The 2020 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays made it five straight wins by taking a 4-0 lead and holding on for a 6-5 win over the Jays at Rogers Centre. Jesus Avalos was 3-4 with HR #25 and in the process took over the AL batting lead from teammate Nesty de la Rosa at .330 while Luis Barela's 8th-inning RBI double proved to be the difference. Ben Hilton (7-4) was dominant at 5 5 2 2 1 11 and after the bullpen gave up 3 runs to make it a one-run game, Mario Berumen put an end to the madness with a clean 9th for save #3.

Game 2: This was a tense one with the Jays up 2-1 after 6 before the Rays exploded for 7 runs in the 7th to go on to their sixth straight victory 8-2. The big hits were a 2-run double from MVP contender Jesus Avalos and an inning-capping grand slam from Doug Johns (#10). Brad Villarreal (9-3) did his usual excellent thing at 6 6 2 2 1 3.

Game 3: The Rays saw their 6-game win streak come to an end in the finale at Toronto and made history in the process in a 10-2 blowout loss. Rays hitters tied an MLB record (perhaps broken in the thousands of other games in this save that I didn't play out but probably not) by grounding into seven - count 'em, 7 - double plays. Luis Barela and David Morales were the primary culprits by bouncing into two each and Barela's in the 3rd was costly as it was scoreless and the Rays had the bases loaded with nobody out. Dave Rose (10-6) held it at 3-0 Jays until he ran out of gas in the 6th and gave up a bases-clearing double to finish 5.1 8 6 6 2 7. The Rays had 17 baserunners including 3-hit games from Jose Lozada and Dantel Chinchilla but could only push across two runs thanks to the GIDPs.

Team record: 55-42. Still tied with LA for the two wild card spots and still 2 1/2 up on the White Sox. Next up: A day off then home for 3 against Boston.

[Art Deco]

This team has some flaws, and with the deadline approaching it was time to make a couple of moves.

The first:



Minnesota had pending free agent and veteran 33-year-old 3B Josh Abney on the block and we took him off their hands at the cost of a middling prospect. The key for us is that Abney is a 65 defender at the hot corner and gives us a defensive replacement for Luis Barela, whose D has cratered at the position. Abney is a .250-.260 hitter with moderate (55) power so he's not going to supplant Barela but the RH hitter will play 3B against lefties with Barela sliding over to first.

The second deal (I forgot to screen-shot the reactions but my AGM wasn't thrilled with it):



Tim Johnson has been brutal this year and we didn't have a real replacement for him. Now we do. Cervantes is rated 55/80/70 and has been a consistent 4-5 WAR starter for the last 10 years. Texas wanted to get out from under his $23M/year contract through next season (*) and agreed to pay half of it. Rutherford's a pretty good lefty reliever but we have two others on the staff. Johnson will move to the pen where hopefully his good stuff will make him a useful multi-inning reliever.


*Cervantes' 2055 vests if he pitches 180 innings. He's at 112 right now so it'll be a close call.

[Art Deco]

July 24: Optioned 1B Manny Mendoza to AAA Durham.

Mendoza had hit really well in limited action serving as a platoon partner of sorts with Nesty de la Rosa, but someone had to go with the Abney acquisition and Barela will taking over his platoon role at 1B.

Game 1: They haven't had too many of these this year but the opener saw a Patented Publix Park Comeback from the Rays as they went from trailing 6-0 in the 7th to pulling out a thrilling 7-6 win over Boston. Randy Mastropietro didn't have it today at 4 7 6 6 1 1 and things looked bleak. Dantel Chinchilla got them on the board with a solo shot in the 7th and then a 5-run 8th tied things up with Jesus Avalos unloading a 2-run blast (#26) and Chinchilla tying it up with his second homer in as many innings, a 2-run shot (#9). And in the 9th they won it on a walk-off walk from pinch-hitter Doug Johns. Mario Berumen (2-2) picked up the victory with a scoreless 9th.

Game 2: No need for dramatics today as Ben Hilton pitched perhaps his best game as a Ray in a tidy 3-0 win over the Red Sox. Hilton (8-4) was completely dominant, going 7 2 0 0 1 12 on 99 pitches with Edgar Voisin finishing the shutout for save #19. It was a scoreless game until Alex Brown led off the 6th with a solo homer (#6) and Ezequiel Avalos added an RBI double later in the inning.

