The 2021 (and only 2021) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Another rough series for the Rays and for the second straight time they only salvaged the finale thanks to a walk-off comeback. The Yankees also dropped 2 of 3 before winning on our Monday off-day so the division lead stands at 7 games.

Before the opener we made another significant trade:



Kuykendall has been one of the more consistent starters in the NL for El Paso (formerly the Pirates for those who forgot), earning between 3.4 and 5.1 WAR over four of the previous five seasons. He's only at 1.1 WAR this year and is 5-9, 3.65 as he's down about 1.0 K/9 from last year and his homers are up a bit but he's still a good 60/50/65-rated starter and will take the place of Robinson Ortiz in the rotation. I'm envisioning him as our #4 playoff starter after Hays/Marlette/Prosecky and ahead of Panzini. As for what we gave up, Pelzer should be a legit MLB starting pitcher but a 4th/5th guy. He's pitched decently at AA and was on our 40-man.

The Rays dropped the series opener at Tropicana Field to Toronto 4-3 as James Hays wasn't at his best and a comeback fell short. Hays (11-3) went 6 6 4 4 2 3 with a homer allowed and didn't have his best stuff. Dong-hwan Kim single-handedly willed the Rays back into the game with a 2-run double and solo homer (#16) but his teammates didn't follow suit.

Robinson Ortiz made what turned out to be his final appearance as a Ray (more on that in a bit) and did not go out on a good note as he was hit hard in a 7-5 loss to the Jays. Ortiz (who finished a deceiving 8-3) went 4.1 5 5 5 2 5 and took the loss, with Slade Cecconi not doing him any favors by letting his inherited runners score and a couple of his own. The offense did try to battle back, with Andrew Greckel (#17) and JT Realmuto (#15) homering in a doomed effort.

Transactions: After the game we dealt Ortiz back to the team from which we acquired him, the Dodgers, in exchange for reliever Bryan Sanchez. Ortiz is a free agent at year's end anyway and we needed room for Kuykendall on the active roster. Sanchez is a hard-thrower with 75 stuff but that comes with 35 control. He's actually capable of starting and split his 14 appearances with LA this year between the pen and the rotation, with a 3.78 ERA in 50 IP and an 18/57 K/BB ratio. He's going to Durham for now in what is his last option year.

Also we made another staff move as Slade Cecconi is going to Durham and the highly-anticipated relief prospect Mike Moore is coming up. Cecconi has been horrible throughout July, giving up runs the last five times he's been called on. Moore meanwhile has earned a whopping 2.8 WAR in relief this year with a 19/73 BB/K ratio in 52.1 IP and only one homer allowed (he has 55 movement so that's a bit fluky). He was our 5th-round pick in 2027 as a college closer and he's steadily worked his way up the system. He boasts 75 stuff and is potentially better than this year's rookie sensation Kevin DiCostanzo.

Moore was active for the finale, and got to pitch in a wild game that saw the Rays come back twice to win it 9-8 in 10 innings on a 3-run walkoff homer from Dong-hwan Kim (#17). The Rays were up 3-1 early on a 2-run Kelly Crumpton shot (#26) but Joe Marlette couldn't hold the lead and the Jays went ahead 4-3 in the 4th. Marlette settled down from there and finished 7 7 4 4 2 7 and the Rays went ahead in the 7th when Cristian Hernandez walked with the bases loaded. But Landon Knack couldn't hold the lead in the 8th, surrendering a 2-run homer to Patrick Bailey and the Jays were up 6-5. The Rays had another comeback in them though and after the first two were retired in the 9th, 2 hits and a walk loaded the bases for Andy Kelley, and he drew a walk to force in the tying run. Once again however the Rays pen came up small as Kevin DiCostanzo's recent struggles continued as he was hit for 2 runs on 4 hits in the 10th before giving way to Wennington Romero with 2 out. But Tampa Bay refused to lose and put two one with one out before Kim came through with his 3-run walk-off shot, giving Romero (6-1) the win.

Team record: 68-37. Next up: An off-day before another rematch of last year's World Series as we head up to Washington to play 3 against the Nationals.

[Art Deco]

After they lost the first game and fell behind 4-0 in the middle innings of the second it looked like the Rays' malaise of late would continue. But they came back to win and ended up taking 2 of 3 from the Nats, and with the Yankees splitting their two games the lead is back up to 7 1/2.

The opener was a tough 4-3 loss which saw them get another lousy start from Shane Panzini. The righty, who dropped to 5-8 and looked like he had maybe turned a corner earlier this year, was hit hard again going 4 9 4 4 0 5 and even reverted to his homer-prone days by allowing a pair. The bats were held to six hits with the three runs coming on a sac fly, fielder's choice, and bases-loaded walk.

As mentioned in the prologue, the Rays fell behind 4-0 in the second game but a 6-run 6th propelled them to an 8-4 triumph over Washington. Michael Prosecky had his struggles (4 8 3 3 2 3) and Elvis Garcia gave up a run in the 5th before JT Realmuto got things going with a 2-run shot (#16) to begin the 6th and after Ed Howard's RBI single tie it Wander Franco laced a 2-run double to put the Rays ahead to stay. Andrew Greckel added a 2-run shot (#18) in the 9th to ice the game. Garcia (1-0) ended up with the win and three relievers shut down the Nats the rest of the way.

