The 2021 (and only 2021) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Christian Vasquez's 2-run homer in the 8th (#6) broke a 4-4 tie and the Rays went to score 4 more in the 9th and take a 10-6 win over Baltimore. Matt Peacock hung around long enough to go to 7-0, with a 7.2 7 4 2 0 5 line, lowering his ERA to 2.84 in the process. Nick Anderson finished the inning and got save #4 despite allowing a 2-run homer in the 9th. Brandon Lowe was 3-4 with a 3-run HR (#11) in the 9th while Randy Arozarena and Willy Adames each drove in a pair.

We have another trade!



Vesia is an intriguing lefty reliever with 70 stuff, 55 movement and 50 control and rated 3/3.5 stars, but apparently LA was willing to get rid of him for Aranda, whom the scouts say is more "bound for journeyman status than stardom". For now Vesia goes to Durham and we had an open 40-man spot for him, but with Aaron Fletcher struggling there is a need for lefty relief depth.

Game 2: The Rays left runners galore on the bases today and Ryan Yarbrough had his second straight rough start in a 5-3 loss to Baltimore. Yarbs was 5.1 8 4 4 0 1 with a HR allowed to drop to 3-3 but the scoring opportunities squandered were just as bad as they had 16 baserunners (13 H, 2 BB, 1 HBP) but only pushed across three. Vidal Brujan was 4-5 with 2 RBI but despite his speed (and a stolen base) he didn't score a single run which kind of summed things up.

Game 3: Brendan McKay was dominant with one of the best starts of his young career and the struggling Ji-Man Choi supplied the offense in a 4-1 win to take the rubber game of the series. McKay was filthy, going 7 2 0 0 2 9 and whiffed the final two Orioles he faced as he went over 100 pitches. He's now 5-1, 2.53. Diego Castillo had a 1-2-3 8th and I tried to get through the 9th without using Ken Giles but Shane Greene coughed up a run while getting only one out so Giles came in and got the final two for save #8. Meanwhile Choi, whom I was shopping around the league (which is how I found out Alex Vesia was available), drilled a solo homer in the 3rd (only his second of the year) and a 2-run single in the 4th to account for 75% of the team's runs today with Wander Franco singling in the other.

Team record: 32-13, now 11 games up on Boston, which was swept by Cleveland as right now there doesn't appear to be any serious competition within the division. Next up: 3 games vs Kansas City at the Trop. Side note: OOTP doesn't handle scheduling well when your league expands; we have no interleague games on the schedule.

[Art Deco]

May 25: Optioned P Luis Patino to AAA Durham, activated P Pete Fairbanks from the 10-day IL.

Had to send someone down to activate Fairbanks, and while I liked Patino in long relief, he had options.

Game 1: The Rays came from behind to take a 3-2 win over Kansas City at Tropicana Field with Randy Arozarena's 8th-inning homer (#6) breaking a 2-2 tie. Yonny Chirinos started and gave up 2 in the 4th but the Rays answered back with a Brandon Lowe RBI single and Christian Vazquez RBI double. The just-activated Pete Fairbanks pitched 2 perfect innings for win #2 and Ken Giles notched his 9th save.

May 26: Placed IF/OF Vidal Brujan on the 10-day IL with a latissimus dorsi back strain, activated OF Josh Lowe from his rehab assignment at AAA Durham.

The worm turns. Brujan, who got hurt in last night's game and will miss 6 weeks, took advantage of Lowe's injury and now it's Lowe's turn to reciprocate.

Game 2: Joe Ryan's bugaboo is the longball, and the Royals went deep off him 3 times in 6 innings, building a 4-0 lead through 4. But the Rays came back once again with five runs between the 5th and 7th innings to take a 5-4 win over Kansas City. Ryan hung in there and finished 6 6 4 4 2 10, reaching double-digit whiffs for the first time as a big leaguer. Ji-Man Choi homered in the 5th (#3) to get them on the board, and Christian Vasquez had a 2-run single in the 6th before Manuel Margot led off the 7th with a double on scored on consecutive wild pitches to tie it up. The rally continued, and Brandon Lowe's RBI double proved the difference. Rafael Dolis got win #3 in relief and Nick Anderson got save #5.

Game 3: The Rays swept the series with their third straight one-run win thanks to Ji-Man Choi's walkoff homer (#4) in the 9th. The 3-2 win came after they lost a 2-0 lead which was built on a Choi single and an Oscar Colas groundout. Matt Peacock started and was great again, going 5.2 5 0 0 2 6, but Colin Poche gave up a run in the 7th and Nick Anderson got two out in the top of the 9th then gave up an RBI double to Whit Merrifield before Choi got him off the hook.

Team record: 35-13, now 12 up on Boston. Next up: An off-day, then 3 games in Minnesota.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Ryan Yarbrough had a strong outing, no-hitting Minnesota through 5 1/3 despite OSA downgrading his stuff from 50 to 45, and the Rays took a 1-0 lead in the top of the 7th on a homer from the suddenly-hot Ji-Man Choi (#5, and his 3rd straight game with one). But it all went horribly wrong in the bottom of the 7th and the Twins scored 5 runs. Horribly wrong of course thanks to the Minnesota rally but also horribly wrong because Pete Fairbanks was in the midst of the struggles, allowing 3 runs, and he tore his UCL in the process so he's done for 11-12 months. Shane Greene wasn't very good either, allowing 2 of Fairbanks' runners and one of his own to score. Yarbrough's 6.1 2 1 1 0 7 was sadly wasted. Meanwhile outside of the Choi homer the offense was limp, only managing 4 hits and not scoring again in the 5-1 loss.

