 up on the Jays while the Yankees were swept and have fallen off the pace. Next up: A day off then off to the Bronx to play 3 against those Yankees.

Give it up for Bryce Eldridge:

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 4-1 W. WP-Gau (4-1). S-Doval (3/22). Starter-Eldridge (2.2 3 1 1 1 6). Rays had to piece together a bullpen game when Eldridge left in the 3rd with forearm soreness but he'll be OK. Luciano's 2-run single was the big hit in the game.

Game 2: 5-2 W. WP-Swanda (11-2, 5.2 3 1 1 4 6). S-Fairbanks (30). Another well-pitched game and another big 2-run hit for Luciano, this time a double.

Transaction: Hudson Head was activated off the IL and Lonnie White optioned to Durham.

Game 3: 2-0 W. WP-Orze (7-4, 5 3 0 0 1 3). S-Doval (4/23). The Rays completed a rare sweep and sent New York to its 9th straight defeat with another dominant pitching performance. Rene Pinto's RBI single was the key hit.

Team record: 71-38. With Toronto losing a pair and the Rays sending the Yankees into oblivion the division lead is now 12 games, so with just under two months left we're in the "marking time and hoping nobody gets hurt" part of the season.

MLB News: The Angels, who are in the thick of the wild card race, lost superstar Mike Trout for 5 weeks with a fractured hand.

[Art Deco]

Transaction: Diego Cartaya and Zach DeLoach are activated so the lineup is now at full strength although they weren't terribly missed given how well the team played in their absence. Junior Caminero and Drew Romo are sent back to Durham.

Game 1: 3-1 W. WP-Gonzalez (2-2, 6 3 1 1 1 3). S-Doval (5/24). Garrett Whitlock's rehab time is almost up at Durham but Brian Gonzalez keeps getting it done, making for some difficult choices when Whitlock (and later Luis Castillo) come back. He was great today and got RBI singles from Tork and DeLoach in his return.

Game 2: 8-2 W. WP-McClanahan (12-4, 5.1 7 2 2 0 6). HR-DeLoach 2 (13), Santana (11). Zach DeLoach has come off the IL on fire, homering twice today, doubling and driving in three to lead the Rays to their fifth straight win. Santana also knocked in three, including a 2-run homer.

Game 3: 3-1 W. WP-Eldridge (4-0, 6 5 1 1 0 5). S-Doval (6/25). Another fill-in starter who will be tough to dislodge from the rotation is rookie Bryce Eldridge, now 4-0, 2.66 after an excellent performance as the Rays have gone from the team that wins 2 of 3 to the team that sweeps with their second straight such win. Cartaya, Wander and Jeremiah Jackson had RBI singles for the offense. Meanwhile Camilo Doval has been lights-out since coming over from Colorado: 6 saves and an 8 4 0 0 0 14 aggregate line. Wander was supposed to get the day off but he came in at DH after Tork strained a hamstring and will miss five weeks. With the huge division lead and the team's depth we'll likely be just fine without him.

Team record: 74-38. Next up: 3 games in New York but against the Mets, who are essentially the Rays' NL equivalent at 74-39 in what pundits are calling a potential World Series preview even though it hardly ever works out that way.

News from the farm: 20-year-old 1B Nelson Haro, a 2023 scouting discovery and the #14 prospect in baseball with off-the-charts potential (80 contact, 80 gap, 70 HR, 60 eye, 80 avoid Ks), is finally playing stateside this year after hitting 383/427/647 in the DSL and was named Carolina League Player of the Week at Charleston. Haro was 12-24 with 3 HR and 8 RBI and has an equally impressive 337/380/616 line in 21 games since joining the RiverDogs. Look for him in probably 2029.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 0-5 L. LP-Swanda (11-3, 4 6 4 4 3 5). Rays were no-hit by the Mets' Donye Evans for 8 1/3 before Ozzie Albies broke it up with a single to center, in case you were wondering how the opener went for Tampa Bay.

Game 2: 4-7 L. LP-Fairbanks (2-4). Starter-Orze (6 2 4 3 0 4). HR-DeLoach (14). Zach DeLoach's 3-run homer had the Rays even at 4-4 going into the 8th when Pete Fairbanks was shelled for 3 runs to lose it.

Game 3: 3-6 L. LP-Gonzalez (2-3, 3.1 5 4 4 2 6). HR-Caminero (3). They said it could be a World Series preview but for the Rays' sake they're hoping it's not as they were swept for the first time this season by a Mets team which has now won 12 straight overall.

