The 2020 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays - Page 126

Art Deco · 07-20-2023, 12:33 PM

September 20: Claimed OF Joe Koutnik on waivers from Philadelphia, optioned OF Brian Whittaker to AAA Durham.

Koutnik is a class three true outcomes-type with 45 contact but 70 power and 70 eye. He had 23 HR in 317 AB with the Phillies, but for whatever reason they became disenchanted with the 31-year-old. He'll get some run at DH as we've kind of had a revolving door there since Ruben Ramirez was injured.

Game 1: A 4-run rally in the 7th earned the Rays a 5-2 win in Anaheim over the Angels in the opener. Jesus Avalos' 2-run double put Tampa Bay in front and Luis Barela followed with a 2-run homer (#38) to ice it. Ezequiel Avalos had homered earlier (#39) for the first run. Dave Rose went to 17-3 in a well-pitched 7 3 2 2 1 7 outing and Steve Talbott closed for save #21.

Game 2: The Rays tied it up dramatically in the 9th but that only served to prolong their agony as the Angels walked off a 5-3 win in 12 innings. David Morales' RBI single off future HOF closer Jake Cid gave Tampa Bay hope but that was snuffed out when Joe Roberts gave up a 2-run homer with Mario Berumen's (8-6) man aboard. Tim Johnson was 5 5 3 3 2 6 in his start and the pen kept them in it until they didn't.

Game 3: Another dropped series for the lead and another game dropped off the division lead as a Yankee win combined the Rays' 8-4 loss to the Angels in the finale means New York is close as it's been all year at only 2 games back with 6 left to play. Rookie Randy Mastropietro cruised through a 1-2-3 first and was spotted a 2-0 lead but the wheels came off in the second and third as LA scored 7 times to win it. He dropped to 3-3 and was a brutal 2 8 7 6 1 2. The Rays did get homers from Juan de Oca (#3) and Dantel Chinchilla (#15). And to make matters worse Ezequiel Avalos aggravated his minor injury and will miss the final week of the season, not great timing to lose your best power hitter.

Team record: 101-55. Next up: Back home for our final home series of the year with 3 against the 87-69 and Central-winning White Sox.

MLB Playoff Race Update: Heading into the final week not much is at stake in the AL except the two division races, ours and Houston being 3 up on the Angels with the field set. In the NL things are more interesting as Colorado and Milwaukee are tied for the 2nd wild card with Columbus 1/2 game behind them (and the Mets 2 back). Philly, Chicago and LA will take their respective divisions.

Art Deco · 07-21-2023, 03:17 PM

Game 1: The Rays took a big step toward clinching the AL East after holding on to beat the White Sox 8-6 in the series opener at Publix Park. A 6-run 3rd highlighted by a 2-run Dantel Chinchilla single put them up big early and Luis Barela added a 5th-inning solo homer (#39) that turned out to be important. That's because after Alec McInerney (13-9) contributed another fine start at 5.1 7 2 2 0 3 (his sixth straight with two or fewer ERs allowed), the bullpen let Chicago back in it on 2-run homers allowed by Chris O'Brien and Mario Berumen, the latter in the 9th forcing Steve Talbott to come in and finish for save #22.

Game 2: Melvin Lopez was excellent, leading the Rays to a 5-1 win over Chicago and combined with a second straight Yankee loss in Toronto, Tampa Bay reduced the magic number for clinching the AL East to one. Lopez (12-9) was 7 7 1 1 0 4 for the win and Nesty de la Rosa had a big day at the plate, going 3-4 with a 3-run homer (#22) in the 4th which broke open a 2-1 game.

Game 3: After a late-season scare which saw the Yankees pull within two games the Rays have regained their status as AL East champions after ceding to the New Yorkers last year thanks to a 5-3 win over the White Sox in the series finale and final regular-season home game of the year. Dave Rose closed out his potential Cy Young campaign by going 6 9 3 3 2 8 for the win and ends the year 18-3, 3.10 with 242 whiffs in 212 innings. After Mario Berumen ran into some 9th-inning trouble Joe Roberts got the lefty for the final out and his 3rd save. Joe Koutnik had his first big game as a Ray, going 3-3 with 3 RBI including a key 2-run double while Dantel Chinchilla (#16) and Jon Morales (#33) added solo homers and sighs of relief.

