The 2022 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 6-5 W (10). WP-Taylor (2-0). Starter-Patino (3.1 8 2 2 3 3). HR-J.Jackson (5). Rays led 5-4 before Fairbanks blew yet another save, his 4th of the year and 3rd in 4 appearances (the other one was yesterday when he nearly blew it and had to be taken out). He's out of the closer role for now. Meanwhile Patino has now allowed 77 hits in 54 IP for a .420 BABIP which is something. The good news is they still won when Jackson's RBI single in the 10th pulled it out.

Game 2: 4-2 W. WP-McClanahan (7-3, 6 6 2 1 2 4). S-Kittredge (2). HR-Bregman (14), Meadows (1/11). The one starter we can rely on came through, Bregman knocked in 3 and Meadows hit his first homer since rejoining the club.

Game 3: 4-5 L (10). LP-Gau (1-1). Starter-Rasmussen (5.2 7 3 2 0 3). Another game lost by the pen as Springs gave up a run in the 7th and Gau the winner in the 10th. Andrew Vaughn was 2-3 with 2 RBI.

Game 4: 6-4 W. WP-Whitley (1-0). S-Feyereisen (3). Starter-Swanda (4 5 3 3 3 6). HR-J.Lowe (3). Handed a 5-1 lead Swanda couldn't make it through 5 but three 1-hit innings from Whitley were key. Meadows had a 2-run double in the first, giving him 6 RBI in 6 games since being re-acquired and Arozarena drove in a pair as the Rays won their first series in a long while.

Team record: 38-23. The Yankees split 4 with Boston so we're back within 1/2 game of the division lead. Next up: We finally return home but it won't be easy as 38-24 San Francisco visits for 3.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 7-2 W. WP-Chirinos (6-1, 5.2 4 2 2 0 5). HR-Soto (14). Yonny was solid and the Rays scored 6 times in the middle innings with Jeremiah Jackson going 3-4 with 3 RBI and Rene Pinto contributing a 2-run double.

Game 2: 7-4 W. WP-Patino (5-4, 6 7 3 3 1 6). S-Taylor (2/9). Patino survived a rough start, falling behind 3-0 in the 2nd before the Rays put 5 on the board in the 3rd to go up 7-3. Austin Meadows had a 2-run single and has 8 RBI in 7 games since rejoining the Rays while Josh Lowe and Royce Lewis each knocked in a pair. Fairbanks was given another chance to get a save but gave up a pair of hits so Josh Taylor got the final out.

Game 3: 5-1 W. WP-McClanahan (8-3, 7 3 1 1 1 8). HR-Arozarena (12), Mead 2 (7). It was the Mac & Mead show as McClanahan lowered his ERA to 2.90 with another gem and Mead was 3-3 with a walk, the two homers and 3 RBI as the Rays swept a very good Giants team.

Team record: 41-23. The Yankees took 2 of 3 in San Diego but their one loss was enough to allow us to nose back into first by 1/2 game. Next up: Arizona visits for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 7-6 W (14). WP-Feyereisen (1-1). Starter-Rasmussen (4.1 6 4 4 3 4). HR-J.Jackson (6). Mead's RBI single in the 14th won it after Royce Lewis tied it with a 2-run single in the 9th. They should have won it in the 9th because after that they had the bases loaded with nobody out but chose instead to do it the hard way. Juan Soto set a club record with 5 walks drawn.

Game 2: 8-2 W. WP-Swanda (6-3, 5 5 1 1 1 4). HR-J.Lowe (4), Arozarena (13). Arozarena had a big game with 3 run-scoring hits including the homer to lead the offense and Swanda actually made it through 5 this time (91 pitches).

Game 3: 6-9 L. LP-Chirinos (6-2, 4.1 6 7 7 2 3). HR-Vazquez (1). We may be 43-24 but outside of McClanahan our starting pitching has been mediocre-to-bad so some work is going to be needed as we can't outscore everybody and tonight was a prime example. They did have the bases loaded in the 9th but couldn't pull it out but it was nice to see Vazquez finally hit a homer this season.

