The 2020 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Before getting into where things are headed, a look at the trophy:



It never gets old but I did have my doubts about this team with all the late-season injuries and issues with run prevention but instead they did what no Rays team before had done and swept through the playoffs.

We will be saying farewell to some key contributors from this year's team as ace Gordie Ager, 1B Seth Williams, CF Kevin Crater, SP Ben Moses and closer Willie Minier are all free agents. So is middle reliever Dan Anderson, but we have a 2-year offer out to him which he'll likely sign for $4.4M/yr so I expect him back. I think I have internal cover for most of these guys so I don't have any burning needs in the offseason other than to improve depth.

In MLB News, I'm finally allowing expansion in MLB as it seems OOTP has gotten their schedule-making act together (I had to play some hinky schedules in my 21 save when it expanded). Oklahoma City and Indianapolis are the new franchises. We're allowed to protect 25 in the expansion draft so with the free agent departures we shouldn't lose anyone of significance.

So here's how I see the 2048 squad shaping up:

C-Batting champion Nelson Bocardo is back (at one more year of minimum salary) along with backup Akio Suzuki.

1B-Obviously an opening here but we have several options. Right now I'm leaning toward a Vinny Rodriguez (vs RHP) and Juan Davila (vs LHP) platoon but Tomas Laboy could play here too. Davila was a top-5 prospect who's been good but not great the last two years in a part-time role and I wonder if he needs to play every day to reach his potential or not.

2B-Yuji Morioka returns.

SS-Dave Frick also returns, for one more year. We might want to find our SS of the future this offseason. Josh Sprouse is a wizard with the glove but a zero with the bat.

3B-Luis Barela is back.

LF-Mario Saro returns, hopefully he can stay healthy which has been a bit of an issue the last two seasons.

CF-We have a Crater-sized hole here. Well not that big a hole but I couldn't resist the reference. In the playoffs I played Doug Johns here and his 40 defensive rating which isn't sustainable over a whole season. Chris Parham has a good glove and can hit .275-.280 with little power and will return, either as a starter or reserve.

RF-Doug Johns is a beast and we have him for one more year. Alex Duran is another player who gets plenty of at-bats but deserves to start at least everyday against RHP but with Saro (also a LH batter) and Johns it's tough. Unfortunately neither of the three can really play center.

DH-Jose Castillo returns as well. I had Laboy platoon with him as Castillo isn't quite the monster against LHP that he is against righties and that could continue.

SP-Ager and Moses are gone leaving a couple of holes, but we have replacements. Bookhart, Riley and Delgado are back and Dave Rose is slated to be the #4 starter. He didn't quite live up to his ratings last year either in the rotation or relief but still has ace stuff. The 5th starter could be Caleb Ramos (who has had mixed success in the role) or lefty Chris O'Brien, who excelled in long relief last year and has the pitches and stamina to start.

RP-Minier is gone at closer but we still have one more year of Satoshi Sato, who had a BABIP-challenged season but still a great BB/K ratio and excelled in the playoffs, and Abelaldo Gray was excellent and can move up to close as he did in Arizona. We could use a RH setup man; rookies Chris Winkler and Tim James are possibilities - both have elite stuff but some level of control issues. Mel Mejia and Jose Morales return as lefty arms and Dan Anderson should be back. The loser of the 5th starter derby between Ramos and O'Brien will be the long reliever. Lefty Brad Mabe is also a possibility.

As far as salary goes, it shouldn't be an issue as we were given a payroll of $190M. Everyone not making the minimum:



We settled all our arbitration cases except Laboy's, and right now keeping everyone projects out at $145M so we'll have plenty of money to spend for whatever perceived needs there are.

[Art Deco]

First off we bid farewell to several former Rays who are retiring from the game: Will Quintana, Ron Adams, Pat Moyer, Ted Hadley, Chris Martin and B.J. Turner. Among this group Quintana was the most significant as he held down our starting catcher job for a few seasons, and Adams was once a promising pitcher whose career was derailed by injuries.

But the big name retiring is our former long-time closer Kikuo Kawase, and we've retired his #17. He saved 341 games for us from 2033-2042 with a 1.67 ERA, 934 whiffs in 524 IP (!), good for 33.7 WAR and save another 28 in the postseason good for another 2.6 WAR. Truly one of the best closers of all-time after coming over Japan at age 26.

Awards season:

No Gold Gloves.

Reliever of the Year: Abelaldo Gray and Willie Minier finished 4-5 in the AL voting, which went to Mike Weber who saved 50 games for the White Sox.

Silver Sluggers: We won for Nelson Bocardo (C), Luis Barela (3B), and Doug Johns (RF).

Cy Young: An extremely close vote saw Oakland's Andy Velazquez edge out Cleveland's Damiano Raffone 152-141 with each garnering 12 first-place votes. Velazquez was 16-9, 3.42 with 207 whiffs in 234 IP. Downballot our Bob Riley finished 9th. Over in the NL it went to Milwaukee's David Avena who was 14-9, 2.76 with 230 Ks.

