The 2021 (and only 2021) Tampa Bay Rays - Page 66

Art Deco · 11-09-2023, 08:41 AM

The Rays took 2 of 3 from the Rangers and moved within 2 1/2 of Toronto while holding firm to the second wild card.

Joe Marlette was in dominant form as the Rays took the opener 5-1. The ace lefty improved to 5-2, going 7 5 1 1 1 12 and was backed by a couple of big hits. Justin Blackwell's 2-run single capped a 3-run first and Danny Charlton made the lead secure with a 2-run homer (#13) in the 8th.

Transactions: A couple of bullpen pieces returned as closer Eric Lewis and lefty Branden Gammage came off the IL with David Marin and Danny Mauricio returned to Durham. Jordan Rodriguez, who has pitched well in relief, will get a shot in the rotation taking Marin's place.

The second game saw the Rays suffer an ugly 7-1 loss to Texas. Danny Morales (2-4) wasn't that bad but Branden Gammage gave up a key base hit to a lefty to allow 2 runs to score, leaving Morales with a 5.2 8 4 4 1 4 line.

Tampa Bay took the rubber match 4-1 behind a fine Joe Scheu outing and one big hit. Scheu (4-4) turned in his second straight excellent start at 7 2 0 0 2 5 and the Rays scored all 4 of their runs in the 3rd, capped by a bases-clearing Duk-yoon Ko triple.

Team record: 29-23. Next up: The Angels come to the Trop for 3 games.

MLB News: Atlanta's Jasson Dominguez hit HR #500.

Art Deco · 11-11-2023, 09:21 AM

Despite all the injuries and despite some inconsistent play the Rays have finally taken over first place in the AL East from Toronto after a sweep of the Angels and a 6-game losing streak for the Jays, giving Tampa Bay a 1/2-game lead.

Jordan Rodriguez made his first MLB start in the opener and was excellent, throwing 6 shutout innings. But the offense was limp and the bullpen had to pitch 6 shutout innings of its own before Willie Gutierrez finally ended it with a walk-off homer in the 12th (#2) to give the Rays a 1-0 win over the Angels. Rodriguez was 6 3 0 0 2 5 and now has a 1.37 ERA in 19.2 IP since being recalled. The two teams combined for only 11 hits in 24 innings combined and former Angel Jake Bridgewater (1-1) picked up his first Rays win.

Transaction: He's back! The Rays continue to reassemble their full-strength lineup as Wander Franco comes off the IL and Adan Chavarria is sent back to Durham.

After struggling to rub two sticks together yesterday the Rays offense wasted no time getting going in the second game, scoring 6 times in the opening frame on their way to an 8-4 win over the Angels and pounding out 16 hits. Wander Franco marked his return in that inning with an infield single with Danny Arroyave's 3-run homer (#10) the big blow. Bobby Marin added HR #5 later with a man on and Nick Wallerstedt (3-2) was in fine form again at 5 3 2 1 0 7 for the win although his start was cut short with some elbow soreness which won't keep him from his next start.

The Rays completed the sweep with another tidy pitching performance from Joe Marlette and Danny Charlton's 2-run homer (#14) in the 4th stood up in a 2-0 win. Marlette (6-2) took over the MLB pitcher WAR lead at 2.6 after going 6 4 0 0 2 8, lowering his ERA to 2.97. Eric Lewis had to leave after retiring the leadoff man in the 9th with some kind of tweak which wasn't serious so Jake Bridgewater came in and finished the shutout for his 1st Rays save.

Team record: 32-23. Next up: A day off then the White Sox visit for 3.

Art Deco · 11-13-2023, 01:19 PM

Despite the lineup getting back to full strength for this series the Rays still dropped 2 of 3 at home to the White Sox, scoring a combined 4 runs in the two defeats. Fortunately Toronto is on a 9-game losing streak and it's actually now the Yankees who have moved within 1/2 game of the Rays at the top of the division.

Transaction: The last of our missing big pieces of the lineup returned as Luis Berumen came off the IL. Making room for Berumen and going to Durham was Duk-yoon Ko, who has spent most of the season starting in RF against righties but just wasn't producing at 174/307/270. The "Korean Schwarber" got his walks but the production wasn't there with only 4 homers. As a result Mal Stephens, who has produced, gets to stay with the big club.

Things did start off swimmingly in the opener as the Rays handled Chicago 6-1 and got a solo homer from Luis Berumen (#3) in his first game back. The big hit tonight was a 3-run job from Danny Charlton (#15) in the 6th which broke a 1-1 tie. Danny Morales (3-4) was in fine form for the win at 7 8 1 1 0 3.

The Rays lost a tough one in the second game as Ajani Riddick (2-1) gave up a 9th-inning homer and they fell to the White Sox 2-1. Joe Scheu continued on his roll, going 6.2 9 1 1 0 3 but he didn't get any support as the bats only managed five hits with Luis Berumen's RBI knock the only offense.

The clock struck 12 for Jordan Rodriguez as the rookie lefty suffered his first bad outing and the White Sox routed the Rays 11-3 in the finale. Rodriguez (2-1) was hit hard and often, finishing 2.2 6 6 6 3 2 although the defense failed to make some plays behind him. Alex Rivas' 2-run double was the highlight on offense.

Team record: 33-25. Next up: 3 games in Houston where the 36-20 Astros await us.

Art Deco · 11-15-2023, 04:51 PM

Just when we got the gang back together, one of our key cogs re-injured himself and will be out until August. That was the bad news, the good news was that we took 2 of 3 against a 36-20 Houston team in their ballpark.

The opener was a lost cause though as former Ray Jake Baldino stifled them in a 3-1 defeat. Baldino went 6 5 1 1 0 9 against his former team and got the better of Nick Wallerstedt (3-3), who was 5 8 2 2 3 1 and somehow wriggled out of jam after jam for the most part.

The Rays got a typically excellent start from Joe Marlette to win 6-2 and even up the series but the victory came at a high price as Wander Franco succumbed to injury again, this time herniating a disc in his neck which will keep him out 6-7 weeks. Marlette (7-2) went 7 4 2 2 1 7 and he had backing from Claus Hoppenbrouwers (3-5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI), Bobby Marin (3-5 with an RBI) and Danny Charlton (2 RBI including HR #16).

Transaction: Franco of course goes on the IL and to replace him this time we passed up the glove of Adan Chavarria for the bat of Luis Cisneros. Cisneros was a waiver claim from Baltimore in April and hit a sizzling 362/432/780 with 15 HR in 141 AB at Durham. Primarily a 3B (rated 60 there), he'll fill in at 2B for Wander where's he rated 50.

Luis Berumen's dramatic 2-run homer in the 9th (#4) gave the Rays a 5-4 win in the finale over Houston which included a dazzling debut from Luis Cisneros. All Cisneros did in his MLB debut was homer in his first at-bat and reach base all 4 times up on 3 hits and a bases-loaded walk. Danny Morales had a rough start (4 8 4 4 1 3) but the bullpen was spotless after that and enabled the comeback. Alden Segui (2-1) got the win and Eric Lewis handled the 9th for his 11th save.

Team record: 35-26. They needed those two wins to stay 1/2 ahead of the Yankees and 1 1/2 up on Toronto. Next up: An off-day then 3 games in Fenway against the Red Sox.

Art Deco · 11-18-2023, 08:20 AM

A great weekend for the Rays as they went into Fenway and swept the (albeit now 20-43) Red Sox, while the Yankees dropped a couple and the division lead was expanded to 2 1/2 games.

Joe Scheu turned in his fourth straight quality start and the bats took care of the rest in a 6-3 win in the opener over Boston. Scheu (5-4) was 6 8 3 3 2 7 and Jadon Smith went the final two for his 2nd save. Alex Rivas' 2-run single put them up 3-0 in the 2nd and Bobby Marin was 3-5 with an RBI.

Pitching was the coin of the realm in the second game and despite a fair bit of traffic on the bases behind him Nick Wallerstedt got the job done as the Rays squeaked by the Red Sox 2-1. Wallerstedt improved to 4-3 by going 6 7 1 1 3 5 with a couple of DPs turned behind him, and Luis Berumen's 2-run double in the 6th was all the offense needed today. Eric Lewis had a wild 9th, giving up a leadoff single, then erasing him on a double play before loading the bases only to get the final out via whiff for save #12.

The Rays squandered a 4-0 lead in the finale and allowed Boston to even it up, but Danny Arroyave's solo homer (#11) in the 8th meant a 5-4 win and a sweep. Justin Blackwell homered (#3) and drove in a pair to give them the early lead but Jordan Rodriguez couldn't hold it with a Joe Stack error looming large and Boston was level by the 6th. Rodriguez finished 5.1 5 4 2 1 6 and Arroyave's homer made a winner of Alden Segui (3-1) while Jadon Smith saved again (#3).

Team record: 38-26. Next up: An off-day then some interleague action as we head to Washington for a pair against the 28-35 Nationals.

Art Deco · 11-20-2023, 01:55 PM

Rays took a split of the 2-game set in our nation's capital and now hold a 3-game lead over both the Yankees and Jays.

Joe Marlette did Joe Marlette things in the opener, shutting down the Nats as the bats feasted as well in a 9-1 rout. Marlette (8-2) was brilliant at 6 3 1 1 2 8 and Jake Bridgewater went the final 3 scoreless, fanning 5 for his 2nd save. It was a well-balanced attack with 7 of the 9 Rays hitters driving in runs, led by Danny Charlton with HR #17 and 2 RBI while Bobby Marin had 3 hits including HR #6 and Luis Berumen added a solo shot (#5).

Danny Morales doesn't have the kind of stuff that affords him being wild, and unfortunately he couldn't find the plate in a 6-3 loss to Washington. Morales (3-5) couldn't make it through the 2nd, going 1.1 4 5 4 4 0 and putting the team in a 5-0 hole. Justin Blackwell had a 5th-inning solo homer (#5) and then in the 9th Joe Stack (#8) and Bobby Marin (#7) hit solo shots to make the final score respectable.

Team record: 39-27. Next up: An off-day then 3 more interleague games in Miami against our Sunshine State rivals the Marlins who are atop the AL East at 37-29.

Art Deco · 11-23-2023, 01:20 PM

We Meat Loafed Miami, but thanks to a Toronto sweep our division lead has been shaved to 2 games.

Things looked pretty bleak in the opener as Joe Scheu just didn't have it today and Marlins raced out to a 5-0 lead after 3 innings. Scheu was roasted to the tune of 2.2 8 5 5 2 4 and it was still 6-2 after 5. But a 6-run 6th turned it around for the Rays and they went on to win by 5, 12-7, in a game they trailed by 5. Alex Rivas' bases-clearing triple in the 6th put them ahead to stay and Justin Blackwell belted a pair of homers in the late innings for insurance, driving in 3 and giving him 6 for the year. Earlier Luis Berumen (#6) and Danny Arroyave (#12) had solo shots while Jake Bridgewater (2-1) picked up the win in relief.

