The 2025 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Game 1:



Game 2:



Game 3:

And once again the summer storms came, this time in the 3rd inning of a 0-0 game which was suspended and will be completed July 7. We're going to have logjam of games coming up next month.

The standings:



The Rays are 1/2 game out in the fourth wild card position.

Next up: We have a day off before heading to Kansas City for 3 games to face the struggling Royals.

Players of the Week:

AL: Lawrence Butler (ATH), 11-22, 3 HR, 6 RBI
NL: Francisco Lindor (NY), 12-25, 2 HR, 3 RBI

MLB News: Three pitchers saw their 2025 season come to an early end: The Dodgers' Roki Sasaki (shoulder inflammation) and Tony Gonsolin (partially torn UCL), and Boston's Tanner Houck (also a partially torn UCL). Also Toronto's Andres Gimenez had a 6-hit game.

[Art Deco]

Game 1:



Game 2:



Game 3:



Always good to win series on the road, and this one was no exception as it put the Rays into the third wild card, 1/2 game up on Toronto.

[Art Deco]

Game 1:



Game 2:



Game 3:



And after taking two of three in Kansas City, they drop two of three in Baltimore. Such is the life of a .500 team.

Players of the Week:

AL: This guy:



NL: Marcell Ozuna (ATL), 10-24, 5 HR, 7 RBI

The standings will be in the midseason review following this post.

[Art Deco]

Record: 42-40
3rd place AL East, 7 1/2 behind Boston, 3rd Wild Card 1/2 game up on Toronto.

As the record would indicate it's been a season of fits and starts for the Rays although they did overcome a poor start (especially at Steinbrenner Field, their temporary home). The offense has been surprisingly good but the pitching and defense has been below the traditional Rays standard. Some of that will hopefully be helped when ace Shane McClanahan returns from injury around the All-Star break. And despite the uninspiring record the Rays are in a playoff spot at the moment, though just barely and will play on the road quite a bit in the second half with the scheduled front-loaded with home games in an attempt to minimize the threat of rainouts from Tampa's summer thunderstorm season.

Here's how things look around MLB at the midway mark:



Team stats:



These are some impressive offensive numbers and if put together with the usual Rays pitching and defense you'd have a first-place team. But this isn't the usual Rays pitching and defense, it's been mediocre-to-awful at times. The defense especially - regular CF Jonny DeLuca has hit but has a brutal -4.9 ZR despite being considered a 55 at the position. SS has been bad too - Kim, Peraza and Caballero have combined for a -7.1 ZR t the position with only the demoted Taylor Walls a positive (+0.2). Kim is a -1.8 in 24 games which is not what we thought we'd get from him. Meanwhile at 2B, B.Lowe is a -3.5 so just poor D up the middle. Only Josh Lowe in RF (+2.6 in 37 games) has been a superior defender.

The batting stats:



A true breakout season for Aranda, and while no great shakes with the glove B.Lowe has regained his power stroke. It looks like the aging curve has caught up with Yandy, who dropped off substantially from 2023 to 2024 and has done so again so far this year. We could move him before the deadline so we don't have to pay $12M next year for further decline.



Some of the pitching has really been homer-prone - Bradley, Pepiot and Littell in particular. When McClanahan returns Littell will be the odd man out and as a pending free agent we'll likely be dealing him as well (for how much I wonder). The bullpen has also been shaky outside of Fairbanks and Cleavinger with last year's big surprise Uceta turning back into a pumpkin. Stewart has been a good pickup so far. This staff is capable of better and they're going to have to pick it up.

The farm:



We have three big prospects, and unlike real-life they're having great seasons and haven't regressed, so if we trade Yandy Isaac could get a look or BLowe could move to first with Taylor coming up or Kim could slide to second with C.Williams up. This would probably help the team defense. Simpson is also an interesting case with his ludicrous speed and bat-to-ball ability.

Also in the trade department I have two utility infielders (Peraza/Caballero) and I'm shy an OF so one of them could be dealt in the very near future.

[Art Deco]

First as alluded to in the previous post, a trade:



Peraza was a freebie off waivers and did decent work but had tailed off lately and his numbers at SS weren't very good. Barrosa had a cup of coffee with Arizona last September and projects as a fourth OF type with decent defense, above-average speed and average hitting tools except for subpar (35) power. To fill Peraza's spot and improve the OF defense Jake Mangum is up from Durham. He'll play a decent amount in CF with DeLuca moving to RF against lefties.

Game 1:



The injury to Baz was a tweak of his back, he'll have to skip his next start but we have an off-day so no need to call up anyone.

