The 2020 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays suffered a rare loss as they were waxed by the D-Backs today 8-1 at Publix Park. Greg Bookhart (8-2) was hit to the tune of 5 5 4 4 4 6 with 2 homers allowed and the bullpen gave up 4 of its own, including Tony Pasillas who was great in 48 but has been horrendous this year with a combined 11.2 29 16 16 7 15 line in 10 appearances. Jon Morales' MLB-leading 17th homer was the only Tampa Bay score.

Game 2: I mentioned earlier that Ruben Ramirez didn't play a lot this year but whenever he did he hit big home runs and today was no exception as he twice tied the score with solo shots and propelled the Rays to a 6-5 walk-off win over Arizona. Ramirez tied the game at 4 in the 7th and then after the Rays went behind again 5-4 he led off the bottom of the 9th with his second of the game and 8th of the year. Two batters later Ismael Morales doubled home Mario Saro and the Rays were thrilling winners. Luis Barela earlier had a 2-run shot (#11), Dave Rose was a mixed bag at 5.1 8 4 2 0 6, and Steve Morris (1-3) got his first Rays win by recording the final out in the 9th.

Game 3: The Rays took the series from the Diamondbacks with a closer-than-it-should-have-been 8-6 win in which they led 8-2 going to the 8th before the "B" (and "C") bullpen gave up 4 runs. Ruben Ramirez came through yet again as his 3-run homer (#9) after hitting two yesterday broke a 2-2 tie in the 4th and then Alex Duran added a 2-run shot (#5) in the 5th while Jon Morales homered yet again (#18) with a man on. Chad Gardner (4-1) pitched very well at 7.2 8 3 3 0 6 with his final run against scoring when Chris Parham got a rare pitching opportunity and let the man score along with one of his own, and Steve Morris gave up 2 more in the 9th on a homer necessitating Steve Falcon to get the final out for save #15.

Team record: 39-14. Next up: We make a quick trip to Chicago to play 3 against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The Cubs are nearly the Rays' equal, off to a blistering 37-17 start.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays unloaded on the Cubs early, scoring all 8 of their runs in the first 4 innings as they coasted to an 8-3 win at Wrigley Field. Juan Davila was the star of the show, going 3-4 with a double, homer (#13) and 4 RBI while Mario Saro led off the game with a homer (#11) among his 3 hits. Bob Riley (6-2) was solid again at 6 7 3 3 0 2 and now leads the AL in pitcher WAR with 2.0.

June 1: Activated 1B Juan Viatoro from his rehab assignment at Durham, optioned IF/OF Tony Olivo to AAA Durham.

Olivo had made the OD roster but didn't hit much and he was the odd man out when we decided to keep Chris Kidd up since he play CF.

Game 2: Tampa Bay overcame Melvin Delgado's exit after one inning to take a 6-1 win over the Cubs. The righty pitched a 1-2-3 inning to start the game before having to leave with a strained back which will not require him to miss a start. Tony Pasillas, having the most miserable of seasons as noted recently, got a chance to get back on track in long relief and excelled, going 5 3 1 1 2 0 to win his first decision of the year. He was well-supported with Luis Barela swinging the big bat with a 2-run homer (#12) and RBI double while Nelson Bocardo (#5) and Juan Davila (#14) added solo shots.

Game 3: The Rays completed the sweep over a very good (37-17 coming into the series) Cubs team with a 2-0 win behind Greg Bookhart. The veteran lefty improved to 6-2 with an excellent 6 3 0 0 2 6 outing with Steve Falcon completing the team shutout with save #16. Mario Saro's solo homer (#12) and Juan Davila's RBI single plated the two Tampa Bay runs.

Team record: 42-14. Next up: Back home to Publix Park for 4 games against the Yankees.

[Art Deco]

The Thursday game was rained out so we played a Friday doubleheader.

Game 1: The Rays walked it off in dramatic fashion to take the series and doubleheader opener 4-3 from the Yankees. Trailing 3-2 starting the bottom of the 9th, the first two Rays batters grounded out before Mario Saro was hit by a pitch. Saro then stole second and scored on Nelson Bocardo's RBI single to tie it, Jon Morales was hit by a pitch, Luis Barela beat out an infield single to load the bases, and Chris Kidd singled home Bocardo to send Publix Park into a frenzy. Jose Morales (5-0) got the win in relief after a solid 7 7 3 3 0 7 start from Dave Rose, while Jon Morales had an earlier solo shot (#19).