For the second straight day the Rays fell behind 5-0 but this time there would be no comeback as the Marlins dealt them a 5-1 loss. Nick Wallerstedt (4-4) was off his game today and issued a pair of bases-loaded walks before being lifted in the 5th after going 4.1 5 4 4 4 2. The Rays got their lone run in the 9th to avoid a blanking.

A quartet of homers and the typical fine pitching of Joe Marlette led the Rays to a 7-2 win in the finale, taking the series from Miami. Marlette (9-2) was a sterling 7 3 2 2 1 7 with the damage coming via a pair of solo homers and he had plenty of support. Bobby Marin went solo in the first with his 9th and Willie Gutierrez, having a nice year when he's been healthy, added a 2-run shot (#3) in the 2nd to get things rolling. And Danny Arroyave (#13, a 2-run homer) and Luis Cisernos (#2) added blasts in the 4th.

Team record: 41-28. Next up: We had back up the state to St. Pete to play 3 against Oakland.

Art Deco · 11-27-2023, 10:17 PM

The Rays swept the A's and with Toronto losing a game they moved 3 ahead of the Jays.

Joe Stack had a huge game and rookie Jordan Rodriguez pitched well as the Rays easily handled Oakland 7-2 in the opener. Stack's first-inning grand slam (#9) put the Rays up 5-0 and into cruise control and he added an RBI single later to give him a 5-ribbie day. Rodriguez (3-1) meanwhile was a solid 6 5 2 2 1 5, touched only for a pair of solo homers, and Jake Bridgewater turned in another 3-inning save, his 3rd of the season.

The Rays were one inning away from winning their third straight 7-2 decision before Alden Segui gave up 3 runs in the 9th resulting in a 7-5 Tampa bay win. Tonight's offensive heroes were Danny Arroyave (3-4 with HR #14 and 2 RBI), Luis Cisneros (a pinch-hit 3-run blast, #3), and Javy Denton (his first MLB longball). Danny Morales (4-5) was in fine form at 5.2 2 1 1 2 4 for the win.

Tampa Bay completed the sweep with a 6-3 triumph in the finale. Joe Scheu (6-4) scattered the hits at 6 10 3 3 0 2 but picked up the win and Eric Lewis had a 2-whiff 1-2-3 9th for save #13. The big hit was Bobby Marin's 2-run single in the 2nd to put the Rays on top to stay and four other players drove in a run apiece.

Team record: 44-28. Next up: A day off then 3 games in Cleveland.

Art Deco · 12-01-2023, 02:08 PM

A good weekend for the Rays as they took 2 of 3 in Cleveland while the Jays lost 2 of 3, growing the division lead to 4 games over Toronto.

And it could have been an even better weekend had they not squandered a 4-0 lead in the opener and lost 5-4 in 13 innings to the Guardians. Joe Stack had a 2-run double and Alex Rivas a solo homer (#4) to build that early lead but a key Justin Blackwell error halved that lead and left Nick Wallerstedt at 5.1 6 2 0 0 6. Ruben Abeyta then gave up a 2-run homer in the 7th to blow the lead and Mike Moore (0-2) walked the bases loaded in the 13th and then gave up a walk-off infield single to lose the game.

The Rays nearly blew an early 4-0 lead again in the second game but managed to hold on for a 5-4 win to even up their series with Cleveland. Joe Marlette (10-2) was dominant at 6 4 1 1 0 11 but Jake Bridgewater gave up 2 runs to make it 4-3 and after the Rays added an insurance run they'd end up needing, Alden Segui gave one up in the 9th but still netted his first Rays save. Danny Charlton had a big day at the plate against his old team, going 3-4 with a double and a 2-run homer (#18) while Luis Berumen went solo with #7.

Tampa Bay scored 3 times in the 7th to overturn a 4-3 Cleveland lead and went on to a 7-4 win over the Guardians to take the series. Luis Cisneros' sac fly was the tiebreaker and Bobby Marin added an RBI single to make it 6-4 as six different Rays knocked in a run. Willie Gutierrez wasn't one of them but doubled three times and scored twice. Jordan Rodriguez had a rough start (3 7 4 4 3 4) with the win going to Friday's loser Mike Moore (1-2) and Eric Lewis notching save #14.

Team record: 46-29. Next up: A 2-game series at home against Baltimore.

MLB News: Toronto's Spencer Torkelson, already in the 500-homer club, banged out career hit #2000.

Art Deco · 12-03-2023, 08:13 PM

The Rays and Orioles traded a pair of 3-1 wins and with the Yankees getting the better of Toronto they've moved into second 4 behind Tampa Bay.

The first game went to Baltimore as Rays' bats were moribund in a 3-1 loss. Danny Charlton's RBI single put them up 1-0 in the 2nd but Danny Morales (4-6) gave up a 2-run homer in the 6th and that was that. Morales finished a fine 7 8 2 2 0 5 but suffered the tough-luck loss.

Joe Scheu and the bullpen took care of the Orioles in the 2nd game 3-1. Scheu (7-4) was efficient at 7 4 1 1 0 3, Jadon Smith earned his 14th hold with a perfect 8th and Eric Lewis picked up save #15 with a perfect, 2-whiff 9th. Danny Arroyave had the big hit, a 2-run homer (#15) in the bottom of the first after Baltimore scored their lone run in the top of the frame and Luis Berumen added a majestic 453-foot solo blast for an insurance run.

Team record: 47-30. Next up: 2 games against our newest closest pursuers, the Yankees, in New York.

And the league office announced this:

Art Deco · 12-05-2023, 08:14 PM

The Rays split their second straight two-game series and as a result stayed 4 games ahead of the Yankees atop the AL East.

Tampa Bay was up against one of the game's top pitchers in New York's Nathan Deschryver, and he dominated the Rays (8 3 1 1 1 9) in a 4-2 Yankee win. Nick Wallerstedt (4-5) took the loss after going 5 8 3 3 2 5 and Alex Rivas had 3 of the 4 Rays hits, scoring one run and driving in the other.

The Rays opened up an 8-1 lead with Joe Marlette on the mound and looked to be on easy street, but the Yankees got back to within 8-6 and chased Marlette in the 5th before Tampa Bay pulled away late to take a 13-6 slugfest. After being held to 4 hits the night before the Rays banged out a season-high 21 including 13 through the first 4 innings. 4 Rays had 3 hits apiece including Luis Berumen, who had a 3-run homer (#9) among his (also including 2 doubles) while Joe Stack (#10) and Danny Charlton (#19, driving in 3) also went yard. Marlette gave up a slam in the 5th with 2 out and put two more on, pulled after 101 pitches at 4.2 6 6 6 4 5. Branden Gammage (3-1) went the next 1 1/3 scoreless for the win.

Team record: 48-31. Next up: Off for 3 in Toronto against the slumping Jays, who have dropped to third place 5 games out.

Art Deco · 12-09-2023, 12:43 PM

A good weekend for the Rays north of the border as they took 2 of 3 from the Jays (scoring 27 runs in the 3 games) while the Yankees were swept, giving Tampa Bay a 6-game lead over both of their pursuers.

Things didn't start off so great as the pitching was poor in the opener, constantly negating comebacks from the bats in what ended up a 10-9 loss to Toronto. They overcame deficits of 4-0 and 7-5 only to see another pitching get hit hard. Things began with the second straight poor start from Jordan Rodriguez (2.1 5 6 6 2 2) and Jeff Coblentz (1-1) took the loss by allowing 2 runs in the 5th after they had tied it up 7-7. The lousy pitching wasted a massive game from Joe Stack, who was 3-4 with a double, HR #11 and 5 RBI while Luis Berumen had a 2-run double.

A 4-run 7th erased a 3-2 deficit and the Rays went on to beat the Jays 6-4 in the second game. Danny Arroyave, who earlier had a 2-run double, hit a solo homer (#16) leading off the 7th to tie it and that inspired a further 3-run rally with the red-hot Joe Stack's RBI double putting Tampa Bay ahead to stay. Danny Morales was adequate at 5.1 5 3 3 0 6, the win went to Ruben Abeyta (1-2) in relief, and Eric Lewis got a four-out save, his 16th.

The Rays' bats poured it on in the finale as they routed Toronto 12-4, amassing 16 hits in the process. Joe Stack capped an incredible series by going 4-5 with a double, two homers (#15 & 16) and 6 RBI to lead the way while Danny Charlton also went yard twice (#20 & 21) and drove in 4 runs. Joe Scheu (8-4) wasn't very good but didn't need to be to get the win despite going 5 7 4 4 4 5. Stack finished the series 8 for 13 with 3 HR and 12 RBI and that was on the heels of going 2-5 with a 2-run homer in the final game of the preceding series. Somehow though he didn't win AL Player of the Week.

Team record: 50-32. Next up: We board a plane for the west coast to play 3 games in Anaheim.

Art Deco · 12-09-2023, 02:15 PM

Where things stand around MLB:

Tampa Bay has the 2nd-best record in MLB just behind Houston. Some former Rays having great seasons: Nate Strickland and Billy Carlow are 2-3 in WAR in the NL, James Hays leads the NL in strikeouts and Kevin DiCostanzo is 2nd in pitcher WAR in the NL at 3.1 in his first season with the Dodgers. In the AL Orlando Tosado is tied for the league lead in homers (with another former Ray Dom Scavone) and leads in RBI, Jake Baldino leads the AL in ERA and wins and Astro teammate Chris Ferguson is right behind him in wins.

After a pedestrian (and not coincidentally, injury-riddled) April and May, we've gone 22-9 since June 1 to establish and strong position in the division. The offense has been middle-of-the-pack due to the injuries but is coming around lately at near full-strength (still missing Wander Franco). The rotation has suffered injuries as well and has struggled some but the bullpen (in which we invested a lot of money) has been lights-out. Finally the defense is pretty bad but there isn't much to do about that short of a major personnel turnover which of course isn't going to happen (nor does it need to).

A lot of mediocrity here with only Charlton having a consistently good season. Several bats have underachieved although Arroyave and Stack have been red-hot of late. But Berumen and Marin, both of whom missed some time with injury, have underachieved while healthy. Blackwell has also been a disappointment. Health and positive regression are kicking in though, so I expect a good second half from the offense.

The rotation has also been hit with injuries as Baer and Gutierrez went down early in the season and their replacements (Wallerstedt and Rodriguez) haven't been that great. The big free agent bullpen signings (Smith and Lewis) have been everything as advertised however, and I hate to think where we'd be without them.

A lot of depth in the farm system (we have 22 in MLB's top 500), but not too many truly top prospects. Nor are any of them tearing it up in the minors. Where they will prove useful this season will hopefully be in trade as I'm definitely looking for a starter or two and a RH bat.

Art Deco · 12-12-2023, 09:18 AM

The Rays are on a mini-roll as we approach the All-Star break, sweeping the Angels and now up 6 1/2 games over the Yankees.