Game 2:



Game 3:



A big series sweep for the Rays, including a thrilling finale in which they got back-to-back doubles from B.Lowe and Yandy with two out in the 9th off top closer Mason Miller to tie before going on to win in the 10th. As a result they (for now) escape the gravitational pull of .500 and move a season-high 5 games over it while moving 3 games ahead of the pack in the third wild card slot and one game behind Detroit for the 2nd. Next up: A day-off then the 4th of July weekend in Minnesota.

Players of the Month (June):

AL Batter: Lawrence Butler (ATH), .375-13-22
NL Batter: James Wood (WAS), .372-4-20
AL Pitcher: George Kirby (SEA), 5-1, 1.79, 6/43 BB/K in 45 IP
NL Pitcher: Spencer Schwellenbach (ATL), 4-0, 1.40, 28 K in 25.2 IP
AL Rookie: Brady Basso (ATH), 3-1, 3.41, 32 K in 34 IP
NL Rookie: Michael McGreevy (STL), 2-0, 4.15, 19 K in 26 IP

Also this guy didn't pout when he was sent back to Durham about a month ago:



MLB News: Seattle lost closer Andres Munoz for a month with shoulder inflammation. The Mariners are one of three teams 3 games behind the Rays for the third wild card.

[Art Deco]

Game 1:



Mother Nature put out the fireworks in the Minnesota on July 4 with the Rays on the short end of the stick after 4 1/2 innings.

Game 2:



Game 3:



Between the second and third games we made another deal to fortify the bullpen:



It's welcome back to Florida for Puk, who was a star for the Florida Gators about 10 years ago. He's an upgrade as a second lefty behind Garrett Cleavinger in the pen as rookie Mason Montgomery had been a mixed bag this season. Montgomery will go to Durham to make room for Puk, who had a 3.24 ERA and 15 saves for Arizona, which is in rebuild mode. We only had to give up a couple of C+ prospects in Baker and Lindsey while Puk is still under team control albeit at a projected $5.5M in arbitration.

Meanwhile the Rays' recent surge continues with a road series win in Minnesota which saw some quality pitching as they only allowed 7 runs in the 3 games and are now a season-high 6 games over .500. They have a very busy week ahead with 8 games in 7 days - the regularly-scheduled 3 in Detroit plus resumption of a suspended game between the clubs in Tampa the week before followed by 4 games in Boston before hitting the All-Star break. The amateur draft will also come at the end of the week and the Rays are picking their highest (#14) since 2018.

Here's how the standings look:



The Rays and Tigers are 3 games up on Toronto in 4th place in the wild card standings.

Players of the Week:

AL: Vinnie Pasquantino (KC), 14-30, 1 HR, 7 RBI
NL: Bryan Reynolds (PIT), 13-26, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Rays News: We had a couple of minor leaguers win Player of the Week in their respective leagues: Low-A Charleston's Emelien Pitre was 10-23 with 5 HR and 12 RBI as last year's 2nd round pick won the Carolina League honors and slugging prospect Brailer Guerrero was the DSL honoree after going 10-23 with 5 HR and 14 RBI.

[Art Deco]

The reason for the question marks in the title regarding the number of games is that we completed a suspended game that was halted in Tampa here in Detroit and played two games on Monday in what was supposed to be a total of 4 games over 3 days. But Wednesday's game was rained out in Detroit so we'll make it up on a mutual off day on Thursday August 7.

For the resumption of the suspended game we brought up Joe Boyle, who had a 5-inning no-hit cameo earlier in the season, to take over on the mound in the 4th inning and serve as the "27th man" (even though OOTP doesn't let you do this, so I sent down Taj for a moment). Here's how that game went:



It went quite well as it turned out.

Game 2:



Game 3:



An impressive sweep of sorts as the Rays have become one of baseball's hottest teams, winning 5 straight and are 12-4 over their last 16. This has moved them into the second wild card, 3 up on Toronto and Detroit, and has them 3 1/2 off the division lead (and first wild card) with the Yankees and Boston tied.

And Boston is the next place they head for 4 games before hitting the All-Star break. And since we're only about three weeks removed from real life and Boston just made the massive Rafael Devers deal with the Giants, I also made it here in this save so I could have both teams with their "correct" players going forward. It never would have been made without my intervention of course, especially as this happened when I set it up:



OOTP clearly doesn't like this deal from the Giants' perspective. Also we will be facing Kyle Harrison in his Red Sox debut in this save in the series opener next and our pitchers will be glad not to have to face Devers.

