The 2020 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays were in the unusual position of being the road team at Publix Park as they made up a rainout in Chicago as part of a doubleheader, but it didn't faze them as they handled the White Sox 7-2. Randy Mastropietro had to deal with a lot of traffic but navigated it successfully in improving to 13-2 after going 5 7 2 1 3 7, and Jose Lozada had a big day at the plate, going 3-5 with a 2-run homer (#3). Also going yard for the "road" team were Tony Vasquez (#20/27) and Luis Barela (#23).

Game 2: Tampa Bay changed back into its home uniforms for the second game and made it a doubleheader sweep by edging Chicago 4-3. Luis Barela, who homered in the matinee, went deep again in the 7th with a solo shot to break the 3-3 tie and made a winner of Alec McInerney (2-0), who went two scoreless. Jose Machado's 3-run shot (#6) in the 2nd provided the other Rays runs. Melvin Lopez got a spot start and was adequate (5 2 3 3 4 3) while Willie Navarro earned his 4th save.

Game 3: Ben Hilton was blasted for 5 homers by White Sox batters and the Rays dropped this one 7-3. Hilton (6-4) got his strikeouts but not much else in a 5.2 8 7 7 2 8 outing. Jesus Avalos was 2-3 with 2 walks in a muted day for the offense.

Game 4: The Rays took the series thanks to some 9th-inning magic, winning on a walk-off walk from White Sox pitching 5-4. Down to their final out Nesty de la Rosa delivered a clutch RBI single to tie it and after a free pass loaded the bases, Ezequiel Avalos looked at ball 4 to send the crowd home happy. They also received solo homers from Jesus Avalos (#18) and Tony Vasquez (#21/28), the latter coming in the 8th to set up the 9th-inning rally. Meanwhile another Tampa Bay starter was homer-happy today as the slumping Dave Rose gave up 4 more souvenirs although was effective otherwise going 6 5 4 4 0 7, and Mario Berumen (4-1) picked up the win.

Team record: 63-35. The division lead is now 4 1/2. Next up: An off-day then we head to New York for 3 against the second-place Yankees.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays stunk in the opener as they were drubbed 11-3 by the Yankees. Tim Johnson (6-6) didn't have it today, getting pasted for 7 runs in 3 innings and putting up a 3 9 7 7 3 6 line with a couple of homers allowed. Luis Barela's 2-run homer (#25) helped keep them from being shut out.

Game 2: The bats were AWOL again as the Rays managed only 3 hits in a 5-1 loss as the Yankees cut their division lead to 2 1/2 games. Vinny Miranda (4-8) was a tough-luck loser at 4 4 1 0 1 4 after having to leave with a minor tweak which won't prevent his next start. Luis Barela was once again the sum total of the offense with his solo homer (#26) in the 7th getting them within 2-1 but Joe Roberts promptly gave up 3 runs to let it get away. Also Ezequiel Avalos was suspended for four games for charging the mound after being plunked following Barela's homer.

July 27: Placed OF Ezequiel Avalos on the restricted list, recalled 1B Takayuki Tsujimura from AAA Durham.

Game 3: A miserable trip to the Big Apple concluded with a 4-2 loss to the Yankees as the sweep enabled New York to climb within 1 1/2 games in the division. Tampa Bay actually took a 2-1 lead in the 7th on Jesus Avalos' solo shot (#19) but Mario Berumen (4-2) allowed Chris Hetzel's man to score in the bottom of the inning and then gave up two of his own in the 8th to lose it. Randy Mastropietro turned in a good start at 5 4 1 1 1 8 but it was for naught as the offense struggled again with only 5 hits and scored a grand total of 6 runs in the sweep.

Team record: 63-38. Next up: We'll play three against the other New York team as the Mets fly back to Tampa with us.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays bounced back from their disastrous series with their opponents' crosstown rival Yankees as they beat the Mets 8-1 at Publix Park to open up a 3-game set. It was a 2-0 game until the 7th when the Rays doubled their lead and they then doubled it again in the 8th. Sung-min Yang broke out of a recent slump by reaching base all 4 times, going 2-2 with 3 runs scored, 2 walks and a 2-run homer (#17) while Dave Gonzalez added a 2-run double. Dave Rose (9-6) also broke out of a bad stretch, dominating the Mets at 7.1 6 1 1 1 12.

