The 2021 (and only 2021) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

The opening day box...



It was a struggle on offense but thanks to Joe Marlette's dominant outing the Rays didn't need to score much. In fact they didn't even get a hit until the 5th when Cristian Hernandez singled before breaking through in the 6th on Kelly Crumpton's RBI single and then getting the big hit, a 2-out 2-run single from Orlando Tosado. Josh Scanlon gave us 2031 flashbacks when he allowed a homer to the first batter he faced as a Ray in the 9th but set down the Sox from there for the save.

Game #2 was very similar to Game #1 as runs were at a premium yet the Rays still prevailed 2-1. Kevin DiCostanzo was excellent at 7 5 1 0 0 4, allowing a mere unearned run in the first after William Contreras threw wildly on a stolen base attempt. They still trailed until the 7th when after several earlier opportunities were wasted they got the equalizer on a bases-loaded HBP to Wander Franco, and won it in the 8th when with two out and nobody on Cristian Hernandez reached on a two-base error and scored on Dong-hwan Kim's single. Frankely Guzman earned a win in his first Rays appearance with a scoreless 8th and Josh Scanlon saved again, this time more convincingly by striking out the side.

The Rays completed the sweep by bringing out the lumber in an 11-2 rout of Chicago. Dong-hwan Kim, who won yesterday's game late, won today's game early by blasting a grand slam in the 2nd to erase an early 2-0 White Sox lead, the team's first homer of the new season. Kim later homered again to cap a 5-RBI day while Kelly Crumpton and Cristian Hernandez each hit 2-run dingers. William Contreras had 3 hits and scored 3 times. The winner was Wes Mendes, who had some early struggles but finished 5 5 2 2 3 5.

Team record: 3-0. Next up: Baltimore comes to the Trop for 4 games.

[Art Deco]

The perfect start to the season continued as the Rays swept all four games from the Orioles to go 7-0. But before anyone gets too excited over turning a new leaf, remember that last year the team started 10-1 before finishing with fewer than 90 wins for the first time in this save. Still 7-0 beats a sharp stick in the eye and we'll take it.

After allowing a mere 4 runs through the first 3 games against Chicago the Rays got another well-pitched game in a 3-1 win over Baltimore. It was a welcome return (to form) for Michael Prosecky, who missed the last two months of 2031 with a torn meniscus but came back in midseason form with a 6.2 4 1 1 2 3 outing. Tommy Burpee pitched a perfect 8th in his Rays debut and Josh Scanlon fanned two in a perfect 9th for his 3rd save already. Cristian Hernandez had the big hit of the game, a 2-run homer (#2) in the 2nd, scoring Nate Strickland who had 3 hits including a double.

The Rays routed the Orioles 9-2 in Christian Little's debut start for the club although Little couldn't quite make it through the 5th to pick up the win. He has 40 stamina and went 4.2 4 2 2 1 6 with Baltimore scoring twice in the 5th and threatening with tough lefties, so Mason Feole came in and quelled the rally, earning his first win of the season. But it was the bats who were the story today with rookie Jonathan Gutierrez clubbing his first MLB homer, a 3-run shot in the 8th to truly break the game open. Joshua Baez got the party started with a solo shot in the 2nd (#1), Cristian Hernandez added another in the 3rd (#3) and William Contreras hit his first Rays homer in the 4th and added an RBI single later.

Jonathan Gutierrez is fast becoming a folk hero in Tampa Bay after he came off the bench to drill a 2-run double in the 8th to cap a 3-run inning which turned a potential 3-1 loss into an actual 4-3 win to make it six straight wins to start the season for the Rays. Another of our many Gutierrezes, Chris, hit his first homer of the year to lead off the 8th and with a lefty due Jonathan came through with 2 out for the clutch hit. He hit for Nate Strickland, who had earlier singled in the first Tampa Bay run as the two rookies have hit the ground running. Joe Marlette gave up a couple of homers to put the Rays behind, finishing 5 3 3 3 2 7 and John Swanda earned the win with a brilliant 3 1 0 0 0 5 outing in long relief. Josh Scanlon gave us a bit of a scare by allowing a pair of hits in the 9th but struck out the other three men he faced to notch his 4th save in 6 games.

Another late comeback win gave the Rays a sweep of the series and the season to date. Kelly Crumpton drilled a 2-run homer in the 7th (#2) to turn around a 4-3 deficit and the Rays held on for a 5-4 win. Arturo and Jonathan Gutierrez went deep back-to-back leading off the game to erase an early 1-0 Oriole lead and Jonathan singled in another run in the 2nd as part of a 3-hit day as the rookie remained red-hot. But Kevin DiCostanzo couldn't hold the lead, giving up a pair of homers while going 6 6 4 4 1 7. Frankely Guzman, perfect in 4 innings to start the year, picked up his 2nd win by pitching the 7th and Tommy Burpee went two scoreless innings to earn his first Rays save with Josh Scanlon tired and numerous lefties in the Oriole lineup due.

Team record: 7-0, 2 games up on the Yankees. Next up: We take the show on the road to Minnesota for 3 games.

Rays news: We welcomed back a couple of veteran lefties on minor league deals as Ryan Weathers, who made a couple of appearances last September for the Rays, and Reid Detmers, who pitched in 21 games for us in 2026 and 2027, will report to Durham. They could be of use as we only have two lefties in the pen this season in Feole and Burpee.

