Home | Webstore
Latest News: OOTP 26 Available - FHM 11 Available - OOTP Go! Available

Out of the Park Baseball 26 Buy Now!

  

Go Back   OOTP Developments Forums > Out of the Park Baseball 26 > OOTP Dynasty Reports

OOTP Dynasty Reports Tell us about the OOTP dynasties you have built!

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 04-05-2025, 05:30 PM   #2841
Art Deco
Hall Of Famer
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 7,492
October 31, 2056: World Series Game 6

Going the distance...



Yet another classic in what will go down as one of the best World Series of all-time (now watch Game 7 be a blowout) as the Rays edged Pittsburgh 4-3 to force a winner-take-all game tomorrow. Having struggled to get a key hit through much of this series and much of the evening after the first, Jose Machado doubled with two out in the 8th and scored on Paul Mayes' RBI single for the winner, and Jake Cid and Mario Berumen tag-teamed their way through the 9th to preserve the season-saving win. It looked like the Rays might be on their way to laugher after getting 3 in the first including back-to-back jacks from Jesus Avalos (finally his first of the postseason) and Vinny Colon, but Pittsburgh chipped away at Steve Swords and it became a battle of wills once again. So it's all on the line tomorrow with Elijah Whitaker, who will hope to pitch better than his mixed bag of a Game 3 start.
Art Deco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2025, 10:45 PM   #2842
Art Deco
Hall Of Famer
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 7,492
November 1, 2056: World Series Game 7

Heartbreak...



In the end they came up one run short. In a World Series for the ages in which 5 of the 7 games were decided by one run and the other two were decided by two, it was Tampa Bay which came up on the short end of the stick in Game 7. And the tying run was there for the taking - after Paul Mayes and Henry Dominguez doubled in the 9th to cut Pittsburgh's lead to one, there was only one out but David Morales (in likely his final at-bat as a Ray) flied out to right and the team's superstar Jesus Avalos grounded to second and there was no joy in Mudville, er Tampa. And though it wasn't explicit in the recap above, former Ray Kang-cheol Lee was named Series MVP as Lee capped a great series by homering today off Elijah Whitaker, who just couldn't get it done tonight.

Most of this crew should be back for 2057 except for Morales (who's been in decline and will cost too much) and 5 of the 6 top relievers in the bullpen (save Devin Tadlock) so that will be a major offseason focus which I'll address in the State of the Team post coming soon.
Art Deco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2025, 08:52 PM   #2843
Art Deco
Hall Of Famer
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 7,492
2056-57 Offseason: State of the Team

The state of the team is pretty good, although it'd be a lot better if we'd managed to win Game 7 of the World Series. As alluded to in the previous post we're returning most of the team with two glaring exceptions: catcher and the bullpen. David Morales is a free agent and while he's served us well the last several years his bat has really dropped off (.622 OPS last year) and he's now on the wrong end of the age curve at 31. Somebody will give him the $22-24M/year contract he wants but it won't be us. The other big concern is the bullpen where we lose Berumen, Cid, Flores, Guardado, Sanchez and swingman Tim Johnson. Here's what we're looking at for the returning players in terms of salary:



This totals $126M and we've been given a payroll of $160M. Not everyone above is coming back either so we'll probably have about $40M to play with.

The position-by-position outlook:

C: Morales is gone but we still have Dave Gonzalez, who had a great year at the plate serving as the DH against righties and the backup catcher. His defense is slightly below average so we'll take a hit there but he could definitely be our primary catcher. We're going to have to find someone to team with him, preferably a RH-batting option who's also a good defender.

1B: Vinny Colon had an impressive rookie season and a fine postseason and will continue to platoon with Angel Gonzales, who was really good as well against lefties.

2B: Aaron White is a fine all-around player, no notes.

SS: Dantel Chinchilla has been our old reliable and while he's not a great defensive SS, he's good enough and he nearly drove in 100 runs last year out of the 9-hole.

3B: Paul Mayes is a rookie of the year candidate and was outstanding.

IF: Alex Brown will probably be back as the IF backup as he's a superior defender.

LF: Joel Bland missed a good chunk of the season with injury but is a real talent.

CF: Henry Dominguez was everything he hoped for as a rookie after coming up mid-season, giving us quality D and hitting well.

RF: Jesus Avalos enters his last year of team control and our resident superstar is coming off a down year by his standards (3.2 WAR after 8.6 and 5.5 in the previous two seasons, so the decline is a concern).

OF: Brian Whittaker will likely be the primary OF backup, a RH bat who can spell the lefty starters and play a good CF. Jose Lozada is also a good RH-hitting backup but he's due for $6M in arbitration and may be traded to clear some payroll room. We also still have Emmanuel Jervis, who was terrible after being claimed on waivers and hitting two homers in his first game with us.

DH: With Gonzalez becoming the primary catcher, this opens the job up everyday for Jose Machado, who had a nice year last year and can also back up at 2B. Gonzalez may also play here some when not catching.

Others: There are several players at Durham who can hit in the bigs and some who have been up with us at one time or another (1B Manny Mendoza and Takayuki Tsujimura, 1B/3B/DH Xavier Bush, RF Dae-Sung Park) but the real hitting phenom is 1B Ruben Brown, with 65 contact/60 power/55 eye who hit 305/388/593 with 37 HR and 113 at AA Montgomery last year. We already have two young 1B but Brown could figure into our DH plans or if we trade one of the 1B.