Team record: 43-24. Next up: An off-day then we travel to Chicago for 3 against the White Sox. The Yankees also took 2 of 3 so we remain 1/2 game up in the East.

MLB News: A couple of starting pitchers are done for the year. Atlanta's Ian Anderson and Cleveland's Marcus Stroman suffered arm injuries to put them out of commission.

Also we've sent Wander Franco to Durham on a rehab assignment and will probably activate him after the Chicago series.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 8-1 W. WP-Patino (6-4, 6.1 2 1 1 2 9). HR-Meadows (2/12). Patino was dazzling and Meadows was 3-5 with the homer & 2 RBI as he's been a great pickup. Vazquez also was 2-4 with 2 ribbies.

Game 2: 4-2 W. WP-McClanahan (9-3, 7.1 7 2 2 0 7). S-Taylor (3/10). HR-Meadows (3/13), Bregman (15), Vazquez (2). Mac rolled again and is now tied for the AL win lead, while the offense only managed 5 hits but maximized them with 3 being homers.

Transaction: Wander Franco was activated after going 3-9 with a homer and triple in a pair of rehab games at Durham, and Royce Lewis was optioned to the Bulls.

Game 3: 3-5 L. LP-Rasmussen (2-2, 0 2 2 2 0 0). As you can see Rasmussen left after giving up a 2-run homer to the second batter he faced but it was only a mild calf strain so he'll make his next start. Meadows continued to rake, driving in all 3 runs with a bases-clearing double and he's now third in the AL in RBI with 48, including 15 in 13 games with us. The offense kept trying to rally but hit into double plays in three straight innings (6th-8th). Wander was 3-4 in his return.

Team record: 45-25. Despite taking 2 of 3 in Chicago the Rays find themselves back in second place by 1/2 game as the Yankees hardly ever seem to lose, sweeping Minnesota. Next up: 2 games at home vs Washington before we head up there to play a pair.

MLB News: Boston signed a couple of the better free agents still out there, adding 2B Jean Segura and reliever Andrew Chafin.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 8-3 W. WP-Swanda (7-3, 6 7 2 2 2 7). HR-Franco (9), Bregman (16), Mead (8), Pinto 2 (4). Bombs away for Tampa Bay as the Rays hit 5 homers, including a pair (for the second time this season) from the very productive Pinto, hitting 262/324/569. Rays had their way with Washington's Landon Knack and Kendall Williams, whom I just finished writing about in my 2021 save as members of the 2030 Rays.

Game 2: 3-4 L. LP-Feyereisen (1-2). Starter-Chirinos (6 5 3 3 2 5). A 3-3 game until Feyereisen gave up a homer in the 9th to lose it.

Team record: 46-26. Yankees split their two games with Toronto while we played ours, so status quo 1/2 game back. Next up: 2 more against these Nats, but in DC.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 2-6 L. LP-Scott (3-1). Starter-Patino (6 3 1 1 0 6). HR-Mead (9). The bullpen lost this one as Scott, Springs and Kittredge combined to allow 5 runs in the 7th and 8th to obliterate a 2-1 lead and waste Patino's best start of the season.

Game 2: 12-6 W. WP-Whitley (2-0). Starter-McClanahan (3.2 8 5 5 2 4). HR-J.Lowe (5), Meadows (4/14), Bregman (17), Mead (10). Rays were up 7-0 in the 1st and with Mac on the mound it seemed it'd be a breeze but the lefty had his worst start of the year and Washington pulled within 7-5 before the Rays put it away. That was largely thanks to Bregman, who was 2-5 with the homer, double and 5 RBI. Lowe's homer was a 3-run job in the 1st and the Rays ended up splitting the 4 games with the worst team in the league (23-51).

Team record: 47-27. The Yankees lost both their games to Toronto so we're once again back in first by 1/2 game. Next up: Our interleague stretch continues with 3 in Pittsburgh.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 3-2 W. WP-Rasmussen (3-2, 6 5 2 2 0 5). S-Feyereisen (4). HR-J.Lowe (6). Lowe's homer in the 7th was the difference and Rasmussen pitched perhaps his best game of the year. Albies was 3-4 with 2 doubles and an RBI.

