The 2022 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays - Page 28

Art Deco · 04-29-2023, 12:03 AM

Game 1: 7-3 W. WP-G.Rodriguez (10-1, 5 5 3 3 5 8). HR-Santana (11), Viera (4), Luciano (8). Viera's solo shot in the 6th broke a 3-3 tie to send the Rays on to victory. DeLoach had 4 hits and Grayson got the win despite a very busy outing.

Game 2: 8-6 W. WP-Sears (4-0). S-Diaz (15). Starter-Bradley (4 6 3 3 3 3). HR-Santana (12), Franco 2 (14), Luciano (9). Wander went deep twice among his 3 hits, Santana hit a 470-ft mammoth shot to CF and Sears got the win despite allowing a 3-run homer as the Rays won again.

Game 3: 6-7 L. LP-Fairbanks (3-1). Starter-Eldridge (4 6 4 4 2 4). HR-Santana (13), Caminero (16). The Rays fought back from 6-3 down with 2 in the 8th on Caminero's homer and a Wander RBI double with 2 out in the 9th, only for Fairbanks to give up a double, bunt and single to lose it. Santana homered for the third straight game, all to CF.

Game 4: 1-7 L. LP-Orze (3-3, 4 5 3 3 1 4). HR-DeLoach (8). The Rays did not pitch well in this series and today they didn't hit either, with DeLoach's homer leading off the game one of only four hits on the day as they continued their recent habit of winning the first two of a 4-game series then losing the second two.

Team record: 47-28. The Jays got hot again, sweeping 4 from Boston to shave 2 games off the lead and reduce it to 4 1/2. Next up: Back home for 3 vs the 30-45 Reds.

Art Deco · 04-30-2023, 08:39 AM

Game 1: 6-2 W. WP-Swanda (7-5, 7 6 2 2 0 3). HR-Caminero (17). The return of the first-inning, 3-run homer from Caminero and a strong outing from Swanda led the Rays to victory. Luciano knocked in a pair as well.

Game 2: 9-0 W. WP-G.Rodriguez (11-1, 6 4 0 0 0 11). HR-DeLoach (9), Franco (15), Viera (5), Santana (14). Tampa Bay blasted former Rays starter Shane Baz for 8 runs on 11 hits including 3 homers and current Rays starter Grayson Rodriguez was almost untouchable as his Cy Young-caliber season rolls on. DeLoach and Viera each had 3 hits.

Game 3: 0-2 L. LP-Bradley (1-1, 5 7 2 2 0 8). This time the Rays were done in by a former Tampa Bay player as Ian Seymour, selected by Cincinnati in the Rule 5 draft last year, shut them out for 7 1/3 and is now 9-4, 3.34 for the Reds as they managed only four hits in total.

Team record: 49-29. Unfortunately the Jays remain insanely hot, sweeping their series and winning on our Monday off-day to trim the division lead to 3 games as they now have an 8-game winning streak. Next up: That day off is to travel coast-to-coast to go play 3 against the Dodgers.

MLB News: Houston's Marcus Semien hit his 300th career homer.

Art Deco · 04-30-2023, 08:48 AM

This one is big enough to warrant its own post:

Never let it be said we didn't go for it this year. Riley Greene is one of the league's top players, a 75 defender in RF who's won the Gold Glove each of the previous two seasons, and a deadly hitter who's hitting 293/361/547 with 18 HR and 40 RBI in half a season so far and who averaged 25 HR and 85 RBI the previous two years. After 4.0 and 4.5 WAR seasons he's on pace for 6 this year. Of course Detroit was willing to move Greene since he's a free agent this winter and they haven't been able to work out an extension. We give up a really good prospect in Saenz, who's 17 and far away from the majors but profiles as a top leadoff hitter with 75 speed, contact, gap and avoid Ks potential (but not much power). de Anda was a supplemental 1st rounder in 2025 who has struggled at all stops in the minors but still has 50/40/60 potential as a starter.

The Greene acquisition will set off a domino effect on the lineup with him taking Max Viera's spot against righties with Caminero going from DH to 1B, Ozzie Albies back to 2B, James Wood moving to LF and Natanael Santana becoming the DH. Against lefties we'll play the lineup we've been playing except Greene will take Fu-Chi Chin's RF platoon spot with Wood. To make room on the active roster Lonnie White was optioned to Durham as he just never hit when getting the chance to play, and to make room on the 40-man pitcher Yoniel Curet was DFA'd. Hopefully Greene can duplicate his first half and give us another 3 wins as that could be critical in this race with the Jays.

Art Deco · 05-01-2023, 12:02 AM

Game 1: 7-8 L. LP-Fairbanks (3-2). Starter-Eldridge (3.2 8 7 7 2 3). HR-DeLoach (10), Santana (15), Franco (16). Eldridge was handed a 6-1 lead in the 4th inning thanks to those three homers and a 2-run double from Riley Greene in his Rays debut, but he gave up hit after hit (three of the infield variety) and the Dodgers went up 7-6 by the time it was done. The Rays tied it in the 7th but Fairbanks put the leadoff man on in the bottom of the 9th and Max Green gave up a 2-out Austin Hays double to lose it.

Game 2: 5-3 W (13). WP-Sears (5-0). Starter-Orze (5 3 1 1 2 3). HR-Albies (13). Another bullpen breakdown as Fairbanks gave up a 2-run homer in the 8th to let LA tie it at 3 but Cartaya's RBI double against his old team broke the tie in the 13th and the Rays eked out the win. Bad news though as starting 3B Marco Luciano broke his elbow and is done for the year.

Transaction: Luciano goes on the 60-day IL and we purchased the contract of 3B Freili Encarnacion from Durham. Encarnacion was acquired from Houston in the Curtis Mead trade last winter and was hitting 266/340/438 with the Bulls with 11 HR and 39 RBI and playing a solid hot corner. He'll get a lot of starts with Jeremiah Jackson and Max Viera mixing in.

Game 3: 2-4 L (18). LP-Beeter (4-6). Starter-Swanda (6 6 0 0 1 7). Ugh. We lost a 1-0 lead in the 9th and a 2-1 lead in the 10th and had to end up playing 31 innings in two days with it finally ending when Beeter gave up a 2-run homer. They only managed 10 hits in the 18 innings with Wander getting five of them and Caminero three, so the rest of the team was an incredibly bad 2 for 47.

Team record: 50-31. The Jays demolished the Giants by a combined 22-2 in the two games they played to make it 10 straight wins and pulled to within 1 1/2 games as the division lead keeps dwindling. Next up: 3 at home vs the San Antonio Seagulls, who are the relocated Pittsburgh Pirates.

Art Deco · 05-01-2023, 08:48 AM

Tough to complain about a 50-win first half of the year, but the team has been kind of treading water lately and there has been a bullpen issue or two.

The big picture:

Obviously our biggest problem right now is Toronto, which has gone on a tear to nearly erase our division lead was as much as 9 games a month ago.

Pythagoreas says we are who we are, although outside of our red-hot May this has been a team only slightly above .500. Considering we lost Shane McClanahan and Luis Castillo it's saying something how elite our pitching has been this year and the offense has been decent but needs to be better, and hopefully the Riley Greene acquisition will address that. Marco Luciano wasn't an offensive force at 3B but his replacements aren't quite as good so we'll have a bit of a dropoff there. Just about all the 3B on other teams who would be an improvement are on big contracts extending beyond 2028 so I'm afraid help isn't coming from outside.

6 of our 9 starters are having good seasons (although one day recently I looked up and saw Ozzie Albies was hitting .227 after going 8 for his last 56) and hopefully Greene will make it 7 of 9 starters. James Wood can't seem to get going and the bench has been abysmal, especially Cal Raleigh whom we brought in as the backup C hoping he'd provide us with some pop; instead he can barely make contact.

Quality all around as seen by our team numbers. Even the guys with ERAs over 4 have been solid contributors, and Trey Riley and Aldry Acosta were inspired waiver claims. Grayson is on track for a Cy Young, Swanda isn't too far behind him, and Luis German has been incredible in multi-inning relief.

One aspect of the franchise that hasn't been good of late has been the farm system, where we've both traded guys away and had several others fail to develop and it might be time to start paying more attention and making an emphasis there. Haro and Khattak of course are the glaring exceptions; despite his pedestrian numbers in AA ball Haro will be an offensive force, and Khattak could be in our rotation next season. After that there isn't really help on the way.

Art Deco · 05-01-2023, 10:16 PM

Game 1: 1-3 L. LP-G.Rodriguez (11-2, 5.2 7 3 2 2 6). HR-Chin (2). After the marathons in LA several players were fatigued so the bench was used liberally and as you saw in the midseason review they haven't hit at all this year and tonight was no exception as the Rays were no-hit until Chin homered in the 8th.

Game 2: 5-2 W. WP-Bradley (2-1, 6 6 2 2 1 6). S-Diaz (16). HR-DeLoach (11). Taj was solid and DeLoach was 3-5 with a homer, triple and 2 RBI. Riley Greene, who sat out last night, was on base all 4 times in his Trop Rays debut with 2 singles, a walk and an HBP.

Game 3: 7-0 W. WP-Eldridge (6-4, 8 3 0 0 1 9). HR-Franco 2 (18), Caminero (18), Albies (14). Bryce Eldridge bounced back from a pair of lousy starts with his best as a big leaguer, taking a shutout into the 9th before leaving after giving up a leadoff hit. Wander was 3-5 with the two homers and Wood knocked in a pair.

Team record: 52-32. The Jays finally did lose a game, but one is all they lost so they remain within 1 1/2. And Toronto is our next opponent, coming to the Trop for 4 games.

It's Wander Franco's world and we're all living in it:

and

Art Deco · 05-02-2023, 10:05 PM

Game 1: 0-5 L. LP-Orze (3-4, 4.2 3 4 4 4 6). The Rays laid an egg in the opener of their big series with Toronto, managing seven hits and nary a run.

Game 2: 5-1 W. WP-Swanda (8-5, 6.1 3 1 1 1 7). HR-Santana (16). Swanda was dazzling again and Santana's grand slam in the 3rd made it 5-0 as the Rays evened up the series with the Jays.

