The 2021 (and only 2021) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

One last trade before the deadline to beef up the bullpen:



Although Adcock has 75 stuff (to go with 45 movement & control), he could never achieve consistency with us in several tours including this season (albeit his best so far) so we parlayed him into an established closer in Evans, who had 30 saves for Cleveland. The righty boasts 80 stuff and 65 movement and as a result has only allowed 10 homers over the last 2 2/3 seasons. He'll become our closer, freeing up Mike Moore for a setup role.

As for the series with Texas, our hitherto high-flying offense only managed 8 runs over the 3 games but still took 2 out of 3 while the Yankees lost 2 of 3 in Anaheim, pushing the division lead back out to 7 games.

The bats were AWOL in the opener as Texas' Andy Stefl and three relievers shut them out on 5 hits 3-0. Joe Marlette (13-5) was a bit all over the place but still effective enough to not allow an earned run at 5.2 4 2 0 4 7. The night was kind of summed up when down 2-0 Cristian Hernandez got thrown out at second trying to stretch a single into a double.

Kevin DiCostanzo was excellent and Joshua Baez hit a 3-run homer (#16) in the 7th to lead the Rays to a 4-3 win in the second game. DiCostanzo was 6 6 1 1 1 11 but left with a no-decision in a 1-1 game as Wander Franco's first-inning solo homer (#11) was the only Tampa Bay run through 6. Baez's homer in the 7th made a winner of Mike Moore (4-3). Tommy Burpee, struggling of late, gave up 2 Ranger runs in the 8th but DeMarcus Evans got the final out of the inning and had a quick 1-2-3 9th (he only needed 11 pitches for the 4 outs) for a save in his Rays debut and 31st overall.

Michael Prosecky (7-5) pitched the Rays to a 4-0 win in the finale. The lefty had one of his better games of late, although it was far from a gem at 5 6 0 0 2 4 but he got the key outs when he needed them. Four relievers went an inning apiece and gave up one hit in total to complete the shutout. Orlando Tosado's RBI single in the 3rd was the only run they needed, but Kelly Crumpton added a 2-run single later to make things more comfortable.

Team record: 70-36. Next up: Off to Atlanta for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

A sweep of Atlanta while the Yankees lost 2 of 3 and the Rays are now up 9 games on New York and barring a total collapse we're marking time until the playoffs.

The Rays blasted four homers in the opener and doubled up Atlanta 8-4 at Truist Park. Wander Franco had a big game, doubling in the first and blasting a 3-run homer (#12) in the 8th among his 3 hits while Dong-hwan Kim went yard twice (#22 & 23) and drove in 3 himself. The other two runs came courtesy of a Jonathan Gutierrez two-run shot (#12). Wes Mendes started but couldn't quite make it through 5 as he left with two out in the inning, bases loaded, on 88 pitches and with Ronald Acuna Jr. up. Slade Cecconi (2-0) got Acuna and the win while Mendes finished 4.2 5 1 1 2 6.

The second game was a low-scoring affair with Tampa Bay prevailing 3-1 behind a gem from Francisco Morales. The righty improved to 7-1, 2.74 with the Rays after going 6.2 6 1 1 2 10 with Mike Moore taking the 9th for save #5. The scoring came courtesy of a 2-run Kelly Crumpton single in the 5th and an Arturo Gutierrez solo blast (#30) in the 7th.

The Rays withstood a 3-homer game from superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. in the finale and outslugged Atlanta 11-7 to complete the sweep. Like in the opener Tampa Bay homered 4 times and like in the opener two of those came from Dong-hwan Kim who had to settle for a pair of doubles in the second game. Kim's two blasts were solo shots in the 1st and 8th, giving him 25 on the season. Wander Franco also had one of the four homers in the opener and went deep again today, starting the scoring in the first with his 13th while Joshua Baez's 3-run shot (#17) broke the game open in the 3rd. Everyone in the lineup had at least one hit and Cristian Hernandez was 3-5 with 2 RBI. Joe Marlette (14-5) wasn't his best today, allowing a trio of solo homers including a pair to Acuna and needed 104 pitches to qualify for the win going 5 5 3 3 2 8.

Team record: 73-36. Next up: A day off then we head back to Florida but to Miami rather than St. Pete to play 3 against the Marlins who are fighting for an NL wild card.

[Art Deco]

The Rays ran their winning streak to 7 by taking the first two games in Miami before dropping the finale. The Yankees lost 2 of 3 so the division lead is now up to double digits.