Game 2: Tampa Bay completed the doubleheader sweep with a comprehensive 8-4 win over New York. Chad Gardner (5-1) put them behind 3-0 in the 2nd but gave up nothing else to finish 6 4 3 3 2 7 and the bats battled back with Juan Davila, Alvaro Alejandre and Ismael Morales each driving in a pair of runs as the reserves showed there's no letup when they're in the lineup.

Game 3: The Rays scored early and often (7 runs by the 4th inning) to take an 8-5 decision over the Yankees as this year's unit really seems unstoppable. Chris Parham had the big blow, a 3-run homer (#5) in the 2nd that got them going while Juan Davila's 2-run single in the 3rd keyed a 4-run inning. Bob Riley (7-2) didn't have his best day at 5.1 7 4 4 2 5 but it was good enough for the win with Steve Falcon saving his 17th game despite giving up a couple of hits in the 9th and bringing the tying run to the plate.

Game 4: It's now 9 straight wins and the Rays are 29-4 since the start of May after Melvin Delgado whitewashed the Yankees in a 12-0 win. The 6-hitter was Delgado's second complete-game shutout of the year as he walked one and fanned four on 116 pitches to improve to 5-1, 3.53 (and that's after he was shelled in his first 2-3 starts). Equally impressive on the other side of things was Jon Morales, who had almost a cycle of 2-run hits with a homer (#20), triple and double each driving in pair. He's the first in MLB to reach 20 homers, and forget Rookie of the Year - he's perhaps the front-runner for AL MVP as his 3.4 WAR leads the league as he's hitting 301/368/665. Ruben Ramirez hit his 10th of the year as well, slugging a cool .688 in part-time play, Mario Saro was 3-6 with 2 RBI, and rookie backup C Alvaro Alejandre was 3-3 with an RBI and is hitting .333 in 51 AB.

Team record: 46-14. Next up: 3 games in Cleveland.

[Art Deco]

The top picks:



Briseno:



High school pitchers are a crapshoot but at least we're playing with loaded dice here as Briseno's potential is quite impressive, an ace if everything goes to plan. He's from New York and we had to offer him a pretty penny (well above slot) to get him out of his Florida State commitment but hopefully it will be worth it.

Soler:



With our comp pick for losing Doug Johns we doubled down on high school pitching and took Soler, who isn't quite a sure thing to be a starter as he'll need to develop a third pitch.

Avalos:



After taking two high school pitchers we went to the other end of the speculation spectrum and took a college hitter in Avalos with our late second-round pick. He's a bit raw for a college product but is potentially an excellent outfielder who should be a decent hitter.

Corona:



And we took an even safer pick in the 3rd round with Rice University's Corona, who looks to be a fine defensive SS with blazing speed who can hopefully hit enough to be more than a utility infielder.

Nettles:



Back to the high school pitching well with Nettles, who has some really impressive pitches but of course he doesn't last until the late 4th round without some warts and these would be a real homer-prone tendency and a lack of stamina, so he could end up a power reliever.

Pounds:



If high school pitchers aren't risky enough for you, how about a high school catcher? Pounds will be a project but you can never have enough catching.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: A 3-run first and a fine outing from Greg Bookhart propelled the Rays to a 6-2 win at Progressive Field in their opener against the Guardians. Alex Duran's 2-run homer in the opening frame (#6) got them going and Mario Saro, Nelson Bocardo and Yuji Morioka each had 3 hits to keep traffic headed to home plate. Bookhart (7-2) meanwhile was excellent at 7 7 2 2 2 3 and Willie Navarro got the final four outs, three via the whiff, for his 2nd save. The win was their 10th straight, the second time they've had a double-digit streak in this still-young season.

Game 2: Having had to play a doubleheader last week the Rays needed a spot starter tonight and Joe Clark got the nod. It didn't go very well and Tampa Bay saw its 10-game win streak snapped in a 7-2 loss. Clark (0-1) hadn't pitched in 11 days and the rust showed in a 3.2 7 4 4 0 4 outing which saw him allow a pair of homers. Cleveland's big bat tonight was former Rays prospect Ed Herrera, lost to Oklahoma City in the expansion draft last year and subsequently dealt to the Guardians and who went 3-4 with a homer and 4 RBI.

Game 3: The Rays recovered to take the rubber game by exploding for 8 runs in the late innings to turn a 4-3 deficit into an 11-4 rout. Unfortunately also exploding in the game was Chad Gardner's elbow and the righty will be undergoing Tommy John surgery and be lost for a year. Gardner had a rough go before departing at 4 5 4 4 3 2 and finishes his truncated year at 5-1, 4.58. We signed him to a 2-year deal before the season began and now we'll be lucky to get four months of it during that time. The bats did their best to make us forget Gardner's problems as they banged out 17 hits in all, including four each from Juan Davila and Luis Barela. Davila homered (#15) and drove in a pair while Barela plated 4. Yuji Morioka added a 2-run double in a 5-run 7th that turned the game around.