Game 3: 4-1 W. WP-German (3-0). S-Diaz (17). Starter-G.Rodriguez (6 2 1 1 4 7). HR-Encarnacion (1), Santana (17). Freili Encarnacion picked a great time to hit his first MLB homer as his 2-run shot in the 7th broke a 1-1 tie and led the Rays to victory.

Game 4: 5-7 L. LP-Bradley (2-2, 3 9 7 7 1 4). HR-Wood (8). Taj was barraged by the Blue Jays, with 5 of the runs against coming on a pair of homers. Wood's 3-run homer in the 7th brought them back within 7-5, but a two man-on rally in the 8th fizzled out and they went meekly in the 9th to end up splitting the series.

Team record: 54-34, still 1 1/2 up on Toronto. Next up: A weekend in Kansas City with 3 against the Royals, struggling this year at 37-50, before we hit the All-Star break.

MLB News: Joe Musgrove of the Yankees tossed a no-hitter against Washington, walking 2 and fanning 11 on a healthy 126 pitches. Meanwhile Milwaukee's Brandon Woodruff tore his UCL and will undergo Tommy John surgery, sidelining him until late 2029.

Art Deco · 05-04-2023, 08:20 AM

Game 1: 2-8 L. LP-Eldridge (6-5, 3 6 7 7 4 6). HR-Encarnacion (2). Eldridge has now sandwiched two horrible starts around a gem as the Rays were blown out today.

Game 2: 7-4 W. WP-Orze (4-4, 5.1 4 1 1 1 2). S-Diaz (18). HR-Wood 2 (10), Caminero (19). Wood homered twice and drove in 3, Caminero was 3-5 with the homer and 2 RBI, and Albies had a big early 2-run double as Tampa Bay got back in the win column.

Game 3: 4-7 L. LP-Swanda (8-6, 4.1 7 4 4 2 4). HR-Santana (18), Greene (1/19). Swanda celebrated being named to the AL All-Star team by getting shelled as the Rays' lousy play of late continued with their fourth loss in five games. Riley Greene's 2-run blast to make the score a little more respectable in the 9th was his first as a Ray.

Team record: 55-36. The only good news was that Toronto also dropped a pair of games in Missouri to the Cardinals so the lead remains at 1 1/2 games. Next up: The All-Star break after which we head to Chicago for 3 against the White Sox beginning Friday.

MLB News: One guy we won't be facing with the White Sox is ace starter Aaron Nola, who is done for the year with bone chips in his elbow.

Art Deco · 05-04-2023, 09:26 PM

For the American League, the roster includes:

SP Robert Ahlstrom (TEX) - 10-5, 3.14 ERA, 123.1 IP, 1.09 WHIP, 10.7 K/9, 4.7 WAR
SP Tyler Holton (HOU) - 3-2, 2.14 ERA, 80.0 IP, 0.96 WHIP, 6.5 K/9, 1.3 WAR
SP Dustin May (CWS) - 7-5, 2.77 ERA, 104.0 IP, 1.28 WHIP, 8.2 K/9, 2.5 WAR
SP Grayson Rodriguez (TB) - 11-2, 2.31 ERA, 109.0 IP, 0.99 WHIP, 11.2 K/9, 3.3 WAR
SP Dakota Stone (BOS) - 7-8, 2.58 ERA, 115.0 IP, 1.00 WHIP, 10.3 K/9, 3.2 WAR
SP John Swanda (TB) - 8-5, 2.77 ERA, 104.0 IP, 1.11 WHIP, 8.6 K/9, 2.8 WAR
SP Case Williams (CLE)* - 7-2, 2.21 ERA, 81.1 IP, 1.01 WHIP, 10.4 K/9, 2.1 WAR
RP Luis German (TB)* - 3-0, 0.70 ERA, 51.2 IP, 0.87 WHIP, 12.2 K/9, 2.0 WAR
RP Chujiro Muraoka (LAA) - 3-1, 2.28 ERA, 67.0 IP, 1.00 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, 1.4 WAR
RP Jack Neely (OAK) - 4-3, 2.56 ERA, 45.2 IP, 1.38 WHIP, 11.6 K/9, 0.7 WAR
CL Alex Lange (KC) - 1-1, 9 SV, 1.02 ERA, 35.1 IP, 0.93 WHIP, 8.9 K/9, 1.1 WAR
CL Caleb Logerwell (TOR) - 2-1, 23 SV, 1.62 ERA, 33.1 IP, 0.87 WHIP, 14.3 K/9, 1.4 WAR
CL Billy Sullivan (OAK) - 1-2, 22 SV, 2.34 ERA, 34.2 IP, 1.01 WHIP, 16.1 K/9, 1.2 WAR
C Diego Cartaya (TB) - .257/.314/.467, 261 AB, 14 HR, 120 wRC+, 2.9 WAR
C Gabriel Moreno (TOR) - .262/.350/.453, 225 AB, 12 HR, 127 wRC+, 2.0 WAR
C Adley Rutschman (BAL)* - .271/.359/.454, 280 AB, 11 HR, 128 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
1B Junior Caminero (TB) - .292/.350/.512, 346 AB, 19 HR, 140 wRC+, 2.3 WAR
1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR)* - .360/.440/.720, 322 AB, 33 HR, 1 SB, 222 wRC+, 5.9 WAR
1B Gavin Sheets (NYY)* - .297/.354/.523, 306 AB, 18 HR, 147 wRC+, 2.4 WAR
1B Justin Williams (HOU) - .252/.330/.526, 321 AB, 23 HR, 134 wRC+, 2.0 WAR
2B Bo Bichette (TOR) - .281/.358/.493, 306 AB, 17 HR, 7 SB, 140 wRC+, 2.5 WAR
2B Jake Fox (CLE)* - .306/.366/.466, 337 AB, 12 HR, 21 SB, 135 wRC+, 4.2 WAR
2B Jonathan Schoop (DET) - .244/.317/.390, 336 AB, 11 HR, 4 SB, 98 wRC+, 0.4 WAR
3B Gunnar Henderson (NYY) - .265/.333/.503, 294 AB, 18 HR, 6 SB, 134 wRC+, 3.2 WAR
3B Ronny Mauricio (MIN) - .245/.281/.504, 335 AB, 23 HR, 2 SB, 113 wRC+, 1.8 WAR
3B Wilfred Veras (CWS)* - .315/.384/.649, 333 AB, 31 HR, 1 SB, 184 wRC+, 5.2 WAR
SS Tim Anderson (TOR) - .313/.361/.469, 275 AB, 9 HR, 5 SB, 133 wRC+, 2.8 WAR
SS Wander Franco (TB)* - .310/.368/.558, 310 AB, 18 HR, 11 SB, 159 wRC+, 3.5 WAR
LF Juan Soto (CLE)* - .291/.408/.542, 299 AB, 18 HR, 4 SB, 168 wRC+, 4.3 WAR
CF Derek Curiel (TEX) - .316/.356/.428, 339 AB, 6 HR, 13 SB, 121 wRC+, 3.1 WAR
CF Julio Rodriguez (SEA)* - .303/.375/.522, 251 AB, 12 HR, 22 SB, 155 wRC+, 3.2 WAR
CF Mike Trout (LAA) - .228/.367/.490, 298 AB, 21 HR, 5 SB, 143 wRC+, 3.5 WAR
RF Riley Greene (TB)* - .292/.363/.517, 298 AB, 18 HR, 4 SB, 144 wRC+, 3.1 WAR
RF Shohei Ohtani (LAA) - .227/.339/.545, 242 AB, 21 HR, 9 SB, 145 wRC+, 2.6 WAR

For the National League these players have been selected:

SP Corbin Burnes (MIL) - 7-7, 3.28 ERA, 115.1 IP, 1.30 WHIP, 10.3 K/9, 2.9 WAR
SP Jacob deGrom (PHI)* - 5-6, 5.13 ERA, 107.0 IP, 1.38 WHIP, 8.2 K/9, 1.0 WAR
SP Jonathan Edwards (ARI) - 10-4, 2.65 ERA, 105.1 IP, 1.08 WHIP, 11.2 K/9, 3.1 WAR
SP Tyler Glasnow (SD) - 10-4, 2.87 ERA, 119.0 IP, 0.98 WHIP, 12.0 K/9, 3.1 WAR
SP Brailyn Marquez (MIA) - 6-6, 3.20 ERA, 112.2 IP, 1.23 WHIP, 13.7 K/9, 3.3 WAR
SP Shane McClanahan (SF) - 7-4, 2.38 ERA, 106.0 IP, 1.04 WHIP, 10.1 K/9, 3.2 WAR
SP Kumar Rocker (NYM) - 11-4, 2.57 ERA, 112.0 IP, 1.03 WHIP, 9.3 K/9, 2.4 WAR
RP Ben Leeper (CHC) - 4-1, 1.38 ERA, 45.2 IP, 1.01 WHIP, 10.1 K/9, 0.8 WAR
RP Jesus Liranzo (LAD) - 2-0, 1.23 ERA, 51.1 IP, 0.76 WHIP, 8.2 K/9, 0.8 WAR
CL Joey Gerber (NYM) - 0-1, 34 SV, 1.19 ERA, 45.1 IP, 0.88 WHIP, 11.9 K/9, 2.0 WAR
CL Josh Hader (MIL)* - 2-3, 16 SV, 2.56 ERA, 31.2 IP, 1.23 WHIP, 16.2 K/9, 0.9 WAR
CL Shelby Lackey (LAD) - 3-3, 18 SV, 2.92 ERA, 37.0 IP, 1.14 WHIP, 11.9 K/9, 0.6 WAR
CL Luis Montas (ARI) - 3-3, 23 SV, 2.49 ERA, 43.1 IP, 1.15 WHIP, 13.3 K/9, 2.6 WAR
C Francisco Alvarez (NYM)* - .276/.325/.525, 261 AB, 18 HR, 1 SB, 139 wRC+, 3.1 WAR
C Luis Campusano (SD) - .259/.348/.475, 255 AB, 11 HR, 133 wRC+, 2.2 WAR
C Tyler Stephenson (CIN) - .253/.377/.395, 253 AB, 8 HR, 124 wRC+, 2.4 WAR
1B Pete Alonso (NYM)* - .268/.350/.449, 314 AB, 14 HR, 129 wRC+, 1.8 WAR
1B Jake Cronenworth (PHI) - .262/.350/.477, 321 AB, 17 HR, 3 SB, 132 wRC+, 2.7 WAR
1B Oneil Cruz (SA) - .301/.359/.558, 346 AB, 24 HR, 5 SB, 156 wRC+, 3.5 WAR
1B Jordan Walker (STL) - .253/.336/.487, 320 AB, 21 HR, 13 SB, 132 wRC+, 2.6 WAR
2B Diego Castillo (SA)* - .378/.434/.595, 294 AB, 13 HR, 3 SB, 192 wRC+, 4.0 WAR
2B Jacob Gonzalez (ARI)* - .284/.332/.544, 338 AB, 24 HR, 3 SB, 142 wRC+, 3.1 WAR
2B Yunior Severino (COL) - .302/.372/.546, 328 AB, 19 HR, 150 wRC+, 3.1 WAR
3B Manny Machado (SD)* - .275/.354/.479, 334 AB, 15 HR, 1 SB, 137 wRC+, 2.7 WAR
3B Colson Montgomery (COL) - .265/.348/.531, 324 AB, 21 HR, 3 SB, 136 wRC+, 3.1 WAR
3B Austin Riley (ATL) - .269/.359/.492, 309 AB, 16 HR, 139 wRC+, 2.9 WAR
3B Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD)* - .267/.389/.534, 281 AB, 20 HR, 13 SB, 156 wRC+, 3.9 WAR
SS Trea Turner (LAD) - .298/.334/.481, 349 AB, 16 HR, 12 SB, 126 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
LF Joey Gallo (ATL) - .227/.338/.515, 309 AB, 27 HR, 2 SB, 138 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
LF Alek Thomas (ARI) - .300/.342/.529, 350 AB, 16 HR, 7 SB, 141 wRC+, 3.9 WAR
LF Spencer Torkelson (WSH)* - .292/.356/.509, 346 AB, 19 HR, 2 SB, 139 wRC+, 1.9 WAR
CF Bryan Reynolds (SA)* - .258/.343/.447, 275 AB, 11 HR, 124 wRC+, 1.7 WAR
RF Dylan Carlson (STL)* - .303/.411/.613, 271 AB, 19 HR, 13 SB, 189 wRC+, 4.8 WAR
RF Ketel Marte (ARI) - .318/.380/.561, 214 AB, 11 HR, 1 SB, 163 wRC+, 2.7 WAR
.

It's the first ASG for G.Rodriguez and Caminero, the second for Swanda, Cartaya and German, the third for Greene and the sixth for Wander.

The derby (with no Rays participating):

The game:

Not the best showing from the Rays' participants as our pitchers allowed 4 of the 5 NL runs with Grayson giving up 2 in the first thanks to a 2-run double by former Ray Spencer Torkelson, and Luis German allowing the go-ahead runs in the 7th with his own error figuring in large as well as another big hit from a former Tampa Bay player in Jake Cronenworth. Wander and Greene each had a single but that was about it from our hitters.

Art Deco · 05-05-2023, 08:09 AM

Game 1: 6-3 W. WP-Eldridge (7-5, 5.1 6 2 2 0 9). S-Diaz (19). HR-Franco (19). Wander's 3-run homer in the 2nd made it 4-0 and the Rays rode a fine Eldridge outing to resume action with a win. DeLoach was 3-5 with a double and 2 RBI.

Game 2: 12-4 W. WP-Swanda (9-6, 6 5 4 4 1 5). S-Beeter (1). HR-Wood (11), Santana (19), Greene (2/20), Franco (20), DeLoach (12). It was home run derby for the Rays as they hit 5 in a rout. DeLoach drove in 4 and Wood 3.

Game 3: 4-1 W. WP-Bradley (6 5 1 1 1 5). S-Diaz (20). HR-Encarnacion (3). Taj was on his game today, Freili Encarnacion's 2-run shot was the game's big hit and Riley Greene had a pair of RBI singles to lead the Rays to the sweep.

Team record: 58-36. So what did the sweep earn them in terms of expanding their division lead? Zip, zilch, nada. In fact they lost ground because Toronto played 4 games and won them all, slicing the division lead to one game. Next up: an always-fun trip to Coors Field for 3 against the Rockies, who are fighting for a wild card at 51-44.

MLB News: A couple of milestones and a no-hitter. Atlanta's Greg Olson hit HR #300, Toronto's Tim Anderson, having a great year and one of the reasons the Jays are breathing down our necks, had career hit #2000, and the Giants' Gerardo Carrillo no-hit the Rockies in San Francisco, walking 3 and fanning 9 on 116 pitches.

Art Deco · 05-06-2023, 09:43 AM

All of these picks are high-school kids except for Buckman.

Viola: A CF with the classic leadoff profile: 75 contact, 80 speed, 70 avoid Ks, 80 gap, 40 power, 45 eye, also projected 70/50/60 across the OF defensively.

Lake: SP with a 60/65/65 ceiling, projected to have four plus pitches.

Lowe: The Rays always seem to end up with guys named Lowe, and this catching prospect projects to be a good one with 60 contact, 65 power, and a potential 55 rating behind the plate.

Mendoza: Could be a special hitter (75 contact, 65 power, 80(!) avoid Ks) but seen more as a 3B (potential 65 at the position, only 40 at SS). Off to a tough 0-11 start in complex ball, though.

Ramirez: Prototypical power-hitting corner OF (60 contact/65 power).

Sanchez: 55/60/60 potential, more of a finesse than power starter.

Buckman: Y'all should hope he doesn't make it since I'll be saying "The Curious Case of Benjamin Buckman" way too often. Buckman hails from the University of Illinois-Chicago and is a groundball guy with 55/70/50 potential and is starting out at High-A Bowling Green.

Art Deco · 05-06-2023, 09:51 AM

Game 1: 6-7 L. LP-G.Rodriguez (11-3, 4 9 7 7 1 6, 3 HR). HR-Santana (20), Wood (12), Cartaya (15), Franco (21). Grayson Rodriguez's HR rate has been way down from his years in Baltimore but put him in Coors and you get your regression as he was hit hard and they couldn't quite come all the way back.

Game 2: 9-0 W. WP-Orze (5-4, 5 5 0 0 0 2). HR-DeLoach (13), Albies (15). Kudos to Orze and the bullpen for getting a rare Coors Field shutout. DeLoach had a triple to go with his homer and was 3-5 with 2 RBI.

Game 3: 3-4 L. LP-Green (3-3). Starter-Eldridge (5.2 4 1 1 0 5). A tough loss as the Rays left 10 on base, mostly early and after finally taking the lead 3-1 in the 7th, Luis German and Max Green combined to allow 3 in the bottom of the inning to lose the game and the series.

Team record: 59-38. Apparently Toronto has decided to never lose again as the Jays swept the Tigers to drop the Rays into second place, a game behind. Next up: An off-day to travel home where we'll face the 49-48 Phillies.

Art Deco · 05-07-2023, 07:55 AM

Game 1: 10-1 W. WP-Swanda (10-6, 6 2 0 0 0 6). HR-Albies (16). Rays were up 9-0 by the 3rd with Albies' 3-run homer in the 1st kicking things off. Swanda was brilliant as his line indicated, Wander was 4-5 with an RBI and Riley Greene knocked in 3.

Game 2: 11-2 W. WP-Sears (6-0). Starter-Bradley (4.1 6 2 0 1 7, 92 pitches). HR-Greene 2 (4/22), DeLoach (14). Another day, another rout of the Phillies although this one took longer to materialize when a 7-run 5th erased a 2-1 Philly lead. Greene drove in 4 more with his 2 homers while Wood and Santana each knocked in a pair.

Game 3: 7-5 W. WP-Green (4-3). S-Diaz (21). Starter-G.Rodriguez (5.1 5 3 3 2 6). HR-Albies (17), Cartaya (16), Franco (21). Rays had to work harder for this one, losing a 5-2 lead then re-taking it in the 7th on a leadoff homer from Wander and a Cartaya (who had 3 RBI total) run-scoring double. Wander's dinger capped a 3-3, 2-RBI day.

Team record: 62-38. The Yankees finally cooled off the Jays, beating them 2 out of 3 so with the sweep the Rays leapfrogged Toronto back into first, a game ahead. Next up: The 52-48 Rangers visit the Trop.

MLB News: Atlanta superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. hit career homer #300 and the Blue Jays lost star SS Tim Anderson for 5 weeks with a hamstring strain.

Art Deco · 05-08-2023, 08:28 AM

Game 1: 3-5 L. LP-Orze (5-5, 4.2 7 4 4 0 7). HR-Albies (18), Greene (5/23). Orze gave up 2 in the first and the Rays were chasing the game the whole way.

Game 2: 4-2 W. WP-Eldridge (8-5, 5 5 2 2 2 8). S-Diaz (22). A 3-run 3rd which included a run scoring on a wild pitch and another on a bases-loaded walk was decisive. Riley Greene was 2-3 with 2 RBI and is hitting 371/462/563 since the trade, so it's been a good deal even if the team hasn't been consistently winning of late.

Game 3: 4-7 L. LP-Swanda (10-7, 5 7 5 5 3 5, 3 HR). For the third straight night a Rays starter gave up 2 runs in the 1st, and although they came back to take a 4-2 lead off Texas ace Robert Ahlstrom, Swanda gave up a 3-run homer to former Rays farmhand Cooper Kinney (traded a few years back for Luis Castillo) and the Rangers took the series.

Team record: 63-40. Toronto won 2 of 3 so the Rays and Jays are now tied for the first place with the same record. Next up: An off-day then we head to Seattle for 3 games.