Game 2: 4-5 L (15). LP-Whitley (2-1). Starter-Swanda (5 5 1 1 2 5). HR-Franco (10), J.Lowe (7). Perhaps the most frustrating and annoying game of the season. The Rays led 2-0 and 4-2, blew both leads in regulation, then loaded the bases twice in extras, once with nobody out and once with one out, and couldn't score before ending up losing. Soto (0-7) and Bregman (2-8) left 10 - count 'em, 10 - runners on base.

Game 3: 9-3 W (17). WP-Springs (4-2). Starter-Chirinos (6 8 2 2 0 7). HR-Soto (15). Whee! Just we wanted after playing 15 yesterday, 17 more innings. Scott was the only reliever who was fully rested, the rest were in the yellow, and at one point I had to use Patino, who was scheduled to start the next game. Despite only 5 hits through 16 innings from the offense, they finally broke through for 6 in the 17th against a pitcher in the red for Pittsburgh with Arozarena's 2-run double the big hit.

Team record: 49-28. Next up: Thank God we have an off-day to rest the pen before we return home to host the Dodgers for 3 games. The Yankees took 2 of 3 over the weekend but lost at Coors on our off-day so the lead is 1 game (2 in the loss column).

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 8-3 W. WP-McClanahan (10-3, 6 4 3 3 3 6). S-Kittredge (3). HR-Bregman (18), Arozarena (14), Vaughn (4). Bregman was 3-4 with the homer & 2 RBI, Vaughn 2-3 with the homer & 3 RBI. Also 3 more hits for Mead, who's up to 2nd in the AL in BA at .318.

Game 2: 8-9 L. LP-Rasmussen (3-3, 4 7 7 7 2 4). HR-Vazquez (3). Rasmussen gave up a 3-run homer to Freddie Freeman in the 1st and never recovered from there, but credit to the bats to nearly overcome a 7-0 deficit. Meadows had a bases-clearing double and Mead was 2-4 with a double and 2 RBI.

Game 3: 4-3 W. WP-Swanda (8-3, 7.1 3 0 0 2 10). S-Kittredge (4). HR-Soto (16). Swanda pitched the best game of his career, finally shattering the 5-inning glass ceiling he seemed to have. Soto knocked in a pair with a bases-loaded walk and homer, but they had to hang on as LA scored 3 times in the 9th and had a man on 3rd before Kittredge got a grounder to end the game.

Team record: 51-29. The Yankees split a pair in Colorado during our series so the lead is now up to 1 1/2 games. Next up: 3 games in Cincinnati, and a midseason review.

[Art Deco]

A good first half for the Rays at 51-29, especially considering there was an 8-game losing streak in the middle. This puts us on pace for 102/103 wins but last year we had a great first half then were terrible in the second and finished 89-73 as I still haven't hit 90 wins in this save.



We're dominant at home, so-so on the road. The offense, as one might expect with players like Franco, Albies, Soto and Bregman (and the emerging Mead) is the best in the league, but the pitching has been quite schizophrenic. The starters have been up (McClanahan, Swanda), down (Rasmussen) and all around (Patino, Chirinos) and while the bullpen has a sterling 2.76 ERA they seem to have a knack for giving runs at the most inopportune moments. And the defense is just as head-scratching as we have a horrible BABIP resulting in a ton of hits, but the zone rating is above average.



The offense has been carried by a couple of guys having MVP-caliber seasons in Bregman and Soto and couple just below that with Franco and Arozarena. But at the other end of the spectrum we've had some lineup spots that have been near-zeroes and one of them surprisingly is Ozzie Albies, who got off to the hottest of starts in April but has been pretty awful in May and June. And now that Mead is entrenched at 1B the DH role continues to be a problem as Vaughn hasn't hit much and Meadows, who does seems to have a knack for driving in runs (21 in 22 games), is overall not that great since the acquisition. And we're carrying Josh Lowe, who has been sub-replacement this year with a complete inability to get anything going offensively after a nice 4-WAR season last year.