Game 2: High drama at Publix Park as Jose Machado drilled a 2-run homer (#7) in the bottom of the 9th to erase a 2-0 Mets lead and Tony Vasquez walked it off with an RBI double in the bottom of the 10th as the Rays edged New York 3-2. Ben Hilton turned in a magnificent start (7 4 1 1 3 8) but it looked to be for naught until the late-inning fireworks. Joe Roberts (4-2) picked up the relief win.

Game 3: The Rays bookended a sweep of the Mets with 8-1 wins as they matched Game 1's scoreline. This one was a bit different as they got ahead big early and cruised from there. Dave Gonzalez was 4-4 with an RBI, Nesty de la Rosa drove in 3 on 3 hits and Jose Lozada was 2-4 with a double and 2 RBI to lead the offense while Tim Johnson (7-6) was in fine form going 6 5 0 0 4 7. The win was marred by injury though as Sung-ming Yang suffered a foot fracture after being hit by a pitch and will miss 2-3 weeks.

Team record: 66-38. The Yankees dropped a game in Philly so the lead is up to 2 1/2 games. Next up: An off-day then the Giants visit for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: A first in all the thousands upon thousands of games I've played out in my Rays saves, I had a suspended game. The rains came in the bottom of the 7th with the Giants up 3-1 and the game was suspended until the next day. That's how it ended as well thanks to Mario Berumen giving up a 2-run homer with Vinny Miranda's man on. Miranda dropped to 4-9 despite pitching well again and sporting an ERA of 3.54 with today's outing seeing him go 6.2 5 2 2 1 5. A Tony Vasquez solo shot in the 6th (#22/29) was all the offense could muster.

Game 2: The Rays offense struggled again, managing only 4 hits, but thanks to another stellar effort from rookie Randy Mastropietro it was enough in a 2-1 win. The lefty went to 14-2 after a 6 4 1 1 3 4 performance and the bullpen held strong with Steve Talbott notching save #28. Ezequiel Avalos' 2-run homer (#23) in the 5th was all the offense they needed, and all the offense they got.

Game 3: Excellent pitching gave the Rays a series win as Dave Rose dominated in a 5-0 triumph in the finale. Rose (10-6) was overpowering and effectively wild in going 6.1 6 0 0 4 12 and got support from Jose Lozada (3-4 with 3 RBI doubles) and Luis Barela (2-4 with HR #27).

Team record: 68-39. The Yankees also took 2 of 3 so the division lead remains 2 1/2 games. Next up: Off to Wrigley for 3 against the 68-40 Cubs who feature former Rays sluggers Doug Johns and Beau Bonczek. As of today it's a matchup between the #2 and 3 records in baseball with the Dodgers a half-game better than Tampa Bay at 68-38.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Tampa Bay came back from a 3-0 deficit and scored twice in the 8th to take a 4-3 win over the high-flying Cubs at Wrigley Field. Tony Vasquez was the hero, slugging a 2-run homer (#23/30) to supply the winning runs after Nesty de la Rosa's 2-run shot (#7) in the 6th got them on the board. Ben Hilton had his issues at 4.1 5 3 3 4 6 and the win went to Melvin Lopez (2-3), who prevented further damage in the 5th and went 2 2/3 scoreless. Steve Talbott struck out the side in the 9th for save #29.

Game 2: The Rays squandered a 7-1 lead only to pull out the game anyway with a run in the 9th to edge the Cubs again 8-7. Luis Barela's 2-run double highlighted a 3-run 1st and they tacked on 4 more in the 3rd but Tim Johnson had trouble finding the plate and left after going 3.2 4 4 4 6 2 before the pen completed the blown lead when Steve Cleland coughed up a 3-run homer in the 6th. It stayed tied at 7 until the 9th when Nesty de la Rosa came through with a big RBI double, making a winner of Mario Berumen (5-2). Steve Talbott once again took care of the 9th for his 30th save.

Game 3: It was a night of complete frustration for the Rays as they had 14 baserunners including at least one in every inning but the 9th yet managed to lose 2-1. And their lone run scored on an error when a Cub OF overran the ball. The 8-9 hitters Dantel Chinchilla and Alex Brown were the main culprits, leaving 6 and 8 men on respectively. As a result Vinny Miranda (4-10) was a hard luck loser once again despite an excellent 6 4 1 1 2 4 outing. Former Ray and longtime great veteran closer Steve Falcon closed out his old team with a 4-out, 4-strikeout save.

