The 2020 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays dropped the opener of their huge division showdown with the Yankees 5-2 at the Stadium. They had a 2-0 lead into the 5th behind ace Dave Rose (14-7), but he didn't have his best stuff today and he couldn't hold the lead, finishing 5 8 3 2 2 1 with the one strikeout from one of MLB's leaders in the category indicative of what he had today. With the loss they dropped 3 back of the Yankees.

Game 2: Tampa Bay bounced back in the second game, using the longball to propel them to a 6-4 win over New York. It looked bleak early when they trailed 3-0 after 3, but Sung-min Yang's 3-run blast (#15) leveled things and Jose Machado put them up 4-3 with his 9th round-tripper. And after the Yankees tied it back up in the 6th superstar Jesus Avalos won it with a 2-run jack (#22) in the 8th. Melvin Lopez went 5 7 3 3 1 5 with Aden Guardado (6-2) earning the win with 1 2/3 scoreless and Mario Berumen saving as usual (#32).

Game 3: The rubber game of this series was more critical than most as with a win the Rays would only be one behind the Yankees and in the thick of it while a loss would send them 3 back and make it much more of an uphill climb. Fortunately for Tampa Bay they chose the former and bested the boys from the Bronx 7-4. Yesterday's hero Jesus Avalos picked up where he left off and belted a 3-run homer (#23) in the 3rd which put them ahead to stay and Joel Bland drove in 3 including a 2-run shot (#6/19) in the 6th. Brad Villarreal (12-7) was in good form at 5 3 1 1 2 2 but the bullpen made it a bit dicey before Mario Berumen put an end to the nonsense with another clean 9th for save #33.

Team record: 71-48. Next up: A return home to play 3 against Oklahoma City.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays didnt offer a lot with the bats today and fell 5-2 to the Sunbirds in the series opener. Erik Whitten ran into trouble in the 4th, giving up 4 runs with the help of a Jose Machado error and dropped to 1-1 after going 3 5 5 3 2 4. Ezequiel Avalos hit HR #18 in a losing cause.

Game 2: Another bitter pill for the Rays to swallow as Mario Berumen picked a bad time to have a bad outing, giving up 4 runs in the 9th of a 1-1 game and the Rays dropped another to Oklahoma City 5-4. A 3-run homer allowed was the big blow as Berumen fell to 4-1. Jose Machado had a 3-run shot, his 10th, in the bottom of the inning to pull them back within one but that was all they would get.

Game 3: Dave Rose took a no-hitter into the 7th and Tampa Bay salvaged the finale with a 6-1 win. Rose improved to 15-7 going 7.1 2 1 0 1 9 in a magnificent outing and a 3-run Jesus Avalos homer (#24) broken open what had been a close game. The Rays also got a solo shot from Jose Machado (#11), who went deep for the second straight day.

Team record: 72-50. The Yankees split 4 with Boston so they moved 1 1/2 games ahead in the division. Next up: The Austin Dukes roll into town for 3 after an off-day.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Ezequiel Avalos had a big day and the Rays rolled over the Dukes 7-4. The RF was 3-4 with 4 RBI including a 3-run blast (#19) that broke things open in the 3rd. Also going deep were Kang-cheol Lee (#11) with a solo shot and Joel Bland (#7/20) with a 2-run jack. Melvin Lopez didn't allow a run in 3 1/3 innings but it took him 91 pitches to get through them so Warren Dalton (2-0) earned the win in relief and after Steve Cleland made a mess allowing all 4 Austin runs Mario Berumen had to come in for save #34.

Game 2: The Dukes drubbed the Rays 10-3 in the second game as Brad Villarreal (12-8) and a pair of relievers were hit hard. Villarreal, who has suffered through a poor second half of the season, went 4.1 7 5 5 2 1 in the loss.