As mentioned above the pitching has been a mixed bag, but Chris Gau has really turned into a multi-inning weapon in the pen and deserves a spot in the All-Star Game (he got my vote). Meanwhile Patino and Rasmussen have in particular been victims of our BABIP troubles. Shane Baz should be able to go on a rehab assignment next week and his return will be welcome as we seem to be locked in mortal combat with the Yankees.

For those wondering if I'll be active in trade market keep in mind that we only have $6.3M in payroll available so anything is going to have been close to dollar-for-dollar or any large deal is going to have to involve salary retention from the other team. Odds are if I feel the need for help I might turn to Durham where Casey Schmitt and Josh Mears are more than ready to contribute on the offensive side while pitching-wise top-100 prospect Sandy Gaston has his 70 stuff (77 whiffs in 42 IP so far) available for the pen and Taj Bradley could be called upon to start. In fact, here's a look at where our top prospects stand:

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 6-2 W. WP-Patino (7-4, 6 6 1 1 1 5). S-Feyereisen (5). HR-Soto (17). The first four hitters in the lineup (Franco, Albies, Bregman and Soto) were a combined 11-20 and drove in all 6, including a 3-run Soto shot in the 4th that broke open a 0-0 game. Arozarena set a club record by whiffing all 5 times up.

Game 2: 4-6 L. LP-Chirinos (6-3, 4.2 8 6 6 1 3). HR-Arozarena (15). Yonny was rocked, and Arozarena single-handedly kept them in the game driving in all 4 runs, but it wasn't enough.

Game 3: 8-9 L (10). LP-Feyereisen (1-3). Starter-McClanahan (4.1 5 6 6 4 3). HR-Franco (11), Soto 2 (19). Up 6-0 in the 4th with Mac on the mound you had to figure the Rays' win probability was 99% but Mac gave up 4 in the 4th, left with 2 on in the 5th and Gau gave up a 3-run homer to let Cincy tie it after Soto hit the first of his homers in the top of the inning. Soto homered again to tie it, but Feyereisen gave up a couple of hits, including one to a guy I should have intentionally walked, to lose it. Rene Pinto was 3-4 with a double and RBI and has been the ideal backup C, hitting 276/329/553.

Team record: 52-31. The Yankees took 2 of 3 from Milwaukee to pull back within 1/2 game. Next up: 4 games in Baltimore.

MLB News: Juan Soto was named AL Player of the Week, hitting 4 dingers in the period. Minnesota lost C Salvador Perez for 2+ months with a torn abdominal muscle.

Players of the Month: AL-Nick Pratto (KC), .362-5-22; NL-Nolan Gorman (ARI), .355-8-30.

Pitchers of the Month: AL-Patrick Corbin (HOU), 3-0, 0.35; NL-Lucas Giolito (MIL), 4-0, 1.56.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 8-5 W. WP-Rasmussen (4-3, 6 6 0 0 1 6). HR-J.Lowe (8), Bregman (19). Ras was excellent, Bregman was 3-5 with the HR & 4 RBI and Wander was 4-5 with a double and 2 RBI. It was 8-0 before Whitley and Fairbanks combined to allow 5 runs in the final 2 innings to make it way more interesting that it should have.

Game 2: 7-0 W. WP-Swanda (9-3, 7 5 0 0 1 9). HR-Vaughn (5). Swanda keeps getting better and Vaughn was 4-5 with a homer and 3 RBI, Soto 3-4 with a RBI and Mead 2-4 with 3 runs scored, a double and RBI.

Game 3: 7-2 W. WP-Patino (8-4, 7 6 2 2 0 9). HR-Soto (20), J.Lowe (9). Everyone in the lineup had a hit, Soto and Lowe drove in a pair, and Patino was excellent.

Game 4: 7-6 W (11). WP-Kittredge (1-0). S-Springs (3). Starter-Chirinos (5.1 5 4 3 0 4). HR-Vaughn (6), Soto (21). Soto's big fly in the 11th won it in a game which saw the Rays fall behind 3-1, go up 6-3, let Baltimore tie it off the pen before completing the sweep. Vazquez had 2 hits including a 2-run double and Jeremiah Jackson was 2-5 with 2 doubles and an RBI.