Team record: 70-40, now 3 ahead of the Yankees. Next up: An off-day to travel to Baltimore where we'll play 3.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays took a back-and-forth opener from the Orioles at Camden Yards, prevailing 8-4 in 11 innings. They fell behind 3-0 after 5 and had but one hit to that point as Randy Mastropietro went 6 4 3 3 1 1. But Jesus Avalos' 2-run homer (#20) tied it in the 7th and Luis Barela's solo shot (#28) in the 8th made it 4-3. Steve Tablott however could not hold the lead in the 9th thanks to 2 hits allowed and a Dantel Chinchilla error. This sent us to the 11th where Avalos came through with a 2-run double to break the tie and they tacked on two more, making a winner of Mario Berumen (6-2). Jesus had 4 RBI and the other Avalos, Ezequiel, was 4-6 with 2 RBI.

Game 2: Tampa Bay turned Camden Yards into their personal playground and I'll just let the box score speak for itself:



August 10: Placed 1B Takayuki Tsujimura on the 10-day IL with a severe hip strain, recalled 1B Manny Mendoza from AAA Durham.

Poor Tsujimura, hardly ever gets to play and got a chance yesterday in the 20-1 rout, pinch-hits and doubles in two runs only to severely strain his hip on the play and be out 6 weeks. Mendoza was our 3rd round pick in 2047 and was hitting 279/384/525 at Durham. He'll play infrequently as well.

Game 3: Not content with the offensive orgies of the last two days, the Rays and Orioles played another wild one in the finale which saw Tampa Bay complete the sweep with a 12-9 win in 10 innings. The lead changed hands constantly with the Rays jumping out to a 6-1 lead in the top of the 4th only to see starter Ben Hilton leave with a tired arm (he'll miss a week) after going 2.2 3 1 1 2 4. Alec McInerney took over and although he had pitched really well in relief this year he didn't today, getting torched for 6 runs in 2 innings and the Orioles went ahead 8-6 after 5. Nesty de la Rosa, who earlier hit a 2-run homer (#8), tripled in a run and scored to tie it in the 6th but the Orioles got a run off Joe Roberts in the 8th. No problem though as Ezequiel Avalos tied it again with a solo homer (#25) in the 9th, and in the 10th Mr. Clutch himself Luis Barela went deep with a 3-run homer (#29) to win it. Willie Navarro (7-1) won in relief and Steve Talbott made things interesting in the 10th by giving up two hits to start the inning but got a whiff and a double play to secure save #31. Earlier Jesus Avalos (#21) and Jose Machado (#8) also homered.

Team record: 73-40. The standings say we're four ahead of the 69-40 Yankees but on the scores page it shows New York at 68-40 so who knows? Next up: We head farther north to play 3 in Toronto.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays remain the kings of extra innings, improving their season record 9-2 in overtime thanks to a 2-1, 10-inning win over the Jays. Jesus Avalos (who supplied the first run with HR #22) and Nesty de la Rosa hit back-to-back doubles in the extra frame to provide the win and salvage a great start from Tim Johnson (6.2 2 1 1 2 6). Steve Talbott (2-4) picked up the win and saved it for himself in the bottom of the 10th in nerve-wracking fashion, loading the bases with nobody out before getting a force at the plate and a 1-2-3 double play to end it.

August 12: Activated C David Morales from his rehab assignment, optioned C Dave Gonzalez to Durham.

Gonzalez did a good job in Morales' stead and could be the backup next year.

Game 2: The kings of extra innings received a taste of their own medicine as the Jays walked off a 5-4, 10-inning win when Toronto's All-Star catcher David Banks hit his third homer of the game, a solo shot off Willie Navarro (7-2). This after the Rays dramatically tied it with 2 in the 9th with the equalizer coming on an RBI double from the just-activated David Morales. Jesus Avalos stayed hot with HR #23 and Vinny Miranda had a middling start at 5 7 3 3 3 2.

Game 3: Tampa Bay bats were held in check today as they managed only six hits in a 3-0 loss. Randy Mastropietro fell to 14-3 despite pitching decently (4.2 3 1 1 2 1) before having to leave with a minor back tweak. They did have baserunners though as Toronto pitching walked 8 in addition to allowing the 6 hits but obviously left them all on with Nesty de la Rosa responsible for 7 personally.

Team record: 74-42. Fortunately the Yankees also lost 2 of 3 so the division lead remains 4 games. Next up: An off-day then back home for 3 against Seattle.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Nesty de la Rosa homered twice to lead the Rays to a 5-3 win over Seattle in the opener at Publix Park. He had a solo shot in the first and a 2-run blast in the 2nd to give him 10 on the year, helping the Rays to an early 4-2 lead. Dave Rose (12-6) was unusually wild but managed the win at 5 1 2 2 7 7 while Steve Talbott earned his 31st save.