Team record: 104-55. Next up: An off-day then we close out the regular season with 3 games in Boston, hoping nobody gets hurt.

MLB Playoff Race Update: Things are all set in the AL with the Angels going to New York for the wild card game with that winner playing the Rays while the White Sox will go to Houston to open their ALDS. In the NL the race for the second wild card remains insane with Colorado and Milwaukee tied and Columbus one game behind them. The winner of that mess will go to St. Louis for the wild card game and that winner will play the Cubs while the Dodgers and Phillies will square off in the other NLDS with home-field advantage still to be determined as the teams have identical records.

Art Deco · 07-22-2023, 01:55 PM

Since these three games were utterly meaningless and the team played like they were (along with liberal use of the bench), I'll just quickly note they lost them to Boston 8-1, 9-2, and 4-1. Tim Johnson (16-4) was smoked in the opener (3.1 5 6 6 6 2), Randy Mastropietro (3-4) torched in the second (3 11 7 7 2 2) while Alec McInerney (13-10) pitched well again in the finale (5 4 2 1 1 4). Nesty de la Rosa was 3-4 with an RBI double in the second game and Ismael Morales had 3 hits in the finale; those two were the only hitting performances worth noting as the team didn't homer in any of the final three games.

Final Regular Season Record: 104-58. Thanks to the Yankees sweeping Detroit the Rays only won the division by a single game, but who cares? Next up: The ALDS against either the Yankees or the Angels.

Playoff Race Update: The Angels actually made a run at Houston in the final days, pulling into a tie for the division lead going into the final day but LA lost while Houston won. Over in the NL somehow the maximum chaos of 4 teams within one game of the second wild card sorted itself out without the need for a tiebreaker as Milwaukee came out on top thanks to a final-day 7-3 win over Colorado, one of the other teams in the mix. Had the Rockies won we would have had a 3-team tiebreak to sort out.

The playoff tree:

Art Deco · 07-22-2023, 04:04 PM

Certainly not as dominant a team as in years past; in fact our Pythagorean record was only 95-67 meaning we exceeded it by a whopping 9 games. A 24-10 record in one-run games certainly helped. Also the offense was 2nd across the board instead of its usual first, and while the pitching was decent the defense was its usual atrocious self. This team played poorly in September and I'm not terribly optimistic about the playoffs.

Our lineup core was very good - 5 players with 4 WAR or better and if Ramirez hadn't missed most of September with injury (he was activated prior to the final series, forgot to mention that in the previous post) we would have had 7 over 3 WAR. And rookie Jesus Avalos was on pace for a 7-WAR season had he played the full year although I'm sure that would have ended up in the 5-6 range with some regression. Our bench was kind of lousy apart from Scroggins and maybe Ismael Morales, and the guys we brought in to play defense either hit so poorly it outweighed their gloves (de Oca) or the gloves weren't as good as we thought and they didn't hit a lot either (Whittaker).

Dave Rose had a Cy Young-caliber season and the Johnson-Lopez-McInerney crew were all solid. I'm surprised Mastropietro earned 1.5 WAR in his limited starts but that's what a .412 BABIP will yield. He's more of a contact guy so it's going to be tough for him to succeed in future years if we don't beef up the D. Any time you have 6 guys earn more than 1 WAR in the bullpen you're doing good, and they were a reason why we exceeded our Pythagorean record significantly.

The farm system is a little less barren than it has been in recent years. Machado, whom we acquired last winter to be our 2B of the future, had a great year at Durham and is ready to take over next year (although his defense is suspect of course). Yang is another one who could be MLB-ready if we can find room for him next year with J.Morales and E.Avalos manning the corners. And Dave Gonzalez is starting to looking like David Morales 2.0.

Art Deco · 07-23-2023, 11:12 AM

Surprise, surprise...

In an upset the Angels knocked off the 103-win Yankees in the Wild Card Game and will now face the Rays in the ALDS. It'll be a reunion of sorts as former Tampa Bay stars Mario Saro and Alex Duran will be returning to Publix Park in enemy colors.

Art Deco · 07-23-2023, 11:14 AM

Art Deco · 07-23-2023, 11:45 AM

A good if shaky start...

