The 2022 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 4-7 L. LP-Armstrong (0-2). Starter-Eldridge (5 5 1 1 3 2). HR-Haro (3). Total bullpen meltdown as the Rays took a 4-1 lead into the 7th before Colby Holcombe and Ivan Armstrong combined to allow 6 runs to lose it.

Game 2: 2-0 W. WP-Marklund (2-0). S-R.Rodriguez (6). Starter-Okuda (4.2 4 0 0 2 6). HR-Cedillos (6). Today the bullpen was brilliant as Okuda and 3 relievers combined on a 4-hit shutout. Isaac Cedillos brought home both runs with an RBI single and solo homer.

Game 3: 3-1 W. WP-Ogando (1-1). S-R.Rodriguez (7). Starter-Evans (5 2 1 1 1 6). HR-Caminero (5). Caminero's 2-run homer in the 8th was the difference as the Rays took a series they probably should have swept in Toronto.

Team record: 15-11. We're tied with Boston 1/2 game behind Toronto in a wild AL East. Next up: An off-day then back home for 3 against Houston.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 4-3 W. WP-Armstrong (1-2). Starter-Acosta (5 3 3 3 2 9). HR-Kurokawa (2). Acosta gave up 3 in the top of the 1st but he and the pen held from there and the comeback culminated in Angel Rivera's walk-off double in the bottom of the 9th.

Game 2: 4-12 L. LP-Khattak (0-3, 3 7 6 6 4 4). HR-Mesa 2 (7), Luciano (1). Walt Khattak's miserable start to 2032 shows no signs of turning around as today's beating upped his ERA to 8.13.

Game 3: 3-2 W. WP-Ogando (2-1). S-R.Rodriguez (8). Starter-Eldridge (6 7 2 1 2 3). Another comeback win with Isaac Cedillos' 2-run double in the 8th winning it for the Rays.

Team record: 17-12. We're 1/2 behind the Jays in 2nd, 1/2 up on the Red Sox and 1 game on the Yankees in a jumbled AL East. Next up: The other Texas team visits for 3 as we host the Rangers.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 4-6 L. LP-Ogando (2-2). Starter-Okuda (6 5 0 0 3 5). HR-Caminero (6), Haro (4). An utter disaster as the Rays took a 4-0 lead into the 8th only to see the pen give up 5 runs to lose it. Ben Onyshko loaded the bases with one out, Ogando gave up a hit and two walks to let Texas tie and then Buckman gave up the winning hit.

Game 2: 6-5 W (13). WP-Buckman (3-1). Starter-Evans (3.1 7 4 4 1 6). HR-C.Williams (2). Rays turned the tables on Texas, coming back from 5-1 down with a 4-run 6th to tie and then eventually winning in the 13th on Nelson Haro's RBI single after his double had tied the game earlier. The slumping Carson Williams also tripled and homered.

Game 3: 3-8 L. LP-Acosta (1-2, 4.2 9 8 8 0 7, 3 HR). HR-Kurokawa (3). An ugly game as Acosta was left in longer than he should have with the bullpen burned from the previous two nights.

Team record: 18-14. Now 3rd, 1 1/2 back of Boston. Next up: The Yankees, whom we're ahead of by a game, come to the Trop for 4.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 4-3 W. WP-Armenta (1-1). S-R.Rodriguez (9). Starter-Khattak (5.1 4 2 2 5 2). HR-Caminero (7). This was the first time Luis German had pitched at the Trop since leaving the Rays and he shackled them for 6 2/3, allowing only a Caminero solo shot. But they rallied for 3 off the pen with Solano's 2-run triple the winner. R-Rod had the shakiest of saves, leaving the bases loaded with a run in.

Game 2: 7-2 W. WP-Eldridge (3-0, 6 4 1 1 1 10). A much easier time of it tonight for Tampa Bay as Eldridge pitched his best game of the season. Caminero was 2-3 with 3 RBI and Angel Rivera was 1-2 with 2 walks, an RBI double, and 3 runs scored as the Rays knocked around one of the top pitchers in the game in Robert Ahlstrom.

Game 3: 4-3 W. WP-Buckman (4-1). Starter-Okuda (5.2 4 2 2 0 8). HR-Caminero (8), Solano (3). Rodolfo Solano to the rescue again as his 2-run walk-off homer in the 9th gave the Rays the most dramatic of wins.

