The 2020 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

The Friday night opener was rained out so we're playing a day-night doubleheader on Saturday.

Game 1: The Rays overcame another poor start from Josh Carsello to take a 9-6 win over Boston in the first of a doubleheader at Fenway. His 5 8 5 4 3 5 performance put the Rays down 5-4 but Omar Rodriguez tied it with a triple in the 7th and Jim Gebers broke the tie with a 2-run HR (#14). Mike McKee had a 2-run HR (#10) in the 8th for insurance, and O-Rod (#17) and Jeff Baez (#7) homered earlier. Jeff Reece picked up win #2 in relief despite walking 4 in 1 1/3 and Kikuo Kawase recorded save #21.

Game 2: Things went easier for the Rays in the nightcap as they held a 3-1 lead through 7 and then broke it open to prevail 8-1. Danny Romero was solid again, going 7 5 1 1 3 4 to improve to 11-2, 3.17. Jon Jimenez continued on his tear with HR #20 in the 1st and Daniel Vasquez added a 2-run single to give them the early lead, and in the 8th Jimmy Leonard hit his first homer off a lefty, a 2-run shot (#4) which preceded a 2-run Omar Rodriguez single.

Game 3: The Rays head into the All-Star break on a losing note after dropping a sloppy 5-3 affair to Boston. Tampa Bay fielders committed 4 errors leading to 3 unearned runs off Tim Gates which proved to be the difference. One of them was Gates' own error and it factored into a 3-run 3rd for Boston as the righty finished 5 7 5 2 1 4 and dropped to 11-3, 3.43. Omar Rodriguez had a solo homer (#18) in the 1st and Jaiden Hardaway drove in the other 2 Rays runs.

Team record: 64-24. Next up: The All-Star break, and when we return to action on Friday it will be at home for the start of a 3-game series with Baltimore.

[Art Deco]

The All-Star rosters:





This is at least the 3rd trip to the ASG for all the Rays selected or elected, except for Vinny Willard who makes it for the first time.

The HR Derby:



It finally happened! A Rays player won the Home Run Derby as Danny Ayala edged MLB HR leader Nelson Gamez in the final round to take the crown. Ayala squeaked out each round by 1 homer, including getting by his teammate of the previous 3 years Eric Titcombe.

The game itself:



Not an exciting affair with pitching dominating. Jaiden Hardaway walked twice, Omar Rodriguez had an infield single, and Vinny Willard and Kikuo Kawase had scoreless innings for the Rays highlights such as they were.

[Art Deco]

Who says you can't go home again?



As you can see we've re-acquired our one-time ace Nate Thompson, who departed for Baltimore on a 2-year deal this past offseason. Whatever lingering questions there were about Thompson missing most of last year have been answered as he's been a solid 8-4, 2.97 this season and he represents a definite upgrade on Jeremy Curtis, who goes the other way in the deal. Curtis had been wildly inconsistent this year after a pretty good season last year but Thompson is clearly the better pitcher. And Baltimore is picking up half his salary so we're only on the hook for 1 year and $7.2M which will be a bargain if Thompson is Thompson. We also say goodbye to Jeff Hayes, who's been up with the big club 2 1/2 years as a reserve OF playing mostly against lefties and who hasn't really produced a lot outside of the first half of 2036 and a 2-3 week run last September. He'll probably hit 35 HR (or at that rate) if the Orioles just stick him in the lineup but with a .230-240 average. We also make our first draft pick trade, including next year's 4th rounder to sweeten the pot to get the Orioles to pick up salary.