Game 2: Tim Johnson was in sparkling form, combining with two relievers on a 4-hit shutout in a 4-0 Rays win over the Mariners. Johnson (8-6) went 7 3 0 0 3 5 and was backed by solo homers from former Ms Tony Vasquez (#25/32) and Ezequiel Avalos (#26).

Game 3: David Morales' dramatic 3-run homer in the bottom of the 8th capped a comeback from 4-1 down as the Rays completed the sweep of Seattle with a 6-4 win. It was Morales' 4th homer of the year, a career high, twice as many as he hit last year and made a winner of Chris Hetzel (4-0). With lefties due in the 9th Joe Roberts got the call and picked up his first save of the year, while Vinny Miranda turned in a 5.2 8 4 2 1 4 line marred by his own fielding error. Jesus Avalos drove in the other three Tampa Bay runs with HR #24 to lead off the game and a 2-run triple in the 7th which brought them back in it.

Team record: 77-42. The division lead was expanded by a game to 5 over the Yankees. Next up: 3 games in Minnesota.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Rays' hitters had a bad day at the plate and the bullpen let this one get out of reach as they lost 7-1 to the Twins at Target Field. Randy Mastropietro (14-4) took the loss after going 6 6 3 3 0 4 before things got out hand.

August 19: Activated OF Sung-min Yang from the IL, optioned 1B Manny Mendoza to Durham.

Game 2: Tampa Bay thought they had this one won when they scored twice in the 8th to go ahead 3-1, but the bullpen let them down in a big way, allowing Minnesota to tie in the bottom of the inning and then walk it off in the 9th to suffer a 4-3 loss. As a result an excellent Ben Hilton start (6 3 1 1 2 6) went for naught as Mario Berumen gave up the tying runs and Willie Navarro (7-3) took the loss although Steve Talbott gave up the winning hit. Luis Barela had earlier hit HR #30 for the Rays.

Game 3: When the Rays fell behind 5-0 after 3 it looked like a guaranteed sweep for Minnesota, but they fought all the way back to tie it and then take a 6-5 lead in the 10th. But they couldn't prevent the sweep in the end as the bullpen failed them for the second straight night and lost 7-6. Dave Rose got off to the roughest of starts including a 4-run 3rd but managed to hang in there and go 6 7 5 5 1 3, buying time for the offense to come back led by homers from Luis Barela (#31) and Dantel Chinchilla (#3). And when Jose Machado singled in a run in the 10th the improbable comeback win looked to be in hand. But Steve Talbott (2-5) couldn't hold the lead, putting two men on and giving up a 2-run double.

Team record: 77-45. The Yankees won twice while we were being swept and cut the division lead to 3 games. Next up: An off-day then back home for 3 against 59-63 Houston.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays took a wild 13-8 win over Houston in a game where all the runs scored by the 6th inning. Luis Barela led the way with a 2-run homer (#32) and RBI double, Ezequiel Avalos had a solo shot (#27), and Jesus Avalos, Nesty de la Rosa and Dantel Chinchilla each knocked in a pair. Tim Johnson (9-6) picked up the win but he wasn't very good at 5 7 5 4 2 0, the lack of strikeouts being unusual.

Game 2: Tampa Bay was the dog who could never quite catch the car, falling behind 5-0 before coming back to still lose 7-5. Vinny Miranda (4-11) pitched his usual decent but not good enough game at 5.2 6 4 2 0 2, let down by the defense as he always seems to be and the pen was dreadful with three different relievers allowing a run. David Morales led the ill-fated comeback, driving in 3 with a double and a single.

Game 3: The Rays are playing some lousy baseball of late, losing their fifth game in six outings after succumbing 5-1 to the Astros. Randy Mastropietro (14-5) lost his third straight start while losing the plate in a 3 6 2 2 4 4 outing on 83 pitches and the bullpen wasn't much help behind him. It didn't matter as the bats couldn't do anything with only Luis Barela's 9th-inning solo homer (#33) standing in the way of a Houston shutout.

Team record: 78-47. The Yankees swept their arch-rival Boston to pull within one game of the division lead, in case you were wondering how things were going. Next up: The Rays will try to get right with 3 at home against a very good 75-51 Angels team.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Ben Hilton was magnificent and the Rays took a 5-1 win to open their series against the Angels at Publix Park. Hilton (7-4) went 7 4 1 1 1 9 in a dominant outing while the Avaloses (Jesus and Ezequiel) were each 3 for 4 with an RBI.