Game 3: The Rays bounced back to take the rubber game 7-1 from Austin. Erik Witten (2-1) was outstanding at 6 5 1 1 0 7 and he had plenty of offensive help. Takayuki Tsujimura homered (#9), Brian Whittaker was 2-3 with two doubles, a steal and an RBI and Dantel Chinchilla plated a pair.

Team record: 74-51. The Yankees lost 2 of 3 at home to the Angels, enabling us to pull within 1/2 game of them and even in the loss column as the division race remains a barnburner. Next up: We finish off the homestand with 3 against Boston.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays blew a 4-0 lead in the late innings but won anyway, besting Boston 8-5. Tim Johnson started and was up 4-1 going into the 7th before putting a couple of men on and departing. Chris Resnick (5-1) then made a mess, allowing Johnson's men and one of his own to score and Boston tied it, leaving Johnson with a 6.1 7 3 3 3 7 line. But Resnick vultured the win when the Rays scored 4 in the bottom of the 7th with a leadoff Brian Whitaker triple igniting the rally and David Morales delivering a big 2-run double. The Avaloses each had 3 hits and an RBI and Mario Berumen struck out the side in the 9th for save #35.

Game 2: The Rays took another back-and-forth affair from the Red Sox after losing the lead late after Mario Berumen allowed the tying run in the 9th only for Dantel Chinchilla to walk off a 6-4 win with a 2-run homer, only his 5th of the season. Dave Rose started and was a solid 7 5 3 3 0 8 and David Morales had another big game as his 2-run single in the 7th put Tampa Bay up 4-3. But Berumen (5-1) blew only his 5th save of the year in the 9th and like Resnick yesterday, vultured the win.

Game 3: Tampa Bay completed the sweep in much easier fashion today, routing the Red Sox 10-4. Jesus Avalos led the way, going 3-4 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI as while the Rays didn't homer they did bang out seven two-baggers as part of a 16-hit attack. Brian Whittaker, who's come through all season when filling in as he is now for Jose Lozada who's nursing a minor injury, had 3 hits himself and a ribbie as did Sung-min Yang. Melvin Lopez (5-4) wasn't great but got the job done at 7 7 4 4 0 6.

Team record: 77-51, now good enough for first place by a game and a half over the Yankees who lost two of three at home to Houston. Next up: a day off to head to Minnesota for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: A tight one in the Twin Cities as the Rays got a great outing from Brad Villarreal and edged Minnesota 2-0. Villarreal (13-8) pitched his best game in a while at 7 3 0 0 1 3 and Mario Berumen picked up a four-out save, his 36th. The offense came courtesy of a David Morales RBI double in the 4th and an insurance solo shot from Dantel Chinchilla (#6) in the 9th.

August 28: Activated SS Alex Brown from his rehab assignment, optioned IF Jayden Woodward to Durham.

Game 2: An easier day for Tampa Bay as they scored 6 in the 2nd to go up 7-0 and cruised to an 8-4 win over the Twins. Jesus Avalos hit a solo shot (#25) in the first, Kang-cheol Lee (#12) followed with another in the 2nd and then Jose Lozada capped off the inning with a grand slam (#12). Erik Witten (3-1) was solid at 5.2 6 2 2 3 5 for the win.

Game 3: The Twins returned the favor of yesterday's blowout and then some, annihilating the Rays 16-0 in the finale. It was all the more shocking considering Tampa Bay started ace Dave Rose (15-8), but he turned in his worst outing in several years wearing Rays colors, getting pasted to the tune of 3 9 10 10 1 3 with a couple of homers allowed.

Team record: 79-52. The Yankees also won 2 of 3 to stay 1 1/2 back of us. Next up: Back home for 3 against Toronto.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays were unfazed by falling behind 3-0 in the 4th and went on to wallop the Jays 8-4 in the series opener at Publix Park. Takayuki Tsujimura started the comeback charge with a 2-run double in the bottom of the inning, 40-year-old Luis Barela belted a pair of solo homers (#16 & 17) and Kang-cheol Lee was on base all four times, scoring 3 runs including a solo homer (#13). Melvin Lopez (6-4) survived his rough fourth and got the win going 6.1 7 3 3 2 6.