Team record: 48-15. Next up: An off-day then we head to Fenway for 3.

[Art Deco]

June 11: Placed P Chad Gardner on the 10-day IL, recalled P Tim James from AAA Durham.

Gardner goes on the 10-day IL since we don't need a 42-man roster spot currently, but he's out for a year. James was up late last year and pitched well and would have made this year's club out of spring training had we not traded for a bunch of relievers. Joe Clark will get another shot to start in Gardner's place.

Game 1: Dave Rose was hit for 5 runs in the first two innings and amazingly that turned out to be all the scoring in the game as the Sox handed the Rays a rare shutout loss 5-0. Rose (5-3) didn't have it today, finishing 4.1 6 5 5 3 3 with a homer allowed and the bats were held to three singles and a Mario Saro triple.

Game 2: Jon Morales had a huge game and Bob Riley continued to roll as the Rays bounced back from the opening game loss to take a 5-3 win over Boston. Morales added to his MLB lead with a pair of solo homers to give him 22 and contributed a 2-run single as well to drive in 4 of the 5 Tampa Bay runs. Mario Saro had a solo shot (#13) for the other score. Riley (8-2) was in fine form once more going 7.1 4 3 0 0 6 with the runs against him both unearned and allowed to score by Abelaldo Gray in the 8th. Steve Falcon closed it out for save #18.

Game 3: The Rays lost a series for the first time since April 30-May 2 at Austin thanks to an 11-8 Boston win which was only that close because they scored 5 times with 2 out in the 9th. Greg Bookhart (7-3) was hit hard (3.1 6 7 7 4 3) with Angel Roig letting a few of his runners to score and giving up a pair of his own as did Tim James. Alex Duran homered early (#7) and Jon Morales can't stop hitting them out of the park as he hit a 3-run shot (#23) in that 9th-inning rally while Juan Davila had a 2-run double.

Team record: 49-17. Next up: Back home for 3 vs Oklahoma City.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays blasted a season-high 8 homers as they routed Oklahoma City 12-5 in the opener at Publix Park. Star rookie Jon Morales got the party started with a 2-run shot in the 1st and homered again later to increase his MLB-leading total to 25, but he was outdone by 5-time MVP Luis Barela who unloaded a trio of solo shots to give him 15 on the year. Also finding the seats were Mario Saro (#14), Nelson Bocardo (#6) and Yuji Morioka (#16) as those sitting in the outfield seats were treated to a parade of souvenirs. Joe Clark however could not benefit from the ample support, going 4 3 3 2 5 2 on 80 pitches and might be running out of chances to take Chad Gardner's spot in the rotation. Instead the win went to Steve Morris (2-3) despite allowing 2 runs in his 2 innings in relief of Clark.

Game 2: A much more tame affair in the second game as Melvin Delgado's great run continued in a 4-1 win. Coming off his second complete-game shutout of the year, Delgado (6-1) flirted with another one before leaving in the 8th having gone 7.1 6 0 0 2 6 with Steve Falcon finishing for save #19. Yuji Morioka (#17) and Mario Saro (#15) each homered for the second straight day to lead the offense.

Game 3: The finale was your classic Publix Park slugfest which also saw a classic 9th-inning Rays rally to take an 11-10 win and series sweep. Dave Rose was hit hard (3 homers) in a 4.1 8 6 6 2 5 outing which saw him put Tampa Bay in a 6-0 hole after 4 1/2. The Rays immediately got to wiping out the deficit though, scoring 4 times in both the 5th and 6th to go up 8-6. But Tim James put a couple of men on in the 8th and Mel Mejia let them score and gave up a 2-run homer to make it 10-8 Sunbirds and that's where things stood in the bottom of the 9th. It looked like a loss when the first two batters were retired but then the Rays strung together 5 straight hits to score three times, including a game-tying 2-run single from Ruben Ramirez (who earlier hit his 11th homer) and a game-winning knock from Chris Parham (who earlier had a 2-run double and didn't even start the game). Backup catcher Alvaro Alejandre keeps producing as he was 2-4 with a double and 2 RBI. The win went to Jose Morales in relief, who's now 6-0. The win probability chart on this one, which looks like one of the rollercoasters at nearby Busch Gardens:



Team record: 52-17. Next up: An off-day then the Twins visit Publix Park for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays scored late to pull out a 6-4 win over the Twins in the opener at Publix Park. Chris Parham tied it at 4 in the 7th with a solo homer (#6) and the winner scored in the 8th on a wild pitch although Juan Davila followed with an RBI double that would have scored the man anyway. Bob Riley wasn't as sharp as he was lately (5 8 4 4 2 4 with 2 HR allowed), the win went to Mel Mejia (2-0) with a perfect 8th, and Steve Falcon saved his 20th game.

