The 2020 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Game 1: It was a good old-fashioned rout as the Rays took care of the Royals in the series opener 12-3. Luis Barela stayed red-hot with a 2-double, 5-RBI day, Doug Johns was 3-5 with a 2-run homer (#23) and Jose Castillo (#22) found the seats with the bases empty. We got a little scare after Gordie Ager left in the 2nd inning but it was just a minor back tweak and he's fine. Bobby Connell (2-0) picked up the win in relief.

Game 2: For an encore to yesterday's rout the Rays blasted Kansas City even worse in the second game 17-1. Luis Barela did it again, 4-4 with HR #21 and 4 RBI, making him a ridiculous 17-25 over his last 6 games with 4 HR and 14 RBI. Jose Castillo homered again (#23) and drove in 4, Doug Johns was 4-5 with HR #24 and 3 RBI and Dan Gregory drove in 3. Greg Bookhart (15-2) coasted to the win going 6 3 1 1 2 3.

Game 3: The Royals managed to hold the Rays to single digits today but just barely as Tampa Bay prevailed 9-3 to make the aggregate score of this series 38-7 through 3 games. Tomas Laboy had a 3-run shot (#7) and Yuji Morioka added a 2-run blast (#25) to lead the way. Jim Brophy (13-7) was the winner after a 6 8 3 3 0 2 outing.

Game 4: After scoring 38 in the first 3 games of this series the offense suddenly dried up and combined with a nightmarish inning for Yuji Morioka and Ben Moses the result was a 5-2 Kansas City win. The Rays didn't score until the 8th on a Mario Saro solo shot (#26) and a pair of Morioka errors with 2 out kept prolonging a 4-run 5th inning for the Royals. Moses (10-7) deserved better at 5 7 5 1 2 4.

Team record: 90-38. Next up: Boston visits for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

August 24: Activated P Marc Gibson from the 10-day IL, optioned P BJ Turner to AAA Durham.

Game 1: The Rays came from behind with two runs in the 9th to take a 3-2 win over Boston in their series opener at Publix Park. Marc Gibson was impressive in his return from the IL, going 7 5 1 1 3 3 but Satoshi Sato allowed a run in the 8th to put the Rays behind 2-1. It looked like they wouldn't come through in the 9th after Dan Gregory was caught stealing after singling to lead off the inning and Yuji Morioka struck out, but four straight singles brought home the tying and winning runs with Mario Saro and Seth Williams delivering those hits. That made a winner of Dave Rose (2-0), who pitched a perfect 9th.

Game 2: Dan Gregory's 7th-inning grand slam (#10) broke open a 3-2 game as the Rays went on to rout the Red Sox 8-2. Nelson Bocardo drove in a pair of runs to give them the early lead, and Gordie Ager (15-4) was in fine form once again at 6 6 2 2 1 6.

Game 3: The Rays completed the sweep with a 4-3 win over Boston. Jose Castillo's solo homer (#24) broke a 3-3 tie in the 7th and Dave Rose (3-0) picked up the win once again. Willie Minier got into some trouble in the 9th allowing a couple of hits but struck out three Red Sox for save #26. Greg Bookhart started and went 6.2 9 3 3 2 6.

Team record: 93-38. Next up: An off-day then we travel to Atlanta for 2 games.

[Art Deco]

August 28: Placed P Sean Forbes on the 10-day IL with forearm inflammation, recalled P BJ Turner from AAA Durham.

Forbes suffered the season-ending injury in the finale of the Boston series, just when he was starting to become trusted again in high-leverage situations; he had retired the Sox in the 7th in a one-run game before having to leave.

Game 1: Jim Brophy pitched one of his better games and the Rays took a 6-1 win over Atlanta at Truist Park. The lefty with the 35 stuff went 7 6 1 1 1 4 and improved to 14-7, 3.91. We're a much better defensive team than in years past and I'd hate to think what his numbers would look like if he were pitching in front of our typical defense. Dave Frick had a big game, going 3-4 with HR #8 and 3 RBI. Although he cooled off from his .400 pace over the first 2.5 months of the season, he's still hitting .354. The homer was his first since June 3. Doug Johns also doubled and drove in a pair.