MVP: Chicago's Joel Taylor, who shared the award with Luis Barela in 2044 and won it last year, was the unanimous AL winner after a 304/391/638 with 52 HR, 130 RBI with 7.8 WAR. Barela, Doug Johns and Jose Castillo finished 4-5-6. In the NL former Ray Jimmy Leonard took the nod, hitting 289/370/569 with 42 HR and 120 RBI with 7.4 WAR.

November 19: Surprise, surprise. Seth Williams accepted the qualifying offer so it's status quo on the infield. Or at least until I trade him. Kevin Crater and Gordie Ager rejected their QOs and will become free agents.

November 21: The expansion draft was held and we lost IF Ed Herrera, who was up with us briefly last season when we had the rash of IF injuries and a former starter of ours whom we re-signed to a minor league deal last year, Jordan Perez. Seth Williams and his $17M one-year deal was not claimed.

November 23: We made a trade of prospects with the Yankees:



Handal was our July 2 signing back in 2043 and hasn't really panned out so far but he did draw considerable trade interest. The Yankees offered a couple of interesting prospects in Olivo and Kidd and by throwing in former 4th-round pick Kempton I was able to get them both. Here's the skinny on Olivo:



He had quite a season at AAA Trenton, earning 5.1 WAR and stealing 84(!) bases (he was also caught 31 times). He looks like .280-.290 hitter in the bigs with moderate power and a good eye. Positionally he's best off at 1B although he could be stuck in LF but he could be our leadoff hitter of the future.

Kidd meanwhile gives us a legit CF in the pipeline:



Like Olivo he had brilliant season last year in the minors and while he's never going to be a great hitter he looks like a legit speed/defense option for CF.

December 2: Big free agent signing as perennial all-star and former NL MVP Kevin Erickson left his long-time team the Rockies for NL champs St. Louis on a 3/92 deal. Even at 38 he was worth 6.2 WAR last year but he's listed as "fragile" so good luck Cardinals.

December 6: We went out and got our RH closer:



Colorado is picking up 60% of Carrasco's salary leaving us on the hook for $3.4M. He has 75 stuff, 65 movement and 60 control and will undoubtedly put up better numbers outside of Coors (although Publix Park is a hitter's paradise as well). Winkler was a good relief prospect himself but we were looking for someone more proven. I did however get a message that the players were leery of Carrasco as he is something of a malcontent. We have a good leadership core and the fan interest increased so we'll be alright.

December 7: After spending a year with us, playing great baseball and winning a ring despite missing the postseason with injury, Kevin Crater has returned to the only other team he played for, the Los Angeles Dodgers as the fragile 39-year-old signed a 2/46 deal. We pocket a 2nd-round supplemental pick since we qualified Crater.

December 8: And there goes our former ace and Cy Young winner Gordie Ager, off to the Astros on a 5/125 contract. We get a supplemental 1st-rounder for qualifying him.

December 9: Slugger Nelson Gamez, a perennial MVP candidate, one of the premier power hitters in baseball and a thorn in our side the last several years with the Yankees, is no longer our problem unless we face Atlanta in the World Series as the Yanks dealt him there for 3 prospects. Gamez is a free agent at the end of 2048.

Another trade:



We thought we'd get a draft pick for Seth Williams but instead we get a middle reliever. While we could have afforded to keep him around for another season he's started to drop off (down to 2.6 WAR last year) and he was blocking playing time for younger guys like Vinnie Rodriguez and Juan Davila (not to mention Tomas Laboy). Pasillas has very good ratings (65 stuff/60 movement/55 control) although his MLB numbers have been kind of lousy. We'll give him a shot though as this was just a salary dump deal. We now have close to $30M to spend so we'll see what's out there. I may just dump more of it into scouting and player development as our farm system is in the bottom third of MLB.

December 22: Added 1B Eric Wilson, 3B Steve Holt and Tony Olivo, OF Jon Morales and P Tim James to the 40-man roster.

Rule 5 time. We just traded for Olivo while Holt and Morales are our two top prospects. Both can hit but have questionable gloves. James is a potential closer if he can get his control under control and Wilson is a dark horse in our 1B derby.

December 23: Lost C Daryl Treitz to Boston and C Israyber Sampson to Minnesota in the Rule 5 Draft.

Treitz is a decent hitter who could hit .280-.290 in the bigs albeit without power and is only a 35 catcher while Sampson, who had a cameo with the big club in 2045 is another bat-first receiver who could hit .260 with 10-15 HR if he played every day but would give it all back behind the plate with a 30 rating on defense. Neither will be missed except as depth. I predict we get at least one of them offered back. It was a very active Rule 5 draft with 21 players taken including 5 by expansion Indianapolis and 3 by expansion Oklahoma City.

December 25: Another of our free agents departs for elsewhere as Ben Moses signed a 2/17 deal with the Cubs.

[Art Deco]

(The original version of this post was lost in progress due to a reboot, so here's the bare-bones version)

January 1: The Hall of Fame voting is in:



Congrats to Christian Little, whose #43 we retired after many years of being our ace from the mid-late-20s through the mid-30s. Little fanned a whopping 3221 batters in only 2222 career IP, or 13.0/9. He won 3 Cy Youngs, 7 strikeout titles and led the AL in ERA and WAR twice.