Game 2: You play this game long enough (OOTP) and you think you've seen everything but after today you realize you haven't as the Rays once again came back from a mid-inning deficit (5-1) by hitting a total of eight solo homers for their first eight runs before Dantel Chinchilla spoiled the symmetry by doubling in the 9th run. Leading the way was Jesus Avalos, who had three of those solo shots to up his total to 28, followed by Kang-cheol Lee, who belted a pair to give him 15. The other three to go yard were Jose Lozada (#15), Jose Machado (#12), and Joel Bland (#8/21). Tim Johnson started and was responsible for three homers by Toronto as the ball was truly flying out of the park; he was 4 7 5 5 3 5 in another rough outing and Julio Baez (2-0) ended up with the win.

September 1: Recalled C/1B Dave Gonzalez and P Elijah Whitaker from AAA Durham.

Time for September Roster Expansion and Gonzalez comes up for his third abbreviated stint with the big club. His bat continues to be a special one (322/400/473 at Durham) but he's still a 35 at whatever position you put him. He'll make a great pinch-hitter down the stretch. Whitaker meanwhile remains one of MLB's top pitching prospects and after pitching in a couple of games for us earlier this year he was 9-3, 3.38 in 20 starts at Durham and is MLB-ready. Right now Tim Johnson seems like the weak link in the rotation and Whitaker may get a look there to see if he'll be of use in the playoffs.

Game 3: Tampa Bay put on another offensive show to complete the sweep of the Jays but didn't need to come back this time as they toppled Toronto 9-1. Dantel Chinchilla had a big day with an RBI single in a 6-run 2nd which saw five straight Rays with hits (none homers!) to plate runs and then belted a 3-run longball (#7) in the 3rd. Jesus Avalos, coming off a 3-homer game, added a 2-run double. Brad Villarreal (14-8) was in fine form at 5 4 1 1 3 8 and newly-recalled Elijah Whitaker went 4 0 0 0 1 3 the rest of the way to earn his first MLB save.

Team record: 82-52. And things got even better for the Rays elsewhere when the Yankees lost 2 of 3, growing the division lead to 3 1/2 games and allowing us to talk magic number, which is 25.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays blew a 6-1 8th-inning lead, but still managed to pull out victory much later beating Baltimore 7-6 in 15 innings on Sung-min Yang's solo homer (#16). It looked like a stroll in the park as Jesus Avalos knocked in 3, including a 2-run homer (#29) and Kang-cheol Lee went yard for the fourth time in four days (#16). Erik Witten was solid in his start at 4.2 5 1 1 2 4 but the wheels came off in the 8th when Julio Baez allowed 3 runs and then Mario Berumen had a rare blown save in the 9th although a Dantel Chinchilla error made both the runs unearned. On and on we went after that until Yang hit his shot and made a winner of Steve Cleland (4-2).

Game 2: Tampa Bay had the easy game they thought they were getting yesterday as they made five straight with a comfortable 8-2 triumph over the Orioles. Dave Rose (16-8) bounced back from his mauling in Minnesota by going 7 7 2 2 1 9 for the win and backup catcher Cesar Scroggins dealt the big blow, a 2nd-inning grand slam (#4). Ezequiel Avalos (#20) and Jose Machado (#13) also found the seats.

Game 3: The Rays completed their second straight series sweep but once again they made it harder than it had to be, losing another 8th-inning lead before prevailing in extras, this time 5-4 in 11. Melvin Lopez was in fine form at 6.2 4 2 2 1 4 and the Rays led 4-2 but Adan Guardado coughed up a game-tying 2-run homer in the 8th to see another late advantage evaporate. They then loaded the bases in the 11th and Dantel Chinchilla's sac fly brought home the winner. Mario Berumen went to 6-1, throwing three scoreless innings on only 24 pitches. Earlier Jesus Avalos had a 2-run triple but in the process tweaked his groin and will be out for three days.