Game 2: The Rays were up against one of the game's better pitchers over the last 10+ years in Atlanta's Juan Rosales, and the 35-year-old is still on top of the game, coming in with a 3.02 ERA. But the Rays' hitters fear no hurler and Rosales came out of it with a 3.38 ERA as they put up 9 runs in the 5th and went on to a 10-2 rout. Dan Gregory was 3-3 with a double, steal and RBI, Dave Frick had another big game going 2-4 with a double and 3 RBI, and Yuji Morioka was 2-3 with a double and 2 RBI. Ben Moses (11-7) needed 105 pitches to get through 5 and qualify for the win, but did so at 5 3 2 2 4 6 and Caleb Ramos twirled 4 scoreless innings to pick up his 2nd save.

Team record: 95-38. Next up: Another off-day then 3 games in Cleveland.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Cleveland's William Alcocer held the Rays' bats in check as Cleveland took the series opener 4-2 at Progressive Field. Luis Barela knocked in both runs with a single and solo homer (#22) while Gordie Ager (15-5) struggled with his command tonight going 4.1 4 3 3 5 3 and saw his ERA tick back over 3 to 3.01.

September 1: Recalled 1B Vinny Rodriguez from AAA Durham and P Chris Winkler from AA Montgomery.

September roster expansion time. V-Rod came over from KC in a deal last year and could be our 1B of the future after hitting 21 HR and 74 RBI between Durham and Montgomery. He'll get a few starts here and there. Winkler came over from Minnesota before the deadline in a minors deal for Jared Richardson and has nasty 75-80 stuff with adequate control. He walked 3 and fanned 21 in 11 innings for Montgomery after being acquired and could work in high-leverage situations given our shaky pen. Winkler and veteran Micah Crickenberger (a former Rays farmhand who was signed as an MiLB free agent in early August) were added to 42-man to make them potentially playoff-eligible.

Game 2: The Rays banged out 16 hits in an 8-5 win over the Guardians in the second game. Nelson Bocardo had a 2-run shot (#6) to get the offense going and Yuji Morioka added a solo blast (#26) while Chris Parham and Juan Davila each had 3 hits and an RBI. Marc Gibson was solid in going to 13-2 at 6.1 8 3 3 1 3 and Willie Minier recorded the final out for save #27.

Game 3: Greg Bookhart struggled early and put the Rays in a hole they almost climbed out of but didn't, falling 7-6 and dropping to series to the Guardians. Bookhart (15-3) was 2.2 7 5 5 3 2 and couldn't get any rhythm going but it turned out that a 2-run homer allowed by Josh Grote in the 8th was the difference, the fourth homer he's allowed in his last five appearances as he's gone from reliable to unreliable. One promising development was the MLB debut of Chris Winkler, who had a 1-2-3 7th with a pair of whiffs. On offense, until a 2-run rally in the 9th which ended when Yuji Morioka hit into a 4-2-3 double play with the bases loaded, all the Rays' scoring came on solo homers. Tony Cordova (#7), Jose Castillo (#25), Luis Barela (#23) and Alex Duran (#15) all found the seats.

Team record: 96-40. Next up: The road trip continues with 3 in Toronto. The Jays are 3 games out of the second wild card and need wins badly.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays blasted a couple of early homers and took a 4-0 lead then held on for a 4-3 win over the Jays at Rogers Centre in their series opener. Doug Johns' 3-run shot (#25) in the 1st and a solo homer from Luis Barela (#24) supplied the offense and Jim Brophy was in fine form again, shutting out Toronto until the 7th when he left with two men on. Chris Winkler was given a high-leverage opportunity replacing Brophy, but immediately surrendered a 3-run homer to get the Jays back in it. Brophy (15-7) finished 6.1 3 2 2 4 3 and the pen held from there with Willie Minier getting save #28 with a 1-2-3 two-whiff 9th.