Tampa Bay raced out to an 8-0 lead in the opener before the bullpen made things dicey and held on to beat Miami 8-6. They put 6 runs on the board in the opening frame on three homers: Kelly Crumpton's 3-run shot (#34), a back-to-back solo blast from Nate Strickland (#14), and a 2-run Orlando Tosado tater (#21). That was plenty at first for Kevin DiCostanzo (12-4) who was a solid 6 5 2 2 1 7. But Eddie Yean and Mason Feole combined to allow 4 runs, necessitating DeMarcus Evans coming on in the 9th to close it out, which he did for save #2/32 but not before putting a couple on to really make it a nail-biter

Transaction: Tosado pulled an ab muscle and it was serious enough to put him on the 10-day IL after which he should be able to return. Caleb Hampton was summoned from Durham and Chris Gutierrez will temporarily regain the full-time CF job.

Things were much more comfortable in the second game as the Rays mauled Miami 12-3. A 5-run 3rd and a 6-run 5th did the damage with the big blows a 3-run Arturo Gutierrez homer (#31) and a Chris Gutierrez grand slam (#4). Dong-hwan Kim added his fifth homer of the week, a solo shot (#26). Michael Prosecky (8-5) amazingly took a no-hitter into the 7th before giving up a couple, whom Christian Little allowed to score by giving up a homer, to finish 6.1 2 2 2 2 4.

It briefly looked like a sweep might be in the offing when Kelly Crumpton (#35) and Nate Strickland (#15) went yard back-to-back in the 2nd for the second time this series to give the Rays a quick 2-0 lead, but that was the apex of the game for Tampa Bay as Miami went on to an easy 8-2 win. After a quick 1st Wes Mendes (10-6) was awful, struggling with his control and finishing 3 3 3 3 5 4. Slade Cecconi kept them in the game with 3 scoreless innings, but Tommy Burpee and Ruben Abeyta combined to allow 5 runs in the 7th and 8th to put it out of reach.

Team record: 75-37. Next up: We travel to New York to play 4 against the Yankees and the only way the Bronx Bombers can make the division race marginally interesting would be to sweep and cut the lead to 6.

[Art Deco]

I said in the previous post that only a Yankee sweep could make it resemble a division race. Instead it was the Rays who swept and ballooned the division lead to 14 games, so yeah it's over.

Arturo Guiterrez was a one-man offense as the Rays edged the Yankees 3-2 in the opener. The second-sacker doubled in a run in the 3rd put the Rays up 1-0 and then after they fell behind 2-1 he smacked a 2-run homer (#32) in the 7th to provide the winning margin. Francisco Morales was decent at 5 4 2 2 4 6 and the win went to Christian Little (5-3) with DeMarcus Evans earning his 3rd Rays save and 33rd overall.

Joe Marlette won his MLB-best 15th game against 5 losses as the Rays hung on to beat New York again 4-3. The lefty dominated to the tune of 7.1 2 1 1 4 6 and DeMarcus Evans saved again (#4/34) despite allowing a 2-run homer in the 9th to get the Yanks within one. Kelly Crumpton's 2-run homer (#36) in the 3rd made it 3-0 and Wander Franco added a solo shot (#14) in the 5th.

The Rays made it three wins out of three in the series with a come-from-behind 9-5 win, erasing a 5-2 Yankee lead after 6. Nate Strickland, who had homered in the 6th (#16) to get them within 5-3, delivered a 2-run double in the 7th for the winning hit. William Contreras and Dong-hwan Kim both drove in a pair as well. Kevin DiCostanzo did not have a great start (4.2 5 4 4 4 6) but Christian Little (6-3) picked up his second win in three days and Tommy Burpee ended up going the final 3 innings for his 5th save on an economical 30 pitches.

Transaction: Slade Cecconi had to leave the third game with shoulder bursitis, which will keep him out for the rest of the regular season although he should be ready come playoff time. Jon Post was recalled from Durham.

Despite a lineup which saw four fatigued starters rest, the Rays still managed to sweep the series from the Yankees and put 20 runs on the board, a season-high which included an 11-run 4th (also a season-high) in a 20-7 win. Plenty of Rays hitters had big games but the biggest came from Kelly Crumpton (4-5 with 3 RBI) and Joshua Baez (2-5 with a grand slam - HR #18 - and 5 RBI). Also getting into the act was Caleb Hampton, who slugged both his first MLB homer and his first MLB triple in a 3-hit, 3-RBI performance while Wander Franco drove in 3 and Nate Strickland added a 2-run homer (#17). Michael Prosecky started but couldn't stand prosperity, leaving after going 4 7 6 6 4 2. Instead the win went to Mason Feole (4-1), who coasted the rest of the way going 5 2 1 1 1 2 on 56 pitches.

Team record: 79-37. Next up: Back home for 3 vs Baltimore.

[Art Deco]

With the division in hand, it's about seeing just how many games this team will win; although the franchise has been very successful in this save it hasn't been the guaranteed 100+ win juggernaut that the 2020 save franchise is and has only won 100 or more in 5 of the 11 full seasons played. Right now the high-water mark is 115 wins by the 2022 team followed by 2024's 111-win squad. After taking 2 of 3 from Baltimore our win percentage is .681, on pace for 110.