Game 4: 2-4 L. LP-Evans (3-2, 5.1 1 1 1 3 8). Evans took the toughest of losses as the bats and bullpen let them down tonight. Caminero was 2-2 and finished the series 6-13 with 2 HR and 6 RBI.

Team record: 21-15. Taking 3 of 4 in this series enabled the Rays to move into first place, 1/2 game ahead of both Toronto and Boston. Next up: The homestand concludes with 3 against the Phillies.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 3-0 W. WP-Acosta (2-2, 6 2 0 0 1 6). S-R.Rodriguez (10). Brilliant pitching from Acosta and the pen on a combined 2-hit shutout, and Carson Williams' 2-run triple in the 6th broke a scoreless tie.

Game 2: 5-4 W (17). WP-Armstrong (2-2). Starter-Khattak (5 6 3 3 1 4). HR-Cedillos (7), Bailey (2). Rays erased a 4-1 deficit with 3 in the 8th including a pair of solo homers, and finally won it in the 17th after a walk-off wild pitch. Rodolfo Solano had 4 hits and an RBI.

Game 3: 6-4 W. WP-Eldridge (4-0, 7.1 1 2 2 6 5). S-R.Rodriguez (11). HR-Y.Alvarez 2 (7). Yordan Alvarez broke out of his season-long slump with a pair of homers and 3 RBI and the Rays held on for the sweep after taking a 6-1 lead.

Team record: 24-15. Toronto also swept its series and then won on our off day to move into a tie with us atop the AL East. Next up: The road trip starts with 3 in New York against the 19-20 Mets.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 4-5 L. LP-Holcombe (0-1). Starter-Okuda (4.2 5 1 1 2 3). HR-Rivera (3). It was a 1-1 game into the 6th when the bullpen faltered as Holcombe and Onyshko (who's been terrible this year) combined to allow 4 runs. A 3-run Rivera shot in the 9th got them close but it was too late.

Game 2: 2-6 L. LP-Buckman (4-2). Starter-Evans (5 5 2 2 4 4). HR-Hardy (3), Haro (5). Another bullpen letdown, although scoring only 2 runs doesn't leave much margin for error. A 2-1 lead after 5 disappeared when Evans put the leadoff man and Buckman came in to let him score along with one of his own runners, then Ivan Armstrong put the first two men on he faced before giving up a 3-run homer to put it out of sight.

Game 3: 9-2 W. WP-Acosta (3-2, 5 6 1 1 0 5). HR-Cedillos (8), Y.Alvarez (8). Finally some run as Cedillos' slam in the 5th turned a 2-1 game into a 6-1 affair and they rolled from there. Rodolfo Solano was 3-5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI as well.

Team record: 25-17, good enough for first by 1/2 game over Toronto. Next up: Our NL East road trip continues with 3 in Atlanta.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 5-3 W. WP-Buckman (5-2). S-R.Rodriguez (12). Starter-Khattak (3.1 6 3 3 3 4). HR-Cedillos (9). Carson Williams' 2-run double and Cedillos' 2-run homer staked them to a 4-0 lead that the struggling Khattak almost blew, but the bullpen saved the day with 5 2/3 scoreless.

Game 2: 4-5 L. LP-Eldridge (4-1, 5 7 3 3 1 3). HR-Solano (4). Rays fell behind 5-0 in this one before a late comeback made it close. Elijah Green's 2-run double in the 9th put the tying run in scoring position but they couldn't get him home.

Time for a trade:



The bullpen's been good but there's no reason it can't get better so we made this swap as Texas had Watters on the block. The righty saved 30 games for the Rangers last year and 9 this season and he'll take some pressure off Gerald Ogando, who as the primary setup man has 25 stamina. And I was glad to see Onyshko out the door (and glad to see Texas was willing to take him in exchange) as he was beginning to become a DFA candidate with a 9.92 ERA earned by allowing 7 homers in 16 IP this year including 7 runs allowed in his last 4 outings. He did have 26 whiffs in those 16 innings but also walked 11. The deal leaves us with only one lefty in the pen (Armenta) and I might remedy that in the future.

Game 3: 5-3 W. WP-Okuda (4-1, 5 4 1 1 1 3). S-R.Rodriguez (13). HR-C.Williams (3). Carson's grand slam in the 6th broke a 1-1 tie and the Rays held on to take the series. New acquisition Jacob Watters had a rough debut though, giving up 2 runs in the 7th while retiring only one man to let Atlanta back in the game.