Game 2: A 5-run 4th broke open a close game and the Rays routed the Twins 9-2 to win again. Luis Barela's grand slam (#16) was the big hit in the inning and Alex Duran went back-to-back with him (#8) while Jon Morales hit his MLB-best 26th later. Duran and Nelson Bocardo had RBI singles in the 1st. Greg Bookhart (8-3) was in fine form at 7.2 5 2 2 1 7.

June 20: Placed 1B Juan Viatoro on the 10-day IL with an oblique strain, recalled 1B Eric Wilson from AAA Durham.

Viatoro goes on the shelf for the second time this year and replacing him is Wilson, a good hitting prospect who's been stuck at Durham for his third season and was acquired four years ago from Kansas City (now Austin). Wilson was hitting 305/359/527 at Durham and is more than capable of holding down the job in the bigs although he'll only be up for Viatoro's DL stint which shouldn't last much longer than the minimum.

Game 3: Tampa Bay completed its second straight series sweep by mauling Minnesota 9-4 in the finale. After Alex Duran's 2-run double in the 3rd put them up for good at 3-2, Jon Morales kept adding to his HR tally with a 3-run shot (#27) and Mario Saro contributed a 2-run blast (#16) for good measure while Nelson Bocardo had a 4-hit game. Joe Clark looked like he'd pitch his way out of the rotation after giving up a par in the first but rebounded to get his first Rays win and go 5.2 6 3 3 2 3 and Eric Wilson was 2-4 in his MLB debut.

Team record: 55-17. Next up: Off to Toronto for 4 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays blew a 6-2 lead and went on to lose 8-7 at Rogers Centre to the Blue Jays. Jon Morales, who can't stop hitting homers, launched #28 with a man on in the first and Mario Saro and Luis Barela each hit #17 to help build that lead. But Melvin Delgado, who had been on a roll of late, got rolled in the 6th inning and allowed 5 runs to put the Jays ahead, finishing 6 10 7 2 0 4 although a key Barela error hurt. After Barela tied it with a single in the 7th Steve Falcon gave up a single which scored a Mel Mejia (2-1) runner who reached on a Chris Parham error, so the defense really let them down today.

Game 2: Dave Rose was sharp and the Rays bounced back to take a 5-3 win over Toronto. Rose (6-3) was dominant at times going 7 3 1 1 2 8, and although Abelaldo Gray gave up a 2-run homer in the 8th Steve Falcon shut the door in the 9th for save #21. Mario Saro made it 21 straight games with a hit after belting HR #18 in the 8th, Luis Barela did likewise an inning later and Jon Morales had a big early 2-run single.

Game 3: Bob Riley was brilliant but the bats were turned to sawdust today by Toronto pitching in a tough 1-0 loss. Riley (6-3) was the hard-luck loser after going 7.2 6 1 1 0 1 as his teammates were held to a mere two hits on the day, both of which came off the bat of Juan Davila (one a triple in which he was stranded).

Game 4: The Rays' offense continued to struggle scoring runs and despite a valiant outing from Greg Bookhart they fell 3-2 on a walk-off game-winning single from the Jays in the bottom of the 10th, dropping 3 of 4 games in the series. Tomas Laboy and Chris Parham had RBI knocks in the 2nd to put them up 2-0 but Bookhart, who went a fine 7 4 2 2 2 7 allowed Toronto to tie in the 3rd. We stayed there until the Jays strung three straight singles together off Willie Navarro (3-2) in the 10th, the last of which brought home the winner.

Team record: 56-20. Next up: We return home for 3 vs Texas.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays put six runs on the board in the first and never looked back in a not-as-close-as-it-looked 9-6 win over the Rangers at Publix Park. Jon Morales (who else?) had a 2-run shot (#29), Alex Duran added a solo blast (#9) and Alvaro Alejandre contributed a 2-run double in the big opening frame. Mario Saro was also 4-5 with 2 RBI to help build a big lead, a lead that Joe Clark couldn't take advantage of, having to leave after going 3.2 3 3 3 3 4 on 82 pitches. Instead the win went to Tony Pasillas (2-0) who turned in a very long relief outing of 5 4 3 3 0 1 and the three runs came with 2 out in the 9th when he allowed back-to-back homers as we were trying to let him finish it out.