Game 2: Ben Moses was in fine form and the Rays clinched their 25th consecutive AL East division title with a 4-2 win over the Jays. Moses (12-7) went 6 3 1 1 2 6 and Willie Minier recorded save #29 but this one was shakier as he allowed a run on 3 hits. Dan Gregory was 4-4 with 3 doubles and an RBI, Yuji Morioka went 2-3 with a triple and 2 RBI and Jose Castillo belted homer #26.

Game 3: The Rays swept the series from Toronto with a 2-0 win behind Gordie Ager, seriously crippling the Jays' wild card hopes. Ager was brilliant today (some would say in Cy Young form) at 7 5 0 0 0 8. With Willie Minier having gone the last two days, Josh Grote finished up, getting out of the 8th on 2 pitches and pitching around a couple of hits in the 9th for his first Rays save. RBI doubles from Alex Duran in the 2nd and Jose Castillo in the 9th accounted for the scoring as the Rays emptied the bench today after yesterday's division clinch. Vinnie Rodriguez had his first MLB hit, a single.

Team record: 99-40. Next up: An off-day then Baltimore visits Publix Park for 3 games. The Orioles are the league's hottest team having won 10 straight but are still way out of the playoff picture.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: It was a routine Rays rout at Publix Park as Tampa Bay blasted Baltimore 11-3 in the series opener for their 100th win of the season. Dave Frick led the hit parade by hitting a pair of 2-run doubles, Seth Williams went 3-5 with HR #16 and 3 RBI, Jose Castillo blasted #27 and Luis Barela launched #25. Marc Gibson (14-2) was solid in a 6.1 3 3 3 2 6 outing.

Game 2: The Rays put another 8 on the board but pretty much needed them all to get by Baltimore 8-6. Mario Saro hit his 28th homer of the year to take over the club lead but Jose Castillo went yard for the second straight game to tie him as did Luis Barela (for the second straight game that is) with #26, a 3-run shot in the 7th which proved to be the difference. Seth Williams had 4 hits including a double and scored 3 times as he got back to .300. Despite a poor outing (5 11 4 4 1 3) Greg Bookhart went to 16-3 and Willie Minier got the final out of the game for his 30th save.

Game 3: Tampa Bay rested some regulars and Baltimore took advantage to take a 3-2 win in the series finale. One regular who did play, Jose Castillo, homered for the third straight game (#29) and Alex Duran also went deep (#16) for the two Rays runs. Jim Brophy (15-8) was the tough-luck loser after a fine 6 7 3 2 2 1 performance.

Team record: 101-41. Next up: Cleveland visits for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: William Alcocer shut the Rays down in the Cleveland about 10 days ago and did the same tonight, but Ben Moses was even more brilliant and the Rays took a 2-1 win. Alcocer held the Rays to 7 5 1 1 2 9 with the lone run coming on a wild pitch after Dan Gregory tripled, but Moses held Cleveland to one hit over 8 innings, walking only one, striking out 9 and improving to 13-7, 3.87. The Rays tacked on an insurance run in the 8th on Doug Johns' sac fly and they needed it when Satoshi Sato allowed a run in the 9th before Willie Minier finished up for save #31.

Game 2: The Rays scored 4 times in the 8th to pull out a 7-4 win over Cleveland in the second game of their series at Publix Park. Tomas Laboy's 2-run single put them ahead to stay 5-4 as he capped a 3-RBI day. Gordie Ager wasn't quite his best today at 7 8 4 4 2 2 but Josh Grote (4-1) picked up the win with Satoshi Sato notching save #13.

Game 3: It was comeback time again for the Rays as they trailed 4-0 going to the bottom of the 7th and ended up winning 9-5 on a walk-off grand slam from Juan Davila (#6) in the bottom of the 9th off former Ray Mike Robichaux. Marc Gibson wasn't sharp at 5 7 4 4 3 1 but Chris O'Brien hurled 3 scoreless innings and was in line for a win before Willie Minier gave up an RBI double to let Cleveland tie it a 5 so instead Minier vultured his 3rd win. Davila had an RBI single in the previous comeback giving him a 5-RBI day and Nelson Bocardo capped a 3-4 day with an RBI single that gave them their first lead at 5-4.