Rotation: It returns intact with Rose/Whitaker/Swords/Barraza/Mastropietro coming back. Rookie Julio Mattila is next in line and should make the team as a long man, replacing Tim Johnson.

Bullpen: And here's what it gets barren. Devin Tadlock is the closer right now and he's capable, but there's nobody that really looks like a setup man. Victor Boria was pretty good in middle relief and will return as will Erik Witten, who's technically a free agent and isn't shown above but will be signing a modest 2-year, $3M total deal to return. We also claimed veteran middle man Joe Rose from the Angels on waivers as the season ended and he'll help out, but that's about it. Aside from potential longman Mattila, we also have no lefties. We'll kick the tires on extensions for some of the free agents but I wouldn't expect too much.

So in summary, here are the two main offseason goals:

1) Find a RH-hitting, defensively-responsible catcher.
2) Add at least 3-4 relievers, one or two which needs to be a lefty.
Art Deco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-11-2025, 02:39 PM   #2844
Art Deco
Hall Of Famer
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 7,492
2056-57 Offseason: Part 1

Retirements: Some former Rays hung up the cleats - 1B Ruben Ramirez (80 homers as a part-timer for us over 2048-51), P Rex Bransington (18-6, 3.75 in 1 1/2 years in the rotation from 2050-51), OF Beau Bonczek (two great years - .285-32-107 and .291-40-108 in 2050-51, good for 8.9 WAR)

November 5: We kicked off the winter with a deal from our OF surplus:



Lozada had been a good servant for the club but he was due to make $6M this year in arbitration and that's a lot to pay a backup. In return for him and Brown (a middling prospect), we got a couple of interesting additions from the Angels. McMullan will give us a body in the bullpen although he's more of a swing type than a short reliever and is rated 55/65/50 in the pen. He had a 2.57 ERA in 42 IP with 0.7 WAR for the Angels. And Balderas is even more intriguing - a 60-rated 3B who hit 297/347/429 in 91 AB as a rookie with LA and is rated 60 contact (65 potential) with 50 power and a 60 glove at the hot corner. He can also play 2B and SS so while there's no way he dislodges Paul Mayes at 3B he could contend for an IF backup role and has options remaining.

November 7: The 2-year, $3.1M deal with Erik Witten is official and he'll rejoin the club. Our other free agent relievers all want 8-figure salaries so we'll see how the market plays out. We've settled with all the arb-eligibles except Aaron White who wants a multi-year deal in his first year of arbitration.

Awards season:

Gold Glove: No winners for us. Aaron White might have had a chance had he played the full season here.

Reliever of the Year: LA's Bill Sutherland was the AL unanimous winner after a brilliant 51-save, 1.57 ERA, 4.4 WAR(!) season while San Francisco's Nicolas Rivas won for his 41-save, 1.99 ERA season.

Silver Slugger: Our Dave Gonzalez took the award at DH and he should have a better shot at it next year primarily catching.

Rookie of the Year: It was unanimous:



And while Mayes was a worthy winner even more worthy was Pittsburgh's Nick Villafana in the NL who also won unanimously. He'll likely cap a dream season that culminated in a World Series win over us with an MVP award as well after a .319-52-139, 11.4-WAR season.

Cy Young: More unanimity with Houston's Randy Heller winning in the AL thanks to an amazing 22-4, 2.21 which earned him 7.5 WAR. Thought our Dave Rose would place higher but he ended up sixth with Elijah Whitaker finishing eighth. In the NL Atlanta's Mario Uribe took 31 of 32 first-place votes after his 11-7, 2.24 good for a league-best 5.9 WAR.

MVP: Toronto's Jerry Esparza was the AL choice, taking 20 first-place votes on the merits of his .313-41-102, 7.1-WAR season. Our Paul Mayes was our highest finisher in 11th. And to no one's surprise Villafana was a unanimous winner in the NL.

December 4: Our longtime catcher David Morales has found a new home as the free agent signed with San Diego for 5/112. We'll net a 1st-round comp pick as a result.

December 9
: Another of our free agents has signed as closer of the last couple of seasons Mario Berumen landed in St. Louis on a 3/43 deal.

December 12: We have a trade for a back-end reliever:



Welcome aboard, Josh Meenach. The 34-year-old righty has been Milwaukee's closer the last six years, recording 211 saves in that span. He's entering the final year of his contract which the Brewers were glad to eat half of, so the cost isn't huge for us either (neither is Hardy a 1.5-star prospect). The catch with Meenach is that his HR rate spiked last year from 0.7 per 9 to 1.5 although he's still rated 60 movement. Gonna hope it was a fluky, one-year variance that's common with relievers because his 75 stuff still plays. Not sure yet whether he'll be installed as the closer over Devin Tadlock, but he gives us a legit 8th/9th-inning option now.

December 22
: Another long-time bullpen piece goes elsewhere with Danny Sanchez joining the Reds on a 3/22 contract.

December 23: Added 1B Ruben Brown, 2B Prince Brown, P Julio Baez and OF Danny Duran to the 42-man roster.

The two Browns (especially Ruben) and Duran are quality prospects while Baez is a veteran swingman who's been up with us and whom we signed to an MLB contract. We still have some open slots in case something in Rule 5 catches our eye.

December 23: Lost Ps Denzel Mayo and Mario Vargas in the Rule 5 Draft.