Team record: 56-31. The Yankees dropped 3 of 4 to Philadelphia so the lead is up to 3 1/2 games, as healthy a margin as they've had in recent memory. Next up: We head to the friendly confines of Wrigley Field for 3 against the Cubs before hitting the All-Star break.

Rays news: Shane Baz went on his rehab assignment and was roughed up a bit in his first start at Durham; he'll get at least one more, perhaps two and join us the week after the break. Chirinos is probably the odd man out of the rotation in that scenario. Also we made an exciting July 2 signing:



The scouts seems to think he can be Juan Soto behind the plate, which would be an incredibly valuable thing indeed. Even if he gets 75% of the way there he'd be one of, if not the, top hitting catchers in baseball and as a result he's already considered a top 10 MLB prospect. Then again the guy we signed two years ago, Alex Duran, looked like Barry Bonds 2.0 and now is a mid-200s prospect who could still be good but not otherworldly.

MLB News: Reigning NL MVP Fernando Tatis Jr. fractured his foot and the Padres will be without him for most of the rest of the month.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 8-3 W. WP-McClanahan (11-3, 6 4 2 2 2 7). HR-Vaughn 2 (8), Albies (12). Andrew Vaughn celebrated his return to the city in which he started his MLB career with 2 dingers and 3 ribbies while Arozarena and Albies each drove in a pair.

Game 2: 6-5 W. WP-Rasmussen (5-3, 6 5 4 4 2 3). S-Feyereisen (6). HR-Mead (11). Mead's 2-run homer in the 7th broke a 4-4 tie and gave the Rays the win and the bullpen barely hung on (a run allowed in the 8th and two on in the 9th). Josh Lowe drove in 3 with a pair of doubles.

Game 3: 5-6 L. LP-Fairbanks (0-4). Starter-Swanda (5.1 5 4 3 0 6). The Rays were up 5-0 middle 6 before it all went wrong, starting with Swanda who took a 1-hitter into the inning. Fairbanks blew the save (his 5th) by allowing the tying run to score then gave up the winner and took the loss (his 4th) as he's become a far cry from the AL Reliever of the Year he was last season.

Team record: 58-32. The Yankees swept a good St. Louis team and moved to within 2 1/2 of the division lead. Next up: The All-Star break after which we'll play 4 games in Boston starting Thursday.

[Art Deco]

The rosters, including five Rays (four of whom are starting, the fifth is possible):





McClanahan makes the AL staff while Bregman, Franco, Arozarena and Soto were voted in at 3B, SS, LF and RF respectively.

The HR Derby:



No Rays in the competition, and rookie Jordan Walker almost took it.

The game itself:



The Rays, er the AL, beat the NL 8-6 as the Tampa Bay representatives had the biggest say in the game. In fact I'm not sure in All-Star Game history has a team had three of its players all homer in the same inning but that's what happened tonight when Wander Franco and Juan Soto went back-to-back over the Green Monster and then later in the inning with the sacks full Alex Bregman did likewise and earned game MVP honors as the AL scored 7 times in the 3rd to earn the win. And Shane McClanahan did his best to preserve that lead by striking out the side in the 6th. Randy Arozarena was the skunk at the party by going 0-3.

And the Rays' all-star contingent won't have to travel as their teammates will be joining them in a couple of days to play four games at Fenway.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 7-5 W. WP-Kittredge (2-0). S-Feyereisen (7). Starter-Patino (4.1 5 4 4 1 2). Juan Soto to the rescue as his 2-run single in the 7th made it 6-5 Rays and he added an RBI single in the 9th for insurance. It was a costly win though as Kittredge tore his rotator cuff and is out 10 months while Springs strained his forearm and will be out 2 weeks.

Transactions: Kittredge went on the 60-day IL and Springs on the 15, we recalled reliever Colby White and purchased the contract of lefty Ian Seymour, our 2nd round pick in 2020, who's been a decent starter but will be used in relief.

