The 2020 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays - Page 142

Art Deco · 03-30-2025, 10:45 PM

The AL version to determine the Rays' ALDS opponent:

And so it will be the 95-win Astros, who made quite the late-inning comeback to advance.

In the NL the winner gets Atlanta:

Art Deco · 04-01-2025, 08:25 PM

A Rose by any other name...

I've run out of superlatives to describe Dave Rose in this saves, but tonight was truly one of his best starts yet and it came when it counted the most. Rose retired the first 22 Astros tonight before giving up a hit and a walk and departing as the Rays took their ALDS opener from Houston 4-0. Paul Mayes was the offense and his bases-clearing double in the 6th was cathartic as Tampa Bay squandered several decent scoring chances beforehand. Steve Swords will try to cut open a 2-0 series lead in tomorrow's game.

In the other ALDS opener:

Art Deco · 04-01-2025, 09:01 PM

A day late, a dollar short...

Unlike yesterday when thanks to Dave Rose and Paul Mayes leaving men on base didn't hurt them, tonight had they plated any one of the 10 runners they stranded the Rays might be heading to Houston up 2-0 in the ALDS. Instead they fell agonizingly short, no more so than in the 9th when they put men on 1st and 3rd for their star player Jesus Avalos only to see him strike out to end the game. Steve Swords initially picked up where Dave Rose left off last night, fanning 7 Astros through 3 scoreless innings, but gave up a 2-run homer in the 4th. The Rays tacked on runs in the 7th and 8th to pull within one but tonight was not to be another Patented Publix Park Comeback. So it'll be Eljiah Whitaker taking the ball at Minute Maid Park in two nights' time.

Elsewhere in DS action:

Art Deco · 04-01-2025, 09:04 PM

All four DSes are tied at a game apiece now:

Art Deco · 04-01-2025, 11:28 PM

A leg up...

Brilliant pitching from Elijah Whitaker and the bullpen bought the Rays a 3-1 win over Houston and a 2-1 series lead. Whitaker allowed a mere 3 hits and nothing else over 4 2/3 before having to leave with minor back spasms, and the bullpen was solid thereafter yielding only an unearned run. Angel Gonzales was the star at the plate, going 3-4 with an RBI single in a 2-run first that got the Rays off to a quick start. Randy Mastropietro will go tomorrow to try and close out the series.

Elsewhere in the ALDS it's advantage Angels:

Art Deco · 04-02-2025, 10:08 AM

Going back to Tampa...

Randy Mastropietro didn't have it today, and Jorge Barraza was a little better but not that much better, so the Rays have been forced into a winner-take-all Game 5 at Publix Park with Dave Rose on the mound. There are much worse situations to be in.

Elsewhere the Angels are already in the ALCS:

Art Deco · 04-02-2025, 10:10 AM

Both NL series are going the distance:

Art Deco · 04-02-2025, 10:24 AM

Delayed but not denied...

The Rays were forced to go the distance to down Houston in the ALDS but thanks to yet another dominant Dave Rose performance and a big 5-run 4th inning they're off to the ALCS to face the Angels. OOTP named David Morales MVP of the series for his shiny batting average but there's no question Rose deserved it, winning 2 games with a combined line of 14 4 1 1 2 18. Also more worthy than Morales was Paul Mayes, who had a homer and 7 RBI, including all 4 RBI in Game 1 and the big hit tonight, a 2-run triple to break it open. Regardless all that matters is the Rays move on, and Steve Swords will pitch Game 1 at Publix Park.

Art Deco · 04-02-2025, 10:31 AM

Atlanta spoiled a possible Battle of Pennsylvania matchup in the NLCS:

Meanwhile you'll notice Pittsburgh's top player today was Nick Villafana. What you don't know is how good Villafana is. Just look at these ratings:

This might be the best player I've seen OOTP put together - he was a rookie this year and earned 11.4 WAR! Here's hoping the Rays don't have to face him in the World Series.

Art Deco · Yesterday, 04:53 PM

Won, then lost, then won again...

The Rays took Game 1 of the ALCS from the Angels but it wasn't easy thanks to some more bullpen shenanigans. Steve Swords was excellent but not efficient, so they needed four innings from the pen. The first two went swimmingly but two relievers who've been up and down this year, Dave Flores and closer Mario Berumen, conspired to allow 2 runs in the 8th to let LA equalize. And after Jose Machado came off the bench in the bottom of the inning to deliver an RBI single to restore the Tampa Bay advantage, Berumen ran into more trouble by putting two more men on with two out and he finally got the hook in favor of Devin Tadlock, who retired the dangerous Ruben Cummings to end the game. Eljiah Whitaker will be tomorrow's starter as the Rays look to head out west halfway to the World Series.

Art Deco · Yesterday, 05:14 PM

Whoa oh, we're halfway there...

The Rays are up 2-0 on the Angels in the ALCS thanks to a old-school Publix Park slugfest win, 9-6. They took a 3-1 lead just like yesterday and also just like yesterday that lead evaporated although this time it was an unusually bad game from Elijah Whitaker as he gave up a pair of 2-run homers in the 5th to put his club behind. But the Rays immediately answered in the bottom of the frame on a 2-run Vinny Colon double and a 2-run Aaron White homer, and the bullpen was better today with five relievers holding the fort and former Angel closer Jake Cid finishing it out for Tampa Bay. Now we have a chance to take an imposing 3-0 lead with ace Dave Rose on the mound in Anaheim.

Meanwhile the NLCS got underway with a familiar name having a big day:

Yes the Lee who led Pittsburgh to victory is none other than Kang-cheol Lee, our 3B to start the year who lost his job to rookie sensation Paul Mayes and was dealt as part of the big mid-season makeover. Lee was 2-4 with a homer and 3 RBI for the 'topes.

Art Deco · Yesterday, 05:17 PM

Like the Rays, Pittsburgh is up 2-0 in their LCS but unlike Tampa Bay the Isotopes have done it on the road.

Art Deco · Yesterday, 06:19 PM

Pretty much there...

Unlike the two games at Publix Park the Angels didn't put up much resistance at home in Game 3, which saw Dave Rose dominate again and the Rays turn the bases into turnstiles as they scored 9 runs on 14 hits and only one of them came via the homer. That homer came from Dave Gonzalez and he had probably the best overall day at the plate among many to choose from, going 2-3 with the homer, 2 walks and 3 RBI. We're going to throw a curve (figuratively and literally I guess) and start Jorge Barraza instead of Randy Mastropietro tomorrow in an attempt to end this series quickly.

Art Deco · Yesterday, 07:07 PM

That was quick...

The Rays claimed their 23rd AL pennant and will hope for their 20th world championship (yes, they're 19-3 all-time in the World Series) after making quick work of the LA Angels with another convincing 9-3 win in Game 4. The Jorge Barraza experiment didn't work that well as now he and Mastropietro have put up lousy starts as the Game 4 guy, so we'll see who gets the call in the Series, but that was the only thing that didn't work as the bats scored 9 runs for the third straight game. Vinny Colon was voted series MVP but the funny thing is that he barely played in the ALDS because we mostly faced lefties and his platoon mate Angel Gonzales is 10-16 with 2 walks this postseason and it was Gonzales' 3-run pinch-hit homer that truly put tonight's game to bed.

And it's looking all but a certainty that our opponent in the Fall Classic will be the Pittsburgh Isotopes after they went up 3-0 today:

Aside from old friend Kang-cheol Lee we'll also be likely facing the biggest phenom in baseball over the last many years in Nick Villafana, whom I wrote about a little while back.

Art Deco · Yesterday, 07:20 PM

And it's sweeps all around:

For the second straight day the 'topes sent their fans home in a frenzy with a walk-off homer, today it was pinch-hitter Alex Vazquez. If the guy with the #1 performance looks familiar it's because he was in our bullpen for a couple of seasons until recently. Atlanta made Dalton a starter this season and it was an inspired move as he went 11-6, 3.37 and pitched well tonight but got no support from his bullpen.

03-30-2025, 10:45 PM	#2821
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 6,898	October 3-4, 2056: Wild Card Games The AL version to determine the Rays' ALDS opponent: And so it will be the 95-win Astros, who made quite the late-inning comeback to advance. In the NL the winner gets Atlanta:

04-01-2025, 08:25 PM	#2822
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 6,898	October 5, 2056: ALDS Game 1 A Rose by any other name... I've run out of superlatives to describe Dave Rose in this saves, but tonight was truly one of his best starts yet and it came when it counted the most. Rose retired the first 22 Astros tonight before giving up a hit and a walk and departing as the Rays took their ALDS opener from Houston 4-0. Paul Mayes was the offense and his bases-clearing double in the 6th was cathartic as Tampa Bay squandered several decent scoring chances beforehand. Steve Swords will try to cut open a 2-0 series lead in tomorrow's game. In the other ALDS opener:

04-01-2025, 09:01 PM	#2823
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 6,898	October 6, 2056: ALDS Game 2 & NLDS Game 1 A day late, a dollar short... Unlike yesterday when thanks to Dave Rose and Paul Mayes leaving men on base didn't hurt them, tonight had they plated any one of the 10 runners they stranded the Rays might be heading to Houston up 2-0 in the ALDS. Instead they fell agonizingly short, no more so than in the 9th when they put men on 1st and 3rd for their star player Jesus Avalos only to see him strike out to end the game. Steve Swords initially picked up where Dave Rose left off last night, fanning 7 Astros through 3 scoreless innings, but gave up a 2-run homer in the 4th. The Rays tacked on runs in the 7th and 8th to pull within one but tonight was not to be another Patented Publix Park Comeback. So it'll be Eljiah Whitaker taking the ball at Minute Maid Park in two nights' time. Elsewhere in DS action:

04-01-2025, 09:04 PM	#2824
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 6,898	October 7, 2056: NLDS Game 2 All four DSes are tied at a game apiece now:

04-01-2025, 11:28 PM	#2825
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 6,898	October 8, 2056: ALDS Game 3 A leg up... Brilliant pitching from Elijah Whitaker and the bullpen bought the Rays a 3-1 win over Houston and a 2-1 series lead. Whitaker allowed a mere 3 hits and nothing else over 4 2/3 before having to leave with minor back spasms, and the bullpen was solid thereafter yielding only an unearned run. Angel Gonzales was the star at the plate, going 3-4 with an RBI single in a 2-run first that got the Rays off to a quick start. Randy Mastropietro will go tomorrow to try and close out the series. Elsewhere in the ALDS it's advantage Angels:

04-02-2025, 10:08 AM	#2826
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 6,898	October 9, 2056: ALDS Game 4 & NLDS Game 3 Going back to Tampa... Randy Mastropietro didn't have it today, and Jorge Barraza was a little better but not that much better, so the Rays have been forced into a winner-take-all Game 5 at Publix Park with Dave Rose on the mound. There are much worse situations to be in. Elsewhere the Angels are already in the ALCS:

04-02-2025, 10:10 AM	#2827
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 6,898	October 10, 2056: NLDS Game 4 Both NL series are going the distance:

04-02-2025, 10:24 AM	#2828
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 6,898	October 11, 2056: ALDS Game 5 Delayed but not denied... The Rays were forced to go the distance to down Houston in the ALDS but thanks to yet another dominant Dave Rose performance and a big 5-run 4th inning they're off to the ALCS to face the Angels. OOTP named David Morales MVP of the series for his shiny batting average but there's no question Rose deserved it, winning 2 games with a combined line of 14 4 1 1 2 18. Also more worthy than Morales was Paul Mayes, who had a homer and 7 RBI, including all 4 RBI in Game 1 and the big hit tonight, a 2-run triple to break it open. Regardless all that matters is the Rays move on, and Steve Swords will pitch Game 1 at Publix Park.

04-02-2025, 10:31 AM	#2829
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 6,898	October 12, 2056: NLDS Game 5 Atlanta spoiled a possible Battle of Pennsylvania matchup in the NLCS: Meanwhile you'll notice Pittsburgh's top player today was Nick Villafana. What you don't know is how good Villafana is. Just look at these ratings: This might be the best player I've seen OOTP put together - he was a rookie this year and earned 11.4 WAR! Here's hoping the Rays don't have to face him in the World Series.

Yesterday, 04:53 PM	#2830
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 6,898	October 13, 2056: ALCS Game 1 Won, then lost, then won again... The Rays took Game 1 of the ALCS from the Angels but it wasn't easy thanks to some more bullpen shenanigans. Steve Swords was excellent but not efficient, so they needed four innings from the pen. The first two went swimmingly but two relievers who've been up and down this year, Dave Flores and closer Mario Berumen, conspired to allow 2 runs in the 8th to let LA equalize. And after Jose Machado came off the bench in the bottom of the inning to deliver an RBI single to restore the Tampa Bay advantage, Berumen ran into more trouble by putting two more men on with two out and he finally got the hook in favor of Devin Tadlock, who retired the dangerous Ruben Cummings to end the game. Eljiah Whitaker will be tomorrow's starter as the Rays look to head out west halfway to the World Series.

Yesterday, 05:14 PM	#2831
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 6,898	October 14, 2056: ALCS Game 2 & NLCS Game 1 Whoa oh, we're halfway there... The Rays are up 2-0 on the Angels in the ALCS thanks to a old-school Publix Park slugfest win, 9-6. They took a 3-1 lead just like yesterday and also just like yesterday that lead evaporated although this time it was an unusually bad game from Elijah Whitaker as he gave up a pair of 2-run homers in the 5th to put his club behind. But the Rays immediately answered in the bottom of the frame on a 2-run Vinny Colon double and a 2-run Aaron White homer, and the bullpen was better today with five relievers holding the fort and former Angel closer Jake Cid finishing it out for Tampa Bay. Now we have a chance to take an imposing 3-0 lead with ace Dave Rose on the mound in Anaheim. Meanwhile the NLCS got underway with a familiar name having a big day: Yes the Lee who led Pittsburgh to victory is none other than Kang-cheol Lee, our 3B to start the year who lost his job to rookie sensation Paul Mayes and was dealt as part of the big mid-season makeover. Lee was 2-4 with a homer and 3 RBI for the 'topes.

Yesterday, 05:17 PM	#2832
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 6,898	October 15, 2056: NLCS Game 2 Like the Rays, Pittsburgh is up 2-0 in their LCS but unlike Tampa Bay the Isotopes have done it on the road.

Yesterday, 06:19 PM	#2833
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 6,898	October 16, 2056: ALCS Game 3 Pretty much there... Unlike the two games at Publix Park the Angels didn't put up much resistance at home in Game 3, which saw Dave Rose dominate again and the Rays turn the bases into turnstiles as they scored 9 runs on 14 hits and only one of them came via the homer. That homer came from Dave Gonzalez and he had probably the best overall day at the plate among many to choose from, going 2-3 with the homer, 2 walks and 3 RBI. We're going to throw a curve (figuratively and literally I guess) and start Jorge Barraza instead of Randy Mastropietro tomorrow in an attempt to end this series quickly.

Yesterday, 07:07 PM	#2834
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 6,898	October 17, 2056: ALCS Game 4 & NLCS Game 3 That was quick... The Rays claimed their 23rd AL pennant and will hope for their 20th world championship (yes, they're 19-3 all-time in the World Series) after making quick work of the LA Angels with another convincing 9-3 win in Game 4. The Jorge Barraza experiment didn't work that well as now he and Mastropietro have put up lousy starts as the Game 4 guy, so we'll see who gets the call in the Series, but that was the only thing that didn't work as the bats scored 9 runs for the third straight game. Vinny Colon was voted series MVP but the funny thing is that he barely played in the ALDS because we mostly faced lefties and his platoon mate Angel Gonzales is 10-16 with 2 walks this postseason and it was Gonzales' 3-run pinch-hit homer that truly put tonight's game to bed. And it's looking all but a certainty that our opponent in the Fall Classic will be the Pittsburgh Isotopes after they went up 3-0 today: Aside from old friend Kang-cheol Lee we'll also be likely facing the biggest phenom in baseball over the last many years in Nick Villafana, whom I wrote about a little while back.

Yesterday, 07:20 PM	#2835
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 6,898	October 18, 2056: NLCS Game 4 And it's sweeps all around: For the second straight day the 'topes sent their fans home in a frenzy with a walk-off homer, today it was pinch-hitter Alex Vazquez. If the guy with the #1 performance looks familiar it's because he was in our bullpen for a couple of seasons until recently. Atlanta made Dalton a starter this season and it was an inspired move as he went 11-6, 3.37 and pitched well tonight but got no support from his bullpen.