Team record: 85-52. And just as the Rays are on a hot streak the Yankees have gone ice cold, losing two more times to now fall 5 1/2 back in the division, reducing the Tampa Bay magic number to 20. Next up: A return home for 3 against Toronto.

J.Avalos' big week was recognized by the league:

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Brian Whittaker had a big game, leading the Rays to a 6-4 win over the Jays in the opener at Publix Park. The backup CF, playing with Jesus Avalos temporarily sidelined, had a 2-run homer (#3) in a 3-run 5th which titled the game in Tampa Bay's favor and finished 3-5 with 3 RBI as well as a steal. Jose Lozada (#12) went back-to-back with Whittaker in that 5th inning. Tim Johnson (3-7) wasn't convincing at 5.1 4 4 4 2 7 but did enough for the win while Adan Guardado got the call in the 9th today and picked up his 3rd save.

Game 2: The Rays' 7-game win streak came to an abrupt end as they were shut out and held to 3 hits by former Tampa Bay hurler Alec McInerney and two relievers in a 4-0 loss. Brad Villarreal (14-9) took the loss despite pitching well outside of a sequence in which he loaded the bases and gave up a grand slam, finishing 7 5 4 4 1 8.

Game 3: Tampa Bay had to come back late to avoid dropping the series to Toronto, tying it in the 9th and walking it off in the 10th on Jose Machado's RBI single to prevail 6-5. Erik Whitten did not pitch well today in going 4 4 4 4 3 5, allowing a pair of homers and putting his team behind 4-1. But after coming back to tie only to allow the go-ahead run in the 8th, the Rays loaded the bases in the 9th and Brian Whittaker drew a walk to force in the equalizer before Machado singled in Kang-cheol Lee, who had started a one-out rally in the 10 with a single, for the winner. Mario Berumen (7-1) hurled the 10th for the victory.

Team record: 87-53. The Yankees also took 2 of 3 to stay 5 1/2 back but with the Rays' two wins and New York's loss the division magic number is down to 17. Next up: An off-day then off to Detroit for 3.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: A 5-run 3rd inning led to a Rays romp at Comerica Park as they handled the Tigers 9-1. David Morales' bases-clearing double in that 3rd was the key blow, breaking open a 2-0 game. Jesus Avalos also knocked in a trio of runs on a pair of sac flies and a solo homer (#30). Dave Rose (17-8) snapped out of his recent funk to go 7 7 1 1 1 6 for the win.

Game 2: The Rays routed Detroit again 7-0 in the second game behind shutout pitching from Melvin Lopez and two relievers. Lopez (7-4) went 5 3 0 0 1 3 with his outing abbreviated thanks to a 59-minute rain delay in the 5th and like yesterday Tampa Bay rode a big inning to victory, scoring 6 times in the 5th. Joel hit a Bland Slam, his 9th homer as a Ray and 22nd overall, to lead the way.

Game 3: Runs were harder to come by for the Rays in the finale and they lost a tight 3-2 decision to Detroit. Brad Villarreal (14-10) was OK at 6 9 3 3 0 5 and Tampa Bay did have a couple of late chances to tie but couldn't get the man home.

Team record: 89-54. The Yankees have gone into free fall after getting swept at home by Austin to fall 7 1/2 back, so if the division wasn't a done deal before it almost certainly is now with the magic number down to 12. Next up: We're off to Chicago for 3 against the White Sox, who are 74-69 but only 2 games out of first in a 3-way battle in the AL Central with Minnesota and Oklahoma City, and it's division-or-bust for those three teams.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays were thrashed 12-3 by the White Sox in their series opener. Erik Witten (3-2) was unscathed through the first two innings before giving up 6 runs without retiring anyone in the 3rd and finishing 2 6 6 6 2 1 while a pair of relievers each gave up 3 more. Takayuki Tsujimura's solo homer (#10) was the lone Tampa Bay highlight.