[Art Deco]

Here's a look at Round 1 around in the league in which we had 3 picks thanks to a competitive balance selection as well as the Athletics' CB pick which we acquired in the Jeffrey Springs trade.



And the Rays high picks:



Schoolcraft: The high-school lefty was our first-round pick in my 2024 save as well and he has Chris Sale-type potential to dream on (80/60/45). He can also hit some with 45/55 potential (and a 65 eye) and was succeeding on both ends in the minors in that other save and will surely get some two-way reps here. The only wrinkle is that he wants $11M, which is well over the $6.5M or so slot. He was offered slot but we saved enough money on succeeding picks to pay him the $11M if we have to (shh, don't tell him that though).

Hussey: And the low-contact, big-power slugger from college who only demanded a $75K bonus is one of those guys we're saving $ on but the West Virginia 1B has current 60 MLB power with 80 potential. Of course it goes with 30 current contact that could rise to 45 so he's going to be a tricky one who could pay off with a lot of homers.

Hartshorn: A high-school OF from SoCal with 50/70 potential and also could be a 60 in LF. He too was willing to go under slot.

Fien: Touted as a first-round pick by many this California HS 3B fell to us in the second round and has 60/50 potential with the hope of being a decent fielder at the hot corner.

Freitas: A prep starter from Illinois with 65/45/40 potential so he's going to have to limit the homers and walks to make the best use of his above-average stuff.

Brumbaugh: Another prep bat, this one's a SS from Oklahoma with 60/45 potential and who could stick at short and if not be a credible 3B. The hit tool looks promising with 70 BABIP potential.

Blair: This all-around athlete from a SoCal high school was progged to go earlier but was available in the 4th. At 18 he's already considered a 60 MLB LF and 50 MLB CF with 75/60 defensive potential and has 70 speed. He also has 65 potential power although contact could be an issue with 45 his projected ceiling. Still a steal in the 4th and he was also someone I drafted in the 2024 save.

Jackson: A college junior from Arizona State, Jackson is already an elite defender (65/55/60 across the OF as of now, 80/70/75 potential), and like Blair has 45 contact and 65 power potential. OSA is about 10% more bearish on him but he too seems like a heist at this stage of the draft.

[Art Deco]

Game 1:



Rays jumped all over Kyle Harrison in his Red Sox debut, which I'm sure made the Fenway faithful feel even better about the Devers deal.

Game 2:



Game 3:



Two oddities about this game: first, backup C Matt Thaiss pitched the 8th inning of the blowout and got a 1-2-3 inning on 12 pitches, and secondly every Red Sox player had exactly two hits, something that I'm not sure has even been done before although I'm guessing it probably has happened.

Game 4:



Rays salvage the split by pounding the other pitcher Boston got in the Devers trade, Jordan Hicks, in his Red Sox debut.

Tampa Bay is in third in the AL East, 5 1/2 behind the Yankees who swept the Cubs, and 3 1/2 behind Boston in WC2 but 3 1/2 up on WC3 Toronto.

Players of the Week:

AL: Aaron Judge (NY), 11-22, 6 HR, 11 RBI
NL: Matt Mervis (MIA), 9-23, 5 HR, 9 RBI

MLB News: Two key players for a couple of NL teams saw their 2025 season end prematurely: Cincinnati's Nick Lodolo (torn rotator cuff) and Washington's James Wood (fractured fibula).

I'll have the MLB standings in the All-Star break post.

[Art Deco]

The rosters:

Leading the way for the American League All-Stars will be:

SP Tyler Anderson (LAA) - 5-7, 4.01 ERA, 98.2 IP, 1.38 WHIP, 6.7 K/9, 0.1 WAR
SP Garrett Crochet (BOS)* - 12-5, 2.49 ERA, 126.1 IP, 0.97 WHIP, 11.0 K/9, 3.9 WAR
SP Max Fried (NYY) - 8-8, 3.38 ERA, 125.0 IP, 1.18 WHIP, 9.6 K/9, 3.1 WAR
SP Casey Mize (DET) - 7-6, 2.96 ERA, 118.2 IP, 1.15 WHIP, 6.6 K/9, 1.5 WAR
SP Joe Ryan (MIN) - 7-8, 3.29 ERA, 120.1 IP, 1.01 WHIP, 8.4 K/9, 2.2 WAR
SP Tarik Skubal (DET) - 9-8, 3.41 ERA, 134.2 IP, 1.08 WHIP, 10.5 K/9, 3.8 WAR
SP Michael Wacha (KC) - 8-5, 2.65 ERA, 118.2 IP, 1.19 WHIP, 8.6 K/9, 2.2 WAR
RP Walker Buehler (BOS) - 5-3, 3.51 ERA, 89.2 IP, 1.16 WHIP, 8.1 K/9, 1.4 WAR
RP Carlos Carrasco (NYY) - 5-1, 3.31 ERA, 65.1 IP, 1.22 WHIP, 8.4 K/9, 0.7 WAR
RP Hoby Milner (TEX) - 3-3, 1.12 ERA, 32.0 IP, 0.69 WHIP, 9.0 K/9, 1.3 WAR
RP Cade Smith (CLE) - 3-1, 4 SV, 2.17 ERA, 37.1 IP, 0.86 WHIP, 11.3 K/9, 0.7 WAR
CL Aroldis Chapman (BOS) - 2-4, 24 SV, 2.59 ERA, 41.2 IP, 1.37 WHIP, 13.4 K/9, 1.6 WAR
CL Mason Miller (ATH)* - 5-3, 25 SV, 2.61 ERA, 38.0 IP, 1.00 WHIP, 13.7 K/9, 1.6 WAR
C Alejandro Kirk (TOR) - .274/.314/.417, 259 AB, 8 HR, 106 wRC+, 1.8 WAR
C Cal Raleigh (SEA) - .201/.291/.408, 294 AB, 14 HR, 4 SB, 102 wRC+, 2.1 WAR
C Adley Rutschman (BAL)* - .264/.347/.438, 292 AB, 12 HR, 124 wRC+, 2.9 WAR
1B Jonathan Aranda (TB)* - .306/.407/.510, 288 AB, 13 HR, 154 wRC+, 2.9 WAR
1B Paul Goldschmidt (NYY) - .296/.367/.478, 335 AB, 14 HR, 7 SB, 136 wRC+, 2.5 WAR
1B Kyle Manzardo (CLE) - .270/.367/.543, 278 AB, 19 HR, 1 SB, 152 wRC+, 2.4 WAR
1B Vinnie Pasquantino (KC) - .285/.349/.552, 330 AB, 18 HR, 143 wRC+, 2.4 WAR
2B Jazz Chisholm Jr. (NYY) - .254/.318/.462, 327 AB, 18 HR, 10 SB, 119 wRC+, 2.7 WAR
2B Andres Gimenez (TOR) - .278/.329/.420, 352 AB, 12 HR, 21 SB, 114 wRC+, 3.1 WAR
2B Brandon Lowe (TB)* - .260/.322/.451, 335 AB, 18 HR, 3 SB, 112 wRC+, 1.4 WAR
3B Alex Bregman (BOS) - .278/.351/.491, 352 AB, 16 HR, 1 SB, 132 wRC+, 3.5 WAR
3B Isaac Paredes (HOU) - .244/.354/.484, 316 AB, 20 HR, 140 wRC+, 2.6 WAR
3B Jose Ramirez (CLE)* - .281/.358/.576, 335 AB, 23 HR, 9 SB, 154 wRC+, 4.1 WAR
SS Chase Meidroth (CWS) - .257/.368/.335, 272 AB, 5 HR, 5 SB, 105 wRC+, 0.6 WAR
SS Bobby Witt Jr. (KC)* - .286/.366/.504, 343 AB, 13 HR, 13 SB, 141 wRC+, 5.0 WAR
LF Yordan Alvarez (HOU)* - .279/.364/.482, 355 AB, 17 HR, 2 SB, 136 wRC+, 2.1 WAR
LF Tyler O'Neill (BAL)* - .293/.347/.554, 294 AB, 17 HR, 7 SB, 150 wRC+, 2.6 WAR
CF Parker Meadows (DET)* - .322/.368/.530, 264 AB, 9 HR, 11 SB, 153 wRC+, 4.1 WAR
RF Wilyer Abreu (BOS) - .306/.386/.507, 343 AB, 13 HR, 5 SB, 139 wRC+, 3.3 WAR
RF Lawrence Butler (ATH) - .310/.375/.599, 342 AB, 23 HR, 12 SB, 178 wRC+, 4.8 WAR
RF Aaron Judge (NYY)* - .310/.413/.681, 326 AB, 34 HR, 9 SB, 196 wRC+, 5.3 WAR

While the National League will feature these star players:

SP Zac Gallen (AZ) - 7-10, 4.39 ERA, 112.2 IP, 1.29 WHIP, 8.3 K/9, 0.6 WAR
SP MacKenzie Gore (WSH) - 5-11, 4.04 ERA, 120.1 IP, 1.40 WHIP, 10.4 K/9, 3.4 WAR
SP Hunter Greene (CIN) - 7-6, 2.99 ERA, 132.1 IP, 1.00 WHIP, 10.3 K/9, 3.4 WAR
SP Chris Sale (ATL)* - 7-7, 4.32 ERA, 110.1 IP, 1.24 WHIP, 11.9 K/9, 3.2 WAR
SP Spencer Schwellenbach (ATL) - 10-4, 2.37 ERA, 110.0 IP, 1.07 WHIP, 8.4 K/9, 2.4 WAR
SP Paul Skenes (PIT) - 3-3, 3.15 ERA, 45.2 IP, 0.81 WHIP, 10.4 K/9, 1.9 WAR (Injured)
SP Logan Webb (SF) - 11-3, 2.56 ERA, 137.1 IP, 1.11 WHIP, 7.0 K/9, 3.4 WAR
SP Zack Wheeler (PHI) - 6-5, 4.84 ERA, 113.1 IP, 1.26 WHIP, 9.2 K/9, 1.9 WAR
RP Aaron Bummer (ATL) - 4-3, 3.12 ERA, 40.1 IP, 1.29 WHIP, 12.0 K/9, 1.0 WAR
RP Tyler Phillips (MIA) - 2-1, 2.10 ERA, 51.1 IP, 1.19 WHIP, 5.8 K/9, -0.1 WAR
RP Joey Wentz (PIT) - 2-7, 2.84 ERA, 69.2 IP, 1.26 WHIP, 8.8 K/9, 1.3 WAR
CL Ryan Helsley (STL)* - 3-2, 27 SV, 2.31 ERA, 39.0 IP, 1.15 WHIP, 9.5 K/9, 0.7 WAR
CL Tyler Kinley (COL) - 2-6, 18 SV, 4.71 ERA, 36.1 IP, 1.51 WHIP, 8.9 K/9, 0.4 WAR
CL Ryan Walker (SF) - 0-2, 31 SV, 1.79 ERA, 40.1 IP, 1.02 WHIP, 10.0 K/9, 1.0 WAR
C Francisco Alvarez (NYM) - .279/.365/.530, 219 AB, 14 HR, 153 wRC+, 3.7 WAR
C William Contreras (MIL)* - .288/.370/.476, 292 AB, 13 HR, 4 SB, 137 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
C Will Smith (LAD) - .288/.400/.500, 260 AB, 12 HR, 2 SB, 156 wRC+, 3.5 WAR
1B Michael Busch (CHC) - .288/.382/.544, 281 AB, 16 HR, 1 SB, 158 wRC+, 2.9 WAR
1B Bryce Harper (PHI)* - .256/.342/.485, 355 AB, 20 HR, 9 SB, 128 wRC+, 2.2 WAR
2B Tyler Fitzgerald (SF)* - .239/.309/.409, 330 AB, 12 HR, 12 SB, 109 wRC+, 2.2 WAR
3B Manny Machado (SD)* - .272/.336/.444, 342 AB, 10 HR, 12 SB, 122 wRC+, 2.9 WAR
3B Connor Norby (MIA) - .300/.352/.516, 273 AB, 10 HR, 7 SB, 138 wRC+, 1.9 WAR
3B Eugenio Suárez (AZ) - .248/.321/.492, 323 AB, 21 HR, 1 SB, 128 wRC+, 3.0 WAR
SS Francisco Lindor (NYM) - .251/.326/.439, 358 AB, 14 HR, 11 SB, 117 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
SS Dansby Swanson (CHC) - .214/.289/.452, 336 AB, 20 HR, 10 SB, 107 wRC+, 3.3 WAR
LF Jackson Chourio (MIL)* - .288/.332/.545, 365 AB, 23 HR, 15 SB, 144 wRC+, 3.3 WAR
LF Marcell Ozuna (ATL) - .278/.376/.527, 334 AB, 23 HR, 156 wRC+, 2.6 WAR
LF Kyle Schwarber (PHI) - .229/.373/.518, 328 AB, 28 HR, 5 SB, 144 wRC+, 2.3 WAR
CF Michael Harris II (ATL) - .290/.326/.451, 366 AB, 11 HR, 16 SB, 119 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
CF Jackson Merrill (SD)* - .290/.316/.451, 293 AB, 11 HR, 10 SB, 117 wRC+, 2.2 WAR
RF Mookie Betts (LAD)* - .288/.377/.560, 323 AB, 22 HR, 8 SB, 160 wRC+, 3.5 WAR
RF Corbin Carroll (AZ) - .282/.363/.470, 347 AB, 13 HR, 18 SB, 137 wRC+, 3.8 WAR
RF Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD) - .260/.330/.513, 335 AB, 24 HR, 17 SB, 136 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
RF Kyle Tucker (CHC)* - .274/.372/.517, 350 AB, 21 HR, 11 SB, 147 wRC+, 4.2 WAR
DH Shohei Ohtani (LAD)* - .298/.387/.514, 356 AB, 19 HR, 31 SB, 152 wRC+, 4.0 WAR