Tampa Bay came back late in the opener, saw Eric Lewis blow the save, but won anyway with 3 runs in the 11th, defeating the Angels 7-4. Tied 2-2 going into the 8th off a fine Nick Wallerstedt start (6 5 2 2 2 3), the sizzling-hot Joe Stack (#14) and Luis Cisneros (#4) led off the inning with back-to-back solo shots. But Lewis put two men on in the 9th and gave up a 2-out, 2-run double to score them and send us to extras. This time it was Luis Berumen (#11, capping a 3-5, 3-RBI day) and Danny Charlton (#22) leading off the inning with homers and they tacked on another run to prevail. Ajani Riddick (3-1) picked up the win and former closer Mike Moore got his first save of 2036.

Things were a lot more straightforward in the second game as Joe Marlette was dominant and the Rays rolled to an 8-0 win over the Angels. Marlette went to 11-2, 2.93 after an overpowering 7 3 0 0 1 10 outing and Luis Cisneros, who has two-way ability, pitched a scoreless 9th to complete the shutout. They got homers from the unlikely combo of Justin Blackwell (#7) and Agustin Lopez (#1) while Bobby Marin had a 2-run single and Willie Gutierrez a 2-run double.

Christian Rodriguez bounced back from a couple of bad starts to pitch his best game yet and a 4-run 1st stood up as the Rays completed the sweep with a 4-1 win over LA. Rodriguez (4-1) was 6.2 7 1 1 1 5 on an economical 89 pitches and got all the support he needed early when after Luis Berumen delivered an RBI double that man again Joe Stack blasted a 3-run homer (#15), his sixth in as many games with 18 RBI during that span. Eric Lewis bounced back from blowing the game two nights earlier and finished it off for save #17, despite suffering from an earache.

Team record: 53-32. Next up: An off-day then we're home for 3 against Kansas City before hitting the break.

Art Deco · 12-12-2023, 06:59 PM

Carroll: An 18-year-old Canadian righty with off-the-charts potential (70/60/80 per my scout, OSA a bit more pessimistic at 60/55/80) who throws 94-96. There's a lot to happen between here and there but someone to look forward to following.

Route: With our supplemental pick for losing Jake Westfall, we doubled down on starting pitching with a guy we considered at 36 in Route, who also has eye-popping potential (75/65/70 per my guy & OSA) and is an 18-year-old righty from California. The usual caveats apply.

Ysasi: After playing the lottery of high school pitching we went more conservative with the 20-year-old Ysasi, from an Oklahoma JuCo. He has 75/70 contact/power potential but he might be iffy in CF with only 45 potential there. If the bat lives up to billing, I'll have no problem with him in a corner.

Aguayo: Buy enough lottery tickets and you might win something, so we went for another HS starting pitcher, this time a lefty with 75/55/65 potential. We could have a stud rotation as we hit the 40s or a bunch of wasted high picks.

Arias: A Colorado HS OF with broad-based potential (75 contact, 65 power, 65 eye), destined for a corner or 1B.

Fann: Rolling the dice again on a HS starter, this Georgia lefty has ridiculous 80 stuff and 80 control potential - but only 45 movement. If he somehow achieves his potential in stuff and control he can give up all the solo homers he wants (well not too many).

Art Deco · 12-16-2023, 03:11 PM

The Rays pulled off another sweep and head into the All-Star break as the hottest team in baseball, on an 8-game winning streak and opening up an 8 1/2-game lead in the AL East.

Excellent pitching and some big late hits gave the Rays a 6-0 win over the Royals in the opener. Danny Morales went 6 2 0 0 1 4 but left a scoreless game with no-decision before the Rays finally broke through in the 7th on a Luis Berumen grand slam (#11). The sizzling Joe Stack added a 2-run shot (#16) in the 8th to cap the scoring with Ruben Abeyta (2-2) picking up the win in relief.

The second game was an epic extra-innings battle that looked like it'd go Kansas City's way when they scored in the top of the 14th to go up 3-2 but Danny Charlton answered in the bottom of the inning with a 2-run shot (#23) to walk it off for another Tampa Bay win. Joe Scheu gave up a 2-run first-inning homer to former Ray Orlando Tosado but nothing after that, finishing 6 5 2 2 1 6. The Rays tied it with a pair in the 7th and onto extras we went before Ruben Abeyta (3-2) coughed up a homer in the 14th, only for Charlton to get him off the hook.

Danny Charlton, who found out earlier in the day he was snubbed for an All-Star berth, was the hero once again as his 2-run homer (#24) in the 8th broke a 3-3 tie and sent the Rays into the break 5-3 winners. Danny Arroyave's 3-run blast (#17) in the 1st gave Tampa Bay a quick 3-0 lead but Nick Wallerstedt couldn't hold it although he finished a solid 7 6 3 3 1 6. Ajani Riddick (4-1) got the win with a scoreless 8th and with the usual late-inning guys tired from yesterday's extra-inning affair Mike Moore picked up save #2.

Team record: 56-32. Next up: The ASB of course and then we return to action with 4 games at the Trop starting Thursday against Baltimore.

Art Deco · 12-19-2023, 04:15 PM

The rosters:

Leading the way for the American League All-Stars will be:

SP Jake Baldino (HOU) - 12-2, 2.14 ERA, 118.0 IP, 0.82 WHIP, 7.0 K/9, 3.5 WAR
SP Jeff Deaton (MIN) - 5-7, 3.51 ERA, 102.2 IP, 1.30 WHIP, 6.1 K/9, 2.2 WAR
SP Nathan Deschryver (NYY)* - 9-3, 2.38 ERA, 136.0 IP, 0.96 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, 4.2 WAR
SP Jose Lizarde (KC) - 6-5, 2.68 ERA, 104.0 IP, 1.16 WHIP, 9.0 K/9, 3.2 WAR
SP Joe Marlette (TB) - 11-2, 2.93 ERA, 107.1 IP, 0.96 WHIP, 11.9 K/9, 3.9 WAR
SP Gregorio Rocha (CWS) - 2-2, 17 SV, 2.56 ERA, 45.2 IP, 1.42 WHIP, 11.6 K/9, 0.5 WAR
SP Joe White (BAL) - 7-7, 3.04 ERA, 127.1 IP, 1.02 WHIP, 12.9 K/9, 3.8 WAR
SP Andy Williamson (LAA) - 7-6, 2.79 ERA, 109.2 IP, 1.17 WHIP, 9.9 K/9, 3.3 WAR
RP Eric Lewis (TB)* - 1-0, 17 SV, 1.36 ERA, 33.0 IP, 0.79 WHIP, 11.5 K/9, 1.6 WAR
RP Danny Ramos (BOS) - 2-1, 2.96 ERA, 54.2 IP, 1.12 WHIP, 9.7 K/9, 1.4 WAR
RP Alex Sifontes (SEA) - 0-2, 2.35 ERA, 57.1 IP, 1.29 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, 0.1 WAR
RP Jadon Smith (TB) - 4-1, 1.66 ERA, 43.1 IP, 0.76 WHIP, 12.7 K/9, 2.1 WAR
RP Esmerlin Vinicio (HOU) - 3-1, 3.63 ERA, 52.0 IP, 1.19 WHIP, 11.2 K/9, 1.3 WAR
C Danny Delgadillo (TEX) - .250/.317/.463, 240 AB, 8 HR, 111 wRC+, 1.7 WAR
C Willie Tellez (CWS) - .241/.328/.366, 216 AB, 6 HR, 94 wRC+, 1.1 WAR
C Raul Vu-Pham (CLE)* - .303/.368/.439, 294 AB, 8 HR, 124 wRC+, 2.1 WAR
1B Danny Charlton (TB) - .276/.364/.544, 333 AB, 23 HR, 147 wRC+, 2.5 WAR
1B Joel Morales (CWS) - .279/.348/.588, 340 AB, 28 HR, 1 SB, 152 wRC+, 2.8 WAR
1B Felix Najera (NYY)* - .283/.394/.550, 322 AB, 24 HR, 1 SB, 161 wRC+, 3.6 WAR (Injured)
1B Dominic Scavone (HOU) - .256/.342/.546, 328 AB, 29 HR, 140 wRC+, 2.6 WAR
1B Darius Williams (SA)* - .364/.420/.625, 349 AB, 23 HR, 184 wRC+, 4.7 WAR
2B Alex Arauz (SA) - .273/.358/.529, 293 AB, 22 HR, 1 SB, 139 wRC+, 2.4 WAR
3B Bobby Herrera (TOR) - .279/.330/.478, 301 AB, 16 HR, 119 wRC+, 2.2 WAR
3B Jalen Smith (TEX)* - .328/.390/.628, 290 AB, 23 HR, 176 wRC+, 4.3 WAR
3B Patrick Upchurch (HOU) - .284/.348/.532, 342 AB, 23 HR, 1 SB, 141 wRC+, 2.9 WAR
SS Jeremy Begley (OAK)* - .285/.335/.519, 316 AB, 17 HR, 4 SB, 128 wRC+, 5.1 WAR
LF David Camposano (DET) - .275/.343/.574, 305 AB, 25 HR, 9 SB, 145 wRC+, 3.0 WAR
LF Jarred Kelenic (LAA) - .287/.356/.524, 317 AB, 18 HR, 7 SB, 142 wRC+, 3.0 WAR
LF Nate Miller (SEA)* - .262/.325/.485, 328 AB, 18 HR, 5 SB, 121 wRC+, 2.5 WAR
LF Eric Rose (CLE)* - .321/.338/.583, 343 AB, 24 HR, 1 SB, 149 wRC+, 2.9 WAR
LF Orlando Tosado (KC) - .285/.364/.595, 309 AB, 27 HR, 12 SB, 158 wRC+, 3.2 WAR
CF Ernesto Rodriguez (NYY)* - .248/.334/.508, 315 AB, 24 HR, 14 SB, 130 wRC+, 3.4 WAR (Injured)
CF Dasadyu Sidhu (BAL) - .296/.358/.517, 321 AB, 18 HR, 19 SB, 138 wRC+, 3.0 WAR
RF Nicodemas Jacobson (HOU) - .286/.364/.477, 346 AB, 12 HR, 29 SB, 132 wRC+, 3.5 WAR
RF Hector Ruiz (SA)* - .343/.399/.633, 324 AB, 23 HR, 2 SB, 180 wRC+, 4.4 WAR
RF Eddie Sepulveda (BOS) - .288/.391/.498, 233 AB, 11 HR, 1 SB, 146 wRC+, 1.7 WAR

While the National League will feature these star players:

SP Gabe Bryant (SF) - 4-3, 2.40 ERA, 97.1 IP, 1.02 WHIP, 10.4 K/9, 2.7 WAR
SP Kevin DiCostanzo (LAD) - 9-4, 3.09 ERA, 116.1 IP, 1.14 WHIP, 9.7 K/9, 3.3 WAR
SP Vinny Gavilan (ARI) - 4-3, 3.45 ERA, 109.2 IP, 1.13 WHIP, 8.9 K/9, 3.3 WAR
SP James Hays (LAD)* - 6-5, 3.03 ERA, 118.2 IP, 1.07 WHIP, 11.3 K/9, 3.2 WAR
SP Jerrod Keeshan (MIA) - 6-5, 3.35 ERA, 107.1 IP, 1.10 WHIP, 10.3 K/9, 2.5 WAR
SP Marco Rivera (MIA) - 10-2, 2.72 ERA, 106.0 IP, 1.23 WHIP, 8.1 K/9, 2.5 WAR
SP Chris Thiel (EP) - 6-4, 3.11 ERA, 92.2 IP, 1.14 WHIP, 8.2 K/9, 1.2 WAR
RP Jon Coggin (MEM) - 2-1, 2.17 ERA, 49.2 IP, 1.15 WHIP, 8.5 K/9, 1.5 WAR
RP Nathan Dettmer (PHI) - 2-0, 1.96 ERA, 36.2 IP, 1.04 WHIP, 9.8 K/9, 0.6 WAR
CL Gilberto Ayala (SF) - 5-4, 16 SV, 2.75 ERA, 36.0 IP, 1.28 WHIP, 11.0 K/9, 0.8 WAR
CL Jac Caglianone (CHC) - 6-3, 19 SV, 2.95 ERA, 61.0 IP, 1.13 WHIP, 9.4 K/9, 1.2 WAR
CL Jerry Cuevas (STL)* - 2-3, 27 SV, 2.06 ERA, 35.0 IP, 0.94 WHIP, 9.0 K/9, 0.5 WAR
CL Devon Williams (WSH) - 3-2, 20 SV, 1.32 ERA, 34.0 IP, 1.03 WHIP, 13.2 K/9, 2.0 WAR
C Jon Born (NYM)* - .311/.390/.541, 257 AB, 17 HR, 162 wRC+, 3.7 WAR
C Jose Corrales (PHI) - .256/.349/.391, 238 AB, 8 HR, 107 wRC+, 1.6 WAR
C Franklin Gerena (ATL) - .281/.317/.372, 253 AB, 4 HR, 88 wRC+, 0.6 WAR
1B Joe Dartnell (MEM) - .316/.369/.506, 310 AB, 14 HR, 142 wRC+, 2.3 WAR
1B Roger Perez (MIA)* - .309/.399/.537, 324 AB, 21 HR, 161 wRC+, 3.9 WAR
1B Nate Strickland (STL) - .327/.404/.583, 324 AB, 19 HR, 1 SB, 170 wRC+, 4.1 WAR
2B Bo Bichette (SD)* - .289/.367/.477, 304 AB, 13 HR, 14 SB, 134 wRC+, 3.2 WAR
2B Tony Cavazos (COL) - .279/.371/.405, 262 AB, 3 HR, 15 SB, 109 wRC+, 0.5 WAR
2B Jose Diaz (ATL) - .323/.382/.383, 248 AB, 1 SB, 114 wRC+, 2.2 WAR
2B Arturo Gutierrez (MIL)* - .268/.310/.531, 339 AB, 24 HR, 4 SB, 126 wRC+, 2.4 WAR
3B Alex Colon (CIN) - .257/.330/.496, 272 AB, 15 HR, 124 wRC+, 1.1 WAR
3B Edgar Galeana (STL) - .286/.349/.562, 315 AB, 21 HR, 148 wRC+, 3.1 WAR
SS Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD)* - .275/.333/.475, 204 AB, 9 HR, 1 SB, 119 wRC+, 1.4 WAR (Injured)
LF Jasson Dominguez (ATL) - .216/.336/.518, 301 AB, 28 HR, 8 SB, 132 wRC+, 3.1 WAR
LF Alex Rodriguez (MEM)* - .276/.350/.503, 322 AB, 20 HR, 136 wRC+, 2.7 WAR
CF John Potts (MIL) - .313/.368/.487, 355 AB, 11 HR, 26 SB, 135 wRC+, 2.8 WAR
CF Mario Velasguez (PHI)* - .323/.392/.692, 325 AB, 33 HR, 1 SB, 193 wRC+, 5.4 WAR
RF Billy Carlow (CHC)* - .303/.373/.633, 300 AB, 23 HR, 1 SB, 171 wRC+, 3.8 WAR
RF Rogelio Fitzgerald (MIL) - .327/.418/.647, 300 AB, 24 HR, 191 wRC+, 4.3 WAR
RF Luis Medina (MEM)* - .224/.283/.540, 326 AB, 30 HR, 2 SB, 119 wRC+, 1.4 WAR
RF Angel Robinson (STL) - .285/.331/.551, 312 AB, 20 HR, 139 wRC+, 2.2 WAR
RF Willie Vazquez (MEM) - .268/.323/.510, 343 AB, 20 HR, 16 SB, 127 wRC+, 3.4 WAR

Ignore what I said in the previous post about Charlton being a snub; for some reason I missed him when I looked at the rosters initially. He is our only position player representative while Marlette gets his customary nod and the bullpen back-end of Smith and Lewis are well-deserved all-stars. It's the 6th appearance for both Marlette and Lewis, Smith's 2nd and Charlton's first.

Former Rays selected include Baldino, Tosado and Scavone in the AL with DiCostanzo, Hays, Dettmer, Devon Williams, Strickland, Arturo Gutierrez and Carlow in the NL.

The HR Derby:

Congrats to Danny Charlton, a rare Tampa Bay winner of the competition among all my saves, as he beat out former Ray Billy Carlow.

The game:

A tight one which saw Marlette and Smith each pitch perfect innings with Marlette striking out the side in the start. Lewis was unused, and Charlton popped out in his pinch-hit appearance.

Art Deco · 12-20-2023, 10:38 AM

The Rays kicked off the traditional second half of the season by extending their win streak to 9 before ending up with a split of the 4-game series with Baltimore. With the Yankees winning 3 of 4 their division lead was cut to a still-healthy 7 1/2 games.

Tampa Bay picked up where it left off before the break in taking a 4-1 win in the opener and making it 9 straight wins thanks to an impressive outing from Danny Morales. The righty, who had a gaudy 36-8 combined record the previous two season, is still short of .500 but improved to 5-6 after going 6 3 1 1 1 6. All-star reliever Eric Lewis closed it out for save #18. Alex Rivas led the charge on offense, going 4-5 with a steal, run scored and RBI while Agustin Lopez was 2-4 with 2 ribbies.

The win streak came to an end in the second game as the Orioles got by the Rays 4-2. Joe Scheu (8-5) was hit for a 3-run homer in the 2nd and ended up 5.2 9 4 3 1 4 as the bats were held in check.

Another slow day at the plate for the Rays saw them drop their second straight to Baltimore 5-2 although it was the all-star bullpen which let them down in the end. They were up against Baltimore ace and MLB whiff leader Joe White who ended up fanning 14 Rays but still held a 2-1 lead after 7 thanks to Bobby Marin's go-ahead RBI double. Jadon Smith however gave up a game-tying run in the 8th and then Eric Lewis (1-1) was hit for 3 runs in the 9th in a surprising development. Nick Wallerstedt started and went 4 3 1 1 0 2 before leaving with a sprained ankle which will cost him his next start.

The Rays nearly lost a third straight game to the Orioles at home but some late thunder gave them a 4-3 come-from-behind win. Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the 8th they got back-to-back homers from the Dannys as Charlton hit #25 and Arroyave #18 to turn things around. The homer capped a 4-4 day for Charlton, who earlier had an RBI double. Jordan Rodriguez was adequate at 5.2 6 3 3 2 4, the win went to Branden Gammage (4-1) and Jadon Smith atoned for yesterday's blown save by closing it out for his 4th.

Team record: 58-34. Next up: Third-place Toronto comes to the Trop for a pair.

Art Deco · 12-23-2023, 06:28 PM

The Rays rolled on, taking both games from Toronto and pushing their lead in the AL East back up to 8 1/2 games.

Tampa Bay stunned Toronto in the opener, scoring 4 times in the bottom of the 8th to erase a 3-0 deficit and take a 4-3 win. Danny Arroyave's 3-run homer (#19) made a winner of Jake Bridgewater (3-1) and Eric Lewis closed it out for save #19. Joe Marlette gave up a surprising 3 runs in the top of the 1st but settled in to finish 6 6 3 3 0 5.

Another late big inning was decisive for the Rays in the second game as a 5-run 7th snapped a 1-1 tie and Tampa Bay swept the two-game series with a 6-1 win. The Rays sent a parade of players to the plate in the inning with the big hit being Willie Gutierrez's 2-run single. Alex Rivas, who singled in the first run, singled in another as they won without the benefit of an extra-base hit. Danny Morales evened his record at 6-6 by sticking around long enough at 7 7 1 1 0 5.

Team record: 60-34. Next up: Another 2-game quickie series, this time in Baltimore.

Art Deco · 12-28-2023, 08:48 AM

The Rays remained the hottest team in baseball by sweeping the 2 games from the Orioles, allowing only one run in the process.

Joe Scheu pitched the first shutout of his career (and only the second complete game) as the Rays routed Baltimore 9-0. Scheu's whitewash wasn't exactly a Picasso as he scattered 10 hits while walking 1 and fanning 3, but with the big lead he was given wide latitude to complete it and he did despite loading the bases in the 9th, finishing on 115 pitches. Danny Charlton was the man with the bat as he was 3-4 with a walk, double, two homers (#26 & 27) and five RBI. Mal Stephens was 3-5 with a solo homer (#7) and Willie Gutierrez got his average over .300 with 2 hits including HR #4.

Tampa Bay faced one of the league's toughest customers in Joe White, who fanned 14 Rays in 8 innings 5 days ago at the Trop, and had to throw together a bullpen game with Nick Wallerstedt still nursing a sprained ankle. Despite that potential mismatch the Rays got an excellent emergency start from Jeff Coblentz, waited out White through 9 innings, and scored 3 times off the Baltimore pen in the 10th to take a 4-1 win and mini-series sweep. White dominated Rays bats again to the tune of 9 4 1 1 3 13 but Coblentz exceeded expectations going 5.1 3 1 1 1 2. And the bullpen was a perfect 4 2/3 after that with Jadon Smith (5-1) picking up the win with a pair 1-2-3 innings with 4 Ks while Eric Lewis earned his 20th save. The winning rally saw Agustin Lopez come off the bench for a pinch-RBI single to break the tie and then Luis Berumen brought Lopez home with HR #12.

Team record: 62-34. Next up: The Yankees, whom the Rays hold a 9 1/2-game lead on, visit the Trop for 3 games.

