The 2020 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

January 5. The Hall of Fame voting is in and one Rays legend and another former Ray make the cut:



Hardaway was the greatest player I've managed in this or any other save and not captured in the blurb above are a few more stats: Hardaway earned 116.6 WAR, good for 15th all-time in MLB, just ahead of luminaries such as Mel Ott, Lou Gehrig and Frank Robinson, and amazingly he didn't make his MLB debut until he was 26. At his peak in the 2030s he had a six-season stretch in which his WAR ranged from a low of 9.8 to a high of 12.0. In that run he had 200 hits and 100 walks in each of those seasons except for one in which he only had 98 walks. Unsurprisingly his .4268 career OBP is 10th all-time, and he also has five rings to show for his career. The only other thing I can say it that I'm surprised he wasn't unanimous as he sailed in with 98.9% of the vote.

Also enshrined in Cooperstown is the great CF Kevin Crater, another no-doubt choice at 95.9% of the voting. Crater had 648 career homers and 66 career WAR. Crater spent his age-38 season with the Rays in 2047 and it was a career renaissance for him, earning 5.9 WAR at 299/354/626 with 37 HR and 106 RBI. Not coincidentally it ended with one of the two rings he won.

The rest of the voting:



Another Rays legend Kikuo Kawase, the Mariano Rivera of his generation, inched closer in his 5th go-round while time is running out for Bo Bichette. Say goodbye to former Rays ace Andy Aparicio who drops off the ballot.

January 20: Signed international amateur free agent 3B Jesus Maldonado.

The first of our IAFA signings, the 16-year old Venezuelan has 75 potential contact and 70 potential HR power, although he may end up across the diamond at 1B based on his fielding potential. Maybe we'll hear from him a few years, maybe we won't.

January 25: Signed international amateur free agent SP Vinny Ibarra.

The 16-year-old Dominican has 65/50/55 potential as a starter.

January 31: Lefty middle reliever Warren Dalton, in our bullpen the last couple of seasons, signed a 1/920K deal with Colorado and for some reason the fans were pissed. Never knew he was any kind of favorite.

February 2: Veteran 1B Joel Avalos is still out there as a free agent, I'm half-tempted to sign him to put him with Jesus Avalos and Ezequiel Avalos. I won't though. Our good friend Luis Barela, who will be 41 next month, is still unsigned as well.

March 23: Our first significant injury of the spring - OF Jose Lozada will miss 4-5 weeks with a sore shoulder. This could create an opening for top prospect Henry Dominguez but he's a lefty hitter and Lozada was a righty bat we were counting on. Stay tuned.

[Art Deco]

Aside from the Lozada injury mentioned in the previous post, we came through March without any setbacks. Out-of-option considerations came into play in shaping the final OD roster, and we had to waive some past contributors such as 1B Manny Mendoza, 2B/OF Cameron Holly and IF Juan de Oca since they were out of options. Also because Dave Gonzalez, our fine-hitting but shaky defensive catcher, was out of them he made the club as a backup in place of the reliable Cesar Scroggins, who had one left. Also making the club is 3B of the future Paul Mayes as he too was out of options as Texas, whom we acquired him from last season, signed him to an MLB contract immediately after drafting him.

So this is how it shakes out:

C-D.Morales, D.Gonzalez
1B-N. de la Rosa
2B-Machado
SS-Chinchilla
3B-K.Lee
IF-Tsujimura, Mayes, A.Brown
LF-Bland
CF-J.Avalos
RF-E.Avalos
OF-B.Whittaker
DH-Yang

The plan is to platoon de la Rosa an Tsujimura at 1B, Bland and Whittaker in the OF and Yang and Mayes at DH.

SP-Rose, E.Whitaker, Swords, Mastropietro, M.Lopez
LR-Weststrom, T.Johnson
MR-Baez, Resnick, D.Sanchez, Boria
SU-Flores, Guardado
CL-Berumen

The rotation is a bit iffy for my liking but not much different than last year's with Swords taking Brad Villarreal's place.

The preseason predictions:



Looks reasonable to me as we're likely set for another year of dueling the Yankees.

[Art Deco]

Forgot to include the team photo in the previous post, so here goes:



The opening day box:



Not a great opener for our boys as our ace Dave Rose just didn't have it today, giving up 5 runs on 11 hits while the offense didn't put up much of a fight. So 162-0 is off the table.

Game 2: But 161-1 remains on the table as the Rays bounced back from a dreary Opening Day to destroy the Dukes 8-1. Jesus Avalos led the way, clubbing a 2-run homer and a 3-run homer to give him a 5-RBI day and his brother from another mother Ezequiel Avalos went yard with a solo shot in the 3rd. Rookie Elijah Whitaker picked up where he left off in last year's postseason by going 7 8 1 1 1 5 for the win and justified the choice to have him start the season's second game.

Game 3: Tampa Bay took the rubber game of the series, getting a gem from Steve Swords in his Rays debut as they beat Austin 4-1. Swords, our most notable free agent signing, looked like a bargain as he went 7 3 0 0 2 6. The game was 4-0 into the bottom of the 9th when Adan Guardado made a mess, requiring Mario Berumen to get the final out for his 1st 2056 save. Jesus Avalos was the man on offense again hitting his 3rd homer in two days, a 2-run shot in the 3rd to get the Rays on the board and provide all the runs they'd need. Backup "catcher" Dave Gonzalez got a start at DH and was 2-4 with an RBI.

Team record: 2-1. Next up: A home-opening series with Toronto as we play 3.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays jumped out a 5-1 lead in their 2056 home opener and held on to beat Toronto 5-4. Nesty de la Rosa had a pair of RBI doubles to lead the offense, and the pitching was a mix-and-match affair as the oft-injured Randy Mastropietro had to leave his first start of the year in the 2nd, giving way to Tim Johnson (1-0) who went 4.2 3 3 3 4 5 in long relief for the win. Mario Berumen secured his 2nd save despite allowing a run in the 9th.

Game 2: We only had to wait until the second home game of the season to get one of Tampa Bay's famous Patented Publix Park comebacks as they scored 6 times in the 8th to pull out a 10-8 slugfest over the Blue Jays. Takayuki Tsujimara showed last postseason that he has a knack for coming through in the clutch and today his pinch-double in that 8th inning cleared the bases and gave the Rays the lead for good. Dantel Chinchilla drove in a pair and Sung-min Yang went deep for the first time this season. The less said about the pitching the better as Melvin Lopez was knocked around 4 8 5 5 1 2 and Chris Resnick (1-0) allowed 2 runs in the 9th after pitching the 8th for the win so Danny Sanchez had to come on and get the final out for his first save.

Game 3: It's Jesus Avalos' world and we're all just living in it as the superstar CF belted three homers and drove in 6 as part of a 4-4 day to lead the Rays to an 11-3 rout of the Jays. The 3 jacks give him an MLB-leading 6 on the young season and his namesake Ezequiel along with Sung-min Yang each hit their 2nd longball. Dave Rose (1-1) struggled a bit early but settled in for an easy win at 7 8 2 2 1 9.

Team record: 5-1. Up next: The Rays' hot start to the year will be tested after an off-day with 3 games in Baltimore against the 5-2 Orioles who have their own red-hot star in Kevin Hill who's knocked in 15 in those 7 games while hitting .433.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays trailed this one 2-0 after 8 but tied it up in the 9th and scored 3 times in the 10th to take a 5-2 win over Baltimore and make it six straight wins after dropping the season opener. Elijah Whitaker was outstanding again at 6 4 0 0 2 6 but he had no support and when Dave Flores gave up a couple of runs in the 8th they looked doomed. But Mr. Clutch came through again as Takayuki Tsuijumura drilled a mammoth 2-run homer in the 9th (#1) to CF to tie it. And in the 10th Nesty de la Rosa delivered an RBI single and David Morales added a 2-run double to win it. Mario Berumen (1-0) pitched the 9th and Chris Resnick closed it in the 10th for his 1st save.

Game 2: It was another low-scoring affair and this time it was a no-scoring affair for Tampa Bay as they dropped a 1-0 squeaker to the Orioles. Steve Swords started but had to leave after an inning with a sprained ankle but he should make his next start. Tim Johnson (0-1) took over and pitched quite well at 5 6 1 1 1 4 but the run he allowed was the only one of the game so he took the tough loss as the bats were held to a mere 3 hits.

Game 3: The Rays came up short 4-3 in the rubber game to Baltimore. Jesus Avalos was a one-man offense, driving in all 3 runs including a pair in the 7th to put them up 3-2 but Danny Sanchez (0-1) gave those two runs right back to take the loss. Randy Mastropietro pitched decently at 5.1 5 2 2 1 2 and managed to make it through a start without getting hurt.

Team record: 6-3. By losing the series they dropped 1/2 game behind Baltimore into 2nd place. Next up: Three games in Chicago against the White Sox who are off to a hot start at 8-2.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays squandered leads of 4-0 and 5-2 and fell 8-5 to the White Sox in the opener in Chicago. Jesus Avalos continued his torrid start to the season with a 2-run homer (#7) and Ezequiel Avalos added a 2-run double but Melvin Lopez was his typical terrible self at 4.1 4 3 3 4 3 and the bullpen was just as lousy with Chris Resnick (1-1) taking the loss after walking 3 men in 1 1/3 innings while Chicago scored 3 times in the 8th to win it.

Game 2: Tampa Bay bounced back to even up the series with an 8-4 win over Chicago. Ezequiel Avalos swung the big bat, going 3-4 with a grand slam (#3) while Dave Gonzalez hit his first MLB round-tripper and Jesus Avalos went deep yet again (#8) with a man on. Dave Rose (2-1) was excellent at 6 4 1 1 3 4 and Julio Baez went the final three and got the save (#1) despite allowing 3 late runs in an 8-1 game.

Game 3: The Rays dropped the rubber game 7-2 to the White Sox. It was yet another game in which a Tampa Bay starter had to leave early as today Elijah Whitaker only made it through an inning before departing with a mild shoulder strain that isn't serious. Once again Tim Johnson (1-2) had to come on in long relief and he turned in his typical mixed-bag performance at 4.1 2 4 3 4 7 in taking the loss. Nesty de la Rosa hit his first homer of the season, a consolation solo shot in the 8th.

Team record: 7-5. The nice 6-1 start has given way to a 1-4 stretch and they're 1/2 game out of first in the AL East. Next up: Home for 3 against the team they trail, Baltimore.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: I've jokingly written about Patented Publix Park Comebacks often but this one might have taken the cake. I typically manage my games until the end but when the Orioles went up 8-0 in the top of the 4th I'd seen enough, letting the AI take over the rest of the game and surprise, surprise the Rays came back to win 14-8. The comeback started immediately as they put 7 on the board in the bottom of the 4th highlighted by a Kang-cheol Lee 3-run shot (#1). Paul Mayes then hit the second of his two RBI doubles to put them up 9-8 in the 5th before they tacked on 5 more in the 8th. Lee had 4 RBI on the day and Ezequiel Avalos was 3-4 with 2 RBI to raise his average to .411. Steve Swords suffered the brutal start at 3.2 6 7 6 2 7, Victor Boria (1-0) earned the win and Dave Flores picked up his first Rays save after coming on in the 8th and staying through the 9th.

Game 2: Another poor start and another attempt to come back but this one fell short as the Orioles beat the Rays 7-4. Randy Mastropietro (0-1) was roughed up at 3.2 6 6 6 2 5 for the loss and Kang-cheol Lee tried his best to bring them back, hitting a pair of homers (#2 & 3) and driving in 3 but it wasn't enough.

Game 3: The Rays tried something different in the finale and were the team that raced off to a big early lead, up 8-0 after 3 and going on to beat Baltimore 9-3. It helped that they had Dave Rose (3-1) on the mound who was in fine form at 7 5 2 2 1 12. Dantel Chinchilla broke out of a season-long slump by going with 3-4 with a 3-run homer (#1) in the 3rd, and Jesus Avalos drove in 4 including a bases-clearing double to give him a whopping 26 RBI in only 15 games this season. Rookie Paul Mayes went 4-5 with a double as between him and Lee they got insane production from 3B this series.

Team record: 9-6, 1/2 game behind the Orioles. Next up: We hit the road starting with 4 at Yankee Stadium.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays parlayed a 6-run 2nd inning into a 9-4 win over New York at Yankee Stadium to kick off their 4-game series. Takayuki Tsuijmura continues to shine this season and his 2-run double in the big 2nd was part of a 3-hit, 3-RBI day for him while Brian Whittaker was 2-5 with a 2-run single in the 2nd as well. Ezequiel Avalos had the only homer (#4) a solo shot in the 1st. Elijah Whitaker (2-0) was far from his best at 5 10 4 4 1 3 for the win but most of damage came in a 3-run Yankee first after which he settled down.

Game 2: Tampa Bay lost a tough one when Dave Flores (0-1) surrendered a solo homer to former Ray Jose Castillo which gave the Yanks a 4-3 win. This came after the Rays erased a 3-1 deficit in the 7th on solo homers from Jose Machado and Joel Bland, the first of the year for both. Melvin Lopez turned in what was a decent start for him at 5 8 3 3 1 8.

April 19: Claimed P Danny Palma on waivers from Cincinnati, designed P Phil Weststrom for assignment.

Palma is rated 65/50/55 and is an improvement over Weststrom, whom we claimed via Rule 5 the winter before last from the Yankees and has never done well for us with his 50 stuff at the mercy of our poor defense.

Game 3: Steve Swords had to leave his second start in the last three early (this time a finger blister) but the bullpen led by Tim Johnson pieced together a combined shutout as the Rays beat the Yankees 4-0. Johnson (2-2) has been pressed into long relief four times already this year and he came through today going 4.2 5 0 0 3 5 with three relievers following him as the staff scattered 9 hits in total. Nesty de la Rosa led the way on offense, driving in 3 of the 4 runs as part of a 3-hit day.

Game 4: The Rays routed New York in the finale to take the series, winning 11-1 while putting up a 6-run 2nd inning for the second time in four days. Dantel Chinchilla had a massive day, going 2-4 with 2 doubles and 5 RBI, Dave Gonzalez was 4-4 with a walk and a ribbie and Nesty de la Rosa came through again with a solo homer (#2) and an RBI double. Randy Mastropietro (1-1) rolled with his best start of the season, going an efficient 7 6 1 1 0 5. Danny Palma made his Rays debut with a 1-2-3 8th.

Team record: 12-7. Despite the fine series the Rays lost ground to the Orioles, who swept their 4-game series and are now 1 1/2 games up on Tampa Bay. Next up: 3 games in Seattle.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays lost a tough one in the opener at Seattle, giving up the tying run in the 8th and the winning run in the 9th as they fell 5-4 to the Mariners. New setup guy Dave Flores faltered for the second straight outing, giving up a homer in the 8th, and then the usually-reliable Mario Berumen loaded the bases with two walks and a hit in the 9th and with two out gave up a game-losing single. Before that Jesus Avalos kept doing his thing, driving in 3 with a 2-run homer (#9) and an RBI single to give him 31 ribbies in only 20 games. And Dave Rose's decent 7 6 3 3 1 10 start went for naught as well.

Game 2: Tampa Bay bats took a holiday as they didn't even manage a hit until the 7th and only had 3 in total in a 3-0 loss to the Mariners. Elijah Whitaker (2-1) took a tough-luck loss after going 5.1 7 1 1 2 3.

Game 3: The Rays ended up winless in Seattle as the Mariners completed the sweep with a 4-2 victory in the finale. Ezequiel Avalos' 2-run homer (#5) in the 6th brought them brief hope, tying the game at 2, but Victor Boria (1-1) gave up 2 runs in relief immediately thereafter. Melvin Lopez turned in a passable start at 5 5 2 2 3 5 but another day of diminished offense doomed them to defeat.

Team record: 12-10. Things really couldn't have gone any worse as Baltimore swept its series and is now 4 1/2 up on Tampa Bay in the AL East. Next up: A return home for 3 against the Angels, the team Baltimore swept but still maintains a 17-6 record.

[Art Deco]

April 24: Claimed P Erik Witten on waivers from St. Louis, optioned P Danny Palma to AAA Durham. Assigned P Phil Weststrom to AAA Durham.

Continuing my habit of claiming pitchers we used to have when they go on waivers as Witten returns after pitching for us last season. Recent waiver claim Palma was the only one in the pen with an option so he went to Durham where he'll be the first callup. Weststrom cleared waivers so he's now a Bull too.

Game 1: Speaking of former Rays pitchers we picked up on waivers, Tim Johnson has been a valuable member of the staff this year, filling in on 3 occasions when we've had a starter leave early with injury and with Steve Swords still nursing a blister Johnson got an actual start today and was brilliant in a 5-2 Tampa Bay win over the Angels. Johnson (3-2) went 6 4 0 0 0 7 against a 17-6 LA squad to lower his ERA to 2.55 and got decent offensive support led by Nesty de la Rosa who was 2-5 with a solo homer (#3) as five different Rays plated a run apiece.

Game 2: Tampa Bay came back to take the lead in the 6th, lost in the top of the 8th and then got it back in the bottom of the inning to edge the Angels 5-4 at Publix Park. Dantel Chinchilla's RBI single was the difference while Dave Gonzalez had the big hit in a 3-run 6th, a 2-run single. Randy Mastropietro started and went 5 6 3 3 2 0, Adan Guardado (1-0) picked up the win despite allowing the game-tying hit, and Mario Berumen struck out a pair and only needed 7 pitches to get through the 9th for save #3.

Game 3: The Rays completed the sweep of a good Angels team that started the year 17-3 but is now 17-9 after also being swept by Baltimore thanks to a 5-2 triumph in the finale. Steve Swords (2-0) came back from his blister problem to go 5 4 2 2 1 7 for the win and the bullpen was excellent culminating in Dave Flores' 2nd save. Dave Gonzalez continues to be a revelation at the plate as the backup C has taken over the DH duties against RHP and was 3-4 today with a homer (#2) and 2 RBI to up his numbers to 487/524/692 in 39 AB. Jesus Avalos was also 2-4 with an RBI double to add to his MLB-leading total of 33 RBI.

Team record: 15-10. Did the sweep gain us any ground on Baltimore? Nope. The Orioles have now reeled off 10 straight wins and are 20-6, 4 1/2 ahead in the division. Next up: An off-day before Boston visits for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays came back from deficits of 3-0 and 4-2 to pull out a 6-4 win over Boston in the series opener at Publix Park. Leading the way was Jose Machado, who went 4-4 with a solo homer (#2) and 2 RBI while Joel Bland capped a 3-run rally in the 6th with an RBI single that proved to be the game-winner. Dave Rose (4-1) was the winner after a fine 7 4 4 3 2 11 outing and Mario Berumen had an uneventful 9th for his 4th save.

Game 2: Mr. Clutch did it again. Takayuki Tsujimura has had a knack for the big hit since last year's postseason and today he walked off a 5-4 Tampa Bay win over the Red Sox with a pinch-hit homer leading off the 9th inning, his 2nd longball of the year. Also going yard for the Rays were Joel Bland (#2, a 3-run shot) and Jesus Avalos (#10, solo) as all the Tampa Bay scoring came via the homer. Elijah Whitaker started and went 5.2 9 3 3 2 5 with Dave Flores (1-1) picking up the win in relief.

Game 3: The Rays completed the sweep of Boston with another tight and late win, prevailing 5-4 in 13 innings after tying the game in the 9th. Ezequiel Avalos, who had homered twice (#6 & 7) earlier in the game and drove in 3, drew a leadoff walk in the 13th before Paul Mayes doubled him to 3rd and Dave Gonzalez brought him home to walk it off with a single. Tampa Bay trailed 4-3 with two out and nobody on in the bottom of the 9th before three straight singles, the last of which came from Jose Machado, brought in the tying run. Melvin Lopez was 5 7 3 3 2 7 as the starter, Mario Berumen went 3 scoreless in relief from the 9th to the 11th, and Erik Witten went the final two for his first win since rejoining the Rays.

Team record: 18-10. Baltimore did finally lose, but only once, so the Rays have moved within 3 1/2 of the division lead. Next up: The Yankees visit for 3 games.

A monthly honor for a Ray:

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Paul Mayes had a big game to lead the Rays to a 5-3 win over the Yankees in the opener to extend their win streak to 7 games. The rookie 3B belted a 2-run double in the 6th break a 3-3 tie after he had previously doubled in a run in the 2nd while Nesty de la Rosa was 2-3 with a solo homer (#4) and 2 runs scored. Randy Mastropietro was mediocre today at 4.2 7 3 3 0 4 but the bullpen was brilliant, holding the Yankees hitless the rest of the day with Victor Boria (2-1) getting the win and Adan Guardado recording his first save with a perfect 9th.

Game 2: The Rays were a hitting machine in the second game, belting out a whopping 21 hits in a 13-4 rout of New York. Amazingly they didn't hit a single homer but instead notched 16 singles and 5 doubles in the relentless attack. Ezequiel Avalos and Nesty de la Rosa each drove in 3 and Zeke was among 4 Rays who had 3 hits. Steve Swords improved to 3-0 despite a middling start of 5.1 9 4 4 1 4. There was one sour note though as Takayuki Tsujimura, off to a great start at 406/457/688 in part-time play, suffered a high ankle sprain and will be out 5 weeks.

May 3: Placed 1B Takayuki Tsujimura on the 10-day IL with a high ankle sprain, recalled 1B/3B Xavier Bush from AAA Durham.

Bush gets to make his big league debut as the 4th round pick from 2050 has done nothing but rake in the minor leagues as you can see from these stats the last few years:



He's a switch-hitter with no discernible platoon split so he'll take over Tsujimura's role as the 1B against LHP and pinch-hit other times. He has no speed nor is much of a defensive player so his bat will have to carry him.

Game 3: The Rays wasted a 3-homer game from Ezequiel Avalos and fell 7-5 to the Yankees in 11 innings to see their 8-game win streak (all on this homestand) come to a halt. They dramatically tied in the 9th when Xavier Bush drew a walk to lead off the inning in his first MLB at-bat and pinch-runner Brian Whittaker scored after stealing second, but Mario Berumen (1-2) probably shouldn't have been pushed to a third inning of relief (we had an off-day tomorrow) and gave up a 2-run homer in the 11th on his 37th pitch. Before all that Avalos went hog-wild at the plate but unfortunately only one of his three homers came with a man on as he drove in the first four Rays runs and upped his season total to 10 dingers. Dave Rose had a lousy start by his standards at 5.2 9 4 4 2 7.

Team record: 20-11. As usual no ground gained on Baltimore, which also took 2 of 3 and stayed 3 1/2 ahead as it seems we're chasing the 1984 Tigers at this point. Next up: An off-day then the Rays will look to duplicate their home success on the road starting with 3 in Toronto.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The bullpen let a close one get away as the Rays fell 9-5 to the Jays at Rogers Centre in the series opener. Elijah Whitaker had a rough first inning allowing 3 runs but they battled back to tie it at 3 on a 2-run homer from Joel Bland (#3) before Whitaker (2-2) gave up the go-ahead run in the 5th and finished 4.1 5 4 4 2 6. Erik Witten and Chris Resnick then combined to allow 5 runs over the next couple of innings to put it out of reach.

May 6: Some major trades were made involving long-time Rays:

First, we traded for a starting pitcher:



We needed an upgrade in the rotation where Melvin Lopez had been the weak link and we got with Barraza, who won 15 games and earned 3.9 WAR last year with Milwaukee after a 3.3 WAR season the year before. He was off to rough start that was primarily due to a .433 BABIP so that didn't faze us. Going to the other way is Nesty, whom we raised from a pup (#1 pick in 2046) and was a quality starter at 1B for the last four seasons. But he didn't hit lefties and became fragile, so combined with his rising salary and numerous other options at 1B, he became expendable.

The next deal:



Yang had been a disappointment the last couple of years after a fine rookie season in 2053 where he hit 298/384/491. He followed that up with 1.6 and 0.6-WAR seasons and was actually negative this year and lost his DH job vs RHP to Dave Gonzalez. So we were thrilled to get Gonzales in return, the 3rd overall pick two years ago, currently rated 60/60 contact/power with 80/65 potential not to mention a 60/75 current/potential eye. He made the majors right out of college but spent most of 2055 in AAA. He's a righty hitter who murders lefties and will be our DH against LHP for now.

To replace de la Rosa, we also called up one of our better hitting prospects in 1B Vinny Colon, an international signee several years back who has 50 contact and 65 power and to make room for Barazza, middle reliever Julio Baez was DFA'd.

Game 2: Jorge Barraza made it Toronto in time to start and his Rays debut was a success as Tampa Bay beat Toronto 8-5. Barraza went 6 6 2 2 2 5 for the win as the bats built him a big lead. Ezequiel Avalos drove in 3 with a pair of sac flies and an RBI single while Joel Bland had a 2-run double as they were up 6-0 by the 3rd. The bullpen after Barraza made it a mess and the Jays had the bases loaded in the 9th with a chance to win before Mario Berumen had to come in and get the last out for save #5.

Game 3: The Rays dropped the rubber game to the Jays in a tough lone, a walk-off 5-4 loss. Randy Mastropietro put them in a 4-0 hole after 2, although 2 of the runs were unearned and he finished 4.2 5 4 2 0 4. The bats kept chipping away at the Toronto lead including a solo Alex Brown homer, his first of the year, and then dramatically tied it with two out in the 9th on Xavier Bush's first MLB hit, a pinch-RBI single. But Mario Berumen (1-3) loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the inning and gave up a game-losing sac fly.

Team record: 21-13. Baltimore took 2 of 3 so the Rays now find themselves 4 1/2 behind in the division. Next up: The road brings us to Detroit for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Rookie Vinny Colon picked a great time to hit his first MLB homer, tying the game with two out in the 9th at Detroit on a solo shot, but unfortunately all that did was prolong the agony for the Rays as they eventually succumbed 5-4 to the Tigers in 15 innings. Steve Swords pitched decently at 7 6 3 3 2 4 but put the Rays in a 3-0 hole before Ezequiel Avalos' 2-run homer (#11) in the 6th cut the lead to 3-2. Colon's blow tied it and then they went ahead in the 11th before Victor Boria blew the save in the bottom of the frame. On to the 15th we went when Tim Johnson (3-3) surrendered a 2-out walk-off homer to lose it.

Game 2: The Rays bounced back from yesterday's tough marathon loss to easily handle the Tigers 9-1. A 5-run 2nd inning set the tone with Brian Whittaker (#1) and Jesus Avalos (#11) each hitting 2-run homers in the frame. Joel Bland later added HR #4 and it was smooth sailing for Dave Rose (5-1) who went 6 4 1 1 0 8. Melvin Lopez went the final 3 scoreless for his first save.

Game 3: The Whit(t)akers got the job done for Tampa Bay in the rubber game as Elijah with one "t" pitched brilliantly and Brian with two "t"s homered for the second straight night to lead the Rays to a 6-1 win. Whitaker the pitcher had the game of his young career, going 7 4 0 0 1 11 to improve to 3-2 while Brian belted a 2-run homer (#2) in the 4th. Jesus Avalos continued to pile up the ribbies as his 2-run single in the 3rd gave him an MLB-leading 40 in only 36 games this season.

Team record: 23-14. The Orioles finally cooled off some, dropping 2 of 3 and enabling the Rays to pull within 3 1/2 of the division lead. Tampa Bay is also 1 1/2 up in the first wild card slot. Next up: A day off then home for 3 against Oklahoma City.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The bullpen gave one away as a 2-1 lead after 6 turned into a 6-2 loss at the hands of Oklahoma City at Publix Park. Jose Barraza was excellent in his second Tampa Bay start at 6 8 1 1 1 4 but Danny Sanchez (0-2) and Adan Guardado combined to give up 3 runs in the 7th to lose it and Victor Boria coughed up 2 more in the 9th for good measure. Of course the offense didn't do much either with Jesus Avalos' 12th homer the highlight.

Game 2: The Rays' offense was AWOL again, and the bullpen lost another as Mario Berumen gave up the game's only 2 runs in the 9th and Tampa Bay fell 2-0 to the Sunbirds. Randy Mastropietro started and went 3 1 0 0 0 4 before leaving yet another start with an injury, this time a minor neck tweak. Tim Johnson hurled 3 more scoreless but eventually Berumen (1-4), struggling in the early going after an all-time season last year, gave up 2 runs on 3 hits in the 9th. The offense had its chances leaving 11 men on, but couldn't get a hit that counted.

Game 3: The Rays did salvage the finale but in the stupidest way possible, blowing a 7-1 lead in the late innings before winning 8-7 in 13 innings against Oklahoma City. For a change this series the bats weren't the issue as they built that big lead starting in the first when the Avaloses (Avalosi?) went back-to-back with Jesus hitting #13 and Ezequiel #12 to help them to a quick 3-0 advantage. Dave Gonzalez added a bases-clearing double in the 5th and they were well on their way with Dave Rose going 6 6 2 2 0 7. But the bullpen stunk for the third straight game, no more so than in the 9th when up 7-3 Danny Sanchez gave up a 2-run homer with nobody out to make it 7-5 and the suddenly-unreliable Mario Berumen promptly gave up another 2-run homer a few batters later to let OKC tie. Thankfully Erik Witten (2-0) managed 2 1/3 scoreless in extras and after Joel Bland walked for the 4th time today and stole second in the 13th, David Morales singled him home to mercifully walk it off.

Team record: 24-16. Next up: 4 games in Boston.

[Art Deco]

May 15: Activated OF Jose Lozada from his rehab assignment, optioned IF Xavier Bush to Durham.

It'll be good to have Lozada back after his spring training injury, a 3-win guy from last year who will give us more OF options.

Game 1: The Rays were the comeback kids in the opener, rallying from a 9-4 deficit through 6 to beat Boston 11-9 at Fenway. Jesus Avalos' 2-run homer in the 7th (#14) got them within 9-7 and then a 4-run rally in the 9th won it with Alex Brown's bases-clearing double to put them ahead serving as the key blow. The double was Brown's third hit of the day and the Rays also got a solo shot from Jose Machado (#3) as part of a 17-hit attack which saw 7 different players with at least one RBI. The pitching was nothing to write home about of course with Elijah Whitaker roughed up at 4.1 5 5 4 3 5 and Tim Johnson following him up to allow 4 more runs in only 2/3 of an inning. Victor Boria (3-1) got the win with two scoreless innings and Danny Sanchez picked up save #2.

Game 2: A much calmer but also much less satisfying game for the Rays as they dropped a 4-2 decision to the Red Sox. Steve Swords was solid at 5.2 4 2 2 3 5 and it was a 2-2 game until the 8th when Chris Resnick gave up a 2-run homer with Adan Guardado's (1-1) man aboard to lose it. Brian Whittaker and Dave Gonzalez led off the game with solo homers, #3 for both, but the offense went AWOL after that.

Game 3: Another wild comeback win for the Rays as they edged Boston 9-8 in 10 innings. Dantel Chinchilla had a massive game, 4-5 with with a 2-run homer in the 6th (#2) and 5 RBI, most importantly the game-winning single in the 10th. The Rays trailed 6-3 and after going ahead 7-6 fell behind again at 8-7 before Chinchilla (who else?) tied it with a sac fly. Jorge Barraza had a tough time of it at 5 11 6 6 0 3 and Mario Berumen (2-4) ended up with the win after pitching a scoreless 9th and 10th.

Game 4: Tampa Bay took the series from the Red Sox with (you guessed it) yet another comeback win as they turned a 4-0 deficit into a 6-4 triumph at Fenway. Randy Mastropietro went 3.2 5 2 2 2 1 on 79 pitches and Melvin Lopez coughed up a 2-run homer to put them in that 4-0 hole but a 4-run 6th highlighted by a 2-run Vinny Colon single got them level, and then Brian Whittaker put them ahead for good with an RBI knock in the 7th. David Morales was in the middle of it all, going 4-5 with 3 runs scored. Erik Witten (3-0) picked up the win and Danny Sanchez got his 2nd save of the series and 3rd of the season.

Team record: 27-17. With Baltimore dropping a pair to Houston the Rays shaved 2 1/2 games off the division lead and now trail the Orioles by 3. Next up: Back home for 3 against Cleveland.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Dave Rose pitched well but lost a 2-0 lead before Dantel Chinchilla bailed him out with a 2-run single in the 8th to give the Rays a 4-2 win over the Guardians at Publix Park. Rose was still a fine 6.1 6 2 2 0 5 with Adan Guardado (2-1) picking up the relief win and Mario Berumen had a 1-2-3 9th for his 6th save.

Game 2: Tampa Bay didn't generate too much offense and fell 5-2 to Cleveland in the second game. Elijah Whitaker (3-3) was mediocre at 5.1 6 3 3 1 4 and only Jesus Avalos (2-4 with an RBI) had a decent day at the plate for the Rays.

Game 3: The Rays took the rubber game 5-4 from Cleveland behind a strong performance from Steve Swords. The veteran righty improved to 4-0, 3.86 after an excellent 6 4 1 1 2 5 outing but the bullpen nearly blew it with Adan Guardado giving up an 8th-inning run before Mario Berumen gave up a 2-run homer in the 9th for another shaky save, his 7th. The offense was led by Jesus Avalos who was 3-5 with his MLB-leading 47th RBI and David Morales, 2-4 with a 2-run single.

Team record: 29-18. Baltimore lost 2 of 3 so we've pulled within 2 of the division lead. Next up: Off to New York but to play the 25-22 Mets instead of the Yankees for 3.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: More problems in the pen as the Rays lost a 5-4 lead late and lost the game 6-5 to the Mets in the opener at Citi Field. Vinny Colon had the biggest hit of his young career, a 4th-inning grand slam (#2) and Joel Bland's solo shot (#6) in the 8th put them on top but Danny Sanchez coughed up the game-tying homer in the bottom of the inning and then Dave Flores (1-2) gave up a walkoff blast in the 9th. As a result Jorge Barraza was denied a win after a solid 7 7 4 3 0 5 outing.

Game 2: The Rays parlayed excellent pitching and a clutch 3-run homer from Jose Lozada, his first of the year, in the 8th to pull out a 3-1 win in the second game. Randy Mastropietro was a good 5.1 5 1 1 1 1, Victor Boria (4-1) went 2 2/3 scoreless to grab the win, and Mario Berumen handled the 9th for save #8.

Game 3: Another bullpen breakdown eventually cost the Rays as they dropped the rubber game to New York 4-3 in a 16-inning marathon. Dave Rose left with a 3-1 lead after going 6 6 1 1 2 6 and was backed by a 2-run Jose Lozada single but this time it was Adan Guardado and Dave Flores who combined to allow 2 Met runs in the 7th to tie it and then we went on and on and on and on. The bats were limp in extras and finally Erik Witten (3-1) gave up a triple in the 16th which scored the winning run for the Mets.

Team record: 30-20. Fortunately Baltimore also dropped 2 of 3 so the Rays remain two back. They are in the second wild card slot at the moment. Next up: An off-day then out to the desert to play 3 against Arizona.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: A costly error by Dantel Chinchilla led to 4 unearned runs in the 2nd and was the difference in a 6-4 loss to the Diamondbacks in the opener. It prolonged a rough inning for Elijah Whitaker (3-4), who ended up 5 6 5 1 1 4, but the 2-run homer he gave up to cap the inning was at the very least on him. Jose Lozada hit his 2nd homer leading off the game and the bats had a few chances to tie but couldn't.

Game 2: The Rays got some good pitching and enough hitting to take the second game 5-2 from Arizona. Steve Swords improved to 5-0 after going 5 5 2 1 1 4 although it took him 92 pitches and the bullpen was the rest of the way with Mario Berumen getting a 1-2-3 9th on only 8 pitches for save #9. David Morales led the way at the plate, going 3-5 with an RBI double and 3 runs scored.

Game 3: Tampa Bay was thumped in the rubber game 12-2 by Arizona. Jorge Barraza (1-1) lost for the first time in Rays colors, getting thumped to the tune of 5 9 6 6 0 4 and then Melvin Lopez gave up 6 more in only 2/3 of an inning on a day best forgotten. Ezequiel Avalos had a consolation solo homer (#13).

Team record: 31-22. As a result of losing the series we've dropped 4 behind Baltimore and are in a tie with Texas for the second wild card. Next up: A return home for a pair against the 27-26 Cubs.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays put up 8 runs in the first inning, batting around before recording an out, on their way to a 13-5 rout of the Cubs at Publix Park. The big hits in that inning were a 2-run single from Vinny Colon and a 2-run double by Dantel Chinchilla while Kang-cheol Lee drove in 5 including a 2-run double and 2-run homer (#4). Randy Mastropietro (2-1) surrendered three homers in going 5.2 5 5 4 0 3 for the win and Erik Witten went the final 3 1/3 hitless for his first save.

Game 2: In a near-rerun of yesterday's game the Rays beat the Cubs 11-5 by scoring early and often. Angel Gonzales had his first big game as a Ray, belting his first homer of the year in the 3rd, a 3-run shot, and added an RBI double with Jesus Avalos and Dantel Chinchilla each contributing 3 hits and 3 RBI. Dave Rose (6-1) went 6 4 4 4 3 8 in picking up the win and the Rays got another 3-inning save, this time from Tim Johnson (#1).

Game 3: Tampa Bay couldn't complete the sweep, losing 5-4 in 10 innings to the Cubs after rallying to erase a 4-1 deficit. Dave Gonzalez' 3-run double in the 6th brought the Rays to parity but they couldn't push across the win despite a few threats. Elijah Whitaker had a rough go of it at 4.2 9 4 4 2 5 and the bullpen held until the Cubs got a leadoff triple off Mario Berumen (2-5) in the 10th and brought the man home.

Team record: 33-23. They did pick up a game on Baltimore, which lost 2 of 3 and now sit 3 games back. Next up: Oakland visits for 3 games.