[Art Deco]

The Rays kept rolling to start 2032, taking 2 of 3 from Minnesota and going to 9-0 before losing the finale.

Last year's team kept finding ways to lose while this year's keeps finding ways to win as Orlando Tosado drilled a 2-run homer in the 9th, his first of the year, to give the Rays a 4-2 win over the Twins in the opener. Wes Mendes was solid (5 6 2 2 2 6) and John Swanda contributed two scoreless innings before Mike Moore pitched the 8th and picked up the win while Josh Scanlon made it 6-for-6 in the save department. Dong-hwan Kim drove in the first two Tampa Bay runs.

Transaction: Claimed reliever Ruben Abeyta on waivers from Milwaukee, DFA'd reliever Codi Heuer. Heuer looked good in his two outings but his stuff was downgraded to 45 so that was probably smoke and mirrors. Abeyta is rated 65/60/55 and can throw 101.

No late-inning heroics needed in the second game as the Rays routed the Twins 7-2. Kelly Crumpton homered twice to double his season total and drove in 3 runs, Arturo Gutierrez went deep for the second time among his 3 hits and 3 RBI, and Jonathan Gutierrez was 2-4 with an RBI double. Michael Prosecky (2-0) was very good again at 6 4 0 0 2 2 for the win. After one of Crumpton's homers Nate Strickland was hit with a pitch and charged the mound with his bat, starting a brawl and leading to the rookie being suspended for 4 games. OF J.J. Cargill was recalled to take his place during the suspension.

Defeat was bound to visit the Rays at some point, and it finally did in Game #10 as Minnesota roughed up Christian Little and beat the Rays 6-1. Little (0-1) was in trouble throughout and finished 2.2 6 5 5 3 2 in a rough outing. The Rays did have some chances to score but could only get a lone run on Arturo Gutierrez's sac fly while also having a man thrown out at the plate.

Team record: 9-1. Next up: An off-day then 3 games in Seattle.

MLB News: At the other end of spectrum is Boston, which is off to a 1-10 start and was no-hit by a pair of Oriole pitchers in a 9-1 loss as Samuel Cozart went 5 and Bryse Wilson 4.

[Art Deco]

Well we can't dismiss the Rays' success to date by pointing out last year's team started 10-1 before only winning 89 games as this year's squad swept Seattle and is now off to a blazing 12-1 start to 2032.

Joe Marlette was brilliant once again and rookie Jonathan Gutierrez continued to swing a hot stick as the Rays took Seattle down 6-1 in the opener. Marlette went to 2-0 with a dominant 7 6 0 0 0 7 and after Cody Adcock and Mason Feole loaded the bases with 1 out in the 9th Josh Scanlon came in for his 6th save by getting the final two outs. Gutierrez meanwhile blasted a grand slam (#3) in the 5th that made it 5-0 Rays. William Contreras added a solo shot (#2) in the 6th.

Kevin DiCostanzo and two relievers combined on a 5-hit shutout as the Rays were victorious again over the Mariners 5-0. DiCostanzo won his first decision of 2032 after going 7 4 0 0 3 3 and his teammates got the better of former Ray Wennington Romero. Jonathan Gutierrez homered yet again (#4) and William Contreras contributed an RBI double.

The Rays nearly let a game in which Kelly Crumpton homered three times get away from them but managed to complete the sweep of Seattle with a 7-6 win in 12 innings. Crumpton had two-run homers in the first and third to stake them to a 4-0 lead but Wes Mendes had trouble with traffic all night and let Seattle back within 4-3 after going 4.2 8 3 3 3 5. It appeared that the Rays had secured things again when Crumpton's third homer of the day and MLB-best 7th of the year made it 5-3 in the 7th and they added a run in the 8th but Tommy Burpee had a burp and allowed 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th to let the Mariners equalize. So onto extras we went when Diego Cartaya, who already had a big day for him with 2 hits and a walk, deposited a Jose Medina pitch into the LF seats (#1) to provide the margin of victory. Frankely Guzman (3-0) picked up another relief win and is unscored upon in 8 1/3 innings of work this season while Josh Scanlon racked up save #7.

Team record: 12-1. Next up: Back home for 3 against the Yankees, the preseason pick to win the division and who are off to a great start of their own at 10-3.

MLB News: Young Cincinnati phenom Steve Pitzer no-hit the Brewers over the weekend as the 24-year-old struck out 9 and walked 3 on 115 pitches.

[Art Deco]

The bullpen nightmares of 2031 returned in this series, although it only cost the Rays one game as they dropped two of three to allow the Yankees within one game.

The Rays survived blown leads in the 7th and the 9th of the opener to prevail 5-4 in 11 innings over the Yankees to make it a 13-1 start. Cristian Hernandez's RBI single made a winner of Cody Adcock (1-0) after Josh Scanlon blew his first save as a Ray in the 9th while Ruben Abeyta and Mason Feole combined to blow a lead in the 7th. Rays pitched walked 10 on the night with starter Michael Prosecky going 5 5 2 2 4 3. Arturo Gutierrez had a solo homer (#3) and Nate Strickland was 3-3 after returning from suspension.

The second game was a stinker as the Yankees downed the Rays 6-1. Christian Little struggled again, going 3.2 5 6 1 3 4 as New York scored 6 times in the 3rd. A couple of key errors led to five unearned runs but didn't absolve Little, whose spot in the rotation is hanging by a thread. John Swanda followed with 2 2/3 scoreless and stands by to take Little's place if things don't get better.