May 30: Placed P Pete Fairbanks on the 60-day IL with a torn UCL, recalled P Alex Vesia from AAA Durham.

Time to get a look at Vesia, acquired a couple of weeks ago from the Dodgers. This gives us a 3rd lefty in the pen to go with Aaron Fletcher and Colin Poche.

Game 2: Once again the Rays got a great start, and once again they struggled to score in a tough 2-1 loss at Minnesota. Brendan McKay was a bit wild, but gutted it out to go 5 4 1 1 4 6 and Rafael Dolis had a scoreless inning to get it to where Wander Franco's 7th-inning blast (#6) tied it up. But Alex Vesia did not fare well in his Rays debut, giving up 2 walks and then an RBI single in his 2/3 of an inning of work, and Franco's homer was only of 3 hits the suddenly-anemic offense could muster.

Game 3: After the ridiculous start this team got off to in 2022, the regression monster was always lurking around the corner and he's now made their acquaintance as the Rays once again showed they forgot to check their bats on the flight to Minnesota in another 5-2 loss. This time they didn't waste a great start as Yonny Chirinos had suddenly gotten gopher-prone, giving up 3 longballs in a 6 8 5 5 0 4 performance. The Rays didn't score until the 6th on a Brandon Lowe RBI single, but that run was aided by a Twins error. The only bright spots were yet another Ji-Man homer (#6, his 4th in 5 games) in the 9th and 2 perfect innings from Aaron Fletcher, who had struggled mightily of late.

Team record: 35-16. Despite being swept, they only lost one game off their lead as Boston dropped 2 of 3 to the Angels so they're still up 11 games. Next up: The 18-33 Rangers come to the Trop, but they're coming off a 3-game sweep of the Yankees who are now a dismal 22-28.

From the rumor mill: There's a big trade I'm considering making which has been sitting in my "initiate trade" inbox although the only hint I'll give is that it doesn't involve anyone on the current active roster.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays' malaise continued as they dropped the series opener to Texas 4-2 and only managed 5 hits. They were done in by a former farmhand of theirs Nick Solak, who went 4-5 and drove in 3 of the Ranger runs, including a homer off Joe Ryan, who went 5 8 3 3 1 7. Mike Brosseau and Manuel Margot had RBI doubles to get the Rays within 3-2 in the 6th, but the offense continues to sputter.

You gotta be kidding me:



McClanahan must have run over an old gypsy woman in a Native American burial ground to have this happen. Already out 7 more months with a torn labrum, now he'll miss the early part of 2023.

Game 2: The Rays snapped their 4-game losing streak, but it was mainly due to Matt Peacock rather than any offensive resurgence as they edged Texas 3-1. Peacock was in command and improved to 8-0, 2.45 after going 7 5 1 1 2 5. Nick Anderson took care of the 8th and Ken Giles the 9th for save #10. All three runs came on sac flies as they only managed 5 hits again. Starting to see a lot of snowflakes on the lineup page.

Game 3: This team can no longer hit worth a damn and they dropped another 4-2 decision to Texas in the series finale. The grand total of hits tonight was 4, and 3 of them came from Wander Franco, who had a solo homer (#7). The other hit was also a solo shot, from Oscar Colas (#11). Ryan Yarbrough gave up 2 more homers as he went 6.1 6 4 4 1 5 with one of them to Joey Gallo. The bats have now produced 4, 3, 7, 5, 4 and 4 hits in their last 6 games, 5 of which they lost.

Team record: 36-18. Despite their woes of the last week, their competition is just as bad as the Red Sox were swept by the Yankees, who now move back into second at 25-28, 11 games back. Next up: 3 games in Fenway.

[Art Deco]

First, the trade I was hinting at a couple of posts ago:



A big prospect trade that fills needs for both teams and finds them both dealing from excess. For us it was a glut of middle infielders. As 2021 MVP Brandon Lowe has second locked down on a team-friendly contract the next several years and we already have Vidal Brujan capable of playing the position not to mention Taylor Walls and prospects like Greg Jones, Edwards was expendable even though he's a top-30 prospect. Meanwhile after Christian Vazquez leaves as a free agent this winter, we're kind of thin at catcher. I like Francisco Mejia, but he's not a full-time solution. So we acquire Bart, one of the best young catchers/catching prospects in baseball, a potential 4-star guy who's already a 65 defender at the position and has 25-30 HR power (# of homers, not power rating, where he's 60/65) and should be a .260 hitter. And the Giants could afford to deal Bart since they have Patrick Bailey, their 1st round pick last season, almost ready. Edwards will give them a potentially elite leadoff hitter, and here's hoping none of the current Giants refer to him as a "slapdick" prospect.

The real bonus is getting Ramos, an exciting OF prospect. Ideally he'd play CF, but he's rated 45 there but still has more than enough power to play a corner where's he a 60 RF with a 65 arm. He's struggled a bit at AAA (224/320/347) but he's a quality prospect. The other two guys we dealt are nothing much, both were signed as minor league free agents in the last year. This deal will lead to a couple of transactions:

June 4: Optioned C Francisco Mejia to AAA Durham, added C Joey Bart to the active roster; optioned IF Mike Brosseau to AAA Durham, purchased the contract of OF Khris Davis from AAA Durham, designated C Brett Sullivan for assignment and placed him on waivers.