Game 2: Melvin Delgado had a bit of a rough outing and the bats were muted today in a 6-3 loss to the Rangers. Delgado (6-2) saw almost everything hit off of him find open space as he was 3 9 4 4 0 1 and although the Rays only trailed 4-3 after 4 innings they could never get over the hump with more runs. Of course Jon Morales homered again; the rookie's 2-run blast was hit MLB-best 30th of the year and he also leads the bigs with 5.0 WAR.

Game 3: Tampa Bay took the rubber game of the series 3-1 behind another fine outing from Dave Rose. The righty went to 7-3 after a 6 4 1 1 1 8 gem with Steve Falcon saving for the 22nd time. Trailing 1-0 in the 6th the Rays got a pair of runs on RBI singles from Luis Barela and Alex Duran, and Barela added another run-scoring knock in the 8th for insurance.

Team record: 58-21. Next up: Texas's in-state rivals Houston visit Publix Park for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Astros came to town and with them came longtime Rays standout Doug Johns with the slugger receiving his 2048 World Series ring and a video tribute in a pregame ceremony. Then his former teammates went out and scored 6 times in the third inning on the way to an 8-3 romp over Houston. The big hit in that 3rd was a 3-run shot from Ruben Ramirez (#12) which was followed a few batters later by a 2-run Mario Saro double as the LF plated 3 on the day. Bob Riley (9-3) had a rare outing in which he allowed more walks than hits, going 6 2 2 2 4 4.

Game 2: Yuji Morioka tied a team record held by many as he launched 3 homers in a 9-5 Rays win over the Astros. The SS had gotten off to a torrid start in the first 6 weeks of the season before cooling off, but came back in a big way with a trio of solo shots. Juan Davila added his 16th round-tripper and Eric Wilson hit his first major league dinger, a grand slam to cap a 5-run 8th which made it 9-1. Greg Bookhart (9-3) was outstanding at 6 1 1 1 1 2 with his only run allowed a first-inning homer to Doug Johns while Chris Parham got a chance to pitch and gave up 4 runs in garbage time in the 9th.

Game 3: Doug Johns has always felt at home at Publix Park and he homered twice today for Houston to give him 3 in his return to Tampa but the Rays overcame his heroics and swept the Astros with a 6-5 win. Angel Roig got the start over Joe Clark as the two have now swapped roles on the staff, and Johns took him deep with a man on in the first. But the Rays answered back with a 4-run 2nd keyed by a 2-run Juan Davila blast (#17) and a Nelson Bocardo solo shot (#7) with the two going back-to-back. Each would drive in an additional run while Roig (4-0) hung around for the win at 5 3 3 3 3 3. Steve Falcon gave up a homer in the 9th but still grabbed save #23.

Team record: 61-21. Next up: An off-day before Baltimore visits for 3 games. As we've reached the halfway point of the season the next post will be our midseason review.

[Art Deco]

Those standings kind of speak for themselves as there's little to be unhappy about with a 120-win pace. A look under the hood:



A lot of firsts all around on offense as usual and the pitching has been better this year, in the upper third of the league. The most notable change is that for once we have a pretty decent defense with the BABIP against actually below .300 (just barely, but still), and the zone rating backs that up.



Really at a loss for words as to how great Jon Morales has been in his rookie season, arguably the best player in MLB right now with his 5.3 WAR leading all of baseball. He could be only the third rookie in MLB history to be voted MVP after Fred Lynn in 1975 and Ichiro Suzuki in 2001 (and Ichiro was only technically a rookie), so that says a lot. Also you know how well this team is going when six players are on pace for 5.6 WAR or better. And even the backups are producing - another rookie, Alvaro Alejandre, has earned 1.2 WAR in only 19 games backing up Nelson Bocardo at catcher, meaning we're on pace to get 8 WAR out of that position, and Ruben Ramirez has hit once clutch homer after another when getting a chance to play.



The staff has been solid, not spectacular, but that's all they have to be with the offense we have. The five starters to begin the season have been just fine, although we will miss Chad Gardner who's done for the season as neither Joe Clark nor Angel Roig look like suitable replacements. Of course we don't need a really good 5th starter to make the playoffs or pitch in the playoffs but if one of the remaining four go down we could have issues so a trade for another starter is not out of the question. The pen has been good with a minimum of meltdowns.

A monthly award of note:



This is the second straight month Morales has won the award, and the third time in three months a Ray has been honored with Juan Davila named April's best. Morales also won the AL Rookie of the Month award of course.

I also received a midseason evaluation from owner Jorge Rios which included this curious comment:



Uh, I'm sorry if the first rookie to be potentially named MVP in 48 years isn't enough of a "stud".