Johnny Kuykendall made his Rays debut in the finale and it was a smash success as he was brilliant in a 3-1 win. The lefty got the win after shutting out Washington through 6 before giving up a solo homer and putting a man on in the 7th, finishing 6.1 4 1 1 1 3. Tylor Megill got him out of the 7th and pitched a scoreless 8th while Kevin DiCostanzo pitched around two runners for save #24. The offense should have scored way more than 3 runs but left 14 men on base with the primary culprit being Cristian Hernandez, who was 0-5 with 4 strikeouts and left 6 runners on personally. Still Kelly Crumpton's solo shot, his AL-best 27th, and RBI hits from Joshua Baez and Chris Seise were enough.

Team record: 70-38. Next: A jaunt up I-95 to Philadelphia to play 3 against the Phillies.

[Art Deco]

The Rays went into Philadelphia and swept a bad Phillies team (now 38-74, the worst record in MLB) while the Yankees dropped a couple of games so the division lead is now 9 games and I'm not going to keep updating it unless New York closes the gap by at least a couple.

James Hays was dominant, taking a no-hitter into the 6th, and a 2-run Andrew Greckel homer (#19) in the 1st inning stood up as the Rays edged the Phillies 2-1 in the opener at Citizens Bank Park. Mickey Moniak's triple broke up the no-hit bid with one out in the 6th and he scored the only run against Hays (12-3), who finished 6.2 3 1 1 0 9. Landon Knack pitched the 9th for his 6th save.

The second unfolded similarly to the first with a little more breathing room as Joe Marlette was overpowering like Hays yesterday and the Rays won 4-1. Marlette (10-4) was 6.1 3 0 0 3 11 as Philly hitters didn't stand a chance against him. Things got a bit dicey in the 9th when Dax Fulton put a couple men on so Kevin DiCostanzo had to get the final out for save #25. The offense came courtesy of a 2-run Joshua Baez homer (#17) and a solo Andrew Greckel shot (#20) with Greckel adding an RBI double.

The Rays completed the sweep with a 7-4 win in the finale with a balanced attack. Five different Rays drove in runs with the big hit a 2-run double from Ed Howard. Shane Panzini (6-8) was a mixed bag, going 6 5 4 4 0 7 with three homers allowed as he's really reverted to his homer-happy ways. With three lefties due in the 9th, Wennington Romero got the call and got the job done for his 2nd save.

Team record: 73-38. Next up: A day off to travel to Houston for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Another successful series for the Rays as they swept Houston at Minute Maid Park, extending their winning streak to 8.

The opener was a tight affair as Tampa Bay squeaked out a 3-2 win behind a strong start from Michael Prosecky. The lefty improved to 8-4 after going 6 3 2 2 2 4 and Kevin DiCostanzo had a quick 9th for his 26th save. Wander Franco's solo homer in the first (#13) and JT Realmuto's 2-run single in the 6th provided the scoring.

Johnny Kuykendall made it 2-for-2 successful starts since joining the Rays and the bats came out in an 8-3 win in the second game. Kuykendall went 5.2 5 2 1 3 5 for the win and he was backed by the bats of Kelly Crumpton (a 3-run HR, #28) and JT Realmuto (a 2-run double).

The Rays completed the sweep by taking a 14-7 slugfest from the Astros. Ed Howard was the hitting star with a pair of homers including a grand slam, giving him 14 and a 5-RBI day. Kelly Crumpton also went deep twice and hit the 30-homer mark for the third straight year and Cristian Hernandez finally hit his first Rays homer in his 18th game since coming over from Atlanta where he had hit 19. Hernandez also tripled in a 3-hit game and drove in a pair. They received quite the scare when ace James Hays had to leave in the 2nd inning but it turned out to be a mild shoulder strain. He'll miss his next start but hopefully no more. Elvis Garcia took over and went 3 1/3 for his second win, and Dong-hwan Kim ignited a brawl after being hit following Crumpton's first homer and will be suspended five games.

Team record: 76-38. Next up: The road trip concludes with 3 in Boston.

[Art Deco]

Not only was the Rays' 8-game win streak snapped in Boston, they ended up being swept by the Red Sox at Fenway and last time out I said I wouldn't mention the division race again unless the Yankees gained significant ground and sure enough they swept the White Sox to pull back within 7, still a healthy lead though.

Transaction: Dong-hwan Kim was placed on the restricted list due to his suspension and 5th-round 2026 pick JJ Cargill was recalled from Durham. All he does is hit, and has batted over .300 at every minor league stop including 344/379/492 at Durham. He and Andy Kelley are the likely replacements for Andrew Greckel next year when his contract is up.

The opener was a rough affair as the Rays were blanked 7-0 by the Sox and held to only six hits. Joe Marlette (10-5) wasn't bad, going 5.2 6 3 3 3 4.