January 10: Willie Minier, our closer the last 2 1/2 years, signed a 3/ deal with the Rockies. Good luck in Coors, Willie.

And in big Rays news, we signed his replacement, who I've coveted for a while now:



Falcon has 80 stuff, 70 movement and 55 control and earned an impressive 3.2 WAR as a reliever last year with the Nats. Our bullpen is extraordinarily deep now.

[Art Deco]

A just-as-I-like-it uneventful spring training with no injuries of note.

Here's how the Opening Day roster shakes out:

C-Bocardo, Suzuki
1B-V.Rodriguez
2B-Morioka
SS-Frick
3B-Barela
IF-Laboy, Davila
LF-Saro
CF-Parham
RF-Johns
OF-A.Duran, Emerson
DH-J.Castillo

There will be some platooning; Davila will platoon with V-Rod at 1B and Laboy will platoon with Castillo at DH. Also I will play Johns and his 40D in CF against some righties to get Duran's bat in the lineup.

SP-Bookhart, Riley, Delgado, Rose, Ramos
LR-O'Brien (L)
MR-J.Morales (L), Mejia (L), Pasillas, D.Anderson
SU-Carrasco, Gray, Sato (L)
CL-Falcon

The 3 setup guys and Falcon could be (and Carrasco and Gray have been) closers elsewhere, making this an extremely formidable back end of the pen.

The preseason picks like us:



Sato will not be saving 52 games, probably more like 5 considering we signed Falcon to be our closer and he has other competition.

Next up: We open the season at home with 4 games vs Boston.

[Art Deco]

Time to start season #29 of this save:



The Rays opened their 13th title defense with a convincing win over the Red Sox, although the much-hyped bullpen ended up making a bit closer than it should have been. Greg Bookhart excelled in his first career Opening Day start as he's become the undisputed ace of the staff and rookie Vinny Rodriguez did his best to make the home crowd forget about Seth Williams with a pair of homers.

Game 2: Tampa Bay scored 5 times in the first, went up 8-4 and held on to an 8-6 triumph in the season's second game. Doug Johns led the way on offense, going 3-5 with a 2-run double in that first inning and Dave Frick was 3-4 with a double and an RBI. Bob Riley (1-0) cruised through 4 and struggled thereafter, starting off his year with a 5 6 3 3 3 4 performance. For the second straight day Abelaldo Gray was called on in the 9th with a sizable lead and for the second straight day he gave up a 2-run homer, necessitating the Rays debut of closer Steve Falcon, who got three fly balls to end the game and pick up his 1st save.

Game 3: Don't let the final score fool you - the Rays beat Boston for the third straight day 8-2 but it was a 2-2 game with 2 out in the bottom of the 8th inning before Vinny Rodriguez drew a bases-loaded walk, Dave Frick's grounder was booted to plate another run, and Mario Saro blew it open with a grand slam (#1) to cap a 5-RBI day. Earlier Jose Castillo launched a solo shot (#1) and Melvin Delgado turned in a solid start (6 4 2 2 3 2). Satoshi Sato earned the win in his season debut.

Game 4: The Rays completed the 4-game sweep of Boston to open the season as they scored twice in the bottom of the 9th to walk off a 4-3 win. Doug Johns (off to a .529 start) and Dave Frick singled in the tying and winning runs and made a winner of Satoshi Sato (2-0) for the second straight day. Dave Rose had a fair start (5.2 6 3 3 1 3) and five relievers including Sato held Boston off the board over the final 3 1/3. The 9th inning rally started with Nelson Bocardo's 4th hit of the day, one of which drove in one of the Rays' first two runs.

Team record: 4-0. Next up: The White Sox come to town for 3 in a rematch of last year's ALCS which the Rays swept (as they did in all three postseason rounds).

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Caleb Ramos struggled in his return to the rotation, giving up 6 runs in the first inning. Of course you know where there is going - it simply gave Rays batters a challenge, which they accepted in coming back 8-7 to win and stay undefeated. Alex Duran's 2-run single in the 5th got them back within 6-4 then in the 7th they got a solo homer from Jose Castillo (#2) and a 2-run shot from Doug Johns (#1) as part of a 4-run inning which put them back ahead. Ramos to his credit went 3 scoreless after the disastrous 1st and finished 4 7 6 5 2 3, Chris O'Brien went 3 scoreless for his first win, and after Dan Anderson made a mess allowing a run in the 8th Steve Falcon bailed him out and picked up a 4-out save (#2) with all of the outs coming via the whiff.

Game 2: The Rays went to 6-0 with another late game comeback against the White Sox as they scored 4 times in the 7th to pull out a 7-4 win. Luis Barela blasted his first homer of the year to put them up 2-0 but Greg Bookhart gave up 3 in his 5th and final inning to finish 5 7 4 4 1 3. Jose Castillo homered for the second straight day (#3) to get them within 4-3 and in the 7th they went ahead on a wild pitch and a sac fly before Mario Saro blasted a 2-run shot (#2) to put things away. Tony Pasillas earned his first Rays win with two scoreless innings and Steve Falcon closed again for save #4.