First of all, Mejia does not deserve a demotion as he was hitting .345 backing up Vazquez and playing well. He'll be the backup next year and probably play a bit more than he was playing this year as Vazquez is one of the 5 best catchers in baseball right now. Also Brosseau was hitting well and his versatility will be missed. I was considering sending down Oscar Colas even though he's 2nd on the team in HR and RBI as he hasn't produced lately. But for now Brosseau goes to make room for "Krush" Davis, who was krushing the ball at AAA Durham with a whopping 21 homers in 166 ABs for a cool 307/359/741 slash line. Davis will DH against lefties, and some against righties as well as we can use an infusion of offense. Sullivan, who was up briefly last year, goes on waivers to make room on the 40-man for Davis and should clear.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Welcome to the Rays, Khris Davis! The veteran slugger made his debut for the team an unforgettable one today as his 3-run homer in his first at-bat stood up in a 3-1 Rays win at Fenway Park. Davis took an 0-2 Matt Andriese pitch the opposite way to right, giving the team a much-needed jolt after their recent offensive woes. They weren't solved, of course, as they managed only 6 hits with Davis getting 2 of them but it was enough on a night when Brendan McKay was dealing once again, going 6 4 0 0 1 8 to improve to 6-1, 2.25. Ken Giles preserved the win for save #11.

Game 2: Austin Meadows led off the game with a homer around the Pesky Pole (#7) and that set the tone for the return of the Rays offense in a 10-6 shootout with Boston which saw them overcome 4-2 and 6-5 deficits. Meadows ended up 3-4 with 2 RBI, and Taylor Walls had a career day going 4-4 with a double and 2 RBI. Brandon Lowe had a 2-run single and Oscar Colas was 2-3 with 2 walks, an RBI, and 4 runs scored. Yonny Chirinos had a rough start, giving up homers to JD Martinez and Christian Arroyo and was tagged for all 6 runs in 4 innings but the bullpen was great with Aaron Fletcher picking up the win with 2 scoreless innings.

Game 3: Joe Ryan and Chris Sale traded zeroes until the Rays scored twice in the 7th on RBI singles from Oscar Colas and Manuel Margot and the Rays took a 3-1 win to sweep the series in Fenway. Ryan was brilliant going 6 4 0 0 0 8 and pitched himself out of a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam in the 4th. He stayed around just long enough for the win to go 3-2, 3.23 with 49 whiffs in 39 innings to date. Margot's sac fly brought home an insurance run in the 9th and Ken Giles got the save again, #12. Joey Bart made his Rays debut and went 1-3 with an HBP, with his single a key hit in the 7th inning rally.

Team record: 39-18, now a whopping 13 up on the Yankees who dropped two out of three at home against expansion San Antonio. Next up: those same Alamos make their first-ever visit to the Trop for 3 and we get to greet old friends Kevin Kiermaier and Yoshi Tsutsugo.

[Art Deco]

June 7: Traded 19-year old minor league 2B Willmer De La Cruz to the San Diego Padres, getting 24-year old minor league RHP Reggie Lawson in return.

Lawson is a decent starter prospect, my head scout Rob Metzler gives him 60/50/50 stuff/movement/control, a little better than OSA so perhaps he's an undervalued asset. He'll go to Durham. De La Cruz has some potential, but he's more a lottery ticket than anything else.

(NOTE: If you read the original post with the results of this series, I had OOTP22 crash - for the first time I can remember - and it wiped out the last 3 days despite advancing each day, so I have to replay it)

Game 1: Matt Peacock overcame some early troubles and went to 9-0 as the Rays beat the Alamos 7-3. He allowed 3 runs in the 3rd inning but nothing else and finished 6.1 4 3 3 2 5 to stay perfect with an ERA of 2.61. The offensive star was an unlikely hero as Taylor Walls hit his first MLB homer in the second to put the Rays up 2-0 and then did it again in the 4th with his 2nd 2-run blast which gave them the lead to stay. Austin Meadows added a solo shot (#8) and Ji-Man Choi had a 2-run double.

Game 2: The Rays had to go 12 innings but Randy Arozarena's dramatic walk-off homer (#7) gave Tampa Bay a 4-3 win. Ryan Yarbrough had a bad first frame, allowing 3 runs, but recovered from that as he and the bullpen put together 11 scoreless innings. Yarbs ended 7 4 3 3 1 4 and Colin Poche ended up getting the win in relief, his 3rd of the year. The Rays scored twice in the 6th on a Khris Davis RBI single and a GIDP, and in the 7th Wander Franco's RBI single tied it up before we went deep into the St. Petersburg night.

Game 3: Tampa Bay completed the sweep of San Antonio with a 7-4 win behind a big day from Austin Meadows, who went 3-5 with a double and 2 RBI. Brandon Lowe (#13) and Manuel Margot (#6) homered to back Brendan McKay, who wasn't his sharpest today but hung in there long enough to go 7 7 4 4 2 2 and improve to 7-1, 2.52. Ken Giles notched save #13 while Christian Vazquez and Willy Adames each had 2 hits and an RBI.

Team record: 42-18, 14 up on the new 2nd place du jour, the Blue Jays. Next up: an off-day then 3 games at home vs Detroit.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays made it 7 straight wins with a 6-4 decision over Detroit at the Trop. Randy Arozarena had a first-inning grand slam (#8) and Austin Meadows hit #9 in the bottom of the 4th to break a 4-4 tie. Joe Ryan wasn't his best but good enough to get the win going 5 8 4 3 1 4 to go to 4-2, 3.48 and the pen turned in 4 shutout innings with Nick Anderson getting save #6.

June 12: Sent P Tyler Glasnow to AAA Durham for a rehab assignment.