No big losses here although Mayo had been a fixture at Durham for the last 6 seasons. He has the fringiest of stuff but good control and movement and he could a 5th starter for Columbus. Vargas was in Seattle's rotation as recently as 2055 and was decent in 24 starts with Durham last year (3.28 ERA, 97 K in 94 IP) and with 55/50/50 ratings will probably make a decent 5th starter for Toronto but we were only looking at him as depth.

December 26: There goes another one - Dave Flores, who was a disappointment in his one season in our bullpen, inked a 2/15 pact with the Dodgers.

December 27: Signed OF Ji-Hoon Kim to a minor league deal.

Kim was a professional IFA from South Korea and the 28-year-old can play the corners with some power (60 current, 65 potential) and a good eye (60). The contact tool is only 45 though, which is why he ended up with an MiLB deal. Still it's depth at Durham and he's a righty batter which is important since all 3 of our starting OFs are lefties.

December 31: Signed C Alex Gonzalez to a 1-year, $1.5M contract.

We have our backup catcher and we'll be going with an all-Gonzalez tandem as Alex will play alongside Dave. He's a 55-rated catcher with 55 power and 45 contact. Nothing special, but enough glove and he swings from the right side, which was important.
Art Deco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-13-2025, 10:30 AM   #2845
Art Deco
Hall Of Famer
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 7,492
2056-57 Offseason: Part 2

January 3: Some big free agent news:



Welcome back Jake Cid! The veteran is in the fold for two more years and gives us the power lefty we were lacking in the pen. He doesn't come cheap and we're committed for two years to a 36-year-old so there's some risk but sometimes you have to take it.

January 4: The Hall of Fame voting is in:



Congrats to Lozada, Padilla and Erickson! Lozada and Padilla were both very similar players - the former had 2985 hits, batted .314 and stole 728 bases while the latter had a massive 3610 hits, batted .309 and stole 739 bases, being the pre-eminent leadoff hitters of their generation. Erickson was one of the game's best all-around players, putting up a career 90 WAR with 410 homers and an MVP season in 2041 in which he earned 9.8 WAR. He also won 4 Gold Gloves for his superior defense. We say goodbye to Bo Bichette but hello to former Rays superstar Omar Rodriguez, who made a good first-year showing. Other former Rays stars Kikuo Kawase, Victor de Jesus and Bo Angeac have kind of stagnated, with Angeac a true longshot at this point.

January 7: The last of our big-name free agent relievers has signed elsewhere as Adan Guardado joined the Mets for 3/27.

February 4: Made our big international amateur free agent signing, adding 16-year-old Venezuelan catcher Angel Gomez. He has potential 75 power and a 75 eye but only 40 contact. Also he may not end up behind the plate as he only has 45 potential defensively.

February 14: Tim Johnson, a swingman with us the last few years, signed a modest 1-year, $1.2M deal with Houston.
Art Deco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-13-2025, 02:10 PM   #2846
Art Deco
Hall Of Famer
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 7,492
2057 Opening Day Roster & Preseason Predictions

An injury-free spring training, which is all we want out of it.

The Opening Day roster is thus:

C-D.Gonzalez, A.Gonzalez
1B-Colon
2B-A.White
SS-Chinchilla
3B-Mayes
IF-A.Gonzales*, Woodard
LF-Bland
CF-H.Dominguez
RF-J.Avalos
OF-Whittaker, Jervis
DH-Machado
*will platoon with Colon at 1B

SP-D.Rose, Whitaker, Swords, Barraza, Mastropietro
LR-Mattila
MR-J.Rose, J.Baez, Boria, McMullan, Witten, Meenach
SU-Cid
CL-Tadlock

Aside from the offseason acquisitions (A.Gonzalez, Meenach, J.Rose, McMullan) also making the team are a couple of blasts from the past who were out of options: IF Jayden Woodard and P Julio Baez. Woodard is a superior defender who would probably win a Gold Glove at 2B if he played every day and can play SS well too. Baez pitched well in Durham's rotation last year and will pitch in long/middle relief and is there in case someone in the rotation gets hurt.

The friendly faces:



So what does OOTP think of this crew?



Not bad even though it has us second to Baltimore. Hoping the call for a bounce-back Jesus Avalos season verifies.

The season starts with 4 games at home against Boston.
Art Deco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2025, 08:27 AM   #2847
Art Deco
Hall Of Famer
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 7,492
March 29-April 1, 2057: vs Boston (4)

The Opening Day box:



One More Win is the motto around Publix Park as the Rays come off a 2056 season in which they lost Game 7 of the World Series, and they got 2057 off to a roaring start with an 11-1 drubbing of the Red Sox. Dave Rose was his usual dominant self and the offense had fun, led by Joel Bland who missed a couple of months last season with injury and who is hoping for a breakout year.

Game 2: It was more of the same as Steve Swords was excellent and the bats prospered again in a 7-1 win. Swords went 7 3 1 1 0 8 in a masterful performance and Henry Dominguez led the attack with an RBI double and a 2-run homer, his first of the year. Dantel Chinchilla was 2-3 with 2 RBI as well.

Game 3: The Rays took a quick 2-0 lead on a 2-run Dave Gonzalez homer (#1) and looked to be on their way but that's all the offense could manage despite several additional chances to score and lost their first game of 2057 3-2 to the Red Sox. It all came apart when Boston scored 3 in the 6th against Elijah Whitaker, who had been dominating, leaving him with a 5.1 5 3 3 1 9 line.