Team record: 104-41. Next up: An off-day then Oakland visits for 3 games. These are big games for the A's as you can see by the standings as we go into the final 2+ weeks:

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Another "no lead, no problem" game for the Rays as they turned a 4-2 7th-inning deficit into a 5-4 win in their series opener against Oakland at Publix Park. Mario Saro was the hero on offense today, hitting a 2-run homer in the 3rd to take over the club lead at 29, and then delivering a 2-run triple in a 3-run 8th to tie it before scoring on Seth Williams' single. Greg Bookhart had a decent start at 6 4 4 2 1 1 but missed out on the win by one inning with it instead going to Dave Rose (4-0), who pitched a scoreless 7th and got all three outs via the whiff. Willie Minier had a 1-2-3 9th for save #31.

Game 2: Oakland turned the tables on Tampa Bay in the second game, turning deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 into a 4-3 win with two runs in the 7th. Jim Brophy pitched well but put a man on with one out in the 7th, and Bobby Connell (2-1) proceeded to give up two doubles to allow the tying and go-ahead runs. Brophy finished 6.1 8 3 3 1 3 in the no-decision. Seth Williams had an RBI double and RBI single to lead the offense.

Game 3: The Rays were skunked by Oakland 8-0, suffering their first series loss at home in three months while the A's expanded their lead in the West to 1 1/2 games. Ben Moses, coming off his best game of the season with 8 one-hit shutout innings, turned in one of his worst at 4.1 6 7 7 3 2 to drop to 13-8 as his day ended on a grand slam. While a few regulars got some Sunday rest, those in the lineup apparently took some as well as the Rays only managed 3 hits, all of them coming from Mario Saro.

Team record: 105-43. Next up: Off to Texas for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: After playing 3 against Oakland the Rays now take on the other team in a neck-and-neck AL West race in the Rangers, and Texas took a wild 10-8 decision in the opener at Globe Life Field. The Rays overcame deficits of 4-2 and 7-6 to go ahead on Tomas Laboy's pinch 2-run single in the 8th, but Satoshi Sato (3-3) was hit for 3 runs in the 8th for his 6th blown save of the year. Mario Saro led the game off with his 30th homer of the year and Dave Frick drove in 3, but Gordie Ager wasn't sharp at 5 6 4 4 2 5 and Dave Rose gave up 3 runs without recording an out.

Game 2: Another tough loss for the Rays as they dropped their fourth straight game 5-4 to Texas in a walk-off. The Rays were down 4-0 after 6 innings as Marc Gibson had an interesting start at 4 4 2 2 4 9 and Chris O'Brien allowed a couple of runs but they fought back to tie on Yuji Morioka's 27th homer and a 2-run triple by Mario Saro which made him the second Ray to 100 RBI this year. Unfortunately Mel Mejia (2-2) booted a grounder, and Willie Minier gave up an RBI single to score the runner in the bottom of the 9th.

Game 3: After losing a couple of nail-biters the Rays weren't even competitive in the finale, getting roasted by the Rangers 8-2 to suffer their fifth straight loss and a sweep in the series. As a result Texas moved into a tie with Oakland atop the AL West. Greg Bookhart (16-4) hasn't been that sharp in his last several starts and today was no exception as he went 4.2 6 3 3 3 7. He wasn't helped by Caleb Ramos who let the game get away in the 5th, allowing a homer to score the 3rd run against Bookhart and then giving up another of his own after the longball.

Team record: 105-46. Next up: 4 games in Toronto. The Jays are on the outside looking in, 4 games behind Oakland and Texas for the second wild card.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays' season-high losing streak reached 6 games after they were thrashed by Toronto 7-2 in the opener of a 4-game set at Rogers Centre. Jim Brophy (15-9) was hit hard at 4 10 6 6 1 2 with Tomas Laboy's solo homer (#8) the only highlight on offense.