11-09-2023, 08:41 AM	#1301
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,070	May 30-June 1, 2036: vs Texas (3) The Rays took 2 of 3 from the Rangers and moved within 2 1/2 of Toronto while holding firm to the second wild card. Joe Marlette was in dominant form as the Rays took the opener 5-1. The ace lefty improved to 5-2, going 7 5 1 1 1 12 and was backed by a couple of big hits. Justin Blackwell's 2-run single capped a 3-run first and Danny Charlton made the lead secure with a 2-run homer (#13) in the 8th. Transactions: A couple of bullpen pieces returned as closer Eric Lewis and lefty Branden Gammage came off the IL with David Marin and Danny Mauricio returned to Durham. Jordan Rodriguez, who has pitched well in relief, will get a shot in the rotation taking Marin's place. The second game saw the Rays suffer an ugly 7-1 loss to Texas. Danny Morales (2-4) wasn't that bad but Branden Gammage gave up a key base hit to a lefty to allow 2 runs to score, leaving Morales with a 5.2 8 4 4 1 4 line. Tampa Bay took the rubber match 4-1 behind a fine Joe Scheu outing and one big hit. Scheu (4-4) turned in his second straight excellent start at 7 2 0 0 2 5 and the Rays scored all 4 of their runs in the 3rd, capped by a bases-clearing Duk-yoon Ko triple. Team record: 29-23. Next up: The Angels come to the Trop for 3 games. MLB News: Atlanta's Jasson Dominguez hit HR #500.

11-11-2023, 09:21 AM	#1302
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,070	June 2-4, 2036: vs LA Angels (3) Despite all the injuries and despite some inconsistent play the Rays have finally taken over first place in the AL East from Toronto after a sweep of the Angels and a 6-game losing streak for the Jays, giving Tampa Bay a 1/2-game lead. Jordan Rodriguez made his first MLB start in the opener and was excellent, throwing 6 shutout innings. But the offense was limp and the bullpen had to pitch 6 shutout innings of its own before Willie Gutierrez finally ended it with a walk-off homer in the 12th (#2) to give the Rays a 1-0 win over the Angels. Rodriguez was 6 3 0 0 2 5 and now has a 1.37 ERA in 19.2 IP since being recalled. The two teams combined for only 11 hits in 24 innings combined and former Angel Jake Bridgewater (1-1) picked up his first Rays win. Transaction: He's back! The Rays continue to reassemble their full-strength lineup as Wander Franco comes off the IL and Adan Chavarria is sent back to Durham. After struggling to rub two sticks together yesterday the Rays offense wasted no time getting going in the second game, scoring 6 times in the opening frame on their way to an 8-4 win over the Angels and pounding out 16 hits. Wander Franco marked his return in that inning with an infield single with Danny Arroyave's 3-run homer (#10) the big blow. Bobby Marin added HR #5 later with a man on and Nick Wallerstedt (3-2) was in fine form again at 5 3 2 1 0 7 for the win although his start was cut short with some elbow soreness which won't keep him from his next start. The Rays completed the sweep with another tidy pitching performance from Joe Marlette and Danny Charlton's 2-run homer (#14) in the 4th stood up in a 2-0 win. Marlette (6-2) took over the MLB pitcher WAR lead at 2.6 after going 6 4 0 0 2 8, lowering his ERA to 2.97. Eric Lewis had to leave after retiring the leadoff man in the 9th with some kind of tweak which wasn't serious so Jake Bridgewater came in and finished the shutout for his 1st Rays save. Team record: 32-23. Next up: A day off then the White Sox visit for 3.

11-13-2023, 01:19 PM	#1303
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,070	June 6-8, 2036: vs Chicago White Sox (3) Despite the lineup getting back to full strength for this series the Rays still dropped 2 of 3 at home to the White Sox, scoring a combined 4 runs in the two defeats. Fortunately Toronto is on a 9-game losing streak and it's actually now the Yankees who have moved within 1/2 game of the Rays at the top of the division. Transaction: The last of our missing big pieces of the lineup returned as Luis Berumen came off the IL. Making room for Berumen and going to Durham was Duk-yoon Ko, who has spent most of the season starting in RF against righties but just wasn't producing at 174/307/270. The "Korean Schwarber" got his walks but the production wasn't there with only 4 homers. As a result Mal Stephens, who has produced, gets to stay with the big club. Things did start off swimmingly in the opener as the Rays handled Chicago 6-1 and got a solo homer from Luis Berumen (#3) in his first game back. The big hit tonight was a 3-run job from Danny Charlton (#15) in the 6th which broke a 1-1 tie. Danny Morales (3-4) was in fine form for the win at 7 8 1 1 0 3. The Rays lost a tough one in the second game as Ajani Riddick (2-1) gave up a 9th-inning homer and they fell to the White Sox 2-1. Joe Scheu continued on his roll, going 6.2 9 1 1 0 3 but he didn't get any support as the bats only managed five hits with Luis Berumen's RBI knock the only offense. The clock struck 12 for Jordan Rodriguez as the rookie lefty suffered his first bad outing and the White Sox routed the Rays 11-3 in the finale. Rodriguez (2-1) was hit hard and often, finishing 2.2 6 6 6 3 2 although the defense failed to make some plays behind him. Alex Rivas' 2-run double was the highlight on offense. Team record: 33-25. Next up: 3 games in Houston where the 36-20 Astros await us.

11-15-2023, 04:51 PM	#1304
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,070	June 9-11, 2036: at Houston (3) Just when we got the gang back together, one of our key cogs re-injured himself and will be out until August. That was the bad news, the good news was that we took 2 of 3 against a 36-20 Houston team in their ballpark. The opener was a lost cause though as former Ray Jake Baldino stifled them in a 3-1 defeat. Baldino went 6 5 1 1 0 9 against his former team and got the better of Nick Wallerstedt (3-3), who was 5 8 2 2 3 1 and somehow wriggled out of jam after jam for the most part. The Rays got a typically excellent start from Joe Marlette to win 6-2 and even up the series but the victory came at a high price as Wander Franco succumbed to injury again, this time herniating a disc in his neck which will keep him out 6-7 weeks. Marlette (7-2) went 7 4 2 2 1 7 and he had backing from Claus Hoppenbrouwers (3-5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI), Bobby Marin (3-5 with an RBI) and Danny Charlton (2 RBI including HR #16). Transaction: Franco of course goes on the IL and to replace him this time we passed up the glove of Adan Chavarria for the bat of Luis Cisneros. Cisneros was a waiver claim from Baltimore in April and hit a sizzling 362/432/780 with 15 HR in 141 AB at Durham. Primarily a 3B (rated 60 there), he'll fill in at 2B for Wander where's he rated 50. Luis Berumen's dramatic 2-run homer in the 9th (#4) gave the Rays a 5-4 win in the finale over Houston which included a dazzling debut from Luis Cisneros. All Cisneros did in his MLB debut was homer in his first at-bat and reach base all 4 times up on 3 hits and a bases-loaded walk. Danny Morales had a rough start (4 8 4 4 1 3) but the bullpen was spotless after that and enabled the comeback. Alden Segui (2-1) got the win and Eric Lewis handled the 9th for his 11th save. Team record: 35-26. They needed those two wins to stay 1/2 ahead of the Yankees and 1 1/2 up on Toronto. Next up: An off-day then 3 games in Fenway against the Red Sox. Last edited by Art Deco; 11-15-2023 at 04:52 PM.

11-18-2023, 08:20 AM	#1305
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,070	June 13-15, 2036: at Boston (3) A great weekend for the Rays as they went into Fenway and swept the (albeit now 20-43) Red Sox, while the Yankees dropped a couple and the division lead was expanded to 2 1/2 games. Joe Scheu turned in his fourth straight quality start and the bats took care of the rest in a 6-3 win in the opener over Boston. Scheu (5-4) was 6 8 3 3 2 7 and Jadon Smith went the final two for his 2nd save. Alex Rivas' 2-run single put them up 3-0 in the 2nd and Bobby Marin was 3-5 with an RBI. Pitching was the coin of the realm in the second game and despite a fair bit of traffic on the bases behind him Nick Wallerstedt got the job done as the Rays squeaked by the Red Sox 2-1. Wallerstedt improved to 4-3 by going 6 7 1 1 3 5 with a couple of DPs turned behind him, and Luis Berumen's 2-run double in the 6th was all the offense needed today. Eric Lewis had a wild 9th, giving up a leadoff single, then erasing him on a double play before loading the bases only to get the final out via whiff for save #12. The Rays squandered a 4-0 lead in the finale and allowed Boston to even it up, but Danny Arroyave's solo homer (#11) in the 8th meant a 5-4 win and a sweep. Justin Blackwell homered (#3) and drove in a pair to give them the early lead but Jordan Rodriguez couldn't hold it with a Joe Stack error looming large and Boston was level by the 6th. Rodriguez finished 5.1 5 4 2 1 6 and Arroyave's homer made a winner of Alden Segui (3-1) while Jadon Smith saved again (#3). Team record: 38-26. Next up: An off-day then some interleague action as we head to Washington for a pair against the 28-35 Nationals.

11-20-2023, 01:55 PM	#1306
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,070	June 17-18, 2036: at Washington (2) Rays took a split of the 2-game set in our nation's capital and now hold a 3-game lead over both the Yankees and Jays. Joe Marlette did Joe Marlette things in the opener, shutting down the Nats as the bats feasted as well in a 9-1 rout. Marlette (8-2) was brilliant at 6 3 1 1 2 8 and Jake Bridgewater went the final 3 scoreless, fanning 5 for his 2nd save. It was a well-balanced attack with 7 of the 9 Rays hitters driving in runs, led by Danny Charlton with HR #17 and 2 RBI while Bobby Marin had 3 hits including HR #6 and Luis Berumen added a solo shot (#5). Danny Morales doesn't have the kind of stuff that affords him being wild, and unfortunately he couldn't find the plate in a 6-3 loss to Washington. Morales (3-5) couldn't make it through the 2nd, going 1.1 4 5 4 4 0 and putting the team in a 5-0 hole. Justin Blackwell had a 5th-inning solo homer (#5) and then in the 9th Joe Stack (#8) and Bobby Marin (#7) hit solo shots to make the final score respectable. Team record: 39-27. Next up: An off-day then 3 more interleague games in Miami against our Sunshine State rivals the Marlins who are atop the AL East at 37-29.