Team record: 74-41. Next up: After a day to travel coast-to-coast the Rays will hope to get back in the win column in Seattle where they'll play three.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 8-6 W (11). WP-Doval (2-0). S-Fairbanks (31). Starter-McClanahan (5 8 6 6 0 6, 3 HR). HR-N.Santana (12), Luciano (14). Mac put them in a 6-3 hole by failing to keep the ball in the park but they rallied to tie it in the 9th when Mead, who failed to get a man home with the bases loaded in the 7th, singled in a run and Santana's 4th hit of the game drove in the winner in the 11th while Luciano was 3-5 with the homer and 3 RBI.

Game 2: 3-4 L (10). LP-Gau (4-2). Starter-Eldridge (5.2 6 3 3 2 6). It was Seattle's turn to come back and win in extras as an early 3-1 lead dissipated when Eldridge stayed in for one batter too many in the 6th.

Game 3: 2-3 L (11). LP-Bradley (4-4). Starter-Swanda (5.1 3 1 1 4 3). Seattle took the finale marking the first time this year the Rays have lost consecutive series as once again the teams went to extras. This time the Rays defense let them down as Marco Luciano's 2nd error of the day and the team's 4th allowed the winning run to score. Albies was 3-4 with a walk and an RBI to lead a quiet offense.

Team record: 75-43. An off-day to travel between the two farthest geographic points in MLB as we return home from Seattle to play 3 against Toronto and try to whittle down that magic number.

MLB News: The Mets, who swept us earlier in the week, extended their winning streak to 16 games. Also Atlanta's Joey Gallo bashed his 400th career homer.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 5-9 L. LP-Bradley (4-5). Starter-Orze (3.2 5 3 3 4 1). HR-Caminero (4), Franco (24). Rays came back from 3-0 down to tie it, but the bullpen coughed up 6 runs in the 7th and 8th to lose it. Caminero was 3-3 with a walk and his homer.

Transaction: Garrett Whitlock's rehab time is up so he returns and Brian Gonzalez, who largely pitched well, is sent to Durham.

Game 2: 11-6 W. WP-Sears (5-2). S-Ruegger (3). Starter-Whitlock (2 8 5 5 0 3). HR-DeLoach (15). Whitlock was horrible in his return and put them in an early 4-0 hole, but the bats battled back to overwhelm the Jays. Mead was 3-5 with a pair of doubles and 5 RBI while Santana drove in 3 as well.

Game 3: 6-8 L. LP-McClanahan (12-5, 2.1 3 3 3 0 3). HR-N.Santana (13), Albies (15). For the third straight game we had to go to the pen early as today Mac left in the 3rd with back tightness (he'll make his next start) and a tired bullpen gave up five more runs. Jays were up 7-0 before the Rays made it interesting on a Santana slam and Albies' 2-run shot but Doval gave up his first Rays run in the 9th to give Toronto some insurance.

Team record: 76-45. Rays have hit their first really bad stretch of the year, losing 7 of their last 9 but still hold an 11-game lead on Toronto. Next up: 3 games at Fenway.

MLB News: The Mets keep on keepin' on, now winners of 18 straight. This streak is tied for 10th all-time in MLB but they're still 8 off of the NL and MLB record set by the 1916 Giants. Also Juan Soto hit his 300th career homer.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 4-0 W. WP-Sears (6-2). Starter-Eldridge (1.2 0 0 0 0 2). HR-Wood (13), Franco (25). Yet another early starter exit, this time Eldridge with back stiffness that won't keep him from his next start. The bullpen responded though as the staff put up a combined 9 4 0 0 1 11 line with JP Sears' 3 1/3 earning him the win. Wood and Franco had 2-run homers in the 5th and 6th for the scoring.

Game 2: 2-1 W. WP-Swanda (12-3, 7.1 1 1 1 3 10). S-Doval (7/26). John Swanda took a no-hitter into the 8th before giving up a solo homer with one out as he's lowered his ERA to 2.95, is among the pitcher WAR leaders at 3.7 and is a real Cy Young contender. Albies' RBI double was the big hit for Tampa Bay today.

Game 3: 9-6 W. WP-Bradley (5-5). S-Doval (8/27). Starter-Orze (4 7 6 6 2 5). Orze put them in a 6-3 hole with another poor start but the bats went to work, failing to homer but doubling 6 times including key 2-run two-baggers from Wood and Santana to put them ahead after Albies had one earlier as they completed the sweep.