The other big news is who comes up for Hayes. That would be elite RH hitting prospect Ben Hill, whom I've talked about recently. Hill will start his MLB career as the DH against lefties and play very occasional OF or 1B since he's a 35 and 25 at those positions. Long-term Hill projects as our everyday DH and Jon Jimenez is probably dealt this winter as he gets expensive and we need to reduce payroll. Hill was hitting 337/372/599 at Durham with 20 HR and 70 RBI, so there's little doubt about his bat.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: With Nate Thompson and the Orioles already in town to kick off the post-ASB portion of the season, it was no problem for Thompson to stroll over to the home clubhouse where he already felt at home and we gave him the ball to face his teammates up until yesterday. And it was like old times as Thompson pitched well and the Rays rolled to a 9-4 win. Thompson was brilliant through 5, allowing only 2 hits, but ran into some trouble in the 6th. He still would have been out of it with only one run allowed but gave up an 15-foot infield single to score another run and then Jeff Reece came in and walked in another of his runners so Thompson's final line of 5.2 6 3 3 1 6 wasn't eye-popping but still good enough for the win. That's because he received the run support he was accustomed to, as Bo Angeac blasted a solo homer (#12) in the 3rd and Omar Rodriguez (#19) and Daniel Vasquez (#17) crushed 3-run homers in the 4th to blow the game open. Billy Hoyte struggled in the 8th and actually brought the tying run on deck so Ken Burgess came in, struck out the first man he faced to end the 8th and whiffed 2 more in the 9th for his first MLB save of what will probably be many once we part ways with Kikuo Kawase (nothing imminent there, but he is expensive). Burgess has a combined line this season of 27.1 12 4 4 7 40 with only 1 homer allowed so he's definitely closer material.

Game 2: Another day of familiar faces in different uniforms as the Orioles started Jeremy Curtis against us and inserted Jeff Hayes into the cleanup spot, playing LF. And whaddya know? Hayes hit the first pitch he saw from Danny Romero today out of Publix Park for a homer and it apparently rattled Romero enough that he gave up homers to the next two batters as well (including another former Ray, Mike Harms). But despite the 4-run Baltimore first inning the Rays got to Curtis in the 2nd and went on to take a 10-5 win. Curtis lost the plate in the 2nd inning, walking 4 and giving up a couple of hits including a 2-run double to his former catcher Mike McKee. An Oriole error prolonged the inning and Curtis was pulled before Jim Gebers blasted a 3-run shot (#15). The Rays romped from there, and in his MLB debut Ben Hill was 1-4 with a double and a walk. Romero settled down after his rough first inning, and finished 6 6 5 4 0 8 for the win to go to 12-2, 3.32. Chris Toombs went the final 3 innings scoreless for his first MLB save.

Game 3: The Orioles took a 3-0 lead off Tim Gates but since when has that ever stopped the Rays, and Tampa Bay went on to take a 7-3 win and sweep the series. Jeff Hayes didn't homer again but Mike Harms did but Gates settled in after that to go 6 4 3 3 1 7, again making it a typical Gates start where he goes 6 and allows either 2 or 3 runs. Vinny Willard (2 innings, good for win #5) and Mike Wherry (1) combined for perfection and struck out 7 between them. On offense Danny Ayala was 2-4 with HR #24 while Omar Rodriguez and Jeff Baez each drove in a pair.

Team record: 67-24. Next up: We head west for 3 games at Coors Field, always an interesting proposition.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays rocked the Rockies at Coors Field 8-3 in the series opener, making it 23 wins in their last 26 games for Tampa Bay. In a stadium where hitters make the headlines Ron Adams starred on the mound for Tampa Bay, taking a 5-hitter into the 9th up 8-1 before running out of gas and finishing 8 7 3 3 2 5 to improve to 13-2, 3.93. Bo Angeac got the Rays up and running in the 1st with a 3-run homer (#13) to cap a 4-run first while Omar Rodriguez was 4-5 with a double and an RBI. Ben Hill had his first MLB extra-base hit, an RBI double in the 7th.

Game 2: The Rays were thumped 7-1 by the Rockies tonight as veteran Jeremy Odle kept them in check (save another Bo Angeac homer, #14), and Josh Carsello continued his 2038 struggles by going 5.2 7 5 3 2 6 to fall to 7-6, 5.04. Damani Cotton wasn't much relief in relief as he gave up 3 straight hits upon entering and allowed a couple of Carsello's runners to score.

Game 3: Well things looked good for an inning. Danny Ayala hit a 3-run homer in the top of the first (#25) and Nate Thompson had a scoreless opening inning. Then things went to hell in a handbasket as the Rays didn't score again the rest of the way (and only managed 5 hits total) while the Rockies scored in every inning but one after the first and made yesterday's blowout look like a love tap as they won today 14-3. Thompson was gone by the third with 6 runs on 9 hits against and Kevin Kerstetter and Jeff Reece combined to allow 8 more and the Rockies amassed 20 hits in all. The best thing that can be said is that the series is over and we don't have to come back to this place for at least 3 years.