11-23-2023, 01:20 PM	#1307
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,070	June 20-22, 2036: at Miami (3) We Meat Loafed Miami, but thanks to a Toronto sweep our division lead has been shaved to 2 games. Things looked pretty bleak in the opener as Joe Scheu just didn't have it today and Marlins raced out to a 5-0 lead after 3 innings. Scheu was roasted to the tune of 2.2 8 5 5 2 4 and it was still 6-2 after 5. But a 6-run 6th turned it around for the Rays and they went on to win by 5, 12-7, in a game they trailed by 5. Alex Rivas' bases-clearing triple in the 6th put them ahead to stay and Justin Blackwell belted a pair of homers in the late innings for insurance, driving in 3 and giving him 6 for the year. Earlier Luis Berumen (#6) and Danny Arroyave (#12) had solo shots while Jake Bridgewater (2-1) picked up the win in relief. For the second straight day the Rays fell behind 5-0 but this time there would be no comeback as the Marlins dealt them a 5-1 loss. Nick Wallerstedt (4-4) was off his game today and issued a pair of bases-loaded walks before being lifted in the 5th after going 4.1 5 4 4 4 2. The Rays got their lone run in the 9th to avoid a blanking. A quartet of homers and the typical fine pitching of Joe Marlette led the Rays to a 7-2 win in the finale, taking the series from Miami. Marlette (9-2) was a sterling 7 3 2 2 1 7 with the damage coming via a pair of solo homers and he had plenty of support. Bobby Marin went solo in the first with his 9th and Willie Gutierrez, having a nice year when he's been healthy, added a 2-run shot (#3) in the 2nd to get things rolling. And Danny Arroyave (#13, a 2-run homer) and Luis Cisernos (#2) added blasts in the 4th. Team record: 41-28. Next up: We had back up the state to St. Pete to play 3 against Oakland.

11-27-2023, 10:17 PM	#1308
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,070	June 23-25, 2036: vs Oakland (3) The Rays swept the A's and with Toronto losing a game they moved 3 ahead of the Jays. Joe Stack had a huge game and rookie Jordan Rodriguez pitched well as the Rays easily handled Oakland 7-2 in the opener. Stack's first-inning grand slam (#9) put the Rays up 5-0 and into cruise control and he added an RBI single later to give him a 5-ribbie day. Rodriguez (3-1) meanwhile was a solid 6 5 2 2 1 5, touched only for a pair of solo homers, and Jake Bridgewater turned in another 3-inning save, his 3rd of the season. The Rays were one inning away from winning their third straight 7-2 decision before Alden Segui gave up 3 runs in the 9th resulting in a 7-5 Tampa bay win. Tonight's offensive heroes were Danny Arroyave (3-4 with HR #14 and 2 RBI), Luis Cisneros (a pinch-hit 3-run blast, #3), and Javy Denton (his first MLB longball). Danny Morales (4-5) was in fine form at 5.2 2 1 1 2 4 for the win. Tampa Bay completed the sweep with a 6-3 triumph in the finale. Joe Scheu (6-4) scattered the hits at 6 10 3 3 0 2 but picked up the win and Eric Lewis had a 2-whiff 1-2-3 9th for save #13. The big hit was Bobby Marin's 2-run single in the 2nd to put the Rays on top to stay and four other players drove in a run apiece. Team record: 44-28. Next up: A day off then 3 games in Cleveland.

12-01-2023, 02:08 PM	#1309
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,070	June 27-29, 2036: at Cleveland (3) A good weekend for the Rays as they took 2 of 3 in Cleveland while the Jays lost 2 of 3, growing the division lead to 4 games over Toronto. And it could have been an even better weekend had they not squandered a 4-0 lead in the opener and lost 5-4 in 13 innings to the Guardians. Joe Stack had a 2-run double and Alex Rivas a solo homer (#4) to build that early lead but a key Justin Blackwell error halved that lead and left Nick Wallerstedt at 5.1 6 2 0 0 6. Ruben Abeyta then gave up a 2-run homer in the 7th to blow the lead and Mike Moore (0-2) walked the bases loaded in the 13th and then gave up a walk-off infield single to lose the game. The Rays nearly blew an early 4-0 lead again in the second game but managed to hold on for a 5-4 win to even up their series with Cleveland. Joe Marlette (10-2) was dominant at 6 4 1 1 0 11 but Jake Bridgewater gave up 2 runs to make it 4-3 and after the Rays added an insurance run they'd end up needing, Alden Segui gave one up in the 9th but still netted his first Rays save. Danny Charlton had a big day at the plate against his old team, going 3-4 with a double and a 2-run homer (#18) while Luis Berumen went solo with #7. Tampa Bay scored 3 times in the 7th to overturn a 4-3 Cleveland lead and went on to a 7-4 win over the Guardians to take the series. Luis Cisneros' sac fly was the tiebreaker and Bobby Marin added an RBI single to make it 6-4 as six different Rays knocked in a run. Willie Gutierrez wasn't one of them but doubled three times and scored twice. Jordan Rodriguez had a rough start (3 7 4 4 3 4) with the win going to Friday's loser Mike Moore (1-2) and Eric Lewis notching save #14. Team record: 46-29. Next up: A 2-game series at home against Baltimore. MLB News: Toronto's Spencer Torkelson, already in the 500-homer club, banged out career hit #2000. Last edited by Art Deco; 12-01-2023 at 02:10 PM.

12-03-2023, 08:13 PM	#1310
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,070	June 30-July 1, 2036: vs Baltimore (2) The Rays and Orioles traded a pair of 3-1 wins and with the Yankees getting the better of Toronto they've moved into second 4 behind Tampa Bay. The first game went to Baltimore as Rays' bats were moribund in a 3-1 loss. Danny Charlton's RBI single put them up 1-0 in the 2nd but Danny Morales (4-6) gave up a 2-run homer in the 6th and that was that. Morales finished a fine 7 8 2 2 0 5 but suffered the tough-luck loss. Joe Scheu and the bullpen took care of the Orioles in the 2nd game 3-1. Scheu (7-4) was efficient at 7 4 1 1 0 3, Jadon Smith earned his 14th hold with a perfect 8th and Eric Lewis picked up save #15 with a perfect, 2-whiff 9th. Danny Arroyave had the big hit, a 2-run homer (#15) in the bottom of the first after Baltimore scored their lone run in the top of the frame and Luis Berumen added a majestic 453-foot solo blast for an insurance run. Team record: 47-30. Next up: 2 games against our newest closest pursuers, the Yankees, in New York. And the league office announced this:

12-05-2023, 08:14 PM	#1311
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,070	July 2-3, 2036: at NY Yankees (2) The Rays split their second straight two-game series and as a result stayed 4 games ahead of the Yankees atop the AL East. Tampa Bay was up against one of the game's top pitchers in New York's Nathan Deschryver, and he dominated the Rays (8 3 1 1 1 9) in a 4-2 Yankee win. Nick Wallerstedt (4-5) took the loss after going 5 8 3 3 2 5 and Alex Rivas had 3 of the 4 Rays hits, scoring one run and driving in the other. The Rays opened up an 8-1 lead with Joe Marlette on the mound and looked to be on easy street, but the Yankees got back to within 8-6 and chased Marlette in the 5th before Tampa Bay pulled away late to take a 13-6 slugfest. After being held to 4 hits the night before the Rays banged out a season-high 21 including 13 through the first 4 innings. 4 Rays had 3 hits apiece including Luis Berumen, who had a 3-run homer (#9) among his (also including 2 doubles) while Joe Stack (#10) and Danny Charlton (#19, driving in 3) also went yard. Marlette gave up a slam in the 5th with 2 out and put two more on, pulled after 101 pitches at 4.2 6 6 6 4 5. Branden Gammage (3-1) went the next 1 1/3 scoreless for the win. Team record: 48-31. Next up: Off for 3 in Toronto against the slumping Jays, who have dropped to third place 5 games out.

12-09-2023, 12:43 PM	#1312
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,070	July 4-6, 2036: at Toronto (3) A good weekend for the Rays north of the border as they took 2 of 3 from the Jays (scoring 27 runs in the 3 games) while the Yankees were swept, giving Tampa Bay a 6-game lead over both of their pursuers. Things didn't start off so great as the pitching was poor in the opener, constantly negating comebacks from the bats in what ended up a 10-9 loss to Toronto. They overcame deficits of 4-0 and 7-5 only to see another pitching get hit hard. Things began with the second straight poor start from Jordan Rodriguez (2.1 5 6 6 2 2) and Jeff Coblentz (1-1) took the loss by allowing 2 runs in the 5th after they had tied it up 7-7. The lousy pitching wasted a massive game from Joe Stack, who was 3-4 with a double, HR #11 and 5 RBI while Luis Berumen had a 2-run double. A 4-run 7th erased a 3-2 deficit and the Rays went on to beat the Jays 6-4 in the second game. Danny Arroyave, who earlier had a 2-run double, hit a solo homer (#16) leading off the 7th to tie it and that inspired a further 3-run rally with the red-hot Joe Stack's RBI double putting Tampa Bay ahead to stay. Danny Morales was adequate at 5.1 5 3 3 0 6, the win went to Ruben Abeyta (1-2) in relief, and Eric Lewis got a four-out save, his 16th. The Rays' bats poured it on in the finale as they routed Toronto 12-4, amassing 16 hits in the process. Joe Stack capped an incredible series by going 4-5 with a double, two homers (#15 & 16) and 6 RBI to lead the way while Danny Charlton also went yard twice (#20 & 21) and drove in 4 runs. Joe Scheu (8-4) wasn't very good but didn't need to be to get the win despite going 5 7 4 4 4 5. Stack finished the series 8 for 13 with 3 HR and 12 RBI and that was on the heels of going 2-5 with a 2-run homer in the final game of the preceding series. Somehow though he didn't win AL Player of the Week. Team record: 50-32. Next up: We board a plane for the west coast to play 3 games in Anaheim.

12-09-2023, 02:15 PM	#1313
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,070	2036 Midseason Review Where things stand around MLB: Tampa Bay has the 2nd-best record in MLB just behind Houston. Some former Rays having great seasons: Nate Strickland and Billy Carlow are 2-3 in WAR in the NL, James Hays leads the NL in strikeouts and Kevin DiCostanzo is 2nd in pitcher WAR in the NL at 3.1 in his first season with the Dodgers. In the AL Orlando Tosado is tied for the league lead in homers (with another former Ray Dom Scavone) and leads in RBI, Jake Baldino leads the AL in ERA and wins and Astro teammate Chris Ferguson is right behind him in wins. After a pedestrian (and not coincidentally, injury-riddled) April and May, we've gone 22-9 since June 1 to establish and strong position in the division. The offense has been middle-of-the-pack due to the injuries but is coming around lately at near full-strength (still missing Wander Franco). The rotation has suffered injuries as well and has struggled some but the bullpen (in which we invested a lot of money) has been lights-out. Finally the defense is pretty bad but there isn't much to do about that short of a major personnel turnover which of course isn't going to happen (nor does it need to). A lot of mediocrity here with only Charlton having a consistently good season. Several bats have underachieved although Arroyave and Stack have been red-hot of late. But Berumen and Marin, both of whom missed some time with injury, have underachieved while healthy. Blackwell has also been a disappointment. Health and positive regression are kicking in though, so I expect a good second half from the offense. The rotation has also been hit with injuries as Baer and Gutierrez went down early in the season and their replacements (Wallerstedt and Rodriguez) haven't been that great. The big free agent bullpen signings (Smith and Lewis) have been everything as advertised however, and I hate to think where we'd be without them. A lot of depth in the farm system (we have 22 in MLB's top 500), but not too many truly top prospects. Nor are any of them tearing it up in the minors. Where they will prove useful this season will hopefully be in trade as I'm definitely looking for a starter or two and a RH bat.

12-12-2023, 09:18 AM	#1314
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,070	July 7-9, 2036: at LA Angels (3) The Rays are on a mini-roll as we approach the All-Star break, sweeping the Angels and now up 6 1/2 games over the Yankees. Tampa Bay came back late in the opener, saw Eric Lewis blow the save, but won anyway with 3 runs in the 11th, defeating the Angels 7-4. Tied 2-2 going into the 8th off a fine Nick Wallerstedt start (6 5 2 2 2 3), the sizzling-hot Joe Stack (#14) and Luis Cisneros (#4) led off the inning with back-to-back solo shots. But Lewis put two men on in the 9th and gave up a 2-out, 2-run double to score them and send us to extras. This time it was Luis Berumen (#11, capping a 3-5, 3-RBI day) and Danny Charlton (#22) leading off the inning with homers and they tacked on another run to prevail. Ajani Riddick (3-1) picked up the win and former closer Mike Moore got his first save of 2036. Things were a lot more straightforward in the second game as Joe Marlette was dominant and the Rays rolled to an 8-0 win over the Angels. Marlette went to 11-2, 2.93 after an overpowering 7 3 0 0 1 10 outing and Luis Cisneros, who has two-way ability, pitched a scoreless 9th to complete the shutout. They got homers from the unlikely combo of Justin Blackwell (#7) and Agustin Lopez (#1) while Bobby Marin had a 2-run single and Willie Gutierrez a 2-run double. Christian Rodriguez bounced back from a couple of bad starts to pitch his best game yet and a 4-run 1st stood up as the Rays completed the sweep with a 4-1 win over LA. Rodriguez (4-1) was 6.2 7 1 1 1 5 on an economical 89 pitches and got all the support he needed early when after Luis Berumen delivered an RBI double that man again Joe Stack blasted a 3-run homer (#15), his sixth in as many games with 18 RBI during that span. Eric Lewis bounced back from blowing the game two nights earlier and finished it off for save #17, despite suffering from an earache. Team record: 53-32. Next up: An off-day then we're home for 3 against Kansas City before hitting the break.

12-12-2023, 06:59 PM	#1315
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,070	The 2036 Amateur Draft Carroll: An 18-year-old Canadian righty with off-the-charts potential (70/60/80 per my scout, OSA a bit more pessimistic at 60/55/80) who throws 94-96. There's a lot to happen between here and there but someone to look forward to following. Route: With our supplemental pick for losing Jake Westfall, we doubled down on starting pitching with a guy we considered at 36 in Route, who also has eye-popping potential (75/65/70 per my guy & OSA) and is an 18-year-old righty from California. The usual caveats apply. Ysasi: After playing the lottery of high school pitching we went more conservative with the 20-year-old Ysasi, from an Oklahoma JuCo. He has 75/70 contact/power potential but he might be iffy in CF with only 45 potential there. If the bat lives up to billing, I'll have no problem with him in a corner. Aguayo: Buy enough lottery tickets and you might win something, so we went for another HS starting pitcher, this time a lefty with 75/55/65 potential. We could have a stud rotation as we hit the 40s or a bunch of wasted high picks. Arias: A Colorado HS OF with broad-based potential (75 contact, 65 power, 65 eye), destined for a corner or 1B. Fann: Rolling the dice again on a HS starter, this Georgia lefty has ridiculous 80 stuff and 80 control potential - but only 45 movement. If he somehow achieves his potential in stuff and control he can give up all the solo homers he wants (well not too many).

12-16-2023, 03:11 PM	#1316
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,070	July 11-13, 2036: vs Kansas City (3) The Rays pulled off another sweep and head into the All-Star break as the hottest team in baseball, on an 8-game winning streak and opening up an 8 1/2-game lead in the AL East. Excellent pitching and some big late hits gave the Rays a 6-0 win over the Royals in the opener. Danny Morales went 6 2 0 0 1 4 but left a scoreless game with no-decision before the Rays finally broke through in the 7th on a Luis Berumen grand slam (#11). The sizzling Joe Stack added a 2-run shot (#16) in the 8th to cap the scoring with Ruben Abeyta (2-2) picking up the win in relief. The second game was an epic extra-innings battle that looked like it'd go Kansas City's way when they scored in the top of the 14th to go up 3-2 but Danny Charlton answered in the bottom of the inning with a 2-run shot (#23) to walk it off for another Tampa Bay win. Joe Scheu gave up a 2-run first-inning homer to former Ray Orlando Tosado but nothing after that, finishing 6 5 2 2 1 6. The Rays tied it with a pair in the 7th and onto extras we went before Ruben Abeyta (3-2) coughed up a homer in the 14th, only for Charlton to get him off the hook. Danny Charlton, who found out earlier in the day he was snubbed for an All-Star berth, was the hero once again as his 2-run homer (#24) in the 8th broke a 3-3 tie and sent the Rays into the break 5-3 winners. Danny Arroyave's 3-run blast (#17) in the 1st gave Tampa Bay a quick 3-0 lead but Nick Wallerstedt couldn't hold it although he finished a solid 7 6 3 3 1 6. Ajani Riddick (4-1) got the win with a scoreless 8th and with the usual late-inning guys tired from yesterday's extra-inning affair Mike Moore picked up save #2. Team record: 56-32. Next up: The ASB of course and then we return to action with 4 games at the Trop starting Thursday against Baltimore.

12-19-2023, 04:15 PM	#1317
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,070	All-Star Break 2036 The rosters: Leading the way for the American League All-Stars will be: SP Jake Baldino (HOU) - 12-2, 2.14 ERA, 118.0 IP, 0.82 WHIP, 7.0 K/9, 3.5 WAR SP Jeff Deaton (MIN) - 5-7, 3.51 ERA, 102.2 IP, 1.30 WHIP, 6.1 K/9, 2.2 WAR SP Nathan Deschryver (NYY)* - 9-3, 2.38 ERA, 136.0 IP, 0.96 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, 4.2 WAR SP Jose Lizarde (KC) - 6-5, 2.68 ERA, 104.0 IP, 1.16 WHIP, 9.0 K/9, 3.2 WAR SP Joe Marlette (TB) - 11-2, 2.93 ERA, 107.1 IP, 0.96 WHIP, 11.9 K/9, 3.9 WAR SP Gregorio Rocha (CWS) - 2-2, 17 SV, 2.56 ERA, 45.2 IP, 1.42 WHIP, 11.6 K/9, 0.5 WAR SP Joe White (BAL) - 7-7, 3.04 ERA, 127.1 IP, 1.02 WHIP, 12.9 K/9, 3.8 WAR SP Andy Williamson (LAA) - 7-6, 2.79 ERA, 109.2 IP, 1.17 WHIP, 9.9 K/9, 3.3 WAR *RP Eric Lewis (TB) - 1-0, 17 SV, 1.36 ERA, 33.0 IP, 0.79 WHIP, 11.5 K/9, 1.6 WAR RP Danny Ramos (BOS) - 2-1, 2.96 ERA, 54.2 IP, 1.12 WHIP, 9.7 K/9, 1.4 WAR RP Alex Sifontes (SEA) - 0-2, 2.35 ERA, 57.1 IP, 1.29 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, 0.1 WAR RP Jadon Smith (TB) - 4-1, 1.66 ERA, 43.1 IP, 0.76 WHIP, 12.7 K/9, 2.1 WAR** RP Esmerlin Vinicio (HOU) - 3-1, 3.63 ERA, 52.0 IP, 1.19 WHIP, 11.2 K/9, 1.3 WAR C Danny Delgadillo (TEX) - .250/.317/.463, 240 AB, 8 HR, 111 wRC+, 1.7 WAR C Willie Tellez (CWS) - .241/.328/.366, 216 AB, 6 HR, 94 wRC+, 1.1 WAR C Raul Vu-Pham (CLE)* - .303/.368/.439, 294 AB, 8 HR, 124 wRC+, 2.1 WAR 1B Danny Charlton (TB) - .276/.364/.544, 333 AB, 23 HR, 147 wRC+, 2.5 WAR 1B Joel Morales (CWS) - .279/.348/.588, 340 AB, 28 HR, 1 SB, 152 wRC+, 2.8 WAR 1B Felix Najera (NYY)* - .283/.394/.550, 322 AB, 24 HR, 1 SB, 161 wRC+, 3.6 WAR (Injured) 1B Dominic Scavone (HOU) - .256/.342/.546, 328 AB, 29 HR, 140 wRC+, 2.6 WAR 1B Darius Williams (SA)* - .364/.420/.625, 349 AB, 23 HR, 184 wRC+, 4.7 WAR 2B Alex Arauz (SA) - .273/.358/.529, 293 AB, 22 HR, 1 SB, 139 wRC+, 2.4 WAR 3B Bobby Herrera (TOR) - .279/.330/.478, 301 AB, 16 HR, 119 wRC+, 2.2 WAR 3B Jalen Smith (TEX)* - .328/.390/.628, 290 AB, 23 HR, 176 wRC+, 4.3 WAR 3B Patrick Upchurch (HOU) - .284/.348/.532, 342 AB, 23 HR, 1 SB, 141 wRC+, 2.9 WAR SS Jeremy Begley (OAK)* - .285/.335/.519, 316 AB, 17 HR, 4 SB, 128 wRC+, 5.1 WAR LF David Camposano (DET) - .275/.343/.574, 305 AB, 25 HR, 9 SB, 145 wRC+, 3.0 WAR LF Jarred Kelenic (LAA) - .287/.356/.524, 317 AB, 18 HR, 7 SB, 142 wRC+, 3.0 WAR LF Nate Miller (SEA)* - .262/.325/.485, 328 AB, 18 HR, 5 SB, 121 wRC+, 2.5 WAR LF Eric Rose (CLE)* - .321/.338/.583, 343 AB, 24 HR, 1 SB, 149 wRC+, 2.9 WAR LF Orlando Tosado (KC) - .285/.364/.595, 309 AB, 27 HR, 12 SB, 158 wRC+, 3.2 WAR CF Ernesto Rodriguez (NYY)* - .248/.334/.508, 315 AB, 24 HR, 14 SB, 130 wRC+, 3.4 WAR (Injured) CF Dasadyu Sidhu (BAL) - .296/.358/.517, 321 AB, 18 HR, 19 SB, 138 wRC+, 3.0 WAR RF Nicodemas Jacobson (HOU) - .286/.364/.477, 346 AB, 12 HR, 29 SB, 132 wRC+, 3.5 WAR RF Hector Ruiz (SA)* - .343/.399/.633, 324 AB, 23 HR, 2 SB, 180 wRC+, 4.4 WAR RF Eddie Sepulveda (BOS) - .288/.391/.498, 233 AB, 11 HR, 1 SB, 146 wRC+, 1.7 WAR While the National League will feature these star players: SP Gabe Bryant (SF) - 4-3, 2.40 ERA, 97.1 IP, 1.02 WHIP, 10.4 K/9, 2.7 WAR SP Kevin DiCostanzo (LAD) - 9-4, 3.09 ERA, 116.1 IP, 1.14 WHIP, 9.7 K/9, 3.3 WAR SP Vinny Gavilan (ARI) - 4-3, 3.45 ERA, 109.2 IP, 1.13 WHIP, 8.9 K/9, 3.3 WAR SP James Hays (LAD)* - 6-5, 3.03 ERA, 118.2 IP, 1.07 WHIP, 11.3 K/9, 3.2 WAR SP Jerrod Keeshan (MIA) - 6-5, 3.35 ERA, 107.1 IP, 1.10 WHIP, 10.3 K/9, 2.5 WAR SP Marco Rivera (MIA) - 10-2, 2.72 ERA, 106.0 IP, 1.23 WHIP, 8.1 K/9, 2.5 WAR SP Chris Thiel (EP) - 6-4, 3.11 ERA, 92.2 IP, 1.14 WHIP, 8.2 K/9, 1.2 WAR RP Jon Coggin (MEM) - 2-1, 2.17 ERA, 49.2 IP, 1.15 WHIP, 8.5 K/9, 1.5 WAR RP Nathan Dettmer (PHI) - 2-0, 1.96 ERA, 36.2 IP, 1.04 WHIP, 9.8 K/9, 0.6 WAR CL Gilberto Ayala (SF) - 5-4, 16 SV, 2.75 ERA, 36.0 IP, 1.28 WHIP, 11.0 K/9, 0.8 WAR CL Jac Caglianone (CHC) - 6-3, 19 SV, 2.95 ERA, 61.0 IP, 1.13 WHIP, 9.4 K/9, 1.2 WAR CL Jerry Cuevas (STL)* - 2-3, 27 SV, 2.06 ERA, 35.0 IP, 0.94 WHIP, 9.0 K/9, 0.5 WAR CL Devon Williams (WSH) - 3-2, 20 SV, 1.32 ERA, 34.0 IP, 1.03 WHIP, 13.2 K/9, 2.0 WAR C Jon Born (NYM)* - .311/.390/.541, 257 AB, 17 HR, 162 wRC+, 3.7 WAR C Jose Corrales (PHI) - .256/.349/.391, 238 AB, 8 HR, 107 wRC+, 1.6 WAR C Franklin Gerena (ATL) - .281/.317/.372, 253 AB, 4 HR, 88 wRC+, 0.6 WAR 1B Joe Dartnell (MEM) - .316/.369/.506, 310 AB, 14 HR, 142 wRC+, 2.3 WAR 1B Roger Perez (MIA)* - .309/.399/.537, 324 AB, 21 HR, 161 wRC+, 3.9 WAR 1B Nate Strickland (STL) - .327/.404/.583, 324 AB, 19 HR, 1 SB, 170 wRC+, 4.1 WAR 2B Bo Bichette (SD)* - .289/.367/.477, 304 AB, 13 HR, 14 SB, 134 wRC+, 3.2 WAR 2B Tony Cavazos (COL) - .279/.371/.405, 262 AB, 3 HR, 15 SB, 109 wRC+, 0.5 WAR 2B Jose Diaz (ATL) - .323/.382/.383, 248 AB, 1 SB, 114 wRC+, 2.2 WAR 2B Arturo Gutierrez (MIL)* - .268/.310/.531, 339 AB, 24 HR, 4 SB, 126 wRC+, 2.4 WAR 3B Alex Colon (CIN) - .257/.330/.496, 272 AB, 15 HR, 124 wRC+, 1.1 WAR 3B Edgar Galeana (STL) - .286/.349/.562, 315 AB, 21 HR, 148 wRC+, 3.1 WAR SS Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD)* - .275/.333/.475, 204 AB, 9 HR, 1 SB, 119 wRC+, 1.4 WAR (Injured) LF Jasson Dominguez (ATL) - .216/.336/.518, 301 AB, 28 HR, 8 SB, 132 wRC+, 3.1 WAR LF Alex Rodriguez (MEM)* - .276/.350/.503, 322 AB, 20 HR, 136 wRC+, 2.7 WAR CF John Potts (MIL) - .313/.368/.487, 355 AB, 11 HR, 26 SB, 135 wRC+, 2.8 WAR CF Mario Velasguez (PHI)* - .323/.392/.692, 325 AB, 33 HR, 1 SB, 193 wRC+, 5.4 WAR RF Billy Carlow (CHC)* - .303/.373/.633, 300 AB, 23 HR, 1 SB, 171 wRC+, 3.8 WAR RF Rogelio Fitzgerald (MIL) - .327/.418/.647, 300 AB, 24 HR, 191 wRC+, 4.3 WAR RF Luis Medina (MEM)* - .224/.283/.540, 326 AB, 30 HR, 2 SB, 119 wRC+, 1.4 WAR RF Angel Robinson (STL) - .285/.331/.551, 312 AB, 20 HR, 139 wRC+, 2.2 WAR RF Willie Vazquez (MEM) - .268/.323/.510, 343 AB, 20 HR, 16 SB, 127 wRC+, 3.4 WAR Ignore what I said in the previous post about Charlton being a snub; for some reason I missed him when I looked at the rosters initially. He is our only position player representative while Marlette gets his customary nod and the bullpen back-end of Smith and Lewis are well-deserved all-stars. It's the 6th appearance for both Marlette and Lewis, Smith's 2nd and Charlton's first. Former Rays selected include Baldino, Tosado and Scavone in the AL with DiCostanzo, Hays, Dettmer, Devon Williams, Strickland, Arturo Gutierrez and Carlow in the NL. The HR Derby: Congrats to Danny Charlton, a rare Tampa Bay winner of the competition among all my saves, as he beat out former Ray Billy Carlow. The game: A tight one which saw Marlette and Smith each pitch perfect innings with Marlette striking out the side in the start. Lewis was unused, and Charlton popped out in his pinch-hit appearance.

12-20-2023, 10:38 AM	#1318
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,070	July 17-20, 2036: vs Baltimore (4) The Rays kicked off the traditional second half of the season by extending their win streak to 9 before ending up with a split of the 4-game series with Baltimore. With the Yankees winning 3 of 4 their division lead was cut to a still-healthy 7 1/2 games. Tampa Bay picked up where it left off before the break in taking a 4-1 win in the opener and making it 9 straight wins thanks to an impressive outing from Danny Morales. The righty, who had a gaudy 36-8 combined record the previous two season, is still short of .500 but improved to 5-6 after going 6 3 1 1 1 6. All-star reliever Eric Lewis closed it out for save #18. Alex Rivas led the charge on offense, going 4-5 with a steal, run scored and RBI while Agustin Lopez was 2-4 with 2 ribbies. The win streak came to an end in the second game as the Orioles got by the Rays 4-2. Joe Scheu (8-5) was hit for a 3-run homer in the 2nd and ended up 5.2 9 4 3 1 4 as the bats were held in check. Another slow day at the plate for the Rays saw them drop their second straight to Baltimore 5-2 although it was the all-star bullpen which let them down in the end. They were up against Baltimore ace and MLB whiff leader Joe White who ended up fanning 14 Rays but still held a 2-1 lead after 7 thanks to Bobby Marin's go-ahead RBI double. Jadon Smith however gave up a game-tying run in the 8th and then Eric Lewis (1-1) was hit for 3 runs in the 9th in a surprising development. Nick Wallerstedt started and went 4 3 1 1 0 2 before leaving with a sprained ankle which will cost him his next start. The Rays nearly lost a third straight game to the Orioles at home but some late thunder gave them a 4-3 come-from-behind win. Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the 8th they got back-to-back homers from the Dannys as Charlton hit #25 and Arroyave #18 to turn things around. The homer capped a 4-4 day for Charlton, who earlier had an RBI double. Jordan Rodriguez was adequate at 5.2 6 3 3 2 4, the win went to Branden Gammage (4-1) and Jadon Smith atoned for yesterday's blown save by closing it out for his 4th. Team record: 58-34. Next up: Third-place Toronto comes to the Trop for a pair.

12-23-2023, 06:28 PM	#1319
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,070	July 21-22, 2036: vs Toronto (2) The Rays rolled on, taking both games from Toronto and pushing their lead in the AL East back up to 8 1/2 games. Tampa Bay stunned Toronto in the opener, scoring 4 times in the bottom of the 8th to erase a 3-0 deficit and take a 4-3 win. Danny Arroyave's 3-run homer (#19) made a winner of Jake Bridgewater (3-1) and Eric Lewis closed it out for save #19. Joe Marlette gave up a surprising 3 runs in the top of the 1st but settled in to finish 6 6 3 3 0 5. Another late big inning was decisive for the Rays in the second game as a 5-run 7th snapped a 1-1 tie and Tampa Bay swept the two-game series with a 6-1 win. The Rays sent a parade of players to the plate in the inning with the big hit being Willie Gutierrez's 2-run single. Alex Rivas, who singled in the first run, singled in another as they won without the benefit of an extra-base hit. Danny Morales evened his record at 6-6 by sticking around long enough at 7 7 1 1 0 5. Team record: 60-34. Next up: Another 2-game quickie series, this time in Baltimore.

12-28-2023, 08:48 AM	#1320
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,070	July 23-24, 2034: at Baltimore (2) The Rays remained the hottest team in baseball by sweeping the 2 games from the Orioles, allowing only one run in the process. Joe Scheu pitched the first shutout of his career (and only the second complete game) as the Rays routed Baltimore 9-0. Scheu's whitewash wasn't exactly a Picasso as he scattered 10 hits while walking 1 and fanning 3, but with the big lead he was given wide latitude to complete it and he did despite loading the bases in the 9th, finishing on 115 pitches. Danny Charlton was the man with the bat as he was 3-4 with a walk, double, two homers (#26 & 27) and five RBI. Mal Stephens was 3-5 with a solo homer (#7) and Willie Gutierrez got his average over .300 with 2 hits including HR #4. Tampa Bay faced one of the league's toughest customers in Joe White, who fanned 14 Rays in 8 innings 5 days ago at the Trop, and had to throw together a bullpen game with Nick Wallerstedt still nursing a sprained ankle. Despite that potential mismatch the Rays got an excellent emergency start from Jeff Coblentz, waited out White through 9 innings, and scored 3 times off the Baltimore pen in the 10th to take a 4-1 win and mini-series sweep. White dominated Rays bats again to the tune of 9 4 1 1 3 13 but Coblentz exceeded expectations going 5.1 3 1 1 1 2. And the bullpen was a perfect 4 2/3 after that with Jadon Smith (5-1) picking up the win with a pair 1-2-3 innings with 4 Ks while Eric Lewis earned his 20th save. The winning rally saw Agustin Lopez come off the bench for a pinch-RBI single to break the tie and then Luis Berumen brought Lopez home with HR #12. Team record: 62-34. Next up: The Yankees, whom the Rays hold a 9 1/2-game lead on, visit the Trop for 3 games.