Tampa Bay could not overcome some bad bullpenning in the finale as they fell 5-4 in 10 innings after being one out away from a 4-2 victory. Tommy Burpee, who sailed quickly through the 8th, put a couple on in the 9th so Josh Scanlon came in despite being slightly tired. Scanlon got a strikeout for out #2 but with the bases loaded Yankee star Gleyber Torres laced a 2-run single, and then Mike Moore (0-1) gave up a leadoff triple in the 10th which scored. Joe Marlette started and looked good but ran up a pitch count and had to leave after going 5 5 2 2 2 9. Dong-hwan Kim had the big game on offense, going 2-4 with an RBI single and a 2-run homer (#3).

Team record: 13-3. Next up: The Rays will try to get back on the winning track when Toronto visits for 4 games.

[Art Deco]

The Rays' blistering start to 2032 continued after taking 3 of 4 from Toronto at the Trop.

Tampa Bay was a 6-2 winner in the opener thanks to a 4-run 4th inning capped by a 2-run Arturo Gutierrez double. Kelly Crumpton led off the inning with HR #8 and the rally went from there with Cristian Hernandez singling in a run as well. William Contreras was in the thick of things, going 3-3 with a walk and scoring twice. Kevin DiCostanzo (2-0) meanwhile was dominating the Jays to the tune of 6.2 2 1 1 4 6.

The Rays didn't offer much resistance in the second game as Wes Mendes was hit hard and Toronto won easily 8-3. Mendes (1-1) didn't have it today, going 2.1 6 5 5 2 2 and Slade Cecconi followed him by allowing 3 more runs. Two bright spots on offense: Orlando Tosado was 2-4 with a 2-run homer (#2) and rookie Nate Strickland was 3-4 with an RBI.

Three runs in the second inning were enough to earn a 3-1 win over Toronto in the third game as Michael Prosecky's brilliant start to the season continued. The lefty improved to 3-0 after a fine 6 4 1 1 1 5 outing and leads the AL in ERA at 1.59. The bullpen was outstanding, retiring the Jays 1-2-3 over the final 3 innings with Josh Scanlon taking the 9th for save #8. The scoring came via a pair of homers with Orlando Tosado homering again (#3) solo and Cristian Hernandez belting a 2-run shot (#4).

Runs were scare again in the finale but the Rays scored both of them in a 2-0 win over Toronto behind Christian Little and 4 innings from the bullpen. Little bounced back from a couple of bad starts to retain his rotation position going 5 1 0 0 3 4 on 91 pitches. He didn't pick up the win though as Tampa Bay didn't score until the 6th when Kelly Crumpton and Dong-hwan Kim singled in runs. Instead it went to John Swanda (2-0), who came through with a pair of scoreless innings before Josh Scanlon completed the shutout for save #9 despite allowing a 2-out triple.

Team record: 16-4. The Yankees dropped 2 of 3 in Baltimore so the division lead has grown to 2 1/2 games. Next up: Another 4-game series, this time at Fenway Park.

[Art Deco]

A bit of disappointing series for the Rays as after winning the first two they dropped the next two games, the last of which was on the bullpen. Combined with the Yankees taking 2 of 3 and their lead is down to 2 games (one in the loss column).

Joe Marlette didn't have his best stuff tonight but the bats picked him up in a 7-3 win at Fenway over the Red Sox. He still went to 3-0 after going 6 7 3 3 2 2 thanks to a nice game from Orlando Tosado, who drilled a 2-run homer (#4) in the 4th to put them ahead to stay and later singled in another run. Joshua Baez also went deep with his 2nd homer of the season. Frankely Guzman ended up with his first Rays save after pitching the 8th and staying on when the lead expanded. He's now thrown 13 1/3 scoreless with a 3/16 BB/K ratio this season.

A scoreless duel through six turned into a 4-0 Rays lead in the 7th before they gave all 4 runs back in the bottom of the inning, but the Rays managed to beat Boston again with 3 runs in the 12th and took a 7-5 win. Wander Franco, who had a 5-hit night, had an RBI double to break the ice in the 7th and then Kelly Crumpton followed with a 3-run blast (#9) to make it 4-0. But Kevin DiCostanzo, who had been throwing zeroes, ran into some trouble and Tommy Burpee gave up a 2-run single to former Ray Randy Arozarena to let the Red Sox equalize. The runs were charged to DiCostanzo who finished 6.1 8 4 4 2 4. Things remained status quo until the 12th when a wild pitch scored Franco with the go-ahead run and then Cristian Hernandez and Dong-hwan Kim had RBI doubles. Ruben Abeyta (1-0) went the final two innings and picked up the win despite allowing a Boston run in the bottom of the 12th.

Some really bad pitching put the Rays in a 10-1 hole in the third game, and although they pulled within 10-7 at one point it wasn't enough and Boston went on to take a 13-7 victory. Wes Mendes (1-2) was brutal for the third straight start, hit to the tune of 2.2 7 7 7 3 2 with the bullpen allowing another six. The big hit in the fightback was Nate Strickland's first MLB homer, a 3-run shot in the 7th that got them back within 10-7.

Transaction: John Swanda had to leave the game with mild shoulder inflammation that will sideline him for a couple of weeks so Jon Post was recalled from Durham.