Game 2: 7-4 W (10). WP-Feyereisen (2-3). S-Seymour (1). Starter-Rasmussen (5 2 2 2 4 3). HR-Arozarena (16), DeLoach (2). Feyereisen blew a 4-2 lead in the 9th but Zach DeLoach bailed him out with a 3-run homer in the 10th. And Ian Seymour pitched around two hits in the 10th to earn the save in his MLB debut. Albies was 4-6 with a double and RBI.

Transaction: After the game we swung a trade with the team hosting us:



Having already acquired Josh Taylor from Boston earlier this season we plundered them again for Pressly, still considered a top reliever (65 stuff/60 movement/65 control) and who had 3 wins and 9 saves in 17 appearances for Boston this season. It's a bittersweet farewell to Chirinos, who has been a useful pitcher for us the last couple of years in a swingman role, but room needed to be made in the rotation for the return of Shane Baz as well as the fact we needed a replacement for Kittredge. The two minor leaguers thrown in are nobodies but they got Boston to eat more salary to the point where we netted $, important given how cash-strapped we are currently. Also Baz was activated and Colby White returned to Durham after striking out the side in an inning of work tonight.

Game 3: 1-7 L. LP-Baz (3-4, 5 7 7 7 0 6). HR-Soto (22). A rough return for Baz, although it was a bit of a weird outing. He allowed all 7 runs in the 2nd on a couple of homers, but was perfect in the other 4 innings he worked. Meanwhile, guess who the winning pitcher was for Boston? Yep, Yonny Chirinos, who relieved Garrett Whitlock in the 5th and went 4 4 1 1 1 1.

Game 4: 11-1 W. WP-Swanda (10-3, 6 4 1 1 2 8). S-Whitley (2). HR-Arozarena (17). Swanda dominated again and in his last 7 starts is 5-0 with 8 ER allowed in 44.2 IP for a tidy 1.61 ERA. Arozrena had a slam (which scored 3 of Chirinos' baserunners as Boston ran him out again today after going 4 IP yesterday) and Albies had another 4-hit game. Forrest Whitley had a 3-inning save with 6 whiffs.

Team record: 61-33. The Yankees split their 4 games with Baltimore so the lead is back up to 3 1/2 games. Next up: An off-day then we head back home to the Trop for 3 with Colorado.

While this series was going on we also had the Amateur Draft, so a post on that is next.

[Art Deco]

This makes the second consecutive save I've taken Harris with my first-round 2024 pick; in the 2021 save he didn't really pan out. But I couldn't pass this up at #26:



Harris is a high-schooler so he's years away. Here's Abraham:



This was a very weak draft class which is why I took the dreaded high-school 1B in the second round.

Mabeus:



Followed by the high-school catcher.

Morrill:



No hidden gems in this draft. Morrill is a college pitcher with good stuff but not much else and with 45 stamina his destiny is the bullpen.

Pena:



Not a bad-looking high school SS but the reason he was around at the end of Round 5 is that he's seeking an absurd bonus ($10M). I offered him about $7M which is what we had left in our draft budget but this is probably a wasted pick.

So yeah, an underwhelming draft this time around. Thankfully we have a deep prospect pool in the minors and didn't need this draft to bolster it.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 4-1 W. WP-McClanahan (12-3, 7 4 1 1 1 9). S-Pressly (1/10). Mac was dominating and Andrew Vaughn's 7th-inning bases-clearing double was the difference. Ryan Pressly made his Rays debut and got the save but it was a bit shaky with two baserunners and a couple of hard-hit outs.

Game 2: 6-2 W. WP-Patino (9-4, 6 3 2 2 3 7). Patino didn't look like he'd be long for the game, taking 35 pitches to get through the 1st allowing 2 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks. But he only allowed 1 hit and 1 walk in the next 5 innings for the win. Rays scored 3 times in the 1st without a hit (3 walks, HBP, 2-base throwing error).