MLB News: Milwaukee traded veteran superstar Christian Yelich to St. Louis for a minor leaguer. They offered him to us but Yelich is signed through 2029 and I did not want that huge contract.

Art Deco · 05-09-2023, 08:30 AM

Game 1: 6-3 W. WP-Bradley (4-2, 5.1 6 3 3 3 4). S-Diaz (23). The offense only managed 7 hits but scored 5 times in the 2nd thanks to errors, wild pitches and bases-loaded walks courtesy of the generous host Mariners.

Game 2: 5-4 W. WP-Green (5-3). S-Diaz (24). Starter-G.Rodriguez (6.1 6 4 4 2 6). HR-Santana (21). Albies' clutch 2-out RBI double in the 9th won it for the Rays while Santana knocked in 3 including a 2-run homer.

Game 3: 1-5 L. LP-Orze (5-6, 2.2 7 4 4 1 3). HR-Cartaya (17). Orze stunk against his old team and the rest of the team didn't fare much better.

Team record: 65-41. The Jays also took 2 of 3 over the weekend so the teams remain tied atop the AL East. Next up: 3 games in Cleveland.

Art Deco · 05-09-2023, 10:49 PM

Well I came into the trade deadline not expecting to make a deal. With Marco Luciano out for the year I had been shopping for a 3B but as I had mentioned in a previous post the ones who would be upgrades are either untouchable or have big contracts extending beyond this year. Freili Encarnacion has actually been coming on late and it's not like Luciano was hitting the cover off the ball. Still, thanks to OOTP's new trade deadline day feature I received many offers and got caught up in things, making three deals in all.

The first was an attempt to upgrade the backup catcher spot. The waiver claim of Cal Raleigh a couple of months back did not turn out to be upgrade I had hoped as the Big Dumper hit 123/191/153 in 73 at-bats and is only a 45 defenders. Hence the deal for Langeliers whom the Phillies made available. He's a better defender (55) and although he wasn't hitting much better than Raleigh he has a little more power. And mainly I was just sick of Raleigh.

Speaking of backup catchers there was a fair amount of interest in Drew Romo, a 75-rated defender at the position but who has an even worse bat than Raleigh (and it was only good for 0.2 WAR at Durham). Chicago offered me this deal with Romo and someone else whom I forget but didn't want to give up, and when I took him out they still wanted the deal with just Romo. So we get a bullpen upgrade by bringing back Doval, he of the 75 stuff and 80 movement (and 45 control), whom we acquired at the deadline last year from Colorado. He signed a one-year deal with the Cubs who fell out of it. And they also threw in Mendez, who is a half-decent prospect and could play in the bigs as a 4th OF right now (the third guy Ochoa isn't really any kind of prospect).

The only problem with acquiring Doval is that there wasn't a natural opening on the staff for him to fill. The pen has pitched really well and everyone on the staff except Luis German and John Swanda is out of options and those two weren't being demoted. So we swung this deal to make room for Doval:

Yes we made a deal with our most unlikely trade partners, the team we're tied with atop the AL East - and may have helped them. Of course we already traded them Christopher Gau earlier this year when we also needed to make room so why not do it again? Beeter had been OK for us but was clearly the last man on the staff, relegated to long relief/mop-up work. He still has his 70/45/45 stuff so obviously he can help the Jays and the only reason we did this (aside from making room for Doval) is that they offered us a top 100 (#79) prospect in Castillo. He was Toronto's first-round pick in 2026 (18th overall) and is rated 50 current/65 potential contact, 75/75 gap and 55/60 power. He hit over .300 with moderate power at each MiLB stop and held his own coming off the bench in Toronto in 60 AB. Castillo will go to Durham for now as we have 1B and DH covered but should definitely figure into next year's plans.

So in terms of the current roster, Doval is in for Beeter and Langeliers for Raleigh (who cleared waivers and went to Durham).

Art Deco · 05-09-2023, 11:08 PM

Game 1: 5-3 W. WP-Green (6-3). S-Diaz (25). Starter-Eldridge (4.1 5 3 2 2 4). HR-Greene (6/24), Caminero (20). With two out in the 9th in a 3-3 game DeLoach and Wander hit doubles to break the deadlock and Albies singled in Wander. Shea Langeliers made his Rays debut and was 0-4, following in the tradition of our backup catchers this year.

Game 2: 6-2 W. WP-Swanda (11-7, 7 6 0 0 1 3). HR-DeLoach 2 (16), Cartaya (18). DeLoach had been in a mini-slump with the snowflake next to his name but broke out of it in a big way tonight, with a 3-run homer and a solo shot to lead the Rays to victory. Camilo Doval made his return to the Rays tonight and gave up a homer to the first man he faced in the 9th but got the next three to finish it out.

Game 3: 4-3 W (14). WP-German (4-0). S-Acosta (1). Starter-Bradley (5 5 1 1 0 5). HR-Wood (13). Max Green gave up a homer in the 8th to blow a 2-1 Rays lead and send us to extras where we eventually prevailed thanks to Wood's 2-run homer. German gave up a homer to Juan Soto in the bottom of the inning but Acosta came in and finished it out for his first Rays save to complete the sweep.

Team record: 68-41. So what did the sweep gain us? You guessed it - nada, thanks to the Jays sweeping the Yankees so the deadlock remains. Next up: Something will have to give as the Jays visit the Trop for 3 this weekend in a huge series after an off-day.

MLB News: The trade deadline was very active and the biggest deal saw Milwaukee trade star pitcher Corbin Burnes to the Padres for a package of five prospects. And then Burnes went out and pitched 7 no-hit innings in his San Diego debut but had to leave with a shoulder subluxation which might push his next start back a day. Seranthony Dominguez then came in and pitched two hitless innings to complete the combined no-hitter against Arizona.

Also former Rays Cy Young winner Blake Snell, now with St. Louis, saw his season end with a torn labrum and he'll miss most of 2029 as well.

Farm news: We had a couple of MiLB players of the month with Blaze Jordan, who started the year as our regular 1B before slumping badly, being named IL Batter of the Month after hitting .312-10-28. Jordan has bounced back nicely from a rough first month with Durham. Also at the AA level Montgomery OF Tommy Specht was named SL Player of the Month after a .375-6-16 July. Specht plays a 60 RF, has 65 speed, and has 55 power potential (but only 45 contact), making him a possible future 4th OF.

Art Deco · 05-11-2023, 08:35 AM

Game 1: 3-6 L. LP-G.Rodriguez (11-4, 6 7 6 6 2 7). HR-Wood (14). The showdown series with the Jays did not get off to a good start as Grayson was hit for 6 runs in the 2nd capped by a 3-run Vlad Jr homer. He settled in after that but the damage was done.

Game 2: 1-2 L. LP-German (4-1). Starter-Orze (4 5 1 1 1 2). The Rays dropped 2 behind the Jays after they couldn't hit and German was wild in the 5th, walking 3 to help Toronto to the winning run. To add insult to injury a couple of guys we traded to them this year pitched scoreless innings with Beeter pitching the 7th and Gau getting the save.

Game 3: 7-3 W. WP-Eldridge (9-5, 5 6 2 1 1 8). S-Doval (1). HR-Caminero (21), DeLoach (17), Santana (22), Wood (15). Tampa Bay avoided the sweep and avoided disaster with the win to pull them back within a game of the division lead. A 5-run 2nd keyed by DeLoach's 3-run shot was decisive.

Team record: 69-43. Next up: The White Sox visit the Trop for 3 games.

Art Deco · 05-12-2023, 08:18 AM

Game 1: 1-0 W. WP-Swanda (12-7, 6 2 0 0 1 9). S-Diaz (26). Swanda was brilliant and Wood's RBI double in the 2nd stood up for the rest of the game as the teams combined for only six hits.

Game 2: 10-2 W. WP-Bradley (5-2, 5 5 2 2 2 8). HR-Cartaya (19). Cartaya's 3-run homer in the 1st got them going and it was 7-0 after 2. Caminero was 3-4 with 3 RBI.

Game 3: 8-1 W. WP-G.Rodriguez (12-4, 6 4 1 1 2 11). HR-J.Jackson 2 (4), Caminero (22). Backup IF Jeremiah Jackson was tonight's surprise star, hitting a solo homer in the 2nd to tie it at 1 and then a 3-run homer in the 3rd to make it 5-1, driving in 5 in total on the night. Caminero stayed hot by going 4-4 with his solo homer, and it was good to see Grayson back on track after struggling since the ASB (20 ER allowed in his last 21.1 IP with 6 HR yielded in that stretch before tonight).

Team record: 72-43. This time a sweep gained us some ground as the Jays actually lost a game, so once again the teams are tied atop the AL East. Next up: A day off before play 3 in Minnesota.

MLB News: The Dodgers' Zach Eflin tore his UCL and will miss the rest of this year as well as all of 2029.

Art Deco · 05-13-2023, 10:07 PM

Game 1: 6-2 W. WP-Orze (6-6, 5 2 0 0 1 11). HR-DeLoach (18), Greene (7/25), Santana (23). Orze pitched his most dominant game as a Ray and DeLoach was 2-3 with 2 walks, a homer and 2 RBI to lead the offense.

Game 2: 6-13 L. LP-Swanda (12-8, 3.1 3 6 6 6 3). An ugly game all around with perhaps Swanda's worst outing as a Ray. Wander had 4 hits in a losing cause.

Game 3: 5-6 L. LP-Eldridge (9-6, 5 5 6 6 1 7). HR-Viera (6). Eldridge gave up 6 runs without getting an out to start the game, then was perfect for 5 innings. But it was too big a hole to climb out of even though they nearly did. Riley Greene had 3 RBI.

Team record: 73-45. Toronto took 2 of 3 so the Rays are now a game behind. Next up: A day off then 3 in Boston.

04-29-2023, 12:03 AM	#541
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,067	June 19-22, 2028: at NY Yankees (4) Game 1: 7-3 W. WP-G.Rodriguez (10-1, 5 5 3 3 5 8). HR-Santana (11), Viera (4), Luciano (8). Viera's solo shot in the 6th broke a 3-3 tie to send the Rays on to victory. DeLoach had 4 hits and Grayson got the win despite a very busy outing. Game 2: 8-6 W. WP-Sears (4-0). S-Diaz (15). Starter-Bradley (4 6 3 3 3 3). HR-Santana (12), Franco 2 (14), Luciano (9). Wander went deep twice among his 3 hits, Santana hit a 470-ft mammoth shot to CF and Sears got the win despite allowing a 3-run homer as the Rays won again. Game 3: 6-7 L. LP-Fairbanks (3-1). Starter-Eldridge (4 6 4 4 2 4). HR-Santana (13), Caminero (16). The Rays fought back from 6-3 down with 2 in the 8th on Caminero's homer and a Wander RBI double with 2 out in the 9th, only for Fairbanks to give up a double, bunt and single to lose it. Santana homered for the third straight game, all to CF. Game 4: 1-7 L. LP-Orze (3-3, 4 5 3 3 1 4). HR-DeLoach (8). The Rays did not pitch well in this series and today they didn't hit either, with DeLoach's homer leading off the game one of only four hits on the day as they continued their recent habit of winning the first two of a 4-game series then losing the second two. Team record: 47-28. The Jays got hot again, sweeping 4 from Boston to shave 2 games off the lead and reduce it to 4 1/2. Next up: Back home for 3 vs the 30-45 Reds.

04-30-2023, 08:39 AM	#542
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,067	June 23-25, 2028: vs Cincinnati (3) Game 1: 6-2 W. WP-Swanda (7-5, 7 6 2 2 0 3). HR-Caminero (17). The return of the first-inning, 3-run homer from Caminero and a strong outing from Swanda led the Rays to victory. Luciano knocked in a pair as well. Game 2: 9-0 W. WP-G.Rodriguez (11-1, 6 4 0 0 0 11). HR-DeLoach (9), Franco (15), Viera (5), Santana (14). Tampa Bay blasted former Rays starter Shane Baz for 8 runs on 11 hits including 3 homers and current Rays starter Grayson Rodriguez was almost untouchable as his Cy Young-caliber season rolls on. DeLoach and Viera each had 3 hits. Game 3: 0-2 L. LP-Bradley (1-1, 5 7 2 2 0 8). This time the Rays were done in by a former Tampa Bay player as Ian Seymour, selected by Cincinnati in the Rule 5 draft last year, shut them out for 7 1/3 and is now 9-4, 3.34 for the Reds as they managed only four hits in total. Team record: 49-29. Unfortunately the Jays remain insanely hot, sweeping their series and winning on our Monday off-day to trim the division lead to 3 games as they now have an 8-game winning streak. Next up: That day off is to travel coast-to-coast to go play 3 against the Dodgers. MLB News: Houston's Marcus Semien hit his 300th career homer.

04-30-2023, 08:48 AM	#543
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,067	Trade Alert! This one is big enough to warrant its own post: Never let it be said we didn't go for it this year. Riley Greene is one of the league's top players, a 75 defender in RF who's won the Gold Glove each of the previous two seasons, and a deadly hitter who's hitting 293/361/547 with 18 HR and 40 RBI in half a season so far and who averaged 25 HR and 85 RBI the previous two years. After 4.0 and 4.5 WAR seasons he's on pace for 6 this year. Of course Detroit was willing to move Greene since he's a free agent this winter and they haven't been able to work out an extension. We give up a really good prospect in Saenz, who's 17 and far away from the majors but profiles as a top leadoff hitter with 75 speed, contact, gap and avoid Ks potential (but not much power). de Anda was a supplemental 1st rounder in 2025 who has struggled at all stops in the minors but still has 50/40/60 potential as a starter. The Greene acquisition will set off a domino effect on the lineup with him taking Max Viera's spot against righties with Caminero going from DH to 1B, Ozzie Albies back to 2B, James Wood moving to LF and Natanael Santana becoming the DH. Against lefties we'll play the lineup we've been playing except Greene will take Fu-Chi Chin's RF platoon spot with Wood. To make room on the active roster Lonnie White was optioned to Durham as he just never hit when getting the chance to play, and to make room on the 40-man pitcher Yoniel Curet was DFA'd. Hopefully Greene can duplicate his first half and give us another 3 wins as that could be critical in this race with the Jays.

05-01-2023, 12:02 AM	#544
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,067	June 27-29, 2028: at LA Dodgers (3) Game 1: 7-8 L. LP-Fairbanks (3-2). Starter-Eldridge (3.2 8 7 7 2 3). HR-DeLoach (10), Santana (15), Franco (16). Eldridge was handed a 6-1 lead in the 4th inning thanks to those three homers and a 2-run double from Riley Greene in his Rays debut, but he gave up hit after hit (three of the infield variety) and the Dodgers went up 7-6 by the time it was done. The Rays tied it in the 7th but Fairbanks put the leadoff man on in the bottom of the 9th and Max Green gave up a 2-out Austin Hays double to lose it. Game 2: 5-3 W (13). WP-Sears (5-0). Starter-Orze (5 3 1 1 2 3). HR-Albies (13). Another bullpen breakdown as Fairbanks gave up a 2-run homer in the 8th to let LA tie it at 3 but Cartaya's RBI double against his old team broke the tie in the 13th and the Rays eked out the win. Bad news though as starting 3B Marco Luciano broke his elbow and is done for the year. Transaction: Luciano goes on the 60-day IL and we purchased the contract of 3B Freili Encarnacion from Durham. Encarnacion was acquired from Houston in the Curtis Mead trade last winter and was hitting 266/340/438 with the Bulls with 11 HR and 39 RBI and playing a solid hot corner. He'll get a lot of starts with Jeremiah Jackson and Max Viera mixing in. Game 3: 2-4 L (18). LP-Beeter (4-6). Starter-Swanda (6 6 0 0 1 7). Ugh. We lost a 1-0 lead in the 9th and a 2-1 lead in the 10th and had to end up playing 31 innings in two days with it finally ending when Beeter gave up a 2-run homer. They only managed 10 hits in the 18 innings with Wander getting five of them and Caminero three, so the rest of the team was an incredibly bad 2 for 47. Team record: 50-31. The Jays demolished the Giants by a combined 22-2 in the two games they played to make it 10 straight wins and pulled to within 1 1/2 games as the division lead keeps dwindling. Next up: 3 at home vs the San Antonio Seagulls, who are the relocated Pittsburgh Pirates.

05-01-2023, 08:48 AM	#545
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,067	2028 Midseason Review Tough to complain about a 50-win first half of the year, but the team has been kind of treading water lately and there has been a bullpen issue or two. The big picture: Obviously our biggest problem right now is Toronto, which has gone on a tear to nearly erase our division lead was as much as 9 games a month ago. Pythagoreas says we are who we are, although outside of our red-hot May this has been a team only slightly above .500. Considering we lost Shane McClanahan and Luis Castillo it's saying something how elite our pitching has been this year and the offense has been decent but needs to be better, and hopefully the Riley Greene acquisition will address that. Marco Luciano wasn't an offensive force at 3B but his replacements aren't quite as good so we'll have a bit of a dropoff there. Just about all the 3B on other teams who would be an improvement are on big contracts extending beyond 2028 so I'm afraid help isn't coming from outside. 6 of our 9 starters are having good seasons (although one day recently I looked up and saw Ozzie Albies was hitting .227 after going 8 for his last 56) and hopefully Greene will make it 7 of 9 starters. James Wood can't seem to get going and the bench has been abysmal, especially Cal Raleigh whom we brought in as the backup C hoping he'd provide us with some pop; instead he can barely make contact. Quality all around as seen by our team numbers. Even the guys with ERAs over 4 have been solid contributors, and Trey Riley and Aldry Acosta were inspired waiver claims. Grayson is on track for a Cy Young, Swanda isn't too far behind him, and Luis German has been incredible in multi-inning relief. One aspect of the franchise that hasn't been good of late has been the farm system, where we've both traded guys away and had several others fail to develop and it might be time to start paying more attention and making an emphasis there. Haro and Khattak of course are the glaring exceptions; despite his pedestrian numbers in AA ball Haro will be an offensive force, and Khattak could be in our rotation next season. After that there isn't really help on the way.

05-01-2023, 10:16 PM	#546
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,067	June 30-July 2, 2028: vs San Antonio (3) Game 1: 1-3 L. LP-G.Rodriguez (11-2, 5.2 7 3 2 2 6). HR-Chin (2). After the marathons in LA several players were fatigued so the bench was used liberally and as you saw in the midseason review they haven't hit at all this year and tonight was no exception as the Rays were no-hit until Chin homered in the 8th. Game 2: 5-2 W. WP-Bradley (2-1, 6 6 2 2 1 6). S-Diaz (16). HR-DeLoach (11). Taj was solid and DeLoach was 3-5 with a homer, triple and 2 RBI. Riley Greene, who sat out last night, was on base all 4 times in his Trop Rays debut with 2 singles, a walk and an HBP. Game 3: 7-0 W. WP-Eldridge (6-4, 8 3 0 0 1 9). HR-Franco 2 (18), Caminero (18), Albies (14). Bryce Eldridge bounced back from a pair of lousy starts with his best as a big leaguer, taking a shutout into the 9th before leaving after giving up a leadoff hit. Wander was 3-5 with the two homers and Wood knocked in a pair. Team record: 52-32. The Jays finally did lose a game, but one is all they lost so they remain within 1 1/2. And Toronto is our next opponent, coming to the Trop for 4 games. It's Wander Franco's world and we're all living in it: and

05-02-2023, 10:05 PM	#547
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,067	July 3-6, 2028: vs Toronto (4) Game 1: 0-5 L. LP-Orze (3-4, 4.2 3 4 4 4 6). The Rays laid an egg in the opener of their big series with Toronto, managing seven hits and nary a run. Game 2: 5-1 W. WP-Swanda (8-5, 6.1 3 1 1 1 7). HR-Santana (16). Swanda was dazzling again and Santana's grand slam in the 3rd made it 5-0 as the Rays evened up the series with the Jays. Game 3: 4-1 W. WP-German (3-0). S-Diaz (17). Starter-G.Rodriguez (6 2 1 1 4 7). HR-Encarnacion (1), Santana (17). Freili Encarnacion picked a great time to hit his first MLB homer as his 2-run shot in the 7th broke a 1-1 tie and led the Rays to victory. Game 4: 5-7 L. LP-Bradley (2-2, 3 9 7 7 1 4). HR-Wood (8). Taj was barraged by the Blue Jays, with 5 of the runs against coming on a pair of homers. Wood's 3-run homer in the 7th brought them back within 7-5, but a two man-on rally in the 8th fizzled out and they went meekly in the 9th to end up splitting the series. Team record: 54-34, still 1 1/2 up on Toronto. Next up: A weekend in Kansas City with 3 against the Royals, struggling this year at 37-50, before we hit the All-Star break. MLB News: Joe Musgrove of the Yankees tossed a no-hitter against Washington, walking 2 and fanning 11 on a healthy 126 pitches. Meanwhile Milwaukee's Brandon Woodruff tore his UCL and will undergo Tommy John surgery, sidelining him until late 2029.