It looked like the Rays would take 3 of the 4 after they held a 4-0 lead in the 5th but ended up losing 5-4 as the bullpen couldn't hold it. Michael Prosecky was shaky tonight at 5 5 1 1 4 1 but left with a 3-run lead, which Mike Moore (1-2) and Tommy Burpee squandered in the 7th. The 3 runs were charged to Moore but for the second straight outing Burpee gave up the big hit. They had taken the 4-0 lead on homers from Joshua Baez (#3), a 3-run shot, and Kelly Crumpton (#10).

Team record: 18-6. Next up: The road trip continues with 3 in Cleveland.

MLB News: In this alternative universe Cody Bellinger never lost his form and hit his 500th career homer.

[Art Deco]

The Rays' fine start to 2032 continued as they took 2 of 3 in Cleveland. The only problem is that those damn Yankees just can't be shook as they swept over the weekend to pull within 1 game back and even in the loss column.

Christian Little went back to struggling in the opener and put the Rays in a 4-1 hole early but they fought back to take a 6-5 win over the Guardians. Little was hit for all 4 runs in the first 2 innings and finished 4 4 4 4 2 4 but Wander Franco kept them in the game early, hitting his first two homers of the season and driving in 3 to cut Cleveland's lead to 4-3. Kelly Crumpton then kept up his hot start to the year by drilling a 3-run shot in the 7th (#11) put Tampa Bay ahead for good. Ruben Abeyta (2-0) picked up the win and Josh Scanlon survived a shaky 9th which saw him allow a run and strand the bases full for save #10.

Rays' bats pummeled Cleveland into oblivion in the second game as they routed the Guardians 14-2 on 20 hits. Arturo Guiterrez (#4), Jonathan Gutierrez (#5), and Joshua Baez (#4) all homered, Diego Cartaya was 3-5 with 3 RBI and Dong-hwan Kim was 3-6 with 2 RBI to lead the attack. Joe Marlette (4-0) earned the win at 6 6 2 2 2 8 and Slade Cecconi went three 1-hit innings with 5 Ks to get the save.

After exploding for 14 runs and 20 hits the day before the Rays were held to 1 and 7 in a 3-1 loss in the finale. Joshua Baez's RBI double in the 4th held up for the 6 innings Kevin DiCostanzo pitched as he was a dominant 6 4 0 0 3 8 but Frankely Guzman (3-1) picked a bad time to allow his first runs of 2032 as he gave up a 2-run homer in the 7th and that was enough for Cleveland. They did load the bases in the 9th but pinch-hitter Cristian Hernandez struck out to end the game.

Team record: 20-7. Next up: We return home for 3 games against Oakland.

[Art Deco]

Not much to complain about as the Rays took 2 of 3 from Oakland, but still dropped out of first place (on percentage points) when the Yankees (who may never lose again) swept Houston to make it 8 straight wins for them.

Tampa Bay took a tidy 4-1 win in the opener as Wes Mendes (2-2) arrested his recent downfall with a fine 5 3 1 1 2 4 outing and the bullpen held serve with Josh Scanlon whiffing 3 in the 9th for his 11th save. 3 runs in the 5th were the difference with Cristian Hernandez leading off the inning with HR #5 and Wander Franco capping the inning with an RBI double.

There was nothing tidy about the second game for the Rays as they played their sloppiest game of the season, making 4 errors in an 8-5 loss. The middle infield duo of Arturo Gutierrez and Wander Franco were the culprits with each booting a pair of grounders and Gutierrez's first error was the costliest in a 5-run 2nd inning for the A's. Michael Prosecky is the type of pitcher who relies on his fielders and between the misplays behind him and his own wildness, it was a long night for him as he dropped to 3-1 after going 3 6 6 2 3 4. Cristian Hernandez led the doomed comeback attempt by going 3-5 with 3 RBI and Kelly Crumpton had a 4-hit game.

The Rays snapped back in the finale to rout Oakland 9-3 with a 5-run 5th proving decisive. Arturo Gutierrez made up for his sloppy game yesterday by homering (#5) and driving in 3, including a tying RBI single in that 5th which was capped by a 2-run Nate Strickland double while Kelly Crumpton drove in a pair with a bases-loaded walk and a sac fly. The outburst enabled Christian Little to win his first game as a Ray against two losses as he was 5 4 2 2 1 8.

Team record: 22-8. Next up: An off-day then 3 games in Houston where we'll hope to inflict the same damage the Yankees did.

Forgot to include this in the previous post:



Atlanta's Ronald Acuna Jr. took the NL nod with a .349-9-23 month.

MLB News: Milestones galore as Rowdy Tellez of the Dodgers hit HR #400 while Fernando Tatis Jr. and Cody Bellinger (who a week earlier reached the 500-HR mark) both recorded their 2000th career hit.

[Art Deco]

A good weekend for the Rays as they took 2 of 3 in Houston while the Yankees finally came down to Earth, losing three straight including on our Monday off-day to fall back behind 1 1/2 games.

But it didn't start off well for Tampa Bay as they were dominated 7-0 by Chad Weeks and the Astros. The lefty held them to 7 2 0 0 2 9 and those two hits were all they managed. Joe Marlette (4-1) suffered his first loss as he didn't pitch that well at 5 6 5 5 3 7 with the last two of his runs against courtesy of a bases-clearing double Jon Post allowed to former Ray Victor Robles.

The Rays got back in the win column with a 4-1 triumph over Houston behind a fine outing from Kevin DiCostanzo. He went to 3-0 with an AL-best 1.96 ERA thanks to a 7 3 1 1 1 3 outing with Josh Scanlon saving again for #12. It was a two-man offense which accounted for the runs with Orlando Tosado belting a 3-run homer in the 4th (#5) to break a 1-1 tie as part of a 3-hit game while Nate Strickland's solo shot in the 2nd (#2) was one of the rookie's 3 hits on the day.

Wes Mendes turned in his second straight quality start in an up-and-down year for him as the Rays took the series with another 4-1 win over the Astros. Mendes (3-2) was 6 2 1 1 3 3 and once again Josh Scanlon saved (#13). Like yesterday a couple of homers proved huge with Arturo Gutierrez getting them on the board in the 3rd with HR #6 and Joshua Baez providing the big hit in the 5th with a 2-run blast (#5).

Team record: 24-9. Next up: An off-day then 3 in Kansas City.

[Art Deco]

Another good series for the Rays as they took 2 of 3 in Kansas City, but the Yankees won't be shook and they remain only a game behind and even in the loss column.

The Rays suffered their lone loss in the opener, falling 7-5 to the Royals as Michael Prosecky had a poor game, his second straight after a brilliant start to the season. Prosecky (3-2) was a brutal 4 6 6 6 5 3 with his lack of control most disturbing, and he lost leads of 2-0 and 5-4 he was staked to. William Contreras led the offense going 3-4 with a 2-run double which gave them their final lead of the night.

This series could have gone a lot differently if not for some 9th-inning heroics that saw the Rays turn a 4-2 loss into a dramatic 5-4 win. Nate Strickland came off the bench to lead off the 9th and he drilled a homer (#3) to left to cut the lead to 4-3 and with a man on later in the inning Dong-hwan Kim hit his second 2-run homer of the game (#5) to make the Rays winners. Christian Little started and was effective at 6 6 2 2 0 3, Mason Feole (2-0) picked up the win in relief and Josh Scanlon got the job done again in the 9th for save #14.

The Rays took the rubber match thanks to a dominant Joe Marlette performance and big day from the bats as they routed the Royals 10-5. Marlette (5-1) was brilliant, no-hitting Kansas City through 4 before a rough inning in the 5th which saw him lose the no-hitter on an infield hit and a Cristian Hernandez error leading to a pair of unearned runs to see his lead drop to 3-2. He finished 6 1 2 0 2 10 and his mates broke the game open for him with a 5-run 6th which started with the first of two homers Arturo Gutierrez would hit on the night as part of a 3-hit, 4-RBI day for the second sacker who's had a spotty first season as a Rays regular but is up to 8 homers. Orlando Tosado also went deep (#6) and drove in a pair while Nate Strickland was 2-4 with an RBI double. The bullpen coughed up a few late runs but had no bearing on the outcome.

Team record: 26-10. Next up: Back home for 3 vs Detroit.

MLB News: Two veteran starters saw their seasons end with injury: Philly's Dylan Cease and the Cubs' Cristian Javier.

[Art Deco]

The Rays dropped two of three games, one in which they couldn't hit and the other in which they couldn't pitch, and are back into a tie with the Yankees atop the AL East although technically second on percentage points.

They dropped the opener 3-1 to the Tigers, failing to get key hits in the late innings when they had some traffic on the bases. Chris Gutierrez's 2nd-inning RBI single put them up 1-0 but the Tigers got to Kevin DiCostanzo (3-1) for a pair in the 6th to break a 1-1 tie, handing the righty his first loss of the year after going 5.1 6 3 3 2 5.

The Rays nearly dropped the second game as well but got a 2-out RBI single from Arturo Gutierrez in the 9th to tie the game and an RBI double from Diego Cartaya in the 10th to win it 4-3. Cartaya was only in the game because starter William Contreras was pinch-run for after leading off the 9th with a single and he doubled home Wander Franco who had reached on his 3rd hit of the game. Kelly Crumpton homered earlier, his 12th. Wes Mendes was decent in his start, overpowering at times in a 4.2 4 2 2 2 9 performance and the win went to Josh Scanlon, his first as a Ray, as he pitched the 10th.

The finale saw the Rays not only lose a tough 8-7 decision to Detroit but a key member of their bullpen as Frankely Guzman, who had pitched so well since being signed as a free agent this past winter, tore his UCL and will undergo Tommy John surgery. Michael Prosecky (3-3) was horrible, allowing at least 6 runs for the third straight start as he was roughed up at 3.2 8 7 6 1 4 and helped put the team in an 8-3 hole. They fought back largely thanks to Arturo Gutierrez, who had a 3-run homer (#9) in the 4th and an RBI single in the 6th to get them back within 8-7, but the scoring stopped there despite a few chances late. Dong-hwan Kim contributed an early homer (#6). Guzman left in the 8th after striking out both men he faced and will be missed.

Team record: 27-12. Next up: Miami visits for 3 games. The Marlins will be a tough opponent this time around as they're off to a similar 26-13 start and feature a budding star in second-year 1B Roger Perez.

MLB News: San Diego's Fernando Tatis Jr. and Atlanta's Matt Chapman each hit their 400th career homer.

[Art Deco]

A great series for the Rays as they swept their neighbors to the south and allowed a mere two runs in the process. But they gained exactly zero ground as those %&$! Yankees swept their series as well against Washington so Tampa Bay remains behind on percentage points.

Transaction: Frankely Guzman went on the 60-day IL and Jon Post was called back up from Durham.

The opener was a rout of epic proportions as the Rays manhandled the Marlins 17-1. An 8-run 4th inning set the game ablaze keyed by an Arturo Gutierrez grand slam (#10). Arturo was one of seven Rays to homer; the other six were Wander Franco (#3), Jonathan Gutierrez (#6), Orlando Tosado (#7), Diego Cartaya (#2), Cristian Hernandez (#7) and Chris Gutierrez (#2). I think I can safely say with Arturo, Jonathan and Chris all going deep this was the first time in MLB history a team had 3 players named Gutierrez homer, perhaps the first time any 3 Gutierrezes (Gutierrei?) homered in the same game. Christian Little had a rough first inning, allowing a run and having another man thrown out at the plate, but settled in to improve to 2-2 by going 5 3 1 1 3 6.

Runs were much tougher to come by in the second game but the Rays got more of them in a 3-1 win. Joe Marlette (3-1) was his usual excellent self at 6 5 1 1 3 6 and Josh Scanlon survived loading the bases in the 9th for save #15. Nobody on offense stood out with the three runs coming on a single, sac fly and bases-loaded HBP.

And scoring was at even more of a premium in the finale as Jonathan Gutierrez's 2nd-inning homer (#7) stood up as the game's only run in a 1-0 Rays win. Kevin DiCostanzo (4-1) pitched his best game of the year at 7 3 0 0 2 9 and Mike Moore was so efficient in the 8th that he pitched the 9th with Scanlon tired, fanning 4 over 2 innings and earning his first save of the year.

Team record: 30-12, which is somehow not good enough for first place. Next up: An off-day then more interleague action with Atlanta visiting for 3.

[Art Deco]

The Rays Meat Loafed Atlanta, but of course the Yankees did the same so it's still second place on percentage points for the good guys.

Tampa Bay only had 5 hits in the opener but managed to score 6 runs on them thanks to a trio of homers and handled Atlanta 6-2. Two of those three longballs came off the bat of Kelly Crumpton, who was 3-4 on the day and now has 14 dingers. And we had a donger from Dong-hwan Kim (#7) with a man on right before Crumpton's first as part of a 4-run 2nd. Wes Mendes (4-2) took care of business on the mound, going 6 1 0 0 4 7 as he's done a 180 on his season having allowed only 4 runs over his last 4 starts after a horrendous April.

While Mendes has turned things around, he must have body-swapped with Michael Prosecky, who had a brilliant April but has suffered a monstrous May after getting hit in a 7-3 loss. A key Kelly Crumpton error meant 3 of the 4 runs Prosecky (3-4) allowed in the 2nd were unearned but it's mostly the lefty's fault as he went 4.2 8 4 1 2 7 although the whiffs were a season-high. Cristian Hernandez was the bright spot on offense, going 2-3 with HR #7.

Just as in the opener the Rays made the most of managing only 5 hits as again three of them were homers, all of the solo variety in a 3-1 win. Arturo Gutierrez led off the game with #11 while Dong-hwan Kim (#8) and Nate Strickland (#4) went yard in the 4th. That was enough for Christian Little (3-2), who went 5 5 1 1 1 6 and four relievers, the last of whom was Josh Scanlon, nabbing save #16.

Team record: 32-13. Next up: Toronto visits for 2 games.

[Art Deco]

The Rays split a pair of one-run games with the Jays at the Trop and are now a full game behind the Yankees, who of course refuse to lose.

A 4-run 5th capped by a 3-run Kelly Crumpton homer (#15) propelled the Rays to a 5-4 win over Toronto in the opener. After Arturo Gutierrez homered to lead off the game again (#12), Joe Marlette gave up a 3-run shot of his own to put them behind but Crumpton's blow gave them the lead to stay and enabled Marlette to up his record to 7-1 after going 6 5 3 3 1 11. Josh Scanlon preserved the lead in the 9th for save #17.

Transaction: Diego Cartaya had to leave the game with a mild oblique strain. Since it will only keep him out a couple of days and William Contreras is rated as "exhausted" we needed a catcher and rookie Sam Sharratt, our supplemental first round pick in 2028, was recalled from Durham. Sharratt is a lousy defensive catcher (30) and has a moderately interesting bat but was the best we had to call up on temporary basis. To make room we had to DFA Carlos Colmenarez and when Cartaya's ready to come back in a couple days we'll send down Sharratt and bring back Jamie Reiner.

Toronto took the second game 9-8, although that was a deceivingly-close score as they led 9-3 going into the bottom of the 9th before with two out the Rays drew a bases-loaded walk and then Wander Franco hit a grand slam (#4) to briefly cause some excitement. Sam Sharratt and his 30 rating got the start at catcher in his MLB debut and aside from going 0-3 I'm going to blame him for Kevin DiCostanzo's bad outing (5 6 6 6 1 8 with 2 homers allowed) which dropped DiCostanzo to 4-2, as well as the fact the staff gave up 9 runs in total. Kelly Crumpton hit a 3-run homer for the second consecutive day (#16).

Team record: 33-14. Next up: We constantly gripe about how the Yankees never lose but now have a chance to do something about it as we head to the Stadium for a pair of big ones.

[Art Deco]

Status quo again as the Rays split the pair in New York, meaning they remain a game back in the AL East.

Wes Mendes and Kelly Crumpton were the stars in the first game as they led Tampa Bay to a 4-1 win over the Yankees. Mendes (5-2) continued his brilliant run of late by going 6 3 1 1 2 7 with Josh Scanlon saving #18. Crumpton meanwhile supplied the offense, drilling a pair of homers with his two-run shot in the 6th breaking a 1-1 deadlock and his 18th of the year, a solo shot, providing insurance in the 9th.

In the second game Mendes and Michael Prosecky kept going in opposite directions as Prosecky was lit up once again the Rays were roughed up 9-4. The beleaguered lefty (3-5) lost his fifth straight start in rough fashion, not making it out of the second inning going 1.2 7 5 5 2 0 and serious consideration is being given to dropping him from the rotation at least temporarily. Dong-hwan Kim had a 2-run homer (#9) for the Rays' lone highlight of the day.

Team record: 34-15. Next up: Back home for 3 against San Antonio.

MLB News: Former Ray Raimfer Salinas hit his 300th career homer for Boston, struggling at 15-31. With Salinas a free agent at year's end it wouldn't be shocking to see him moved.

[Art Deco]

The Rays took two of three from the Alamos, no cause for complaint, but they continue to battle a team that seemingly won't lose as the Yankees swept the Orioles to improve to an absurd 37-13, which now means Tampa Bay is two back in the division.

It was in the opener that the Rays, and Christian Little in particular, slipped up with a 6-5 loss to San Antonio. Little had been on a roll of late but that came to a crashing halt today when he was hit for four runs in the 1st and another in the 3rd, putting his mates in a 5-1 hole. They nearly climbed out of it but fell short despite some late opportunities. Little (3-3) finished with an ugly 2.2 8 5 5 2 2 line. Wander Franco was 3-5 with a 2-run homer (#5) and Nate Strickland came off the bench to deliver a 2-run double in the 7th to get them within one, but that was it.

Joe Marlette was in command tonight and so were the Rays' bats as they routed the Alamos 8-0 to even up the series. Marlette went to 8-1, 2.60 after going 7 3 0 0 5 9 and he received plenty of support with the game's big hit being an Orlando Tosado grand slam (#8) in the 6th which broke open up a 1-0 game. Jonathan Gutierrez was the other big bat, going 3-5 with an RBI single and a 2-run homer (#8).

The Rays' other ace Kevin DiCostanzo matched Marlette's start the night before with 7 shutout innings as the Rays again blanked San Antonio 4-0. DiCostanzo improved to 5-2, 2.43 with a 7 3 0 0 2 8 gem and got help from Arturo Gutierrez, who was 2-4 with an RBI single and solo homer (#14), and Dong-hwan Kim, who delivered a 2-run single in a 3-run 3rd.

Team record: 36-16. Next up: The homestand continues with 3 against the Angels.

[Art Deco]

Once again the Rays took 2 out of 3 but in a twist they didn't lose ground to the Yankees; in fact they picked up a game as the seemingly-unbeatable New York club dropped 2 of 3 to Texas, so they're only a game back now (albeit two in the loss column).

But first a trade:



The back end of the rotation (Prosecky and Little) has been shaky and while this team is likely headed to the playoffs the Yankees are a tough foe in the division, which I'd really like to win rather than play a best-of-3 wild card round. So to that end upgrading the rotation to tune of 2-3 extra wins could be critical, and righty starter Morales is hopefully that guy. He's rated 65/60/50 and was 3-3, 3.09 with the Wreckers, formerly the Pittsburgh Pirates, and on pace for 3.6 WAR. Not sure yet whose spot he'll take but Little with his good stuff seems more likely to be impactful in the pen than the soft-tossing Prosecky. Jon Post will likely head down once we activate Morales which won't be until the weekend since he pitched the night before the trade.

As for what we gave up, neither of the minor leaguers sent El Paso's way are real prospects as this deal was all about getting rid of money obligations given the Wreckers' dire financial situation as shown above.

One rotation spot we're not worrying about anymore is Wes Mendes' as the lefty was brilliant yet again in a 5-1 win in the opener over the Angels. He improved to 6-2 after going 7 5 1 1 1 5 and he was supported by three solo homers: Nate Strickland (#5) in the 2nd, and Arturo Gutierrez (#14) and Wander Franco (#6), who went back-to-back in the 6th.

Michael Prosecky wasn't horrible tonight, but he wasn't great either and the bullpen was worse in a 9-6 loss in the second game. Prosecky was 5 5 4 3 1 2 with the damage against him primarily a 3-run homer from former Rays fixture Andrew Greckel. He left a 4-4 game and then the bullpen imploded with John Swanda (2-1), Mason Feole and Jon Post combining to let LA score 5 times in the 7th. Feole was the worst offender of the lot, allowing 3 of the runs and Swanda's lone man to score. The bats did their best to keep the home team in the game with Orlando Tosado (#9) and Joshua Baez (#6) homering. Baez was 3-5 with 2 RBI.

Christian Little made his claim to stay in the rotation with five scoreless innings as the Rays took the rubber match 6-2 from the Angels. Little (4-3) was an excellent 5 2 0 0 1 7 but it did take him 91 pitches to get through five and his low stamina is another argument for moving him to the pen. Orlando Tosado and Cristian Hernandez were a two-man offense with the former drilling a 3-run homer (#10) in the 2nd to get them on the board and the latter going back-to-back with Tosado in the 2nd and adding a 2-run shot in the 6th to give him 9 on the season.

Team record: 38-17. Next up: An off-day then our long homestand concludes with 3 against Kansas City.

[Art Deco]

The Rays seem to be in a rut of taking 2 of 3 in every series which is a good thing, since .667 will get you into the playoffs. And once again the Yankees are showing signs of coming back to earth, dropping 2 of 3 so the teams are tied again atop the AL East with New York ahead on percentage points.

The opener though was not pretty as the Royals routed the Rays 14-3. Orlando Tosado's 2-run homer (#11) got them within 4-2 in the 5th but it all went south after that as Joe Marlette (8-2) had good stuff but made some bad pitches, going 6 8 6 4 1 11 and then Ruben Abeyta gave up 5 runs and Jon Post 3.

Transaction: Post was demoted to Durham and Francisco Morales was activated to make his Rays debut.

Welcome to Tampa Bay, Francisco Morales! The veteran righty shone bright in his Rays debut, going an impressive 7 5 1 1 1 7 as the Rays got by the Royals 3-1. He needed to be sharp as after Kelly Crumpton's 3-run homer (#19) in the first the bats went silent. Josh Scanlon needed only 4 pitches in the 9th to retire Kansas City in order and pick up save #19.

Kevin DiCostanzo was excellent and the Rays took the series with a 6-3 win in the finale. DiCostanzo (6-2) was in command at 7 4 2 2 2 10 with the only damage a pair of solo homers against. Some unlikely heroes got them on the board with Chris Gutierrez doubling in a run and Diego Cartaya delivering a 2-run single in the 2nd to give them a 3-0 lead and Arturo Gutierrez capped the 5-run inning with a 2-run shot (#15). Cristian Hernandez added a solo homer (#10) to cap the scoring. Once again Josh Scanlon pitched a 1-2-3 9th, this time with two whiffs, to secure his 20th save.

Team record: 40-18. Next up: 3 games in Texas. The Rangers will be without last year's Tampa Bay closer Raymells Rosa, who fractured a bone in his elbow and is done for the regular season.

[Art Deco]

A very rough series for the Rays, who saw the bullpen blow leads in the late innings in all three games although they managed to salvage the finale in extras. And to make matters worse one of those blown saves came from Josh Scanlon who had a pretty good excuse as he left the game with shoulder inflammation and will miss 3 weeks. Luckily for Tampa Bay the Yankees have cooled off and dropped 2 of 3 as well, but they then won on the Rays' Thursday off-day, finally making up one of their games in hand and moving 1/2 game ahead in the standings.

Tampa Bay rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the opener to take a 6-4 lead in the 8th inning, only to see Texas score 3 times in the bottom of the inning sending them to a gut-punch 7-6 loss. Wes Mendes wasn't that bad but it seemed like Texas always got the key hit when they needed it and he finished 5.2 7 4 4 2 7. But Dong-hwan Kim's 2-run single in the 6th tied it at 4, and Chris Gutierrez delivered an RBI single in the 8th which put them ahead. Unfortunately John Swanda struggled in a high-leverage situation, giving up 3 runs with the final two scoring off a double yielded by Tommy Burpee, pitching for the first time against his old team.

If you thought last night's loss was painful the second game was even moreso, this time literally as well as figuratively. Like the opener the Rays battled back from an early deficit, this time 3-1 against Michael Prosecky who continues to struggle at 4.2 7 3 3 0 3. Kelly Crumpton hit HR #20 to cut the Texas lead to 3-2 in the 4th, and Orlando Tosado launched a 3-run shot (#12) to put the Rays on top. And things looked even better when Dong-hwan Kim hit his second solo homer of the game in the 9th (#11) to provide some insurance. This set the stage for Josh Scanlon (1-1), but he was unusually ineffective and he had to depart with two out and the bases loaded with the aforementioned shoulder inflammation. So Tommy Burpee was called on again and he immediately gave up a walk-off grand slam to Clint Frazier to blow a save for the second straight day as Texas took an 8-6 win.

Transaction: Scanlon goes to the IL and Jon Post is summoned again from Durham.

For a while it was deja vu all over again in the final for Tampa Bay - they fell behind once again 3-1, came back once again to go ahead 6-4, and then once again saw Texas hit a big homer in the 9th to lose the lead. This time though Texas tied it instead of going ahead, and Cristian Hernandez rescued the Rays with a 3-run shot (#11) off former Ray Jose Crespo in the 10th to give them a 9-6 win. Joe Marlette wasn't his best today and he surrendered a 3-run homer to lefty Costanzo Ricciardi, a former Ray up briefly in 2028 before being traded to Texas in the deal which brought over 3B Chris Seise, and finished 4.2 5 3 3 5 7. But Kelly Crumpton's 2-run homer (#21) in the 8th put them ahead 5-4 and Wander Franco went deep (#7) in the 9th to again provide apparent insurance. With Josh Scanlon now on the shelf, Mike Moore (2-2) was given the ball in the 9th to close it out but he surrendered a 2-run shot to that man Ricciardi again, sending us to extras. After Hernandez gave the Rays the lead Cody Adcock didn't falter, getting a 1-2-3 10th with two whiffs for his 1st save of the year. After a couple of failed trials with the big club in recent years, Adcock has pitched very well this season (1.25 ERA in 21.2 IP) and could find himself in the saves mix while Scanlon is out.

Team record: 41-20. Next up: An off-day then a big 3-game series at Yankee Stadium with a chance to retake the division lead.