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays opened up a 10-2 lead on the Orioles by the 5th inning in the opener at Publix Park but had to hang on to take an 11-7 win. Luis Barela was the key bat today, blasting a 2-run homer (#19) and adding a 2-run single while Jon Morales did his usual thing, going 3-4 with an RBI double, 2-run homer (#31) and 4 runs scored. Juan Davila added a 2-run homer of his own (#18). Melvin Delgado (7-2) got the win going 6 7 4 4 2 5, pitching well until he ran out of gas in the 6th and gave up a pair. The bullpen then allowed 3 more runs before Mel Mejia settled things down with a scoreless 8th and 9th.

Game 2: It was a back-and-forth slugfest again at Publix Park with the Rays scoring twice in the 7th to prevail 8-7 thanks to Mario Saro's 2-run double, his 3rd hit of the game. Luis Barela drove in 4 runs for the second straight game thanks to an RBI single and 3-run homer (#20), and yes Jon Morales homered once again (#32). Dave Rose got hit for 5 runs in the 5th but managed to finish 6 8 6 6 2 6, Abelaldo Gray (3-1) picked up the win despite allowing the go-ahead run to the Orioles in the 7th, and Steve Falcon recorded save #24 with a quick 9-pitch 1-2-3 9th.

Game 3: The Rays allowed 22 runs in this three-game series but still managed to sweep thanks to scoring 32 as they won another donnybrook today 13-8 over the Orioles, a game which saw plenty of July 4 fireworks. They didn't hit any homers today but managed 17 hits, 6 walks and a hit batter with Juan Davila driving in 4 on 3 hits including a pair of doubles. Jon Morales didn't homer for once but was still 3-6 with a double and 2 RBI and Luis Barela made it 10 RBI in the series by driving in a pair today. Bob Riley breezed through the first 3 innings before suddenly becoming unable to retire anyone as like Dave Rose yesterday he was hit for 5 runs in an inning and like Rose he finished 6 9 6 6 1 1. And also just like yesterday Abelaldo Gray (4-1) picked up the win, this time after allowing the tying run to score in the top of the 7th before the Rays put 6 on the board in the bottom of the frame.

Team record: 64-21. Next up: We hit the road for 3 games in Chicago against the White Sox.

The Rays had plenty of Player of the Week candidates with Barela and Morales raking like crazy but the nod went to Davila:

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays' bats were held in check and Chicago took a 3-1 win. Greg Bookhart (9-4) wasn't hit sharpest at 5 6 3 3 1 2 with a pair of homers allowed.

Game 2: Angel Roig turned in the best start by a Chad Gardner replacement since Gardner was lost for the year and the Rays bounced back to take a 4-1 win over the White Sox. Roig won his second straight start since joining the rotation and improved to 5-0 overall after a fine 6.1 6 1 1 2 4 outing while Steve Falcon handled the 9th for save #25. Tomas Laboy and Chris Parham had RBI singles in the first two innings as Tampa Bay went up 3-0 and Mario Saro was 2-5 with a steal and an RBI.

Game 3: For the second time in three games this series the mighty Rays offense was held to a single run and the White Sox took 2 of 3 thanks to a 5-1 win. Jon Morales' 33rd homer of the year tied the game at 1 in the 4th but Melvin Delgado (7-3) let Chicago go ahead in the bottom of the inning. Delgado finished 5.1 6 2 2 2 4 before the bullpen allowed three in the 7th to let the Sox put it away.

Team record: 65-23. Next up: An off-day then back home for 3 against Boston before we hit the All-Star break.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Dave Rose dominated again and the Rays took a 4-1 win over the Red Sox at Publix Park in the opener. Rose (8-3) went 7.1 4 0 0 2 10 in a standout performance while Mel Mejia made things a bit dicey in the 9th allowing a run before Steve Falcon had to get the final out for save #26. Who else but Jon Morales had the big hit as the rookie drilled a 2-run double in the 1st to get things on their way.

Game 2: The Rays had seven runs by the 2nd and 11 by the 4th in a classic Publix Park 12-4 rout of the Red Sox. Alex Duran and Jon Morales had monster games with Duran hitting two doubles, his 10th HR and driving in 6 while Morales was 3-3 with 2 walks, 2 homers (#34 & 35) and 4 runs scored. Morales has already scored 92 runs and is on pace to equal Jaiden Hardaway's club record of 166, which is also tied for the 4th-highest single-season total in MLB history. Yuji Morioka added a 3-run homer (#21) and Bob Riley went to 10-3 with a less-than-impressive 5 8 4 4 1 5 outing. Joe Clark, who was bumped from the rotation and had his struggles this year, pitched the final 4 innings without allowing a hit for his first save.