Neither team came away from Game 1 of the ALDS happy about their bullpen as Rays relievers blew a 5-1 lead while the Angels saw the top reliever in the game, Jake Cid, lose the game for them in the 8th after they came back to tie. And adding to the discontent Rays closer Steve Talbott did his best to blow the game again, allowing three baserunners and a run but getting by to preserve an 8-6 Rays win. The winning rally started when Ismael Morales hit a pinch-double off Cid and rookie Jesus Avalos came through despite the tough lefty-on-lefty matchup and drilled an RBI single. Another lefty, Nesty de la Rosa, followed with a 2-run homer which proved to be decisive when Talbott gave the run back in the 9th. Tim Johnson will try to give Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead tomorrow.

In the other ALDS:

Art Deco · 07-23-2023, 12:15 PM

Another tough win...

The Rays piled up the runs early and then hung on as the bullpen did its job today in a 5-4 win that puts Tampa Bay one game away from the ALCS. Tim Johnson had his issues but persevered into the 7th and the Steves took over from there with Morris getting through the 8th and Talbott pitching around a leadoff hit to preserve the victory. Luis Barela continues to age like fine wine as he homered again today and Ruben Ramirez hit his first homer since mid-August after returning from injury. Alec McInerney will get the ball for Game 3 in Anaheim.

Old friend Bob Riley pitched Houston to victory and we just might be facing him in the next round.

Art Deco · 07-23-2023, 01:14 PM

Art Deco · 07-23-2023, 02:00 PM

The shakiest of sweeps...

The Rays completed the sweep of the Angels in once again less-than-convincing fashion, but there are no style points in the playoffs. They'll face either Houston or the White Sox in the ALCS as a result. For a little while it looked like it might be an easy win for the Rays as they went up 6-0 thanks to a 5-run 5th and Alec McInerney was coasting. But Mac ran into a bit of a trouble and had to leave with neck stiffness (which won't keep him from an ALCS Game 3 start), turning the game over to the bullpen which hasn't exactly covered itself in glory this series. Sure enough it was a one-run game in almost the blink of an eye and they had to scrape their way to victory, including Steve Talbott stranding the tying run on 3rd with one out in the 9th.

Meanwhile it's advantage Astros in the other ALCS:

Willie Rubio's 2-run homer in the 9th was the winner for Houston.

Art Deco · 07-23-2023, 02:11 PM

Going the distance in the ALDS while the Phillies advance to the NLCS with former Rays star reliever Satoshi Sato saving all 3 games for Philadelphia.

Art Deco · 07-23-2023, 02:13 PM

And it will be the Brewers and Phillies in the NLCS:

Art Deco · 07-23-2023, 02:56 PM

And we'll be playing the Astros in the ALCS:

Art Deco · 07-24-2023, 10:02 AM

Shut down by former Rays...

Former Rays Bob Riley, Abelaldo Gray and Melvin Delgado were three of the five Astros pitchers today who held the Rays to 1 run and 5 hits in a 3-1 Astros win to open the ALCS. Riley started and won while Delgado picked up the save. Dave Rose gave up a pair of homers to Willie Rubio, who just got done winning the ALDS with a homer, but 3 runs allowed is normally enough for a Rays win. Not today. Tim Johnson will try to get things right tomorrow.

Art Deco · 07-24-2023, 10:14 AM

In real trouble now...

The bullpen couldn't hold a 4-2 lead with Chris O'Brien giving up a tying 2-run homer and Mario Berumen the winner in the 8th as the Rays are now in an 0-2 hole going to Houston. The offense was quiet once again outside of a 4-run 3rd which saw Nesty de la Rosa hit a 3-run jack. They had the tying run in scoring position in the 9th but Jesus Avalos grounded out to end the game. Alec McInerney will try to keep his fine late-season form going in Game 3.

In the NLCS opener:

Art Deco · 07-24-2023, 10:16 AM

Art Deco · 07-24-2023, 10:30 AM

Back in the series...

