The 2020 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Steve Swords pitched one of his best games of the year and the Rays got by Chicago 3-1. Swords (6-7) had seen his ERA rise to 4.50 coming into today but lowered that number thanks to a highly-efficient (especially for him) 8 3 1 1 1 5 outing on 100 pitches. Jake Cid finished up for save #7. Solo homers from Angel Gonzales (#22) and Jesus Avalos (#27) provided enough offense.

Game 2: Tampa Bay romped past the White Sox 9-1 in the second game. Joel Bland was 3-5 with a triple, HR #13 and 3 RBI while the Rays also got solo shots from Rodrigo Aponte (#12), Dantel Chinchilla (#11), and Brian Whittaker (#1, pinch-hitting). Tony Guzman (4-1) cruised to the win at 5.2 3 0 0 1 4.

Game 3: For the third time in the three games of this series Rays pitching held the White Sox to a single run, but this time that was enough to give Chicago a 1-0 win as Tampa Bay was held to a measly 3 hits at the plate. Jorge Barraza (9-9) was the unlucky loser despite an excellent 5.2 4 1 1 3 8 outing as he's allowed a mere 7 runs over his last 6 starts covering 30 innings. All three Rays hits were singles with Jesus Avalos collecting two of them.

Team record: 68-33. Next up: Back home for 3 against 51-50 Washington.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays rallied late, scoring 3 times in the 7th to beat Washington 3-1. Elijah Whitaker was excellent at 6 7 1 1 1 5 but left trailing 1-0, and Victor Boria (5-0) ended up with the win when Aaron White singled in a run and Paul Mayes followed with a 2-run double. Devin Tadlock breezed through a 1-2-3 9th with a pair of whiffs for save #18.

Game 2: Tampa Bay had to overcome another deficit to win the second game, turning a 3-2 Nationals lead in the 5th into a comfortable 9-3 win. The Rays had their hitting shoes on today, banging out 19 hits. Manny Flores led the attack, going 3-5 and hitting a pair of solo homers (#12 & 13), Paul Mayes had 3 hits and drove in 4 including a bases-clearing double, Jesus Avalos was 4-5 with a ribbie, and Aaron White added a solo shot (#5). Dave Rose (14-2) got the win going 7 7 3 3 4 7.

Game 3: The finale was a rough one for the Rays as not only did they lose 3-2 in 10 innings to Washington but they lost Manny Flores, who strained a hamstring and will be lost for a month. He was the fourth OF and we have adequate cover but he had been hot of late. Ryan Rivera's 2-run single tied in the 2nd and the teams remained scoreless after that until the 10th when Jake Cid (5-4) loaded the bases and then uncorked a wild pitch to let the Nats bring home the winner. Steve Swords went 4.2 7 2 2 1 3 in the start.

Team record: 70-34. Next up: A day off then 46-57 Arizona comes to town.

[Art Deco]

July 27: Placed OF Manny Flores on the 10-day IL with a strained hamstring, purchased the contract of OF Ji-Hoon Kim from AAA Durham.

Flores will miss about a month. Kim, signed as an IFA from South Korea last winter, has absolutely raked at Durham (326/422/690) with 28 HR in 309 AB and boasts 60 power and a 60 eye, along with 45 contact. A righty bat, the 29-year-old will primarily play against lefties.

Game 1: The Rays took a 3-2 lead into the 6th but Arizona bulldozed them for 6 runs in the inning and went on to beat Tampa Bay 8-4. Paul Mayes' RBI double keyed a 3-run second but things fell apart for Tony Guzman (4-2), who couldn't get anyone out with two down in the 6th and ended up an ugly 5.2 8 7 7 1 4 and wasn't helped by Victor Boria, who gave up three more hits and allowed 2 of Guzman's men to score.

Game 2: Jorge Barraza stayed on his excellent roll, taking a no-hitter into the 6th and pitching the Rays to a 3-1 win over the Diamondbacks. Barraza (10-9) was a bit on the wild side but effectively so in going 6.1 1 0 0 5 8 with Devin Tadlock nailing down save #19. An RBI double from Ryan Rivera and a Jesus Avalos RBI single were the game's big hits.

Game 3: The finale was quite the strange affair as the Rays were outhomered 5-0 by Arizona, trailed 4-0 going into the bottom of the 7th and still wound up winning 9-7 to take the series. All of the Rays runs came in a 9-run 7th which looked like the Bugs Bunny cartoon with the runners marching around the bases. Jayden Woodard was star of the show, getting the scoring going with a 2-run double and capping the inning with a 2-run single as he was 3-4, and Paul Mayes added a 2-run double in the inning. Dave Rose (15-2) got the win despite giving up a pair of homers in a 7 7 4 4 1 9 outing and then things got kind of silly in the 9th. Josh Meenach had pitched a scoreless 8th and came out of the 9th, only to give up solo homers to the first two men he faced, and then Devin Tadlock came in and gave up a solo homer of his own but managed to get the final 3 outs for his 20th save.

Team record: 72-35. Next up: We hit the road for 3 in Milwaukee, where we haven't played in a long time.

After the finale on Sunday we made a deal to add one missing piece: a left-handed reliever. Jake Cid was the only guy we could rely on with Randy Mastropietro constantly hurt and not exactly someone who could get us a strikeout against a tough lefty hitter. Hence this trade:



Alexander has 75 stuff, 70 movement, and..well 40 control but he gives us the power arm from the left side we needed in middle relief. The 34-year-old had a 2.89 ERA and 19 whiffs in 18 innings for the Astros and hadn't allowed a homer. To make room for him we put Mastropietro on the IL with his nagging strained ab, which he tried pitching through but wasn't doing well, and DFA'd OF Angel Vigil, who had been up briefly in the past, to make room on the 42-man. Villagomez was our 2nd-round pick five years ago but had only made it as far as High-A Charlotte, where he was having a good season but only has 2-star potential and looks like a backup outfielder.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Eljiah Whitaker was efficient if not dominant and the Rays got just enough offense to beat the Brewers 3-0 in the opener. Whitaker (12-5) had an unusual 7 3 0 0 0 1 line (something unheard in most of this save when our defense stunk) and Jake Cid completed the shutout for save #8. Back-to-back RBI doubles from Aaron White and Paul Mayes in the 4th were the key hits.

Well we weren't looking to make a deal at the deadline but one was offered to us that was worth taking:



With the Ryan Rivera acquisition Dave Gonzalez had been marginalized - although he was good offensively last year he's a poor catcher and with Alex Gonzalez a capable backup Dave had been relegated to an occasional pinch-hitter. And while I hung on to him thinking he'd figure into next year's catcher mix when Rivera becomes a free agent, the Angels offered me a better option in the 24-year-old Gaitan, who is a 45 contact/50 power hitter and a 60 defender with potential to be 5 ticks better in all three of those categories. He'll report to Durham but has a chance to be our catcher of the future. Bolon is a decent veteran reliever who might be better than Julio Baez, but there's no room on the roster right now for him so I'll wait out the 7-day DFA period to see if someone gets hurt and then make a decision. Lopez isn't anything special as a prospect but why not? I would have done the deal straight up Gonzalez-for-Gaitan but LA wanted Bolon and his $3.2M salary moved in the deal as well.

Game 2: Tampa Bay trailed 2-0 after 4 but the offense cranked up starting in the 5th and they never looked back in a 7-2 win over Milwaukee. Ryan Rivera's 2-run single tied it up and Joel Bland's 2-run homer (#14) in the 6th put them ahead to stay. Rivera added an RBI single and like yesterday the Rays' starter only recorded one whiff but it was enough as Steve Swords (7-7) went 5.2 6 2 2 1 1 for the win. Lefty reliever Mike Alexander made his Rays debut and was impressive, fanning a pair in 1 1/3 scoreless.

Game 3: The Rays completed the sweep with a 13-2 rout of the Brewers which was led by a massive game from backup C Alex Gonzalez. Gonzalez doubled, homered twice (#6 & 7) and drove in 5 runs to lead the attack which also featured 3-run homers from Dantel Chinchilla (#12) and Angel Gonzales (#23). Chinchilla's homer capped a 4-RBI day for him. Meanwhile after Rays starters struck out only one batter in each of the first two games, Tony Guzman (5-2) made up for that by turning in his best outing since coming over in trade, dominating Milwaukee hitters to the tune of 7 4 1 1 1 11.