Game 4: Another game that good off to a good start for Tampa Bay (up 4-2 after 3) went sour thereafter as Boston came back to split the series after roughing up the Rays 10-4. Henry Dominguez homered again (#2) and Dave Gonzalez drove in two more runs but Jorge Barraza's inconsistency carried over from last season and 3 errors behind him didn't help as he's more defense-dependent than our top 3 starters. He took the loss after going 5 6 5 2 0 5 and then the bullpen let it get away in the 7th as Joe Rose and Victor Boria combined to allow 5 runs.

Team record: 2-2. Next up: Oakland visits for 3 games.
Art Deco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-18-2025, 01:24 PM   #2848
Art Deco
Hall Of Famer
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 7,492
April 2-4, 2057: vs Oakland (3)

Game 1: It was a bullpen disaster as Devin Tadlock blew the save in the 9th and then gave up the go-ahead runs in the 10th, dooming the Rays to a 7-5 loss to Oakland in 10 innings at Publix Park. Tampa Bay took a 4-3 lead into the 9th thanks to Vinny Colon's second homer of the game and third of the season, a 2-run shot in the 6th, and a quality start from Randy Mastropietro (6 6 3 3 0 2). But Tadlock (0-1) gave up his second double of the 9th with 2 outs to let the A's tie in his first appearance of the season, and then stayed on to make a mess in the 10th, being charged with two more runs when Danny McMullan didn't help matters out. Colon ended up 3-3 with 2 walks, 2 homers and 3 RBI in a big day that went to waste.

Game 2: Dave Rose was dominant again but the bats were not so it cost him a win but the team still managed one by finally pushing across a run in the bottom of the 10th to take a 1-0 win over the A's. Rose was perfect through the first six innings before giving up a leadoff single in the 7th and finished 8 4 0 0 0 5. Jake Cid (1-0) went the next two innings and ended up a winner when Henry Dominguez walked, stole second, and scored on an RBI single from Dave Gonzalez to walk it off.

Game 3: Tampa Bay's offensive struggles continued for four more innings as they put numerous men on base but only scored once before breaking out for 11(!) runs in the 5th including two more homers from Vinny Colon to annihilate the A's 14-3. Colon broke a 1-1 tie in the 5th with his first round-tripper of the inning, a 2-run shot, Dave Gonzalez added a 2-run double, Jesus Avalos cleared them with another double and then Colon capped the onslaught with a 3-run blast, his 5th of the year already. The Rays had 19 hits in total with Avalos going 4-4 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI and Gonzalez's 2 RBI gave him 9 in 7 games. Steve Swords (2-0) was the beneficiary of this offensive largesse and went a solid 6 5 2 2 1 3 for the victory.

Team record: 4-3. Next up: An off-day before our season-opening 4-team, 10-game homestand concludes with 3 against the Angels.
Art Deco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-20-2025, 06:44 PM   #2849
Art Deco
Hall Of Famer
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 7,492
April 6-8, 2057: vs LA Angels (3)

Game 1: Elijah Whitaker pitched a gem and the Rays rolled to a 6-1 win over the Angels at Publix Park to kick off a 3-game set. Whitaker (1-1) was a tidy 7 4 1 1 2 3 and the big hits behind him were a 2-run Dave Gonzalez single in the 2nd (giving him 11 RBI in only 8 games so far) and a 2-run Henry Dominguez homer (#3).

Game 2: Tampa Bay prevailed again over LA but they had to hang on as the bullpen turned a 4-1 lead into a 4-3 squeak-by. Jorge Barraza (1-1) was outstanding at 6.1 4 1 1 2 6 but Josh Meenach gave up a solo homer in the 8th, Jake Cid gave up a run in the 9th, and Devin Tadlock had to come in and he loaded the bases before getting the final out for his 1st save. Vinny Colon scored two of the four runs and on one of them he drove in himself, hitting homer #6.

Game 3
: The finale was a back-and-forth affair and settled in at 5-5 after 6 before the Rays walked it off in the 10th on a Vinny Colon RBI to finish off the sweep with a 6-5 win over the Angels. Aaron White had a 2-run triple in the 4th to help stake Randy Mastropietro to a 4-2 lead but the lefty gave up a 3-run homer to former Ray Alex Duran in the 6th which put LA ahead. Only briefly though as White delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the inning which sent us to extras. Mastropietro ended up 5 7 5 5 2 3 and the relief win went to Devin Tadlock (1-1).

Team record: 7-3. Next up: We embark on the first road trip of the season, but it will be a very short one as we go to Minnesota for 3 before returning home again.

Some love from the league for our second-year first-sacker:

Art Deco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-23-2025, 10:08 AM   #2850
Art Deco
Hall Of Famer
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 7,492
April 9-11, 2057: at Minnesota (3)

Game 1: Vinny Colon continues to carry the team as his 3-run homer in the 6th was the decisive blow in a 4-3 win over the Twins at Target Field in their series opener. Colon now has 7 HR and 17 RBI in only 11 games as he's showing there's no sophomore jinx for him this year. You could also make the case that Dave Rose is carrying them as the Rays ace delivered again, improving to 2-0 after going 7 7 1 1 0 10. The bullpen made it way too interesting again with Joe Rose allowing a run in the 8th and Jake Cid getting his first save despite yielding a run himself.

Game 2: Despite a strong start to the season the bullpen continues to bedevil the Rays and today Devin Tadlock's woes continued when he served up a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 9th to give Minnesota a 2-1 win. Tadlock is now 1-2 and sports a 13.50 ERA in the early going, not inspiring confidence as the anointed closer. As a result Steve Swords was denied a win after going 6 4 0 0 1 2 and Dantel Chinchilla's 1st homer of the year is a footnote rather than a game-winner.

Game 3: Tampa Bay had an easier time of it in the finale, beating Minnesota 6-1 behind Elijah Whitaker. The lefty went to 2-1 thanks to an excellent 6.2 4 1 1 1 6 outing although even with the sizable lead the bullpen gave us a scare again when Danny McMullan loaded the bases in the 9th before Devin Tadlock got the final out for save #2, bouncing back from last night's blown save. Jesus Avalos homered (#2) and drove in a pair and Angel Gonzales was 2-3 with a walk and an RBI.

Team record: 9-4, one game up on Toronto. Next up: A day off then we return home for 3 against Boston.
Art Deco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-25-2025, 09:03 PM   #2851
Art Deco
Hall Of Famer
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 7,492
April 13-15, 2057: vs Boston (3)

Game 1: The Rays lost a tough one on their return home against Boston, falling 3-2. Jorge Barraza (1-2) went 6.2 7 3 3 3 4 in the loss while Joel Bland homered (#2) in the 8th to get them within one but they'd get no closer.

After the game we made a trade:



Machado had been a semi-regular the last few years, first at 2B and then mostly at DH last year as his fielding left a lot to be desired. He could always hit, batting 292/353/448 in nearly 1500 AB with us but had lost his grip on the DH role this year to Angel Gonzales. In return we receive Flores, who will upgrade our OF crew, and should get to play against lefties as he's a switch hitter with 55 contact (60 potential) and 60 power who's decent in the corners. The deal also frees up $3.6M in salary to help with any we might want to add in a later deal. As a result we demoted Emmanuel Jervis to AAA Durham. Jervis has had a bizarre tenure with us - he was claimed on waivers from Baltimore in late August while we were playing them and homered twice against his old club in his Rays debut. But after that he went 0-37 the rest of the way and was 0-7 this year in limited action. We also called up another good-hit, no-field 2B in Terry Jackson, our 4th-round pick in 2051 who's hit all the way up the ladder including .355 between Montgomery and Durham last year and is rated 60 contact/50 power/65 gap. He'll get occasional DH starts and pinch-hit.

Game 2
: The Rays evened up the series with Boston thanks to a 7-2 win, which was a 3-2 game before Dantel Chinchilla broke it open with a grand slam (#2) in the bottom of the 8th. Earlier Tampa Bay got solo homers from Henry Dominguez (#4) and Jesus Avalos (#3) to back another fine Dave Rose (3-0, 0.64) start as he went 6.1 5 2 1 4 6, a bit wild by his standards.

Game 3: Tampa Bay took the low-scoring rubber game of the series 3-0 as Randy Mastropietro and three relievers combined on a 5-hit shutout of the Red Sox. Mastropietro (1-0) pitched his best game of the season going 6 4 0 0 1 6 and most notably Devin Tadlock finally closed a game without incident, fanning a pair in a 1-2-3 9th for his 3rd save. Dave Gonzalez led the offense, going 3-4 with a 2-run single which gave him 16 RBI in 15 games this year.

Team record: 11-5, 2 1/2 ahead of the Yankees. Next up: 4 games in Baltimore.
Art Deco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2025, 06:19 PM   #2852
Art Deco
Hall Of Famer
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 7,492
April 16-19, 2057: at Baltimore (4)

Game 1: The Rays stole one on the road from Baltimore in 11 innings 4-3 as the Orioles had numerous opportunities to score (16 hits, 13 LOB total) but failed to do so and after Joel Bland had his third hit and second double of the game with two out in the 11th, Aaron White singled him home for the win. Steve Swords was certainly hittable today, going 4 12 3 3 3 21 but credit to the bullpen for only allowing 4 hits over the final 7 innings to buy time for the offense to win it. Erik Witten (1-0) was credited with the victory while Bland also drove in another run and Brian Whittaker was 2-2 with an RBI single.

Game 2: Tampa Bay scored early and often and although Baltimore made a couple of comeback attempts they fell short as the Rays took an 11-5 win. Paul Mayes, off to a slow start after a banner rookie season, had a 2-run homer (#1) to cap a 5-run 2nd which put them up 6-0 and later Mayes finished off a 4-RBI day with a run-scoring triple in the 9th. Meanwhile Dave Gonzalez continues to be Mr. RBI, driving in two more on a pair of hits to give him a team-high 18. Eljiah Whitaker (3-1) was pretty lousy at 5 10 5 5 1 3 with a pair of homers allowed but got the win thanks to the generous run support and a line drive double play he got to get out of the 5th and qualify for the decision.

Game 3: The Rays' high-wire pitching act finally caught up to them as Baltimore belted out 16 more hits but got the men home this time as they prevailed 11-6 in a game they led 9-1. Jorge Barraza (1-3) was today's starter to be knocked around as he just didn't have it going 3 9 7 6 1 0 while the bullpen allowed 4 more runs as well. Tampa Bay did get homers from Vinny Colon (#8), and a couple of first-timers: new trade acquisition Manny Flores, his 3rd of the year counting 2 he hit for St. Louis and Terry Jackson, with his first hit in the bigs going yard.