Somehow Aranda and B.Lowe were voted as starters, and they are the Rays' only two representatives. It's the first trip for Aranda and Lowe's second (he went in 2019).

The Derby (no Rays featured):



The game:



A dismal night for the AL but not for B.Lowe as his solo homer off Tyler Phillips was the lone Junior Circuit run. Aranda was 0-2 with a walk.

[Art Deco]

The asterisk is because the first game here is the completion of a suspended game from a couple of weeks ago:



Missing here is Alex Faedo, who pitched the first four scoreless innings for the Rays before he was returned to Durham. Once again we called up Joe Boyle as the 27th man but he wasn't as successful as last time he pitched in a suspended game for us. Meanwhile Zach Eflin did not pitch a Maddux despite what the box above implies - the 84 pitches was the total he threw today as with the game taking place right after the break he was able to step back in after having started it originally. Still I'm not sure too many CGSOs have taken this long to pitch.

Game 2:



And Rasmussen said "take that" to his former teammate Eflin, throwing 8 one-hit innings as the teams traded 2-0 wins on the day.

A busy Friday got even busier off the field as we made a couple of trades to reshape the starting rotation:



With Shane McClanahan still hopefully coming back in August we weren't looking to acquire a starter but this deal seemed too good to pass up as it was offered by Minnesota's AI GM. Ober's a solid starter on pace for a 2-WAR season and earned 2.6 last year and is coming off his best outing of the season, 8 shutout innings against Pittsburgh. He's due $7M in arbitration next year so we can either keep him or flip him. Cook isn't really anything special and was pitching to a 6.51 at AA Montgomery but he does have the potential to be a fifth starter. Bragg, who came over with Ober, is a lefty without much upside and probably won't make the big club.

So that gave us six starters and we dealt away the weakest link:



Littell, whom we planned to move anyway for McClanahan, has struggled (6-9, 4.97, 22 HR allowed in 108 IP) and was a free agent at year's end. We got a useful 2.2 WAR out of him last year but he was at only 0.7 so Ober will be an upgrade. And we get veteran lefty Speier in return who's been excellent this year in relief for Seattle (2.55 ERA with a 7/48 BB/K ratio in 35 IP, good for 0.8 WAR) and gives us a third quality lefty for the pen along with Cleavinger and Puk. Eric Orze was sent to Durham to make room for Speier.

Game 3:



Speier gets the win in his Rays debut after Taj had to leave with mild shoulder inflammation, which should last five days. Since his turn would come up on our next off-day we can just skip or push back his next start.

Game 4:



Another great series for the Rays as they end up taking 3 of 4 and move to within one of Boston for WC1 (tied in the loss column) and 5 behind the Yankees. Next up: The lowly White Sox come to Steinbrenner for three games.

Players of the (abbreviated) Week:

AL: This guy:



NL: Sean Bouchard (COL), 8-13, 1 HR, 5 RBI

MLB News: Our deal for Ober was probably the biggest trade of late (not counting the Devers deal) until our division rival Yankees made a move for a quality starter and acquired Zac Gallen from Arizona in exchange for highly-touted infield prospect George Lombard Jr. Also the Pirates sent their closer David Bednar to the Giants for a couple of prospects.

[Art Deco]

Game 1:



Game 2:



Ober had a pretty good Rays debut but wasn't pitch-efficient in lasting only 5 and the bullpen (along with a Kim error) made sure it wasn't a winning one. The Puk injury is minor, he'll just miss a couple days.

Game 3:



Not great to lose 2 of 3 to the cellar-dwelling White Sox as the bullpen struggled again in the loss.

As a result we've fallen 7 behind the Yankees in the division and 2 behind Boston for WC1 although we're still up 3 1/2 on Toronto for WC3 as right now the AL East would send 4 teams to the playoffs. Next up: A day off then 3 games in Cincinnati.