The second game was more of a tough pill to swallow as they fell 4-3 to Boston in 10 innings after Andrew Greckel dramatically tied it with a 2-out RBI single in the 9th. Landon Knack (1-5), having a rough 2030 after a great 2029, gave up 3 hits in the 9th which produced a run after a decent start from Shane Panzini (6 5 3 1 1 6). Andy Kelley had a big day, going 4-5 with a steal and driving in the other two Tampa Bay runs, including HR #4. JJ Cargill was 1-5 in his MLB debut.

The offense failed to show again in the finale as the Rays dropped a 3-1 decision to the Red Sox. Michael Prosecky (8-5) went 5 5 3 3 3 6 in the loss.

Team record: 76-41. Next up: We finally return home for 3 vs Oakland.

[Art Deco]

The Rays' losing streak hit 4 after they dropped the opener but they came back to win the next two, one in extremely dramatic fashion. With the Yankees dropping 2 of 3 the lead is back up to 8 so we won't worry about it again for now.

JT Realmuto hit a two-out pinch-RBI double in the bottom of the 9th to tie the game up at 2 but Oakland scored in the 10th off Kevin DiCostanzo to take a 3-2 win at Tropicana Field in the opener. Johnny Kuykendall scattered a lot of hits but kept Oakland relatively at bay, going 5 10 2 2 1 8. The bullpen held from there until the A's broke through against DiCostanzo, who is not having as good a second half as he did in the first and dropped to 5-3.

The Rays snapped their 4-game losing streak in emphatic fashion with a 6-1 win over Oakland behind James Hays. The righty was his usual ace-like self going 7 4 1 1 2 6 and improving to 13-3 and he got immediate support when Kelly Crumpton hit a 2-run double in the first before they added 4 more in the 2nd highlighted by Andrew Greckel's 2-run homer (#21).

It truly looked like the Rays would drop 2 of 3 in this series as they trailed 3-0 going into the bottom of the 9th, but they loaded the bases with two out and Cristian Hernandez unloaded his biggest hit as a Ray, a walk-off grand slam to win it. It was only his 2nd homer since joining the club and his 21st overall. Joe Marlette turned in a fine start (5 4 1 1 1 6) and Mike Moore recorded his first-ever MLB win despite giving up a run in the top of the 9th.

Team record: 78-42. Next up: 4 games vs the Yankees, which we probably don't want to lose all of.

[Art Deco]

To whatever extent the Yankees could have made it a division race again they failed to do so as the Rays took 3 of 4 games in the series and now lead by 10 games with six weeks left in the season.

The Rays got a strong start from Shane Panzini and took the opener from New York 3-2. Panzini (7-8) was a sterling 7 4 1 1 1 4 and despite allowing a couple of more hits in the 9th Kevin DiCostanzo secured his 27th save. Corey Collins and Ed Howard were the heroes on offense with each banging out 3 hits including Collins' key RBI triple.

The Yankees came back on the Rays' bullpen, handing Tampa Bay a 4-3 loss in 10 innings. Rookie sensation Sergio Gujarado was the star for New York, tying the game in the 9th with a homer off Dax Fulton and then winning it in the 10th with an RBI single off Wennington Romero, scoring Kevin DiCostanzo's runner and dropping the rookie closer to 5-4. Michael Prosecky started and went 4.1 7 2 2 2 3 and Ed Howard had the Rays' offensive highlight with a 2-run homer (#15).

The Rays bounced back from the previous night's tough loss to rout the Yankees 7-1, scoring six times in the first three innings. Johnny Kuykendall was in fine form, improving to 3-0, 1.85 as a Ray after going 7.1 7 1 1 0 7. Wander Franco's 3-run homer (#14) in the 2nd broke the game open and Chris Gutierrez had a big day, going 3-4 with 2 RBI including a solo homer (#5).

Tampa Bay finished out the series with a 5-1 win behind a typically strong effort from James Hays. The reigning 3-time Cy Young winner upped his record to 14-3 with a 6 6 1 1 1 9 outing and earned the win thanks to Kelly Crumpton's RBI single in the 6th which broke a 1-1 deadlock. The Rays opened up the game with 3 runs in the 8th including a 2-run Andrew Greckel shot (#22).

Team record: 81-43. Next up: Boston visits for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

After taking 2 of 3 from Boston we're pretty much marking time until the playoffs.

A 6-run 6th broke the game open as the Rays and Joe Marlette routed Boston 8-0 in the opener. Andrew Greckel was the hitting star with his 2-run single in the 5th breaking a 0-0 tie and his 3-run homer (#23) capping that 6-run 6th. Cristian Hernandez contributed a 2-run single and JT Realmuto was 3-4 with HR #17. Marlette (11-5) was dominant at 6 4 0 0 2 10 and took over the AL pitcher WAR lead at 4.3.

The bullpen blew a 5-2 lead but JT Realmuto came to the rescue with a game-winning homer to give the Rays a 6-5 win. Dax Fulton put two men on in the 8th and the unfortunate Landon Knack allowed them to score to let Boston equalize, but Realmuto launched HR #18 in the bottom of the frame and Kevin DiCostanzo held on for save #28 while Knack vultured his 2nd win. Shane Panzini went 6 4 3 3 2 3 while Andy Kelley was 2-3 with HR #5 and 2 RBI and Realmuto drove in an additional run.