The Rays took a routine 6-2 win over the Orioles in the opener. Dong-hwan Kim's 2-run homer in the 5th (#27) put them up 3-2 and 3 runs in the 6th put the game away with the big hit a 2-run Chris Gutierrez double. Wes Mendes (11-6) was adequate at 5 3 2 2 4 3 but Christian Little's 3 innings of 1-hit ball was the highlight on the mound.

A 4-run 5th inning broke open the second game for Tampa Bay as they doubled up Baltimore 8-4. Arturo Gutierrez was the hitting star, going 4-5 with a triple, homer (#33) and 3 runs scored but he had to leave the game late with a hyperextended knee which will put him out a week so we'll be on the safe side and IL him. Josh Baez added a solo homer (#19) and William Contreras was 2-3 with a walk and 2 RBI. Francisco Morales (8-1) was decent at 6 5 3 3 1 8 with a 2-run homer in the 6th marring his line a bit.

Transaction: Arturo Gutierrez went on the IL and Jamie Reiner, just sent on a rehab to Durham, was brought up.

Joe Marlette was denied his 16th win when DeMarcus Evans (0-1) blew his first save a Ray, coughing up 3 runs in the 9th to allow the Orioles a 6-4 win. Marlette turned his usual solid outing of 6 3 2 2 4 8 and he was backed by Wander Franco's pair of solo homers (#15 & 16) and Dong-hwan Kim's 2-run shot (#28).

Team record: 81-38. Next up: Off to Toronto for 3.

[Art Deco]

Rays lost their first series in a while, dropping 2 of 3 north of the border.

Kevin DiCostanzo (12-5) didn't have it today, getting rocked in a 10-2 Toronto win. The righty was tattooed for 3.2 7 7 7 1 0 with the lack of whiffs indicating his stuff was poor. Nate Strickland's solo homer (#18) was the only Rays highlight and it was his first career round-tripper against a lefty.

Michael Prosecky pitched his best game of the season and one of the best of his career as he went the distance in a 6-hit shutout of the Jays, 7-0. The lefty improved to 9-5, 4.46 after going 9 6 0 0 1 4 on a whopping 129 pitches. The bats gave him plenty of leeway to see it out with Cristian Hernandez leading the attack, driving in 4 with a 2-run double and 2-run single.

The Rays dropped the finale 8-4 to Toronto as a close game got away from them in the 7th when Christian Little surrendered a 3-run Vlad Jr. homer as it was only 4-3 Jays at that point. Wes Mendes (11-7) was adequate while losing at 5.1 5 4 2 2 2. Dong-hwan Kim (#29) and Joshua Baez (#20) had solo homers for Tampa Bay.

Team record: 82-40, magic # for the division is 29. Next up: Back home for 3 vs Boston after an off-day.

MLB News: A couple of milestones as San Francisco's Matt Olson hit career homer #500 and Atlanta's Trevor Story recorded his 2000th career hit.

[Art Deco]

The bats feasted this week, scoring 29 runs in total during a 3-game sweep as the Rays reduced their magic # to 25.

The Rays scored 9 times by the 4th inning in the opener and doubled up Boston 10-5. Dong-hwan Kim was the star, first hitting a 2-run double and then adding a 3-run homer (#30) as he went over 90 RBI as well. Kelly Crumpton added a 3-run dinger of his own (#37) and Wander Franco chipped in a solo shot (#17). Francisco Morales wasn't any good at 3 5 5 3 4 so the win went to Christian Little (7-3) who hurled 3 hitless innings.

Transaction: Orlando Tosado was activated off the IL and Caleb Hampton was returned to Durham.

Orlando Tosado made a triumphant return to the lineup, leading the Rays to a 12-4 rout of the Red Sox at Tropicana Field. Tosado was 2-3 with 2 walks, 3 runs scored and a 3-run homer (#23) while Dong-hwan Kim followed up last night's 5 RBI with 4 more on a pair of homers, giving him 32 and 95 on the season. Wander Franco also homered for the second straight night with a 2-run shot (#18) and Jonathan Gutierrez went solo with his 13th. Joe Marlette picked up win #16 but he had to labor through 5 innings, going 5 3 4 3 5 12 (if there were scorigami for pitching lines this would be one) on 125 pitches to qualify for the victory.

The Rays completed the sweep with a 7-2 win behind a good outing from Kevin DiCostanzo and the red-hot offense. DiCostanzo went to 13-5 after a 6 7 1 1 3 4 outing and the bats were led by Kelly Crumpton, who homered twice and drove in 3 to up his totals to 39 and 107 respectively. He needs one more homer to reach 40 for the fourth straight season and has already exceeded 100 RBI each year in that same span. Joshua Baez (#21) and Orlando Tosado (#23) added solo shots.

Team record: 85-40. Next up: 3 games in Baltimore.

[Art Deco]

The Rays dropped 2 of 3 in Baltimore, reducing their magic number to 23.