Game 2: Tampa Bay used the longball to snap its 6-game losing streak with a 5-4 win over the Jays. Alex Duran's solo shot (#17), the third of the game for the Rays, was the game-winner with Seth Williams (#17) and Jose Castillo (#30) going deep to tie it. Tony Cordova drove in the other two runs with a single. Chris O'Brien (4-2) got the win in relief of Ben Moses, who struggled at 5 9 4 4 0 2 and Willie Minier took care of the 9th for his 33rd save.

Game 3: Getting to relax after snapping a losing streak, the Rays cut loose and destroyed the Jays 13-2 in the third game. A 6-run 3rd which saw a 2-run single from Nelson Bocardo and a 2-run double from Mario Saro broke the game open, and Seth Williams (#18) and Yuji Morioka (#28, a 3-run shot) went deep. Gordie Ager isn't going to win 20, but he won his 17th with an outstanding 6.2 3 1 1 2 9 performance.

Game 4: Marc Gibson and four relievers combined on a 6-hit shutout as the Rays took 3 of 4 from Toronto and essentially eliminated the Jays from playoff contention with a 3-0 win. Gibson (15-2) was 5 6 0 0 1 4 and Willie Minier threw a perfect 9th for save #34. Alex Duran's 5th-inning RBI double opened the scoring and was all the offense Tampa Bay needed today.

Team record: 108-47. Next up: We close out the regular season with the final 7 games at Publix Park, starting with 4 against the Yankees.

MLB Playoff Race Update: Unlike last year when there was little suspense, there are quite a few races this time around although the playoff field in the AL is essentially set. Detroit is 1/2 game up on the White Sox in the Central, and Texas is 1/2 up on Oakland in the West with the losers of these two races set to play for the wild card. Over in the NL the Phillies are 1 1/2 up on the Mets and the loser there is unlikely to grab a wild card, the Rockies are 2 1/2 up on the Diamondbacks in the West with both teams already in the playoffs and the second wild card is down to San Francisco and Cincinnati with the Giants up by 1/2 game. Milwaukee has a magic # of 1 to clinch the central over the Reds.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays took the opener of their 4-game set with the Yankees at Publix Park 10-4 behind the big bat of Luis Barela. The MVP of the last 4 seasons (who won't be repeating for a 5th) was 4-4 with a pair of homers and 4 RBI to give him 28 and 108 on the season. He's only going to be a mid-4-WAR player this year unlike his 7-9 WAR self but at least he's heated up over the final 2 months of the season. Doug Johns was also 4-5 with HR #26 and 2 RBI and Jose Castillo had a solo shot (#31). Greg Bookhart (17-4) went 6 3 3 3 3 5 for the win.

Game 2: Jim Brophy pitched well and the Rays handled the Yankees again 6-1. The lefty is having a super season considering he's down to 35 stuff and today he went 5.2 6 1 1 2 2 to improve to 16-9, 3.99. He was backed by Dave Frick, who drove in 4 with a single and a 3-run homer (#9), and Tomas Laboy, 3-4 with 2 doubles and an RBI.

Game 3: Our Wednesday game was rained out so we played a Thursday doubleheader, and in the first game the Yankees withstood a dramatic Rays comeback to take a 10-8 win in 10 innings. Ben Moses was obliterated in an 8-run 2nd and went 3 9 8 8 3 3 to finish his first season in the Rays rotation a mediocre 13-8, 4.57. He'll either be the third or fourth starter come playoff time and will need to show some more consistency. That inning put the Yanks up 8-1 but the Rays came all the way back including 4 in the 9th to tie it on a Mario Saro solo shot (#31) and a dramatic, 2-out 3-run blast from Doug Johns (#27). But Willie Minier (3-4) coughed up a 2-run homer in the 10th to lose it. Earlier Jose Castillo hit HR #32.

Game 4: The Rays were swept by the Yankees in the doubleheader and ended up with a series split after New York once again beat them in 10 innings, this time 4-3. Gordie Ager had his final regular season tuneup before taking the ball for Game 1 of the ALDS and was excellent again at 6 6 1 1 0 5 to finish 17-5, 2.98 as a Cy Young frontrunner. They took a 2-1 lead into the 9th but Satoshi Sato (3-4) blew his 7th save allowing a 2-out RBI single and then Sato served up a 2-run homer in the 10th to lose it, just as fellow closer Willie Minier did in the first game. Yuji Morioka hit #29 in the bottom of the 10th to get the Rays within one but that was all they'd manage.