Team record: 27-18, and with Toronto losing 2 of 3 in Washington the division lead is up to 1 1/2. The bad news is that next up are those same Nationals, who bring the best record in baseball at 31-14 to the Trop for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Misspoke in the last post, Washington only came in for a pair but we're then going to the nation's capital for another pair.

Also forgot to mention in the last post a transaction as DH Nelson Haro goes on the IL with a strained back which will keep him out 3 weeks. Replacing him is veteran OF Ethan Wilson, whom we had signed to a minor league deal in spring training. Wilson had spent 8 years with the Phillies hitting 223 homers and will serve as our DH against righties.

Game 1: 7-4 W. WP-Buckman (6-2). S-R.Rodriguez (14). Starter-Evans (5.2 3 3 3 0 8). HR-E.Wilson (1), C.Williams (4), Cedillos (10), Hardy (4). After losing a 3-0 lead when I left Evans in too long, Carson Williams' 2-run homer in the bottom of the 6th put them ahead to stay as the Rays were homer-happy in the win.

Game 2: 2-4 L. LP-Watters (0-1). Starter-Acosta (4.2 6 1 1 1 5). HR-Cedillos (11). Jacob Watters is finding the early going with the Rays tough as after getting his new teammates out of a jam in the 7th, put the first two men on in the 8th before Ogando let them both score to saddle him with the loss and make it 2 runs allowed in each of his first two Rays appearances.

Team record: 28-19. Toronto also split so we maintain our 1 1/2-game division lead as we had to Washington to complete the home-and-home series.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 5-8 L. LP-Khattak (0-4, 1.2 6 5 5 1 1). HR-Mesa (8), Hardy (5), Rivera (4). Getting to the end of my rope with Khattak, whose ERA now jumps to 7.95 and who lost a 4-0 lead - thanks to a 3-run Hardy homer - by the 2nd inning. Jaheim Lennon would be his replacement, and he went 4.1 7 2 2 0 3 in relief of him today.

Game 2: 8-7 W. WP-Buckman (7-2). S-R.Rodriguez (15). Starter-Eldridge (4.1 5 5 5 5 3). HR-Solano (5), Kurokawa (4), Hardy (6). Rays trailed 5-0 after 5 and 5-1 after 6 before erupting for 7 in the 7th to turn it around with another 3-run homer from Hardy the key blow. Entrusted with an 8-5 lead in the 8th, Jacob Watters crapped the bed again by putting a man on and then giving up a homer to the next, making it 4-for-4 in appearances allowing 2 runs since being acquired to help the pen, necessitating a 4-out save from Randy Rodriguez.

Team record: 29-20. With Toronto winning twice the lead is down to 1/2 game. Next up: off to Chicago for 3 against the White Sox.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 4-6 L. LP-Okuda (4-2, 1.1 6 5 5 1 2). HR-C.Williams (5). A rough start from Okuda put them in an early 5-2 that they couldn't climb out of. Carson Williams did have an RBI double and solo homer.

Game 2: 4-5 L (11). LP-Armstrong (2-3). Starter-Evans (5 7 3 3 3 6). Tough loss as Armstrong gave up a homer to the first man he faced in the 11th to lose it after the Rays sent it to extras with a run in the 9th.

Game 3: 3-4 L (11). LP-Armstrong (2-4). Starter-Acosta (5 7 3 3 3 5). HR-Y.Alvarez (9). Deja vu all over again as the Rays and Ivan Armstrong lost in the 11th - even the starters put up eerily identical lines the last two days as the Rays were swept in a rough weekend in Chicago. Yordan's 3-run homer in the 3rd gave them an early lead but they couldn't do anything the rest of the day.

Team record: 29-23. Luckily the Jays had their own struggles, losing 3 of 4 so there's now a tie atop the AL East. Next up: A day off then 3 games in Seattle.

[Art Deco]

Transaction: Claimed reliever Jaden Stevenson on waivers from Cincinnati, optioned P Jaheim Lennon to Durham. Stevenson had been the Reds' closer, saving 38 games last year but with a 5.07 ERA and he did have 4 saves in 5 appearances this year. He's rated 60/60/50 and will give us some bullpen depth while top prospect Lennon gets a chance to start with the Bulls.

Game 1: 2-4 L. LP-Khattak (0-5, 5 6 4 4 1 7). HR-E.Wilson (2), Y.Alvarez (10). Fourth straight loss for the Rays as they generate only two hits outside of the two solo homers.

Game 2: 0-3 L. LP-Eldridge (4-2, 5.2 6 3 3 2 4). Once again only four hits but this time with no runs as they lose their fifth straight.