Game 2: Things looked better for a while in the second game, but the Rays succumbed to Chicago again 6-3 when the White Sox scored all their runs in the 7th. Jesus Avalos gave Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead on HR #33 in the first and Tim Johnson cruised through 6 before an error and a hit chased him from the game with nobody out. Adan Guardado (6-2) then made a mess, giving up three straight hits and by the time the dust settled the Rays were done. Johnson deserved a better fate after going 6 5 2 1 2 5 and Dantel Chinchilla added a solo homer (#8) in the 8th but it was too little, too late.

Game 3: The pitching was better for Tampa Bay in the finale but the result was the same as they fell 2-1 to Chicago and suffered a sweep and their fourth straight loss overall. Dave Rose was his usual excellent self at 6 2 1 1 1 7 and left a 1-1 game before Nate Trevathan (0-2) put a couple on in the 7th and Chris Resnick gave up the decisive hit. Joel Bland led off the game with his 10th Rays homer and 23rd overall but that would be it for their scoring despite having several good chances in the following innings.

Team record: 89-57. The Yankees took 2 of 3 to move within 5 1/2 so the magic number was only reduced by 1 to 11. No time for panic of course but some wins would help. Next up: Those wins will need to come in Anaheim as the Rays play the 90-57 Angels, who overtook them for the top record in MLB.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The losing continued for the Rays as they dropped their 5th straight, falling 9-5 to the Angels in their opener at Anaheim. Melvin Lopez (7-5) wasn't very good, putting them in a quick 3-0 hole although Alex Brown erased that deficit with a 3-run shot (#3) in the 3rd. Lopez then gave up 2 more in the bottom of the inning and finished 3 6 5 5 2 3 and a pair of relievers each allowed 2 runs to make the late runs they scored meaningless.

Game 2: Another tough one for Tampa Bay as the losing skid his 6 games when LA walked off a 3-2 win in 11. Brad Villarreal might have pitched his best game of the year at 6.2 2 1 1 0 8 with the run against scoring when Adan Guardado gave up a 2-run homer to the first man he faced relieving him. A Jesus Avalos double in the 8th tied things back up but that just prolonged the agony and Chris Resnick (5-2) gave up the winner in extras.

Game 3: The Rays wasted another excellent outing from a starter and were swept for the second straight series, losing 1-0 to the Angels in the finale and making it an unlucky 7 defeats in a row. Erik Witten (3-3) had struggled of late but was outstanding at 7 3 1 1 2 4; alas it didn't matter when the bats only managed 6 hits. Two of them came in a promising 9th inning rally that saw men on the corners with one out, only to be snuffed out when Luis Barela lined to the 3B and the man on third was doubled off.

Team record: 89-60. The only thing the Rays had going for them this weekend is that the Yankees lost 2 of 3 so while the lead fell to 4 1/2 games the magic numbers also dropped to 9. Next up: They'll try to right the ship back at home against Baltimore. The Orioles are in desperation mode, 2 1/2 behind Houston for the second wild card.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays came back and finally stopped the rot, breaking a 7-game losing streak by edging Baltimore 5-4 at Publix Park. Down 3-1 in the 6th Tampa Bay scored 4 times, although it wasn't pretty with Luis Barela's bases-loaded walk tying the game then a dropped fly ball by an Oriole OF allowed the decisive two runs to score. Cesar Scoggins had earlier homered (#5) for the Rays while Tim Johnson had a typical mediocre start at 5.1 5 3 3 2 5. Warren Dalton (3-0) picked up the relief win and Mario Berumen earned save #37 despite allowing a run in the 9th.

September 21: Activated 1B Nesty de la Rosa from the IL, optioned C/1B Dave Gonzalez to AAA Durham.

After Nesty got hurt in July we acquired Joel Bland who took over the position and hit well, so now Bland will move to LF against righties with Jose Lozada back to only starting against lefties (not terribly fair to him since he's having a fine season).