Team record: 110-49. Next up: We close out the regular season with 3 at home vs Toronto.

News: A former Rays superstar hung up the cleats as 3B Bo Angeac retired. Angeac, who had played his final professional season as a backup/mentor with our AAA affiliate Durham, was one of the top players in baseball during the 30s as you can see from his career numbers:



His 2033 season - the first as a full-time player - was a thing of beauty. He helped lead us to 5 World Series titles, including in 2033, and is a borderline Hall of Fame candidate at an under-represented position. He'll get my vote when eligible.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays dropped a 5-3 decision to Toronto at Publix Park. in the opener of their final regular season series. Marc Gibson took the loss at 5 6 4 4 5 7 and finishes the year at 15-3, 3.95. He will likely be the fourth starter in the ALDS. Luis Barela had a 2-run homer (#29) for the offensive highlight.

Game 2: Tampa Bay fell 8-7 to Toronto in the second game but suffered a much more serious loss when star Japanese rookie Yuji Morioka fractured his hand after being hit by a pitch and is lost for the season. Morioka was 250/334/487 this year with 29 HR and 83 RBI to go with stellar defense at 2B and earned 4.4 WAR. He'll be sorely missed in the playoffs with a combination of Juan Davila and Tomas Laboy filling in. As for the game Alex Duran was 3-4 with a 2-run double and 2-run homer (#18) while Doug Johns drove in a pair of runs to get him to 99, but Greg Bookhart's poor September continued (6.81 ERA) at 4.1 8 5 5 2 5, not the way to go into the playoffs although his overall season of 17-4, 3.50 was a fine one. Willie Minier, who's also struggled of late, took the loss allowing a run on 3 hits in the 9th as he finishes the year 3-5 with 34 saves.

Game 3: The Rays will head into the playoffs on a winning note after taking a 9-6 victory over Toronto in the regular season finale. Milestones were hit as Luis Barela blasted his 30th homer and Doug Johns had a 2-run single to put him over the 100-RBI mark at 101. Also going deep were Juan Davila (#7) and Alex Duran (#19). Jim Brophy did his usual thing at 6 7 3 3 1 2 and ends the year 16-9, 4.01; despite those decent numbers I'm still not sure I can trust him in the playoffs with 35 stuff so his spot on the postseason roster is in question. Dave Rose (5-0) picked up the win in relief and Caleb Ramos got a double play immediately after coming in with the bases loaded, ending the game and giving him his 3rd save.

Final Regular Season Record: 111-51. September was our worst month at 16-12 and we really didn't pitch well down the stretch, but the playoffs are a different animal.

Playoff Race Updates: Despite numerous opportunities going into the final weekend (and final day) to have ties atop divisions and in the NL wild card, everything separated and we ended up with four divisions being decided by a game. In the AL, the White Sox held off Detroit while Texas did likewise with Oakland, meaning the Rays will play the winner of the Oakland-Detroit wild card game. In the NL the Phillies nosed out the Mets by a game at a mediocre 83-79 but they actually clinched the NL East on Saturday, while Arizona beat San Diego on the final day to hold off Colorado by a game in the West. And the Reds beat out the Giants by a game for the second NL Wild Card and they will head to Denver for the NL Wild Card Game with the winner there playing Arizona while the Phillies will play Milwaukee in the other NLDS.