05-04-2023, 08:20 AM	#548
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,067	July 7-9, 2028: at Kansas City (3) Game 1: 2-8 L. LP-Eldridge (6-5, 3 6 7 7 4 6). HR-Encarnacion (2). Eldridge has now sandwiched two horrible starts around a gem as the Rays were blown out today. Game 2: 7-4 W. WP-Orze (4-4, 5.1 4 1 1 1 2). S-Diaz (18). HR-Wood 2 (10), Caminero (19). Wood homered twice and drove in 3, Caminero was 3-5 with the homer and 2 RBI, and Albies had a big early 2-run double as Tampa Bay got back in the win column. Game 3: 4-7 L. LP-Swanda (8-6, 4.1 7 4 4 2 4). HR-Santana (18), Greene (1/19). Swanda celebrated being named to the AL All-Star team by getting shelled as the Rays' lousy play of late continued with their fourth loss in five games. Riley Greene's 2-run blast to make the score a little more respectable in the 9th was his first as a Ray. Team record: 55-36. The only good news was that Toronto also dropped a pair of games in Missouri to the Cardinals so the lead remains at 1 1/2 games. Next up: The All-Star break after which we head to Chicago for 3 against the White Sox beginning Friday. MLB News: One guy we won't be facing with the White Sox is ace starter Aaron Nola, who is done for the year with bone chips in his elbow.

05-04-2023, 09:26 PM	#549
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,067	All-Star Break 2028 For the American League, the roster includes: SP Robert Ahlstrom (TEX) - 10-5, 3.14 ERA, 123.1 IP, 1.09 WHIP, 10.7 K/9, 4.7 WAR SP Tyler Holton (HOU) - 3-2, 2.14 ERA, 80.0 IP, 0.96 WHIP, 6.5 K/9, 1.3 WAR SP Dustin May (CWS) - 7-5, 2.77 ERA, 104.0 IP, 1.28 WHIP, 8.2 K/9, 2.5 WAR SP Grayson Rodriguez (TB) - 11-2, 2.31 ERA, 109.0 IP, 0.99 WHIP, 11.2 K/9, 3.3 WAR SP Dakota Stone (BOS) - 7-8, 2.58 ERA, 115.0 IP, 1.00 WHIP, 10.3 K/9, 3.2 WAR SP John Swanda (TB) - 8-5, 2.77 ERA, 104.0 IP, 1.11 WHIP, 8.6 K/9, 2.8 WAR SP Case Williams (CLE)* - 7-2, 2.21 ERA, 81.1 IP, 1.01 WHIP, 10.4 K/9, 2.1 WAR *RP Luis German (TB) - 3-0, 0.70 ERA, 51.2 IP, 0.87 WHIP, 12.2 K/9, 2.0 WAR RP Chujiro Muraoka (LAA) - 3-1, 2.28 ERA, 67.0 IP, 1.00 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, 1.4 WAR RP Jack Neely (OAK) - 4-3, 2.56 ERA, 45.2 IP, 1.38 WHIP, 11.6 K/9, 0.7 WAR CL Alex Lange (KC) - 1-1, 9 SV, 1.02 ERA, 35.1 IP, 0.93 WHIP, 8.9 K/9, 1.1 WAR CL Caleb Logerwell (TOR) - 2-1, 23 SV, 1.62 ERA, 33.1 IP, 0.87 WHIP, 14.3 K/9, 1.4 WAR CL Billy Sullivan (OAK) - 1-2, 22 SV, 2.34 ERA, 34.2 IP, 1.01 WHIP, 16.1 K/9, 1.2 WAR C Diego Cartaya (TB) - .257/.314/.467, 261 AB, 14 HR, 120 wRC+, 2.9 WAR** C Gabriel Moreno (TOR) - .262/.350/.453, 225 AB, 12 HR, 127 wRC+, 2.0 WAR C Adley Rutschman (BAL)* - .271/.359/.454, 280 AB, 11 HR, 128 wRC+, 3.4 WAR 1B Junior Caminero (TB) - .292/.350/.512, 346 AB, 19 HR, 140 wRC+, 2.3 WAR 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR)* - .360/.440/.720, 322 AB, 33 HR, 1 SB, 222 wRC+, 5.9 WAR 1B Gavin Sheets (NYY)* - .297/.354/.523, 306 AB, 18 HR, 147 wRC+, 2.4 WAR 1B Justin Williams (HOU) - .252/.330/.526, 321 AB, 23 HR, 134 wRC+, 2.0 WAR 2B Bo Bichette (TOR) - .281/.358/.493, 306 AB, 17 HR, 7 SB, 140 wRC+, 2.5 WAR 2B Jake Fox (CLE)* - .306/.366/.466, 337 AB, 12 HR, 21 SB, 135 wRC+, 4.2 WAR 2B Jonathan Schoop (DET) - .244/.317/.390, 336 AB, 11 HR, 4 SB, 98 wRC+, 0.4 WAR 3B Gunnar Henderson (NYY) - .265/.333/.503, 294 AB, 18 HR, 6 SB, 134 wRC+, 3.2 WAR 3B Ronny Mauricio (MIN) - .245/.281/.504, 335 AB, 23 HR, 2 SB, 113 wRC+, 1.8 WAR 3B Wilfred Veras (CWS)* - .315/.384/.649, 333 AB, 31 HR, 1 SB, 184 wRC+, 5.2 WAR SS Tim Anderson (TOR) - .313/.361/.469, 275 AB, 9 HR, 5 SB, 133 wRC+, 2.8 WAR *SS Wander Franco (TB) - .310/.368/.558, 310 AB, 18 HR, 11 SB, 159 wRC+, 3.5 WAR** LF Juan Soto (CLE)* - .291/.408/.542, 299 AB, 18 HR, 4 SB, 168 wRC+, 4.3 WAR CF Derek Curiel (TEX) - .316/.356/.428, 339 AB, 6 HR, 13 SB, 121 wRC+, 3.1 WAR CF Julio Rodriguez (SEA)* - .303/.375/.522, 251 AB, 12 HR, 22 SB, 155 wRC+, 3.2 WAR CF Mike Trout (LAA) - .228/.367/.490, 298 AB, 21 HR, 5 SB, 143 wRC+, 3.5 WAR *RF Riley Greene (TB) - .292/.363/.517, 298 AB, 18 HR, 4 SB, 144 wRC+, 3.1 WAR** RF Shohei Ohtani (LAA) - .227/.339/.545, 242 AB, 21 HR, 9 SB, 145 wRC+, 2.6 WAR For the National League these players have been selected: SP Corbin Burnes (MIL) - 7-7, 3.28 ERA, 115.1 IP, 1.30 WHIP, 10.3 K/9, 2.9 WAR SP Jacob deGrom (PHI)* - 5-6, 5.13 ERA, 107.0 IP, 1.38 WHIP, 8.2 K/9, 1.0 WAR SP Jonathan Edwards (ARI) - 10-4, 2.65 ERA, 105.1 IP, 1.08 WHIP, 11.2 K/9, 3.1 WAR SP Tyler Glasnow (SD) - 10-4, 2.87 ERA, 119.0 IP, 0.98 WHIP, 12.0 K/9, 3.1 WAR SP Brailyn Marquez (MIA) - 6-6, 3.20 ERA, 112.2 IP, 1.23 WHIP, 13.7 K/9, 3.3 WAR SP Shane McClanahan (SF) - 7-4, 2.38 ERA, 106.0 IP, 1.04 WHIP, 10.1 K/9, 3.2 WAR SP Kumar Rocker (NYM) - 11-4, 2.57 ERA, 112.0 IP, 1.03 WHIP, 9.3 K/9, 2.4 WAR RP Ben Leeper (CHC) - 4-1, 1.38 ERA, 45.2 IP, 1.01 WHIP, 10.1 K/9, 0.8 WAR RP Jesus Liranzo (LAD) - 2-0, 1.23 ERA, 51.1 IP, 0.76 WHIP, 8.2 K/9, 0.8 WAR CL Joey Gerber (NYM) - 0-1, 34 SV, 1.19 ERA, 45.1 IP, 0.88 WHIP, 11.9 K/9, 2.0 WAR CL Josh Hader (MIL)* - 2-3, 16 SV, 2.56 ERA, 31.2 IP, 1.23 WHIP, 16.2 K/9, 0.9 WAR CL Shelby Lackey (LAD) - 3-3, 18 SV, 2.92 ERA, 37.0 IP, 1.14 WHIP, 11.9 K/9, 0.6 WAR CL Luis Montas (ARI) - 3-3, 23 SV, 2.49 ERA, 43.1 IP, 1.15 WHIP, 13.3 K/9, 2.6 WAR C Francisco Alvarez (NYM)* - .276/.325/.525, 261 AB, 18 HR, 1 SB, 139 wRC+, 3.1 WAR C Luis Campusano (SD) - .259/.348/.475, 255 AB, 11 HR, 133 wRC+, 2.2 WAR C Tyler Stephenson (CIN) - .253/.377/.395, 253 AB, 8 HR, 124 wRC+, 2.4 WAR 1B Pete Alonso (NYM)* - .268/.350/.449, 314 AB, 14 HR, 129 wRC+, 1.8 WAR 1B Jake Cronenworth (PHI) - .262/.350/.477, 321 AB, 17 HR, 3 SB, 132 wRC+, 2.7 WAR 1B Oneil Cruz (SA) - .301/.359/.558, 346 AB, 24 HR, 5 SB, 156 wRC+, 3.5 WAR 1B Jordan Walker (STL) - .253/.336/.487, 320 AB, 21 HR, 13 SB, 132 wRC+, 2.6 WAR 2B Diego Castillo (SA)* - .378/.434/.595, 294 AB, 13 HR, 3 SB, 192 wRC+, 4.0 WAR 2B Jacob Gonzalez (ARI)* - .284/.332/.544, 338 AB, 24 HR, 3 SB, 142 wRC+, 3.1 WAR 2B Yunior Severino (COL) - .302/.372/.546, 328 AB, 19 HR, 150 wRC+, 3.1 WAR 3B Manny Machado (SD)* - .275/.354/.479, 334 AB, 15 HR, 1 SB, 137 wRC+, 2.7 WAR 3B Colson Montgomery (COL) - .265/.348/.531, 324 AB, 21 HR, 3 SB, 136 wRC+, 3.1 WAR 3B Austin Riley (ATL) - .269/.359/.492, 309 AB, 16 HR, 139 wRC+, 2.9 WAR 3B Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD)* - .267/.389/.534, 281 AB, 20 HR, 13 SB, 156 wRC+, 3.9 WAR SS Trea Turner (LAD) - .298/.334/.481, 349 AB, 16 HR, 12 SB, 126 wRC+, 3.4 WAR LF Joey Gallo (ATL) - .227/.338/.515, 309 AB, 27 HR, 2 SB, 138 wRC+, 3.4 WAR LF Alek Thomas (ARI) - .300/.342/.529, 350 AB, 16 HR, 7 SB, 141 wRC+, 3.9 WAR LF Spencer Torkelson (WSH)* - .292/.356/.509, 346 AB, 19 HR, 2 SB, 139 wRC+, 1.9 WAR CF Bryan Reynolds (SA)* - .258/.343/.447, 275 AB, 11 HR, 124 wRC+, 1.7 WAR RF Dylan Carlson (STL)* - .303/.411/.613, 271 AB, 19 HR, 13 SB, 189 wRC+, 4.8 WAR RF Ketel Marte (ARI) - .318/.380/.561, 214 AB, 11 HR, 1 SB, 163 wRC+, 2.7 WAR . It's the first ASG for G.Rodriguez and Caminero, the second for Swanda, Cartaya and German, the third for Greene and the sixth for Wander. The derby (with no Rays participating): The game: Not the best showing from the Rays' participants as our pitchers allowed 4 of the 5 NL runs with Grayson giving up 2 in the first thanks to a 2-run double by former Ray Spencer Torkelson, and Luis German allowing the go-ahead runs in the 7th with his own error figuring in large as well as another big hit from a former Tampa Bay player in Jake Cronenworth. Wander and Greene each had a single but that was about it from our hitters.

05-05-2023, 08:09 AM	#550
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,067	July 14-16, 2028: at Chicago White Sox (3) Game 1: 6-3 W. WP-Eldridge (7-5, 5.1 6 2 2 0 9). S-Diaz (19). HR-Franco (19). Wander's 3-run homer in the 2nd made it 4-0 and the Rays rode a fine Eldridge outing to resume action with a win. DeLoach was 3-5 with a double and 2 RBI. Game 2: 12-4 W. WP-Swanda (9-6, 6 5 4 4 1 5). S-Beeter (1). HR-Wood (11), Santana (19), Greene (2/20), Franco (20), DeLoach (12). It was home run derby for the Rays as they hit 5 in a rout. DeLoach drove in 4 and Wood 3. Game 3: 4-1 W. WP-Bradley (6 5 1 1 1 5). S-Diaz (20). HR-Encarnacion (3). Taj was on his game today, Freili Encarnacion's 2-run shot was the game's big hit and Riley Greene had a pair of RBI singles to lead the Rays to the sweep. Team record: 58-36. So what did the sweep earn them in terms of expanding their division lead? Zip, zilch, nada. In fact they lost ground because Toronto played 4 games and won them all, slicing the division lead to one game. Next up: an always-fun trip to Coors Field for 3 against the Rockies, who are fighting for a wild card at 51-44. MLB News: A couple of milestones and a no-hitter. Atlanta's Greg Olson hit HR #300, Toronto's Tim Anderson, having a great year and one of the reasons the Jays are breathing down our necks, had career hit #2000, and the Giants' Gerardo Carrillo no-hit the Rockies in San Francisco, walking 3 and fanning 9 on 116 pitches.

05-06-2023, 09:43 AM	#551
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,067	The 2028 Amateur Draft All of these picks are high-school kids except for Buckman. Viola: A CF with the classic leadoff profile: 75 contact, 80 speed, 70 avoid Ks, 80 gap, 40 power, 45 eye, also projected 70/50/60 across the OF defensively. Lake: SP with a 60/65/65 ceiling, projected to have four plus pitches. Lowe: The Rays always seem to end up with guys named Lowe, and this catching prospect projects to be a good one with 60 contact, 65 power, and a potential 55 rating behind the plate. Mendoza: Could be a special hitter (75 contact, 65 power, 80(!) avoid Ks) but seen more as a 3B (potential 65 at the position, only 40 at SS). Off to a tough 0-11 start in complex ball, though. Ramirez: Prototypical power-hitting corner OF (60 contact/65 power). Sanchez: 55/60/60 potential, more of a finesse than power starter. Buckman: Y'all should hope he doesn't make it since I'll be saying "The Curious Case of Benjamin Buckman" way too often. Buckman hails from the University of Illinois-Chicago and is a groundball guy with 55/70/50 potential and is starting out at High-A Bowling Green.

05-06-2023, 09:51 AM	#552
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,067	July 17-19, 2028: at Colorado (3) Game 1: 6-7 L. LP-G.Rodriguez (11-3, 4 9 7 7 1 6, 3 HR). HR-Santana (20), Wood (12), Cartaya (15), Franco (21). Grayson Rodriguez's HR rate has been way down from his years in Baltimore but put him in Coors and you get your regression as he was hit hard and they couldn't quite come all the way back. Game 2: 9-0 W. WP-Orze (5-4, 5 5 0 0 0 2). HR-DeLoach (13), Albies (15). Kudos to Orze and the bullpen for getting a rare Coors Field shutout. DeLoach had a triple to go with his homer and was 3-5 with 2 RBI. Game 3: 3-4 L. LP-Green (3-3). Starter-Eldridge (5.2 4 1 1 0 5). A tough loss as the Rays left 10 on base, mostly early and after finally taking the lead 3-1 in the 7th, Luis German and Max Green combined to allow 3 in the bottom of the inning to lose the game and the series. Team record: 59-38. Apparently Toronto has decided to never lose again as the Jays swept the Tigers to drop the Rays into second place, a game behind. Next up: An off-day to travel home where we'll face the 49-48 Phillies.

05-07-2023, 07:55 AM	#553
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,067	July 21-23, 2028: vs Philadelphia (3) Game 1: 10-1 W. WP-Swanda (10-6, 6 2 0 0 0 6). HR-Albies (16). Rays were up 9-0 by the 3rd with Albies' 3-run homer in the 1st kicking things off. Swanda was brilliant as his line indicated, Wander was 4-5 with an RBI and Riley Greene knocked in 3. Game 2: 11-2 W. WP-Sears (6-0). Starter-Bradley (4.1 6 2 0 1 7, 92 pitches). HR-Greene 2 (4/22), DeLoach (14). Another day, another rout of the Phillies although this one took longer to materialize when a 7-run 5th erased a 2-1 Philly lead. Greene drove in 4 more with his 2 homers while Wood and Santana each knocked in a pair. Game 3: 7-5 W. WP-Green (4-3). S-Diaz (21). Starter-G.Rodriguez (5.1 5 3 3 2 6). HR-Albies (17), Cartaya (16), Franco (21). Rays had to work harder for this one, losing a 5-2 lead then re-taking it in the 7th on a leadoff homer from Wander and a Cartaya (who had 3 RBI total) run-scoring double. Wander's dinger capped a 3-3, 2-RBI day. Team record: 62-38. The Yankees finally cooled off the Jays, beating them 2 out of 3 so with the sweep the Rays leapfrogged Toronto back into first, a game ahead. Next up: The 52-48 Rangers visit the Trop. MLB News: Atlanta superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. hit career homer #300 and the Blue Jays lost star SS Tim Anderson for 5 weeks with a hamstring strain.

05-08-2023, 08:28 AM	#554
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,067	July 24-26, 2028: vs Texas (3) Game 1: 3-5 L. LP-Orze (5-5, 4.2 7 4 4 0 7). HR-Albies (18), Greene (5/23). Orze gave up 2 in the first and the Rays were chasing the game the whole way. Game 2: 4-2 W. WP-Eldridge (8-5, 5 5 2 2 2 8). S-Diaz (22). A 3-run 3rd which included a run scoring on a wild pitch and another on a bases-loaded walk was decisive. Riley Greene was 2-3 with 2 RBI and is hitting 371/462/563 since the trade, so it's been a good deal even if the team hasn't been consistently winning of late. Game 3: 4-7 L. LP-Swanda (10-7, 5 7 5 5 3 5, 3 HR). For the third straight night a Rays starter gave up 2 runs in the 1st, and although they came back to take a 4-2 lead off Texas ace Robert Ahlstrom, Swanda gave up a 3-run homer to former Rays farmhand Cooper Kinney (traded a few years back for Luis Castillo) and the Rangers took the series. Team record: 63-40. Toronto won 2 of 3 so the Rays and Jays are now tied for the first place with the same record. Next up: An off-day then we head to Seattle for 3 games. MLB News: Milwaukee traded veteran superstar Christian Yelich to St. Louis for a minor leaguer. They offered him to us but Yelich is signed through 2029 and I did not want that huge contract.

