The 2020 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

So now we'll be going for a gentleman's sweep instead of an actual one thanks to 38-year-old Jack Little (who may have pitched against the Rays for the Dodgers the last time they lost a World Series in 2024) and the Chicago pen which held them to 0 runs and 4 hits today. Josh Hanna was predictably terrible, but that's the last time we see him this year (and perhaps at all, as he's headed to his final year of arbitration and I have other candidates for the rotation). Nate Thompson will try to replicate his Game 1 performance tomorrow.

[Art Deco]

World Champions! For the third time in four seasons and 9th in the last 14 the Rays win the World Series. Every one of these games against the Cubs was tough, and today was no exception as Bo Angeac's first-inning 3-run homer, an inning kept alive by a Cubs error, stood up for the duration in a 3-0 win. Nate Thompson was excellent again, but was forced to leave in the 6th with shoulder inflammation that will force him to miss at least the first month of next season. He should have been named series MVP for his 2 wins without allowing a run but BNN saw fit to give it to Omar Rodriguez. Kikuo Kawase made it interesting when he loaded the bases with nobody out in the 9th but got a strikeout and a double play to end it. A look at the celebrations:



Poor Marco Santa Cruz. It was his error which extended the inning for Angeac to hit the 3-run homer, and then he grounded into the double play to end the Series.

[Art Deco]

Let's take a look at the trophy:



Here are the projected salaries for everyone not making the minimum next season:



Some tough decisions here. Jaiden Hardaway of course is under contract, the rest are all arb-eligible. We were given a payroll of $210M, and keeping everyone here comes in about $165 but I like to keep the payroll down to try and handicap myself a bit.

Definitely keeping: Carsello, Titcombe, Kawase, Soranno, Angeac, O-Rod, Golunski, Kerstetter, Vega, Quintana, Medina, Wherry.
Definitely not keeping (will explore trades): Sirna, Siqueiros, Hanna
Could go either way: Thompson, Hoyte

Thompson and Vega are probably keepers as I don't want to turn over 60% of the rotation. The only hesitation on Thompson is his shoulder inflammation as he will miss April and likely spend most of May rehabbing at Durham. Hoyte is cheap and pitched OK but he may be victim of a numbers game.

On the ones I'm going to trade, Hanna is in his final year and I'd like to clear his salary and put Ron Adams in the rotation, Sirna will give way to Chris Toombs, and Siqueiros was wild this year and is probably making way for Vinny Willard. Also Kevin Kerstetter is healthy again, although his ratings are a little diminished from his great 2035.

The big loss is Dayle Jenkins, headed to free agency. Daniel Malone should take his place on the roster and perhaps in the lineup, or I could slide Omar over to CF and play Eric Titcombe in RF full-time.

November 5: Omar Rodriguez won the American League RF Gold Glove.

November 6: Silver Sluggers announced - 1B Daniel Vasquez, 2B Jaiden Hardaway, 3B Bo Angeac, LF Danny Ayala and CF Dayle Jenkins were all winners for us.



Congrats to Jim Gebers, who should again fill the role of lefty-bashing DH and backup infielder which was good enough to get him Rookie of the Year. After next season we might move Bo Angeac, who's going to get very expensive, and give Gebers the full-time job.

First trade of the winter:



Steveson deserves a shot in the majors, but I didn't want to have to put him on the 40-man and he was ready to walk as a minor league FA. So it was a nice piece of business to turn him into Hill, the Dodgers' first-round pick this year. Hill offers 55 potential in stuff, movement and control.

Not a shock here but good to see, and good to see unanimous:



Add on top of that a postseason record of 5-0, 1.76 including the World Series-clincher, and it was a season for the ages from Thompson. It's a shame he's going to be out 7 months with shoulder inflammation, hopefully he comes back just as strong. Columbus's Josh Doyle was the unanimous NL winner after a 15-6, 2.87 season with 251 whiffs in 203.2 IP.

[Art Deco]

There needs to be a better word for 4 straight accomplishments in sports than "fourpeat". While "threepeat" is great since it rhymes with "repeat", "fourpeat" sounds clumsy and awkward. I remember when the Islanders' early 80s NHL dynasty was going for a fourth straight Stanley Cup their motto was "Bring Fourth the Cup". Well all of this a roundabout way of saying Jaiden Hardway brought "fourth" the AL MVP as he won the award for the 4th straight time and did so unanimously. Based on the voting, it could have been called the "Rays Player of the Year" award as five of the top six finishers play for Tampa Bay:



The Cubs' young shortstop Chris Clark took the award in the NL, also unanimously, after a 329/405/611 season with 38 HR and 120 RBI. I still thank the AI Cubs manager for benching him against our lefties in the World Series.

Another trade:



Farewell to Bob Sirna, a mainstay of middle relief the last 4 1/2 seasons. As mentioned before, his spot in the pen is going to Chris Toombs, who had an outstanding year closing for Durham last year and is also a lefty. We also acquired Guimond, who has 50 stuff and control with 60 movement and is likely not to see our active roster, but at least it was something as the market for Sirna was limited.

There wasn't as much of a market for Tim Siqueiros as I'd hoped, so I'm thinking we keep him although he's pricey at $5M considering we're spending a fortune on Kawase and Golunski. Of course that's probably why there isn't much of a market.

Yet another deal, this one big:



We move Hanna, going into his final year of arbitration and projected to get $21M, along with a couple of very marginal prospects for Curtis. That 2.66 ERA last season flatters Curtis, but he's consistently had an FIP in the mid-3s and that will do just fine at about 1/40th Hanna's salary as he's not even arb-eligible yet.

November 26: First of the top free agents sign; grizzled vet Juan Soto goes back to Washington on a 2/52 deal after playing one year for Houston and getting them to the ALCS.

November 30: Apparently it's go back to your old team week as 37-year-old Fernando Tatis Jr. rejoins the Padres after 11 years with the Dodgers, signing a 3/73 pact. But another elder statesman, Carter Kieboom, has left the only team he's known (Washington) to join the Yankees on a 3/76 deal.

December 2: The Dodgers nabbed Fabrian Petrovich for 2/38.6, which seems like a really good deal for the 2034 NL Cy Young winner.

...and there he goes, to the Dodgers that is, not the Angels:



That's a lot of money, but they're getting a lot of player.

We have made another trade:



In recent weeks there's been a #FreeRickyLoya movement started on Twitter, likely by his agent, as the 2-time IL MVP is blocked by fellow lefty hitters Daniel Vasquez and Jon Jimenez at the big league level and neither of them are going anywhere. If Loya were a RHB, I could see him platooning. But he isn't and we finally freed Ricky Loya, where he might challenge for a batting title in Seattle. And in return, we get this guy:



Alexander can rake, and would probably put up something close to a .900 OPS if I put him right into the lineup. But despite being the #27 prospect in baseball, there are a couple of flaws: one, he's not a very good OF, meaning he'll likely have to DH, and two, he's slow as molasses which has a lot to do with the first thing. But hitters like him don't grow on trees and we need to upgrade our farm system which has a lot of capable players but only top-100 guy (Ben Hill) before adding Alexander. Downing, the guy we threw in to get it done, is a quintessential scrappy 2B type without much upside.

Let the dealing continue:



Gamez was never going to hit for enough power to make our lineup, although he could be a .280-10 HR guy that could be useful for other teams. Rey is an interesting case:



First off, I love the nickname. Rey will probably start the year at Durham in the rotation, but I can see him being used in a variety of roles as he has good stuff (and good stamina at 65).

[Art Deco]

December 22: Longtime Columbus Lightning slugger Victor Mesa Jr. signed a 3/36.3 deal with the Cubs, while old friend Nate Schultz went for 5/92 to the Phillies

December 22: Added C Kevin Morley, OF Rey Cervantes, P Jose Varela and P Jeff Reece to the 40-man roster.

Rule 5 fun again, I'm sure we'll lose somebody decent. Morley is one of the better catching prospects in baseball, Cervantes was our July 2 signing about 4-5 years back who hit for decent power at AA, Varela was a 2033 first-rounder who could contend for a rotation spot next year and Reece is a flamethrowing reliever with 75 stuff and 60 movement (and yes, 40 control).

December 22: Lost OF Dave MacDougall to Pittsburgh and OF Phil Hable to Boston in the Rule 5 Draft.

Well there goes Durham's OF depth. MacDougall has 75 power but can't hit for average - if the Pirates play him every day he could hit 40 HR. Hable is a solid all-around hitter who doesn't draw walks but he could hit .280 with 20 HR for Boston. Of course it's quite possible we end up with one or both of them back as it seems about 50% of the Rule 5 picks get returned.

January 5: The Giants just splurged 3/62.4 for longtime Yankee SS Cade Horton, quite a bit for a guy who's a 70 fielder but can't really hit.

January 7: The Hall of Fame Voting is in.



Bryce Harper and his 624 HR sail in on his first year eligible, while a couple of Yankee heroes of the late teens/early 20s are enshrined as well. Meanwhile, Joey Votto is so close, yet so far as he has one more year on the ballot. I'd like to think he makes it in.

January 9: Bob Kelly, a guy you can pencil in 30 HR and 100 RBI for, signed a 2/26 deal with the Cubs.

January 19: The Angels traded one-time Rays ace Jon Hayes, whom they had signed as a free agent 4 years ago, to the Cubs for prospects. Hayes had a down year in 2036, 6-11, 4.17. Meanwhile the hard-throwing (but with poor control) John Rizzo, who was with Durham last year, signed a 1/1.1 deal with the Yankees.

February 15: Star players really hang on into their 40s in this save, and 43-year-old Francisco Lindor (playing 3B these days) was dealt by Arizona to Texas. He hit .235-21-71 last year.

February 18: Although he was on the trading block it was still a bit of a shock to see the Yankees trade their longtime star slugger Mario Aguilar to the Dodgers for 3 prospects. Won't miss pitching to him.

March 5: Gavin Lux, who at 38 had a tremendous comeback season with Baltimore last year (.271-43-106), was traded to Columbus for a couple of prospects.

March 18: Mookie Betts - still playing at age 44 - signed a 1-year deal with the Yankees for $3.2M. He was .259-17-60 in 270 AB with Baltimore last year.

March 23: More ancient players on the move - former Ray standout from the 20s Brandon Marsh (39) signs for 1/4.6 with the Yankees after hitting .217 last year with the Dodgers; Cody Bellinger (41) comes full circle and returns to the Dodgers after missing most of last season on a 1/2.2 deal, and 37-year-old Jordan Groshans, after spending the last decade or so in Philly, signs for 1/4.6 with Minnesota.

March 30: Dorian Gonzalez, who was our SS in September and through the playoffs with Jeff Baez injured, signed a 1/4.2 deal with the Yankees. I was hoping he'd go unsigned and I'd get him on a minor league deal, but sadly not.

[Art Deco]

Well we had a slew of players who were out of options which made the opening day roster a bit tricky. First of all we dealt Eric Riley to the Rangers for Franklin Chavarria, a young pitcher who made it as high as AAA but doesn't have to go on the 40-man. Chavarria projects as an average starting pitcher, so I think we did well there. Also I had to put P Jose Espinoza and IF Andy Vasquez on waivers. If we lose Vasquez we're very thin in the middle infield especially with Jeff Baez being fragile, so the move would be to sign a vet to play at Durham. Finally I wanted to have Vinny Willard and Chris Toombs on the staff but as they have options, they're going to Durham. Also I have decided that Jeremy Curtis will pitch long relief instead of being in the rotation.

So here is the Opening Day roster:

C-Quintana, McKee
1B-Vasquez, Jimenez (DH)
2B-Hardaway
SS-Baez
3B-Angeac
IF-Gebers
OF-Ayala, O.Rodriguez, Titcombe, Hayes, Daniel Malone

SP-Carsello, Soranno, Kerstetter, Adams, Vega
LR-Curtis, Rey
MR-Wherry, Hoyte, Bertone
SU-Medina, Siqueiros, Golunski
CL-Kawase

Rey, acquired in the offseason, is out of options so he made the team although ideally I'd have Toombs up.

Here are the preseason predictions, 104 wins is down for us mainly because the pitching is not supposed to be as good this year and I kind of agree with that. Of course this doesn't take into account Nate Thompson since he's on the IL and will be ready a bit sooner than originally projected - he should be ready for rehab at Durham when their season starts a week after ours.

[Art Deco]

Opening Day at Publix Park...



And it was more of the same as the Rays opened defense of their World Series title with a comfortable 7-0 win over Baltimore behind a brilliant outing for former Oriole Josh Carsello. A couple of players made their Rays debuts: Daniel Malone started in center against lefty Zach Farese and went 1-5 while Tony Rey pitched two scoreless innings to complete the shutout.

Game 2: The Orioles have a good young pitcher in Chad Gardner, who was ranked high as the #11 prospect in baseball before his recall late last year, and he shut down the Rays today in a 4-1 Baltimore win at Publix Park. A Jon Jimenez homer in the 8th was the only run they managed as the Rays were held to 6 hits overall. Jon Soranno started and gave up a 2-run homer in the 1st to the ancient Amed Rosario, and allowed another off his own error as he went 5 7 3 2 1 6. Willie Bertone turned in 2 scoreless innings before Billy Hoyte served up a same-handed homer to former Rays farmhand Danny Roush and then hit another former Ray, Mike Harms, sparking a brawl which saw Hoyte suspended for 4 games. Jeremy Curtis made his Rays debut with 2 perfect innings in relief of Hoyte.

April 8: Lost IF Andy Vasquez to Cincinnati on waivers.

The damn Reds do it again as last year at this time they claimed Robbie Salazar when we waived him. It's going to be time to find a backup MI option among veteran free agents to play at Durham.

Game 3: Another hard-fought low-scoring game saw the Rays make it 2 of 3 to start the season with a 3-2 win. Kevin Kerstetter was back in 2035 form, going 7 6 2 2 0 5 with the second run scoring after he left and picking up the win. Tim Siqueiros took care of the 8th despite allowing an RBI single and Kikuo Kawase struck out the side for the save in his season debut. Omar Rodriguez's 2-run homer in the 1st, his first, made it 2-0 and Jaiden Hardaway's RBI single proved the difference on a day when another much-heralded young Oriole pitcher, Brad Jackson, pitched very well.

Team record: 2-1. Next up: An off-day then we visit Columbus for the weekend.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays never seem to have a lot of success at Nationwide Ballpark, and tonight was no different as they dropped a 3-2 decision in 12 innings. Ron Adams started and pitched well (7 6 2 2 2 4) and Tim Siqueiros, Jim Golunski and Kikuo Kawase got out of jams in the 8th through 10th (Kawase pitched around a leadoff triple in the 10th) before the Lightning got to Tony Rey for a run in the 12th. Not much offense of course but the highlight was the sight of the lumbering Eric Titcombe chugging it around the bases on an inside-the-park homer, his 1st of the year, in the 3rd.

Game 2: Alfredo Vega was efficient and the Rays' offense came to play tonight as they took a 7-4 win in Columbus. Vega went 8 7 4 3 0 5 on only 75 pitches before Jim Golunski fanned a pair in the 9th for his 1st save with Kikuo Kawase unavailable after throwing 35 pitches last night. The bats put 6 runs on the board by the 4th with Jon Jimenez delivering a pair of RBI singles, Daniel Vasquez adding a 2-run single and Jaiden Hardaway going 3-5 with an RBI. Omar Rodriguez gave them a little more breathing room with HR #2 in the 9th.

Game 3: Josh Carsello made it 2-for-2 in brilliant starts this year as he went 7 5 1 1 0 7 to improve to 2-0 in a 6-2 win over the Lightning at Nationwide Ballpark. The lefty was in command throughout, with Danny Medina allowing a run in the 8th and Mike Wherry pitching a scoreless 9th in his first appearance of the year. The Rays chased reigning NL Cy Young winner Josh Doyle in the 4th with a 5-run inning that saw Doyle walk a pair with the bases loaded and give up a 2-run single to Jaiden Hardaway. Daniel Malone, who had one of those bases-loaded walks, homered in the first time in the big leagues with a solo shot in the 6th.

Team record: 4-2. Next up: 4 games in Toronto.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays dropped their second extra-inning affair in 4 games with a 4-3 loss in 12 at Toronto. Jaiden Hardaway's RBI single in the 9th tied it up, but in the bottom of the 12th Willie Bertone gave up an RBI double and the Jays walked it off. Hardaway was on base 5 times with 3 hits and 2 walks but got little support from his mates. Jon Soranno started and pitched decently, going 6.1 3 3 2 2 5 and the bullpen did well until Bertone blinked in the 12th. Kikuo Kawase had to leave after facing 2 batters in the 10th wild a mild calf strain described as "minimal" and which will nag him for a week, so we'll try to limit his usage. Danny Ayala is off to a rough start, 1-26 to start the season and his sac fly tonight was his first RBI.

Game 2: The Rays' mediocre start to 2037 continues as they fall 9-4 to the Blue Jays. The pitching was putrid, starting with Kevin Kersetter who went 4 7 6 5 3 3, Tony Rey gave up a run in his 3 innings of work and Billy Hoyte was hit hard for 2 runs in the 8th. The offense continues to sputter with the only highlights Jeff Baez's 1st homer of the year, a 3-run blast which got them briefly within 5-3 and a solo blast from Eric Titcombe (#2). Danny Ayala was 1-5 and is hitting .065 while Daniel Vasquez was 0-4 and sits at .037.

Game 3: Tampa Bay squandered a 6-3 lead but for a change extra innings were kind to them as a 3-run gave them a 9-6 win over Toronto and they avoided losing their third straight to the Jays. Jeff Baez was the star today, first blasting a homering for the second straight day and equaling his 2036 total, and then delivering the game-winner in the 10th, a 2-run bases-loaded single with 1 out. Eric Titcombe also homered for the second straight day (#3) with a man on and Daniel Malone drove in a pair with a double and a sac fly. They had to overcome another poor start, as Ron Adams went 6 9 5 5 1 3, while Danny Medina blew the save by allowing a homer in the 8th before Tim Siqueiros pitched 2 perfect innings, saving his own win.

Game 4: It was one of those games and the Rays salvaged a split of the series by prevailing 14-9 in a slugfest with the Jays. The Rays blew leads of 2-0 and 6-2 before finally going ahead for good with a 5-run 7th but Toronto kept clawing back. There were offensive highlights galore, of course, as Tampa Bay bashed six homers including the 1st of the year from Danny Ayala (before he was later ejected for arguing a called third strike), and the first two of the year from Daniel Vasquez. Omar Rodriguez had a 2-run homer (#3) and an RBI double, Will Quintana hit his first of the year, and Jon Jimenez went deep for #3. Daniel Malone had a big 2-run double in that 7th inning after coming in for Ayala and Eric Titcombe added a 2-run single. Alfredo Vega started and pitched well through 5 before allowing 1 and leaving with two on in the 6th, and Willie Bertone promptly gave up a 3-run homer to let Toronto tie. He was terrible after that in the 7th and Jeremy Curtis had to bail him out before allowing a run of his own with Jim Golunski finally putting a stop to the nonsense by retiring all 4 Jays he faced for save #2. Bertone was credited with the win despite his poor outing.

Team record: 6-4. Next up: Back home for a weekend set against the Yankees, whom we trail by 1/2 game. They have a new look, saying goodbye to Mario Aguilar and bringing in former Rays like Brandon Marsh and Dorian Gonzalez, along with the ageless Mookie Betts, Carter Kieboom and a return engagement with Victor Robles.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Josh Carsello was brilliant yet again as the Rays took a 6-3 win over the Yankees at Publix Park and moved into first place in the AL East. The lefty went to 3-0, 0.82 with an 8 6 1 1 2 10 outing. Billy Hoyte continued his early-season struggles by giving up a couple of runs in the 9th before Tim Siqueiros had to get the final out and his first save of the season. Jaiden Hardaway got things going against Yankee ace Eric Peterson with his first homer of the year, Bo Angeac added his 2nd, and Will Quintana was 3-4 with an RBI to pace the offense.

Game 2: The Rays took advantage of an uncharacteristically wild Leo Ortega today and rolled to a 7-1 win over the Yankees. The former Rays righty, who usually walks about 12-15 men a season, issued 4 bases on balls to go with 5 hits allowed and Tampa Bay put up a 5-spot in the 5th to chase him and break the game open. Jeff Baez, off to a roaring start, had the big hit with an RBI double to break a 1-1 tie before Jon Jimenez and Eric Titcombe added 2-run singles. That was more than enough for Jon Soranno, who went 7.1 8 1 0 1 6 to get his first win of the year even though he has a 1.93 ERA and a 4/17 BB/K ratio in 18.2 innings. Tony Rey got the final 5 outs in order to finish off the game.

Nate Thompson rehab update: The reigning AL Cy Young winner continued his comeback from shoulder inflammation with a 5 4 0 0 1 3 on 66 pitches in his 2nd rehab start for Durham. He'll need at least one more start, perhaps two, before rejoining the rotation.

Game 3: Tampa Bay completed the sweep of the Yankees with a hard-fought 3-0 win. Kevin Kerstetter was in fine form, going 6.1 8 0 0 1 8 on 86 pitches and improving to 2-1, 3.63 with Danny Medina fanning 4 in 1 2/3 of relief of KK and our other KK, Kikuo Kawase, coming back from his hamstring strain and pitching the 9th for save #2. Daniel Vasquez had a first-inning RBI single and it remained 1-0 until the 7th when the Rays got a run on a wild pitch and an Eric Titcombe sac fly. Jaiden Hardaway scored two of the runs, going 3-5 and raising his BA to .407.

Team record: 9-4. Next up: An off-day then Boston comes to town for 3.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: It was an old-fashioned beatdown at Publix Park as the Rays routed the Red Sox 12-0 behind 6 homers from the bats and 7 shutout innings from Ron Adams. Omar Rodriguez homered twice to give him 5 and that's how many runs he drove in, Bo Angeac also went deep twice with #s 3 and 4, and Danny Ayala (#2) and Eric Titcombe (#4) also found the seats. Adams meanwhile turned in his best start of the year going 7 2 0 0 2 7 and Willie Bertone snapped out of his funk with 2 scoreless innings of his own to complete the shutout.

Game 2: Daniel Vasquez broke a 4-4 tie in the 7th with a 3-run homer and the Rays went on to take a 9-4 decision over Boston. Vasquez, off to a slow start this season, hit his 3rd of the year after the Rays had squandered previous chances to go ahead, including a bases-loaded nobody out situation in the 6th. Omar Rodriguez put the game away in the 8th with a 2-run shot, his 6th. Jeff Baez continued his hot start with a 2-run double (he's .396-2-12), Jaiden Hardaway was 3-5 with an RBI, and Eric Titcombe was 2-4 with an RBI. Alfredo Vega started and struggled somewhat, going 5 5 4 3 0 6 with another homer yielded before the staff's forgotten man, Jeremy Curtis, went 3 shutout innings for his first Rays win with Tony Rey taking care of the 9th.

Game 3: The Rays weren't their best today but they managed to scrape out a 5-4 win over Boston to make it 8 straight triumphs. Josh Carsello turned in his first relatively poor start of the season, giving up a 3-run homer in the 2nd and finishing 5 9 4 4 0 7 but the bullpen held Boston from there, enabling the comeback. Billy Hoyte, who had yet to make an effective appearance this year, turned in two scoreless innings and wound up with the win when Daniel Vasquez came through with the big hit again, a 2-run HR (#4) to tie it in the 6th before Jeff Baez doubled and scored on Daniel Malone's sac fly in the 7th. Bo Angeac drove in the first two runs with a single and a solo HR (#5). Tim Siqueiros took care of the 8th and then Kikuo Kawase made it interesting in the 9th, giving up a leadoff single ahead of Eric Titcombe's two-base error putting men on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. But KK got a grounder at the drawn-in infield and then whiffed the next two for save #3.

Team record: 12-4. Next up: Toronto visits for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays saw their 8-game win streak snapped when their comeback fell short in a 6-5 loss to Toronto at Publix Park. Jon Soranno started and was not very good, allowing runs in each of the first 3 innings then 3 more in the 5th to finish 4.1 7 6 6 2 4 and drop to 1-2. Tony Rey kept them in it with 3 2/3 scoreless but the offense wasted numerous early chances, getting 11 baserunners in 5 innings against Toronto starter Dave Collins but only scoring twice. A 3-run 7th keyed by Danny Ayala's 3rd homer got them within one, but they couldn't get over the hump. Will Quintana was 2-3 with 2 RBI. The Jays are off to a hot start as well, and this win pulls them within one of the Rays, whom they've beaten in 3 of 5 so far this season.

Nate Thompson rehab update: 7 3 1 1 0 5 on 83 pitches at Durham in his 3rd start. I think he's ready to come back.

Game 2: A win could have brought the Blue Jays into a tie with the Rays atop the AL East, but they didn't even come close as the Rays annihilated them 12-0 tonight. Despite an offense which banged out 18 hits and drew 8 walks, we'll start with Kevin Kerstetter who was in vintage 2035 form going 7 5 0 0 0 8 to improve to 3-1, 2.59. Willie Bertone went the final two scoreless to combine for the shutout. As for the offense, well it's one of those nights where I'll let the box score do the talking:



Game 3: The Rays shut out the Jays again and this time it was a one-man affair as Ron Adams twirled a 2-hitter for his first MLB shutout in a 7-0 win. Adams set down the first 18 Blue Jays before giving up a leadoff double in the 7th, walking 1 and fanning 6. Adams has now gone 16 shutout innings in his last two starts, allowing only 4 hits, and is now 2-0, 2.17 for the season. Oddly he's only whiffed 20 in 29 IP this year despite fanning 268 over 204 IP the last two seasons. Omar Rodriguez got the offense going with a 2-run shot in the 1st (#7) before having to exit with a strained rib cage muscle in the 6th. It's considered a minimal injury but will nag him for about 10-11 days, so an IL stint is a possibility. Jon Jimenez (#3) and Daniel Vasquez (#5, to go with an RBI double) had solo shots in the 3rd and Jeff Hayes contributed a 2-run single.

Team record: 14-5, now 3 ahead of the Jays. Next up: We hit the road as a lengthy stretch of games in our division continues with 3 at Yankee Stadium.

[Art Deco]

With Nate Thompson about to come off the IL we needed to make room in both the rotation and on the staff, so we swung a couple of deals.

As Thompson is going to take Alfredo Vega's spot in the rotation, I felt it best to move Vega especially as he's going to get more expensive in arbitration next year, hence this deal:



What are we getting in Gates?



We're going to use him as a long reliever but he has a good shot at next year's rotation when Thompson leaves. There's nothing not to like here, and as a starter the stuff only drops to 65. Gates is only arb-eligible for the first time this winter, so as a reliever he'll barely make $1M.

This still doesn't open up a slot on the pitching staff, so there was another deal:



Gates slides into Bertone's long relief role. Bertone was outstanding last year but Gates is an upgrade. When I acquired Bertone from San Diego 3 years ago I had hoped he'd become a starter, but injuries and the failure to develop a third pitch meant that wasn't going to happen. So he along with our 3rd-round pick from last year (Medina, who is a finesse/control type whose ceiling is 5th starter) brought us Castrellon, who is an impact bat. A look under the hood:



We're putting Omar Rodriguez on the IL so Castrellon will join the team but projects to play at Durham once O-Rod is back. Castrellon already has hit a couple of homers for the M's, has no weaknesses as a hitter and should be able to put up a .900+ OPS in the bigs.

[Art Deco]

April 27: Placed OF Omar Rodriguez on the 10-day IL with a strained rib cage muscle, recalled P Steve Abeles from AAA Durham.

Abeles will be up for a few days until Nate Thompson is recalled. The lefty was acquired just before the 2034 trade deadline and has pitched well at Durham the past couple of years in a multi-inning relief role with 65/60/60 ratings.

Game 1: Rays pitching put its third straight shutout on the board as Jeremy Curtis excelled in his fill-in start and the Rays took a 6-0 win at Yankee Stadium. Curtis, acquired for Josh Hanna in the offseason but relegated to long relief, took the traded Alfredo Vega's spot tonight and made his case for more starts by going 6 4 0 0 2 5. Tim Siqueiros, Jim Golunski and Tony Rey each chipped in an inning. Jaiden Hardaway set the tone by homering (#3) to lead off the game, and the next three batters doubled to bring home two more. The 3-0 lead held until the bats tacked on 3 more in the final two innings.

Game 2: The Rays' shutout streak of 35 2/3 innings came to an end in the 5th when Josh Carsello allowed a run, but that was the only run he allowed as the Rays sent the Yankees (who started the year 6-3) to their 12th straight defeat 4-1. It was a 1-1 game going into the 9th with Bo Angeac's 6th homer of the year the only tally, but Jon Jimenez came through with an RBI double and Daniel Vasquez added an RBI single before Jeff Baez walked with the bases loaded to force home run #4. Carsello was excellent as usual, going 7.1 5 1 1 4 5 but Tim Siqueiros notched win #2 by getting the final 2 outs of the 8th with Kikuo Kawase fanning 2 in a 1-2-3 9th for save #4. Jesus Castrellon made his Rays debut in RF tonight and went 1-4 with an 8th-inning double.

Game 3: Jon Soranno had another brutal outing and the Yankees ended their 12-game losing streak with an 8-3 win over the Rays. Soranno allowed 3 runs in the 1st and then 4 more in the 2nd to finish 2.1 5 7 7 3 2 after allowing 6 runs in his previous start. Newly-acquired Tim Gates wasn't much relief in relief as he allowed 2 of Soranno's runners to score and one of his own before the inning was over with New York up 8-0. He settled down over the next two innings and Steve Abeles, in his MLB debut, was excellent going 3 2 0 0 0 4, but the damage was done. The offense was stifled, with Jim Gebers' 2-4 with an RBI the only performance worth noting.

Team record: 16-6. Next up: An off-day then a weekend in Baltimore.

[Art Deco]

A couple of players of the month:





Hill is our #2 prospect, ranked #74 overall, and the kid can rake. He's not much of a defensive OF so his future is at DH, but he'll hit.

May 1: Activated Nate Thompson from his rehab assignment at AAA Durham, optioned P Steve Abeles to AAA Durham.

Game 1: There's something about Camden Yards that brings out the worst in Kikuo Kawase at least once a year, and after last year's epic meltdown he did it again, blowing a 5-4 lead in the 9th by giving up 3 singles and a sac fly as the Rays fell 6-5 to the Orioles. Mike Harms haunted his old team by hitting the game-winning sac fly as well as a sac fly in the 7th which tied it at 4. Nate Thompson made his 2037 debut and it was a mixed bag, going 4.2 7 3 3 1 5 and allowing a couple of homers, Mike Wherry went 2 1/3 allowing a run and Jim Golunski struck out the side in the 8th. On offense they scored on a wild pitch in the top of the 9th to take the lead, and earlier Daniel Vasquez had a big pinch-hit 2 run HR (#6) and Danny Ayala had a pair of RBI singles. The loss marks a rare instance when the Rays don't have the best record in MLB after Kansas City won tonight to go 17-7.

Game 2: The Rays snapped their mini 2-game losing streak by outlasting the Orioles 9-6 in Baltimore. They blasted four homers, none bigger than Daniel Malone's 3-run shot (#2) in the 6th which turned a 5-4 Rays lead into an 8-4 one. Jaiden Hardaway led off the game with #4, Jeff Baez exceeded 2036's total with his 3rd, and Eric Titcombe had a pinch-solo shot (#6) in the 8th off former Rays mainstay Shane McClanahan. Baez was on base all four times up tonight, including a double and 2 walks to go with the homer, is hitting 372/443/570 and leads the AL in WAR at 1.6. Kevin Kerstetter started and went to 4-1 as he had a 5 4 4 4 1 9 outing which saw him yield a couple of homers. Jeremy Curtis went 3 strong innings in relief allowing one earned run, and Kikuo Kawase got redemption tonight with a scoreless 9th, striking out a pair for save #5. (Oh and with a KC loss tonight, they have the best record in MLB again).

MLB Note: Philly's Gleyber Torres, now 40, hit his 700th career homer tonight. He's 5th on the all-time list behind Bonds, Aaron, Trout and Ruth.

Game 3: The Rays took the rubber game of the series 7-3 over Baltimore behind a career game from Will Quintana. The Rays' backstop was 4-4 with a pair of homers (giving him 3) and 3 RBI to lead the attack, while Bo Angeac also lost a pair in the seats and drove in 3 to up his season total to 8 as he's hitting a cool 386/469/699. Ron Adams started and while his shutout streak ended at 18 innings he still got the win going 6.1 10 3 3 0 7 to improve to 3-0, 2.55. Jim Golunski went 1 2/3 and Danny Medina pitched the 9th. The Rays overcame a 5-hit performance from Baltimore's Jose Serrano, including a double and a triple.

Team record: 18-7. Meanwhile the pesky Blue Jays keep winning and are 17-9 themselves, only 1 1/2 back. Next up: Our run of 22 straight games against AL East teams finally reaches its conclusion with 3 games in Boston.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays rallied late to take a 6-3 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Jon Jimenez broke a 3-3 tie in the 8th with HR #4, and later in the inning Jesus Castrellon picked up his first Rays RBI with a double before Danny Ayala added insurance in the 9th with an RBI double. Daniel Malone had a 2-run homer (#3) to put Tampa Bay ahead early. Josh Carsello started and pitched well (6 4 2 2 4 7) but Mike Wherry cost him the win with a run allowed in the 7th. Tim Siqueiros had to get him out of the inning and ended up with win #3 while Kikuo Kawase struck out the side after a leadoff single for save #6.

Game 2: Boston took a 6-5 win over the Rays in 11 innings, and with Toronto winning yet again the Rays' lead in the AL East is 1/2 game despite holding a 19-8 record. Jon Sorrano turned in his third straight terrible start (4 9 5 5 2 5), squandering a pair of leads the Rays got him. But Sox pitching shut down the Rays for the final 6 innings of the game and struck out 19 Rays in total. Jeff Baez led the attack with 3 RBI on a pair of doubles and Mike McKee doubled twice and drove in a run. 5 Rays relievers followed Soranno with Tony Rey taking the loss. Jim Golunski had to leave with what turned out to be biceps tendinitis and will miss 3 weeks.

May 6: Placed P Jim Golunski on the 10-day IL with biceps tendinitis, recalled P Chris Toombs from AAA Durham.

I was looking for Toombs to make the Opening Day roster but the numbers didn't work out. He was our 4th round pick in 2033 and has turned into an excellent lefty reliever, coming off a spectacular season at Durham last year which saw him with an 0.80 ERA in 56.1 IP, a 13/80 BB/K ratio and only 2 homers allowed. He's had a rougher start this year but most of it was due to one horrible outing.

Game 3: The Rays bounced back from last night's loss with a 7-2 win over Boston behind Nate Thompson and 3 homers. The reigning AL Cy Young winner made his second start and it was much better than his first, even if he gave up a first-inning 2-run homer. Thompson ended up 6.1 5 2 2 2 8 in picking up his first win, and he was relieved by Chris Toombs, making his MLB debut and it was an impressive one as he retired all 5 Red Sox he faced with a pair of whiffs. Billy Hoyte cleaned up the 9th. Jaiden Hardaway hit one of his patented leadoff homers (#5) and Jon Jimenez also went deep (#5) as the Rays put 3 on the board in the 1st. Daniel Malone tripled and homered (#4) and Jeff Baez continued his doubles binge by hitting 3 more tonight giving him 13 in 27 games already.

Team record 20-8. Those red-hot Blue Jays won their 9th straight to stay 1/2 back at 20-9 so we continue to have a rare division race on our hands. Next up: We return home and finally face someone not from the AL East as Texas comes to town for 4 games.

[Art Deco]

May 7: Activated OF Omar Rodriguez from the 10-day IL, optioned OF Jesus Castrellon to AAA Durham.

Game 1: The Rays' offense was stymied tonight by Texas pitching, only managing 5 hits in a 3-1 loss to the Rangers at Publix Park. Joel LeFevre and 2 relievers did the job despite collectively walking 5 and whiffing only 2, but a key double play in the 9th and a man thrown out at the plate helped. Kevin Kerstetter started and had another game where he struck out a lot of guys but gave up runs, going 5 5 3 3 3 8. The bullpen held for a comeback that never came, with Tim Gates going 2, Tony Rey 1 1/3 and Chris Toombs retiring both men he faced, making him 7-for-7 since debuting. The Blue Jays were idle so the Rays dropped into a first-place tie with them.

Durham News: Vinny Willard, who really has no business being in the minors, pitched a 1-hit shutout tonight for Durham over Buffalo in a 5-0 win. Willard didn't walk anybody and faced one over the minimum, a leadoff double he allowed in the 6th as he fanned 9. He's now 4-1, 1.79 for the Bulls.

Game 2: It was deja vu all over again for the Rays as their offense remained AWOL in a 4-1 loss to Texas, and combined with a Toronto win over Boston, Tampa Bay finds itself in 2nd place in the AL East, uncharted territory in recent years for this team over a month into the season. Today it was veteran Edwin Harty who held them down, along with former Ray Eric Riley who went 2 1/3 scoreless. Danny Ayala's 4th HR of the year in the 2nd was the alpha and omega of their scoring. Ron Adams started and was fine until he hit the wall in the 6th, allowing 3 runs to snap a 1-1 tie. Danny Medina didn't help, walking two men to force in Adams' 4th run as Adams finished 5.1 7 4 4 2 7 to suffer his first loss of the season.

Game 3: The Rays' inability to beat Texas continued today in a 5-3 loss at Publix Park, their third straight in the series. Josh Carsello struggled throughout, going 4 4 4 2 3 6 but taking 106 pitches to do so, and Tony Rey wasn't much better in relief, allowing one of Carsello's men to score along with one of his own. Meanwhile the offense was largely non-existent again outside of Jaiden Hardaway, who was 3-4 with a pair of solo homers giving him 7. A couple of former Rays properties who played at Durham last year had a hand in their demise: Camren Nethercutt, taken in the Rule 5 draft, got the win going 5.1 5 2 2 1 4 with only Hardaway solving him, and Tim Carizosa, a 2030 supplemental 1st-round pick of ours who became a minor league free agent, had a 2-run single in the 1st. Fortunately Toronto saw their 10-game winning streak snapped so they only remain one game ahead of the Rays.

Game 4: Well this was one of the more extraordinary games I've played out. It started off anything but, and I'll pick it up where it was most dull - in the middle of the 9th. Texas had just scored another run to take a 5-1 lead and it looked like it would end up just like the previous 3 games, a Rays loss with little offense. And although Bo Angeac led off the 9th with his 9th homer, it seemed little more than a consolation run. But they put two more on with two out against Ranger closer Jeff Lavender, and of all people Will Quintana came through with a dramatic 3-run blast (#4) to miraculously even the score. The Rays had glorious chances to win it in the 10th and 11th, loading the bases and putting two men on respectively, but couldn't get the winner home. And that looked fatal when Jeremy Curtis gave up a 3-run homer in the top of the 12th to make it 8-5 Rangers. But somehow the Rays rallied in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases with one out then getting runs on a passed ball and an infield groundout. So once again it was two out and Will Quintana at the plate, and he came through again with an RBI single to tie it one more time. We move to the top of the 14th when Texas takes the lead yet again thanks to a passed ball and an outfield error to go ahead 9-8. But Eric Titcombe leads off the bottom of the inning with HR #7 to tie it up at 9, and two outs later Jaiden Hardaway goes yard with #8, a walk-off winner which sent the Publix Park crowd into delirium, a game those fans will never forget. Billy Hoyte got win #2 after throwing one pitch to retire the final batter in the top of the 14th, because why not? The resilience of a champion was enough to keep them one game behind Toronto, which won again.

Team record: 21-11. Next up: After a 4-game break from the AL East on the heels of 22 straight against the division, we're back in it as the Yankees come to town for 4 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Behind the arm of Nate Thompson and the bat of Jeff Baez, the Rays took a 7-1 win over the Yankees in their series opener at Publix Park. Thompson continues to round into form, going 6 6 1 1 1 8 for his second win in three starts since coming off the IL. Tim Gates pitched the 7th and Billy Hoyte went the final two innings for his first save after staying in when the lead grew. And it grew thanks to Baez, who homered in the 5th to make it 3-1 and then homered again with 2 men on to break it open in the 8th as he now has 5 for the season. Eric Titcombe drove in the first two runs with a single in the 4th and Jon Jimenez added a solo shot (#7) in the 8th after Baez's 2nd blast. Toronto continues to win so the Rays continue to trail them by a game.

Game 2: Kevin Kerstetter went 6 strong innings and the bats provided just enough offense in a 4-2 win over the Yankees. The lefty went 6 5 2 2 2 7 to improve to 5-2, 3.57, surviving a rough first inning with the bases loaded and nobody out allowing just one run. Tim Gates continued to impress with 2 scoreless innings as the pen still recovers from Sunday's game, and Tim Siqueiros took the 9th for save #2. Eric Titcombe and Omar Rodriguez each hit HR #8 of the season with O-Rod's solo shot in the 5th putting the Rays ahead to stay 3-2. Jeff Baez continues to be in the thick of things, driving in the other two runs with a bases-loaded walk and a sac fly. The Jays won as usual, so it's status quo in the division.

Game 3: The Rays had to endure another lengthy extra-inning game as it took them 13 innings to finally dispatch the Yankees 6-5 when Omar Rodriguez doubled in Jaiden Hardaway, who had singled and stolen second, for the game-winner. But the big news of the day came in the top of the 10th when Mike Wherry walked the first two Yankees to lead off the inning. This brought up New York SS Mike Milliken, and he lined one to Jim Gebers at SS as the Yankees put on the hit-and-run and Gebers flipped to Hardaway who flipped to Daniel Vasquez for A TRIPLE PLAY!!! This is the 18th season in this save which has seen nearly 3,000 games played and the first time I've ever had the Rays turn a triple play (or hit into one for that matter):



We got to extras thanks to a Rays comeback as Ron Adams put them in a first-inning 4-0 hole, and left down 5-2 after going 6.1 10 5 5 1 7. Tony Rey ended up with his first Rays win after pitching the 13th. Vasquez's 2-run single in the 7th tied it up, Bo Angeac was 3-4 with 2 walks and an RBI and Hardaway was on base 5 times with 3 hits and 2 walks. The Blue Jays of course never lose and stay 1 up on the Rays.

Game 4: The Rays completed the sweep of the Yankees 8-0 behind a dominant outing from Josh Carsello. The ace lefty was 7 1 0 0 2 8 as he improves to 4-1, 1.93 and he and Tony Rey, who went the final 2 innings, combined on a 2-hit shutout. The offense was led by Danny Ayala, who smacked a 2-run HR (#5) as he seeks to get going with only a .193 BA, Jaiden Hardaway (of course) who was 2-4 with a walk and a 2-run double, and Daniel Vasquez, who launched HR #7 as part of a 3-hit day. Toronto refuses to lose, beating Houston 3-2 in 16 innings today, so no change in the division.

Team record: 25-11. Next up: 3 games in Minnesota.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: It was kind of an odd game which the Rays held on to win 9-8, making it 6 straight for Tampa Bay. It was 4-4 until the 7th when they broke it open with 5 runs as Will Quintana's 2-run double was the big hit off former Ray Chris Hicks. But speaking of pitchers not doing well against their old teams, recent former Twin Tim Gates served up a grand slam in the 8th to allow Minnesota within one. With much of the pen tired, Danny Medina stepped in and got the final 4 outs, all on strikeouts, to notch his 1st save of the year. Jon Soranno had started and managed his 2nd win with a 6 5 4 3 2 4 outing - not great, not terrible. Daniel Malone and Omar Rodriguez had big days at the plate, each going 3 for 5 with Malone doubling and homering (#5) and O-Rod driving in a pair. They also scored 3 runs tonight hitting into double plays, which has to be some kind of record. Meanwhile believe it or not, Toronto lost (just barely, 2-1 to Houston) so the Rays are back in a tie for first.

Game 2: Today's game was hyped as a showdown between the last two AL Cy Young winners, the Rays' Nate Thompson and Minnesota's Jim Robinson, but it turned out anything but in an 8-4 Tampa Bay win, their 7th straight. Thompson had to leave two outs into the first inning with a sprained elbow which will keep him out a week. Jeremy Curtis took over for him and put the "long" in long relief going 6.1 6 3 3 2 4 to pick up his third win, and he'll take Thompson's upcoming turn in the rotation. Tim Siqueiros pitched the 8th and Billy Hoyte was given the ball up 8-3 in the 9th but gave up a run, left the bases loaded, and needed Kikuo Kawase to come in and get the final out for save #7. In fairness to Hoyte, he would have been out of it if not for a Jaiden Hardaway error. Robinson obviously didn't hold up his end of the bargain either as the Rays chased him with 4 in the 4th, the big blow a 3-run homer from Danny Ayala (#6). Bo Angeac added a 2-run shot (#10) as well. Toronto got back in the win column so they remain tied with the Rays for first.

Game 3: The Rays completed the sweep of Minnesota and made it 8 straight wins behind 7 shutout innings from Kevin Kerstetter in a 4-1 decision. The lefty was 7 6 0 0 2 8 today to improve to 6-2, 3.04. Danny Medina gave up a homer in the 8th before Kikuo Kawase fanned a pair of Twins in a 1-2-3 9th for save #8. Eric Titcombe had the game's big hit, a 2-run homer (#9) to cap a 3-run 2nd, while Danny Ayala was 3-4 with an RBI. Another Blue Jays win keeps them tied with the Rays.

Team record: 28-11. Next up: An off-day then we play our first interleague series of the year, a 2-game set in Atlanta.

[Art Deco]

May 18: Claimed P/1B Camren Nethercutt off waivers from Texas, optioned him to AAA Durham.

We have the two-way guy back after the White Sox took him from us in the Rule 5 Draft in the 35/36 offseason. They traded him to Texas (from whom we originally acquired him) and the Rangers waived him. With 3 open 40-man spots and 2 options left, I thought "why the hell not?". He's about a league-average starter and a .280-20 HR hitter so he has value.

Game 1: Our first taste of interleague play this year was a bitter one, as Atlanta pounded Josh Carsello for 7 runs in 1 1/3 innings and that turned out to be all the scoring in a 7-0 loss. The lefty, who had pitching like a Cy Young contender so far this season, just didn't have it. Only nice thing I can say about the game is that Tony Rey went 3 2/3 scoreless and Tim Gates 3 in relief. That bats only managed 5 hits all night. Fortunately Toronto lost tonight but they did win yesterday while we were idle so we're back in second 1/2 game back.

Game 2: The Rays are happy that this was only a 2-game series as they were clocked again by Atlanta 6-2. Ron Adams was the latest starter to be ambushed early as he was hit for 6 runs in the first 3 innings. He made it through 5 going 5 8 6 6 1 6 and Billy Hoyte had his best outing of the season in relief going 3 scoreless with 6 Ks but it was largely academic. The bats only had 4 hits tonight, although they at least scored a couple of runs on a Jaiden Hardaway double and Daniel Vasquez's 8th homer of the year.

Team record: 28-13. Toronto won tonight, so the Rays now find themselves 1 1/2 out of first. Next up: Back to the friendly confines of Publix Park for 4 against Oakland.