Team record: 75-35. Next up: A day off then a return home to play 3 against Toronto.

[Art Deco]

August 3: Lost OF Angel Vigil on waivers to Washington.

Game 1: A romp turned into a squeaker as the Rays saw a 6-0 lead turn in a 7-6 win in the opener at Publix Park. Jorge Barraza (11-9) was very good at 6 8 2 2 1 9 and homers from Joel Bland (solo, #15) and Rodrigo Aponte (3-run, #13) help build that healthy early lead. Jesus Avalos added a bases-empty blast in the 6th (#28) that looked like icing on the cake making it 7-2 but it turned out to be the difference when the bullpen struggled with the Jays getting 3 in the 8th (an Aaron White error made two of those runs unearned) and then one more on a solo homer in the 9th off Devin Tadlock, who then gave up a double but held on for save #21.

Game 2: Angel Gonzales broke up a pitchers' duel with a 3-run, 477-foot mammoth blast in the 7th (#24) giving the Rays a 4-2 win over the Jays. Dave Rose had a typical game, going 6 5 2 2 1 10 with both runs coming on solo homers but left trailing before Gonzales took him off the hook and made a winner of Victor Boria (6-0). Devin Tadlock saved again (#22) and Aaron White had an early solo homer (#6).

Game 3: Tampa Bay completed the sweep with a comfortable 6-1 win over Toronto in the finale, their 8th straight triumph. Elijah Whitaker (13-5) was dominant at 5 2 1 1 4 9 for the win and Jesus Avalos had the big game on offense, doubling and adding a 2-run homer (#29) while Dantel Chinchilla's 2-run single in the 6th really broke things open.

Team record: 78-35. Next up: Houston comes to town for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays were soundly beaten by Houston 5-1 in the opener at Publix Park. Steve Swords (7-8) wasn't very good at 4 7 5 4 1 1 and allowed a pair of homers. For a guy with 60 stuff the strikeouts have dried up as he's recorded only 5 in total over his last 3 starts.

August 7: Placed OF Jin-Hoo Kim on the 10-day IL, recalled OF Emmanuel Jervis from AAA Durham. Activated P Jonathan Bolon and designated P Julio Baez for assignment.

Injury was added to insult yesterday as Kim suffered a high ankle sprain legging out a double and he'll miss 4-5 weeks. Meanwhile we add Bolon, acquired in trade a week ago, to the roster and part ways with Baez, who hasn't pitched well this year but did give us 3 1/3 scoreless in his swan song last night.

Game 2: It was Groundhog Day for the Rays as they lost to the Astros for the second straight day by the score of 5-1. Tony Guzman (5-3) pitched fairly well at 5 3 2 2 2 4 but the bullpen didn't, allowing one of his runners to score and 3 more after that. The culprits were recent acquisitions Mike Alexander and Jonathan Bolon, the latter in his Tampa Bay debut.

Game 3: Tampa Bay did salvage the finale with a comprehensive 8-1 win over Houston. Henry Dominguez was the star of show, homering twice (#10 & 11) and driving in 5 runs while Aaron White got things going with a 3-run blast (#7) in the 4th to erase an early Astro lead. Jorge Barraza (12-9) continued his brilliant run with a 6 4 1 1 2 7 performance. Since getting hit for 5 runs and seeing his ERA rise to 4.76 back on June 19, he's not allowed more than two runs in any of his following 8 starts and only 11 in total over 48 1/3 innings pitched in that span. As a result he's shaved more than a run off his ERA which now stands at 3.68.

Team record: 79-37. Next up: After an off-day Baltimore visits Publix Park for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays wasted a great outing from Dave Rose thanks to a lack of offense and a Jake Cid meltdown as they fell to Baltimore 5-1. Rose was typically outstanding at 7 5 1 1 0 7 but left a 1-1 game and then the veteran Cid (5-5) had one of his worst outings ever, walking 4 and seeing them all score in the 8th. Meanwhile the bats managed a mere five hits.

Game 2: Tampa Bay bounced back to beat Baltimore 6-2. A two-run Jesus Avalos double was the big blow while Henry Dominguez had a 2-run single and Angel Gonzales contributed a solo homer (#25). It turned out to be a bullpen game when Elijah Whitaker left after two innings with a mild ab strain so the win went to Danny McMullan (1-0) in relief as five Rays pitchers in total got through the nine innings.

Game 3: The Rays dropped the rubber game of the series to the Orioles 5-2 and lost consecutive home series. The offense was AWOL again while Steve Swords (7-9) hung in there down 2-0 into the 6th before putting two men on to start the inning and seeing Victor Boria allow them both to score to finish 5 7 4 4 1 4. Angel Gonzales homered again (#26) with a man on for the lone Tampa Bay tally after it was already 5-0.

Team record: 80-39. Next up: We head to the Bronx for 4 against the Yankees.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays were let down in a big way by their bullpen as they dropped the opener at Yankee Stadium 9-6. Tony Guzman had an abbreviated start because it took him 93 pitches to go 4 5 2 2 3 3 but he left with a 3-2 lead thanks to a couple of Angel Gonzales RBI singles. And Henry Dominguez homered (#12) in the 7th to make it 4-2 but Jake Cid let New York take the lead by allowing an inherited runner to score plus two of his own. But Tampa Bay went back ahead 6-5 in the 8th on Dantel Chinchilla's RBI double only for Devin Tadlock (5-6) to implode in the 9th, giving up a solo homer to the first man he faced to tie it, walking two more, and then giving up a 3-run homer to give the Yankees a walk-off win.

Game 2: It took the Rays forever to get their offense going and when they did they lost a 3-2 lead in the 6th, only to erupt for 7 runs in the 8th and manhandle the Yankees 10-4. Aaron White was 3-4 with an RBI double to help them to their initial lead but on that double he strained an oblique and will be out five weeks. Jorge Barraza pitched well until putting a couple of men on in the bottom of the 6th, and Danny McMullan allowed them both to score to put New York up 4-3 and saddle Barraza with a final line of 5.1 7 4 4 1 5. But the bats went to work in the 8th. Rodrigo Aponte belted a solo homer (#14) leading off the inning to tie it, Ryan Rivera got things going with a 2-run single to put the Rays back ahead, then Angel Gonzales drilled a 3-run homer (#27) to blow it open. Jesus Avalos then went back-to-back with #30 to put the Rays in double digits. The rally meant Mike Alexander won his first decision as a Ray and in addition to losing White the Rays will be without the services of Joel Bland, who was suspended for five games for charging the mound after he was hit by a pitch following Aponte's homer.

August 15: Placed IF Aaron White on the 10-day IL with an oblique strain and placed OF Joel Bland on the restricted list, recalled IF Alex Brown from AAA Durham and OF Jalen Diaz from AA Montgomery.

Brown was the easy choice to replace White as he did while White was hurt earlier this season, but Diaz was a surprise pick to come up. The OF was acquired from the Giants back in April and is a present 50/55 hitter with 70 gap power and was hitting 289/360/545 with 19 homers for the Biscuits and was already on the 40-man roster so we'll give the lefty swinger a brief MLB trial while Bland serves his 5-game suspension.

Game 3: Not enough offense today and Jake Cid had another bad outing in the pen as the Rays lost a squeaker 3-2 to the Yankees. Dave Rose (15-3) was perfect through 4 before giving up a 2-run homer to cancel out Henry Dominguez' 2-run shot (#13) in the top of the 5th and we stayed tied until the 8th when Rose loaded the bases with two out and a lefty due and Cid came in and walked him to force in the winning run. Rose finished 7.2 4 3 3 1 7 in the tough-luck loss.

Game 4: The Rays salvaged a split with the Yankees but left it to the last possible minute as Ryan Rivera belted a 2-run homer (#3/11) with 2 out in the 9th to give them a 3-2 win. Until then it looked like another tough loss, as Elijah Whitaker went 5 6 1 1 3 4 and then Mike Alexander allowed the go-ahead run in the 6th. So we went 2-1 until the 9th when Dantel Chinchilla singled and Rivera, who had singled in the Rays' first run, played the hero and made a winner of Joe Rose (1-0). After the recent struggles of Jake Cid and Devin Tadlock, Willie Navarro got the ball in the 9th and had a quick 1-2-3 inning for his first Rays save this season and 17th overall.