Game 3: Tampa Bay completed the sweep and continued their unbeaten start to 2048 with a 12-2 rout of Chicago. Chris Parham had his best day as a Ray, hitting an early 2-run triple and capping things with a 3-run homer (#2) to give him a 3-hit, 5-RBI day. Yuji Morioka added a 2-run triple and Luis Barela was 3-4 with 2 RBI. Bob Riley (2-0) coasted at 7 8 2 2 0 3.

Team record: 7-0. Next up: An off-day then our season-opening homestand concludes with 3 against Toronto.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays broke open a 2-1 game with a 5-run 6th and romped over the Jays 9-1 to improve to 8-0 in 2048. 8 of the 9 Rays drove in a run with only Dave Frick being shut out and Jose Castillo was the only with a pair courtesy of a 2-run double in that 6th inning. Luis Barela added HR #2. Melvin Delgado (1-0) was excellent against his former team, going 5.2 5 1 1 1 4.

Game 2: The Rays are just not interested in losing this year as they fell behind 8-2 in the 5th only to come back and beat the Jays 9-8. Dave Rose wilted, going 5 5 8 8 2 5 but they got 3 back in the 6th, one each in the 7th and 8th, and in the 9th Alex Duran's pinch-RBI single tied it and Juan Davila's sac fly walked it off. Bocardo, Johns and Vinnie Rodriguez each had 3 hits while Mario Saro and Chris Parham each knocked in a pair. Chris O'Brien went 3 1-hit scoreless innings to keep the Jays in range and Satoshi Sato (3-0) pitched the 9th for the win.

Game 3: Once again the Jays went ahead in the middle innings and once again the Rays came back to maintain their perfect season of 10-0 with a 6-5 win. Mario Saro's solo homer (#4), his 3rd hit and 3rd RBI of the day, broke a 5-5 tie in the bottom of the 8th to provide the winning margin. Yuji Morioka was on base all day with a pair of doubles, 2 walks, 2 runs scored and an RBI while Chris Parham continues to rake in the early going with a 2-4, 2-RBI day. Caleb Ramos started and struggled again at 5 9 4 4 1 3 and although Satoshi Sato allowed the tying run the bullpen was good overall with the win going to Abelaldo Gray (1-0) and the save to Steve Falcon (#4) after a perfect 9th.

Team record: 10-0. Next up: We'll take the perfection show on the road for the first time with 3 games in Boston.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays played their first road game of the season and stayed perfect at 11-0 thanks to a 6-5 win at Boston in 14 innings after blowing a 4-run lead in the 9th. Luis Barela's 4th homer of the young season won it for Tony Pasillas (2-0), who went 2 2/3 scoreless. Mel Mejia recorded the final out for his first save. They had built a 5-1 lead on 2 RBIs from Doug Johns (including HR #2) and Dave Frick and a fine Greg Bookhart start (7 6 1 1 1 2). But Abelaldo Gray, sent in to protect a 4-run lead in the 9th, gave up a grand slam to former Ray Randy Rappaport which sent us to extras.

Game 2: It finally happened - the Rays tasted defeat for the first time in 2048 but not without a fight as they fell 6-4 to the Red Sox. It was a 1-1 game into the 7th thanks to a fine Bob Riley outing (6 4 1 1 0 3) and a Mario Saro solo shot (#6) but Dan Anderson coughed up 3 runs in the bottom of the 7th to put them behind 4-1. But as they've done so often this season they've fought back and Jose Castillo launched a 3-run homer (#4) in the top of the 8th to tie it back up. With most of the "A" bullpen tired from yesterday's 14-inning game Mel Mejia (0-1) got the ball in the 8th and unfortunately gave up 2 runs to lose it.

Game 3: The Rays bounced back from their lone defeat of the season to rout the Red Sox 9-3 and take the series. Luis Barela had a monster game, going 4-5 with a double, HR #5 (a 3-run shot) and 4 RBI in total while Chris Parham, off to a torrid start, was 2-4 with 2 RBI against his former club. Mario Saro chipped in with 3 hits and an RBI. Melvin Delgado started but had to leave in the 2nd with a sprained ankle which will sideline him for 3-4 weeks. Chris O'Brien (2-0), who will take his rotation spot, came on in long relief and got the win despite a pedestrian 4.1 6 3 3 2 0 outing, and Satoshi Sato went the final two innings, fanning all six men he faced and earning his 1st save as it was 6-3 when he came on in the 8th.

Team record: 12-1. Next up: An off-day then the road trip continues with 3 in Toronto.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays continued their winning ways but had to work overtime again as they edged the Jays 6-5 in 12 innings. The winning run came on Chris Parham's RBI double, a play on which Parham suffered back spasms and will have to sit for 5-6 days. Abelaldo Gray (2-0), the 6th Rays pitcher of the game, got the win and Mel Mejia picked up his 2nd save. Earlier the Rays got homers from Nelson Bocardo, Yuji Morioka (the first for each) and Jose Castillo (#5) and another poor start from Dave Rose (4.2 10 4 4 1 3).