The Rays responded by taking what was essentially a must-win game, beating Houston 7-5 to trim the Astros' series lead to 2-1. A couple of solo homers kept them in it early while Alec McInerney was struggling, then a couple more tied and kick-started a 5-run 5th that won the game for them. McInerney settled down and made it through 6, and I did something I don't normally do, go with my closer for a 2-inning save as I've lost confidence in Mario Berumen. Steve Talbott did the job but after throwing 35 pitches is questionable for Game 4. Let's win big so we don't need him. Melvin Lopez will get the ball for the first time this postseason trying to get us even.

Art Deco · 07-24-2023, 10:51 AM

Time is running out...

The bats were AWOL once again and the Rays are now on the verge of elimination after a 3-0 loss to Houston. As I said after Game 1, with this offense they should win if they hold the other team to 3 runs or fewer but for the second time this series they didn't. And now they'll have to figure out Bob Riley who bedeviled them in Game 1 in order to stay alive with Dave Rose hoping to pitch a little better this time out.

Art Deco · 07-24-2023, 11:19 AM

It's over...

We were thisclose to going back to Tampa with the series still alive but Steve Talbott gave up a 2-out, 2-run homer in the bottom of the 9th to blow a 4-2 lead the Rays achieved thanks to a clutch 3-run rally in the top of the inning. And of course Mario Berumen showed why I lost all confidence in him when he loaded the bases with nobody out in the 11th and a sac fly brought home the series-winning run for Houston. Dave Rose was brilliant, allowing only two solo homers and nothing else while whiffing 11 and the bats had numerous chances to score outside of the 9th and outhit Houston 16-6. It's all academic though as the Rays will be without a title for the third straight season after dominating the 40s by winning it all 8 years out of 9.

Over in the NLCS Milwaukee is almost there after a 19-inning marathon:

Art Deco · 07-24-2023, 11:21 AM

07-20-2023, 12:33 PM	#2501
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,563	September 20-22, 2052: at LA Angels (3) September 20: Claimed OF Joe Koutnik on waivers from Philadelphia, optioned OF Brian Whittaker to AAA Durham. Koutnik is a class three true outcomes-type with 45 contact but 70 power and 70 eye. He had 23 HR in 317 AB with the Phillies, but for whatever reason they became disenchanted with the 31-year-old. He'll get some run at DH as we've kind of had a revolving door there since Ruben Ramirez was injured. Game 1: A 4-run rally in the 7th earned the Rays a 5-2 win in Anaheim over the Angels in the opener. Jesus Avalos' 2-run double put Tampa Bay in front and Luis Barela followed with a 2-run homer (#38) to ice it. Ezequiel Avalos had homered earlier (#39) for the first run. Dave Rose went to 17-3 in a well-pitched 7 3 2 2 1 7 outing and Steve Talbott closed for save #21. Game 2: The Rays tied it up dramatically in the 9th but that only served to prolong their agony as the Angels walked off a 5-3 win in 12 innings. David Morales' RBI single off future HOF closer Jake Cid gave Tampa Bay hope but that was snuffed out when Joe Roberts gave up a 2-run homer with Mario Berumen's (8-6) man aboard. Tim Johnson was 5 5 3 3 2 6 in his start and the pen kept them in it until they didn't. Game 3: Another dropped series for the lead and another game dropped off the division lead as a Yankee win combined the Rays' 8-4 loss to the Angels in the finale means New York is close as it's been all year at only 2 games back with 6 left to play. Rookie Randy Mastropietro cruised through a 1-2-3 first and was spotted a 2-0 lead but the wheels came off in the second and third as LA scored 7 times to win it. He dropped to 3-3 and was a brutal 2 8 7 6 1 2. The Rays did get homers from Juan de Oca (#3) and Dantel Chinchilla (#15). And to make matters worse Ezequiel Avalos aggravated his minor injury and will miss the final week of the season, not great timing to lose your best power hitter. Team record: 101-55. Next up: Back home for our final home series of the year with 3 against the 87-69 and Central-winning White Sox. MLB Playoff Race Update: Heading into the final week not much is at stake in the AL except the two division races, ours and Houston being 3 up on the Angels with the field set. In the NL things are more interesting as Colorado and Milwaukee are tied for the 2nd wild card with Columbus 1/2 game behind them (and the Mets 2 back). Philly, Chicago and LA will take their respective divisions.