Game 3: 1-0 W. WP-Rasmussen (5.1 3 0 0 1 5). S-Taylor (4/11). Ras outdueled Kumar Rocker (sort of, Rocker left in the 4th) and the Rays survived leaving 11 on base as Meadows' 3rd-inning RBI single proved to be the only hit they needed with runners on tonight.

Team record: 64-33. The Yankees dropped 2 of 3 to Texas so the Rays finally got real separation in the standings with the division lead now up to 5 1/2 games. Next up: 3 games in Baltimore.

Rays news: Jeffrey Springs is going to be out an additional week with his forearm strain while we claimed Caleb Ferguson on waivers from the Dodgers. Ferguson has dominant stuff (70) but 40 movement and 45 control. Ian Seymour has really pitched well since being called up in a lefty bullpen role (5 2 0 0 2 8 in 3 appearances) so perhaps we need Ferguson a little less than we claimed him but since he's out of options he'll go on the roster and we'll see what we have.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 6-4 W. WP-Baz (4-4, 6 3 0 0 2 9). S-Pressly (2/11). HR-Albies (13). More like it from Baz in his best start of the year. Wander was 2-5 with 2 RBI.

Game 2: 3-2 W. WP-Swanda (11-3, 6 5 1 1 0 6). S-Pressly (3/12). HR-J.Lowe (10), W.Franco (12). Swanda continues to look like an ace, and all 3 runs came on those 2 homers with Wander going 3-4.

Game 3: 5-3 W. WP-McClanahan (13-3, 5.2 7 3 3 1 6). S-Taylor (5/12). HR-Bregman 2 (21). Bregman brought the Rays back from an early 2-0 deficit with a solo homer and a 3-run shot and Albies added an RBI triple.

Team record: 67-33. We're on a roll now, 14-2 in July and the division lead expanded again to 6 1/2 over the Yankees. Next up: Back home for 3 vs Detroit.

Transaction: We let Ian Seymour stay the weekend with the big club and he had another nice 1 1/3 scoreless in the third game, but afterwards he was sent back to Durham and Caleb Ferguson was activated. To make room for Ferguson on the 40-man, Jonathan Aranda was DFA'd.

MLB News: Houston, which has remarkably turned its season around from a 14-35 start (which started with a 3-game sweep of us in May) to go above .500 at 51-50 lost starter Luis Garcia for the year with a torn labrum.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 2-5 L. LP-Patino (9-5, 5 3 4 4 3 5). Patino was hit for 4 runs in the 2nd inning and the Rays never recovered. Caleb Ferguson gave up a homer to the first man he faced as a Ray with Riley Greene taking him deep.

Game 2: 4-3 W. WP-Fairbanks (1-4). S-Pressly (4/13). Starter-Rasmussen (6 5 3 3 1 3). HR-Meadows (5/15), Soto (23). Rays were down early 3-0 but a pair of homers brought them back with Meadows' 3-run shot tying it in the 6th and Soto's jack winning it in the 8th. Unfortunately Ozzie Albies had to leave with back stiffness and he'll miss two weeks as it's a "moderate" injury.

Transaction: Albies goes on the 10-day IL and with our normal replacement choice Royce Lewis also out injured, we had to purchase the contract of 2019 1st-round pick Greg Jones from Durham. Jones hasn't panned out with the bat but has a good glove at 2B and blazing speed. Jeremiah Jackson will make the bulk of the starts while Albies is out. To make room for Jones on the 40-man, Bryan Bello was DFA'd.

Game 3: 2-4 L. LP-Taylor (2-1). Starter-Baz (6 5 0 0 0 7). The pen blew this one as Baz left ahead 2-0 after 6 but in the 7th Feyereisen gave up a homer and then with two out and nobody on Taylor allowed a lefty to reach and then gave up a 2-run homer to another lefty, Riley Greene. Greg Jones made his MLB debut as a pinch-runner in the 7th and stole a base but was stranded.

Team record: 68-35. The Yankees took 2 of 3 in Seattle to move back within 5 1/2. Next up: An off-day then we travel to Minnesota for 3.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 1-5 L. LP-Swanda (11-4, 5.2 9 3 3 1 8). Not much to talk about here as the Rays were held to 4 hits.