Game 2: Tampa Bay went to 14-1 thanks to their second straight 6-5 win over the Jays, although this one came in regulation and was 6-3 before Satoshi Sato gave up a 2-run homer in the 9th. Yuji Morioka's 2nd homer of the year and 2nd in as many nights broke a 3-3 tie in the 8th and Vinny Rodriguez, hitting a cool .447, went back-to-back with him for #3. Mario Saro added his 6th in the top of the 9th for insurance and the claim was made on the policy when Sato coughed up the 2-run shot but still secured save #2. Caleb Ramos won his first decision of the year after a 7 10 3 3 1 4 start.

April 19: Placed 3B Luis Barela on the 10-day IL with biceps tendinitis, recalled 3B Tony Olivo from AAA Durham.

Barela, off to a great start this year, will miss the minimum 10 days with the injury barring a setback. Olivo was acquired in the offseason from the Yankees and has a 65 hit tool, although Tomas Laboy should see most of the action in Barela's stead.

Game 3: The Rays for once couldn't outscore their mediocre pitching and fell 8-7 to Toronto to lose for only the second time this season. Greg Bookhart had a wild and rough time of it at 4.1 7 5 5 5 6 but the offense took him off the hook and the game wasn't lost until Jose Carrasco (0-1) surrendered a walk-off homer in the 9th to the first batter he faced. Before then Tomas Laboy twice tied the game with homers, a 2-run blast in the 6th and a solo shot in the 8th, his first two of the year.

Team record: 14-2. Next up: We head back home for a 4-games series against Baltimore, our closest pursuers at 4 games back.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: It was a rare low-scoring affair at Publix Park as Bob Riley and the Rays outdueled Chris Maska and the Orioles 2-1 in the series opener. Riley (3-0) was an excellent 7 6 1 1 0 5 and Steve Falcon finished up for save #5 with a 1-2-3 two-whiff 9th. Both Rays runs came in the 3rd on a 2-run Yuji Morioka single.

Game 2: High drama tonight as the Rays took another tight one 3-2 on a 3-run walkoff homer from Doug Johns (#3) in the bottom of the 9th. Chris O'Brien was outstanding in his first start (8 5 2 2 1 2 on only 86 pitches) but trailed 2-0. Jose Morales (1-0) picked up the win with a scoreless 9th when Nelson Bocardo reached on an error to start the inning, Alex Duran walked and then Johns hit one into the RF bullpen to set off pandemonium at Publix Park.

Game 3: No nail-biting necessary in the third game as the Rays routed the Orioles 10-4. Steve Emerson, getting a rare start in CF with Chris Parham still nursing an injury, had the game of his young career with a pair of 2-run doubles among his 3 hits. Alex Duran added his first homer of the year off former Ray Tim Gates and Jose Castillo plated a pair. Dave Rose (1-0) finally got a decision in his 4th start and gave up his usual bushel of hits but pitched around them going 6 9 2 2 1 5. Rose has allowed 30 hits in 21.1 IP with a .384 BABIP.

Game 4: The Rays couldn't complete the sweep and suffered only their third defeat in 20 games this season, losing 8-7 in 10 innings despite coming back from 7-2 down to equalize. Caleb Ramos was brutal, giving up all 7 runs in the 4th, going 4 6 7 7 4 2 and allowing 3 homers. Tony Pasillas took over and went 4 1 0 0 0 4 to buy the offensive time to come back and they did, with homers from Doug Johns (#4, a 2-run shot), Dave Frick (#1, ditto) and Yuji Morioka (#3, solo). Nelson Bocardo was 3-4 with a double and 2 RBI as well. Things went off the rails though in the 10th as Steve Falcon (0-1) was touched for his first run allowed as a Ray on a double, and he took his first loss as a Ray as a result.

Team record: 17-3. Next up: 3 more at Publix Park vs Houston.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Mario Saro had a huge game, leading the Rays to an 8-3 victory in their series opener at Publix Park against Houston. The LF blasted a pair of homers to give him 8 on the young season and drove in 3, while Yuji Morioka added a solo shot (#4) and Tomas Laboy a 2-run jack (#3). Nelson Bocardo doubled twice among his three hits and drove in a pair as well. Greg Bookhart (2-0) was good enough for the win at 5 6 3 3 1 5 and Jose Carrasco notched his first Rays save with 2 perfect innings on only 13 pitches.

Game 2: It was a matchup of Rays rotation mates from last season as Gordie Ager took the Publix Park mound in enemy colors and Bob Riley was on the bump for Tampa Bay. Neither distinguished himself today as the Rays fell 8-6 to the Astros. Riley (3-1) gave up all 8 runs on 3 homers and finished 5 9 8 8 1 2 while Ager fell one out short of qualifying for the win after giving up 6 runs on 9 hits through 4 2/3, raising his Houston ERA to 9.00. The same trio which went deep for the Rays yesterday did it again with Mario Saro (#9), Yuji Morioka (#5) and Tomas Laboy (#4) finding the seats.