Game 3: Comeback time again for the Rays in the finale although this one wasn't quite as dramatic. Brad Villarreal had some early hiccups and Boston went ahead 4-1 in the 3rd but Tampa Bay quickly tied it up and went on to an 8-6 win to complete the sweep. Ezequiel Avalos hit a pair of triples and his 3rd-inning three-bagger brought home a pair and David Morales knocked in a pair to help them take the lead. Villarreal (10-3) hung in there to get the win after going 5 6 4 2 2 5 but left the bases loaded with nobody out in the 6th. Chris Hetzel pulled a Houdini, getting a 1-2-3 double play and a fly out to escape with the 6-4 lead intact and after Chris Parham gave up a 2-run homer in the 9th Edgar Voisin got the final two outs for his 20th save.

Team record: 58-42. We remain a hopeless 12 1/2 back of the Yankees who also swept and are now playing over .700 ball. More importantly they swept the Angels which puts us 3 games ahead of them for the first wild card and the right the host the game.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Dave Rose was in vintage form, pitching a 4-hit complete-game shutout as the Rays took the opener at Citi Field from the Mets 4-0. The righty improved to 11-6, 3.70, walked 3 and fanned 9 on 121 pitches in his first shutout of 2054 and sixth of his career. Sung-min Yang was a one-man band on offense, going 4-4 with a double, two homers (#20 & 21) and 3 RBI while Nesty de la Rosa added a solo shot (#13).

Game 2: Manny Cervantes had a dazzling debut as a Ray and his teammates supported him well in a 7-1 thumping of the Mets. The veteran righty went 7.2 4 1 1 0 3 for the win and didn't allow a hit until the 6th inning. Jesus Avalos set the tone by homering (#27) to lead off the game, Doug Johns added a 2-run shot (#11) and David Morales drove in 3 with a single and a double.

July 29: Placed OF Jose Lozada on the 10-day IL with a bruised elbow, recalled OF Brian Whittaker from AAA Durham.

Lozada should be back when his stint is up and Doug Johns will take over full-time in LF. Whittaker was up for parts of the previous two seasons.

Game 3: The Rays were four outs from a sweep but bullpen shenanigans led them to drop a 4-2 decision to the Mets after the New Yorkers scored 3 times in the 8th. Jesus Avalos hit HR #28 and Randy Mastropietro went 6 4 1 1 1 3 to stake them to a 2-1 lead but Mario Berumen put a man on in scoring position in the 8th with two out and Joe Roberts (2-5) came in to face the lefty. Roberts put the lefty on and then served up a 3-run homer to lose it.

Team record: 60-43, now 4 up on the Angels in the first wild card position. Next up: A day off then on to Arizona for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: A 4-run 3rd inning was all the Rays needed to take a 6-2 win over the Diamondbacks at Chase Field as they got their series underway in the desert. Doug Johns' 3-run shot (#12) was the big blow backing another dominant outing from Ben Hilton (9-4) who turned in his third straight start with double-digit whiffs, finishing 6 4 2 2 3 10. Displaced starter Tim Johnson went the final three scoreless for his first save.

Game 2: The Rays were up against a tough customer in Arizona's Jeremy Engle, and the lefty outdueled Brad Villarreal in a 2-0 D-backs win. Engle improved to 12-2, 2.79 after shutting out Tampa Bay through 7 1/3 while Villarreal (10-4) was 6.1 4 2 2 2 3 in the tough-luck loss.

Game 3: The Tampa Bay offense exploded late to give them the rubber game over Arizona, coming up with a 5-run 7th to take a 7-3 win. Nesty de la Rosa had a monster game, hitting a slam (#14) in that 7th inning and singling in a run among his three hits, giving him a 5-RBI game. Dave Rose (12-6) followed up a shutout in his previous start to go an excellent 7 3 1 1 3 8 on 108 pitches today.

Team record: 62-44. They've expanded their lead in the #1 wild card slot to 5 games. Next up: Finally back home for 3 against the White Sox.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays scored early and often in routing the Cubs 12-1 to open up their 3-game set at Publix Park. Nesty de la Rosa and Luis Barela both went 3 for 3, with Nesty homering (#15) and driving in 2 while Barela cleared the bases with a double as part of a 4-RBI day. Also going yard were Alex Brown (#7), Cameron Holly (#1) and Jesus Avalos (#29). Coasting with the support was Manny Cervantes, now with two wins in two starts since coming over in a trade after an excellent 6 6 1 1 1 9 outing.

Game 2: The bullpen and the bats let Tampa Bay down in the middle game as a 2-1 lead after 6 turned into a 5-3 loss to Chicago. Randy Mastropietro was sharp at 6 5 1 1 0 6 and gave way to Chris Hetzel (1-1) in the 7th, who proceeded to allow 4 runs (all unearned due to a Dantel Chinchilla error but still). Jesus Avalos had a 3-hit game but that was about it on offense.