Game 4: Dave Rose was dominant but left in a little too long and he also received no support from the bats in a tough 2-0 loss to the Orioles. Rose (3-1) didn't deserve his first loss of 2057 after going 7.1 4 2 2 1 12 as he took a 2-hit shutout into the 8th and topped 100 pitches before giving up a decisive 2-run single. At the same time the bats could only scratch out a meager 3 singles as they had to settle for a split of the 4-game series.

Team record: 13-7
, still 2 1/2 up on the Yankees. Next up: A jaunt up I-95 to face the Red Sox at Fenway for 3.
Art Deco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-02-2025, 02:56 PM   #2853
Art Deco
Hall Of Famer
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 7,492
April 20-22, 2057: at Boston (3)

Game 1: A thrilling win for the Rays as Dantel Chinchilla delivered a 2-run single in the 9th to tie the game and Joel Bland won it with a 3-run homer (#3) to give Tampa Bay an 8-5 win over Boston at Fenway. Before that they trailed 5-3 with Randy Mastropietro going 5.1 7 4 4 2 6 and Vinny Colon's 2-run homer (#9) and Jayden Woodard's solo shot (his first as a Ray and 2nd of his MLB career) accounting for the scoring. Josh Meenach (1-0) picked up the win and Devin Tadlock had a 1-2-3 10th for save #4.

Game 2
: Steve Swords went to 3-0 and Aaron White drove in 3 runs to lead the Rays to a 6-3 win over the Red Sox in the second game. Swords went 5 4 2 2 4 6 on 91 pitches and the pen held with Devin Tadlock saving again (#5) despite loading the bases in the 9th. Henry Dominguez had a 3-hit day including a double and a triple.

Game 3
: Tampa Bay completed the sweep with another 6-3 win over Boston, jumping out to a 6-1 lead by the 5th. A trio of homers helped them build that lead with Jesus Avalos hitting a 2-run shot (#4), Alex Gonzalez going solo with his first homer as Ray, and Dantel Chinchilla capping a 3-RBI day with a 2-run bomb (#3) over the Monster. Elijah Whitaker had to leave after going 2.1 2 0 0 0 2 so we had to use 5 relievers including Julio Baez (1-0) who got the win and Jake Cid who got save #2.

Team record: 16-7
, 4 games up on Toronto. Next up: A return home for 3 against the 9-13 White Sox.
Art Deco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2025, 08:28 AM   #2854
Art Deco
Hall Of Famer
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 7,492
April 23-25, 2057: vs Chicago White Sox (3)

Game 1: Jorge Barraza was in fine form, leading the Rays to a 6-1 win over the White Sox in the opener at Publix Park. Barraza (2-3) was a tidy 6 5 1 1 0 3 and got support from Aaron White (3-4, 2B, 2 RBI) and Dave Gonzalez (2-4, 2 more RBI). Manny Flores added a solo homer, his 2nd as a Ray and 4th overall.

Game 2
: High drama in Tampa as Paul Mayes' RBI single tied the game with 2 out in the 9th and rookie Terry Jackson came through in the 13th with his own RBI knock to give the Rays a 5-4 win over Chicago. In a rare instance Dave Rose simply didn't have it today (3.2 8 4 4 2 1) and he put his team in holes of 3-0 and 4-3. But the bullpen responded with 9 2/3 scoreless innings with Jake Cid (2-0) getting the win after pitching the last two. Vinny Colon had a 2-run homer (#10) early to get them back in the game.

Game 3: Tampa Bay completed its second straight series sweep with a 6-2 win over the White Sox behind the bat of Aaron White. The second-sacker had a big series and capped it with a 3-3 performance that featured an RBI double and his first homer of the year, a solo shot. Randy Mastropietro (2-0) was the beneficiary, getting the win after going 5 3 2 2 1 7 and Danny McMullan got his first Rays save by going the final two, staying on for the 9th after the lead was expanded to 4.

Team record: 19-7, 4 1/2 up on the Yankees who are our next opponents as we travel to the Bronx for 3 after a day off.
Art Deco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2025, 09:35 AM   #2855
Art Deco
Hall Of Famer
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 7,492
April 27-29, 2057: at NY Yankees (3)

Game 1: The Rays looked buried in the opener, down 3-0 after 7, but rallied to tie it in the 8th and won it in the 9th, prevailing 5-3 at Yankee Stadium. Jesus Avalos' 3-run homer (#5) in the 8th was the key blow and Dantel Chinchilla delivered a 2-run double in the 9th for the win. Steve Swords had a decent start (5.1 5 3 2 3 5) and Jake Cid (3-0) got to save his own win by staying on after getting two outs in the 8th.

Game 2: Tampa Bay took a quick 2-0 lead in the second game but things went sour in a 6-run Yankee 6th and they lost to New York 6-2. Jorge Barraza (2-4) was cruising, shutting out the Yankees on 3 hits through 5, but it all fell apart in the 6th and Victor Boria couldn't stop the bleeding leaving Barraza with a 5.1 6 4 4 1 3 line in the loss.

Game 3
: It was another game where the Rays offense took its time waking up, but they scored 3 in the 6th after not recording a hit until that inning and thanks to some pitching it was enough to take a 3-1 win and the series from the Yankees. A bases-loaded walk to Joel Bland followed by a 2-run single from Vinny Colon was all the scoring they needed thanks to Elijah Whitaker (4-1) who went 5.2 3 1 1 3 7 and the bullpen as Jake Cid earned his 3rd save.

Team record: 21-8, 5 up on Toronto. Next up: Home for 3 against Detroit.
Art Deco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-11-2025, 10:20 AM   #2856
Art Deco
Hall Of Famer
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 7,492
April 30-May 2, 2057: vs Detroit (3)

Game 1: This one was over barely after it started as the Rays scored 6 times in the first and went on to a 10-0 rout of the Tigers at Publix Park. Joel Bland had a 2-run homer (#4) in that opening frame and Henry Dominguez's 2-run single was his second hit of the inning as they batted around. Aaron White added a 2-run shot (#2) in the 2nd as part of a 4-4 day, and the way Dave Rose (4-1) has pitched this year he didn't need a lot of runs but got them while going 7 7 0 0 0 9 to lower his ERA to 1.55.

Game 2: Same story, different day as Tampa Bay trounced the Tigers 13-1. Another big first inning (3 runs) got them going and they kept piling on. Dantel Chinchilla had his 2nd grand slam and 4th homer of the young season, Angel Gonzales was 3-5 with a 2-run shot (#3) and Paul Mayes went 3-5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI. It was all more than enough for Randy Mastropietro (3-0) who went 5.2 7 0 0 3 3.

Game 3
: The Tigers turned the tables in the finale, routing the Rays 7-1. Steve Swords suffered his first defeat of the season (now 3-1) as things got away from him in a 5-run 4th and he finished a brutal 4.1 8 7 7 1 4.

Team record: 23-9, 5 1/2 up on the Yankees. Next up: a day off then a trip to Cleveland to play 3.
Art Deco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2025, 03:14 PM   #2857
Art Deco
Hall Of Famer
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 7,492
May 4-6, 2057: at Cleveland (3)

Game 1: Aaron White had a big game and the Rays held on to defeat Cleveland 6-4 in the opener at Progressive Field. The second-sacker had three hits including a double and a big 2-run homer (#3) which put them up 4-1 in the 5th and Henry Dominguez added a 2-run shot (#6) in the 6th that proved to be the difference. Jorge Barraza (3-4) was solid at 6.2 4 3 3 1 4 but Devin Tadlock made a meal of it in the 9th, giving up a run and loading the bases before fanning the final Guardian for a shaky 6th save.

Game 2: The Rays were taken the woodshed in the second game, blown out to the tune of 10-2. They scored a run in the top of the 1st for Elijah Whitaker (4-2) but the young righty didn't have it today, finishing 4 8 6 6 4 4.

Game 3: Tampa Bay took the rubber game from Cleveland behind yet another impeccable outing from Dave Rose and they romped 9-2 over Cleveland. Rose improved to 5-1, 1.35 after a 7 5 0 0 0 9 performance and he had plenty of support. Jesus Avalos was 3-5 with a 2-run homer (#6), Vinny Colon went yard (#11) with a man on in the 1st and Alex Gonzales was 3-4 with 2 ribbies.

Team record: 25-10, 6 up on now-second place Toronto. Next up: The road trip continues with 3 in Baltimore.
Art Deco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-17-2025, 07:55 PM   #2858
Art Deco
Hall Of Famer
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 7,492
May 7-9, 2057: at Baltimore (3)

Game 1: The offense did its job, scoring 7 runs, but the pitching didn't as the Rays fell 8-7 to the Orioles in the series opener. Randy Mastropietro (3-1) was given a 5-3 lead in the 4th but he and Julio Baez conspired to allow 5 runs in the inning and although Dave Gonzalez's 2-run homer (#2) got them back within one, that was as good as it got. Mastropietro finished an ugly 3.1 7 6 6 2 3 while the Rays got homers from Dantel Chinchilla (#5, solo) and Jesus Avalos (#7, a 2-run shot).

May 8: Placed OF Joel Bland on the 10-day IL with patellar tendinitis, recalled OF Emmanuel Jervis from AAA Durham.


Bland was hurt in yesterday's game and will miss about 2 1/2 weeks. Manny Flores will get most of the starts in LF.

Game 2: Another high-scoring loss as the bullpen let things get away in a 9-5 defeat to Baltimore. Steve Swords (3-2) was decent in his start (5.1 6 3 3 2 6) despite taking the loss but Victor Boria, Erik Witten and Danny McMullen each allowed 2 runs in a poor display of pitching. Paul Mayes had an 8th-inning 2-run homer (#2) that got them within 7-5 before McMullen gave it right back and Jesus Avalos homered for the third straight day (#8).

Game 3: Well the offense scored 18 runs over three days but thanks to a trio of horrible games from the staff Tampa Bay was swept in Baltimore, dropping the finale 10-6. Today it was Jorge Barraza (3-5) who couldn't get it done, giving up homers to the first two men he faced and three on the day on the way to going 5 8 6 6 1 1. Jesus Avalos continued his insane homer binge with two more (#9 & 10), giving him 5 homers over 4 straight games but it was once again for naught. To add injury to insult CF Henry Dominguez had to leave with back stiffness and will miss 4 games.

Team record: 25-13
. The Yankees swept their series, slicing 3 games off our division lead and reducing it to 3 1/2 while we're now only 4 up on the Orioles. Next up: After an off-day we're off to Austin for 3 games against the Dukes down a couple of starting OFs.
Art Deco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-21-2025, 12:21 PM   #2859
Art Deco
Hall Of Famer
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 7,492
May 11-13, 2057: at Austin (3)

Game 1: The Rays continued to pitch poorly and lost their fourth straight, dropping the opener to the Dukes 8-4 in Austin. Eljiah Whitaker (4-3) had his struggles at 5 6 5 4 1 4 and the bullpen wasn't much help either. As a result a big game from Aaron White (2-4, HR #4, 3 RBI) went to waste.