April 26: Placed C Akio Suzuki on the 10-day IL with a strained abdominal muscle, recalled C Kurt Ferguson from AAA Durham.

Suzuki will miss about six weeks with the injury so Ferguson gets another shot at the bigs after a brief appearance last season with us.

Game 3: The Rays unleashed an offensive onslaught on Houston to take the series, beating them 15-7 and banging out 22 hits in the process. Every Ray scored at least one run, every Ray had at least one hit (in fact everyone had at least 2 hits except Chris Parham) and every Ray drove in a run except Jose Castillo. They totaled 9 doubles, a triple and two homers (Doug Johns and Tomas Laboy, the 5th for each and the third straight game Laboy has gone deep). Johns and Dave Frick each knocked in 3, and the newly-recalled Kurt Ferguson had 2 doubles and drove in a run. The beneficiary of all this support was Chris O'Brien, who went to 3-0 with a 5 7 3 3 0 5 outing. Brad Mabe and Dan Anderson weren't very good in relief, allowing a pair of runs each.

Team record: 19-4. Next up: We hopped on a plane right after the game to fly to SoCal where we'll take on the Angels for 3 in Anaheim.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: A 6-run first paved the way for the Rays to comfortably handle the Angels 9-3 in the series opener at Anaheim Stadium. The inning saw Tomas Laboy launch a 3-run shot (#6) and Doug Johns go back-to-back with him (#6). Chris Parham also blasted a solo homer, his 4th. Dave Rose (2-0) was solid at 7 5 3 3 0 7, shutting out LA over the first six innings.

Game 2: An unusual Rays defeat as they were edged by LA 3-2. Former Ray Jeff Brockman held them to 1 run over 5 innings while Caleb Ramos (1-1, 8.25 ERA) struggled once again at 4 6 3 3 4 2.

Game 3: Tampa Bay took the series with a 6-0 blanking of the Angels behind Greg Bookhart. The lefty improved to 3-0 after a fine 6 3 0 0 0 4 effort and three relievers went an inning apiece to close it out. The Rays offense came exclusively via the longball with five homers: Doug Johns (#7), Dave Frick (#2), Jose Castillo (#6), Yuji Morioka (#6) and Tomas Laboy (#7). All were solo shots except for Morioka's which came with a man aboard.

Team record: 21-5. Next up: An off-day to fly to Cleveland, where we'll play 3 against the Guardians.

At 21-5 the Rays are off to a truly great start but it makes the all-time greatest start of the 1984 Tigers at 35-5 seem that much more incredible and impossible to equal; we'd now have to win 14 straight to match it.

[Art Deco]

May 1: Activated 3B Luis Barela from the 10-day IL, optioned IF Tony Olivo to AAA Durham.

Game 1: Doug Johns stole the show as he tied a team record held by many, homering 3 times in a 9-3 Rays win at Progressive Field over the Guardians. He launched solo shots in the 1st and 3rd and capped his day with a 2-run blast in the 7th, giving him 10 for the year. Chris Parham drove in a pair, Juan Davila had 4 hits and Dave Frick was 3-5 with a ribbie. Bob Riley (4-1) went 6 7 3 3 0 4 for the win.

Game 2: Rays' bats were held in check as they fell 5-2 to Cleveland in the second game. Chris O'Brien (3-1) struggled for the first time since joining the rotation as he went 4 7 5 4 2 1.

Game 3: The Rays took the rubber game of the series 5-0 as Dave Rose and four relievers combined on the shutout. Rose (3-0) had his best outing as a Ray, dominating Cleveland bats to the tune of 6.1 5 0 0 0 10. Vinny Rodriguez (#4) and Luis Barela (#6) homered to lead the offense.

Team record: 23-6 (no chance of equaling the 84 Tigers' 35-5 now). Next up: The cross-country road trip continues along with 3 games at Yankee Stadium.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays got a rare good start from Caleb Ramos, whose rotation spot was hanging by a thread, to beat the Yankees 5-1 in the series opener at the Stadium. Ramos (2-1) was an outstanding 6.1 4 0 0 1 7 for the win. Vinny Rodriguez was 2-3 with a pair of doubles, a steal and an RBI while Nelson Bocardo and Doug Johns each had 2 hits and a run batted in.

Game 2: Greg Bookhart was hit hard and the Rays dropped the second game 9-6 to the Yankees. The lefty suffered his first loss at 3-1 after a rough 3.1 6 6 6 2 3 outing with a couple of homers allowed. The offense tried to keep up with a solo homer from Yuji Morioka (#7) and a 2-run Luis Barela blast (#7).

Game 3: The Rays snapped back and won 10-6 to take the series from New York. A 5-run 5th broke it open and was highlighted by a 2-run Dave Frick homer (#2). Yuji Morioka drove in a pair with two hits and Luis Barela and Doug Johns were each 3-5 with an RBI. Bob Riley started and wasn't his best, but went to 5-1 after going 6 8 4 4 0 2.