Team record: 82-41. Next up: Back home for 3 vs Texas.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Steve Swords pitched his best game in a while and the Rays took the series opener from the Rangers 6-2. Swords (8-9) went 7 4 2 1 3 4 in the win while the offense put up all 6 runs in the 4th inning keyed by 2-run doubles from Alex Brown and Jesus Avalos.

Game 2: Tampa Bay annihilated Texas 12-2 with another big inning proving decisive as they hung 9 on the board in the 2nd inning and never looked back. Jalen Diaz's 2-run homer got the inning going, his first MLB round-tripper, Ryan Rivera added a 2-run clout (#4/12) and Angel Gonzales belted a 2-run triple in that 2nd inning. Gonzales then added a 2-run homer (#28) in the 3rd to put the Rays in double digits. Henry Dominguez was 4-5 with a double and 3 runs scored as well. Tony Guzman (6-3) coasted to the win at 6 4 2 2 2 4.

Game 3: The only thing the Rays were missing in this series was a shutout and they got that in another complete clobbering of the Rangers 13-0 to sweep the series by a combined 31-4 score. Jorge Barraza (13-9) and two relievers combined on the whitewash with Barraza dominant at 6.2 4 0 0 1 9. Leading the way on offense again was Angel Gonzales, 2-2 with 3 runs scored, a double, and 2-run homer (#29) while Dantel Chinchilla had a 2-run blast (#13) and Rodrigo Aponte (#15) and Paul Mayes (#5) added solo shots in the romp in the (Publix) park.

Team record: 85-41. It's August 20 and the magic number for the division is already down to 24. Next up: Seattle visits for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays dropped the opener to Seattle 6-5 as they couldn't quite pull off a Patented Publix Park comeback after falling behind 6-1. Getting hit hard today surprisingly was Dave Rose (15-4) who gave up a couple of homers in going 5 7 6 6 2 4 and saw his ERA rise above 3. The bats got within one run by the 7th but couldn't get over the hump.

Game 2: Tampa Bay bounced back to take the second game although they had to win it twice, first blowing a 4-0 lead and seeing Seattle tie it 5-5 before scoring in the 8th to triumph 6-5. Angel Gonzales had a big day and his 2-run homer (#30) in the first and Jayden Woodard's solo shot (#7) in the 4th helped give them that 4-0 lead. But Elijah Whitaker ran out of gas in the 6th giving up 3 runs and finishing 5.2 7 3 3 0 3, and although they tacked on a run in the bottom of the inning Willie Navarro and Jake Cid (6-5) combined to allow two more in the 7th to let the Mariners even it up. Finally in the bottom of the 8th a wild pitch with the bases loaded gave the Rays the winner, and they still had to survive more drama in the 9th when Devin Tadlock put men on 2nd and 3rd before escaping with his 23rd save.

Game 3: The Rays dropped the series to Seattle after losing the finale 5-2. They did hold an early 2-1 lead on Paul Mayes' RBI double in the 3rd but Seattle got a 2-run homer off Steve Swords (8-10) in the 6th before tacking on a pair of unearned runs in the 7th against Victor Boria while the offense stagnated. Swords finished 5.1 4 3 3 1 7 with two more homers allowed.

Team record: 86-43. Next up: A day off then we head to New York for 3 against the Yankees.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The bullpen let the Rays down again as a 2-0 lead in the 8th became a 3-2 Yankee win in their opener in New York. RBI singles from Henry Dominguez and Rodrigo Aponte gave Tampa Bay the lead and they got a good (if inefficient and brief) start from Tony Guzman (4.2 5 0 0 1 3, 89 pitches) and two scoreless innings from Mike Alexander. But Willie Navarro put a couple of men on in the 8th and Jake Cid (6-6, BS 5) surrendered a 3-run homer to lose it.

Game 2: Tampa Bay bounced back to win the second game but the bullpen made it nerve-wracking as a 5-0 lead turned into a 5-3 nailbiter over New York. Joel Bland was 3-5 with HR #16 and 2 RBI to help them to that lead and the Barrazassaince continued as Jorge improved to 14-9, 3.53 with an excellent 6 4 1 1 1 6 outing. But Victor Boria and Josh Meenach each gave up a run in the 7th and 8th respectively before Devin Tadlock finally slammed the door shut with a 2-whiff, 1-2-3 9th for his 24th save.

Game 3: Hopefully Dave Rose is getting a drop in form out of his system before the playoffs as he pitched poorly for the second straight start as the Rays dropped the rubber game to the Yankees 5-4. Rose (15-5) went 5.1 10 5 5 2 7 and his ERA has ballooned from 2.86 to 3.26 after these last two starts. At least he's still getting his strikeouts, so it's not a loss of stuff. Angel Gonzales (#31) and Joel Bland (#17) had solo homers for Tampa Bay, which crawled back into the game from down 5-1 and had the bases loaded in the 9th but could only push across one run.

Team record: 87-45, magic number down to 20. Next up: Home for 3 against Austin.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays rode a trio of 3-run homers and a solid start from Elijah Whitaker to down the Dukes 6-3 in the series opener at Publix Park. Alex Gonzalez (#8) and Jesus Avalos (#31) went deep with a man aboard in the 3rd and Angel Gonzales put it away with a 2-run shot (#31) in the 7th. Whitaker (14-5) meanwhile was masterful at 7 6 2 2 0 3 for the win.

Game 2: Tampa Bay annihilated Austin in the second game 10-0 led by a big game from Joel Bland. The LF has had an amazing if not flashy season but today showed out, going 4-4 with a homer (#18) and 3 RBI. He's hitting 332/419/553 with 33 steals and is sitting on 5.7 WAR, an impressive total given he missed about a month of the season. Also coming up big today at the plate was Rodrigo Aponte, 2-4 with 4 RBI including a 3-run homer (#16) and rookie Jalen Diaz, continuing to impress in limited action with a 2-run homer (#2) and hitting 333/379/630 in 27 AB so far. Steve Swords (9-10) coasted at 6 4 0 0 3 5 in getting the win.

Game 3: The offense of the previous two nights dried up and the Rays came out on the short end of a 2-1 scoreline against Austin. Tony Guzman (6-4) pitched well at 6 5 2 2 2 2 but one mistake cost him, a 2-run homer in the 4th. The only Tampa Bay score came courtesy of a pinch-homer in the 8th from Xavier Bush, the rookie's first major league round-tripper. They had a chance or two, out-hitting Austin 8-5, but couldn't convert them.

Team record: 89-46. Next up: An off-day then Minnesota visits for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays offense must have felt they scored enough runs in August since they've taken the final two nights of the month off, following up a 2-1 loss to Austin with a 2-0 loss to the Twins at Publix Park. They only eked out three hits, two off the bat of Paul Mayes, and wasted a solid Jorge Barraza (14-10) start of 5 7 2 2 2 4 and four shutout innings from the pen.

September 1: Recalled 1B Ruben Brown and RP Erik Witten from AAA Durham.

Time for September roster expansion and the call-up on the hitting side is Brown, a rookie 1B who's more than MLB ready (rated 60 contact, 60 power, 55 eye) and who hit 340/419/643 at Durham. With Aponte and Gonzales, 1B & DH are spoken for so Brown is going to be mainly a pinch-hitter in September and one of the three could very well be dealt in the offseason. On the pitching side we activated Witten from his rehab stint with the Bulls.

Game 2: With the change in the calendar the offense came back to life and the Rays beat the Twins 7-4. The only negative was another struggling start from ace Dave Rose, who went 4.2 7 3 3 3 6 and couldn't qualify for the win, which instead went to Victor Boria (7-0) with Jake Cid picking up his 9th save. Rose has allowed 14 runs in 15 innings over his last 3 starts and is hopefully just getting something out of his system before the playoffs. Meanwhile backup CF Brian Whittaker had a career day, leading off the game with a homer (#2) and adding a pair of doubles one of which drove in two more plus a stolen base for good measure. Jesus Avalos also knocked in three including a 2-run homer (#32).

Game 3: Elijah Whitaker and the offense were brilliant today as Tampa Bay routed Minnesota 10-1 to take the series. Whitaker (15-5) gave up a 2nd inning solo homer and virtually nothing else in going 7 2 1 1 0 8 and Angel Gonzales celebrated being named August's AL Batter of the Month by singling in a run in the 3rd for RBI #100 and later adding a 2-run double. Alex Brown belted a 2-run homer (#6) and Paul Mayes contributed a 2-run double.

Team record: 91-47, magic number down to 13. Next up: Off to the Great White North to play 3 against the Jays.

As alluded to above:

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays broke a 1-1 tie in the 7th with 4 runs and hung on to beat the Blue Jays 5-3 in the series opener at Rogers Centre. Angel Gonzales' 2-run double was the tie-breaking blow and Jesus Avalos followed him with a 2-run homer (#33) which proved necessary when Joe Rose and Devin Tadlock each allowed a run in relief. Steve Swords evened his record at 10-10 by going 6 3 1 1 2 4 and Tadlock did hold on for save #25 despite putting the tying runs in scoring position with one out in the 9th.

Game 2: Tony Guzman was excellent and the Rays topped Toronto again 3-2. Guzman (7-4) took a shutout into the 7th before giving up a 2-run homer and finished 7 4 2 2 0 9. Willie Navarro was so efficient in the 8th that he came back out for the 9th and retired all six men he faced for his 2nd Rays save and 18th overall. The offense came via the longball with Joel Bland (#19) going solo in the 2nd and Henry Dominguez homering with a man on (#14) in the 3rd.

Game 3: The Rays gave the kids a chance to play with the likes of Xavier Bush, Jalen Diaz and Ruben Brown all getting a chance to start along with backups like Brian Whittaker and Jayden Woodard, and the "B" team handled the Jays 5-3 in 11 innings. Brown and Diaz had RBI singles the help them to a 3-0 and Jorge Barraza was perfect through 5 1/3 and took a 3-1 lead into the 8th before leaving with a man on and two out. Unfortunately Josh Meenach put a couple on himself and gave up a 2-run single to let Toronto tie so on to extras we went when Whittaker and Paul Mayes delivered RBI singles in the 11th to enable the Rays to sweep. Barraza's brilliant second half continued with a 7.2 3 2 2 1 4 outing, Devin Tadlock (6-6) went two scoreless for the win, and Jake Cid finished it off for save #10.

Team record: 94-47, a straight up 2-out-of-3 .667 win percentage with the magic number down to 9. Next up: a day off then home for 3 against Cleveland.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: A two-out Cleveland error in the fifth opened the door for five Rays runs and that was enough to beat the Guardians 6-3 in the opener at Publix Park. Down 3-1 with two out and two on, Cleveland 2B Emilio Colon threw wild on a grounder to 2nd allowing both runners to score and Angel Gonzales followed with a 2-run single to make it 5-3 Tampa Bay. Joel Bland, who had earlier hit a solo homer (#20), added a RBI single as part of his 3-hit day and that was all good for Dave Rose (16-5) to finally get back in the win column after failing to record one in his previous six starts as he went 7 4 3 3 2 8. Devin Tadlock fanned a pair in the 9th for his 26th save.

Game 2: Tampa Bay put 5 on the board in the first two innings and coasted to a 5-2 win over Cleveland behind Elijah Whitaker. The young lefty improved to 16-5, 2.75 after a masterful 8 4 1 1 1 4 outing and was backed by a trio of early homers which brought home all 5 runs. Henry Dominguez led off the game with one (#15), two batters later Jesus Avalos made it 3-0 with his 34th, and the red-hot Angel Gonzales hit one with a man on (#33) in the 2nd as he had a 3-hit day.

Game 3: The Rays swept the series and extended their win streak to 8 in a wild one at Publix Park, scoring 6 times in the 4th to overturn a 5-2 deficit on the way to a 9-6 win over Cleveland. After a nice run over his previous few starts Steve Swords was horrendous today, going 3 4 5 5 5 2 with the wildness a real problem and put his team in that 5-2 hole. But Alex Brown drilled a 2-run double to tie the game and who else but the scorching hot Angel Gonzales followed with a 3-run homer (#35), his second of the game, to make it 8-5. Gonzales was 7-12 with 3 HR and 8 RBI for the series. Joel Bland homered again (#21) and Brown added one late (#7). Danny McMullan (2-0) earned the win with three scoreless innings in relief following Swords.

Team record: 97-47. They officially clinched a playoff spot and reduced the magic number for the division to 5. Next up: Hitting the road for 3 games in Oklahoma City.