Lousy pitching doomed them in the opener as Baltimore took a 9-4 win. Michael Prosecky (9-6), coming off a shutout, was awful from the get-go, giving up 4 in the first and unusually wild, finishing a brutal 2.2 7 5 5 5 1. After the Rays fought back within 5-4 on a 2-run Kelly Crumpton single and a Nate Strickland solo homer (#19), Eddie Yean and Mason Feole each allowed 2 more runs to let it get away.

Wes Mendes was excellent in the second game and the bats had a field day in an 11-0 romp over the Orioles. Mendes improved to 12-7 after a 6 4 0 0 3 7 outing and five different Rays homered: Orlando Tosado (#24), Wander Franco (#19), Joshua Baez (#22), Dong-hwan Kim (#33) and William Contreras (#7), and five different Rays drove in a pair.

Transaction: Arturo Gutierrez was activated off the IL and Jamie Reiner was optioned to Durham.

The finale was a lot like the first game as the Rays dug a hole, got close but still ending up losing although this one was closer at 6-5. Things started poorly when Francisco Morales (8-2) had to leave in the first inning with a blister after having allowed a run and therefore took the loss. But Eddie Yean was pretty bad in relief of him, giving up 4 runs to make it 5-0 Baltimore. Joshua Baez responded with a grand slam (#23) to make it 5-4 and after Mason Feole gave up a run Arturo Gutierrez smacked a solo homer (#34) in the 5th in his return to the lineup to cut the lead back to 6-5 but that's where it stood the rest of the way.

Team record: 86-42. Next up: Off to San Antonio for 3. The Alamos are terrible this year at 50-77.

[Art Deco]

Rays took 2 of 3 deep in the heart of Texas and with the Yankees losing a game the magic number drops to 20.

Tampa Bay bats were shackled in the opener as Alamo pitching held them to 2 hits in a 3-0 loss. Joe Marlette (16-6) made one bad pitch and that's all it took as Adrian Del Castillo hit a 3-run homer off him and he took the loss after going 6 6 3 3 2 8. Thanks to some walks the Rays had more stolen bases than hits tonight with 3.

The Rays' lineup came back with a vengeance in the second game, scoring all 8 of their runs in the first 4 innings in an 8-4 win over San Antonio. Nate Strickland's RBI single made it 2-0 in the first and after the Alamos tied it in the bottom of the inning Cristian Hernandez's solo shot (#21) put them ahead to stay in the 2nd. Orlando Tosado then added a 2-run homer in the 3rd (#25) and Kelly Crumpton capped the scoring with a three-run blast for his 40th of the year, the fourth straight season he's reached the mark. Kevin DiCostanzo (14-5) went 5.2 8 3 2 1 7 for the win.

Tampa Bay trailed 5-0 after 5 innings but worked their way back to take the series with a 7-6 comeback win. Wes Mendes wasn't very good (4 8 5 3 2 4) and things looked bleak until Dong-hwan Kim blasted a 3-run shot (#34) in the 6th to get them back in it. Kim reached the 100-RBI plateau for the first time and set the stage for Nate Strickland's 2-run jack in the 8th (#20) which put them ahead. Joshua Baez went back-to-back with Strickland for his 24th and that proved to be the difference when Mike Moore gave up a 2-out solo homer in the bottom of the 9th while picking up save #6. Christian Little (8-3) bridged the gap between Mendes and Moore with 3 hitless innings and 6 whiffs for the win.

Team record: 88-43. Next up: An off-day then home for 3 against Washington. The Nats are in a 3-way dogfight for the NL East, 1 game up on both the Mets and Miami.

[Art Deco]

The Rays dropped 2 of 3 to the Nats with the magic # down to 18.

Tampa Bay led the opener 2-1 into the 7th before the bullpen let it get away, allowing 6 runs in the 7th and 8th to send the Rays to a 7-4 loss to Washington. Kelly Crumpton's 41st homer in the 4th gave them the lead and Michael Prosecky was a fine 6 3 1 0 2 2 but Garrett Crochet (0-1) served up a 3-run homer in the 7th and Mike Moore gave up 3 more in the 8th.

Transaction: September roster expansion time with Caleb Hampton called up to give us some OF depth and John Swanda activated from his rehab assignment to help out the bullpen.

The Nats beat the Rays again 5-4 after the Rays came all the way back to erase an early 4-0 deficit. Christian Little (8-4) gave up a leadoff double in the 8th and Tommy Burpee allowed a hit to score Little's man for the game-winner. Francisco Morales wasn't great at 5 8 4 4 0 2 but Wander Franco went 3-5 with HR #20 and Joshua Baez had a solo shot (#25) to lead the doomed comeback.