It'll be good to get our nominal ace back although we've obviously done quite well without him. In fact there really isn't a rotation opening on merit although if push comes to shove Joe Ryan can go back to Durham. Glasnow will need 3 starts at least before coming back up considering he was hurt in spring training.

Game 2: It was the Austin Meadows show as the Rays clubbed the Tigers 9-2. The All-Star OF was 5 for 5 with 3 doubles, 4 RBI and 2 runs scored in a bravura performance. Willy Adames was 3-4 while new boys Khris Davis and Joey Bart each had 2 hits and drove in runs during a 6-run 4th which broke it open. Yonny Chirinos snapped out of his recent mini-slump with a 7 5 1 1 1 4 outing to improve to 7-2, 3.61.

Game 3: The Rays completed their third straight series sweep and hence 9th straight win with a 7-1 thumping of Detroit. Matt Peacock continues on the best W/L start in Rays history by improving to 10-0 with a 6 5 1 0 2 5 performance, lowering his ERA to 2.41. Randy Arozarena had HR #9 and drove in a pair while Taylor Walls continues to hit whenever he plays as he had a 2-run triple. Austin Meadows stayed hot as well with 2 hits and 2 RBI.

Meadows' hot run of late was recognized by the league:



Team record: 45-18, 16 games up on the Yankees, Toronto and Boston, in a 3-way tie for 2nd. Next up: We head to Toronto for 3 games.

MLB News: Chris Sale is hurt again, as the Red Sox ace has bone chips in his elbow and will miss 3 months.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Brandon Lowe homered twice - in extra innings - and the Rays took a wild 9-6 win over Toronto in 11 to extend their win streak to 10. Lowe thought he wrapped things up with his solo homer leading off the 10th but Ken Giles blew the save in the bottom of the inning. So Willy Adames hit #3 leading off the 11th and later in the inning Lowe went deep again for his 15th with a man on. Giles vultured the win and Nick Anderson picked up save #7. Oscar Colas drove in 4 with a 3-run homer in the 3rd (#12) and an RBI double in the 8th to tie it up at 5. Ryan Yarbrough had a mixed bag of a start going 5 5 4 2 3 5.

Game 2: Brendan McKay was in control once again as the Rays blanked the Jays 6-0 to make it 11 straight wins. The lefty improved to 8-1, 2.30 off a 7 5 0 0 1 5 outing while Aaron Fletcher went the final 2 with 3 whiffs to complete the shutout. Wander Franco had a 3rd inning 2-run single to get the Rays on the board and Brandon Lowe later hit his third homer of the series (#16). Ji-Man Choi was 1-2 with 3 walks and an RBI.

Game 3: The 11-game win streak came to an end when Toronto rocked Joe Ryan and the Rays 9-3. The rookie righty gave up 4 in the first capped by a 3-run George Springer homer and Shane Greene later gave up 4 runs. Ryan finished an ugly 4.1 8 5 5 1 5. Willy Adames (#4) and Randy Arozarena (#10) had solo homers in a losing cause.

Team record: 47-19, 16 up on Boston and the Yankees. New York is already waving the white flag, shipping Trevor Rosenthal to Milwaukee for a couple of minor leaguers. Next up: Back home for 3 vs Oakland.

Tyler Glasnow rehab update: He went 5 scoreless innings in his first rehab start for Durham the other day, walking 4 and whiffing 4.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays got by Oakland 3-1 but despite the score there was plenty of excitement. Yonny Chirinos gave up Matt Olson's MLB-best 27th homer of the year in the 4th and then plunked the next batter Mark Canha, who charged the mound and fisticuffs ensued. Yonny was ejected and got a 6-game suspension out of the deal and left after 3 1/3. But Khris Davis answered in the bottom of the inning with a 2-run homer, his 2nd with the Rays, and they were up 2-1. Manuel Margot added an RBI double in the 6th to give them a bit of a cushion. Rafael Dolis picked up his 4th win with 2 1/3 scoreless in relief of Chirinos and Ken Giles notched save #14.

Game 2: Another tight, low-scoring game in which Rays came up short by a run 3-2. It was scoreless until the 6th when Matt Peacock ran out of gas and gave up three runs, dooming him to his first loss of the season despite striking out a season-high 9. He's still an impressive 10-1, 2.57. Randy Arozarena and Oscar Colas singled in runs to get the Rays close, but Oakland's Ramon Laureano threw out Christian Vazquez at the plate to keep the Rays from tying in the bottom of the 8th.

Game 3: A wild, back-and-forth game saw the Rays walk it off on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 9th for a 6-5 win. It was a 2-2 game going into the 8th when Ryan Yarbrough tired and was left in one batter too long (I wonder by who?) and gave up a 2-run HR to the infrequent power hitter Tony Kemp. But Brandon Lowe got the Rays the lead in the bottom of the inning with a bases-clearing double before Diego Castillo coughed it up in the 9th allowing a Daniel Johnson homer to tie it back up at 5. But in the bottom of the 9th Oscar Colas walked with one out and Joey Bart's third hit of the game moved him to 3rd, where he scored from on Grant Holmes' wild pitch. Castillo vultured his 2nd win of the year.

Team record: 49-20, with a 17-game lead. Next up: Cleveland comes to town for 3 games.