Team record: 25-7. Next up: An off-day then finally back home for 3 vs Minnesota.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Tomas Laboy came off the bench and delivered a bases-clearing double in the 8th inning to break a 1-1 tie and lead the Rays to a 5-1 win over the Twins in the first game of their homestand. Chris O'Brien started and while he pitched well (4 3 1 0 2 6) he ran up a pitch count of 89, leading to an early exit. Satoshi Sato (4-0) ended up with the win after an impressive two perfect innings with five whiffs.

Game 2: The Rays downed the Twins again 5-3 behind Dave Rose and Mario Saro. Rose (4-0) was 6.2 6 3 3 1 9 in a quality outing and Steve Falcon notched save #6. Saro meanwhile drove in 3 with a 2-run single and RBI double while Luis Barela had a solo shot (#8) in the 2nd.

Game 3: Tampa Bay completed the sweep with their second straight 5-3 win over Minnesota. Caleb Ramos was touched for 3 in the 1st by his old team and put the Rays in a hole, but they started fighting back in the 2nd on Doug Johns' 2-run blast (#11) and took the lead in the 6th on a 2-run Vinny Rodriguez triple. Ramos finished 5 3 3 3 4 4 and Tony Pasillas, who has been excellent this year with an 0.95 ERA in 28 IP, went to 3-0 after getting the win while Steve Falcon saved again (#7), getting all three outs in the 9th via strikeout.

Team record: 28-7. Next up: Baltimore invades Tampa for 3.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays trailed 5-1 in the 7th but as you might expect that wasn't a big deal and they came back to take a 6-5 walk-off win in the bottom of the 9th over Baltimore in the series opener at Publix Park. Mario Saro, who had an RBI single in the 7th to start the comeback, singled in Dave Frick with the winner while a solo homer from Alex Duran (#2) in the 7th and a 2-run shot from Luis Barela (#9) in the 8th got them in position to win. Greg Bookhart had a good start at 6 5 2 2 2 5 although both runs came on homers, and after Jose Carrasco made a mess in the 7th allowing three, this year's good luck charm Satoshi Sato pitched the 9th and got the win to improve to 5-0.

Game 2: No comeback necessary in the second game as the Rays were up 6-0 after 2 and coasted to a 7-3 win over the Orioles. Jose Castillo had a big game, blasting a 3-run homer (#7) in the 1st and singling one in during a 3-run 2nd. Luis Barela also had a 2-run double in that 3rd and Mario Saro was on base 4 times via the walk. Bob Riley (6-1) was effective if a bit wild by his standards, going 6 5 1 1 3 3 for the win.

Game 3: Rays pitching was battered for 18 hits in a 7-4 loss to Baltimore to close the homestand. Chris O'Brien (3-2) took the brunt of the Oriole attack, going 3.2 11 4 4 0 0 and taking the loss. The final score was misleading as 3 of the Rays' 4 runs came with two out in the 9th on Luis Barela's 10th homer of the year.

Team record: 30-8. Next up: A day off then we're off to Yankee Stadium again for the second time in two weeks' time for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays mounted an impressive comeback but ended up losing anyway, 10-9 in 10 innings to the Yankees on a walk-off homer. Dave Rose's inconsistency reared its ugly head again and he was hit hard to the tune of 3.1 10 7 7 2 5 and the Rays were down 7-4. They trailed 9-6 going into the 9th when Doug Johns hit a dramatic 3-run homer (#12) but Steve Falcon (0-2) surrendered a game-ending homer in the 10th to take the loss. As a result they wasted a massive game from Luis Barela, 4-5 with a double, homer (#11) and 3 RBI as well as Yuji Morioka's 8th longball of the season.

Game 2: Tampa Bay turned in its worst performance of the year as they were shellacked 16-2 by the Yankees and suffered their first 3-game losing streak of the year. Caleb Ramos's days in the rotation are done after another brutal outing (3 8 7 7 2 1 with 2 homers) which dropped him to 2-2, 7.51. Melvin Delgado is coming back from his rehab assignment and will Ramos's place. Brad Mabe gave up 5 runs in an inning after taking over for Ramos and he's off to Durham.

May 17: Optioned P Brad Mabe to AAA Durham, recalled P Josh MacDonald from AAA Durham.

A fresh arm keeping the roster spot warm for Melvin Delgado.

Game 3: The Rays snapped out of their mini-funk with a 10-4 rout of the Yankees in New York. They hit four homers in a 7-run 2nd, including back-to-back-to-back blasts from Jose Castillo (#8), Luis Barela (#12) and Doug Johns (#13) after Yuji Morioka (#9) had gone deep earlier in the inning. Nelson Bocardo added a 2-run shot (#2) in the 3rd for good measure and Castillo ended with 4 RBI on the day. Greg Bookhart (4-1) coasted with the support but ran up a pitch count at 5 4 1 1 4 6 and after Josh MacDonald gave up 3 runs in an inning, Tony Pasillas earned his first Rays save with 3 scoreless frames.