Game 2: The Rays couldn't do much against one of baseball's top pitchers in Marco Agria and fell 5-2 to LA. Meanwhile the Rays' ace Dave Rose (12-7) was too hittable at 6.2 13 5 5 0 5. David Morales' 2-run single was all the offense they could muster.

Game 3: The woes continued for Tampa Bay as they dropped their seventh game in their last nine after being routed by the Angels 8-1. Tim Johnson (9-7) was hit like a pinata, going 3.1 7 7 7 1 3. Only a pinch-homer from Cameron Holly, his first of the year, averted a shutout.

Team record: 79-49. The Yankees stayed red-hot, taking 2 of 3 and moved into a tie with us atop the AL East. Next up: 4 huge games with those same Yankees in New York.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: After throwing away a 5-game lead and letting the Yankees tie them for first, the Rays came into this critical series against New York in need of a big win to stop the rot and they got one, blowing out the Bronx Bombers 8-1. Vinny Miranda, who normally pitches well enough to lose, was very sharp today in improving to 5-11 after going 6 5 1 1 0 5 and a diversified offense supported him. Luis Barela's 2-run single in the 1st set the tone, Tony Vasquez chipped in a 2-run homer (#26/33) and Jose Machado added a solo shot (#9).

Game 2: The Rays made mincemeat of the Yankees for the second straight day with a 10-4 win over their good buddies. A 4-run 2nd highlighted by a 3-run Sung-min Yang blast (#18) and a 5-run 4th keyed by a Nesty de la Rosa grand slam (#11) made sure Tampa Bay would open up a 2-game lead in the division and Randy Mastropietro went to 15-5 with a 5 8 2 2 2 2 outing.

Game 3: Tampa Bay continued to make a statement in this showdown series by besting New York for the third straight day, although this time it was a more tense affair in a 3-1 win. Ben Hilton (8-4) turned in his third straight brilliant start at 6 2 1 1 3 7 and Steve Talbott pitched around a couple of singles in the 9th for his 33rd save. Tony Vasquez got all the runs needed with a 2-run homer (#27/34) in the 1st and Alex Brown's RBI single in the 8th provided a key insurance run after the Yankees pulled within 2-1 the inning previous.

Game 4: Back in 1978 the Yankees famously went into Boston in early September for a big 4-game series with first place on the line and clobbered the Red Sox in a sweep which became known as "The Boston Massacre". Fast-forward 75 years and the Rays pulled off their own version ("The Bronx Beatdown?") after their 5-0 win over the Yankees completed their own 4-game sweep in which they outscored New York 26-6. The hero today was Dave Rose (13-7), who had gone through a rough patch of late but turned things around with a complete-game 3-hit shutout, walking 2 and fanning 10 on 121 pitches. It was the first CG shutout for Rose this year after leading MLB with 3 last season and the fifth of his career. Dantel Chinchilla's 2-run homer in the 3rd (#4) was the big blow and Jesus Avalos added one of his own in the 7th (#25) to give Rose enough leash to finish out the game as the Rays now find themselves 4 games up on New York.

Team record: 83-49. Next up: Back home for 3 against Austin, where they'll have to guard against a letdown.

[Art Deco]

September 1: Recalled 1B Manny Mendoza and purchased the contract of P Devin Cefalo from AAA Durham.

Both were up earlier, Mendoza for a few games and Cefalo early in the season after being claimed off waivers.

Game 1: The Rays destroyed the Dukes 14-1 in the opener at Publix Park. Jesus Avalos was 3-4 with HR #26 and 3 RBI, with his round-tripper leading off the game, Jose Machado had 3 RBI including a 2-run double and Luis Barela added a grand slam (#34) in the 8th. The well-supported Tim Johnson (10-7) got the win after going 5.1 5 0 0 4 4.

Game 2: From feast to famine as Austin took a 2-0 win over the Rays in the second game with the bats held to five hits. The newly-recalled Manny Mendoza had the best scoring chance after tripling to lead off the 2nd for his first MLB hit but was stranded there. Vinny Miranda (5-12 but with a 3.32 ERA) took yet another tough-luck loss, finishing 7 5 2 2 0 4.