Game 3: The Rays blew another late lead thanks to shaky bullpen work, forcing them to play 6 additional innings before Jesus Avalos' second 2-run homer of the day let them walk off a 7-5 win in 15 to take the series from the Cubs. Avalos' first 2-run shot and a 2-run tater from Josh Abney, his first as a Ray and 5th overall, staked them to a 5-1 lead with Ben Hilton in cruise control. The righty couldn't quite pull off his 4th straight double-digit strikeout start but came close at 7.1 5 2 2 0 9 and was deprived of a win when Mario Berumen gave up a grand slam in the 8th to let Chicago tie it up. We went on and on from there with the Cubs having the best chances to score in extras but failing and finally Avalos stepped up and solidified his MVP credentials with his walk-off blast (#31). The third-year CF leads MLB with a 1.035 OPS and has an AL-best 6.0 WAR to date. Steve Cleland (2-0) picked up the relief win.

Team record: 64-45, now 6 up on LA for the first wild card and seemingly spending the next couple of months preparing for a 1-game winner-take-all wild card game. Next up: A day off to make the longest road trip in MLB to Seattle for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Brad Villarreal went the distance and the Rays took a tidy 5-1 win over the Mariners at T-Mobile Park. The righty improved to 11-4, 2.92 after going 9 6 1 1 1 4 with the only blemish a solo homer allowed in the 6th. Jesus Avalos supported him with the bat, clubbing two more homers (both solo) to give him 33 and Alex Brown also went yard with the bases empty, his 8th.

August 8: Activated 2B Jose Machado from his rehab assignment, optioned IF/OF Cameron Holly to Durham.

Game 2: Nesty de la Rosa's 3-run homer (#16) in the 7th inning turned a potential 3-2 loss into a 5-3 Rays win in Seattle. Josh Abney went deep (#2/6) and David Morales was 3-4 with a double and an RBI as well while Dave Rose (13-6) pitched around a couple of homers to finish 6.1 6 3 2 1 5 for the win. Edgar Voisin handled the 9th for save #21.

Game 3: Tampa Bay completed the sweep thanks to the third outstanding start in three outings by Manny Cervantes since coming over in trade as he hurled a complete-game shutout in a 4-0 win over the Mariners. Cervantes went 9 4 0 0 1 4 on 110 pitches barely breaking a sweat and he's now 3-0, 0.79 in 3 starts covering 22 1/3 IP as a Ray. Nesty de la Rosa was all the offense Cervantes needed as he went 3-4 with a 2-run shot (#17) and Ezequiel Avalos brought home the other two runs with a single.

Team record: 67-45. We're now 8 games up on the Angels for the first wild card and can bury them as they come to Publix Park for 3 games next.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The opener between the Rays and Angels at Publix Park was definitely one of the weirder games I've played. LA went up 6-3 thanks in large part to a Dantel Chinchilla error with two out that opened the door for 4 Angels runs, leaving starter Randy Mastropietro with a 5.2 7 6 2 0 3 line. The Rays were leaving runners on base right and left (16 total for the game) but managed to get it tied on homers from Luis Barela (#17) and Ezequiel Avalos (#21). So went 6-6 to extras and in the bottom of the 10th Tampa Bay loaded the bases with nobody out and the AL's batting average leader Nesty de la Rosa at the plate. Nesty lined one to center and the runners started moving in anticipation of the walk-off celebration only for the Angels CF to make a shoestring diving catch, throw to third for the second out and the 3B going to 2B for the triple play. Deflated, the Rays and Mario Berumen gave up 3 runs in the top of the 11th to make it 9-6, but Chinchilla atoned for his earlier error with a 3-run homer (#10) to tie it up again. And in the bottom of the 12th with a man on 3rd and two out David Morales' grounder was booted by the LA 2B to give the Rays a 10-9 walk-off win. Devin Cefalo (2-0) picked up the win, Chinchilla had 3 hits and 4 RBI, and E.Avalos had 3 hits and 2 ribbies in the wild affair.

August 11: Activated OF Jose Lozada from the 10-day IL, optioned OF Brian Whittaker to AAA Durham.

Game 2: Yesterday's epic battle apparently took the wind of out the Rays' sails as they fell 6-2 to the Angels. Ben Hilton's excellent run of late came to a halt as he was hit to the tune of 7 5 5 5 4 4 with 2 homers allowed to drop to 9-5.