The Rays dropped the finale by the deceivingly-close score of 4-3 but their 3 runs came on a 2-out homer in the 9th by Cristian Hernandez (#3/22) after they trailed 4-0. Those runs came off Michael Prosecky (8-6) who finished 5 7 4 4 0 4 and hasn't been terribly effective of late.

Team record: 83-44. Next up: An off-day then 3 games in Texas.

[Art Deco]

The Rays took 2 of 3 in Texas, but most notably this happened:





The first Rays no-hitter in the history of this save came from Johnny Kuykendall and it was no cheapie as he fanned 10 and nearly pitched a Maddux (102 pitches). As you can see from the box Wander Franco gave Kukyendall all the support he'd need with a 3-run homer. The final out came via an ex-Ray as Kuykendall got Carter Kieboom to ground right back to him to set off the celebrations.

James Hays had a bit of a rough time against his old team as the Rangers evened up the series with a 7-2 win over Tampa Bay. The righty dropped to 14-4 with a 5 7 6 4 0 8 outing and he was plagued by the longball again as he gave up a key 2-run shot in the 4th. Kelly Crumpton had a nice game in a losing effort, going 3-4 with HR #31 and 2 RBI.

The Rays lost the lead late but still won the game and the series as they edged Texas 5-4 in the finale. Ed Howard's RBI single in the 9th off Rangers closer Mike Mank, the key played acquired by Texas in the James Hays deal three years back, won it for the Rays after Tylor Megill lost the lead in the 7th on an unearned run. Dax Fulton (3-1) got the win with a perfect 2-whiff 8th, and Kevin DiCostanzo was solid in the 9th for save #29 while Joe Marlette was decent at 5 5 3 3 2 9. Corey Collins (#4) and Wander Franco (#16, a 2-run shot) homered earlier for Tampa Bay.

Team record: 85-45. Next up: We return to the Trop for 3 against the Mets who are 79-52 and hold a slim 1/2 game lead over Atlanta.

[Art Deco]

Not the best series for the Rays, who dropped the first two while scoring a total of one run before breaking out with the sticks to take the finale. Nevertheless it matters little in the big picture as their magic number to clinch the AL East is down to 20.

They got a decent start from Shane Panzini in the opener but he received zero support as the Mets blanked the Rays 3-0. Panzini (7-9) was 6 5 3 3 2 6 and kept the ball in park, all for naught as Pedro Avila and two relievers (one of which was the Rays' closer of the last few years, Yasunari Uehara) combined to hold Tampa Bay to six hits.

While the opener was at least a respectable loss there was nothing respectable about an 11-1 shellacking by the Mets in the second game. Michael Prosecky's recent struggles continued as he's going to be at best the 4th starter come playoff time. His 3.1 8 4 4 2 3 outing dropped him to 8-7 and Kendall Williams followed him by giving up five more runs.

Rays pitching wasn't much better in the finale but the offense certainly was as they took a 10-7 walk-off win over the Mets courtesy of Andrew Greckel's 3-run homer in the 9th (#24). This came after they lost leads of 4-0 and 7-6, the latter when Mike Moore was unable to convert his first MLB save opportunity. Johnny Kuykendall started and was hoping to be the new Johnny Vander Meer and follow up his no-hitter with another one. But while he held the Mets hitless for the first two innings they unloaded on him for 5 in the 3rd, leaving him to finish 4 6 5 5 2 7. Greckel had an RBI double to go with the walk-off winner to give him 4 on the day, Cristian Hernandez had a bases-clearing double and Ed Howard was 3-4 with a steal and an RBI. Moore (2-0) vultured the win.

Team record: 86-47. Next up: An off-day before we get involved in the other half of the NL East race with Atlanta visiting for 3.

[Art Deco]

The Rays put on a master class in pitching as they held Atlanta to two runs total while sweeping the three-game series at Tropicana Field.

It should come as no surprise that one of those well-pitched games came courtesy of James Hays, and he was on as the Rays walked off a 2-1 win over Atlanta in the opener. Hays gave up his customary homer of late (to the great Ronald Acuna Jr. in the first) but nothing else, going 6 3 1 1 0 9. Unfortunately for Hays he couldn't get the win as Atlanta's Micah Ottenbreit was just as dominant but Kelly Crumpton, who hit HR #32 earlier for the only Tampa Bay score off the Atlanta hurler, doubled to lead off the 9th and scored on JT Realmuto's single. That made a winner of Tylor Megill (3-2), who retired all five men he faced.

If James Hays doesn't win his fourth consecutive AL Cy Young Award he may only need look across the locker room for who to blame as Joe Marlette was brilliant in a 6-0 complete-game shutout of Atlanta. The lefty pitched the game of his career, allowing only five hits, walking one and striking out 13 in the 112-pitch gem. He's now 12-5, 2.59 and leads the AL in pitcher WAR at 5.1. If not for Marlette's effort the hero of the game would have been Wander Franco, who homered twice to give the Rays an early 3-0 lead as the pair gave him 18 on the season. And Kelly Crumpton followed last night's fine effort by homering again (#33) and driving in the other three Rays runs.

Transactions: September roster expansion time, with Carlos Colmenarez called to provide some defense at SS off the bench and Cody Adcock, who was up briefly last year and missed most of this season hurt, is up to bolster the bullpen with his 75 stuff.

Shane Panzini continued on his recent roll, hurling 6 1/3 shutout innings to lead the Rays to a 4-1 win over Atlanta and a series sweep. Panzini, who's allowed only 8 runs over his last 5 starts covering 31 1/3 innings, went 6.1 3 0 0 0 5 on 95 pitches but wasn't able to get the win as he left a scoreless game before his mates put 3 on the board in the bottom of the 7th. Cristian Hernandez, who was 4-4 against his old team today, broke the deadlock with his 4th Rays homer and 23rd of the year and a further rally in the inning saw Kelly Crumpton cap his big weekend with a 2-run double. Mike Moore (3-0) picked up the win and Kevin DiCostanzo fanned two of the three men he faced for save #30.

Team record: 89-47, magic number reduced to 15. Next up: Texas comes to town for 3 beginning on Labor Day.

[Art Deco]

The march to the playoffs continued with another series sweep, this one comprised of three one-run nailbiters over the Rangers.

The opener saw the Rays come back from deficits of 4-0 and 7-4, the latter the score when the game went to the bottom of the 9th as they scored 4 times on 5 hits off former farmhand Mike Mank to walk it off 8-7. Kelly Crumpton's RBI double got them within 7-6 and Joshua Baez lined to a 2-run single to win it. Baez had a 3-RBI day thanks to an earlier solo homer (#18) and JT Realmuto went deep as well (#19). Michael Prosecky's recent woes continued at 5 6 4 4 2 4 and the win went to Wennington Romero (7-1), who got the final two outs in the top of the 9th.

The second game was a different affair with runs at a premium but the Rays managed two of three scored in it to win again. Johnny Kuykendall was brilliant once again, improving to 5-0, 2.23 as a Ray (and 10-9 overall) after going 7 2 1 1 1 4. Kevin DiCostanzo recorded save #31 despite allowing a couple of hits. A pair of homers accounted for the offense with Wander Franco going deep with #19 in the first and Andrew Greckel's solo shot in the 6th (#25) standing up as the winner.

2-1 was the score once again as the Rays prevailed in the finale, but it took them 13 innings this time to complete the sweep. JT Realmuto, who has been Mr. Clutch this season, walked it off again with an RBI single in the bottom of the 13th after sending the game to extras with a critical 2-out single in the bottom of the 9th to tie it after Dong-hwan Kim reached on a 2-base error. James Hays was overpowering in his start, going 5.1 3 1 1 2 11, and seven Rays relievers combined for 7 2/3 shutout innings with Mike Moore, the last of them, picking up the win to go 4-0. The rookie fireballer has been excellent since being called up, with a combined line of 16 12 2 2 3 16 over his 13 appearances and should be a fixture of the pen for years to come.

Team record: 92-47, magic number down to 11. Next up: An off-day then we head to Kansas City for 3 games. The Royals are tied with Minnesota atop the AL Central and both are 3 1/2 out of the third wild card so it's likely division-or-bust for them.

[Art Deco]

It was always going to be tough as the Rays had little to play for while Kansas City is in a do-or-die dogfight with Minnesota for the AL Central lead, and the Royals ended up taking 2 of 3 in the series.

It looked like business as usual as the Rays scored twice in the first inning of the opener but that would turn out to be the high point of the day as KC answered with 3 in the bottom of the inning and went on to win 6-2. Joe Marlette (12-6) had a rare off game, hit to the tune of 4 10 5 5 0 4.

Landon Knack, so good last year at 5-0, 1.91 with 2 WAR out of the bullpen, has had a brutal 2030 and it continued today as he gave up 3 runs in the 6th to turn a 3-2 Rays lead into a 5-3 Kansas City win. Control has been an issue for Knack this year and he walked three in the inning, giving up the tying run before Cody Adcock gave up a single to allow two more of his runners to score. Knack is now 2-6 with 6 blown saves, a 4.43 ERA and negative WAR and has pitched himself out of high-leverage use. Shane Panzini started and was a mixed bag, going a good 5 2 2 2 2 7 but taking 95 pitches to do and allowing a pair of homers for the runs. Ed Howard was 2-5 with an RBI to lead the offense.

The Rays' Mr. Clutch, JT Realmuto, came through again with a game-winner as his homer in the top of the 9th enabled Tampa Bay to salvage a game from the series with a 3-2 win over the Royals. Realmuto's 20th dinger of 2030 gave Mike Moore yet another win (5-0 in 15 appearances covering 18.1 IP) which was preserved by Kevin DiCostanzo, who had three 9th-inning whiffs for save #32. Michael Prosecky turned in his first good start in a while (5.1 3 1 1 3 3) and Chris Gutierrez contributed an RBI double.

Team record: 93-49. The magic # only dropped to 10 as now second-place Boston swept its weekend series. Next up: An off-day then we return to the Trop to play 3 against Cleveland. The Guardians are an abysmal 54-89 with only Seattle's 50-92 worse in the AL.

[Art Deco]

The Rays dropped 2 of 3 to the Guardians at Tropicana Field and combined with second place Boston's 10-game winning streak they were only able to reduced the magic number to clinch the division to 9.

Johnny Kuykendall didn't have it in the opener and Cleveland routed the Rays 8-2. He gave up three runs in the first and it didn't really get better from there as he suffered his first loss with the club (5-1) going 4.2 7 6 6 3 4. Joshua Baez's 2-run HR (#19) in the first was all the offense Tampa Bay could muster today. Landon Knack was giving a low-leverage opportunity in the 9th to try and get straightened out and gave up 2 runs while walking three, not good.

The Rays should have won the second game but Kevin DiCostanzo, who seemed to be over his mid-season slump, imploded in the 9th and they lost 5-4 to the Guardians. James Hays started, and while he wasn't his greatest at 5 7 2 2 0 5, he was in line for the win when they took a 4-2 lead on an RBI double by Kelly Crumpton and Dong hwan-Kim's RBI single in the 3rd. But DiCostanzo was horrible in the 9th, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks for his third blown save of the year.

They did salvage the finale thanks to another fine outing from Joe Marlette and no thanks to their defense (3 errors) as they edged Cleveland 4-3. Marlette (13-6) was outstanding at 6 5 2 1 0 7 and he was backed by a solo Andrew Greckel shot (#26) in the first and Kelly Crumpton's 2-run blast (#34) in the 5th. Tylor Megill handled the 9th for his 2nd save.

Team record: 94-51. Next up: 3 games at home vs those red-hot Red Sox, so a great opportunity to whittle down that magic number.

[Art Deco]

I said in the previous post that the Rays could really eat into the magic number to clinch the AL East with this series against Boston at Tropicana Field, and sure enough that's what they did as they swept the Sox to drop it to 3.

Shane Panzini was excellent in the opener and it's not out of the question he could supplant Michael Prosecky as the #4 starter in the playoff rotation as the Rays beat Boston 6-3 in the opener. The righty improved to 8-9, 4.19 after a 6.2 3 1 1 3 7 outing and has gone seven straight starts allowing 3 runs or fewer, shaving a good half-point off his ERA. Wennington Romero got the final two outs for his 3rd save. The Chrises got the Rays off to an early 3-0 lead as Chris Gutierrez had an RBI double and Chris Seise a 2-run single, and Kelly Crumpton added HR #35.

Michael Prosecky must have heard me mentioning his playoff rotation spot was in jeopardy because he came out and pitched a gem in the second game, leading the Rays to a 3-1 win. It was 1-1 until the 8th so Prosecky didn't get the win, but he deserved one after going 6 4 1 1 1 3. Instead the win went to Dax Fulton (4-1) who pitched the top of the 8th before the Rays scored twice in the bottom of the frame on of all things a balk and a sac fly. Kevin DiCostanzo notched save #33 with a perfect 9th.

The Rays completed the sweep in an extra-inning affair, taking a 4-3 win in 12 innings on Corey Collins' walk-off RBI double. Johnny Kuykendall turned in a solid start (6 5 3 3 0 6) and the bullpen went six scoreless from there with Mike Moore (6-0) going the final 1 2/3 for the win. No homers for Rays hitters but Collins and Ed Howard each had a pair of doubles, with Howard driving in a run as well.

Team record: 97-51. Next up: We travel to the Bronx for 4 against the Yankees, who currently hold a 1 1/2-game lead in the third wild card spot over Minnesota and Kansas City, who are tied for first in the AL Central. There are a lot of good races in MLB but fortunately the AL East isn't one of them.

[Art Deco]

The Rays are officially AL East champs, having clinched after winning the second game of this series in which they took three out of four. Fortunately for the Yankees their closest wild-card pursuers Kansas City dropped all four of its games at the same time.

They edged closer to the division crown by edging the Yankees 6-5 in the opener on Chris Gutierrez's RBI single in the 8th. JT Realmuto had a 2-run homer earlier (#21) and Gavin Bruni went to 8-1 (and 15-2 the last two seasons) with the win in relief of James Hays, who wasn't his best at 6 8 5 5 0 4. The struggling Landon Knack actually got the final out for his 7th save.

Transaction: Carlos Colmenarez, just called up, sprained his ankle and had to go on the IL so Brennon McNair, who was up briefly last season, gets the call.

Thanks to a comfortable 6-1 win over the Yankees and a Boston loss, the Rays clinched their 11th straight AL East title this evening. Joe Marlette (14-6) was outstanding again at 6 5 1 1 1 4 and Andrew Greckel launched a pair of homers (#27 and 28) and drove in 3.

Having clinched, the Rays went with a makeshift lineup in the third game but still won a wild one, 13-8 over the Yankees for season win #100. Andy Kelley was 2-5 with a grand slam (#6), Jamie Reiner was 4-5 with 2 RBI and Chris Seise drove in 3 with a pair of singles while Andrew Greckel homered again (#29) with a man on. Shane Panzini (9-9) wasn't great but good enough to win at 5 7 5 4 2 7.

Transaction: Nathan Dettmer, acquired in the offseason from Philly to be our closer only to injure himself in his season debut and miss most of the season, is finally activated while Cody Adcock is optioned to Durham. To make room on the 40-man, pitcher Vinny Bianchi was DFA'd.

The Rays dropped the finale 4-0 to the Yankees as they managed but four hits. Michael Prosecky (8-8) took the loss at 5 6 3 1 2 3. Nathan Dettmer made his first appearance since early April and gave up a hit and a walk but no runs in an inning of work.

Team record: 100-52. Next up: The road trip continues farther south on I-95 with 3 against Baltimore.

[Art Deco]

The Rays took 2 of 3 in Baltimore as we head into the final week of the regular season.

Johnny Kuykendall pitched a great game but missed out on a win by one out as Mike Moore allowed his baserunner to tie the game at 1 before the Rays scored 4 in the 8th to take a 5-2 win. Kuykendall went 6.2 5 1 1 3 5 and Moore vultured the win to go 7-0 in only his 20th appearance. Nathan Dettmer got the final five outs to at last record his first Rays save. JT Realmuto's 22nd HR gave the Rays a 1-0 lead that lasted until the 7th, and then Cristian Hernandez broke the tie leading off the 8th with his 5th as a Ray and 24th overall. Andy Kelley added a 2-run double for insurance.

James Hays' grip on a fourth Cy Young Award is slipping away as he struggled today in a 9-4 loss to the Orioles. Hays (14-5) was hit hard today in a 4.1 8 6 6 2 3 outing, has allowed 11 runs in his last two outings and has seen his ERA jump from 2.42 to 2.81 while his teammate (more on him in the next game) has been excellent. Andy Kelley drove in a pair and Dong-hwan Kim hit HR #18 for a losing cause.

Hays' rival for the Cy Young of course is Joe Marlette, and the lefty may have made himself the front-runner thanks to his gem in the Rays' 3-1 win over Baltimore. Marlette improved to 15-6, 2.63 after going 6 5 0 0 1 9 and now has more wins, a lower ERA, and a higher WAR than Hays and only trails him by 24 strikeouts. Kevin DiCostanzo preserved the win with a perfect 9th, earning save #34. Andrew Greckel was the hitting star, blasting HR #30 in the 4th and adding an RBI single in the 7th.

Team record: 102-53. Next up: 4 games in Toronto.

Playoff Race Update: The field is pretty set in the AL with the Rays, Twins and Alamos (!) looking to be the division winners with the Red Sox, Yankees and Angels solid for the three wild cards. San Antonio is 3 up on the Angels for the division lead and the Yanks and LA are tied for the second wild card, so the matchups could shift. In the NL, Atlanta and San Diego look like division winners, and the Mets, Nationals and Dodgers should be the wild cards. This leaves the wild NL Central with the Cubs on top by a game over St. Louis and 3 over Cincinnati, with the only the winner likely to qualify for the playoffs.

[Art Deco]

The Rays took 3 of 4 north of the border but one troubling trend with a key player continued. Meanwhile we have some big team news which I'll share after the game recaps.

Tampa Bay hit three solo homers in the opener to back what turned out to be a bullpen day for the staff in a 3-2 win at Rogers Centre. Solo shots from Dong-hwan Kim (#19) and Andy Kelley (#7) gave them a 2-0 lead, and after Toronto equalized Joshua Baez blasted #20 in the 6th to give them the lead to stay. Shane Panzini started but departed in the 2nd with back stiffness (nothing serious) and after Elvis Garcia gave up a couple of runs Wennington Romero (8-1) took over for 3 scoreless innings and picked up the win, with Kevin DiCostanzo nailing down save #35.

Michael Prosecky made his case for the playoff rotation in his penultimate start of the season as he led the Rays to a 4-2 win over Toronto in the second game. He improved to 9-8, 3.73 with a 6 5 1 1 2 4 outing and grabbing the save was Nathan Dettmer, his 2nd since coming off the IL. Kelly Crumpton supplied all the offense needed with a 3-run jack in the 1st inning, his 36th which also gave him 98 RBI.

Toronto got one back, hitting Johnny Kuykendall and the Rays bullpen hard in a 9-5 loss. Kukyendall gave up 3 homers and went 6 7 5 5 1 4 in his final regular season start, finishing up 5-2, 3.46 in 11 starts for the club and 10-11, 3.56 overall. He'll start Game 3 of the ALDS. Landon Knack gave up 3 runs in an inning of relief and probably has pitched his way off the postseason roster. Cristian Hernandez (#6/#25) and Kelly Crumpton (#37) homered for the Rays, with Crumpton driving in 3 to go over the 100-RBI mark for the second straight season (although a far cry from last year's 137).

James Hays has had a September not to remember and his woes continued in his final start of the regular season although the Rays did come back to take a 9-8 slugfest over the Jays in the series finale. The winner of the last 3 AL Cy Youngs may not get a fourth after another tough outing, going 4 7 5 2 2 2, giving him 13 ER allowed in his final 14.1 IP with only 9 whiffs over those last three starts. He finishes the year 14-5, 2.84. That's almost identical to the 15-6, 2.84 he finished with last year, and although he pitched 20 more innings and issued 10 fewer walks, he gave up 9 more homers than last season and as a result dropped from 5.8 WAR to 4.5 this season. As for the game the Rays trailed 6-1 and 8-3 before storming back for 4 in the 7th on Kelly Crumpton's 2nd homer of the game, his 39th of the year, and his fourth in the last three games, a 3-run blast. Andrew Greckel then dramatically equalized with two out in the 9th (#31) before Mr. Clutch himself JT Realmuto doubled in the winner in the 10th. Nathan Dettmer earned his first Rays win in relief and Kevin DiCostanzo saved again (#36). Dong-hwan Kim joined the 20-homer club with a solo shot earlier in the game.

Team record: 104-54. Next up: We close out the regular season with 3 games against the White Sox at home.

Big contract news! We signed C JT Realmuto to a 2-year, $46M extension. Yes I know 1) it's a lot of money and 2) Realmuto is 39, but despite his age he's still the best catcher in baseball and is coming off 4.2 and 5.0 WAR seasons. We also don't have any viable full-time replacement for him as Corey Collins is a backup at best and Diego Cartaya is a free agent. The second year vests if he plays 100 games next season, so if age or injuries suddenly catch up to him next year we have an out.

Playoff race update: The AL field is officially set, and the Alamos did nail down the AL West and the #2 seed behind us. Boston will be the first wild card and host either the Yankees or the Angels as New York is a game up on LA for the second slot. The third place finisher will go to Minnesota in the wild card round. The NL is largely set except for the Central, where the Cubs hold a slender 1-game lead on St. Louis and the two clubs are playing each other on the final weekend in a 4-game series which saw the Cards take the opener to stay in it. There's no wild card for the loser. The Mets will play the Nats in one wild card matchup and the Dodgers will travel to the Central winner in the other. Atlanta and San Diego will have byes.

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The Rays closed out the regular season by taking 2 of 3 from the White Sox at the Trop and settling some postseason roster spots.

Joe Marlette may have won himself a Cy Young by closing out his regular season in grand fashion at the Trop, hurling six shutout innings in a 5-0 Rays win over the White Sox. Marlette was a dominant 6 3 0 0 0 10 and finishes the year 16-6, 2.54 in the AL (he was 1-1 with Memphis before the trade) with a 39/203 BB/K ratio in 173.2 IP with only 7 HR allowed and an AL-best 6.3 WAR. He led the league in ERA by 0.30 over teammate James Hays, finished second in wins and fourth in whiffs. All five Rays runs came on homers with Kelly Crumpton joining the 40-HR club, Cristian Hernandez hitting #7 as a Ray and #26 overall, and Chris Gutierrez clubbing a 3-run shot for #6.

The Rays fell 4-1 in the second game as Shane Panzini pitched his way out of the playoff rotation. The righty finished the year 9-10, 4.33 after going 5 5 4 4 4 6 and with Michael Prosecky pitching better of late and having an ERA a full half-run lower, the choice seemed obvious in retrospect.

Tampa Bay had fun in the finale as they blew out Chicago 8-2 to finish off a 107-55 regular season. Brennon McNair was one of four Rays to homer but the only one who hit his first career MLB dinger, a solo shot in the 4th. Also going yard were Joshua Baez (#21), Corey Collins (#5, a 3-run blast off a lefty) and Dong-hwan Kim (#21). Michael Prosecky got his final tuneup for a possible Game 4 of the ALDS by going 5.1 6 2 2 0 6 and finishing the year 10-8, 3.72.

Final Regular Season Record: 107-55. Next up: The ALDS against either the Yankees or Red Sox. You win a division handily and then you have to win it again in the first round of the playoffs.

Playoff Race Update: The only race still going at the end was the NL Central between the Cards and the Cubs and they played 4 head-to-head to end the season. St. Louis took 3 of them including the decisive finale 5-1 to tie the Cubs in the standings and win the division on the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Retirements: Some notable retirements in MLB among those who were hanging on in the minors this season. The biggest name was Aaron Judge, who finished with 334 career HR. Others of note included former Pittsburgh star Brian Reynolds and former Rays Jake Cronenworth, Nathaniel Lowe and Matt Wisler (although I'm not sure if Wisler was ever actually a Ray in this save).

Postseason roster: As mentioned, Prosecky takes the 4th starter role. The surprise on the hitting side was the inclusion of rookie JJ Cargill, who hit .328 at Durham and makes the team due to his 60 contact in case a pinch-hit is needed. On the pitching side Nathan Dettmer was included over Landon Knack. Although Knack had 2 perfect innings in his final appearance, he came down with the flu and that combined with his poor overall season cost him a spot.

[Art Deco]