Game 3: Tampa Bay couldn't get much offense going once again, but they got enough in a 2-1 win over Austin to take the rubber game of the series. Jesus Avalos' 2-out triple in the 5th was pivotal as he knocked in a run and then scored on Nesty de la Rosa's single to provide the necessary scoring. And thanks to Randy Mastropietro and the pen it stood up as the young lefty improved to 16-5, 2.97 with a 7 5 1 1 1 6 performance. Steve Talbott finished for his 34th save.

Team record: 85-50. The Yankees also won 2 of 3 so the division lead remains at 4 games. Next up: An off-day then Toronto visits for 3 games. The Jays have been hot lately, winning 12 straight before losing a couple and they've moved into the 2nd wild card spot. They're led by perhaps the best player in baseball right now, third-year catcher David Evans who's hitting 348/381/650 and leads MLB with 7.5 WAR.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: It was one of those classic Publix Park games we haven't seen much of recently as the Rays fought back from 7-3 down to win a 13-8 slugfest over the Jays. The Rays banged out 19 hits and not only did everyone in the lineup have at least one hit, everyone except Nesty de la Rosa had a pair. Ezequiel Avalos' RBI single in the 6th completed the comeback to give the Rays the lead to stay and he was one of five Rays to drive in a pair. Jose Machado (#10) and David Morales (#5) had 2-run homers while Jesus Avalos contributed a solo shot (#27). Ben Hilton was terrible (4 7 7 7 1 6, 3 HR), while Steve Cleland (4-0) picked up the win with a couple of scoreless innings of relief.

Game 2: The Rays continued to swing hot bats but this time they got the pitching to go with it as they took a 9-3 win over Toronto. Luis Barela's 3-run homer (#35) in the 3rd capped a 4-run inning which catapulted the Rays to victory, Jesus Avalos knocked in 3 with a pair of doubles, and Jose Machado homered for the second straight day (#11). Dave Rose (14-7), coming off a complete-game shutout, threw 6 more scoreless innings before getting hit for 3 in the 7th and finishing 6.1 5 3 3 1 6.

Game 3: Tampa Bay completed the sweep with a tidy 6-0 victory over the Jays, scoring twice in each of the first three innings and letting Tim Johnson do his thing as the righty combined with Melvin Lopez on a 4-hit shutout. Johnson (11-7) was 6 3 0 0 2 5 and Lopez picked up his first save by going the final 3. Nesty de la Rosa's RBI double and Ezequiel Avalos' RBI single in the first got them going and Jesus Avalos' 2-run homer (#28) in the 2nd meant they'd never look back.

Team record: 88-50. We apparently broke the Yankees with that recent 4-game sweep as New York was swept again, this time by Austin, and fell 7 games back effectively ending the division race barring a huge Rays collapse. Next up: Baltimore comes to town for 4 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Vinny Miranda was excellent and the Rays got just enough offense to take a 4-1 win over Baltimore in the opener. Miranda's been our resident hard-luck hurler but was in fine form at 6 5 1 1 0 5 today improve to 6-12, 3.23 since coming over from Oakland. Steve Talbott finished up for his 35th save and the scoring came courtesy of Jesus Avalos' 2-run homer (#29) and a solo shot (#36) and RBI single from Luis Barela.

Game 2: More quality pitching was on display today for Tampa Bay as they downed the Orioles 6-2. Randy Mastropietro improved to 17-5 after going 5 6 2 2 1 3 and has a shot at 20 wins with 4 starts left. Alec McInerney went the final 4 innings, allowing only 2 hits and fanning 6 for his 1st save of the year. David Morales was a double short of the cycle today, driving in a pair including HR #6, and Ezequiel Avalos chipped in a 2-run shot (#28), putting him one behind Jesus in the Avalos HR competition.

Game 3: With the Yankees fading farther and farther back in the rearview mirror, the Rays emptied the bench against Baltimore in the finale and somewhat predictably fell 6-0 with the offense only managing 3 hits (all of which came from the subs, though). The loss really wasn't the fault of Ben Hilton (8-5) who went a fine 6 2 1 1 1 8 and didn't allow a hit until an Oriole solo homer in the 6th. Mario Berumen came on for the 7th and was pummeled for five runs to let it get away.

Team record: 90-51. As mentioned the Yankees are in free fall and were swept, knocking them 9 back and reducing the magic number to 13. Next up: A day off then we're off to Oklahoma City for 3 against the Sunbirds.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Dave Rose was destroyed as the Sunbirds routed the Rays 13-3 in their opener at Oklahoma City. Rose (14-8) was coming off a couple of outstanding starts but was torched today to the tune of 3.2 11 7 7 2 3 and saw his ERA rise above 4. Jesus Avalos had a nice day, going 3-3 with 2 doubles (to give him 40) and a solo homer (giving him 30) while Tony Vasquez hit his 28th with the Rays and 35th overall.