Game 3: Tampa Bay headed into the All-Star break with a sweep of Boston, taking the finale 10-5. Alex Duran had another big day, 3-4 with HR #11 and 3 RBI, Luis Barela drove in 4 with his 3 hits including a pair of doubles, and Jon Morales was in the thick of it once again going 3-4 with an RBI triple and scoring 2 more runs. Mario Saro and Nelson Bocardo also had 3 hits as they banged out 20 as a team although it took 10 before they scored a second run and then the floodgates opened. Greg Bookhart (10-4) was excellent at 6.2 5 1 1 2 4 before the bullpen allowed four late runs, three of which were charged to Tim James.

Team record: 68-23. Next up: The All-Star break which as usual won't be much of a break for numerous Rays, and when we resume league play it will be with 4 games in Baltimore.

[Art Deco]

The rosters:





Steve Falcon was the only Rays pitcher to be invited, the 8th ASG appearance for the veteran closer. Plenty of representation on the position player side of things, with C Nelson Bocardo (3rd trip), 2B Juan Davila (1st), 2B/SS Yuji Morioka (3rd), 3B Luis Barela (for the 10th straight season), LF Mario Saro (4th), RF Alex Duran (1st) and OF Jon Morales (1st) all going to Minnesota for the game.

Former Rays making the trip include HOU LF Doug Johns, PHI CL Satoshi Sato and STL SS Dave Frick, all of whom were with Tampa Bay as recently as last season.

The HR Derby:



Our guy and current MLB homer leader Jon Morales got the invite and made it to the final round despite pedestrian totals where he lost to Baltimore's Mike Collin.

The game:



A mixed bag for the Rays as our lone pitcher Steve Falcon threw a perfect 8th and Luis Barela had an RBI single while Jon Morales was 1 of 2, but Yuji Morioka played the whole game and struck out all 4 times up, Mario Saro whiffed in both his plate appearances, Juan Davila flew out in a pinch-hitting appearance, Alex Duran started but didn't even get to bat as he was pinch-hit for in the 2nd with the bases loaded and a lefty on the mound, and Nelson Bocardo never even got into the game.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The final was 10-2 Rays and you could be forgiven for looking at the scoreline and figuring it was a typical Tampa Bay rout. But it was anything but typical as the Orioles held a 2-1 lead in the 8th inning before the Rays erupted for 9 runs in the frame. The big hit was a 3-run pinch-homer from Ruben Ramirez (#13) and they kept it going from there, capped by a 2-run shot from Jon Morales (#35), who didn't let the break cool him off. Dave Rose was a solid 6 4 2 2 2 5 and the win went to Jose Morales (7-0) who pitched a perfect 7th.

Game 2: While the first game was a close one that ended up a rout, the second game was a rout that ended up close as the Rays beat Baltimore again 12-9 but were up 12-5 going into the bottom of the 9th. Yuji Morioka homered (#22) and drove in 4 runs, Luis Barela had a double, homer (#21) and 2 RBI, and Mario Saro went deep (#19) as well to pace the offense. They went up 6-0 but Angel Roig couldn't stand prosperity, letting the Orioles back within 6-5 and not making it out of the 5th for the win, going 4.2 7 5 5 3 2. It went instead to Steve Morris (3-3) with two scoreless innings. With a 7-run lead, Chris O'Brien got the ball in his 2049 Rays debut* and showed why he was left off the Opening Day roster by allowing 4 runs. Steve Falcon had to clean up in a non-save situation and walked a pair to actually bring the tying run to the plate but got out of it.

*Forgot to mention earlier that O'Brien was called up just before the break for Willie Navarro, who went on the IL with a tender elbow.

Game 3: Baltimore dealt the Rays an infrequent loss as the bats were held in check for a change and the Orioles prevailed 4-2. Greg Bookhart (10-5) wasn't his sharpest at 6.2 9 4 4 1 3 and a Ruben Ramirez solo homer (#14) was the offensive highlight.

Game 4: The Rays found their hitting shoes again and took a comfortable 8-4 win at Camden Yards to win 3 of 4 in the series. Yuji Morioka opened a can of whup-ass on Oriole pitching, homering twice (#23 & 24) among his three hits and driving in four while Luis Barela (#22, a 2-run shot as he drove in 3 on the day) and Juan Davila (#19, solo) also went deep. Bob Riley (11-3) was solid at 7 9 2 2 0 4 and a couple of runs allowed by Joe Clark in the 9th made the final closer than it really was.

Team record: 71-24. Next up: We head out west to play 3 in Anaheim.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Not a great night for the Rays as they were held to one run in a 3-1 walk-off loss to the Angels and lost starting pitcher Melvin Delgado for 3-4 weeks with a strained back. Delgado had to leave after going 5 4 1 1 1 2 and then LA had a 2-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the 9th off Mel Mejia (2-2).

July 20: Placed SP Melvin Delgado on the 10-day IL with a back strain, activated RP Willie Navarro from the 10-day IL.

Lefty Steve Morris, who was impressive in relief of Delgado with 2 scoreless innings, will take his spot in the rotation.

Game 2: The bats came out smoking the next day and the Rays routed the Angels 9-1. A 2-run single by Luis Barela and a 2-run double from Juan Davila highlighted a 5-run first before Juan Viatoro took over with a pair of homers, driving in 3 and doubling his season total of longballs. Dave Rose (9-3) was effective despite not having his best stuff as the AL strikeout leader didn't whiff a single batter but still went 7 3 1 1 3 0.

Game 3: The Rays dropped the rubber game of the series 4-3 after being unable to hold a 3-0 lead in the middle innings. Angel Roig's struggles in the rotation continued as he went 3.2 6 3 3 4 1 and fellow struggler Tony Pasillas (2-1) took the loss allowing a 5th-inning run. After some early success including a Luis Barela solo homer (#23), the offense went dark over the final five innings.

Team record: 72-26. Next up: An off-day to travel back home where Oakland visits for 3.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Greg Bookhart was in fine form and the bats generated enough offense to take a 3-2 win over the A's in the opener at Publix Park. Bookhart (11-5) was a dazzling 6 3 0 0 1 4 and after Mel Mejia allowed a 2-run homer to let Oakland within one, Steve Falcon finished up for save #27. The big hit on offense was a solo homer in the 2nd from Luis Barela (#24) which got the Rays on the board.

Game 2: Bob Riley gave the Rays another quality start and they comfortably handled Oakland 7-1 in the second game. Riley (12-3) went 7 3 1 1 0 3 for the win and Chris Kidd was the unlikely offensive star going 3-4 with an RBI double. Juan Davila was on base all five times with two hits, two walks and an HBP, scoring twice while Luis Barela was 2-4 with an RBI.

Game 3: The Rays completed the sweep with a 12-0 annihilation of the A's with Steve Morris excelling in his first Rays start. Morris (4-3) completed a trio of brilliant starts for Tampa Bay pitchers in this series as he was 6.2 5 0 0 1 7 and just might be that fifth starter we've been looking for. He had plenty of support led by Alex Duran 2-5 with HR #12 and 4 RBI while Jon Morales was 3-5 with a pair of RBI doubles. Juan Davila (#20) and Juan Viatoro (#5) also went deep as part of a 17-hit attack. One down note though as Mario Saro, who was 3-5 with an RBI himself, strained an ab and will miss 3 weeks, opening up LF for Chris Kidd.

Team record: 75-26. Next up: Some interleague play as we head to Citi Field for 3 against the Mets. New York is 53-47 and fighting for a wild card in the NL.

[Art Deco]

July 26: Placed OF Mario Saro on the 10-day IL with an abdominal strain, recalled OF Corey Herring from AAA Durham.

Game 1: Dave Rose imploded in the 5th inning and the Rays couldn't quite overcome a 6-0 deficit, falling 6-5 to the Mets in the opener at Citi Field. It was a 1-0 New York lead until Rose (9-4) gave up five runs after getting two outs in the 5th, including a 3-run homer to cap the inning and he finished 6 7 6 6 0 7. A last-ditch rally which included a 2-run Juan Davila homer (#21) in the 9th wasn't enough.

Game 2: Angel Roig gutted it out through a sprained ankle and the Rays got even with the Mets thanks to a 6-2 win. Roig (6-0) started despite the ankle injury being "substantial" as nobody else was rested enough to start and he heroically went 6 7 2 2 2 1 for the win albeit without a bloody sock. He was supported primarily by Chris Kidd (2-5 with a double, steal and 2 RBI) and Juan Viatoro (3-4 with an RBI).

Game 3: Greg Bookhart pitched well but the bullpen didn't so a 5-1 lead turned into a 5-4 nailbiter as the Rays just barely took the series. Bookhart went to 12-5 after a 5 3 1 1 3 8 outing on 94 pitches before Abelaldo Gray made things too interesting by allowing a pair of runs in the 8th to cut the lead to 1. Steve Falcon did his thing in the 9th, though, fanning a pair in a scoreless inning for save #28. A pair of homers accounted for the Rays offense with Luis Barela hoisting a 3-run shot (#25) in the 3rd and Ruben Ramirez putting one in the seats in the 7th with a man on (#15).

Team record: 77-27. Next up: A day off as we cross the country for more interleague action with 3 in San Francisco.