The 2020 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Seems like scoring has been down considerably on this homestand at Publix Park and today was an example as the Rays scored twice in the 7th to eke out a 3-2 win over the Tigers. Dantel Chinchilla tied the game with an RBI double and Juan Davila singled him home for the winner. Ruben Ramirez hit a solo shot (#9) in the 4th for their first run. Chad Winger (13-6) hung around long enough for the win after going 7 5 2 2 0 5 and Steve Talbott had a 1-2-3 9th for save #37.

Game 2: A 4-run first capped by a 3-run Juan Viatoro homer (#9) sent the Rays on their way to a 5-1 win over Detroit. Alec McInerney was excellent again, improving to 8-1 after a 5 6 1 1 0 7 outing and the bullpen was in fine form as three relievers combined to only allow one hit over the final four innings. Beau Bonczek added a solo homer (#27).

Game 3: The Rays finished off the sweep with a 6-3 win over the Tigers thanks to a 5-run 5th inning. Trailing 2-1 going into the inning, Juan Davila singled in the equalizer and Juan Viatoro's 2-run knock gave them the lead for good. Steve Morris (14-4) picked up the win after going 5 6 3 3 1 4 and the pen was golden again with 4 shutout innings including Steve Talbott's scoreless 9th for save #38.

Team record: 90-31. Next up: An off-day then we travel to Toronto for 3 games.

MLB News: Former Rays star and current Twin Seth Williams came off the bench to homer for Minnesota, his 2000th career hit.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Juan Viatoro homered twice, including a go-ahead 2-run homer in the 5th, to lead the Rays to a 6-4 win over Toronto in the series opener at Rogers Centre. The righty-swinging 1B went deep as part of a 3-run first and then his 5th-inning shot (#11) proved decisive. Luis Barela also had a 2-run shot in that first inning (#37) as part of a 3-hit day. Dave Rose went to 15-4 despite a sometimes rough 5 8 4 4 4 7 performance but the bullpen was sharp with Steve Talbott finishing for save #39.

Game 2: The Rays got by the Jays once again, winning 4-3 with Juan Viatoro provided the big blow yet again. His 2-run homer (#12) in the 7th broke open a 2-1 game and gave them the runs they needed to survive when Steve Talbott gave up a pair in the 9th yet recorded save #40. Also going deep for the first time in his MLB career was David Morales, who tied the game with a solo shot in the 3rd. Morales can hit for average (.306 after batting over .300 the previous two years at Durham) but power is not his bag as the homer was only the second of his professional career with the first coming in 2047 at High-A Charlotte). Rex Bransington (9-2) was excellent as usual, going 5 3 1 1 1 4.

Game 3: Tampa Bay completed the sweep and made it 7 straight wins with a 6-1 beatdown of Toronto in the finale. That man again Juan Viatoro figured in big for the third straight day, going 3-4 with 3 RBI including a 2-run single in the 4th to open the scoring. Chad Winger (14-6) was superlative, going 7 3 0 0 2 4 for the win.

Team record: 93-31, exactly 3 wins for every loss or a .750 winning %. Interestingly despite all the wins of late they haven't completely put the Yankees away as New York has won 12 straight itself and sits at 85-40, the second-best record in MLB. Sucks for them they'll probably have to play a one-shot wild card game. Next up for the Rays: Back home for 3 against Oklahoma City.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays romped in the opener against the Sunbirds at Publix Park, going up 6-0 after two and winning 8-2. It was a two-man show on offense with Jon Morales going 3-3 with a pair of homers (#31 & 32) and 4 RBI and Juan Davila equaling his output with a pair of his own (#29 & 30) and driving in three. The two also combined to score 6 of the team's 8 runs today. Alec McInerney (9-1) cruised to the win going 6.2 6 1 1 1 5.

Game 2: Steve Morris and the Rays got enough offense to beat Oklahoma City 4-1 in the second game. Morris improved to 15-4 with a tidy 7 6 1 1 0 4 outing and Steve Talbott earned his MLB-best 41st save. Jon Morales swung the big bat again, driving in a pair with a solo homer (#33) and an RBI single.

Game 3: Tampa Bay completed the sweep and made it 10 wins on the trot with a 7-2 beatdown of the Sunbirds. The longball was in abundance today with Juan Davila (#31), Ezequiel Avalos (#4/8), Dantel Chinchilla (#8) and Juan Viatoro (#13) all going yard with Viatoro's a 3-run shot. Dave Rose became the AL's first 16-game winner this year with a comfortable 7 5 1 1 1 5 outing.

Team record: 96-31. Next up: Boston comes to town for 4 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays won consecutive game #11 by downing the Red Sox 9-6 in the opener of their 4-game set at Publix Park. Jon McGovern put the Rays ahead to stay with a 2-run homer in the 7th (#9), his 3rd hit of the day, and Tampa Bay also had homers from Luis Barela (#38), Dantel Chinchilla (#9) and Juan Davila (#32). Rex Bransington started and was 5 6 4 4 1 3, the win went to Jimmy Bernal (7-3) with two scoreless in relief, and Steve Talbott went four outs for his 42nd save.

Game 2: Several regulars were fatigued so the Rays had a less-than-optimal lineup, and it showed as Boston held them to 1 run through 8 innings. But a 9th-inning rally with one of the regulars drawing a pinch-hit walk, and another hitting a pinch-hit grand slam showed that Tampa Bay doesn't even need its regulars in the whole game to win. Before all that Chad Winger pitched well (6 5 2 2 1 5) yet had nothing to show for it, but in the 9th they loaded the bases including Juan Davila's pinch-walk and Beau Bonczek came off the bench the send the runners and the crowd home with HR #28, making a winner of Mel Mejia (6-0) as the Rays made it 12 straight with a 5-3 win.

Game 3: More walk-off magic extended the Rays' winning streak to baker's dozen as Juan Davila's RBI single in the bottom of the 9th gave Tampa Bay a 4-3 win over Boston. The winning hit was Davila's 3rd knock of the game including a 1st-inning solo shot (#33). Alec McInerney was 5 7 3 3 1 6 and the Rays trailed 3-2 going into the bottom of the 8th when Juan Viatoro leveled matters with an RBI single, setting the stage for Davila in the 9th. Mario Berumen picked up his 2nd Rays win in relief.

Game 4: The Rays' 13-game win streak came to a crashing halt in the finale and it was none other than former Tampa Bay legend Greg Bookhart the primary culprit as he held his old squad to a single run over 6 2/3 innings as the Red Sox prevailed 5-1. And former Rays star Mario Saro had a hand in matters as well as his RBI double punctuated a 4-run 1st for Boston off Steve Morris (15-5), who was hit hard at 2.1 9 5 5 0 0. Jimmy Bernal pitched an impressive 4 2/3 shutout innings in relief but thanks to Bookhart there was no patented Publix Park comeback which he had witnessed oh so many times.

Team record: 99-32. Next up: We head to Yankee Stadium where things have a much different vibe from the last trip when we were chasing New York in the first couple of months of the season. The division lead is now 10 and even if the Yankees sweep we're still up 7 with a month to go.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Beau Bonczek was the big bopper today as he had the best game by an AL player this season by OOTP's hitter game score, leading the Rays to a 9-6 11-inning victory at Yankee Stadium. Bonczek was 5-5 with 2 doubles and a pair of 3-run homers, including one in the top of the 11th to win it, his 30th of the season. Bonczek's first three-run blast came in the 2nd and gave the Rays an early 6-2 lead which Dave Rose (and Willie Navarro in the 8th) couldn't hold. Rose was 5 5 4 4 3 9, the win went to good-luck charm Mel Mejia (now 7-0) and Steve Talbott earned his 43rd save, the most in a single season by any Rays pitcher in this save (the team record is 49 by Fernando Rodney in 2012 - I wonder if OOTP had an option to tilt his cap). Jon McGovern had a solo homer (#9) and Ruben Ramirez a 2-run shot (#10) for the other Tampa Bay runs.

Game 2: The Rays used some late-game magic to get by the Yankees again, scoring single runs in the 8th and 9th to take a 5-3 win. Jon McGovern's RBI double in the 8th was the winner, and Luis Barela went deep with his 39th homer for insurance in the 9th. The Rays also got a 2-run homer from rookie catcher Cesar Scroggins, his first in the bigs and what a place to get it. Rex Bransington turned in his usual 5 5 2 2 1 5 start, Chris Hetzel (3-2) got the win despite allowing the tying run, and Steve Talbott saved again for #44 as he chases Rodney's team record.

Game 3: Beau Bonczek may have had the big game in the opener but Jon McGovern was the man throughout the series as once again he provided the game-winning hit in the 8th inning, a 2-run double to lead the Rays to a 4-3 win and sweep of New York to lower their magic # to clinch the division to 16. McGovern's hit made a winner of Jimmy Bernal (8-3) in relief and with Steve Talbott having pitched the previous two days Willie Navarro got the ball in the 9th and held the one-run lead for his 2nd save. Chad Winger went 5.1 5 2 2 2 2 in the start and earlier Luis Barela reached the 40-homer mark for the sixth time in his career with a 2-run blast in the 1st.

Team record: 102-32. Next up: An off-day then back home for 3 against Minnesota.

[Art Deco]

September 1: Promoted DH Ben Jones and P Melvin Lopez from AAA Durham.

Time to bring up a couple extra bodies for September. The Jones promotion is more of a career thing than a merit thing as he's toiled away in our farm system since being a 3rd-round pick in 2045. He wasn't even starting for the Bulls but did have 9 HR in 99 AB so we'll give him a taste of the bigs even though he doesn't have much of a future. Lopez on the other hand figures into out 2052 plans after coming over from St. Louis in the Alex Duran deal. He belongs in the majors and was 5-0, 2.29 in 7 starts for Durham after the trade including a pair of complete-game shutouts.

Game 1: The Rays opened their series with Minnesota with a 6-1 win at Publix Park with all the scoring coming from the red-hot Beau Bonczek (a 3-run HR #31) and Jon Morales (a pair of homers driving in the other 3 and giving him 35). Alec McInerney (10-1) was solid at 5.1 7 1 1 0 3 and Jimmy Bernal went the final 3 2/3 scoreless for his 3rd save.

Game 2: The shoe was on the other foot as the Twins routed the Rays 9-4 (and that was after it was 9-0). Steve Morris (15-6) was pounded at 3.2 9 7 7 0 3 and has given up 12 runs in 6 innings in his last two starts. Jon Morales' 2-run homer, his third in two days and 36th of the year, was the lone Rays highlight.

Game 3: The Rays lost a series for the first time since a month ago in Anaheim as the Twins clobbered them again 8-3. Today's pitching pinata was Dave Rose (16-5) who went 6 8 5 5 2 3. The three Tampa Bay runs came courtesy of solo homers from Juan Davila (#34), Ruben Ramirez (#11) and the fourth of the series from Jon Morales (#37).

Team record: 103-34. Next up: We were just there last week but we're heading back to New York to play 3 more at Yankee Stadium.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays got some great pitching and just enough offense to eke out a 2-0 win over the Yankees in New York. Juan Davila tripled in a run in the 3rd and then scored on a Jon Morales single to account for the offense and Rex Bransington (10-2) was excellent at 5 2 0 0 1 4. Bransington threw 72 pitches and then four relievers combined to get the final 12 outs while throwing only 27 pitches in total to give them team a rare combined Maddux, a 99-pitch team shutout. Steve Talbott was the last of them, recording save #45 while only tossing 6 pitches.

Game 2: Two runs weren't enough today as the Yankees doubled up the Rays 4-2 in the second game. A two-run Beau Bonczek shot (#32) in the 2nd gave them an early lead but the offense dried up after that. Chad Winger (14-7) wasn't very good today at 3.2 5 4 4 4 5 with a couple of homers allowed. The one bright spot was the Rays debut of Melvin Lopez, who threw three one-hit shutout innings in relief.

Game 3: The Rays' offense continued to be stuck on two runs and once again that wasn't enough as the Yankees took the series with another 4-2 win. Jon McGovern was the only one on offense who produced, going 2-3 with 2 walks, a steal and a run scored. Alec McInerney pitched well at 6 5 2 2 1 3 and it was 2-2 until the Yankees broke through for a pair against Mario Berumen in the 8th and the righty took his first loss as a Ray.

Team record: 104-36. Next up: An off-day then we return home to Tampa to take on Toronto.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: A 4-run 5th was enough to propel the Rays to a 5-2 win over Toronto in the opener at Publix Park. David Morales had a 2-run double and Dantel Chinchilla followed with a 2-run homer (#10) to provide the scoring in the big inning, and Jon Morales later added HR #39 for insurance. Steve Morris (16-6) bounced back from a couple of bad starts to go 5 3 1 1 1 4 and Steve Talbott continued to close in on the team single-season save record with his 46th, leaving him 3 short.

Game 2: Similar to yesterday a big inning was key for the Rays in a somewhat tight win over the Jays as Dantel Chinchilla went deep for the second straight day with a 3-run shot in the 2nd (#11) to lead Tampa Bay to a 5-3 win. Juan Davila was 2-4 with an RBI while Jon Morales and Ruben Ramirez had three hits each. Dave Rose (17-5) kept his shot at 20 wins alive after going 6 6 2 2 1 9 for the win and Steve Talbott saved again with #47.

Game 3: The Rays finished off the sweep and this time it came easy in a 12-2 rout of Toronto. Beau Bonczek has been red-hot of late and today he blasted a pair of 2-run homers to give him 34 on the season and Zeke Avalos added his 5th as a Ray and 9th overall with a man on while Ismael Morales was 2-4 with a double, steal and 3 RBI. Rex Bransington couldn't get the win at 4.2 4 2 2 3 9 but it wasn't until Bonczek's first homer in the 6th the Rays went ahead so the win went to Chris Hetzel (4-2) in relief.

Team record: 107-36. Next up: The White Sox roll into town for 3.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays got a big game from Ezequiel Avalos and needed all of it as they snuck by the White Sox 6-5 in 10 innings in the series lid-lifter. Avalos was 3-5 with 2 HR & 4 RBI, giving him 7 longballs with the Rays and 11 overall, but it was Jon McGovern's RBI single in the 10th which sent the locals home happy. Beau Bonczek added a solo shot (#35). Chad Winger certainly scattered the hits at 5.2 10 2 2 0 3 and Mario Berumen (3-1) ended up with the win after hurling the final 3 innings on only 30 pitches.

Game 2: Tampa Bay had to come back again to take a 6-4 win over Chicago in the second game. Beau Bonczek's solo homer (#36) tied it in the 6th, Jon Morales' 39th won it in the 7th, and Cesar Scroggins hit his 2nd in the 8th for insurance while Luis Barela also knocked in a pair. Alec McInerney was 5 6 4 4 1 4, Melvin Lopez picked up his first Rays win with a pair of scoreless innings, and Steve Talbott earned his 48th save, putting him one shy of Fernando Rodney's single-season club mark.

Game 3: We haven't had a lot of them lately, but the finale was a classic Publix Park shootout which saw the Rays prevail 11-8 to sweep their second straight series. Chicago went up 5-2 and 8-5 in the 3rd and 4th but the Rays answered in both innings and led 9-8 after 4. Beau Bonczek hit a solo homer (#37) for the third straight game and added a 2-run double while Juan Viatoro, Luis Barela and Ezequiel Avalos each plated a pair. Steve Morris turned in his third disaster start in his last four outings at 3.1 9 7 7 0 2, Jimmy Bernal (9-3) picked up the win despite allowing a run in his inning of work, and Mel Mejia closed for his first save of the season.

Team record: 110-36. Next up: An off-day then the Angels visit for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays suffered a rare loss when the Angels came back to score 3 in the 8th off Dave Rose and take a 5-4 win. Rose (17-6) finished 8 12 5 5 1 7 in marathon outing for him and Jon Morales had the big hit for Tampa Bay, a 3-run homer (#40).

Game 2: Tampa Bay took a back-and-forth affair 6-5 from the Angels in the second game. They relied on the longball today with Jon Morales hitting 2 more homers, both solo, to give him 42 and Jon McGovern (#10) and Dantel Chinchilla (#12) also went deep. Rex Bransington went 4 8 4 3 0 3, Melvin Lopez (2-0) got the win and Steve Talbott equaled Fernando Rodney's single-season team saves record with his 49th.

Game 3: The Rays took the series from LA with a 5-2 win in the finale and the big news was that Steve Talbott became the first Rays reliever to reach the 50-save mark, breaking Fernando Rodney's 39-year-old record. Chris Kidd was the hitting hero today after blasting a 2-run homer in the 7th, his first of the year, to break a 2-2 tie in the 7th. Jon Morales hit his 4th homer of the series and 43rd of the year to provide some insurance. Chad Winger went 5 4 1 1 3 4 with Chris Hetzel (5-2) vulturing the win from him by allowing the tying run in the 6th.

Team record: 112-37. Next up: 3 games in Oakland.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Two runs in the 9th inning gave the Rays a 4-3 come-from-behind win at Oakland in their series opener. Beau Bonczek led off the inning with HR #38 as he's been on a spree of late, and they then loaded the bases with Juan Davila forcing home the winner on a walk. Kevin Leonard (3-1) got the win in relief and Willie Navarro closed for save #3. Alec McInerney was good at 5 2 1 1 1 3. Speaking of homer sprees, the first two Tampa Bay runs came courtesy of a Jon Morales homer, his 44th on the season and sixth in his last five games, all of which he's gone deep in.

Game 2: The Rays took a tidy 5-1 win in Oakland which saw Jon Morales homer for the sixth straight game. His solo shot in the 3rd was his 45th of the year and seventh in that stretch. Zeke Avalos was 4-4 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI and who else but Beau Bonczek hit his 39th homer. Steve Morris (17-6) was a very good 5.1 4 1 0 2 3 for the win as he continues to alternate great starts with terrible ones.

Game 3: Tampa Bay keeps rolling on as they swept the series from Oakland with an 8-0 rout. Dave Rose was story as he had a no-hitter for 7 2/3 innings before allowing a single and then departed after a walk and single immediately after. He improved to 18-6 with his 7.2 2 0 0 2 8 gem and still has a shot at 20 wins. In a bit of an upset neither Jon Morales nor Beau Boncezk homered; in fact, nobody homered today for the Rays but Ben Jones had the game of his short MLB career by going 3-4 with a double and 2 RBI while Zeke Avalos was 3-4 with a double and RBI as well.

Team record: 115-37. Next up: A day off then 3 games in Texas.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: A fine outing from Rex Bransington and three longballs boosted the Rays to a 5-2 win at Globe Life Field over the Rangers as they opened their 3-game set. Bransington (11-2) went 6 4 2 2 0 7 and was dominating after giving up both runs in the first. Jon Morales' homer tear continued with his eighth in as many games (#46), a 2-run shot to tie it in the 4th and Juan Davila gave the Rays the lead with a 2-run blast (#35) in the 6th. Zeke Avalos added #8/12 later and Steve Talbott extended his Rays save record with #51.

Game 2: Pitching was the coin of the realm in the second game as the Rays and Chad Winger stifled the Rangers 2-0. Winger (15-7) pitched with some traffic at 5.2 7 0 0 2 4 but made the pitches he needed to and the bullpen was golden after that with Steve Talbott notching save #52. The Tampa Bay runs came courtesy of David Morales' RBI double in the 2nd and Juan Viatoro's solo homer (#14) in the 6th.

Game 3: Tampa Bay suffered only its 38th loss of the season as they were edged by Texas 3-2 in the finale. A few of the bigger bats got the day off and it showed although they nearly rallied to tie or go ahead in the 9th. Alec McInerney (10-2) was inconsistent today at 4.1 3 3 3 4 2.

Team record: 117-38. Next up: Home for 3 against Baltimore.

As we head into the season's final week, here's where things stand in the playoff races. The Rays of course have clinched the East, and the Yankees have long clinched a wild card as they are sitting on 103 wins, a shame for them. Minnesota will take the AL Central but in the AL West the Angels lead Houston by only one game with the Astros also one game behind Austin for the second wild card so a lot at stake there.

In the NL Columbus and 100-win Colorado have clinched the East and West; the Cubs and Brewers are tied atop the Central. Arizona should claim one of the wild cards and the Cubs/Brewers loser the other. The Phillies are 3 1/2 back of the Central squads but that's a big ask with one week left.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays opened the final homestand of the regular season with a 7-2 win over Baltimore at Publix Park. Steve Morris (18-6) went 5.1 7 2 2 1 2 for the win, Jon McGovern homered twice (#11 & 12) and drove in 3, and Ezequiel Avalos was 3-3 with HR #9/13 and 3 RBI.

Game 2: Dave Rose lost out on his chance to win 20 games but the Rays still prevailed 5-2 over the Orioles when Juan Davila hit a 3-run walk-off homer (#36) in the bottom of the 9th to win it. Rose was an excellent 7 5 2 2 1 8 but couldn't hold a 2-0 lead in the 6th inning, allowing Baltimore to tie. He would have gone on the final day had he won today but instead he'll finish his regular season 18-6, 3.84 with 213 strikeouts. Mel Mejia (8-0) instead got the win in relief while Juan Viatoro had a solo homer (#15) and David Morales was 3-4 with an RBI.

Game 3: The bench was emptied for the finale and the offense suffered for it in a 6-2 loss. Rex Bransington took a 1-0 lead into the 8th before putting the first two on and Mel Mejia uncharacteristically melted down, allowing Bransington's men to score along with 3 of his own. Bransington finished an excellent 7 4 2 2 0 6 and ends his season 11-3, 3.67 with 4.4 WAR. Dantel Chinchilla, one of the few regulars who played, had a pair of doubles and an RBI.

Team record: 119-39. Next up: We finish the season with 4 at home against the Yankees, whom we may see in the playoffs. New York has had a great season with 105 wins and are one short of the 2021 Dodgers for the most wins by a team that didn't win its division.

Team news: We have a slew of players becoming free agents at year's end but one who won't be now is Alec McInerney as we signed the lefty to a 2/8.8 extension after a couple of successful stints in Rays colors.

Playoff race update: Houston and the Angels are tied atop the AL West and they're both 1 game ahead of Austin for the second wild card. In the NL Chicago and Milwaukee are tied for the NL Central lead and also tied with Milwaukee for the two wild card spots.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays began their final series of the regular season by dropping a 3-1 decision in 12 innings to the Yankees at Publix Park. Chad Winger started and went 6 7 0 0 2 5 to close his fine (an only? he's a free agent) season with the Rays at 15-7, 3.38 with 3.3 WAR. Willie Navarro blew the lead for him in the 7th and Steve Talbott who has had a great season this year after a mediocre one last, gave up a 2-run homer in the 11th to take his first loss of the season after a Luis Barela prolonged the inning. Talbott has pitched in 61 games and recorded saves in 52 of them with a 1-1 record and has only blown two saves.

Game 2: Tampa Bay took a 6-2 win in the second game with a lineup largely comprised of reserves although the one ringer in the lineup, Beau Bonczek, was 3-5 with HR #40 and 2 RBI while part-timer Ruben Ramirez added a solo shot (#12). Alec McInerney celebrated his new contract extension by going 5 6 1 1 2 3 for the win and finished 11-2, 2.99 with 2.5 WAR in only 17 starts. Mel Mejia got the final four outs for his 2nd save.

Game 3: Today's game was a wild one as the Yankees jumped all over Steve Morris to go up 6-0 in the top of the 2nd only for the Rays to answer with 6 in the bottom of the frame to tie it and go ahead with a run in the 3rd. Nobody then scored until the 9th when New York tied it off Steve Talbott, who finished out the year with a loss and a blown save after being nearly perfect before. And then the Yankees scored three times off Mario Berumen (3-2) in the 11th to take a 10-7 win, their 107th of the season which is a new record for a team that didn't win its division. Morris was pounded to the tune of 1.2 7 6 3 2 2 and although he finished the year with a gaudy 18-6 record it came with a 4.73 ERA. He did earn 2.7 WAR, a respectable total. Melvin Lopez then came in and pitched a dominating 5.1 1 0 0 0 8 in long relief. Jon Morales and Dantel Chinchilla led the offense with 2 RBI apiece.

October 1: Optioned P Melvin Lopez to AAA Durham, purchased the contract of P Chris Giles from AAA Durham.

We needed a starter for the final day and Lopez's demotion is a paper move as he'll likely be on the playoff roster. Giles was acquired mid-season in Milwaukee in a deal for reliever Steve Ravin and was 5-9, 4.44 at Durham. He's rated 50/60/50 so a 5th starter-type at best.

Game 4: The Rays closed out the regular season with a wild 15-6 win over the Yankees behind a monster game from Ruben Ramirez. The slugging 1B was 3-5 with 2 HR (#13 & 14) and 6 RBI and Jon Morales closed out a possible MVP season with 2 doubles, HR #47 and two RBI to finish .312-47-127 with 8.1 WAR, nearly equaling the 8.5 WAR of his incredible 2049 rookie season. Speaking of rookies, Jon McGovern hit HR #13 and Ezequiel Avalos doubled and hit a 2-run homer (#10/14). Chris Giles was dominating through his first 3 innings, fanning 6, but gave up 4 in the 4th and couldn't finish the 5th after being pushed to 119 pitches with his 75 stamina. He ended up 4.2 6 6 6 4 6 in his MLB debut with 2 homers allowed. Kevin Leonard (4-1) got the win in relief but it was bittersweet for him as he tore a back muscle that will sideline him until March.

Final Regular Season Record: 121-41. Next up: The ALDS against an opponent TBA.

The playoff update will come in the next post as there's a tiebreaker game.

[Art Deco]

The Angels move on after beating former Ray Bob Riley and the Astros while Houston will now play Austin in a Wild Card tiebreaker for the right to travel to the 107-win Yankees. Here's how that turned out:



No playoff ball in Austin as the Astros rebounded from their AL West tiebreaker loss to beat the Angels. Another former Ray Gordie Ager wasn't great but came out on the winning end.

[Art Deco]

[Art Deco]

We'll be facing the 107-win Yankees in the ALDS in what will certainly be the playoff matchup featuring the most combined wins in MLB history:

[Art Deco]

A good start...



Dave Rose was dealing and the Rays got just enough offense to take a tidy 3-0 win over the Yankees in the opening game of the historic ALDS matchup of teams which combined for 228 wins. Juan Viatoro had a sac fly and a solo homer and Dantel Chinchilla also went yard to get the Rays the runs they needed as Rose and the pen combined on a shutout. Rex Bransington will go tomorrow.

Yesterday's NLDS action:



And the rest of today's DS games:

[Art Deco]

That was ugly...



Not much to say about this one as Rays pitching was horrendous and the offense wasn't much better. Chad Winger will try to get things right in Yankee Stadium in a couple of days. In the other ALDS:

[Art Deco]

Unbelievable...




If you thought the Rays' pitching in Game 2 was bad, get a load of Game 3. It looked like they might have a shot in this one as Zeke Avalos's 2-run double in the 5th put them up 6-4 as they kept responding to New York scoring. But the wheels came off in a 7-run 5th with Jimmy Bernal, who had been so good this year in middle/long relief, throwing meatballs to Yankee hitters. So now it's up to Alec McInerney tomorrow to try to hold this suddenly explosive Yankee offense in check as they've gone from 0 to 8 to 15 runs in the 3 games so far.

Yesterday's NLDS:



And all of today's DS action:




Of course the three stars of the day would be Yankees.