Game 2: The Rays bounced back to return the favor of a rout, smashing the Sunbirds 11-4. Jose Machado was 3-5 with HR #12 and 2 RBI, Luis Barela kicked things off with a 3-run blast in the first (#37) and Dantel Chinchilla was 2-5 with HR #5 and 2 RBI. Tim Johnson (12-7) got the win after going 6 6 4 4 2 7.

Game 3: Lousy pitching doomed the Rays to a series loss as OKC took an 8-4 win in the finale. Vinny Miranda's recent good run came to a crashing halt after a 4.2 9 6 5 1 4 outing, dropping him to 6-13. Jose Machado homered (#13) for the second straight day.

Team record: 91-53. Despite the not-great series the Rays shaved 3 more off their division-clinching managing number which now stands at 10. Next up: Back home for 3 against Boston.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays' recent rut continued as they were manhandled 8-3 at Publix Park by the Red Sox. Randy Mastropietro was gunning for win #18 and held Boston to 2 runs through 6, but in a bid to keep him in there he was hit hard in the 7th and Boston pulled away, dropping him to 17-6 after a 6.1 8 6 6 1 3 outing. Jose Lozada drove in all 3 Rays runs with a single and a 2-run homer (#4).

Game 2: Welcome my friends to the game that never ends. Thanks to Steve Talbott blowing a 3-1 lead in the 9th the Rays and Red Sox trudged on for 10 more innings before Boston won it with 4 runs in the 19th off Melvin Lopez (2-4). The Rays answered back with a 3-run homer from Jesus Avalos (#31) in the bottom of the frame but that was it and they fell 7-6. Talbott's blown save wasted a fine Ben Hilton outing (7 5 1 1 0 8) as Tampa Bay lost for the fifth time in their last six games.

Game 3: Frustrated by their recent run of poor play the Rays took it out against Boston in the finale, routing them 16-2. Dantel Chinchilla had a career game, doubling twice, homering (#5) and driving in 5, while power-hitting reserve Joe Koutnik finally homered for the first time in 2053 with a 2-run shot in the first and then doubled his season longball output with another one in the 4th. Jesus Avalos homered for the second straight day (#32) and Cameron Holly came off the bench to hit a 2-run shot, his 3rd in 20 at-bats this year. Dave Rose (15-8) was the beneficiary of all the support, going 6 6 2 2 3 5 for the win.

Team record: 92-55. Magic number reduced to 8. Next up: A day off then Baltimore visits for 3.

[Art Deco]

September 19: Claimed P Chris Resnick on waivers from the Chicago Cubs, designated P Steve Bourassa for assignment.

Resnick is a power arm rated 75/75/40 and was on waivers because Chicago didn't want to pay him around $4.5M/season for the next 3 years. With some of our key relievers going free agent at year's end, we'll need some new ones under contract. Bourassa is also a free agent-to-be and has been lousy this season so he was the obvious choice to make room. Resnick won't be eligible for postseason play, but that's alright.

Game 1: The Rays marched closer to another AL East crown by walloping the Orioles 9-0 in the opener behind an excellent Tim Johnson performance. The righty improved to 13-7 by going 6 3 0 0 2 8 and was amply supported by the Avaloses, with Zeke homering twice (to give him 30) and driving in 6 while Jesus knocked in a pair while hitting #33.

Game 2: Tampa Bay came all the way back from 7-1 down to earn an 8-7 win over Baltimore in a wild one at Publix Park. Vinny Miranda, our resident hard-luck pitcher, actually deserved to lose this time after being lit up at 4 9 7 7 1 2 but the bats had his back for a change. Solo homers from Tony Vasquez (#29/36) and Luis Barela (#38) along with a 2-run Nesty de la Rosa shot (#12) got them back within 7-5 in the 5th and a 3-run 7th featuring a 2-run Dantel Chinchilla single won it. Joe Roberts (5-2) picked up the relief win while Steve Talbott recorded save #36.

Game 3: Randy Mastropietro's quest to win 20 remained alive as he pitched to Rays to a sweep in a 7-0 win. The rookie lefty improved to 18-6, 3.10 after going 6 3 0 0 1 4 and will need to win his final two starts of the season to hit the 20-win mark. Jose Machado's 3-run homer (#14) was the big hit while Jesus Avalos homered two more times, both solo, to give him 35 (along with 98 RBI the same amount as the other Avalos). Machado also singled in another run while Jesus added a double to go with his two homers.