Game 2: The Rays beat Baltimore late again 10-8 in 10 innings but they shouldn't have had to work that hard as they squandered a 6-1 lead in the 7th. But if they hadn't blow the big lead Joel Bland wouldn't have had to chance to be an epic hero on the day, hitting a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 9th to tie the game and then another 2-run blast in the 10th to win it, giving him 12 as a Ray and 25 overall. It all started so well with Kang-cheol Lee going yard (#17) and Ezequiel Avalos unloading a 3-run shot (#22) to build that healthy lead. And with Dave Rose on the mound what could go wrong? Plenty, it turned out as Rose suddenly couldn't get anyone out in the 7th, allowing a run and leaving the bases loaded for Nate Trevathan, who poured fuel on the fire and a 6-1 lead quickly turned into a 7-6 deficit. Mario Berumen (8-1) ended up with the win after a scoreless 10th, thanks to Bland's feat.

Game 3: This time the Rays dug themselves far too large a hole to get out of as Baltimore scored 7 in the first off Melvin Lopez and went on to rout the Rays 16-7. Lopez (7-6) clearly didn't have it and went 0.2 6 7 7 2 0 in a brutal outing. Phil Weststrom then proceeded to give up 6 more runs in the 3 innings to follow and it was one of those days. Jose Lozada homered (#15) and drove in a pair in the losing effort.

Team record: 91-61. The Yankees also took 2 of 3 to stay 4 1/2 back but the magic number dropped to 6. Next up: After a day off a big series with those Yankees in the Bronx and not a great time to go there on the heels of losing 8 of 10. We'll see if they can right the ship.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays needed seven pitchers, but they got the job done in a big 3-1 win over the Yankees to reduce their magic number to clinch the division to 4. Brad Villarreal started but needed 92 pitches to go 4 6 1 1 2 1 hence the parade of hurlers. Warren Dalton (4-0) relieved him and earned the win while in the end it was Mario Berumen with his 38th save. One of the pitching changes was necessitated by injury as Chris Resnick had to leave with a strained hamstring which will sideline him through the postseason. The offense came courtesy of homers from Takayuki Tsujimura (#11) and Jesus Avalos (#32).

September 25: Placed P Chris Resnick on the 15-day IL, activated P Randy Mastropietro from the IL.

Mastro had been out since the end of July and since Durham's season is over he'll rehab at the big league level. He's an option to start in the postseason as only Rose and Villarreal are locks for the rotation.

Game 2: The Yankees bludgeoned the Rays 8-2 as Erik Witten was hit hard. The righty fell to 3-4 after a brutal 2 6 6 6 1 2 outing which saw him allow 3 homers. The only bright spot for Tampa Bay was 3 scoreless innings from Randy Mastropietro in relief.

Game 3: The rains came in the Bronx and caused this game to be postponed as the teams will now to have to convene the day after the regular season ends for everyone else to make it up. It's possible the division could be on the line but it would take a Tampa Bay collapse.

Team record: 92-62. Next up: 3 games in Boston.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays jumped out to an early 3-0 lead on the Red Sox with ace Dave Rose on the mound but Rose had a bad sequence in the fourth, allowing four runs, and they fell 5-4 to Boston. Jesus Avalos was 3-4 with a pair of doubles and an RBI and namesake Ezequiel knocked in a pair but Rose (17-9) finished 6.1 6 5 5 2 9 to suffer the loss and with a Yankees win the magic number remained at 4 and things got a big tighter.

Game 2: Deja vu all over again as the Rays this again took a 4-0 lead in the 4th and their starter fell apart in the bottom of the frame, this time Melvin Lopez and they dropped an 8-5 decision. Lopez (7-7) was perfect through 3 and then the Boston batters were perfect in the 4th, scoring 7 off him to leave him with a 3.2 6 7 7 1 5 line. Sung-min Yang had a 2-run homer (#17) and Nesty de la Rosa a solo shot (#10) to build another illusory lead. Fortunately the Yankees lost or the night really would have been a disaster.

Game 3: The Rays did salvage the finale, getting good pitching for a change in a 3-0 win over the Sawx. It was an unorthodox shutout with rookie Elijah Whitaker getting the nod over Tim Johnson but needing 93 pitches to go 4 4 0 0 3 5. Johnson (4-7) then took over and threw two scoreless for the win and eventually Mario Berumen completed the whitewash in the 9th for save #39. The offense was muted but RBI singles from Kang-cheol Lee and David Morales were enough. New York did win but the magic number is down to 2.

Team record: 93-64. The Rays continue to limp their way to the finish line and will play 4 in Toronto. Hopefully they can clinch the division in that time (a split will do regardless of how the Yankees fare) and the make-up game on Monday with New York is meaningless.

Pennant Race Update: Not much suspense going into the final weekend. Division-wise the Rays' 3 1/2-game lead is the smallest so look for Tampa Bay, Minnesota and the Angels to be division-winners in the AL with the Yankees hosting Houston in the Wild Card Game all but set. In the NL the division champs are the Nationals, Brewers and Rockies but there is some doubt about the wild cards. Pittsburgh is a game up on Arizona, who in turn is a game up on Indianapolis. Columbus is theoretically alive 3 games back of Arizona but would need a LOT of help to force a tiebreak game.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays continue to make it difficult for themselves to put the AL East to bed as the offense was punchless in a 2-0, 10-inning loss to the Blue Jays. Mario Berumen (8-2) served up a 2-run homer to Toronto in his second inning of work and that was it as the bats only managed 4 hits. Brad Villarreal was excellent (7 7 0 0 1 5) with nothing to show for it.

Game 2: Tampa Bay clinched a tie for the division tonight in Toronto but it wasn't anything they did as the Jays came back to beat them again 6-5 while the Yankees lost to Detroit. This one should have been in hand with them up 4-1 in the 7th but Steve Cleland crapped the bed, giving up 4 runs in the inning and although Kang-cheol Lee hit a solo homer (#18) in the 8th to tie it back up Aden Guardado (6-3) surrendered a longball in the bottom of the inning to lose it. Erik Witten was decent (4.1 6 1 1 0 2) in the start and the Rays also got a 2-run homer in the 6th from Sung-min Yang (#18).

Game 3: The Tampa Bay Rays, your 2055 AL East Champions. But they accomplished the dictionary definition of backing in as they started October in the same way they played most of September: poorly as they were whipped 9-2 by the Jays. Fortunately the Yankees went down to defeat in Detroit again and that was enough to wrap things up. Ezquiel Avalos homered (#23) and this one was as close at 4-2 before Toronto put 5 on the board in the 8th. Tim Johnson (4-8) got the start as scheduled starter Dave Rose was held back in case it came down to Monday's makeup game with New York and Johnson pitched decently at 5 5 3 2 1 5. So yay, I guess.

Game 4: With all the pressure off and a lineup full of benchwarmers the Rays won the finale 7-0 and amazingly got a 2-hit complete game shutout from Melvin Lopez (8-7), who started the day with a 5.64 ERA as a Ray but went 9 2 0 0 2 9 on 119 pitches to possibly secure a spot in the playoff rotation. He was supported by a 2-run Alex Brown homer (#4) and a Cesar Scroggins solo shot (#6).

Team record: 94-67. We still have a makeup game in New York tomorrow which OOTP is going to make us play.

MLB Playoff Race Update: The one race going for the NL Wild Cards finished in complete chaos as Indianapolis, Arizona and Pittsburgh all tied for the two wild card spots, meaning these teams are going to have a 3-game playoff and then two of them will play each other in a wild card game. This will likely delay the start of the playoffs proper for several days.