The Rays salvaged the finale as Joe Marlette kept his quest for 20 wins alive by picking up #17 in an 8-2 win over Washington. Marlette took a shutout into the 7th before leaving after giving up a 2-run homer and finishing 6.2 4 2 2 1 4. Arturo Gutierrez had a 2-run triple in a 3-run 3rd to get the offense going and Kelly Crumpton salted the game away with a 3-run blast (#42) in the 7th.

Team record: 89-45. Next up: Our interleague run continues with the Mets visiting the Trop for 3.

[Art Deco]

Rays took 2 of 3 as did the Yankees, so the magic # is down to 15.

Kevin DiCostanzo was dominant in the opener and the Rays took a 5-1 win over the Mets thanks to a 4-run 4th. The righty went to 15-5 after a dazzling 6 4 1 1 1 9 outing and got plenty of help from Arturo Gutierrez who had a 2-run single in the 4th after hitting a solo homer (#35) the inning before while Cristian Hernandez had the tie-breaking RBI double.

The bats feasted in the second game as Tampa Bay routed the Mets 12-4. Wander Franco was 4-5 with a pair of doubles and 3 RBI, Arturo Gutierrez picked up where he left off yesterday by going 2-5 with HR #36 and 4 RBI, and William Contreras was 2-2 with 2 walks, 2 RBI and 3 runs scored. And for good measure Jonathan Gutierrez hit a pinch-hit homer (#14) in the 8th. Wes Mendes (13-7) was sharp outside of one bad inning and finished 6 6 3 3 0 7.

The Rays couldn't quite complete the sweep and fell 7-6 to the Mets in the finale. Michael Prosecky (9-7) was his usual mediocre self at 5 5 4 3 3 3 and Christian Little gave up 3 more on a pair of homers. Arturo Gutierrez capped a big weekend (9 RBI) by homering to lead off the game (#37), giving him one in each game, and Joshua Baez had a 2-run shot (#26). The Rays mounted a furious rally in the 9th with the help of a couple of New York errors, scoring twice before Nate Strickland flew out with the bases loaded to end the game.

Team record: 91-46. Next up: 3 games in Oakland.

[Art Deco]

The Rays dropped 2 of 3 to Oakland but have the magic number for the division down to 12 and they officially clinched a postseason berth.

Francisco Morales' recent woes continued and the 4 runs he allowed in the 2nd inning were enough to enable the A's to take a 4-3 win in the opener. The lefty fell to 8-3 after going 4 8 4 4 3 4 and has allowed 12 runs in his last 10.2 IP over three starts. Cristian Hernandez drove in a pair for the Rays.

Yesterday's subpar performance from the offense looked like a scoring frenzy compared to today's game as they were held to 2 hits in a 2-0 loss to Oakland. Joe Marlette (17-7) was the hard-luck loser despite going 6 4 2 2 2 9 as a 2-run homer in the 2nd was enough to do him in.

The bats finally woke up in the finale and Kevin DiCostanzo was dominant as the Rays salvaged a 7-1 win. DiCostanzo (16-5) went 7 4 1 0 1 11 and was backed in large part by Jonathan Gutierrez, who had an RBI single and a 2-run homer (#15). Joshua Baez chipped in a 2-run shot (#27) as well.

Team record: 92-48. Next up: An off-day then back home for 3 against Seattle.

[Art Deco]

Tampa Bay took 2 of 3 from Seattle in a trio of high-scoring games and with the Yankees losing once the division magic number is down to 9.

The pitching was lousy as the Rays dropped the opener 10-7 at Tropicana Field. Wes Mendes (13-8) got hit for 5 runs in the 3rd, gave up a couple more in the fifth and finished 5.1 7 7 7 1 4. On offense Orlando Tosado was 2-3 with a 3-run homer (#26) and Kelly Crumpton had a solo shot (#43).

Another poor start saw the Rays fall behind 5-1 but they rallied to come back and tack a 6-5 win over the Mariners. Michael Prosecky got the whiffs but not much else going 5 9 5 5 1 7 but Orlando Tosado's 2-run triple tied the game in the 6th and he scored on Joshua Baez's sac fly. The pen held from there with DeMarcus Evans picking up his first save since August 10, his fifth as a Ray and 35th overall. It's not really an indictment of Evans (although he has been inconsistent) but just that we haven't had many save situations in that time. Jon Post won his first MLB decision in relief.

Just like the day before the Rays came back from a large deficit to win the finale but this time they left it late, scoring 6 times in the 8th inning to take an 8-6 win. Francisco Morales' poor run continued today as he was 5 7 5 5 1 6 with a pair of homers allowed and it was 6-2 Seattle after 7 1/2. But Tampa Bay mounted the huge rally with help from a key Mariner error, and Joshua Baez tied things up with a 2-run triple before William Contreras brought him home with a single for the winner and Cristian Hernandez doubled home Contreras for insurance. John Swanda (4-2) went 3 innings in relief of Morales for the win and Garrett Crochet notched his first Rays save with a pair of whiffs in a scoreless 9th.

Team record: 94-49. Next up: Minnesota visits for 3. The Twins have the second-best record in MLB at 87-55 and it could be a possible ALCS preview.

[Art Deco]

The 87-55 Twins were supposed to give the Rays some competition but instead they left St. Petersburg 87-58 and outscored 25-6 over the three games as the Rays have their magic number for the AL East down to 5.

Joe Marlette's quest for 20 wins stayed on track as he pitched the Rays to a 7-2 win over Minnesota in the opener. The lefty improved to 18-7 after a dominant 6 5 2 2 0 10 performance and had ample support. Arturo Gutierrez homered to lead off the game (#39) and backup catcher Diego Cartaya continued his incredible year off the bench by homering twice and driving in 3. Cartaya now has 5 homers and is hitting 361/424/546 in 119 AB, good for 1.4 WAR. Kelly Crumpton was 3-4 with a solo homer (#44) as well.

The Rays trounced the Twins 11-0 in the second game as Kevin DiCostanzo was even better than Marlette yesterday and the bats came through big again. DiCostanzo went to 17-5 and also has a shot at 20 with three more starts projected after going 7.2 3 0 0 0 9 tonight. Arturo Gutierrez stayed hot going 3-4 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI and is one ribbie short of 100, while his former Dodgers teammate Orlando Tosado was 2-4 with HR #27 and 3 RBI and Wander Franco chipped in a 2-run shot (#21).

Tampa Bay had to work a bit harder in the finale but still prevailed 7-4 to complete the sweep. It was a 3-3 game going into the bottom of the 7th before Cristian Hernandez doubled in a run to break the tie and then the Tropicana Field crowd was treated to the sight of a 3-run inside-the-park homer from Kelly Crumpton (#45), not a noted speedster. Crumpton earlier doubled in a run and has 125 RBI on the season. Chris Gutierrez was 3-5 with a 2-run double as well. Wes Mendes turned in his usual mediocre start (5 6 3 3 2 4, befitting of his 4.77 ERA for the year), and the win went to Garrett Crochet (1-1) in relief. DeMarcus Evans pitched the 9th with a 7-3 lead, loaded the bases and issued his 3rd walk of the inning to force in a run before getting the final out. He's struggled with his control since joining the Rays (11 walks in 12 IP after 13 in 41 with Cleveland).

Team record: 97-49. Next up: An off-day then 3 games in Baltimore as we continue to play out the string.

[Art Deco]

The Rays' bats laid waste to the city of Baltimore this weekend but some bad pitching meant they only took two of three, and with a Yankees sweep the magic number was only reduced to three.

The opener featured lousy pitching on both sides with the Rays prevailing 10-8. Michael Prosecky was downright awful again (2.1 7 4 4 3 2) and his good starts are becoming fewer and farther between. He may lose his job (such as it is, he wouldn't be starting in the playoffs anyway) to John Swanda (5-2), who went 3 2/3 scoreless for the win. DeMarcus Evans picked up another shaky save, allowing a run in the 9th for #6/36. The good news came from the bats with homers from Kelly Crumpton (#46, a 2-run shot), Nate Strickland (#21, a grand slam), William Contreras (#8, with a man on) and Dong-hwan Kim (#35, solo).

The second game was the mirror image of the first with Baltimore taking a 10-8 win as Rays pitching couldn't hold the lead. Francisco Morales' struggles continued as he went 5.2 6 5 3 2 1 but Ruben Abeyta (2-2) was even worse, giving up 3 go-ahead runs on 4 hits while retiring only one man. Meanwhile they did hit four more homers: Arturo Gutierrez (#40, now over 100 RBI), Dong-hwan Kim (#36), Cristian Hernandez (#22) and Joshua Baez (#28).

With the division and top seed well in hand the only thing still to play for are individual achievements and Joe Marlette took another step to 20 wins by picking up #19 in a 13-2 rout of the Orioles. The lefty wasn't his sharpest in going to 19-6 at 6 7 2 2 3 4 but didn't have to be. Christian Little went the final 3 innings scoreless with 4 whiffs for his 2nd save. For the third straight game in the series the offense supplied four homers: A pair from Arturo Gutierrez, including one to lead off the game and a 3-run blast giving him 42, a first-inning slam from Joshua Baez (#29), and a 2-run jack from Nate Strickland (#22).

Team record: 99-50. Next up: 3 games in Boston.

MLB News: The Yankees' Corey Seager hit his 300th career homer as New York officially clinched a wild card.

[Art Deco]

It took until the finale but the Rays officially clinched the AL East and went over 100 wins.

The Rays recorded win #100 in the opener, edging the Red Sox 4-3 at Fenway. Kevin DiCostanzo kept his hopes of winning 20 alive with a 5.1 5 2 2 2 10 outing that brought his record to 18-5, and DeMarcus Evans had his cleanest inning as a Ray, getting Boston 1-2-3 in the 9th with a pair of whiffs for save #7/37. The big hit of the game came in the 6th when Cristian Hernandez launched a 468-ft 3-run homer over the Monster onto Lansdowne, his 23rd of the year which turned a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead.

Boston shut the Rays out 3-0 in the second game as the Rays squandered numerous opportunities to score, stranding 12 men in all with Nate Strickland the main culprit leaving 6 on himself. Wes Mendes (13-9) was pitching one of his better games of late, taking a shutout into the 6th before his teammate of last year Raimfer Salinas took him deep with two men on for all the game's scoring. The homer was Salinas' 45th of the year as he's doing his usual thing. Mendes finished 6.1 6 3 3 1 5.

The Rays overcame another terrible Michael Prosecky start in the finale to pull out a 9-7 win and clinch the AL East. The lefty put his team in a 4-0 hole in the first inning and finished 3.2 9 5 5 1 3. His underlyling numbers are on par with recent seasons but he's suffered a .356 BABIP against, about 50 points higher than before. Joshua Baez started the comeback with a 2-run shot in the 2nd (#30) and the big blow came in the 6th when Arturo Gutierrez's 3-run blast (#43) put them ahead for good. Dong-hwan Kim, who earlier had a 2-run single, then added a 2-run homer (#37) for insurance which was needed when Tommy Burpee burped up a 2-run Boston homer in the 7th. The win went to Christian Little (9-4) with 2 1/3 scoreless and Garrett Crochet pitched the 9th with lefties due for his 2nd Rays save.

Team record: 101-51. Next up: 4 games in Toronto.

Side note: I love how OOTP has a knack for having players seeking extensions right after a terrible game and the latest example was Prosecky asking for one after getting hammered.

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The Rays split their four games north of the border as we now enter the season's final week.

Tampa Bay rallied from 7-4 down to tie it in the 9th, only to eventually lose 8-7 in 13 innings to Toronto in an extra-inning affair nobody wanted. Dong-hwan Kim homered (#38) to start the 9th making it 7-6, and Nate Strickland, who had hit HR #23 earlier, drove in his third run of the game with his third hit, an RBI double. Wander Franco also had 3 hits including HR #22. Francisco Morales' late-season funk showed no signs of abating as he was hit hard at 4 8 6 6 2 3 and the loss went to Tommy Burpee (1-4) in his third inning of relief.

The Rays' only things left to play for in the regular season are the quests of Joe Marlette and Kevin DiCostanzo to reach the 20-win mark and tonight Marlette took the mound with 19 wins. And it was Mission Accomplished as Marlette and the Rays took a 5-2 win over the Blue Jays making him the team's first 20-game winner since James Hays' 22 in his Cy Young/MVP 2027 season. The lefty went 6 5 1 1 2 7 in a typically outstanding performance but needed some help as the game went 1-1 into the 6th. That's when Joshua Baez stepped up and drilled a 3-run homer (#31) to break the deadlock and provide the winning margin. Wander Franco homered earlier (#23) for the second straight night and DeMarcus Evans had a 1-2-3 9th for save #8/38.

With only start remaining after tonight's and sitting on 18 wins Kevin DiCostanzo had to get the win to keep his hopes of reaching 20 alive, but unfortunately his teammates couldn't support him and the Rays lost 3-2 to Toronto. DiCostanzo (18-6) wasn't his best but did his part given the offense's usual standards this year as he went 6 9 3 3 1 6. But they only scored one run while he was out there and their attempted 9th-inning comeback fell short after Jonathan Gutierrez was stranded at third after tripling in a run.

The Rays came out of Toronto with a split of the series after taking a 5-4 win in the finale. Wes Mendes (14-9) was sharp again at 5.1 3 1 1 2 5 although the pen did its best to nearly squander the game as Garrett Crochet served up a 3-run homer in the 8th and DeMarcus Evans loaded the bases in the 9th (including putting a man on 3rd with nobody out) but got out of it for save #9/39. Jonathan Gutierrez led the offense with a 2-run double in the 3rd which put the Rays ahead to stay and Diego Cartaya's ridiculous season as the backup catcher continued as he went 2-4 with an RBI. He's now hitting 368/429/534 in 133 AB.

Team record: 103-53. Next up: An off-day then our final road series of the regular season takes place in Chicago against the White Sox.

Playoff race update: As it's been for a while it's all over but the shouting in the AL as the Rays, Twins and Rangers (in that seed order) have or virtually have won their divisions with the Yankees, Guardians and A's set as the three wild cards in that order, so Cleveland will be at New York and Oakland at Texas in the wild card round. Things are more fluid in the NL as Washington and Arizona are safe as divsion winners and in the Central Cincinnati leads Milwaukee by 2 games. San Francisco is set as the top wild card but after that Milwaukee leads the Mets and Miami by 1 game in the second spot and those two are 1 1/2 up on San Diego and 2 on the Cubs.

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Rays dropped two of three in their penultimate regular season series in Chicago.

Transaction: Welcome back Shane Panzini. A stalwart of the rotation in recent years, Panzini went down late last season with a torn UCL but has finally made his way back and will get a start in the series. Jon Post was sent to Durham.

The Rays routed the White Sox 11-1 in the opener behind a massive game from their massive first sacker Kelly Crumpton, 4-5 with a pair of homers and 3 RBI, giving him 48 and 132 on the year. Orlando Tosado (#28) and Cristian Hernandez (#24) each homered and drove in 3 while Nate Strickland contributed a solo shot (#24). Michael Prosecky (10-7) was actually decent for once at 5 7 1 1 2 7 and Eddie Yean went 4 1 0 0 0 4 to pick up his 2nd save.

Shane Panzini toed the rubber for the Rays for the first time in nearly 13 months and pitched well, but received no support from a makeshift lineup with several regulars rested as the White Sox prevailed 3-1. Panzini (0-1) was a fine 6 4 2 2 1 4 and may have pitched his way onto the postseason roster especially with the inconsistency from starters 3-5 this season. Orlando Tosado's solo homer in the first (#29) was the sum total of the offense.

Francisco Morales was dreadful again and the Rays fell 9-6 to Chicago in the finale. The righty, acquired to give us a solid #3 starter and who pitched quite well after coming over, has been awful with a 5.06 ERA in August and closed out September with a 9.11 ERA, 47 hits in 26 IP, 11 walks and 5 HR allowed after today's 4 9 6 6 3 4 effort. He didn't get the loss as Morales left a 6-6 game and Ruben Abeyta (2-3) was pounded for 3 runs on 5 hits in the 6th. Jonathan Gutierrez led the bats going 2-4 with HR #16 and 2 RBI.

Team record: 104-55. Next up: We close out the regular season at home with 3 against the Yankees before possibly seeing them again in the playoffs.

Playoff race update: As mentioned in the previous post the AL is locked up, even in seeding. The NL has one division up for grabs (the East where the Mets trail Washington by 1 after sweeping them), and three teams fighting over two wild cards (Milwaukee and the Mets lead Miami by a game).

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The Rays closed out the regular season by taking 2 of 3 from the Yankees and now are ready to face New York or Cleveland in the ALDS.

Tampa Bay took the opener 5-0 behind Joe Marlette in his final regular season tuneup. The lefty improved to 21-7 on the year and in going 5 3 0 0 0 6 on 73 pitches he lowered his ERA to a league-low 2.99 and took the ERA title to go with the strikeout lead - in other words, the pitching triple crown. Wander Franco led the offense, going 3-5 with a double and solo homer (#24) while Chris Gutierrez was 4-4.

Kevin DiCostanzo got his last work in before the playoffs and pitched well but it took a Dong-hwan Kim walk-off homer (#39) in the bottom of the 10th to give the Rays a 2-1 win over the Yankees. DiCostanzo went 6 3 0 0 1 6 and was in line for the win before Mike Moore gave up a Gleyber Torres homer in the 8th, canceling out Diego Cartaya's earlier solo shot (#6). Mason Feole (5-1) earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief.

While Marlette and DiCostanzo can be counted on the same can't be said for the rest of the rotation and Wes Mendes proved that again in the finale. Mendes (14-10) was bombed to the tune of 3.2 4 6 6 3 4 as the Yankees took the regular season finale 8-2. He, Michael Prosecky and Francisco Morales have all been pretty awful down the stretch and I've half a mind to go with Shane Panzini and/or John Swanda at the 3/4 spots in the playoffs.

Final Regular Season Record: 106-56. Next up: The ALDS with the first two games at the Trop in about a week.

Playoff Race Update: The wild NL East finished with Washington on top and the Marlins eking their way past the Mets with a 1-0 win on the final day as the teams went head-to-head for the final NL wild card.

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Remarkably rookies led both leagues in WAR with Yankee Cuban defector Ernesto Rodriguez lapping the field in the AL and the Dodgers' Alex Hicks, an independent league signee, topping the NL. Quite a few league leaders on the Rays meanwhile.



It's a measure of how good Marlette and DiCostanzo are that we finished 2nd in the AL in starter ERA despite the rest of the rotation having ERAs closer to 5 than to 4. It was a weird staff as we walked a lot of people and of course the defense was horrid.



Quite the offense with 6 guys at 4 WAR or better. Contreras was a mild disappointment at catcher, although if you combine him with Cartaya you get another 4 WAR.



A pair of aces and lot of mix and match. One could make the argument that Morales and Prosecky weren't that bad but that they were victimized a poor defense given their .350 or so BABIPs and you wouldn't be wrong. Mendes on the other hand had a normal BABIP but those 82 walks were killers. The staff did an outstanding job of keeping the ball in the park.