05-09-2023, 08:30 AM	#555
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,067	July 28-30, 2028: at Seattle (3) Game 1: 6-3 W. WP-Bradley (4-2, 5.1 6 3 3 3 4). S-Diaz (23). The offense only managed 7 hits but scored 5 times in the 2nd thanks to errors, wild pitches and bases-loaded walks courtesy of the generous host Mariners. Game 2: 5-4 W. WP-Green (5-3). S-Diaz (24). Starter-G.Rodriguez (6.1 6 4 4 2 6). HR-Santana (21). Albies' clutch 2-out RBI double in the 9th won it for the Rays while Santana knocked in 3 including a 2-run homer. Game 3: 1-5 L. LP-Orze (5-6, 2.2 7 4 4 1 3). HR-Cartaya (17). Orze stunk against his old team and the rest of the team didn't fare much better. Team record: 65-41. The Jays also took 2 of 3 over the weekend so the teams remain tied atop the AL East. Next up: 3 games in Cleveland.

05-09-2023, 10:49 PM	#556
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,067	Trade Deadline Fun Well I came into the trade deadline not expecting to make a deal. With Marco Luciano out for the year I had been shopping for a 3B but as I had mentioned in a previous post the ones who would be upgrades are either untouchable or have big contracts extending beyond this year. Freili Encarnacion has actually been coming on late and it's not like Luciano was hitting the cover off the ball. Still, thanks to OOTP's new trade deadline day feature I received many offers and got caught up in things, making three deals in all. The first was an attempt to upgrade the backup catcher spot. The waiver claim of Cal Raleigh a couple of months back did not turn out to be upgrade I had hoped as the Big Dumper hit 123/191/153 in 73 at-bats and is only a 45 defenders. Hence the deal for Langeliers whom the Phillies made available. He's a better defender (55) and although he wasn't hitting much better than Raleigh he has a little more power. And mainly I was just sick of Raleigh. Speaking of backup catchers there was a fair amount of interest in Drew Romo, a 75-rated defender at the position but who has an even worse bat than Raleigh (and it was only good for 0.2 WAR at Durham). Chicago offered me this deal with Romo and someone else whom I forget but didn't want to give up, and when I took him out they still wanted the deal with just Romo. So we get a bullpen upgrade by bringing back Doval, he of the 75 stuff and 80 movement (and 45 control), whom we acquired at the deadline last year from Colorado. He signed a one-year deal with the Cubs who fell out of it. And they also threw in Mendez, who is a half-decent prospect and could play in the bigs as a 4th OF right now (the third guy Ochoa isn't really any kind of prospect). The only problem with acquiring Doval is that there wasn't a natural opening on the staff for him to fill. The pen has pitched really well and everyone on the staff except Luis German and John Swanda is out of options and those two weren't being demoted. So we swung this deal to make room for Doval: Yes we made a deal with our most unlikely trade partners, the team we're tied with atop the AL East - and may have helped them. Of course we already traded them Christopher Gau earlier this year when we also needed to make room so why not do it again? Beeter had been OK for us but was clearly the last man on the staff, relegated to long relief/mop-up work. He still has his 70/45/45 stuff so obviously he can help the Jays and the only reason we did this (aside from making room for Doval) is that they offered us a top 100 (#79) prospect in Castillo. He was Toronto's first-round pick in 2026 (18th overall) and is rated 50 current/65 potential contact, 75/75 gap and 55/60 power. He hit over .300 with moderate power at each MiLB stop and held his own coming off the bench in Toronto in 60 AB. Castillo will go to Durham for now as we have 1B and DH covered but should definitely figure into next year's plans. So in terms of the current roster, Doval is in for Beeter and Langeliers for Raleigh (who cleared waivers and went to Durham). Last edited by Art Deco; 05-09-2023 at 10:54 PM.

05-09-2023, 11:08 PM	#557
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,067	July 31-August 2, 2028: at Cleveland (3) Game 1: 5-3 W. WP-Green (6-3). S-Diaz (25). Starter-Eldridge (4.1 5 3 2 2 4). HR-Greene (6/24), Caminero (20). With two out in the 9th in a 3-3 game DeLoach and Wander hit doubles to break the deadlock and Albies singled in Wander. Shea Langeliers made his Rays debut and was 0-4, following in the tradition of our backup catchers this year. Game 2: 6-2 W. WP-Swanda (11-7, 7 6 0 0 1 3). HR-DeLoach 2 (16), Cartaya (18). DeLoach had been in a mini-slump with the snowflake next to his name but broke out of it in a big way tonight, with a 3-run homer and a solo shot to lead the Rays to victory. Camilo Doval made his return to the Rays tonight and gave up a homer to the first man he faced in the 9th but got the next three to finish it out. Game 3: 4-3 W (14). WP-German (4-0). S-Acosta (1). Starter-Bradley (5 5 1 1 0 5). HR-Wood (13). Max Green gave up a homer in the 8th to blow a 2-1 Rays lead and send us to extras where we eventually prevailed thanks to Wood's 2-run homer. German gave up a homer to Juan Soto in the bottom of the inning but Acosta came in and finished it out for his first Rays save to complete the sweep. Team record: 68-41. So what did the sweep gain us? You guessed it - nada, thanks to the Jays sweeping the Yankees so the deadlock remains. Next up: Something will have to give as the Jays visit the Trop for 3 this weekend in a huge series after an off-day. MLB News: The trade deadline was very active and the biggest deal saw Milwaukee trade star pitcher Corbin Burnes to the Padres for a package of five prospects. And then Burnes went out and pitched 7 no-hit innings in his San Diego debut but had to leave with a shoulder subluxation which might push his next start back a day. Seranthony Dominguez then came in and pitched two hitless innings to complete the combined no-hitter against Arizona. Also former Rays Cy Young winner Blake Snell, now with St. Louis, saw his season end with a torn labrum and he'll miss most of 2029 as well. Farm news: We had a couple of MiLB players of the month with Blaze Jordan, who started the year as our regular 1B before slumping badly, being named IL Batter of the Month after hitting .312-10-28. Jordan has bounced back nicely from a rough first month with Durham. Also at the AA level Montgomery OF Tommy Specht was named SL Player of the Month after a .375-6-16 July. Specht plays a 60 RF, has 65 speed, and has 55 power potential (but only 45 contact), making him a possible future 4th OF. Last edited by Art Deco; 05-09-2023 at 11:13 PM.

05-11-2023, 08:35 AM	#558
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,067	August 4-6, 2028: vs Toronto (3) Game 1: 3-6 L. LP-G.Rodriguez (11-4, 6 7 6 6 2 7). HR-Wood (14). The showdown series with the Jays did not get off to a good start as Grayson was hit for 6 runs in the 2nd capped by a 3-run Vlad Jr homer. He settled in after that but the damage was done. Game 2: 1-2 L. LP-German (4-1). Starter-Orze (4 5 1 1 1 2). The Rays dropped 2 behind the Jays after they couldn't hit and German was wild in the 5th, walking 3 to help Toronto to the winning run. To add insult to injury a couple of guys we traded to them this year pitched scoreless innings with Beeter pitching the 7th and Gau getting the save. Game 3: 7-3 W. WP-Eldridge (9-5, 5 6 2 1 1 8). S-Doval (1). HR-Caminero (21), DeLoach (17), Santana (22), Wood (15). Tampa Bay avoided the sweep and avoided disaster with the win to pull them back within a game of the division lead. A 5-run 2nd keyed by DeLoach's 3-run shot was decisive. Team record: 69-43. Next up: The White Sox visit the Trop for 3 games.

05-12-2023, 08:18 AM	#559
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,067	August 7-9, 2028: vs Chicago White Sox (3) Game 1: 1-0 W. WP-Swanda (12-7, 6 2 0 0 1 9). S-Diaz (26). Swanda was brilliant and Wood's RBI double in the 2nd stood up for the rest of the game as the teams combined for only six hits. Game 2: 10-2 W. WP-Bradley (5-2, 5 5 2 2 2 8). HR-Cartaya (19). Cartaya's 3-run homer in the 1st got them going and it was 7-0 after 2. Caminero was 3-4 with 3 RBI. Game 3: 8-1 W. WP-G.Rodriguez (12-4, 6 4 1 1 2 11). HR-J.Jackson 2 (4), Caminero (22). Backup IF Jeremiah Jackson was tonight's surprise star, hitting a solo homer in the 2nd to tie it at 1 and then a 3-run homer in the 3rd to make it 5-1, driving in 5 in total on the night. Caminero stayed hot by going 4-4 with his solo homer, and it was good to see Grayson back on track after struggling since the ASB (20 ER allowed in his last 21.1 IP with 6 HR yielded in that stretch before tonight). Team record: 72-43. This time a sweep gained us some ground as the Jays actually lost a game, so once again the teams are tied atop the AL East. Next up: A day off before play 3 in Minnesota. MLB News: The Dodgers' Zach Eflin tore his UCL and will miss the rest of this year as well as all of 2029.

05-13-2023, 10:07 PM	#560
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,067	August 11-13, 2028: at Minnesota (3) Game 1: 6-2 W. WP-Orze (6-6, 5 2 0 0 1 11). HR-DeLoach (18), Greene (7/25), Santana (23). Orze pitched his most dominant game as a Ray and DeLoach was 2-3 with 2 walks, a homer and 2 RBI to lead the offense. Game 2: 6-13 L. LP-Swanda (12-8, 3.1 3 6 6 6 3). An ugly game all around with perhaps Swanda's worst outing as a Ray. Wander had 4 hits in a losing cause. Game 3: 5-6 L. LP-Eldridge (9-6, 5 5 6 6 1 7). HR-Viera (6). Eldridge gave up 6 runs without getting an out to start the game, then was perfect for 5 innings. But it was too big a hole to climb out of even though they nearly did. Riley Greene had 3 RBI. Team record: 73-45. Toronto took 2 of 3 so the Rays are now a game behind. Next up: A day off then 3 in Boston.