MLB News: A flurry of minor trades mostly involving relievers with the most notable seeing Baltimore send Yennier Cano to St. Louis. Elsewhere Atlanta's Marcell Ozuna hit career homer #300 and Kansas City's Seth Lugo, who had a breakout season last year, has seen his 2025 end with shoulder inflammation.

[Art Deco]

Game 1:



Game 2:



Game 3:



After being red-hot through much of June and July the Rays have cooled off, losing their second straight series. They're now off to New York to play 4 against the first-place Yankees as they really hit the road-heavy portion of the schedule after it was front-loaded with home games to avoid the summer rainy season in Florida. Here's where things stand currently:



Still in a decent position but it's starting to get tougher to overtake Boston for WC1.

Players of the Week:

AL: Luis Robert Jr (CHI), 12-25, 2 HR, 6 RBI (much of that against us)
NL: Freddie Freeman (LA), 13-25, 3 HR, 9 RBI

MLB News: Trade season is in full swing as they were about 20 or so deals made in the last few days, most of them involving middle relievers. Exceptions included the Orioles sending long-time CF Cedric Mullins to Cleveland for prospect Kahlil Watson, Texas acquiring C Freddie Fermin from Kansas City, Baltimore also shipping out former Rays starter Zach Eflin to San Francisco for a prospect, the Angels trading OF/DH Jorge Soler to Seattle for Jorge Polanco and prospect Teddy McGraw and shipping closer Kenley Jansen to the Phillies for Johan Rojas and a prospect.

Meanwhile a couple of MLB superstars hit milestones with Mike Trout bashing career homer #400 and Manny Machado picking up his 2000th hit.

Rays News: SS prospect Carson Williams, whom we were eying as a possible callup with Kim struggling to hit, was hit by a pitch and broke his hand, shelving him until early-mid September. But in good news we're finally bringing back Shane McClanahan to the rotation and he will get a start at Yankee Stadium. In a bit of a surprise move Ryan Pepiot will be sent to Durham to make room for him despite halfway decent surface numbers although his WAR is low.

[Art Deco]

Game 1:



Not a bad result for a team that didn't get its second hit of the game until the 9th inning as Mac tossed seven scoreless innings in his first MLB start since 2023.

Game 2:



Rough outing for Ober in his second start as a Ray.

Game 3:



Rasmussen is on quite the roll, since a couple of bad starts in mid-May he's allowed only 8 runs in his last 55 1/3 innings for a 1.30 ERA.

Well we headed into the trade deadline not necessarily looking to make any further deals but we were offered one by the Marlins that was worth accepting:



I guess they really wanted Ben Rortvedt, whom we deemed surplus to requirements a while back when acquiring Matt Thaiss. The key here for us of course in Bender, an improvement on Kevin Kelly and who will be heading to Durham to make room for him. To make room on the 40-man Hunter Bigge was DFA'd and we're DFAing Pauley as well - I like him but enough to use a 40-man spot and hopefully he clears. Diaz is a longshot but has some potential down the road (50/55/40 as a starter but he's only 16).

Game 4:



So we end up with a split with the first-place team in their house, not a bad result although not a great one. As a result we're 7 back in the division (which seems like a long shot) and 3 1/2 back of Boston for WC1 while 4 up on Detroit in the WC2 slot. Next up: A brief return home for 3 against the Dodgers, who have been surging of late and got quite a game from someone (more on that a bit later in this post).

Players of the Month (July):

AL Batter: Vinny Pasquantino (KC), .385-6-30
NL Batter: Ian Happ (CHI), .355-3-13
AL Pitcher: Osvaldo Bito (ATH), 4-0, 1.82, 35 K in 34.2 IP
NL Pitcher: Robbie Ray (SF), 3-0, 1.06, 34 K in 34 IP
AL Rookie: Kumar Rocker (TEX), 3-2, 3.08, 43 K in 38 IP
NL Rookie: Braxton Ashcraft (PIT), 3-0, 1.64, 16K in 22 IP

MLB News: Quite a few deals at the deadline but few that look like impact ones. Of note the Giants acquired (or should I say re-acquired) SP Kevin Gausman and reliever Chad Green from Toronto in separate deals for prospects, and the Red Sox dealt OF/DH Mastaka Yoshida and a couple of minor leaguers to the Twins for SP Chris Paddack while the Jays dealt 41-year-old vet SP Max Scherzer to St. Louis for an 18-year-old 2B prospect in one of the all-time age-gap deals.