Game 3: The Rays took the rubber match from the Angels 12-3 and in the process knocked them out of a wild card spot, with the White Sox moving up to 8 1/2 behind Tampa Bay in the second one. Dantel Chinchilla capped a career series with another monster game, going 3-4 with a 3-run homer (#11) and a 2-run double, Alex Brown added a 3-run homer (#9), and Jesus Avalos (#34) and Sung-min Yang (#22) went solo. Brad Villarreal (12-4) pitched a typical Brad Villarreal game at 6 6 2 2 0 3 and Tim Johnson went the final 3 for his second save.

Team record: 69-46. Next up: A day off then Houston visits for 3 games. The Astros are a near-identical 69-47 so it should be a good test. We have pulled within 9 1/2 of the Yankees but it's going to take a 1978 Red Sox-style collapse to change things there.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays took a tidy 5-3 win over the Astros in their opener at Publix Park behind the veteran bat of Luis Barela, who clubbed his 18th homer of the year and 579th of his career, a solo shot which put them ahead to stay before he added an RBI double in the 5th. Jesus Avalos continued to burnish his MVP credentials by going 2-4 with a double and 2-run single, and the win went to Dave Rose (14-6) who went 6 7 3 3 2 9. Edgar Voisin had a quick 9th for his 22nd save.

Game 2: Tampa Bay took one on the chin, routed by Houston 10-1. Manny Cervantes, who began his Rays career with three brilliant starts, was obliterated in number four to the tune of 3 10 9 9 2 4. Jesus Avalos (who else?) kept the Rays from being shut out with a solo homer (#35) in the 8th.

August 16: Placed OF Doug Johns on the 10-day IL with a sore elbow, recalled P Chris Resnick from his rehab assignment at AAA Durham.

Johns is only out 5 days with a "moderate" injury but Resnick's rehab time was up and I would have had to waive one of the pitchers to make room for him so it all worked out. Johns will go on a brief rehab when his 10 days are up and then we'll call him up September 1 when the rosters expand.

Game 3: The Rays returned the favor of a blowout on the Astros in the finale, clubbing the boys from Houston 13-4. Jesus Avalos worked his way up to a league-best 7.0 WAR on the season so far by going 4-5 with a pair of homers and 3 RBI. He's also 2nd in the AL in average at .330, tied for 1st in MLB with 37 homers, tops in the AL with 90 RBI, and tops in MLB with a 1.063 OPS. Others had a hand in the win too, including the guy ahead of Avalos in BA as Nesty de la Rosa was 3-5 with 2 doubles and an RBI to up his batting mark to .333 while Cesar Scroggins (#3) and Josh Abney (#3/7) went yard. Randy Mastropietro (12-5) was an effective 6 3 2 2 0 3 for the win.

Team record: 71-47. This would be good enough to lead or tie for the lead in the other 5 divisions in MLB but unfortunately the Yankees remain 9 1/2 up at 81-38, one of (if not) the best non-Rays teams I've seen in this save. Next up: Detroit comes to town for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Pitching was the coin of the realm at Publix Park today as the Rays and Detroit combined for only three runs on seven hits but thanks to the blazing-hot Jesus Avalos and the arm of Ben Hilton Tampa Bay claimed a 2-1 victory. The Tigers nursed a 1-0 lead into the 7th before Avalos deposited his league-leading 38th homer into the RF bullpen with a man on to provide the winning margin. Hilton (10-5) meanwhile was an outstanding 7 3 1 1 2 8 and Edgar Voisin closed for his 23rd save.

Game 2: The Rays stayed hot and edged the Tigers 5-4 with the "other" Avalos coming through big as Ezequiel hit a 3-run homer (#22) in the 5th to give them the lead for good. Zeke also had a run-scoring groundout to give him a 4-RBI day and he backed Brad Villarreal (13-4), who wasn't his best at 5 7 3 3 2 2 but pitched well enough to win. Edgar Voisin once again handled for 9th for save #24.

Game 3: Tampa Bay couldn't quite pull off the sweep as they had a frustrating day at the plate in a 4-2 loss to Detroit. Despite accumulating 15 baserunners they could only push two runs across, with 11 LOB and 3 players being thrown out on the basepaths (2 CS, 1 thrown out at home). Jesus Avalos did hit his obligatory homer (#39), a solo shot, but Dave Rose (14-7) had his issues despite fanning 10, giving up two homers and four runs on seven hits in six innings.

Team record: 73-48. The Yankees actually lost a couple of games to allow us within 8 1/2, which also happens to be how many we're up on the #2 wild card. Next up: An off-day then up to Baltimore for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: A 4-run 7th broke a 1-1 tie and gave the Rays a 6-1 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards. David Morales' RBI single was the winner but Dantel Chinchilla followed with the big blow, a bases-clearing double. Meanwhile Manny Cervantes improved to 4-1 and recovered from his lone bad outing as a Ray by going 7.1 6 1 1 2 5. Jose Lozada, who had only 3 homers all season coming in, led off the game with #4.

Game 2: The Rays took another comfortable win over the Orioles, topping them 7-2. Luis Barela's 2-run homer in the 1st (#19) staked them to a quick 3-0 lead, and after Baltimore pulled within 4-2 in the 7th, homers by David Morales (#3, solo) and Ezequiel Avalos (#23, a 2-run shot) put the game out of reach. Randy Mastropietro (13-5) went 5 5 2 2 2 4 for the win.

Game 3: Tampa Bay swept the series from Baltimore with their third straight 5-run win and second straight by a 7-2 score in the finale. Sung-min Yang swung the big bat today with a 2-run homer (#23) in a 4-run 3rd and a 2-run double in the 8th. Jose Lozada also homered for the second time in three games after having only hit three all season coming in. Ben Hilton was dominant before leaving with minor back stiffness, going 5.2 1 2 1 4 10 to up his record to 11-5.

Team record: 76-48. The Rays crept closer to the Yankees (7 1/2 back) with the sweep but time is running out and it's not like New York is slumping as they still won 2 of 3 over the weekend. Next up: The White Sox pay a visit to Publix Park for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Brad Villarreal had a rare rough start and although the Rays overcame an early 4-0 deficit to take the lead the bullpen faltered and they dropped the opener 9-6 to the White Sox. Villarreal gave up those 4 runs in the first and after the Rays went up 5-4 he allowed two more in the 6th to finish 5 7 6 6 1 3. They tied it again in the bottom of the inning to take him off the hook but Chris Hetzel (1-2) put a man on in the 7th and Warren Dalton served up a 2-run homer that proved to be the winner. Jose Lozada stayed on his ridiculous hot streak which saw him bang out 3 more hits and double his homer total over the last 4 games to 6 with a solo shot.

Game 2: Dave Rose was dominant and the Rays bounced back to beat Chicago 6-0 at Publix Park. The ace righty improved to 15-7 with a 6 3 0 0 2 10 outing and Tim Johnson got his 3rd 3-inning save, fanning 6 more in the process to complete the combined shutout. All the runs came in the 4th and 5th, with Jose Lozada homering again, his 7th of the year and 4th in the past 5 games while David Morales drove in 4 with a pair of doubles, one of which cleared the bases.

Game 3: The Rays took the rubber game from the Chisox 6-2 with Jose Lozada doing it yet again. A week ago he had only 3 homers in nearly a full season's worth of play; today he was 3-5 with HR #8 and 3 RBI, giving him homers in 4 straight games and 5 of the last 6. Josh Abney also went deep with his fourth as a Ray and 8th overall. Manny Cervantes started and finished one out short of a win after leaving with neck stiffness that isn't serious, going 4.2 2 0 0 1 5. Instead the win went to Devin Cefalo (3-0).

Team record: 78-49. Although they'd been creeping closer to the Yankees that stopped when New York swept its series and dropped the Rays 8 1/2 back again. With little over a month left that longshot is getting smaller and smaller. Meanwhile they're 11 1/2 up in the first wild card so September may not mean much except for staying healthy. Next up: Boston visits for 4 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays went up big early and coasted to a 6-2 win over Boston as "Sox Week" continued at Publix Park after Chicago was just in town. Randy Mastropietro (14-5) moved into 3rd in the AL wins category with a quality 6 7 2 2 0 8 performance and Nesty de la Rosa smacked a 3-run homer (#18) in the 2nd to break a 1-1 tie. Alex Brown added a 2-run single to put it away.

Game 2: Trailing 4-2 in the 5th, the Rays erupted for 10 runs and routed the Sox 12-4. Jesus Avalos had a pair of 2-run doubles in that wild 5th innings, reaching the 100-RBI mark in the process and Jose Lozada continued his ridiculous hot streak by going 4-5 with HR #9 and 3 RBI. Lozada has now tripled his homer output for the season over the last 8 games while Luis Barela added his 20th longball of the year. Ben Hilton (12-5) had a down game by his standards of late but hung around long enough for the win after going 5 7 4 4 3 6.

Game 3: This one was a little tougher for Tampa Bay but they tied it in the 8th and plated the winner in the 10th to take a 4-3 win over the Red Sox. Trailing 3-1 they got a 2-run shot from Nesty de la Rosa (#19) to equalize and then their main man Jesus Avalos came through with a RBI single in the 10th to walk it off. Brad Villarreal gave up all 3 runs in a rough 1st but settled in to finish 6 5 3 3 1 3 while Edgar Voisin (5-7) went the final two innings fanning five for the win.

Game 4: The Rays completed the 4-game sweep thanks to another tight one, edging Boston 2-1 in the finale with the unconscious Jose Lozada coming through again. It was a scoreless game through 6 before Boston broke through for a run in the 7th against Dave Rose, but Tampa Bay responded with a pair in the bottom of the frame with Lozada's RBI single the winning hit. Rose (15-7) was excellent for the win at 7.1 3 1 1 1 7 and Mario Berumen recorded the final five outs - all via strikeout - for his 4th save.

Team record: 82-49. Despite a 4-game sweep the Rays only gained one game on the Yankees and are still 7 behind. Tampa Bay now has the second-best record in baseball but picked the wrong division to be in this year. Next up: They'll have something to say about this situation as they head to Yankee Stadium for 3 where only a sweep will make it a real race.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Last chance saloon for the Rays' outside division hopes here as they came into this series 7 games back of the Yanks and a 6-2 loss in the opener meant they aren't getting the sweep they needed. Manny Cervantes (4-2) held NY to 6 up, 6 down after 2 and then suddenly couldn't get anyone out in the 3rd, giving up all 6 runs and finishing 4 8 6 6 3 2. Ezequiel Avalos had a 2nd-inning solo shot (#24) to give them a short-lived 1-0 lead.

September 1: Activated OF Doug Johns from his rehab assignment and recalled C Dave Gonzalez from AAA Durham.

September roster expansion time with Gonzalez coming up to give us another bench bat as he's a good-hit, bad-field receiver.

Game 2: The Rays did pull back within 7 of New York with a 6-3 win. Jesus Avalos broke a 3-3 tie in the 6th with solo homer that put him in the 40-dinger club and the red-hot Jose Lozada added a 2-run double to put the game away. Randy Mastropietro struggled a bit at 4.1 5 3 3 3 2 so Chris Resnick (2-1) got the win in relief and Edgar Voisin hurled a perfect 9th for save #25.

Game 3: After Tampa Bay dramatically tied it in the 9th off former Ray Steve Talbott, Mario Berumen (2-3) proceeded to give up a leadoff homer in the bottom of the 10th to allow the Yankees a 4-3 walk-off win in the rubber game of the series, putting to bed any faint hopes of a division charge. Homers from Jose Lozada (#10, who else?) and Jesus Avalos (#41, only .003 in BA away from an AL Triple Crown at the moment, trailing only teammate Nesty de la Rosa) kept them in the game, and Ben Hilton turned in a 5.2 6 3 3 4 5 start.

Team record: 83-51. Next up: A day off then Minnesota visits Publix Park for 3 games as the Rays now look ahead to the Wild Card Game in about a month's time.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays overcame an early 3-0 deficit and went on to handle the Twins 8-4 at Publix Park in the series opener. Jesus Avalos continued to state his MVP case, going 3-4 with HR #42 and 4 RBI, putting him into the lead in all 3 AL Triple Crown categories. Luis Barela added a 2-run shot (#21) and Brad Villarreal (14-4) overcame a rough first inning (3 runs allowed) to finish 7.1 4 4 4 3 5 for the win.

Game 2: Tampa Bay prevailed in a low-scoring tilt, edging the Twins 3-2 on Jose Machado's 2-run double in the bottom of the 8th. It was a pretty good pitchers' duel with Dave Rose an excellent 7.2 4 2 1 2 8 but he put himself behind with a run in the top of the 8th. But it was Machado to the rescue, making a winner of Joe Roberts (3-5) and enabling Edgar Voisin to pick up his 26th save.

Game 3: The Rays couldn't complete the sweep despite a late comeback as they dropped the finale 9-7 to Minnesota. Randy Mastropietro wasn't great at 4.2 9 3 3 1 2 but the bullpen was the real problem as Chris Hetzel (1-3), Warren Dalton and Tim Johnson allowed 2 runs each and Tampa Bay found itself in a 9-3 hole. Homers by Luis Barela (#22) and Jose Machado (#3, capping a 4-RBI day) got them within two in the 9th and they did bring the tying run to the plate but couldn't push him across.

Team record: 85-52. Next up: We get another crack at the Yankees with 3 in New York but still trail them by 7 games with only 25 left on the schedule.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays were walloped 9-1 by the Yankees in their series opener and fell 8 games behind New York as a result. A Doug Johns solo homer (#14) in the 6th brought them within 2-1 but the bullpen imploded from there, allowing two of Manny Cervantes' (4-3) runners to score and then five more of their own. Cervantes ended up 5.2 6 4 4 2 7 in the loss.

Game 2: The bullpen faltered again, losing a 2-0 lead late, but Dantel Chinchilla's RBI single in the 9th gave the Rays a 3-2 win over the Yankees after all. The rare sight of a Luis Barela triple in the first accounted for the first two runs and Ben Hilton was in excellent form at 6 1 0 0 3 7. But Mario Berumen (3-3) coughed up a solo homer in the 8th to let New York tie although he vultured the win thanks to Chinchilla. Edgar Voisin closed things out for save #27.

Game 3: The Rays took the series from the Yankees with a 4-2 win in the finale and pulled within 6 games of the Bombers, the closest they've been in ages. Unfortunately there are only 22 games left in the season so it'll still take a big NY collapse. Today it was homers from Ezequiel Avalos (#25) and Josh Abney (#5/9) that brought the offense while Brad Villarreal improved to 15-4 with a solid 6 6 2 2 2 7 outing. Edgar Voisin once again got the save, his 28th.

Team record: 87-53. Next up: A day off then the struggling Orioles come to Publix Park for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Having pulled within 6 of the Yankees there was some mild hope around the Rays that they could make a late run at the division but Baltimore administered a cold slap in the face, sending them to a 7-4 loss. Dave Rose (16-8) wasn't his best at 6 7 4 4 1 5 and Chris Hetzel allowed 3 more in the 9th to put it out of reach. Jesus Avalos was 2-5 with a couple of RBI for the only Tampa Bay highlights.

Game 2: The Rays were staring another defeat at the hands of the lowly Orioles trailing 5-1 in the face in the 6th, but got off the mat and pulled out a 6-5 win. Dantel Chinchilla's 2-run single in the bottom of the 6th tied it and Josh Abney drew a bases-loaded walk in the 7th for the winner. Luis Barela's solo homer (#23) started the comeback in the 6th. Randy Mastropietro was 5 6 4 4 0 4 but saw a couple of runners he left for Steve Cleland score while Chris Resnick (3-1) got the win and Edgar Voisin saved (#29).

Game 3: It wasn't easy again but the Rays managed to walk off a 2-1 win over Baltimore on Jose Machado's pinch-homer (#4) leading off the 9th. Manny Cervantes was outstanding (8 4 1 1 1 5) but was the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline until Ezequiel Avalos homered (#26) in the 6th. Jesus Avalos tripled twice but was stranded both times and Mario Berumen (4-3) picked up the win by getting the final out in the 9th.

Team record: 89-54. And lo and behold the Yankees lost a pair of games to a lousy Detroit team so the division deficit is down to 5 games, the closest they've been in a long, long time. It's still going to be a heavy lift with only 19 games remaining but as Lloyd Christmas said, "so you're saying there's a chance?" Next up: Another struggling squad visits for 3 as Cleveland comes to town.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays opened their series at Publix Park with Cleveland by taking an 8-4 win but suffered a much bigger loss in the process as they lost starter Ben Hilton. Hilton, who had been essentially their #2 starter this year, left with an aching elbow and an MRI showed that he'll need Tommy John surgery and therefore won't be seen on a big league mound again until 2056. He's under contract through that year at $7.3M/season so he'll still be a Ray. He went 4 4 2 2 4 6 before departing to finish the year at 12-5, 3.94 (ironically a carbon copy of 2053 when he went 10-5, 3.94) with 203 whiffs in 162 IP good for 4.1 WAR. Tim Johnson (5-6), who will replace him in the rotation, went the next four scoreless for the win. On the offensive side Tampa Bay got homers from Jesus Avalos (#43), Sung-min Yang (#24) and Dantel Chinchilla (#12), who was 3-4 with the homer and 4 RBI.

September 15: Placed P Ben Hilton on the 60-day IL with Tommy John surgery, recalled P Chris Giles from AAA Durham.