07-21-2023, 03:17 PM	#2502
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,563	September 23-25, 2052: vs Chicago White Sox (3) Game 1: The Rays took a big step toward clinching the AL East after holding on to beat the White Sox 8-6 in the series opener at Publix Park. A 6-run 3rd highlighted by a 2-run Dantel Chinchilla single put them up big early and Luis Barela added a 5th-inning solo homer (#39) that turned out to be important. That's because after Alec McInerney (13-9) contributed another fine start at 5.1 7 2 2 0 3 (his sixth straight with two or fewer ERs allowed), the bullpen let Chicago back in it on 2-run homers allowed by Chris O'Brien and Mario Berumen, the latter in the 9th forcing Steve Talbott to come in and finish for save #22. Game 2: Melvin Lopez was excellent, leading the Rays to a 5-1 win over Chicago and combined with a second straight Yankee loss in Toronto, Tampa Bay reduced the magic number for clinching the AL East to one. Lopez (12-9) was 7 7 1 1 0 4 for the win and Nesty de la Rosa had a big day at the plate, going 3-4 with a 3-run homer (#22) in the 4th which broke open a 2-1 game. Game 3: After a late-season scare which saw the Yankees pull within two games the Rays have regained their status as AL East champions after ceding to the New Yorkers last year thanks to a 5-3 win over the White Sox in the series finale and final regular-season home game of the year. Dave Rose closed out his potential Cy Young campaign by going 6 9 3 3 2 8 for the win and ends the year 18-3, 3.10 with 242 whiffs in 212 innings. After Mario Berumen ran into some 9th-inning trouble Joe Roberts got the lefty for the final out and his 3rd save. Joe Koutnik had his first big game as a Ray, going 3-3 with 3 RBI including a key 2-run double while Dantel Chinchilla (#16) and Jon Morales (#33) added solo homers and sighs of relief. Team record: 104-55. Next up: An off-day then we close out the regular season with 3 games in Boston, hoping nobody gets hurt. MLB Playoff Race Update: Things are all set in the AL with the Angels going to New York for the wild card game with that winner playing the Rays while the White Sox will go to Houston to open their ALDS. In the NL the race for the second wild card remains insane with Colorado and Milwaukee tied and Columbus one game behind them. The winner of that mess will go to St. Louis for the wild card game and that winner will play the Cubs while the Dodgers and Phillies will square off in the other NLDS with home-field advantage still to be determined as the teams have identical records.

07-22-2023, 01:55 PM	#2503
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,563	September 27-29, 2052: at Boston (3) Since these three games were utterly meaningless and the team played like they were (along with liberal use of the bench), I'll just quickly note they lost them to Boston 8-1, 9-2, and 4-1. Tim Johnson (16-4) was smoked in the opener (3.1 5 6 6 6 2), Randy Mastropietro (3-4) torched in the second (3 11 7 7 2 2) while Alec McInerney (13-10) pitched well again in the finale (5 4 2 1 1 4). Nesty de la Rosa was 3-4 with an RBI double in the second game and Ismael Morales had 3 hits in the finale; those two were the only hitting performances worth noting as the team didn't homer in any of the final three games. Final Regular Season Record: 104-58. Thanks to the Yankees sweeping Detroit the Rays only won the division by a single game, but who cares? Next up: The ALDS against either the Yankees or the Angels. Playoff Race Update: The Angels actually made a run at Houston in the final days, pulling into a tie for the division lead going into the final day but LA lost while Houston won. Over in the NL somehow the maximum chaos of 4 teams within one game of the second wild card sorted itself out without the need for a tiebreaker as Milwaukee came out on top thanks to a final-day 7-3 win over Colorado, one of the other teams in the mix. Had the Rockies won we would have had a 3-team tiebreak to sort out. The playoff tree:

07-22-2023, 04:04 PM	#2504
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,563	Final 2053 Regular Season Standings and Rays Stats Certainly not as dominant a team as in years past; in fact our Pythagorean record was only 95-67 meaning we exceeded it by a whopping 9 games. A 24-10 record in one-run games certainly helped. Also the offense was 2nd across the board instead of its usual first, and while the pitching was decent the defense was its usual atrocious self. This team played poorly in September and I'm not terribly optimistic about the playoffs. Our lineup core was very good - 5 players with 4 WAR or better and if Ramirez hadn't missed most of September with injury (he was activated prior to the final series, forgot to mention that in the previous post) we would have had 7 over 3 WAR. And rookie Jesus Avalos was on pace for a 7-WAR season had he played the full year although I'm sure that would have ended up in the 5-6 range with some regression. Our bench was kind of lousy apart from Scroggins and maybe Ismael Morales, and the guys we brought in to play defense either hit so poorly it outweighed their gloves (de Oca) or the gloves weren't as good as we thought and they didn't hit a lot either (Whittaker). Dave Rose had a Cy Young-caliber season and the Johnson-Lopez-McInerney crew were all solid. I'm surprised Mastropietro earned 1.5 WAR in his limited starts but that's what a .412 BABIP will yield. He's more of a contact guy so it's going to be tough for him to succeed in future years if we don't beef up the D. Any time you have 6 guys earn more than 1 WAR in the bullpen you're doing good, and they were a reason why we exceeded our Pythagorean record significantly. The farm system is a little less barren than it has been in recent years. Machado, whom we acquired last winter to be our 2B of the future, had a great year at Durham and is ready to take over next year (although his defense is suspect of course). Yang is another one who could be MLB-ready if we can find room for him next year with J.Morales and E.Avalos manning the corners. And Dave Gonzalez is starting to looking like David Morales 2.0.

07-23-2023, 11:12 AM	#2505
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,563	October 1, 2052: AL Wild Card Game Surprise, surprise... In an upset the Angels knocked off the 103-win Yankees in the Wild Card Game and will now face the Rays in the ALDS. It'll be a reunion of sorts as former Tampa Bay stars Mario Saro and Alex Duran will be returning to Publix Park in enemy colors.

07-23-2023, 11:14 AM	#2506
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,563	October 2, 2052: NL Wild Card Game

07-23-2023, 11:45 AM	#2507
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,563	October 3, 2052: ALDS Game 1 A good if shaky start... Neither team came away from Game 1 of the ALDS happy about their bullpen as Rays relievers blew a 5-1 lead while the Angels saw the top reliever in the game, Jake Cid, lose the game for them in the 8th after they came back to tie. And adding to the discontent Rays closer Steve Talbott did his best to blow the game again, allowing three baserunners and a run but getting by to preserve an 8-6 Rays win. The winning rally started when Ismael Morales hit a pinch-double off Cid and rookie Jesus Avalos came through despite the tough lefty-on-lefty matchup and drilled an RBI single. Another lefty, Nesty de la Rosa, followed with a 2-run homer which proved to be decisive when Talbott gave the run back in the 9th. Tim Johnson will try to give Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead tomorrow. In the other ALDS:

07-23-2023, 12:15 PM	#2508
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,563	October 4, 2052: ALDS Game 2 & NLDS Game 1 Another tough win... The Rays piled up the runs early and then hung on as the bullpen did its job today in a 5-4 win that puts Tampa Bay one game away from the ALCS. Tim Johnson had his issues but persevered into the 7th and the Steves took over from there with Morris getting through the 8th and Talbott pitching around a leadoff hit to preserve the victory. Luis Barela continues to age like fine wine as he homered again today and Ruben Ramirez hit his first homer since mid-August after returning from injury. Alec McInerney will get the ball for Game 3 in Anaheim. Old friend Bob Riley pitched Houston to victory and we just might be facing him in the next round.

07-23-2023, 01:14 PM	#2509
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,563	October 5, 2052: NLDS Game 2

07-23-2023, 02:00 PM	#2510
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,563	October 6, 2052: ALDS Game 3 The shakiest of sweeps... The Rays completed the sweep of the Angels in once again less-than-convincing fashion, but there are no style points in the playoffs. They'll face either Houston or the White Sox in the ALCS as a result. For a little while it looked like it might be an easy win for the Rays as they went up 6-0 thanks to a 5-run 5th and Alec McInerney was coasting. But Mac ran into a bit of a trouble and had to leave with neck stiffness (which won't keep him from an ALCS Game 3 start), turning the game over to the bullpen which hasn't exactly covered itself in glory this series. Sure enough it was a one-run game in almost the blink of an eye and they had to scrape their way to victory, including Steve Talbott stranding the tying run on 3rd with one out in the 9th. Meanwhile it's advantage Astros in the other ALCS: Willie Rubio's 2-run homer in the 9th was the winner for Houston.

07-23-2023, 02:11 PM	#2511
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,563	October 7, 2052: ALDS Game 4 & NLDS Game 3 Going the distance in the ALDS while the Phillies advance to the NLCS with former Rays star reliever Satoshi Sato saving all 3 games for Philadelphia.

07-23-2023, 02:13 PM	#2512
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,563	October 8, 2052: NLDS Game 4 And it will be the Brewers and Phillies in the NLCS:

07-23-2023, 02:56 PM	#2513
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,563	October 9, 2052: ALDS Game 5 And we'll be playing the Astros in the ALCS:

07-24-2023, 10:02 AM	#2514
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,563	October 11, 2052: ALCS Game 1 Shut down by former Rays... Former Rays Bob Riley, Abelaldo Gray and Melvin Delgado were three of the five Astros pitchers today who held the Rays to 1 run and 5 hits in a 3-1 Astros win to open the ALCS. Riley started and won while Delgado picked up the save. Dave Rose gave up a pair of homers to Willie Rubio, who just got done winning the ALDS with a homer, but 3 runs allowed is normally enough for a Rays win. Not today. Tim Johnson will try to get things right tomorrow.

07-24-2023, 10:14 AM	#2515
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,563	October 12, 2052: ALCS Game 2 & NLCS Game 1 In real trouble now... The bullpen couldn't hold a 4-2 lead with Chris O'Brien giving up a tying 2-run homer and Mario Berumen the winner in the 8th as the Rays are now in an 0-2 hole going to Houston. The offense was quiet once again outside of a 4-run 3rd which saw Nesty de la Rosa hit a 3-run jack. They had the tying run in scoring position in the 9th but Jesus Avalos grounded out to end the game. Alec McInerney will try to keep his fine late-season form going in Game 3. In the NLCS opener:

07-24-2023, 10:16 AM	#2516
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,563	October 13, 2052: NLCS Game 2

07-24-2023, 10:30 AM	#2517
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,563	October 14, 2052: ALCS Game 3 Back in the series... The Rays responded by taking what was essentially a must-win game, beating Houston 7-5 to trim the Astros' series lead to 2-1. A couple of solo homers kept them in it early while Alec McInerney was struggling, then a couple more tied and kick-started a 5-run 5th that won the game for them. McInerney settled down and made it through 6, and I did something I don't normally do, go with my closer for a 2-inning save as I've lost confidence in Mario Berumen. Steve Talbott did the job but after throwing 35 pitches is questionable for Game 4. Let's win big so we don't need him. Melvin Lopez will get the ball for the first time this postseason trying to get us even.

07-24-2023, 10:51 AM	#2518
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,563	October 15, 2052: ALCS Game 4 & NLCS Game 3 Time is running out... The bats were AWOL once again and the Rays are now on the verge of elimination after a 3-0 loss to Houston. As I said after Game 1, with this offense they should win if they hold the other team to 3 runs or fewer but for the second time this series they didn't. And now they'll have to figure out Bob Riley who bedeviled them in Game 1 in order to stay alive with Dave Rose hoping to pitch a little better this time out.

07-24-2023, 11:19 AM	#2519
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,563	October 16, 2052: ALCS Game 5 & NLCS Game 4 It's over... We were thisclose to going back to Tampa with the series still alive but Steve Talbott gave up a 2-out, 2-run homer in the bottom of the 9th to blow a 4-2 lead the Rays achieved thanks to a clutch 3-run rally in the top of the inning. And of course Mario Berumen showed why I lost all confidence in him when he loaded the bases with nobody out in the 11th and a sac fly brought home the series-winning run for Houston. Dave Rose was brilliant, allowing only two solo homers and nothing else while whiffing 11 and the bats had numerous chances to score outside of the 9th and outhit Houston 16-6. It's all academic though as the Rays will be without a title for the third straight season after dominating the 40s by winning it all 8 years out of 9. Over in the NLCS Milwaukee is almost there after a 19-inning marathon:

07-24-2023, 11:21 AM	#2520
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,563	October 17, 2052: NLCS Game 5