Game 2: 2-4 L. LP-McClanahan (13-4, 5.1 7 4 2 1 5). HR-Franco (13). Wander was 3-4 with his 2-run homer but that was about it.

Transaction: Caleb Ferguson was terrible in his 3 outs and Jeffrey Springs was due off the IL so Ferguson was DFA'd and Springs activated.

Game 3: 8-4 W. WP-Patino (10-5, 5.2 7 1 1 2 6). HR-G.Jones (1). Vazquez drove in 3 with a double and a single, Lowe had a 2-run single and Greg Jones hit his first MLB homer in his first start to back a quality outing from Patino.

Team record: 69-37. The Yankees dropped 2 of 3 to Detroit so the division lead remains 5 1/2. Next up: An off-day then 3 at home vs Baltimore.

[Art Deco]

Before we recap the Baltimore series we made a trade of significance just before the deadline:



We've given him four months but Josh Lowe has showed no signs of snapping out of his season-long funk nor regaining the form of his 3.6 WAR 2023 season, so it was time to make a change in center. So out is Lowe's 197/274/327 bat with a -4.3 ZR (by contrast he was -2.0 ZR in the a full season last year), and in is the 38-year-old vet Lorenzo Cain, who had signed a 1-year deal with the Marlins. Cain was a solid 280/350/363 with Miami, good for 2.1 WAR with a 3.3 ZR in center. The cost was Zevallos, who has emerged as a player of interest when I've looked at some trades during the season but is still probably a C+ prospect with a 5th-starter ceiling. Lowe was sent to Durham to make room as I prefer Zach DeLoach's bat off the bench. We were probably still going to win the division with Lowe in CF but I like our postseason chances better with Cain.

Game 1: 5-0 W. WP-Rasmussen (7-3, 5.1 7 0 0 1 6). HR-Mead (12), Franco (14). Mead's 3-run homer in the 1st was all the offense Rasmussen and 3 relievers needed.

Game 2: 3-1 W. WP-Baz (5-4, 6 2 1 1 1 8). S-Pressly (5/14). HR-Soto (24). Another 1st inning homer, Soto's 2-run shot, was all Baz needed in a brilliant outing. Lorenzo Cain was 2-3 with 2 steals and scored the insurance run in his Rays debut.

Game 3: 4-7 L. LP-Swanda (11-5, 5.1 3 5 5 3 7). HR-Bregman (22). Rays got another 1st-inning homer to take the early lead but Swanda's run of good starts came to an end and the pen did not help out either, allowing 2 of Swanda's men to score and 2 of their own.

Team record: 71-38, still 5 1/2 up on the Yankees who also took 2 of 3 from Boston. Next up: Those same Yankees visit for 3 games. A Rays sweep effectively ends the division battle while a Yankees sweep makes it a real race.

Rays news: A couple of farmhands won monthly awards. Remember this guy?



Ramos, who carried the Rays during the first couple months of last season before slumping so badly he was demoted by July and never heard from again, is having a decent season at Durham and had a great month. He's still in consideration for a return next season especially if Joshua Mears, who will get first crack at replacing upcoming free agent Juan Soto, struggles in the majors. We also had this:



The likes of Taj Bradley and JJ Goss are ahead of him in the pecking order of Rays pitching prospects, but Munoz is moving up the charts. He has 50/45/45 ratings so he's a 5th starter at best, but a few more months like this one and you never know.

MLB News: There were two no-hitters thrown over these last three days, and one was truly bizarre as the Nationals threw a team no-hitter led by Nathan Florence, traded by us to Washington in the Juan Soto deal, which saw them allow 3 runs which is a major league record for an official 9-inning no-hitter. I posted the box and wrote about it in the main forum.

A much more conventional - and much more impressive - no-hitter was thrown by Milwaukee's Freddy Peralta, who walked none and struck out 14 against Pittsburgh, missing a perfect game only because he hit a batter. This outing gave him a rare 100+ Game Score of 101, and he threw 114 pitches in the contest.