Game 2: Despite ace Dave Rose taking the hill the Rays didn't end their run of poor pitching but at least this time scored enough runs to snap a 4-game losing streak, beating Austin 10-6. After taking leads to 3-0 and 5-2 it looked like they'd cruise behind Rose but he too had his problems and lost the lead in finishing 5 10 5 5 1 6. Fortunately Emmanuel Jervis got his first hit in 48(!) at-bats as a Ray with a 2-run tie-breaking homer in the 7th and Dave Gonzalez capped a 3-RBI day with a 2-run single to put it away in the 9th. Angel Gonzales meanwhile had a pair of homers (#4 & 5) and drove in three. The win went to Victor Boria (1-0) in relief even though he allowed the tying run to score and gave up one of his own, and Jake Cid got the final five outs for save #4. The win was costly however as starting 2B Aaron White suffered biceps tendinitis and will miss six weeks.

May 13: Placed 2B Aaron White on the 10-day IL, recalled SS Alex Brown from AAA Durham
.

Brown of course had been up with the big club for most of the last few years and only went down because Jayden Woodard was out of options. He and Woodard will platoon at SS with Dantel Chinchilla shifting over to 2B. Chinchilla's D at SS has been poor this year while Woodard and Brown boast great gloves so this will tighten things up defensively.

Game 3: The Rays actually got a decently-pitched game for a change as they overwhelmed the Dukes 14-5 in the finale to take the series. Randy Mastropietro (4-1) took a 2-hit shutout into the 6th before getting into some trouble and all 3 men he put on scored to leave him with a 5.1 4 3 3 1 1 line and Joe Rose gave up 2 in the 9th but overall the pitching wasn't bad. And of course the hitters raked, with Jesus Avalos leading the way with HR #11 and 4 RBI while Angel Gonzales, Manny Flores and Alex Brown each knocking in a pair. Brown was 3-5 with a double and 3 runs scored to go with the ribbies in his season debut.

Team record: 27-14. Still 3 1/2 ahead of the Yankees, who also took 2 of 3. Next up: Home for four games against those very New Yorkers.
Art Deco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-23-2025, 05:20 PM   #2860
Art Deco
Hall Of Famer
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 7,492
May 14-17, 2057: vs NY Yankees (4)

Game 1: Some late Publix Park magic for the Rays as rookie pinch-hitter Terry Jackson came off the bench to deliver a bases-clearing double in the bottom of the 8th, breaking a 1-1 tie and giving Tampa Bay a 4-1 win in the opener of this big early-season series with the Yankees. Steve Swords had the snowflake next to his name but turned things around with a dominant 6 3 1 1 1 10 outing but wasn't even taken off the hook for a loss until the Rays tied it in the 6th. Victor Boria (2-0) got the win and Devin Tadlock had a 1-2-3 9th for his 7th save.

Game 2: It was the Yankees' turn to strike late as they bombed the Tampa Bay bullpen for 5 runs in the 8th to turn a 2-2 tie into an 8-2 rout. Jake Cid (3-1) got through the 7th but ran into big-time trouble in the 8th putting 3 men on, all of whom came around to score thanks to himself and Victor Boria. As a result a decent start from Jorge Barraza (5 5 2 2 3 5) and solo homers from Jesus Avalos (#12) and Paul Mayes (#3) went for naught.

Game 3
: For the third time in three days it went down to the wire and this time it was the Yankees prevailing again with a run in the 9th to beat the Rays 4-3. Elijah Whitaker had a rough first inning allowing three runs but settled into quite the groove finishing 7 5 3 3 0 10. This bought the offense time to come back and tie which they did in the 7th on Jayden Woodard's solo homer (#2) but Devin Tadlock (1-3) gave up a single, a stolen base and another single in the 9th as the Yankees plated the winner.

Game 4: It was up to the Rays' old reliable, Dave Rose, to salvage a split of the series and keep the Yankees from gaining any ground over the four days and he came through along with the offense, which exploded for 8 runs in the 7th to snap a 1-1 tie as Tampa Bay prevailed 9-1. Rose improved to 6-1, 1.93 after a typically-excellent 7 3 1 1 1 9 performance, and his 2.6 WAR in mid-May leads all of baseball. But it wasn't until that huge 7th inning that he was in line to win. Paul Mayes was initially given the day off but came off the bench in a critical situation against lefty and former Ray Mel Mejia to deliver a tie-breaking single, Henry Dominguez followed with a 2-run double, and then Manny Flores (#3/5) and Dave Gonzalez (#3) tacked on 2-run homers for good measure.

Team record: 29-16
, still then 3 1/2 up on the Yankees. Next up: off to Toronto for 3 games.
Art Deco is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 02:34 PM.

 

Major League and Minor League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com and MiLB.com.

Officially Licensed Product – MLB Players, Inc.

Out of the Park Baseball is a registered trademark of Out of the Park Developments GmbH & Co. KG

Google Play is a trademark of Google Inc.

Apple, iPhone, iPod touch and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

COPYRIGHT © 2023 OUT OF THE PARK DEVELOPMENTS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

 

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.10
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright © 2024 Out of the Park Developments