MLB News: It was a weekend for catcher power and no-hitters. Detroit's Jake Rogers and Kansas City's Salvador Perez each had 3-dinger games while four Cardinal pitchers combined on a no-hitter in a 10-0 win over Colorado with Kwan hyun-Kim pitching the bulk (5.1) of the innings. But the next day we got a bonafide one-man no-hitter when San Francisco's Logan Webb took care of the Dodgers in a 2-0 win. He walked 4 and whiffed 4 and despite that apparent contact-friendly line it still took him 124 pitches to finish it.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The bullpen blew a 5-2 lead in the late innings but was rescued by Wander Franco, whose 3-run homer in the 8th gave the Rays an 8-5 win over Cleveland at Tropicana Field. Brendan McKay had another quality start, going 6 5 2 2 3 5, but Aaron Fletcher served up a 2-run homer to Jose Ramirez and Nick Anderson gave up a solo blast to Gabriel Arias. This set the stage for Franco's winner off Kyle Nelson and Ken Giles picked up save #15 while Anderson vultured his 2nd win. Willy Adames hit HR #5 earlier in the game.

Game 2: Joe Ryan was brilliant and Brandon Lowe drove in all 4 runs as the Rays took care of Cleveland again 4-2. Ryan went 7 4 1 1 0 7 to improve to 5-3, 3.74 while Lowe had a 2-run homer in the first (#17), a fielder's choice RBI in the 3rd and an RBI single in the 5th. Diego Castillo picked up save #2 despite allowing an Amed Rosario homer.

June 22: Optioned P Joe Ryan to AAA Durham, recalled P Reggie Lawson from AAA Durham.

Joe Ryan's reward for his best start as a Ray? A trip to Durham. This was necessary because the Yonny Chirinos suspension meant we needed a starter today, and Lawson was the logical choice after 2 excellent starts for Durham after being acquired earlier this month from San Diego. The All-Star Break beckons as well, so Ryan won't be needed for the 10 days he'll have to stay down although Tyler Glasnow will probably be ready by then as well.

Game 3: Reggie Lawson was a hit for the Rays in his debut by not allowing too many of them to Cleveland in a 9-3 win which was close until late. Lawson went 6 4 2 2 3 5 to win his first MLB start and a 5-run 7th inning broke it open. Lawson and the Rays trailed Shane Bieber and Cleveland until they tied it up with 2 in the 4th including a bases-loaded HBP of Ji-Man Choi. Austin Meadows' RBI double and Wander Franco's RBI single put the Rays ahead to stay in the 5th and that 5-run 7th was highlighted by Randy Arozarena's 2-run triple.

Team record: 52-20, ahead by 18 games in the East. I'm not going to bother giving the lead in future reports until and unless it drops to single digits as barring a complete collapse the division is theirs. Next up: An off-day then 3 at home against Seattle before the All-Star Break which under this bizarre schedule takes place in the last week of June.

[Art Deco]

June 23: Optioned P Reggie Lawson to AAA Durham, recalled P Andrew Kittredge from AAA Durham.

Tip of the cap to Lawson and the good job he did, with the ASB coming up we don't need an extra starter but an extra bullpen arm is always welcome.

Game 1: The Rays continued their roll with a 9-2 blowout of Seattle at Tropicana Field. Matt Peacock took care of business on the mound, going 6 3 1 1 1 7 to improve to an outstanding 11-1, 2.50. The bats put 7 runs on the board by the 4th inning with Brandon Lowe, Randy Arozarena and Christian Vazquez each driving in a pair. Later on they got solo homers from a couple of unlikely sources: Brendan McKay, his first of the year while getting a rare chance to DH, and Josh Lowe, with his first MLB round-tripper. Lowe had 2 hits to get his BA over the Mendoza Line at .203.

Game 2: Six straight for Tampa Bay as they got by the Mariners 5-2. Yonny "Mike Tyson" Chirinos returned to the mound after his fighting suspension and went an effective 5.1 4 2 2 2 3 to go to 8-2, 3.56 and 4 relievers held Seattle to one hit over the final 3.2 with Ken Giles closing for save #16. The big blow of the game came in the 1st when Khris Davis capped a 4-run inning with a 3-run homer, his 3rd. Austin Meadows and Brandon Lowe knocked in the other two with sac flies.

Game 3: Mariners ace Yusei Kikuchi and two relievers squelched the Rays' bats today in a 4-0 Seattle win. They only managed 5 hits with Willy Adames' 9th inning double their only extra-base knock. Ryan Yarbrough deserved a better fate as the game went 0-0 into the 7th. He left with two on and two out and nobody in but Aaron Fletcher, who has probably been the least clutch pitcher on the team, immediately wild-pitched the man from 3rd home after coming in so Yarbs ended 6.2 6 1 1 0 6. Rafael Dolis then had a rare rough outing in the 8th, giving up a 3-run homer to J.P. Crawford to put the game out of reach.

Team record: 54-21. Next up: the All-Star Break (in June, I know) and then the Rays go to Anaheim for 3.

Tyler Glasnow update: He went 5 3 1 1 0 9 for Durham in a rehab start over the weekend so he'll be activated early next week after the Angels series.