Also changing uniforms is SP Kris Bubic as the Royals shipped him to Cleveland for catching prospect Jacob Cozart while the Orioles dealt veteran C Gary Sanchez to Texas. And before acquiring Gausman the Giants nabbed another veteran starter in Andrew Heaney from Pittsburgh.

Finally as if he were not already a legend, Shohei Ohtani did this:



Yes, not only did he pitch a no-hitter he hit a 2-run homer in the 9th when he was feeling the most pressure to finish it. Of course he's still no Rick Wise, who famously homered twice while hurling a no-no back in 1971, but Ohtani is the first to homer while throwing one since then and is the only realistic candidate to do so again for now.

[Art Deco]

Game 1:



A brutal Rays debut for Bender who broke, turning a 3-2 deficit into an insurmountable one.

Game 2:



Mac is back with his second straight excellent start since coming off the IL as the Rays got the better of old friend Tyler Glasnow.

Game 3:



Ober's best start as Ray was wasted when the bullpen (and Bender) blew it again although scoring two runs isn't usually a recipe for success. This recent run of mediocrity means the division is a lost cause and it's starting to look like WC1 might be one as well. With a road-heavy schedule for the month it may just be a matter of holding on to any kind of wild card.



Players of the Week:

AL: Bobby Witt Jr (KC), 10-16, 2 HR, 7 RBI
NL: Josh Bell (WAS), 9-21, 4 HR, 7 RBI

[Art Deco]

Game 1:



Game 2:



Three straight walks forced in the winning run for the Angels.

Game 3:



The road woes continues as the Rays dropped another series and their lead as WC2 over Detroit is down to 3 games with Toronto only 1/2 behind the Tigers and Seattle 1/2 game behind Toronto. Next up: A makeup game in Detroit against those Tigers.

MLB News: Arizona's Eugenio Suarez hit career homer #300.

[Art Deco]

Just a brutal loss in a critical game. With a 4-0 early lead and McClanahan on the mound and later a 6-3 lead taken into the 8th losing this game was unthinkable but that's just what they did when Stewart, who had been so good since coming over from Minnesota, struggled big-time and then Puk came in and gave up the big hit to a lefty. The WC2 lead is down to 2 over Detroit and next up is 3 games in Seattle against one of the teams chasing for the third wild card spot. With nearly two months to go, they're starting to circle the drain as all the road games are taking their toll.

[Art Deco]

Game 1:



Ober had to leave in the 2nd with a mild shoulder strain which won't keep from his next start and the struggling-of-late bullpen responded magnificently, going a combined 7.2 1 0 0 1 13 the rest of the way.

Game 2:



Game 3:



An important victory in the rubber game, giving the Rays their first series win in their last six since they took 3 of 4 from Baltimore in early July.

Next up: The never-ending road trip takes us to Sacramento for 3 against the A's.



Players of the Week:

AL: Nolan Jones (HOU), 9-21, 4 HR, 6 RBI
NL: Elly De La Cruz (CIN), 10-24, 5 HR, 10 RBI

Rays News: He's back in the organization. Texas released catcher Jonah Heim, so good two years ago and once a Rays farmhand, and we signed him to a minor league deal. Catcher has always been a position of need although right now Jansen and Thaiss have the position locked down at the big league level.

[Art Deco]

Game 1:



Game 2:



What a remarkable game for Brandon Lowe. He became the fifth player in MLB history and first since Jose Altuve to homer in each of the first three innings of a game and he set the club single-game record for RBI with 9, breaking Ben Zobrist's record of 8.

Game 3:



Unfortunately the Rays weren't able to complete the sweep as the finale was one of those games they kept coming up short in, leaving 8 on base and having 3 more thrown out attempting to steal. At least we have the sight of Junior Caminero chugging around the bases with an inside-the-park homer.

As things stand the Rays remain in WC2, 2 1/2 up on Detroit which in turn is 1 1/2 up on Toronto. Next up: A day off then a short trip to the "other" Bay Area as we play 3 against the Giants in San Francisco.

MLB News: Veteran reliever Tommy Kahnle announced his retirement and Austin Riley had a 3-homer game against Mets for Atlanta on the same day Lowe hit his trio.

[Art Deco]

Game 1:



Game 2:



Game 3:



A good series as the Rays take 2 of 3 against a tough Giants team in their ballpark to conclude a marathon 2-week road trip, and they've finally made up their home/road schedule deficit with an even number of games in both locales remaining.



Players of the Week:

AL: Jose Altuve (HOU), 11-24, 3 HR, 7 RBI
NL: Jordan Walker (STL), 9-18, 3 HR, 9 RBI