Game 2: The Rays blew leads of 5-0 and 7-4 but still managed to eke out an 8-7 win over Cleveland to stay hot. Jesus Avalos' sac fly in the 7th broke a 7-7 tie but before that Nesty de la Rosa had a big day, going 3-5 with HR #20 and 2 RBI while Tampa Bay also got longballs from Ezequiel Avalos (#27), the red-hot Dantel Chinchilla (#13) and Luis Barela (#24, career homer #585). Brad Villarreal couldn't hold the big lead handed to him, finishing 5.1 7 6 6 0 5 and the win went to Chris Hetzel (2-3), who gave up the last of the Cleveland runs. Edgar Voisin then loaded the bases in the 9th with nobody out against his former team before proceeding to strike out the side to nail down an adventurous save #30.

Game 3: Tampa Bay completed the sweep with a 7-4 win over the Guardians thanks to a 5-run 5th inning. That big inning featured a 2-run single from Nesty de la Rosa and 2-run triple from Jesus Avalos as the two fight it out for the AL batting crown with Nesty at .322 and Jesus at .319. Avalos is also in the mix for the triple crown, leading in HR with 43 and one behind the leader in RBI at 114. Nesty earlier had a solo shot (#21) and Dantel Chinchilla capped an 8-11, 3 HR, 6 RBI series by going 3-4 with HR #14. Dave Rose (17-8) was dominant at 6 2 2 2 2 10 with the only blemishes a pair of solo homers allowed and Chris Resnick got his first save of the season.

Team record: 92-54. So what did the sweep earn for them in the division race? Nada, as the Yankees swept Oklahoma City including a 17-13 win in 15 innings in their finale so the Rays remain 5 back and the clock is ticking. Next up: A day off then Seattle visits for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Runs were scare in an unusual Publix Park game but the Rays ended up with both of 'em when Jose Machado hit a walk-off homer (#5) for the second time in five games to give Tampa Bay a 2-0 win in 10 innings. Before then Randy Mastropietro went 6 5 0 0 0 2 and Edgar Voisin pitched the 9th and 10th to improve to 6-7. Like the game before Machado came off the bench to deliver his heroics although this time he wasn't technically a pinch-hitter as he replaced Alex Brown who himself had been pinch-hit for earlier.

Game 2: Dantel Chinchilla remained about as hot as I've seen a player as he led the Rays to an 8-2 win over the Mariners. The 2B was 3-3 with 2 doubles, a 2-run homer (#15) and 4 RBI on the day while Nesty de la Rosa added a 2-run blast of his own (#22) and Ezequiel Avalos went solo (#28). Manny Cervantes (5-3) was a solid 6 8 2 2 0 6 for the win.

Game 3: Tampa Bay saw its 7-game win streak come to an end in the final as they fell 4-2 to Seattle. Tim Johnson (5-7) was in good form in his return to the rotation to replace the injured Ben Hilton at 6 5 3 2 1 8 but received scant support, although Jose Lozada did hit a solo shot (#11).

Team record: 94-55. The Yankees did lose 2 of 3 so the Rays are now only 4 games back, but with only 13 games left the loss in the finale really hurt as 3 games would have been a lot more manageable. Next up: off to the West Coast to play 3 in Anaheim.

In the least surprising news of the year:



Chinchilla is now up to a career-high 4.2 WAR which includes Gold Glove-caliber D at 2B.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Anaheim is where the Rays' division hopes have gone to die as they dropped the opener 5-4 to the Angels with time just about up. It was a 1-1 game until the 6th when Brad Villarreal (15-5) gave up a run and left with two on only for Chris Hetzel to let them both score along with one more of his own. Villarreal ended up 5.1 7 4 4 1 4. A bases-clearing double from Ezequiel Avalos got them back within one but that was all they could manage.

Game 2: Another loss to the Angels in similar fashion to last night's as a tie game in the 6th ended in defeat, this time 7-2. Jesus Avalos' 2-run homer (#44) brought the Rays temporary parity but Dave Rose (17-9) gave up 3 runs in the 6th to let LA win it and finished 6 8 5 5 2 4.

Game 3: After this series the Rays are certainly not going to be singing "I Love L.A." (or "I Love Anaheim) as they were swept thanks to a 2-0 loss in the finale. And don't look now but this Angels squad has now won 7 straight and surged into the second wild card ahead of Austin and the White Sox so the Rays are probably going to have to figure a way to beat them. Today Randy Mastropietro (14-6) pitched well at 6.2 8 2 2 2 4 but the bats managed a measly four hits, two of them coming from Nesty de la Rosa who at least remains in the lead for the AL batting title at .323.

Team record: 94-58. Next up: A day off to head to Houston for 3 games.