Team record: 31-10. Next up: We fly cross-country to play 3 in Seattle.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays rode the longball to a 7-6 comeback win in 10 innings at Seattle in the series opener. Luis Barela's solo shot (#13) won it after Jose Castillo tied it with a 2-run blast (#9) in the 8th after the Rays had fallen behind 6-4. And those four Rays runs came on a Doug Johns grand slam (#14). Chris O'Brien had a very rough start (4 4 6 6 3 1) but the pen held the Mariners the rest of the way with Satoshi Sato winning again (6-0) and Steve Falcon recording save #8.

Game 2: In a virtual carbon copy of yesterday's game the Rays got a late homer to tie it up and won it with one over Seattle by the same exact score of 7-6. This time Tampa Bay had to mount more of a comeback as a bad Bob Riley start (4.1 7 6 6 3 3, almost identical to O'Brien's yesterday) put them behind 6-2. Jose Castillo came through big again with a 3-run homer in the 7th (#10) to make it 6-5, Doug Johns homered again to tie it in the 8th and then Johns homered for the second time in the game and fourth in three days in the 10th (#16). And Satoshi Sato won yet again (7-0) to take over the major league lead (look out Roy Face and your record 18 relief wins in a season) and Steve Falcon saved again (#9). I'm not sure I've ever played two consecutive games that turned out so identically.

Game 3: The Rays completed the sweep, not with a 7-6 win in 10 innings (that would have been too ridiculous) but with a 10-6 win in regulation as they continue to outscore their woeful starting pitching. The usual suspects all homered again: Jose Castillo (#11), Luis Barela (#14) and Doug Johns (his MLB-leading 17th) as they built a 10-1 lead. Melvin Delgado (2-0) was pretty good in his return from the IL, holding the Ms to 1 run through 5, but was hit for 4 in the 6th and finished 6 4 5 5 1 4. Jose Carrasco inherited a mess in the 8th and got the final 5 outs for his 2nd save.

Team record: 34-10. Next up: An off-day then the road trip continues with 3 in Texas.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: What is this new devilry? A well-pitched game for a change in which the Rays didn't have to win 10-6 thanks to Dave Rose and four relievers as they blanked the Rangers 6-0 in the opener at Globe Life Field. Rose (5-0) was dominating at times but it did take him 104 pitches to go 5 4 0 0 3 9. Vinny Rodriguez was the hitting hero, going 3-4 with a double that brought home one and another that brought home a pair.

Game 2: And today the Rays only scored 3 times yet still won as Greg Bookhart and the pen took care of Texas in a 3-1 win. Bookhart (5-1) went 5 2 1 1 1 4 on 89 pitches and once again the bullpen contributed four scoreless culminating in Steve Falcon's 10th save. My Cousin Vinny Rodriguez came through yet again, going 2-4 with 2 RBI as he's hitting 346/401/526 and making us forget all about Seth Williams.

Game 3: The Rays completed the sweep albeit with a more conventional (for them) high-scoring win, coming back to prevail 6-5 after Chris O'Brien allowed 4 Ranger runs in the 1st to extend their win streak to 7. To O'Brien's credit he held Texas at 4 and finished 6 6 4 4 3 1, buying time for the offense to do its thing. Mario Saro hand a solo homer (#10) and RBI single and it was 4-3 Rangers going into the 8th when Luis Barela stepped up and slammed a 3-run homer into the LF seats, his 15th, to win it. Steve Falcon saved again (#11) despite allowing a run in the 9th and Jose Morales (2-0) picked up the win in relief.

Team record: 37-10. Next up: Back home for some interleague play as Philadelphia visits for 3.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays played for maximum drama at Publix Park in their series opener against the Phillies, scoring single runs in the 7th, 8th and 9th after trailing 2-0 to take a 3-2 walk-off win. Bob Riley pitched well (6.1 6 1 1 2 6) but he and Satoshi Sato combined to allow 2 runs in the top of the 7th to put the Rays behind. But come back they did (as usual) with Mario Saro doubling in a run in the 7th, Doug Johns homering (#18) to tie it in the 8th and Nelson Bocardo walked it off with a solo blast (#3) into the LF seats. Mel Mejia (1-1) got the final out in the 9th and picked up the win.

Game 2: Tampa Bay prevailed in another low-scoring affair as two runs in the 3rd held up for a 2-1 win over the Phillies. Mario Saro led off the 3rd with HR #11 and then Luis Barela doubled in a run to back the quality pitching of Melvin Delgado (3-0), who went 6 5 1 1 1 6. Steve Falcon had a perfect 9th for save #12.

Game 3: The Rays extended their winning streak to 10 and upped their record to 40-10 with their third straight low-scoring one-run win over the Phillies 3-2 in 10 innings with yet another walk-off homer. Their 40-10 is the second best 50-game start in MLB history behind the 1946 Red Sox, who began their season 41-9. Today's hero was Vinny Rodriguez, who led off the bottom of the 10th with his 5th homer and sent the Publix Park fans home happy. Earlier they got a good start from Dave Rose (6 7 1 1 1 4), who would have had the win had Satoshi Sato not given up the tying run in the 8th. The win went to Jose Morales who is now 3-0. Alex Duran also had a solo homer, his 3rd.

Team record: 40-10. Next up: A day off then the Dodgers roll into town for 3 games.