[Art Deco]

The pitching numbers took a hit over the last month as they were pretty terrible; consequently we ended up 4th in ERA and 3rd in runs allowed. The defense was our best as far back as I can remember, Morioka and Frick gave us a keystone combo both rated at 70. Sadly, Morioka will miss the playoffs. The hitting stats:



What a year for Mario Saro in his first season as an everyday player. He's got a shot at MVP, although he did tail off some late in the season. Luis Barela rallied to put up decent numbers with a fine last two months but his 4-year reign as MVP is over. Also Alex Duran was dynamite, earning 2.8 WAR in essentially half a season's worth of at-bats. The pitching numbers:



Did not realize how good Marc Gibson was at keeping the ball in the park (only 5 HR allowed all season with a regular rotation turn); that made up for his penchant for putting runners on base. The revamped bullpen was kind of a flop, and even the high-leverage returnees (Minier and Sato) had down years. Who'd have thought Caleb Ramos would led the pen in WAR (although he did sprinkle in 4 starts)? The shaky pitching has me much less confident than normal going into the playoffs and our bid for 6 straight titles.

Playoff roster news: As predicted Jim Brophy was left off, and we went with Chris Winkler, the rookie reliever. With Morioka out, defensive wiz Josh Sprouse makes the roster; he'll likely be used as a late-inning replacement for Laboy or Davila at 2B.

[Art Deco]

The Tigers will be our ALDS foe:

[Art Deco]

High drama at Coors...

[Art Deco]

A good but shaky start...



So this is pretty much how we're going to have to win in this postseason - outscoring the other team (I know that's literally always true but you know what I mean). Thanks to our ever-shaky bullpen a 7-1 lead became a 7-6 nailbiter before the bats broke it open with a 5-run 8th. Willie Minier got the biggest out of the game with a flyball to end the Detroit 8th when they had two on with two out after getting a homer off Satoshi Sato. As you can see above, Jose Castillo made it 3-0 Rays as the third hitter of the game with a homer and Doug Johns had 5 RBI. Gordie Ager wasn't great as he allowed Detroit to start the comeback with a 2-run homer in the 5th but he was good enough for the win. We'll see if Greg Bookhart can get out of his late-season slump tomorrow in Game 2.

Meanwhile the White Sox, who have been notorious playoff floppers the last few years, are off to a good start:

[Art Deco]

We've brought back Jose Morales, a lefty reliever we traded to Oakland back in the spring. After a great season for the A's, they inexplicably put him on waivers so we claimed him back:



We traded him along with Joel Gird for Tim James, a fire-balling reliever with some control issues who was exactly as we expected with AA Montgomery this year (82 Ks and 25 saves in 43 IP, but with 29 walks). Morales meanwhile was outstanding this season earning 1.5 WAR and lived up to the promise he failed to show with us. I expect him to be a significant part of next year's bullpen.

[Art Deco]

Utterly ridiculous...



Not even sure where to begin - you can see from the box above what a crazy game this was, taking nearly 5 hours to complete. We did break the all-time MLB playoff record for runs scored by both teams of 30 (Boston beat Cleveland 23-7 in a 1999 ALDS game) and finished just short of that 23, which was also a record. Also I'm not sure a team has ever been down by 7 runs and up by 7 runs in the same playoff game. When I said after Game 1 we'd have to outscore the opposition I didn't quite have this in mind.

Greg Bookhart was just as bad, if not worse (4 homers allowed) as he was down the stretch and the Lions went up by a touchdown over the Bucs early but the 7-0 deficit was erased by the 3rd and blasted away by the 4th. Special mention to Dave Rose, who was basically Cy Young out there today with 2 perfect innings. Anyway however bizarre, the Rays are now one game away from the ALCS and Ben Moses will try to get them there in two days at cavernous Comerica Park, where I don't expect 33 (or even 18 as in Game 1) runs to be scored.

Elsewhere in the division series:

[Art Deco]

It's all even in Milwaukee while Arizona blows out the Rockies for the second straight game behind a truly dominant performance from Doug Miskinis:

[Art Deco]

No sweep...



As predicted it was a much calmer, normal-scoring game at Comerica for Game 3 and it favored Detroit as the Rays squandered some early opportunities to put more runs on the board and fell 6-3. Ben Moses wasn't terrible, but two bad pitches cost him - a 2-run double and a 2-run homer. And the bats went completely silent over the last four innings, not managing a hit. Marc Gibson will get the ball tomorrow to take another stab at clinching this thing.

Meanwhile it's advantage Texas in the other ALDS: