The 2024 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

And the Rays now know who'll the face in the ALDS as it will be the Orioles.



The Guardians will play Seattle in the other ALDS.



The Padres advance to face Cincinnati in the NLDS.



And it's Milwaukee vs Colorado in the other NLDS.

[Art Deco]

A painful start...



The Rays rallied to tie Game 1 of the ALDS in the 9th, only to lose it in the 10th when Will Klein served up a 2-run homer to Jud Fabian. Eloy Jimenez' RBI single in the 9th evened the score at 2 and the Rays loaded the bases with one out only to see Cade Doughty and Carson Williams strike out. Then in the bottom of the 10th they had another chance when Blake Dunn led off the inning with a homer to make it 4-3 but Brayden Taylor was thrown out attempting to steal after walking following Dunn. Although they got another hit that was it and a GIDP ended things. Jessie McGee will try to keep the Rays from going to Baltimore in a deep hole.

In the other ALDS opener:



Yesterday's NLDS openers:



And today's Games 2:

[Art Deco]

More like it...



Jessie McGee and Junior Caminero were going to make sure the Rays' title defense wasn't going to almost be over before it started and they led the Rays to an 8-0 rout of the Orioles to send the series to Baltimore even. McGee was completely dominant in his six-inning stint, although he had to leave with some back tightness which won't keep him from pitching in the ALCS should they get there and Caminero belted a first-inning homer and a third-inning RBI double for the first two runs. Xavier Isaac added a big 2-run homer and Rays will now throw Hagen Smith in Game 3.

In the other ALDS, wild-card winners Cleveland have one foot in the ALCS:

[Art Deco]

More agony...



The Rays find themselves on the brink of elimination after another painful extra-inning loss, this time 5-4 in 12 to Baltimore. It looked like destiny might be on the Rays' side when Ryan Hennen miraculously got them out of an 11th-inning jam after Will Klein loaded the bases with nobody out, but all it did was delay the inevitable. Things really did seem they were going the Rays' way earlier when they built a 4-0 lead in top of the 6th and Hagen Smith was no-hitting Baltimore through 5. But as they say, a pitcher is dealing until he isn't and Smith gave up a leadoff single and two straight homers to make it 4-3 and the bullpen allowed the Orioles to equalize in the 7th. The bats went quiet after that and now it's up to Emmett Sheehan tomorrow to try and bring this series back to St. Pete for a deciding Game 5.

In the other ALDS, Seattle got off to mat to keep its season alive:



And we have one NLCS slot filled but the other is going to require an NLDS Game 5:

[Art Deco]

Going the distance...



After routing Baltimore 10-2 to force a deciding Game 5, the Rays have to hope this series won't go the way of the 1960 World Series where the Yankees famously blew out Pittsburgh three times but lost four one-run games including Game 7 (the Mazeroski homer). The Orioles have tallied two one-run extra-inning wins while the Tampa Bay has won its two game by 8 runs each time, so the parallels are there. But for today they won't care as they kept things alive thanks in large part to the insanely-hot Junior Caminero, who after a down year went nuts in the week's final season and has carried that over to the playoffs, going deep two more times today and driving in five, including a big 3-run homer in the 2nd which broke the game open. And although starter Emmett Sheehan couldn't get through the 4th with his big lead, Jacob Misiorowski was brilliant in long relief, not bad for a guy sent down to Durham at the beginning of August. The Rays will throw reigning AL Cy Young winner Taj Bradley at Baltimore in two days when it all will be decided.

And there will be a trio of Games 5 in the DSes thanks to Seattle winning again, although they had to do it much more dramatic fashion by prevailing in 15 innings:



That's former Ray Brandon Lowe with a big game and Seattle got an effective start from another ex-Ray in Zach Eflin.

[Art Deco]

The decider to see who will face Colorado in the NLCS:

[Art Deco]

Whew...



Sometimes you have to rely on your stars, and that's what the Rays did in a 2-0 win over the Orioles in ALDS Game 5 to advance to the ALCS. Taj Bradley was brilliant, dominating, overwhelming - you name it - in shutting out Baltimore for 7 innings in a game where runs were at a premium. And Junior Caminero, named MVP of the series, came through with another big hit when he doubled in the 8th and scored a key insurance run. Brayden Taylor had a big series as well and no hit of his was bigger than his solo homer to dead center in the 6th to snap a scoreless tie. The only down note was that closer Will Klein had to leave in the 8th with wrist soreness, a "moderate" one-week injury will keep him out of the early part of the ALCS. Thankfully we have Ha-joon Kim, the trade deadline acquisition who's been lights-out in the pen. So it's on to Game 1 of the ALCS with Jessie McGee starting. And who will the Rays be playing? (well you know already if you read the game summary in the box above):



And it'll be the Mariners, who blew a 6-2 lead in the final two innings before prevailing anyway in the 12th on an RBI single from a hero of the Rays recent runs (including last year's World Series win), Josh Lowe, and either he or many of his teammates will be back in the Fall Classic.

[Art Deco]

Delayed but not denied...



Thanks to Ryan Cermak's 2-run walk-off shot in the 10th the Rays overcame blowing a 2-run lead in the 9th and took a 1-0 ALCS lead over the Mariners. With regular closer Will Klein unavailable for the first three game of this series due to wrist soreness, and with Ha-joon Kim used to get out of a jam in the 8th after already being slightly fatigued, we turned to former closer John McMillon in the 9th and he was not terribly effective, turning two hits and two walks into a blown save. But thankfully Cermak bailed him out and we'll look to go up 2-0 behind Hagen Smith tomorrow.

Meanwhile all even in the NLCS after two games:

[Art Deco]

Injury added to insult...



It was a tough night for Tampa Bay as not only did the Rays lose Game 2 of the ALCS to Seattle in 11 innings, they lost starter Hagen Smith for the season. Smith left the game after facing only one batter and was diagnosed with elbow tendinitis although he should be good to go for 2030. Tasked with an impromptu bullpen game they acquitted themselves pretty well with Juan Mercedes solid and Jacob Misiorowski brilliant again. The problem instead was the offense, held to two runs on five hits over 11 innings with former Rays Zach Eflin (2023-24) and Robert Gasser (2027-28) shutting them down. And the absence of Will Klein was felt again as we had to end up turning to the mercurial Roberto Yan in the 11th and he wasn't up to the task. So we head to the Emerald City all even with ace Taj Bradley taking the ball in Game 3.

Transaction: Tanner Witt was added to the playoff roster to replace Smith, although it remains to be seen who will start Game 6 should there be one.

[Art Deco]

Can't win if you can't score...



For the third time in three games this ALCS went to extra innings, and for the second straight game it was a credit to the Rays' staff for keeping them in another game in which they couldn't generate any offense to speak of. Xavier Isaac's solo homer in the 5th was it - otherwise they had only three hits in 12 innings. And with all the extra inning games the bullpen has been taxed so today we had to turn to Cade Horton, who hadn't pitched all postseason, deep into this one. He escaped a jam he created in the 11th but wasn't so lucky in the 12th. So now it's up to Emmett Sheehan tomorrow - but really the offense - to keep them from falling into a big hole.

In the NLCS the teams traded blowout shutouts and they're tied at 2-2:

[Art Deco]

Back in it...



After a couple of games off the Rays' offense returned and they just managed to hang on to a 6-0 lead, edging Seattle 6-5 to even the ALCS at 2 games apiece. The 5th inning was decisive as Cade Doughty hit a 2-run double and Junior Caminero followed him by depositing one in the seats. Emmett Sheehan had to throw way too many pitches and left in the 4th and Tanner Witt rolled in his stead until the 8th when he started getting hit and former Mariner Ha-joon Kim wasn't much help either and 5 runs later it was a nail-biter. Fortunately Will Klein finally returned from his injury and closed the door in the 9th. Now it'll be Jessie McGee going to try to get the Rays within one win of the World Series when the series returns to St. Pete.

In the NLCS:

[Art Deco]

Advantage Rays...



Every game in this series has been a nail-biter and today was no exception as Blake Dunn's homer leading off the game stood up for the duration in a 1-0 Rays win to give them a 3-2 advantage in the ALCS heading back to St. Petersburg. Jessie McGee was outstanding as usual, now with a combined 16.2 9 1 1 4 23 line this postseason, and the bullpen was spot-on with Will Klein saving again. With Hagen Smith shelved our Game 6 starter will be Jacob Misiorowski who's been brilliant in long relief and will hope that translates to a starting role. And we'll have ace Taj Bradley in reserve for a possible Game 7.

[Art Deco]

Party time...



The Rays are American League Champions for the third straight season and are in position to repeat after they got by Seattle in yet another low-scoring, pulse-pounding affair in Game 6, a 2-1 win. Like Game 5 an early homer gave them a lead which stood up for almost the entire game, this time Ryan Cermak's 2nd-inning 2-run shot. For this one and his walk-off winner in Game 1, he was named Series MVP. Also special note to Jacob Misiorowski, who shook off a first-inning solo homer allowed and was dominant over 5 innings and has been a bright light this postseason after being demoted in August. This team lost several key players from its series run the last two years and had to undergo a bit of a makeover but it's proved to be a successful one regardless of what happens next. That "next" will be Game 1 of the World Series at the Trop against the Colorado Rockies with Taj Bradley toeing the rubber.

How the Rockies got there:



An epic performance from Yanquiel Fernandez, who Yanq-ed three out of the park to give the Rockies the NLCS and took Series MVP honors.

[Art Deco]

Not great Bob...



The Rays were winning games 1-0 and 2-1 in the ALCS but that's not going to cut it against the Rockies (and especially not in Coors Field for Games 3-5 - we hope there's a Game 5) and today they found out. A 1-1 game into the 6th went awry when Taj Bradley left after allowing a leadoff double and John McMillon was not up to the task, allowing 3 runs to see the game go out of reach. And that came after the Rays had the bases loaded and nobody out in the 5th and failed to score. Those averages next to quite a few guys in the lineup are going to need to rise if they want to repeat. Jessie McGee, who might have been held back for Game 3, will now go in Game 2 since things are a bit more desperate.

[Art Deco]

Somehow the wins returned...



And I say "somehow" because the Rays had their first two pitchers today succumb to injury but still pulled off a series-tying win. Jessie McGee suffered a pulled abdominal muscle which is "minimal" so he'll try to pitch through it should there be a Game 6 while Tanner Witt, who pitched very well after coming in, has a mild hamstring strain which is also "minimal" but for only two days after this game so he's really only out for Game 3. But all the pitchers today, with the exception of Cade Horton, were excellent and a three-homer 7th turned things around with Eloy Jimenez's 2-run blast erasing a 2-1 Rockies lead the big blow. We're going with Emmett Sheehan in Game 3 at Coors Field and as always in that ballpark, who knows what's going to happen?

[Art Deco]

Oof...



The Rays were subjected to the Coors Field experience as they were demolished by the Rockies 11-2. Giving up 11 runs wasn't as shocking as only managing 2 (on 4 hits!), a measure of how much this offense is struggling. We'll try to put this one behind us and hope that Jacob Misiorowski can handle the thin air tomorrow in Game 4 and keep up his outstanding postseason pitching.

[Art Deco]

Looking bleak...



Well once again the Rays couldn't score runs in Coors Field and once again they lost, putting them on the brink of losing the World Series. Jacob Misiorowski looked good for 4 innings but it all fell apart in the 5th when he put the first two men on before departing, and the bullpen was no relief. It'll be up to ace Taj Bradley, in likely his last game for the Rays as he's a pending free agent, to try to keep the season alive in tomorrow's Game 5.

[Art Deco]

Miraculously alive...



Somehow the Rays survived to force a Game 6 as they finally bested the Rockies in 13 innings. Truly heroic work from Will Klein, who had to pitch out of a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the 9th after Carson Williams booted an easy double play ball and did so with a couple of whiffs and kept the game going into the 12th. And the Rays needed that time because after they scored 4 runs in the first two innings the offense went into Operation Shutdown mode and only had one hit the rest of regulation. Finally in the 13th Parker Meadows, who had been 2-for-36 this postseason coming into tonight, drew a walk, stole second and scored on Blake Dunn's single and then Junior Caminero singled home Dunn who also stole second, Caminero's first positive contribution this World Series after tearing it up earlier in the playoffs. Unfortunately for Meadows he bruised his thigh on the play at the plate and it's a "moderate" injury. In any event we'll have Jessie McGee pitching with a minor hamstring issue back at the Trop in Game 6, but at least we're still playing.

[Art Deco]

Amazing...



Once again the Rays somehow won a 13-inning affair and forced a World Series Game 7 as they twice rallied in extra innings to take a 4-3 win over the Rockies. It went 1-1 into extras and Colorado broke through in the 11th against John McMillon, who loaded the bases with nobody out with the run scoring on a double play. Down to their last out in the bottom of the inning Eloy Jimenez singled in the tying run to extend the game, and after the Rockies re-took the lead against Juan Mercedes, pinch-hitter Cade Doughty (only in because the Rockies brought in a lefty against pinch-hitter Brayden Taylor) led off the bottom of the 13th with a double, scored on a Junior Caminero triple, and then Caminero came home with the winning run on Ryan Cermak's sac fly. So unbelievably the Rays still have a shot at repeating and it will be Emmett Sheehan on a short leash with a burned-out bullpen in Game 7 tomorrow.

[Art Deco]

Somehow the Rays repeated...



This was supposed to be a rebuilding year. After going to the Series in consecutive years and winning it last season, the Rays saw many of their top players leave in free agency and had to replace their #2 starter, 2/3 of the starting OF, both catchers, their top lefty reliever and their closer. And they had to do it with the lowest payroll in the league, just under $100M. But somehow they squeezed every drop out of every roster position and did it with pitching and defense primarily and won a league-best 99 games. And the playoffs were no cakewalk as the lack of offense posed problems galore. Yet still they made it through, and after falling behind in this series 3-1 they still found a way to win, prevailing in two 13-inning affairs while facing elimination and finally taking the prize in Game 7. Not only did they win back-to-back titles, they won back-to-back titles coming back from down 3-1 in the series, doing so last year as well against San Diego.

It was another nip-and-tuck affair and things looked a bit dicey again after Taj Bradley, pitching on two days' rest, came on in relief and gave up the go-ahead run in the 6th. But Junior Caminero, who had already singled in their first run, belted a solo homer to tie it and then in the 8th he and Xavier Isaac singled to put men on first and third, and of all the ways to win a World Series they did so when Max Kranick balked Caminero home making it perhaps the first time in history the title has been decided on a balk. Will Klein closed it out with a couple of strikeouts and the bullpen that was running on fumes got it done. So after waiting to win their first World Series title in their 30th season the Rays only had to wait 12 months for the next one. Meanwhile despite a slow start to the series Caminero took MVP honors and his Game 7 performance tonight was the definition of clutch.

The good news is that the team won't quite require the makeover it got this season, although losing 2028's Cy Young winner Bradley will be a big blow especially the way the team is constructed. But we'll worry about that later. Time to celebrate.