[Art Deco]

The Rays were kind of shortchanged in the All-Star picks with only four making the team: Brendan McKay, Matt Peacock, Brandon Lowe (who won the voting at 2B) and Christian Vazquez. Here are the rosters:





The Home Run Derby:



Pete Alonso wins the battle of New York, as the Mets have done throughout the season with a better record than the Yankees. Which reminds me, here are the standings and leaders at the All-Star Break:



And for the game itself:



It was a pretty dull affair after the AL scored 4 in the first inning off Jacob deGrom, with only 6 hits the rest of the way combined by both teams. The most excitement after the 1st inning came when Pete Alonso was ejected for arguing a called third strike. Matt Peacock ended up the winning pitcher, although technically it should have gone to Shane Bieber as there's no 5-inning requirement to get a win in the ASG. Both he and Brendan McKay had scoreless innings while Brandon Lowe was 0-1 with a walk.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: It looked like the typical 2022 Rays formula for a win was in place: great pitching, just enough offense. Yonny Chirinos was outstanding, going 7 6 1 1 0 5 and shutting out the Angels through 7. Wander Franco had an RBI double, Austin Meadows a 2-run single, and Oscar Colas blasted a solo homer (#13) to give Tampa Bay a 4-0 lead. Except nobody told the bullpen. After Chirinos allowed the leadoff man to reach in the 7th, Shane Greene came in and put three men on and let in two runs, then Nick Anderson walked a man and served up a 3-run homer to Jo Adell and LA was ahead 5-4, which turned out to be the final score.

July 1: Optioned P Andrew Kittredge to AAA Durham, designated P Cody Reed for assignment and placed him on waivers, activated P Tyler Glasnow from the 60-day IL.

Game 2: It's a testament to the team that they've had a brilliant first half without their ace pitcher, and now he's back. And boy was he back. Tyler Glasnow went 7 3 1 0 1 7 with the only run against due to his own throwing error in a dominant return to action. The bullpen got shaky again when Diego Castillo had his own error and walked the bases loaded allowing the Angels to cut the lead to 5-2, but last night's goat Nick Anderson came in and struck out Jorge Soler to end the threat and Ken Giles had an easy 9th for save #17 in the win. Offensively Wander Franco got things going with a 2-run double, Brandon Lowe hit #18 and Manuel Margot #7 as part of a 3-hit day.

Game 3: The Rays jumped out to an early 3-1 lead against Shohei Ohtani but Ryan Yarbrough gave it all back and then some as the Rays dropped the series with a 7-3 loss to the Angels. Yarbs had a rough 3rd, allowing 3 runs and finished 6 5 5 5 2 5. Rafael Dolis continued his recent struggles by coughing up a couple of runs to let LA get some cushion. Ji-Man Choi's 2-run double was the highlight on offense.

Team record: 55-23. Next up: Back home for 3 against the Yankees over the July 4 holiday.

MLB News: The Yankees' miserable season keeps on getting worse as ace Gerrit Cole is done for the year with a torn labrum.

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Game 1: The Rays pulled out a 2-1 squeaker over the Yankees to open their 3-game series with New York. Matt Peacock wasn't his sharpest but got the big outs when he needed them to go 5 5 1 1 3 4 and lower his ERA to 2.46. Diego Castillo was the hero when he relieved Aaron Fletcher, who gave up a leadoff triple in the 7th. Castillo whiffed Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres and got a fly ball to escape and Ken Giles ended up with save #18 with a 1-2-3 2K 9th. Fletcher picked up his 3rd win when they scraped out two runs in the bottom of the 6th thanks to a Brandon Lowe RBI double and Randy Arozarena's sac fly.

Game 2: There were some early fireworks on July 4 by the Rays but the story was another dominant outing from Brendan McKay in a 3-1 win over the Yankees. The lefty has finally blossomed this year and today he went 6.2 3 1 1 3 10 to improve to 9-1, 2.28 and is a legit Cy Young contender. Rafael Dolis got back on track with 1 1/3 scoreless to set up Ken Giles, who got the save for the second straight day (#19). Brandon Lowe hit a 2-run homer (#19) in the 1st to offset the Yankees' lone run in the top of the inning and Oscar Colas added #14 in the 5th.

Game 3: Yet another low-scoring, well-pitched game by the Rays got them a sweep over the Yankees by a 4-1 score. Yonny Chirinos was the man today, going 6 6 1 1 0 7 to up his record to 9-2, 3.27. Diego Castillo, Shane Greene and Nick Anderson (save #8) combined for 3 shutout innings with 7 whiffs. All the Tampa Bay scoring came in a 4-run 5th keyed by Joey Bart's RBI single and Taylor Walls' RBI double.

Team record: 58-23, as we reach the midpoint of the season. Some injury news: Manuel Margot tweaked his back in Game 2 and will have to sit for a few games. In Game 3 Khris Davis' back tightened up and this is a little more serious than Margot's injury, he'll miss 2 weeks and go on the IL. Next up: The White Sox come to town for 3. They're 51-30 and lead the AL Central so they'll provide some real competition.

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What can I say? A 58-23 record has exceeded all expectations and this team looks better overall than last year's edition which raced off to a huge midseason run before falling apart in September and being swept out of the ALDS. Here are the team stats:



Talk about run prevention. They consistently keep their opponents off the board with a combination of excellent pitching and superior defense (#1 in efficiency, #4 in zone rating). And they've done it with only one start from their ace Tyler Glasnow. And it's no fluke with the team's W/L only 2 games over its Pythagorean. The individual pitching stats:



As successful as we've been, we've cycled through a lot of pitchers and while nobody's been spectacular outside of McKay and Peacock, just about everybody else has been good. Adding Ken Giles as the closer and moving Nick Anderson back into a setup role has really solidified the pen and the rotation suddenly got deep with Peacock being everything we hoped for and more and Yonny Chirinos coming back from missing all of 2021 to pitch as great as he has. Right now Joe Ryan, Reggie Lawson and Luis Patino are stuck at Durham when they'd be in the rotation of about 2/3 of the other teams in the league.

Batting stats:



Last year's big 3 of Brandon Lowe, Meadows and Arozarena have been down some from last year, although Lowe is having a sneaky-good year after being MVP last season despite a lower batting average. Wander Franco has been a bit of a disappointment as he should be hitting over .300 but he's turned into a superior defensive 3B and along with Willy Adames on the right side, their WAR totals are healthy thanks to their D despite middling-to-decent offensive numbers. CF is the only position of concern, we should probably be playing Manuel Margot every day until Vidal Brujan comes back in a couple weeks as Josh Lowe really can't hit.

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July 6: Placed OF Khris Davis on the 10-day IL with back stiffness, recalled IF Mike Brosseau from AAA Durham.

Game 1: Perhaps the wildest game of the year with several late-inning lead changes, the Rays took a 6-5 walk-off win on a pinch-hit 2-run homer from Ji-Man Choi (#8) in the bottom of the 9th. Through 7 innings it looked like another low-scoring Tampa Bay win as Tyler Glasnow was impressive again in his second start and they held a 2-0 lead. Glasnow went 6 4 0 0 1 8 and has gone 13 IP without an earned run. With Nick Anderson and Ken Giles unavailable, Rafael Dolis pitched the 8th and gave up a 2-run homer to Luis Robert to tie it up. But a Rays rally in the bottom of the 8th saw Willie Adames hit a 2-run single to make it 4-2 Tampa Bay. Alex Vesia, though, couldn't hold it and gave up a 2-run homer to Tim Anderson to tie it and a Yoan Moncada solo shot to put Chicago back ahead 5-4. Mike Brosseau, just back up from Durham, singled with one out off White Sox closer Liam Hendriks, and then Choi batted for Josh Lowe and delivered the game-winner. Colin Poche, who got 3 quick outs after Vesia's meltdown, nabbed his 4th win.

Game 2: A more straightforward win for the Rays as Ryan Yarbrough outdueled reigning AL Cy Young winner Lucas Giolito in a 7-3 decision, the club's 5th straight win. The crafty lefty may have pitched his best game of the season going 7 6 1 1 0 10 with only a Tim Anderson homer doing any damage. Meanwhile the dynamic duo of Austin Meadows (#11) and Brandon Lowe (#20) each hit 2-run homers off Giolito in the 4th to make it 4-0. They tacked on 3 more in the 6th with Christian Vazquez's 2-run single the key blow.

Game 3: The Rays received yet another excellent start but couldn't get much going themselves as they dropped a 2-1 squeaker to the White Sox in the series finale. Matt Peacock suffered his 2nd loss of the season but didn't deserve to off a 6.2 6 2 2 2 3 performance. Willy Adames' RBI single in the 4th tied it up, but Chicago scratched out a run in the 6th and it held up as the Rays only managed 4 hits off Jake Thompson and 3 relievers.

Team record: 60-24. Next up: 3 games in Houston, another tough opponent who's currently on an 8-game win streak after sweeping the Yankees, who are circling the drain.

MLB News: Minnesota, in the thick of the wild card chase and 6 games back of the White Sox in the Central, suffered a devastating loss as starter Jose Berrios tore his flexor tendon and will be out the rest of this year and most of 2023 as well.

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Game 1: Randy Arozarena homered twice, Brendan McKay went 6 1/3 strong innings - and the Rays still lost, thanks to a Ken Giles meltdown in the 9th 6-5. They took a 5-2 lead into the 9th at Minute Maid Park, with the normally reliable Giles on the mound, but he gave up a leadoff homer to Yordan Alvarez then got two outs but put two on, and pinch-hitter Francisco Lindor took him deep to walk it off for the Astros and give them 9 straight wins. McKay was a solid 6.2 7 2 2 1 4 considering the opponent and the ballpark, while Arozarena drove in 4 with a solo shot in the 2nd and a 3-run jack (his 12th) in the 3rd.

Trade time!



Ever since the Alamos took Devin "The Airbender" Williams in the expansion draft, I've been eyeing him as a potential acquisition, but the price was too high. Finally they came around and agreed to take Hubbard, who's hitting .356 at AA Montgomery, but is 27 and whose ratings belie that number. This begat another trade:

July 10: Traded RHP Shane Greene to the Chicago White Sox for minor-league LHP Andrew Perez.

Greene was the guy moved to make room for Williams. He's a solid vet but just wasn't working out and Williams is an upgrade. And we pick up a decent lefty relief prospect in Perez, a local product out of the University of South Florida who has 65 stuff, 55 movement (potential 65) and, uh, 40 control (45 potential). He rocks an 80 changeup and throws 93-95.

Game 2: Yonny Chirinos was handing out homers like Halloween candy as the Rays dropped their second straight to Houston 6-3, the Astros' 10th straight win. He gave up homers to Yordan Alvarez (solo) and Francisco Lindor (a 2-run shot) in the 4th but the Rays answered back with 3 in the top of the 5th to tie it keyed by a Brandon Lowe 2-run blast (#21). But Yonny allowed Kyle Tucker to take him deep leading off the 6th to break the tie, and Colin Poche struggled behind him, allowing 2 more runs. Chirinos drops to 9-3, 3.46 after his 5 5 4 4 0 2 outing.

Game 3: It was deja vu all over again as Ken Giles and the Rays bullpen blew another 9th-inning lead to lose another walk-off to the red-hot Astros, winners now of 11 consecutive. This time it was a 4-2 lead going into the 9th and Giles gave up a leadoff homer to pinch-hitter Zack Collins. After getting an out he hit Jose Altuve and with two lefties due up, I turned to Colin Poche again, which was a mistake as Kyle Tucker took him deep for the 5-4 win. The Rays had trouble keeping the ball in the park today and throughout the entire series as Houston hitters combined for 11 homers in the 3 games. Tyler Glasnow started and went an impressive 5 4 1 1 2 5 to give him an 0.50 ERA through 3 starts, but it took him 105 pitches and the lone run he allowed was an Alex Bregman homer. Devin Williams made his Rays debut in the 6th but the only airbending came off the bat of Bregman, who hit his 2nd of the game to give Houston a 2-1 lead. But the Rays struck for 3 in the top of the 7th with Brandon Lowe's 22nd HR tying it up and Ji-Man Choi's 2-run single giving them the lead to blow.

Team record: 60-27. This was the second sweep they've suffered this season, with the other coming in Minnesota, not the greatest omen as those are two teams they have a good shot at facing in the playoffs. Next up: An off-day then 3 at home against Baltimore. The Orioles took 2 of 3 from the Yankees to drop New York into the AL East cellar and the Yankees responded by dealing off their closer Chad Green to the Dodgers for a couple of pitching prospects including Brett De Geus.

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That time of year again, here's the Tampa Bay haul:



Lesko: A Vandy commit, the HS righty brings it at 95-97 and has potential 65 stuff. The command and control will have to be worked on, but we do well with pitchers.

Tredwell: A JuCo freshman from an a Iowa community college, Tredwell has "frontline starter potential" according to Rob Metzler, although he only gives him 50 potential stuff.

Armstrong: Always a good last name for a pitcher, Armstrong is a junior from the University of Florida (Go Gators!) who throws 94-96 and has decent stuff.

Kessler: A college catcher (University of Kentucky) with some pop but contact issues.

Schubart: Prep 1B with decent power potential.

Teijiero: 3B out of the University of San Diego who looks solid all-around but not spectacular (hey it's the 6th round). He'll get an aggressive start at High-A Bowling Green.

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Game 1: Ryan Yarbrough pitched a fine game and Austin Meadows was involved in all 3 Tampa Bay runs as the Rays edged Baltimore 3-2 and snapped a 4-game losing streak. Yarbs went 6.2 6 2 2 0 7 to improve to 5-6, 3.64 as he looks to no longer be the only Rays starter with a losing record. Diego Castillo got a big out to end the 7th, pitched the 8th, and Ken Giles bounced back from his nightmare series in Houston by striking out the side in the 9th for save #20. Meadows doubled in a run in the 1st, scored on Brandon Lowe's RBI single, and then doubled again in the 3rd and scored on a Willy Adames single.

Game 2: Matt Peacock took a no-hitter into the 7th and a couple of Orioles errors led to a 4-run 5th for the Rays as they beat Baltimore again 5-1. Peacock went 6 1/3 without allowing a hit until he gave up a DJ Stewart double. He finished 7 1 0 0 2 3 and is now a remarkable 12-2, 2.32. Devin Williams came on in the 8th and loaded the bases with nobody out but Aaron Fletcher got him out of it with only an unearned run scoring off a Rays error. Speaking of errors, two of those by Baltimore plus two walks meant the Rays scored 4 in the 5th with only base hit. That hit was a big one, a bases-clearing double from Wander Franco. Brandon Lowe later hit a solo shot (#23) in the 8th.

Trade time again!

Always dealing as I took an undervalued asset off the hands of the Red Sox as we sent 19-year-old DSL-ball catcher Christian Cerda who may or may not amount to anything for outfielder Jarren Duran who's been stuck at AAA despite hitting 342/430/525 in his second straight year at Worcester. The scouts seem to think Duran can hit .280-.290 in the bigs with excellent gap power and hit about 10-12 HR/year. Defensively he's a 45 in CF which is where we need him but a 55 in RF. He's a lefty hitter who will take Josh Lowe's place on the roster as we've demoted Lowe to AAA Durham after hitting .167 and showing no signs of getting going. Of course Vidal Brujan is about a week away from a rehab assignment and did well earlier in the year, but was only a 35 in CF. We'll sort it all out later. Tristan Gray was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man for Duran.

Game 3: Brendan McKay continued his magical season in a 6-1 Rays win to sweep the series from Baltimore. McKay was 7 5 1 1 0 5 and lowered his league-leading ERA to 2.24 and upped his record to 10-1. Wander Franco continued to snap out of his slump with an RBI double in the 1st and Willy Adames singled him home right after. Then in the 2nd our new toy Jarren Duran tripled in his first MLB at-bat to drive in a run and scored on Randy Arozarena's sac fly.

Team record: 63-27, back up to a .700 win percentage. Next up: We return to where we started the season with 3 in Kansas City as this goofy OOTP post-expansion schedule with no interleague play means we double up on some non-division road trips.

MLB News: A remarkable series between the Twins and the Angels saw Minnesota no-hit twice within 3 days. In the first game it was a combined no-hitter for LA as James Paxton had to leave in the 6th with back stiffness with Justin Wilson (who walked two to lose the team perfect game) and Joe Kelly finishing up. Two nights later, Andrew Heaney pitched a more conventional no-no against the Twins, walking one and whiffing 9 on only 101 pitches. Based on my crack research (the Wikipedia list of MLB no-hitters), this is only the third time in MLB history there have been two no-hitters in the same series. The first time was on May 5-6, 1917 when Ernie Koob and Bob Groom no-hit the White Sox on consecutive days for the St. Louis Browns, so at least the Twins avoided that fate. The other was on September 17-18, 1968 when Gaylord Perry no-hit the Cardinals for the Giants and then the next night Ray Washburn no-hit the Giants for the Cardinals.