[Art Deco]

It was the makeup game nobody wanted to play but if you're going to play it you might as well win it and that's what the Rays did, blanking the Yankees 4-0 behind a brilliant spot start from rookie Elijah Whitaker. The young lefty got his first MLB win going 6.1 6 0 0 1 5 and got support from the homer-hitting combo of Alex Brown (#5) and Cesar Scroggins (#7), who each went deep for the second straight day after doing a lot of benchwarming of late. In likely his last regular season game as a Ray the legendary Luis Barela was 3-4 with a double and an RBI. Whitaker has now put himself in serious contention for the playoff rotation as after Dave Rose and Brad Villarreal there are quite a few question marks.

Final Regular Season Record: 95-67. Next up: the ALDS against Minnesota, starting at Publix Park at some point after the NL wraps up its 3-way wildcard tiebreaker and the wild card games eventually get played.

[Art Deco]

Things finally sorted out in the 3-way NL wild card tiebreak as Indianapolis lost both its tiebreaker games leaving Arizona and Pittsburgh to play the NL Wild Card Game.



No idea why the Yankees and Detroit never made up their game and whether it would have affected home field for the AL Wild Card Game if New York lost but I'm just going to ride with it.



Given the Pythagorean record of 91-71 this is probably a weaker Rays team than the one that finished last season as a Wild Card rather than a division winner, but nobody's complaining. Those might be the worst pitching numbers I've put up in this save but of course a lot of it is down to the extremely poor team defense, a familiar refrain. The fact that the staff was 2nd in WAR despite being 10th in ERA speaks loudly to that fact.



Jesus Avalos remains a star, and David Morales remains one of the game's better catchers, but despite putting up very good offensive team numbers, there were a number of bats that underachieved this year. Ezequiel Avalos dropped off from 287/347/524 with 30 HR and 5.6 WAR to the numbers you see above, Nesty de la Rosa was hurt for about six weeks and didn't quite deliver when he was healthy, and Sung-min Yang didn't really put the "H" into "DH" like he did the year before either. And of course we saw the sharp decline of the one-time top player in baseball Luis Barela in the final year of his contract with us. Fortunately some unexpected sources propped up the offense - Machado took the 2B job and moved Chinchilla to SS when Alex Brown went down and kept it, Kang-cheol Lee kept the defense from being even worse than it was by becoming the full-time 3B, and Brian Whittaker was very productive, especially in the month when J.Avalos was sidelined.



The bullpen was great, led by Berumen's season for the ages (any WAR season above 2.5 for a reliever is phenomenal) and Rose would have had an ERA closer to 3 than 4 had he not suffered a .326 BABIP behind him. The playoff rotation is a jumble beyond Rose and Villarreal with Mastropietro and the rookie Whitaker my leading candidates right now as I don't trust Lopez, Witten or Johnson.



Not the world's greatest farm system by far, but there are some guys who could help next year. Whitaker of course will be pitching for us in the playoffs but Mayes is a legit 3B prospect who could push Lee next year and Dominguez is probably MLB-ready for CF which could move Jesus Avalos to a corner where he'd be a better defender. Samuels is an interesting 2-way guy but his future probably lies in the field as he's a potential 80 contact/70 power guy but is still 2-3 years away.

[Art Deco]

Arizona advances to face Colorado in one NLDS with Washington and Milwaukee meeting in the other.

[Art Deco]

Former Rays and current Yankee closer Steve Talbott crapped the bed in this one, walking 2 to load the bases in the 8th, walking a 3rd to force in a run and then giving up a grand slam to give the Astros the win. Houston will play the Angels in one ALDS while the Rays battle the Twins in the other.

[Art Deco]

A good start...



The Daves got it done for Tampa Bay in their ALCS opener against Minnesota with Rose pitching brilliantly for 6 2/3 innings and catcher (David) Morales going 4-4 with a big 2-run single in the 3rd, scoring the insurance run in the 8th after doubling, and getting a pair of infield hits(!). Brad Villarreal will get the ball for Game 2 tomorrow.

In the NLDS action yesterday:



And in the rest of today's DS action: