The 2021 (and only 2021) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

The Rays pulled off another sweep thanks to dramatic back-to-back walk-off wins but suffered more injuries. Meanwhile the Jays also swept Oakland but the lead still remains a healthy 7 games as we move 3 days closer to the end of the season (the magic # is 39 if you're counting at home).

The first game looked like a cakewalk for the Rays after they went up 8-2 after 6 behind a 6 4 2 2 0 11 performance from Tarik Skubal, who now has 128 whiffs in 85.1 IP since joining the team. But Alex Vesia was tagged for a grand slam from former Rays farmhand Lucius Fox, his 2nd homer of the game despite being only rated 40 for power and it was 8-6. That didn't faze Tampa Bay, which tacked on 4 more runs to win 12-6. Lewin Diaz matched Fox with his own pair of homers, driving in 5 and giving him 21 on the year. Randy Arozarena was 3-5 with 2 RBI and Austin Meadows 2-4 with 2 RBI as those two continue to finally heat up. Skubal got the win to go 7-3, 4.11 as a Ray.

Mike Clevinger had another fine start in the second game, going 6 3 2 2 3 7 but didn't receive any support until the Rays scored twice in the 5th on a Wander Franco RBI single and a Brandon Lowe RBI double. And 2-2 is where we stayed until the 9th when Hunter Bishop took Royals closer Tyler Zuber deep to walk it off with HR #7. Nick Anderson picked up his 3rd win in relief, but the news wasn't all good as Franco aggravated the sore elbow he was playing through and the injury is now "substantial" for a couple of weeks.

Transaction: Franco goes on the 10-day IL with the sore elbow and Mike Brosseau comes back up from Durham.

In the finale the Rays jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead and it looked like smooth sailing but Matt Peacock had to leave the game in the 3rd with an injury. Enter Joe Ryan for the first time in long relief since being demoted from the rotation, and he showed us why he was demoted by getting hit for 3 runs and 8 hits in 2 1/3 innings and the lead was gone, and Shane McClanahan served up a 2-run homer in the 6th to put KC ahead 5-3. Randy Arozarena started the comeback in the bottom of the inning with HR #13, but KC took a 5-4 lead into the bottom of the 9th. Tyler Zuber was on again to close it out, and we sent up yesterday's walk-off hero, Hunter Bishop, to pinch-hit and amazingly lightning struck twice as Bishop took Zuber into the RF seats once again with HR #8 and tied it up. Rattled by this development, Zuber walked Lewin Diaz (who had earlier hit HR #22, his 3rd in 2 games) and then served up another gopher ball to Jarren Duran (#21) giving the Rays another dramatic walk-off win. Nick Sandlin picked up win #4 by retiring the final batter in the top of the 9th. Peacock's injury turned out to be very minor and he won't miss a start, but Alex Vesia strained a hamstring and will miss 5 weeks.

Team record: 69-48, 50-17 since starting 19-31. Next up: 3 games in San Antonio to play the Alamos.

[Art Deco]

The Rays continued to roll (finally up to #1 in the power rankings) by taking 2 of 3 in San Antonio with the first two games being low-scoring nailbiters and then the bats coming out to play in the third. The Jays also took 2 of 3 to stay 7 back.

Transaction: Alex Vesia goes on the 10-day IL with a strained hamstring, Colin Poche comes back up again from Durham.

Tampa Bay eked out a 2-0 win in the first game of the series thanks to a strong start from Chris Sale (7 4 0 0 1 3), who's now 5-1, 3.03. Adley Rutschman doubled in a run in the 6th and Lewin Diaz brought home the other with a 9th-inning sac fly before Nick Anderson shut the door in the 9th for save #26.

Transaction: Jorge Ona activated off the 10-day IL, Heliot Ramos optioned to Durham.

The Alamos turned the tables in the second game by taking a 1-0 win over Tampa Bay as 5 San Antonio pitchers combined on a 4-hit shutout and struck out 14 Rays. Tyler Glasnow was the hard-luck loser with the only run of the game scoring on a Joey Bart passed ball in the 6th. Glasnow went 6 5 1 0 0 11 in a brilliant but unfruitful outing.

After scoring a total of 2 runs in the first 2 games the Rays brought out the lumber for the finale, smacking 5 homers - some from unlikely sources - in a 7-3 win. The star of the show was Johan Camargo, who went deep twice with a 2-run shot in the 2nd and a solo homer in the 4th, his first two homers in Rays colors. Mike Brosseau also homered for the first time this season, and Joey Bart (#9) and Adley Rutschman (#20/29) found the seats as well. The longballs backed the pitching of Tarik Skubal, who wasn't his best but solid enough at 5 7 3 2 2 7 to improve to 8-3, 4.08 as a Ray.

Team record: 71-49. Next up: 3 at home vs Houston.

[Art Deco]

Another successful series as we took 2 of 3 from the Astros, while the Jays dropped 2 of 3 to Texas. The lead is now 8 games and the magic number is 32 so at this point it would take an epic collapse to lose the division.

The first game was a marathon 15-inning affair which unfortunately the Rays dropped 4-2. Max Scherzer, whose stuff has seriously diminished (45) and came into the game with a 6.19 ERA, rolled back the years and dominated the Rays for 8 2/3 innings, holding them to a pair of runs in the 7th which tied the game. Mike Clevinger started and was fortunate to only allow two runs, going 5 8 2 2 3 6 and the bullpen was brilliant for 9 innings before Nick Sandlin gave up a 2-run homer to Francisco Lindor.

Transaction: With the bullpen burned out from last night's 15-inning affair, Colin Poche was sent to Durham and Ryan Thompson, who was the only fresh arm on the 40-man, was called up.

The second game was a literal back-and-forth affair as the Rays lost leads of 3-1, 4-3, and 6-5 before finally overcoming the Astros 7-6. Another veteran who's seen better times started for Houston and the Rays treated Jacob deGrom rudely by taking him deep three times early on solo shots from Randy Arozarena (#14), Lewin Diaz (#23) and Hunter Bishop (#9). But 4 errors helped Houston back in it and Matt Peacock wasn't his sharpest at 5 7 6 4 1 3. Still the Rays persevered and Austin Meadows led off the 8th with a triple. A whiff and a grounder at the drawn-in infield followed, but Bishop came through big again with a 2-out RBI single for the winner. Ryan Thompson was the winner in relief and Nick Anderson nabbed save #27. Joe Ryan pitched the 6th and had to leave with shoulder inflammation, a 5-month injury which ends his season.

Transaction: Ryan is put on the 60-day IL and Thompson is returned to Durham. Poche is called up again, and we've purchased the contract of Jack Little from Montgomery. The former Dodger prospect came over the winter before last in a deal for Joey Wendle, and has pitched very well in AA ball, saving 25 games over the last two seasons with 103 whiffs in 89.2 IP. He has 60 stuff, 55 movement, and 50 control so he should be useful.

The Rays took the rubber game of the series, jumping out to a 6-1 lead and holding on for a 6-4 win. Austin Meadows was the star today, clubbing a pair of 2-run homers to give him 13 for the season. He's been a disappointment this year but has really picked it up over the last month to 6 weeks and will hopefully hit like his normal self the rest of the way. Another slow-starting OF, Randy Arozarena, was 3-4 with an RBI today as he continues to perk up as well. Chris Sale started and pitched well before running out of gas in the 6th, finishing 6 7 3 3 1 4 to improve to 6-1, 3.17. Shane McClanahan got the 9th today and notched save #2 by retiring Houston in order.

Team record: 73-50. Next up: An off-day then we head to Yankee Stadium for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

We keep rolling on after Meat Loafing the Yankees. With Toronto dropping 2 of 3 to Detroit the lead is now 9 games, the magic number is down to 28, and September looms on the calendar so it's really "gear up for the playoffs" time now.

Game 1 saw the Rays jump out to an 8-1 lead in the top of the 5th before Tyler Glasnow almost gave it all back by allowing 5 in the bottom of the frame, and that 8-6 scoreline held up the rest of way. He got through the 6th and finished 6 5 6 6 2 6 to go to 9-6 while Nick Anderson picked up save #28. The big lead was built in large part thanks to Lewin Diaz's 2-run triple and a grand slam from Austin Meadows (#14).

The second game unfolded in somewhat similar fashion as the Rays went up 5-1 and hung on to win 5-3. Randy Arozarena (#15) and Hunter Bishop (#10) homered while Austin Meadows stayed hot going 2-5 with an RBI to help establish the lead. They backed some fine pitching from Tarik Skubal, who went 5.2 5 1 1 2 7 and moved to 9-3, 3.94 with Tampa Bay. Jack Little made his MLB debut in the 8th with the 5-1 lead, walked the first man he faced, and then gave up a 2-run homer to Aaron Hicks. He recovered to finish the inning and Devin Williams got the call in the 9th for save #3.

It looked like the Rays might sweep when they got to Gerrit Cole for 3 homers and took a 5-3 lead in the 6th inning of the finale before the Yankees came back and won 7-5. Jarren Duran led off the game with #22 and down 3-1 in the 6th the Rays got a 3-run homer from Brandon Lowe (#23) and a solo shot from Joey Bart (#10) to take the lead. Justin Dunn had taken over for Mike Clevinger, who struggled (4 8 3 3 2 6) and would have been out of the bottom of the 6th but for his own error, and the Yankees added a couple of hits to tie it up. New York then got to Shane McClanahan in the 8th for a pair of runs, and the Rays had to settle for 2 out of 3.

Transaction: Luis Patino came off the IL and was sent to Durham for a rehab assignment. When ready to return he'll take over the Joe Ryan long relief role and Jack Little will go back to the minors.

Team record: 75-51. Next up: 3 games in Chicago against the White Sox, who have taken over the top spot in the AL Central from Minnesota, so maybe we'll play someone different in the ALDS this year.

[Art Deco]

Yet another successful series as the Rays continue their pattern of taking 2 of 3, and with Toronto continuing their pattern of losing 2 of 3, the division lead is now 10 and the magic number 24.

The opener saw Austin Meadows deliver another game-winning homer when his 7th-inning solo blast (#15) snapped a 3-3 tie, enabling the Rays to take a 4-3 win after having blown a 3-1 advantage. Before Meadows' heroics Taylor Walls was the offensive star, hitting his 2nd HR of the year in the 1st and singling in a run in the 3rd. Matt Peacock went 5.2 4 3 3 1 4 with the third run scoring after Colin Poche allowed an RBI single. Poche vultured his 2nd win and Nick Anderson nabbed save #29.

After the game, this happened:



Never let your players loose in Chicago I guess. As a result, Williams went on the 10-day IL and Ryan Thompson was recalled from Durham.

In the second game the Rays jumped out to a commanding 9-1 lead thanks to an 8-run 6th but had to hold on for dear life at the end to take a 9-7 win. Hunter Bishop and Johan Camargo had RBI singles to break a 1-1 tie and they kept the turnstiles going before Randy Arozarena capped things with a grand slam (#16). Meanwhile Chris Sale gave them another quality start, going 5.2 2 2 2 2 4 to improve to 7-1, 3.17 but things got hairy in the 9th. Up 9-3, the just-recalled Ryan Thompson got the call but couldn't get anyone out, giving up a run and leaving with the bases loaded with one out. Nick Sandlin then gave up 3 RBI singles around a whiff, and it was 9-7 with the bases still loaded and the dangerous Eloy Jimenez due. Nick Anderson was put in to stop the nonsense and he did retire Jimenez, but on a line drive to deep left for save #30.

Transactions: Wander Franco is activated off the IL and goes into the lineup, Thompson is sent back to Durham as is Mike Brosseau, and Reggie Lawson is called up. Lawson pitched in a couple of games last year and has been in the Durham rotation, he'll give us some long relief while he's up.

After giving up 6 unanswered runs in the second game yet winning, the Rays allowed 6 more unanswered runs and were blanked 6-0 in the finale. They were shut down by Chicago's Jimmy Lambert, and other than Brandon Lowe (who had a 3-hit game), the bats were silent. Tyler Glasnow had a brutal 36-pitch 1st which defined the game when Chicago scored 4 times. He settled in after that to go 5 4 4 4 5 5 and dropped to 9-7, 3.79. Newly-recalled Reggie Lawson went the final 3 and gave up a couple of runs.

Team record: 77-52. Next up: Back home for 3 vs Seattle.

[Art Deco]

The Rays were an epic bullpen meltdown away from a sweep, although they were nearly one bullpen meltdown away from losing 2 out of 3. Instead they continued their run of taking 2 of 3 with these home games against the Mariners, who are 4 games up on Oakland for the 2nd wild card.

The opener saw the Rays take a 6-1 lead into the 9th inning only to end up losing 7-6 in 10. Tarik Skubal was overpowering again, going 5 2 1 1 3 10, Brandon Lowe (#24) and Austin Meadows (#16) homered, Taylor Walls drove in a pair and it looked like a comfortable win. But Nick Sandlin was dreadful in the 9th, failing to retire the first four men he faced and leaving the bases loaded up 6-2, so Nick Anderson came in. And Anderson did something he hadn't done in his last 33 save situations going back to last year, and that was blow one. He allowed three straight singles to enable Seattle to tie it up, and Pete Fairbanks was touched for a run in the 10th.

The second game was deja vu all over again as the Rays took a 4-1 lead into the 8th inning behind a great game from Mike Clevinger (6.2 4 1 1 1 4) and homers from Wander Franco (#9, a 2-run shot) and Randy Arozarena (#17). But this time it was Aaron Fletcher's turn to implode, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits to allow Seattle to tie. Fortunately though the Rays pulled this one out in the bottom of the 9th on an RBI double from Jarren Duran which made a winner of Justin Dunn (3-0 as a Ray) after he got his old teammates out in the 9th.

No bullpen meltdown in the finale as the Rays romped over the Mariners 8-0. Matt Peacock was in 2022 form going 6 5 0 0 2 7 as he improved to 9-6, 4.11 with Jack Little and Colin Poche combining with Peacock for the shutout. After the Rays put 3 on the board in the 1st including a Lewin Diaz RBI single, Diaz doubled the lead in the 6th with a 3-run homer (#24) putting the game out of reach.

Team record: 79-53. Toronto continues in free-fall and was swept, so these three days lopped 5 off the magic number to drop it to 19. Next up: 3 games in Boston.

MLB News: The Astros entertained their fans as Jose Alberto Rivera no-hit the Twins for 7 2/3 innings and Cristian Javier did likewise for 1 1/3 before Houston walked it off in the bottom of the 9th to take a 1-0 win on a combined no-hitter.

[Art Deco]

For the first time in about a month the Rays dropped a series, losing 2 of 3 in Fenway to the Red Sox. The Jays also dropped 2 of 3 so as a result the magic number is down to 16. Also we lost a regular with a season-ending injury so it wasn't a great three days.

The big news regarding the series opener was the return of Chris Sale to the mound at Fenway Park, and whether he was too amped up or not was hard to tell but in any even it didn't go well for him in a 5-2 loss. Sale gave up a couple of runs in the 1st and two more in the 4th, before leaving after putting a couple on to start the 5th. He finished 4 6 5 5 1 5 and dropped to 7-2, 3.60. Hunter Bishop hit his 11th homer but the offense did little else.

The unwelcome trend of late which has seen the bullpen blow late leads continued in the second game as Pete Fairbanks allowed the tying run in the 8th and Justin Dunn the winner in the 11th as the Sox edged the Rays 7-6. The defense wasn't great either with 3 errors leading to two unearned runs off Tyler Glasnow, who went 6 6 5 3 1 11 and gave up 2 more homers for a rather high 22 in 139 IP this year. Still the Rays took a 6-4 lead in the 6th thanks to a 2-run homer from Wander Franco (#9) a 2-run single from Lewin Diaz before things went south. And things took a turn farther south when Diaz had to leave the game after doubling in the 9th as he broke his hand sliding into second and is done for the year, including the postseason. Diaz had an up-and-down season but had been quite productive of late, taking over the team RBI lead with 72 to go with 24 HR despite a .239 average.

Transaction: Diaz placed on the 60-day IL and Heston Kjerstad called up from Durham. The rookie, acquired with Adley Rustchman in the big trade earlier this year, hit 296/376/509 with the Bulls with 12 HR in 228 AB after missing a big chunk of the season with an oblique injury. Kjerstad will play some in the OF with Austin Meadows moving to 1B, and the Diaz injury will assure Hunter Bishop of continued regular playing time even when Vidal Brujan comes off the IL in late September and takes back the DH job.

The Rays salvaged the series finale with a comfortable 7-1 behind another fine outing from Tarik Skubal. It didn't look like it would be a good night for Skubal when he walked the bases loaded in the 1st, but he escaped that jam and settled in to go 6 3 1 1 4 9, improving to 10-3, 3.70 as a Ray. He got plenty of run support, with Adley Rutschman driving in 3 with a single and a 2-run HR, his 21st as a Ray and 30th overall. Wander Franco and Brandon Lowe were each 2-5 with an RBI. Reggie Lawson picked up his first MLB save by going the final 3 innings, giving up only one hit and fanning 3.

Team record: 80-55. Next up: An off-day then 3 at home vs Minnesota, neck-and-neck with the White Sox in the AL Central race.

MLB News: Mike Trout and the Angels are having a great year, and the superstar had a 3-homer night, the second of which was career homer #400. The Halos have won 11 straight games and are an impressive 91-44.

Also this news came in from MLB:

[Art Deco]

Our September callups were Luis Patino, recalled from his rehab assignment, and Heliot Ramos, who was tearing up AA hitting 359/442/735 and will give us a RH bat off the bench. As for the series with Minnesota, we dropped 2 of 3. The Blue Jays took 2 of 3 from San Antonio, so the magic # is down to 14.

The Rays won the first game 7-5 but it was another of those games where a big lead evaporated thanks to some shaky bullpen work. Taylor Walls had an RBI single and Jarren Duran a 2-run single in the 4th to put the Rays ahead to say, and Randy Arozarena (#18) and Hunter Bishop (#13) went deep in the 7th to make it 7-2. Mike Clevinger, who had pitched well since joining the Rays but had 6 no-decisions in 7 starts and was 0-1, finally picked up his first Rays win with a fine 7 4 2 2 3 5 performance. But the back end of the pen made a mess in the 9th and Nick Anderson had to come in and get the final out for save #31 although not after giving up an RBI single of his own.

The second game was just one of those days for the Rays as they were whupped 11-4 by Minnesota. Matt Peacock wasn't good at all, going 4.1 9 6 6 3 2 and the Rays found themselves down 8-0 before getting on the board. Hunter Bishop continued on his insane power surge with a 2-run blast, #14.

Chris Sale got the call in the rubber match and pitched pretty well, going 5 5 2 2 1 4 on 86 pitches and a Johan Camargo single tied the game in the bottom of the 5th at 2. But Camargo had a hand in Minnesota's rally to take the lead in the 7th when he committed a leadoff error which came around to score as the winning run off Justin Dunn, who took the 4-2 loss. Austin Meadows was the only Ray who swung a decent bat today, hitting a solo homer (#17) and a double.

Team record: 81-57. Next up: Three games in Cleveland.

MLB News: The Angels swept Detroit to up their winning streak to 14, while Chicago's Yoan Moncada had a career day against Baltimore, going 5-5 with 3 HR and 7 RBI.

[Art Deco]

We're headed down the stretch with four weeks to go, and here's where things stand:

[Art Deco]

We get back to taking 2 of 3 from the opposition, this time from the Guardians. The Blue Jays didn't help us reduce the magic # at all as they swept fellow wildcard longshots Houston so it only drops to 12.

Tyler Glasnow continues to struggle with homers allowed, and he served up 2 more in an 8-2 loss in the series opener. Despite 0 walks, 9 whiffs and only 5 hits allowed through 6 1/3, Glasnow was tagged for 5 runs thanks to the longballs. Nick Sandlin gave up 2 more in a 3-run 8th to truly put it out of reach for the Rays. The offense had 9 hits and 5 walks with plenty of chances to score, but couldn't get the big hit.

Picking up where he left off as August's AL Pitcher of the Month, Tarik Skubal was excellent and the Rays got back in the win column 4-1. Skubal was 6 6 1 1 2 8 and improved to 11-3, 3.58 as a Ray. A couple of solo homers proved big with Adley Rutschman hitting #22/31 in the 2nd (and singling in a run later) and Wander Franco with a no-doubter to deep LCF (#10) which saw the outfielders frozen in their tracks. Nick Anderson had a 2-whiff 1-2-3 9th for save #31.

The Rays took the rubber match of the series in a back-and-forth affair which finished with them on top 9-6. They put 4 on the board in the 1st with four different batters driving in runs, but Mike Clevinger did not fare well in his first game back in Progressive Field since being traded from Cleveland to San Diego back in 2020. The righty went 4.2 7 6 5 4 3 and Tampa Bay found itself down 6-4. Randy Arozarena took care of the deficit with a 2-run double in the 6th, and the red-hot Hunter Bishop homered (#15, off a lefty no less) to break the tie in the 7th. They added 2 more for insurance in the 8th on a wild pitch and a Joey Bart RBI groundout, and the bullpen was magnificent after taking over for Clevinger. Justin Dunn struck out 6 of the 7 men he faced and retired to get the win (his 4th with the Rays) and Aaron Fletcher went the final 2 for save #3.

Team record: 83-58. Next up: 3 at home vs Oakland.

MLB News: The Angels swept Baltimore and their win streak now stands at 17.

Minor League Playoff Update: Our affiliate Montgomery was the best team in AA South, going 85-55 and opened up the playoffs today against the Mississippi Braves with an 8-6 win. 2019 #1 pick Greg Jones had a grand slam and drove in 5 as part of a 3-3 day and 26-year-old non-prospect Michael Smith drove in the other 3. Jared Wetherbee, acquired from the Angels in the Willy Adames trade, did not have a good start (4.1 8 5 5 1 3) but the Biscuits overcame it.

[Art Deco]

Another series in which we take 2 out of 3, which is what Toronto did against the Yankees so the magic number falls to 9.

Transaction: Devin Williams activated off the IL, Jack Little sent back to AA Montgomery.

The eyes of the baseball world were upon Tropicana Field for the opener as the A's gave the start to Ty Madden, their #1 pick (17th overall) this year who was just recently signed and was making his professional debut. And the former Texas Longhorn impressed, leading Oakland to a 3-2 win. He went 5.1 7 2 2 2 8 and dominated the Rays early before running out of gas in the 5th when Tampa Bay scored twice. Matt Peacock pitched well in the loss, doomed by one bad sequence when Rays-killer Sean Murphy drilled a 3-run homer. Peacock went 6 4 3 3 2 9 and dropped to 9-8, 4.38 but the story on the mound for the Rays was the electric performance of Luis Patino in relief. He fanned 8 A's in 3 innings, including this in the 9th:



The second game followed an unwelcome pattern for the Rays of late: build a big lead early and then watch it slip away. Fortunately they recovered from the blown lead and won 8-6 in 11 innings when Jarren Duran hit a 2-run walk-off homer (#23). Before that they built a 6-2 lead on 3-run homers from Adley Rutschman (#23/32) in the 1st and Heston Kjerstad (his first as a Ray) in the 3rd. But Chris Sale didn't really have it today and he left after going 4 7 4 4 2 3 on 96 pitches. Reggie Lawson took over and gave up a run in his 1 2/3 innings of work and then Devin Williams gave up a homer in the 7th to allow Oakland to tie. We stayed there until Duran's blast, which made a winner of Nick Anderson (4-2) who pitched the 10th and 11th.

Tyler Glasnow was dominant in the rubber game of the series, going 6 2 0 0 3 11 as he combined with 3 relievers on a 5-0 shutout of Oakland. Glasnow is now 10-8, 3.81 as Rays pitching combined for 18 strikeouts. Austin Meadows' solo shot (#18) in the 2nd would be the only run they'd need, but they got an RBI double from Hunter Bishop as part of a 2-run 6th, and Bishop salted the game away with a 2-run shot (#16) in the 8th to cap a 3-3 day. Bishop has done nothing but rake since becoming a regular and is now hitting 297/358/622 with 16 HR and 35 RBI in 56 games.

Team record: 85-59. Next up: 3 games in Toronto which looked a lot more interesting on the schedule about 4-6 weeks ago.

Montgomery Playoff Update: The Biscuits are now up 3-0 in their best-of-7 series vs Mississippi in the first round of the AA South playoffs.

MLB News: The Angels' win streak reached 18 before they were beaten by the White Sox.

[Art Deco]

The Rays continued on their run of taking 2 out of 3 by doing so to Toronto, which means they've reduced their magic # to clinch the AL East to 5.

The series opener was a tight, tense game which saw Tarik Skubal manage to limit the damage of issuing 6 walks by holding the Jays to 2 runs over the 5 innings he worked while Trent Thornton was mowing down the Rays through that same timeframe. But they rallied for a pair in the 6th on Wander Franco's 11th homer and an RBI single from Adley Rutschman, and Justin Dunn pitched 3 dominant innings to hold the Jays, buying time for Heston Kjerstad to hit a 7th-inning solo shot (#2) off Jordan Romano to give the Rays a 3-2 win. With Nick Anderson in need of rest, Pete Fairbanks notched his 1st save of the year with a clean 9th.

Transaction: Carter Kieboom comes off the IL and Johan Camargo is optioned to Durham.

In the second game Mike Clevinger had a brutal first inning allowing 5 runs, and although the Rays made a game of it they fell short in the end 7-5. The bats were dominated early again by Toronto's Nate Pearson but in the 6th Carter lowered the Kieboom with a 3-run shot (#12) in his first game back to cut it to 5-3. Clevinger gave up another run, and another was charged to Luis Patino, making the difference after Randy Arozarena had a 2-run shot (#19) in the 8th. Patino, who whiffed 8 in 3 innings his last time out, got all 5 of his outs via the K before leaving with a man on after suffering a mild calf strain and Nick Sandlin allowed his runner to score.

The rubber match saw the Rays put up a touchdown and extra point in the 1st inning off Toronto's Cy Young contender and Cuban defector Ernie Severino, which stood up in a 7-3 win. Austin Meadows had a 2-run single and then Heston Kjerstad went yard again with a grand slam (#3) to cap the inning. With a comfortable lead Matt Peacock was brilliant, taking a shutout into the 8th before giving up a homer and finishing 7.2 6 1 1 1 7 and improving to 10-8, 4.22.

Team record: 87-60. Next up: An off-day then Texas comes to the Trop for 3.

Montgomery Playoff Update: The Biscuits swept their series with Mississippi and will now take on the Birmingham Barons for the AA South championship.

MLB News: The White Sox swept the Twins in a showdown series between the two for AL Central supremacy and Chicago is now 5 games up. They should therefore be the Rays' opponent in the ALDS instead of the Twins for a third straight year, and should also have home field since they're 4 games better than us.

Also there was a wave of retirements among former MLBers who toiled in the minors this year, including former Rays hurlers Charlie Morton, Alex Cobb and Drew Smyly, in addition to former Rays OF Matt Joyce. Other notables hanging up the cleats were Jeff Samardzija, Todd Frazier, Matt Carpenter and Yoenis Cespedes.

[Art Deco]

I was all set to make my obligatory "The Rays took 2 out of 3" remarks when they fell behind big in the finale but they came back and pulled off a sweep of Texas, their first since August 10-12 vs Kansas City. Toronto stubbornly swept its series at Seattle (which brought them 4 back of the M's for the second wild card) so the division-clinching party will have to wait a little longer with the magic number now down to 2.

The series opener saw them down Texas 7-2 behind a strong effort from Chris Sale and 4 homers. The veteran lefty went 6.1 4 2 2 1 7 to improve to 8-2, 3.79. Randy Arozarena's 20th HR of the year in the 2nd made it 2-0, and he was followed by Heston Kjerstad's 4th in the 5th as the rookie is also impressing, and then Austin Meadows salted the game away with dingers in the 6th and 8th to give him 20 as he continues to salvage a disappointing season.

The second game was another comfortable win as Tyler Glasnow was sharp if not dominating as the Rays prevailed 7-1. Glasnow was 7 6 1 1 1 6 to go to 11-8, 3.69 and he was backed by 3-run homers from Jorge Ona (#16) and Brandon Lowe (#25). Adley Rutschman contributed a double, triple and an RBI.

The finale on the other hand was anything but comfortable and as mentioned above it looked like a Rays loss until it didn't. Tarik Skubal was not on his game today and was hit for a 2.1 6 4 4 3 3 line. Reggie Lawson got him out of the 3rd with a double play but gave up a 3-run homer in the 5th to make it 7-2 Rangers. Then the Rays immediately turned it around in the bottom of the frame with a 6-spot keyed by a 2-run Randy Arozarena single and a 3-run jack from Hunter Bishop (#17), who can't stop hitting homers. He settled for a double in the 6th to drive in his 4th & 5th runs of the day, though, as the Rays went on to win 10-7. Despite the 3 runs allowed in relief Lawson was credited with the win, and Nick Anderson notched save #33.

Team record: 90-60, as we hit the .600 mark. We're also now 71-29 after that dreadful 19-31 start. Next up: Detroit visits for 3 games.

Montgomery Playoff Update: The Biscuits got off to a roaring start in their AA South Championship series with 5-4 and 4-3 wins to take a 2-0 lead in the best of 7. Montgomery has yet to lose this postseason.

[Art Deco]

The Rays swept the Tigers and in the process became AL East Champions for the fourth straight season, a feat that looked like a pipe dream about 1/3 of the way into the season. The three games weren't the prettiest, but a sweep is a sweep.

The opener should have been a cakewalk as the Rays took a 7-1 lead into the 9th, but Nick Sandlin couldn't get anyone out and neither could Peter Fairbanks and it was 7-7. And when Nick Anderson gave up a 10th inning homer to put Detroit ahead 8-7, it looked like a blown game. But after a Detroit error put a man on 2nd with 2 out, Carter Kieboom came through with a big RBI single to tie it and Wander Franco walked it off in the bottom of the 11th with HR #12 to give the Rays a 9-8 win. Before all that, Mike Clevinger was dominating against the team we acquired him from, going 5 5 0 0 1 10 on 98 pitches and Brandon Lowe had a 1st-inning grand slam (#26) to held build the lead. The win eventually went to Justin Dunn, who pitched the 11th.

The middle game was the most straightforward of the three with the Rays taking a 7-3 win after falling behind 3-2 in the 5th. Matt Peacock wasn't his sharpest but made it through 5 to get win #11 at 5 8 3 2 1 5. Jorge Ona had an early 2-run double as part of a 3-4 day, Wander Franco had a 2-run HR (#13) to put them ahead to stay in the 5th, and Heliot Ramos launched a 3-run shot (#6) in the 6th to break the game open. Luis Patino was electric again in relief (3 1 0 0 0 4, to give him a 1/23 BB/K ratio in 11.1 IP since coming off the IL).

Chris Sale did not have it in the finale, getting hit hard to the tune of 5 10 7 7 1 5 and putting the Rays in a 7-1 hole. But like Detroit in the opener, they erased this 7-1 lead and unlike Detroit, they came all the way back to win 9-7. Brandon Lowe's solo homer (#26) started the comeback, Heston Kjerstad blasted a 2-run shot (#5) and the big hit came in a 4-run 8th from Heliot Ramos, who homered for the 2nd straight day (#7) with 2 men on to put the Rays up 9-7. Game 1's goat Nick Sandlin got win #5 and Aaron Fletcher picked up save #4.

Team record: 93-60. The division is clinched, but playoff positioning remains in play as the Rays are now 2 behind the White Sox, their opponent in the ALDS and can take home-field advantage if they can surpass them.

Montgomery Playoff Update: The Biscuits split Games 3 and 4 in Birmingham and are 1 game away from the AA South championship, up 3-1 in the series. In Game 4 they scored twice in the 9th to tie it up and won it in the 10th on a Niko Hulsizer 2-run shot.

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Not the Rays' finest moment this year as they dropped 2 of 3 to the lowly Orioles at Camden Yards, but with the division already clinched they can be forgiven for taking their foot off the gas.

The opener was a tough 5-4 loss in 10 innings when Aaron Fletcher served up the 1st MLB homer from Greg Cullen, not a known power-hitter. Tyler Glasnow wasn't sharp (5 5 3 3 4 2), nor was Luis Patino for a change (6 baserunners in 1 2/3 but only 1 run allowed). Austin Meadows was 3-4 with an RBI and Wander Franco 2-4 with a triple and an RBI to pace the offense.

Baltimore scored three times in the 7th to take the middle game 5-2 as Tarik Skubal was left in a little too long and Justin Dunn allowed 2 of Skubal's runners to score. Skubal finished 6.1 8 4 4 1 8 but probably deserved better. A 2-run Carter Kieboom homer (#12) was the sum total of the offense.

Randy Arozarena wasn't going to let Baltimore sweep the Rays as he homered twice to lead them to an 8-5 win in the finale. He had a grand slam in the 3rd to put them up 4-0 and after the Orioles crept within 6-5 he launched a solo shot in the 7th to give him 22 on the year. Heliot Ramos (#8) also found the seats. Mike Clevinger started and picked up his 2nd Rays win, but fell apart in the 6th and ended with a not-great 5.1 7 5 5 2 3 line. Thankfully the bullpen was lights-out over the final 3 2/3 and Nick Anderson finished things off for save #34.

Team record: 94-62, 3 games behind the White Sox for home field in the ALDS so not looking that likely. Next up: The high-flying Angels come to town.

Transactions: P Alex Vesia and IF/OF Vidal Brujan were sent on rehab assignments even though the minor leagues are over. They'll both likely be brought back for the final 3-game series.

Montgomery Playoff Update: And they're over because the Biscuits took the AA South Championship in 5 games over Birmingham with a 10-7 win behind 2 Jackson McGowan homers.

MLB Playoff race update: The AL is pretty much set with the Angels and Rays clinching their divisions and the White Sox 3 up on the Twins with 6 games left. The Twins have clinched a wild card, as has Seattle whom Minnesota would host. In the NL, the Nationals and Dodgers have won their divisions with Milwaukee holding a slender 1-game lead over Cincinnati. Neither of these two have a wild card to fall back on as the Padres look secure in the first spot while the Phillies are 2 up on Arizona for the 2nd.

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In the penultimate series of the regular season the Rays hosted the team with MLB's best record, the Angels, in what they hope is a preview of the ALCS. What they hope isn't a preview though was how the series turned out as the Angels took 2 of 3.

They fell 6-2 in the first game when Matt Peacock served up a Jo Adell grand slam in the 3rd to erase an early 2-0 Rays lead. Peacock gave up a couple more in the 5th and had a rough 4.1 3 6 4 4 6 outing which saw him drop to 11-9. Andrew Heaney and the Angels pen shut down the Rays the rest of the way.

The Rays struck back in the middle game thanks to a big game from Hunter Bishop and more electric relief from Luis Patino. Bishop, who had knocked in the first Rays run, had a 2-run triple in a 3-run 6th to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead, which held up as the final score. Chris Sale started and pitched well through the first 4, allowing only a run, before loading the bases in the 5th and allowing a run with nobody out. Enter Patino, who got two strikeouts to escape the jam without further damage and fanned 6 over 3 innings to more than earn his first win of the year. Nick Anderson secured save #35.

In the finale the Angels turned the tables with their own 4-2 win when a former Ray got his revenge. Willy Adames broke a 2-2 tie in the 6th with a 2-run homer off Shane McClanahan for the difference. Tyler Glasnow started and had his usual game with lots of whiffs (11 in 5 innings) and homers (2 solo shots allowed). Randy Arozarena homered for the Rays (#23). Jarren Duran continued his horrible slump, going 0-5 and hitting 138/200/184 in 82 at-bats this month as he could be playing himself out of the lineup with the imminent return of Vidal Brujan.

Team record: 95-64. It's official, we won't win 100 and we won't have home field in the ALDS against the White Sox. Next up we close out the regular season where we started it, with 3 games in Kansas City.

Playoff race update: The update is that there are no more playoff races. Well technically Cincinnati can force a tie with Milwaukee in the NL Central if they sweep just-eliminated Arizona while the Brewers are swept by the Mets. And likewise the White Sox hold a 3-game lead over Minnesota with 3 left, but let's be realistic. The Phillies and Padres clinched wild cards in the NL and the Nationals clinched the East.

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Playing out the string ahead of the playoffs, the Rays won the opener but dropped the final 2 against Kansas City. We had some transactions: IF/OF Vidal Brujan and P Alex Vesia were activated from the IL with Heliot Ramos and Colin Poche sent to Durham.

Tarik Skubal was great in his regular season finale and will pitch either Game 2 or 3 vs the White Sox in the playoffs. The young lefty went 5.2 1 1 1 3 7 in a 4-2 Rays win and finished 12-4, 3.81 with Tampa Bay. Nick Anderson picked up save #36 in his final appearance of the year. A 3-run homer from Austin Meadows (#21) was the big hit of the game.

Mike Clevinger wasn't very good and the Rays were blanked 7-0 with several regulars resting in the middle game. Clevinger finished 5 7 4 4 3 4 and slumped in September with a final record of 2-3, 4.69 in 12 Rays starts.

The Rays dropped the regular season finale 4-3 to Kansas City, after losing leads of 2-0 and 3-2. Carter Kieboom had a 2-run homer (#13) to lead the Rays while Matt Peacock started strong but struggled in the middle innings to end up 4.2 6 4 4 2 7 and finish the year 11-10, 4.41. He'll be the odd man out of the playoff rotation which should go Glasnow, Skubal, Clevinger and Sale.

Final Regular Season Record: 96-66. Next up: the ALDS vs the White Sox starting in Chicago.

Playoff race update: As expected, the White Sox took the AL Central and Milwaukee the NL Central.

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Final team stats:



Solid numbers across the board, especially considering the extended slow start. The defensive numbers are atrocious, though - outside of Rutschman who's a 70 C, we have no truly above average players on defense and several who are below. The final hitting stats:



All of the mainstays of previous seasons (Meadows, Franco, Lowe, Arozarena) had down years although they snapped back in the second half, especially Meadows and Arozarena. The midseason acquisitions were mostly excellent while Jarren Duran was on pace for 3 WAR before he went into a horrible September slump. The final pitching stats:



Kind of surprise that Peacock was tied with Glasnow for the WAR lead, but he was one of our few starters who kept the ball in the park. The back end of our bullpen was very good.

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Blake Snell was having a great night - 4 1/3 no-hit innings and an RBI single, but he had to leave the game with what turned out to be shoulder tendinitis and the Padres will be without him for the rest of the playoffs.

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The Twins romp to the ALDS to take on the 110-win Angels while the Rays will do battle with the White Sox in the other series.

Also a bunch of notable MLB players announced retirements today including Yu Darvish (who spent the last year with Durham with 35 stuff), Justin Upton, Elvis Andrus, Mitch Moreland, Yuli Gurriel and former Rays reliever Oliver Drake.