Team record: 79-45. Next up: A day off then back home for 3 vs Texas.

MLB News: The Mets scored 5 times in the bottom of the 9th on Saturday to pull out their 20th straight win but Atlanta turned the tables on Sunday, overcoming a 2-0 NY lead in the 8th to snap the streak.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 8-1 W. WP-Whitlock (5-2, 6.2 7 1 1 2 8). S-Gau (1). HR-Franco 2 (27), Mead (17). Mega-game from Wander who doubled, homered twice and drove in five while DeLoach was on base five times and scored three runs.

Game 2: 9-3 W. WP-McClanahan (13-5, 6 6 3 2 1 9). HR-Franco (28). Wander led another curb-stomping of Texas, going 3-5 with a double, homer and 4 more RBI. Cartaya knocked in 3 as well while Mac dominated.

Game 3: 7-3 W. WP-Eldridge (5-0, 5 4 3 0 2 3). HR-Mead (18). Rays completed the sweep behind a big game from Mead, 3-4 with the homer and 3 RBI while Albies was 4-4. Eldridge had to pitch around three errors behind him.

Team record: 82-45. Next up: The Angels come to the Trop for 3.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 6-2 W. WP-Swanda (13-3, 6.2 9 2 1 1 6). HR-DeLoach (16). Another great Swanda outing, DeLoach had a 2-run homer, Albies was 2-2 with an RBI and Wander doubled, tripled and knocked in a run.

Game 2: 8-4 W. WP-Orze (8-4, 5 2 4 3 2 6). No homers but 16 hits otherwise with Luciano driving in a pair and Josh Mears with a big 2-run double to lead the attack, which included everyone in the lineup getting at least one hit.

Game 3: 11-3 W. WP-Whitlock (6-2, 5 3 1 1 3 6). HR-Mead 3 (21), N.Santana (14), Luciano (15). Rays swept their third straight series and made it 9 consecutive wins behind a 3-homer barrage from Mead, who drove in 4 as they banged out another 18 hits. Santana was 3-5 with his 2-run homer and Albies extended his hitting streak to 15 games and upped his average to .315.

Team record: 85-45, magic number down to 17. Next up: The homestand concludes with 4 against Boston.

Not surprising:



MLB News: Atlanta lost ace starter Max Fried for the rest of this season and all of 2028 with a torn UCL.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 11-0 W. WP-McClanahan (14-5, 7 2 0 0 2 7). HR-J.Jackson (2). Rays were dominant in all phases today from Mac's brilliant outing to a 16-hit outburst from the offense. Caminero was 4-5 with 3 RBI, Jeremiah Jackson had a big 3-run homer, and Mead was 3-5 with 2 RBI.

Game 2: 4-3 W. WP-Fairbanks (3-4). Starter-Eldridge (4 6 3 3 2 8). Walk-off magic for the Rays extended their win streak to 11 as they scored twice in the bottom of the 9th to pull out the win. Jackson came through big again with a double to tie it and Caminero singled him home for the winner. DeLoach had a 2-run double for the other Rays runs.

Game 3: 3-9 L. LP-Swanda (13-4, 5 7 3 3 3 6). HR-Franco (29), DeLoach (17). The 11-game win streak came to a crashing halt as Boston broke open a 0-0 game in the middle innings and pummeled the pen.

Game 4: 3-1 W. WP-Orze (9-4, 6 3 0 0 2 7). S-Doval (9/28). HR-Franco (30). Normal service restored as the Rays took 3 of 4 from Boston behind Orze's best outing in weeks and three early runs. While Albies lost his hit streak yesterday DeLoach is now up to 16.

Team record: 88-46 as we've wrested the best record in MLB back from the Mets. Next up: 3 games in Chicago against the White Sox.

MLB News: Monthly awards went to Houston's Kyle Tucker (.380-10-22), Colorado's Zac Veen (.310-8-28), New York's Luis Severino (4-0, 1.28) and Milwaukee's Patrick Sandoval (4-0, 1.55)

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 8-1 W. WP-Whitlock (7-2, 5 6 1 1 1 3). HR-Franco (31), DeLoach (18). DeLoach was 2-2 with 3 walks, a homer and 2 RBI while Wander was 2-5 with his homer and 2 RBI to lead the way.

Game 2: 4-9 L. LP-McClanahan (14-6, 2 7 6 3 2 3). HR-Luciano (16). Mac was rocked and the White Sox returned the favor from yesterday. Caminero was 2-4 with a double and 2 RBI in a losing cause.

Game 3: 3-0 W. WP-Eldridge (6-0, 5.2 4 1 1 0 4). S-Doval (10/29). HR-Pinto (5). Rays got the win thanks to a great effort from Eldridge, who's made himself a rotation fixture.

Team record: 90-47. Magic number is down to 11. Next up: We get Labor Day off then play 3 against Seattle at home.

MLB News: Padres legend Manny Machado hit his 400th career homer.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 2-1 W (10). WP-Moran (3-2). Starter-Swanda (7 1 0 0 3 5). Swanda was brilliant once again but it looked like Seattle would win this when they broke a 0-0 tie in the 10th off Fairbanks. But James Wood came through with a 2-out, 2-run double to walk it off in the bottom of the inning.

Game 2: 4-7 L. LP-Orze (9-5, 5 6 5 5 1 7). Orze was treated rudely by his former team, giving up all 5 runs in the 3rd, including a homer by former Ray Nate Lowe. Wander was 3-5 with a double, triple and 2 RBI in the loss.

Game 3: 6-9 L. LP-Castillo (7-5, 3.1 7 7 6 0 2). HR-Wood (14). Despite a couple of decent rehab starts Luis Castillo looked rusty in his return from the IL as the Rays suffered a rare series loss. The game wasn't really this close as Tampa Bay scored 4 times in the 9th to make the final margin respectable.

Team record: 91-49. Despite dropping the series the magic number to clinch the division is down to 7. Next up: Houston visits for 3. The Astros lead the AL West with a 78-63 record.

MLB News: Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani, who had already missed much of the season before coming back mid-year, is out again with ulnar nerve entrapment which will end his season. Even worse news for another Angel as pitcher Jordan Hicks has seen his career end after Tommy John surgery was ultimately unsuccessful.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 2-4 L. LP-Gau (4-3). Starter-McClanahan (7 4 2 2 0 7). It was 2-2 into the 9th when the pen lost it. Gau put the leadoff man on, Moran loaded the bases, and Doval gave up the winning hit. Wander had 3 doubles and an RBI in a losing cause.

Game 2: 2-4 L. LP-Fairbanks (3-5). Starter-Eldridge (6 5 2 2 2 5). HR-Mead (22). Deja vu all over again as for the second straight day it was 2-2 in the 9th and the bullpen coughed up the game, this time Fairbanks allowing a 2-run homer. Wander had his 2nd straight 3-hit game for naught.

Game 3: 3-2 W (14). WP-Ruegger (5-4). Starter-Swanda (7.1 5 2 2 1 7). HR-Albies (16), Luciano (17). It looked like the pen would lose a third straight game late when Houston scored against Doval in the 10th but Albies homered in the bottom of the inning to tie it and Luciano hit one out to walk it off with 2 out in the 14th. Before that it was an as-advertised pitching duel between Houston's Jack Flaherty and Swanda who are #1 and #3 respectively in AL pitcher WAR.

Team record: 92-51. Despite losing another series the magic number for the AL East keeps dropping and now it's only 3. Next up: An off-day then 3 games in Baltimore.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 3-1 W. WP-Orze (10-5, 5.1 3 1 1 3 3). S-Doval (11/30). HR-Wood (15), DeLoach (19). Solid effort all around with Santana's RBI double breaking a 1-1 tie.

Transaction: Spencer Torkelson is activated off the IL after missing a little more than a month, and Brooks Lee is sent back to Durham.

Wednesday's game was rained out so we played a doubleheader on Thursday.

Game 2: 1-3 L. LP-McClanahan (14-7, 4 6 3 3 2 4). Not much to say about the matinee as the bats were held to 5 hits in the loss.

Game 3: 6-7 L. LP-Castillo (7-6, 3.1 11 6 6 2 3). HR-Wood 2 (17), Albies (17), J.Jackson (3). Castillo was horrendous again in his second start since coming off the IL and they suffered a doubleheader sweep. Wood had 2 HR and 2 walks in 4 times up but it was for naught.

Team record: 93-53. Missed a chance to officially clinch the division as the magic number was down to 1 coming into Thursday. Next up: We'll just have to clinch it at home against Minnesota, who visits for 3.

MLB News: Boston's veteran lefty Andrew Heaney has seen his career end as he suffered a severe setback in his recovery from a torn labrum.