Team record: 95-55. The Yankees continue to delay our clinching party by winning, so the magic number is only down to 5 despite our sweep. Next up: 3 games in Toronto.

Playoff Race Update: With two weeks left in the season here's where things stand: The Twins and Angels have already clinched the other AL divisions with the Yankees a lock as WC1. This leaves WC2 as the only race with the Jays 2 up on the White Sox and 3 1/2-4 1/2 up on 3 more teams. In the NL it's a bit different with only the Dodgers a division lock and the two other races neck-and-neck. Atlanta's 1/2 up on Washington in the East and the Cubs lead Milwaukee by that same amount in the Central. The difference is that the East loser will miss the playoffs altogether while the Central loser would be WC 1 with Colorado leading St. Louis by 3 1/2 for WC2.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Ben Hilton was solid and the Rays took the series opener 7-4 from Toronto at Rogers Centre. He improved to 9-5 after going 6.1 7 2 1 1 8 and after Chris Resnick had trouble holding a 7-3 lead in the 9th Steve Talbott got the final two outs for save #37. David Morales had a huge day on offense, going 3-4 with HR #7 and 4 RBI and Tony Vasquez hit HR #30 with the Rays and #37 overall.

Game 2: The bullpen was determined to blow this one no matter what, and a 9-5 lead in the 7th curdled into a 12-10 walk-off loss to Toronto. Before things went pear-shaped both of the Avaloses reached the 100-RBI mark by homering with Jesus launching #36 and Ezequiel #31 while Sung-min Yang hit #19. By taking the 9-5 lead they overcame a poor Dave Rose outing (4 9 5 4 0 6, 2 HR) but Chris Hetzel gave up 3 runs and Willie Navarro 2 to put Toronto up 10-9. Nesty de la Rosa dramatically tied the game with 2 out in the 9th on a solo homer (#13) but that only delayed the inevitable when Steve Talbott (2-6) gave up a 2-run walk-off shot in the bottom of the inning.

Game 3: In a complete 180 from yesterday's game the Rays took the finale 2-0 behind Tim Johnson and an effective bullpen. The righty (14-7) was dominant at 7 2 0 0 3 9 and Joe Roberts got the final two outs for his 2nd save. Tony Vasquez's RBI single in the 3rd was all they needed.

Team record: 97-56. The Yankees finally cooled off and lost a couple, so the magic number is down to just 1. Next up: An off-day then 3 games in Seattle where we'll have the champagne on ice.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The division-clinching party was postponed for another day after the Rays fell 3-2 to the Mariners in the series opener and the Yankees won their game. Vinny Miranda had to leave in the 2nd with a minor tweak but they did go ahead 2-0 on Luis Barela's 39th homer of the year. Unfortunately Chris Hetzel (4-1), the third Tampa Bay pitcher of the night, gave up 2 runs in the 5th and bats were silent after that.

Game 2: RBI doubles by Dantel Chinchilla and Jesus Avalos in the 9th gave the Rays a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Seattle and their 34th AL East crown. That was the good news; unfortunately those runs came too late for Randy Mastropietro to keep his shot at 20 wins alive as the lefty hung in as long as he could going 7.2 10 2 2 1 4 on 102 pitches, a lot for a 45-stamina guy. Instead Willie Navarro (8-1) picked up the win and Steve Talbott earned save #38.

Game 3: After clinching the day before the Rays emptied the bench for the series finale but still managed to best the Mariners 5-3. Jose Lozada had a big game and the key hit, a 3-run homer in the 4th (#5) which was the difference. Also homering was Cameron Holly, who's now hit 4 longballs in only 25 AB. Dave Rose (16-8) went 6 2 1 1 2 4 for the win in what will probably be his final start of the regular season, and Willie Navarro finished for save #5.

Team record: 99-57. Next up: Back home for 3 against Cleveland as we enter the final week of the regular season.

Playoff race update: The Jays remain 1 ahead of the White Sox for the 2nd wild card but lead them by 2 in the loss column. In the NL the Cubs pulled away from the slumping Brewers (losers of 5 straight) to open up a 3 1/2-game lead in the Central but the East remains as tight as ever with Washington eking ahead of Atlanta by 1/2 game in a loser-stays-home race. Colorado (1/2 game up) and Milwaukee are the two wild cards but St. Louis is 2 games behind.