Game 3: 1-2 L. LP-Okuda (4-3, 5.1 6 2 2 2 2). Trapped in a nightmare is the Rays' offense as they were lame again today and wasted some good pitching to go 0-6 on the road trip.

Team record: 29-26. They've finally dropped out of first, into a third-place tie with the Yankees 1 1/2 behind Toronto. Next up: A return home to play 3 against St. Louis. The Cardinals are 30-24 but on their own 7-game losing streak so something has to give.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 5-4 W (11). WP-Watters (1-1). Starter-Evans (4 4 4 4 4 4). Carson Williams' third hit and second RBI double of the game walked it off in the 11th as the Rays came from behind to win after Victor Mesa's RBI single tied it in the 8th.

Game 2: 2-0 W. WP-Acosta (4-2, 7 3 0 0 0 13). S-Ogando (2). HR-Y.Alvarez (11). A truly dominant outing from Acosta, with Angel Rivera's RBI double and Yordan's homer supplying just enough offense.

Game 3: 11-3 W. WP-Buckman (8-2). Starter-Khattak (5.1 5 3 3 2 3). HR-Solano 2 (7), C.Williams (6). Nothing like home cooking for the Rays as after returning from an 0-6 road trip they come to the Trop and sweep a good Cardinals team. Yordan was 4-4 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI, Williams was 3-4 with a double, homer and 4 RBI, and Solano went yard as a 7-run 7th broke open a 3-3 game. Buckman now is tied for the MLB lead in wins despite being a reliever.

Team record: 32-26. And the sweep was enough to get them back into first place in the AL East, 1/2 game up on Toronto and Boston and 2 on the Yankees. Next up: Those Jays come to town for 4 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 6-3 W. WP-Eldridge (5-2, 7 7 3 3 0 7). S-R.Rodriguez (16). HR-Caminero (9), Mesa (9). Caminero homered and drove in 3 while Mesa was 3-4 with his homer and 2 RBI to lead the way to a key division win.

Game 2: 4-0 W. WP-Buckman (9-2). Starter-Okuda (4.2 3 0 0 4 5). HR-Rivera (5). 4 Rays pitchers combined on the shutout as Buckman has gone Roy Face this year with all the relief wins. Angel Rivera had a solo homer and RBI double while Yordan knocked in the other two.

Game 3: 2-6 L. LP-Stevenson (0-1). Starter-Evans (5 6 1 1 1 8). Rays took a 2-1 lead into the 7th before Jaden Stevenson had his first bad outing as a Ray, ending up allowing 4 runs with some help from Ivan Armstrong.

Game 4: 3-5 L. LP-Buckman (9-3). Starter-Acosta (4.2 6 3 3 2 6). HR-Bailey (3). A complete and utter exercise in frustration for the Rays as they had 15 hits and left 13 men on, including the bases loaded in the 7th and more importantly in the 9th, both times with 1 out and couldn't score. The primary culprits were Ethan Wilson, who left 6 on as he was up in both of those bases-loaded situations and has been a flop since being called up hitting .137 in 51 AB, and Alistair Hardy, who left 5 on. The game was tied at 3 before Buckman allowed the go-ahead run in the 6th.

Team record: 34-28. After all of this they're still in first, 1/2 game up Toronto and New York and 1 1/2 up on Boston in what's shaping up to be a wild AL East race. Next up: We start a road trip with 3 in Arizona and are going to have to play better than the last one having gone 0-6.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 0-3 L. LP-Khattak (0-6, 6 4 3 3 4 4). A punchless day for the bats as they were held to a mere two hits. Khattak's woes continue although for once he did turn in a quality start.

Game 2: 6-7 L. LP-Armenta (1-2). Starter-Eldridge (3 10 5 5 0 4). HR-Y.Alvarez (12), C.Williams (7). Rays were down 5-0 in this one as Eldridge was pounded but battled back to tie the game in the 7th on Williams' grand slam. Unfortunately though Armenta, who has been lights out most of the season, faltered and allowed 2 runs to lose it. They got one back in the 9th but the rally fell short. This team is total roadkill at this point; they're an impressive 25-10 at home but they're an abysmal 9-20 on the road after this loss. Not sure I've ever seen such a disparity.

Game 3: 8-2 W. WP-Okuda (5-3, 6 4 2 2 1 6). HR-C.Williams (8), Luciano (2). Finally a road win as they salvage a game from the series and snap an 8-game losing streak away from the Trop. Okuda was solid and C.Williams, Hardy and Luciano each drove in a pair.

Team record: 35-30. The losses have dropped them 1 1/2 behind the now-first place Yankees in second, 1/2 game up on Toronto and Boston. Next up: The road trip moves to LA where they face an unusually bad Dodgers team, struggling at 24-40.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 5-2 W. WP-Evans (4-2, 6 2 0 0 3 9). S-R.Rodriguez (17). HR-C.Williams (9). Donye was back in form and Carson Williams' grand slam (his third homer in the last four games) was the big hit.

Game 2: 5-3 W. WP-Acosta (5-2, 6.2 3 2 2 0 6). S-R.Rodriguez (18). HR-Luciano (3). This game was a virtual carbon copy of yesterday's with the Rays opening up a 5-0 lead on a grand slam, this time from very occasional contributor Marco Luciano, got an excellent start and held on for the win.

Transaction: We finally pulled the plug on Ethan Wilson. The 32-year-old who's had some big HR seasons for Philly just couldn't get it done for us hitting a flaccid 152/188/242 with 2 homers in 66 AB since being brought in to replace the injured Nelson Haro and was DFA'd after refusing a demotion. We now turn to rookie Javy Jasso, an OF who is rated 65 contract and 55 power for MLB and was hitting 278/342/403 at Durham. He's a lefty-swinger who'll play against RHP as Wilson was.

Game 3: 2-5 L. LP-Khattak (0-7, 4.2 9 4 4 1 2). HR-Hardy (7). Khattak was handed a 2-0 lead on a Hardy homer but was terrible once again with an ugly ERA of 7.31 to go with his ugly W/L record. As a result he's out of the rotation now with Jaden Stevenson given first crack to replace him, a transition from the bullpen we hope is as successful as those for Donye Evans, Aldry Acosta and Ryan Okuda have been.

Team record: 37-31. So here's what the AL East looks like:



Flip a coin. Next up: A day off to travel cross-country back home where the 39-28 White Sox will await for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 2-4 L. LP-Eldridge (5-3, 5 6 4 3 2 5). HR-Mesa (10). A lame night for the bats as they only managed 4 hits in the loss.

Game 2: 1-3 L. LP-Okuda (5-4, 6 6 3 3 0 5). HR-Caminero (10). More of the same from the offense, although Caminero didn't deserve to be lumped in as he was 4-4 with a double and homer for their sole run.

Game 3: 7-3 W. WP-Evans (5-2, 5.1 3 1 1 0 9). Rays salvaged the finale with a rare offensive outburst of late. Solano was 3-5 with a bases-clearing double to break the game open and Mesa and Hardy each had two hits and a ribbie to back another Donye-mant performance.

Team record: 38-33. Coming off their first real successful road trip of the season they dropped 2 of 3 here at home, and it put them 1 1/2 behind both the Yankees and Boston in the division while they're 1/2 game up on Toronto. Next up: 4 games in Baltimore.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 6-5 W. WP-Watters (2-1). S-R.Rodriguez (19). Starter-Acosta (4 9 5 5 1 6, 4 HR). HR-Y.Alvarez (13), Mesa (11). Mesa' 3-run homer in the 9th won it for the Rays, who looked headed for defeat. Before that Acosta's brutal start put them in the hole but the pen held the rest of the way and Mesa ended up 4-5 with the homer and 4 RBI on the day.

Game 2: 4-5 L. LP-Stevenson (0-2, 5 5 4 4 1 4). HR-Jasso (1). Jaden Stevenson's first start was not a success and the Rays fell. The offense had several chances to pull it out but unlike yesterday they failed to do so.

Game 3: 0-4 L. LP-Eldridge (5-4, 5 8 4 4 0 4). Poor start from Eldridge and a poor day at the plate (4 hits).

Game 4: 3-10 L. LP-Okuda (5-5, 2.2 6 6 2 3 2). A miserable series in Baltimore concluded with a miserable loss. Although a Cedillos error loomed large early, Okuda was still terrible and so was the bullpen.

Team record: 39-36. They've now dropped to 4th in the AL East, 2 1/2 behind first-place New York and Boston. Next up: They'll try to get right at home against San Antonio (formerly Pittsburgh) with 3 games against the Seagulls. Nelson Haro has gone on a (brief) rehab assignment so some offensive help is on its way.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 2-1 W. WP-Ogando (3-0). S-R.Rodriguez (20). Starter-Evans (5.1 1 1 0 4 5). Yordan was 3-3 including an RBI double in the 8th to bring home the winning run and the pitching was strong.

Game 2: 9-2 W. WP-Acosta (6-2, 6 2 2 2 0 7). HR-E.Green (1). Rays broke open a 1-0 game with 5 in the 6th and cruised to victory. Yordan and Jasso had 2-run doubles in that key inning.

Transaction: Nelson Haro is welcomed back off the IL and instead of Javy Jasso, who's hit since being recalled, Elijah Green is sent down to Durham to make room. Green had been a semi-regular the last 2 1/2 seasons but despite hitting his first homer of the year yesterday he was only batting 122/160/200 in 90 AB with an abysmal 3/42 BB/K ratio. Despite his Gold Glove-caliber defense when playing he still had -0.4 WAR and was seldom-used of late.

Game 3: 7-4 W. WP-Stevenson (1-2, 5.2 2 2 2 2 5). S-R.Rodriguez (21). Big game for Hardy, 2-3 with 2 doubles, 2 RBI, 3 runs scored an a steal while Stevenson earned his first win as a Ray and since joining the rotation as the Rays completed the sweep.

Team record: 42-36. All the sweep earned them was 1/2 game gained on the Yankees to move within 2, where they're now tied for second with Boston. Next up: An off-day then 3 games in Frisco against the 30-47 Giants.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 2-1 W. WP-Eldridge (6-4, 6.1 3 1 1 1 6). S-R.Rodriguez (22). Rays got the pitching and eked out enough offense to take the win over the struggling Giants. Rodolfo Solano was 2-4 with a steal and both runs scored.

Game 2: 12-7 W. WP-Evans (6-2, 5 2 2 2 2 7). S-Watters (1). HR-C.Williams (10), R.Solano (8). A wild one that saw the Rays nearly blow a 7-1 lead as San Fran got within 8-7 before they put it away with 4 in the 8th, including a 3-run homer from Williams. The team had 16 hits led by Nelson Haro's 4 and everyone in the lineup had at least one with Solano knocking in 4 runs. Jacob Watters put the fire out in the 7th and then finished out the game to earn his first Tampa Bay save.

Game 3: 3-2 W (14). WP-Khattak (1-7). Starter-Okuda (5 3 1 1 1 5). This almost became the most frustrating loss of the season as the Rays left a whopping 17 men on base, most of them in regulation, and Randy Rodriguez blew a 2-1 lead in the 9th on a bases-loaded walk with two out, one of three he issued in the inning. But finally in the 14th Carson Williams, who had been the largest personal LOB offender stranding 7, delivered an RBI single to win it and the Rays completed their second straight series sweep.

Team record: 45-36. We've managed to pull within 1/2 game of the Yankees for the division lead and are now 1 1/2 ahead of Toronto and 2 1/2 ahead of Boston in second. Next up: Back home for 3 against another team having its problems, 33-47 Cincinnati.

MLB News: Toronto's Bo Bichette picked up career hit #2000.

As we've reached the halfway mark of the season, next post will be a midseason recap.

[Art Deco]

It's been a season of fits and starts for the Rays but despite the inconsistency they find themselves only 1/2 game out of first in the AL East and the top wild card team as outside a few really good teams (Seattle, White Sox, Philly) parity reigns supreme in MLB.



These numbers will hold no surprises for anyone who's been following along - a lousy offense and excellent pitching. They have picked up their play on the road lately; after starting 9-20, they've gone 7-4. Otherwise as the month-by-month record shows it's been a little over .500 ball throughout. One hope on offense is that the team's best pure hitter Nelson Haro missed a month, but it'll take more than one man to turn things around at the plate.



And there are the ugly offensive numbers with nobody except Solano having a great season. Several of those names above are capable of much more and hopefully they'll prove it in the second half. One real weakness has been the bench where several of these players have negative value. Green and Wilson have already been kicked to the curb.



Much more pleasing numbers to look at here, with the 3 top starters all having outstanding years along with the bullpen being strong and deep. Even Watters, near the bottom of the list, has started pitching well of late and should be a second-half asset. It would be nice if the back end of the rotation was better and Khattak finally pitched his way out of a spot in it. Top prospect Lennon is doing well at Durham and might get another look, especially now that the scouts have detected a velocity increase and given him an uptick in ratings.



Speaking of prospects, we have made some strides in that department with our top 20 now all within MLB's top 500. It's more depth than star power outside of Lennon and a couple of others, but we have some assets to deal at the deadline to fire-saling teams.