Team record: 68-26. Next up: 4 games in a normal stadium at sea level against Oakland.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: After allowing 21 runs and 31 hits the last two games, Rays pitching led by Danny Romero restored order to the universe in a 3-0 win at Oakland. Romero went 6 2 0 0 3 4 on 98 pitches to improve to 13-2, 3.15, and Ken Burgess, Mike Wherry and Kikuo Kawase were immaculate in relief with the latter picking up save #22. The Rays scored all 3 of their runs in a 3rd-inning rally with the key hits a Bo Angeac RBI single and a Danny Ayala RBI double. Ray batters did whiff 15 times in total with Kevin Morley wearing the golden sombrero.

Game 2: The switch from Coors Field to the Oakland Coliseum couldn't be more pronounced as for the second straight Rays pitching hurled a shutout with Tim Gates leading the way in a 2-0 win. Gates took a no-hitter into the 7th before the leadoff man singled and he finished 6.2 2 0 0 2 5 to up his record to 12-3, 3.29. Chris Toombs turned in 1 1/3 hitless innings to lower his ERA to 1.01 and Kikuo Kawase once again took care of the 9th for save #23. All of the offense came from Omar Rodriguez, who launched a solo homer (#20) in the 4th and delivered an RBI single in the 6th.

Game 3: Rays pitching was dominant again as they shut Oakland out for the third straight game in a 4-0 win. This time it was a one-man affair as Ron Adams showed off his 70 stamina by pitching a 6-hit shutout on 127 pitches which would have made Old Hoss Radbourn proud. He walked one and fanned 12 as he lowered his ERA to 3.63 and improved his record to 14-2. Couple that with leading the AL in pitcher WAR at 3.5 and strikeouts with 144 and he has to be considered the AL Cy Young front-runner right now. Omar Rodriguez was once again the key to the offense, going 3-4 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI while Jim Gebers and Jon Jimenez had RBI singles. Daniel Malone did his best Jaiden Hardaway impression leading off tonight as J-Hard got the night off, going 2 for 3 with 2 walks, 2 runs scored and a steal.

Time for some moves:



Adios, KK. The only pitcher in MLB to win 20 games twice in the last three years, it seems like a meager return (Stephens is a quality relief prospect but not an elite one) and in some measures it is. But Kerstetter isn't better than the five guys we have starting (although Josh Carsello begs to differ with the way he's pitched lately) and has been terrible in long relief. Throw in an $10M salary that's only going to go up in arbitration and hence the move. And we needed the roster spot for this guy:

July 25: Claimed P Joe Trader on waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Like Kerstetter, Trader had a big 2037 earning 2.7 WAR as a swingman who made 23 starts with the Dodgers, made the All-Star game and fanned 148 in 134.2 IP. Also like KK, Trader's mainly found himself out of the rotation this year. He has 70 stuff as a lefty reliever and 65 as a starter and surprisingly the Dodgers put him on waivers and we pounced. He'll take the long relief role Kerstetter had and if we need another starter, he'll get a shot.

Game 4: The Rays put their 27-inning shutout streak in the hands of Josh Carsello today, and sure enough he gave up 2 runs in the first to Oakland to end it. However that's all he gave up and he pitched well but the offense remained in its funk (15 runs in its last 6 games) and the Rays fell 3-2 to the A's in 10 innings. Doing the damage for Oakland was former Rays slugger Rodolfo Rivas, who homered off Carsello in the 1st and then delivered the game-winning hit in the 10th, an RBI single and his 4th safety of the day. Carsello went 5.1 3 2 2 2 8 and the pen pitched well until I left Ken Burgess in for a second inning when he's really a one-inning guy. Jim Gebers dramatically tied the game in the 9th on a solo homer, his 16th, and Ben Hill had his best game as a big leaguer going 3-4 with his 3rd double.

Team record: 71-27. Next up: A day off then our western swing continues with 2 games in Dodger Stadium.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays rediscovered their offense as they belted 6 doubles and 4 homers among their 18 hits in a 9-3 demolition of the Dodgers in LA. Omar Rodriguez led the hit parade with a double, homer (#21) and single, driving in 3, while Jaiden Hardaway (#15), Jeff Baez (#8) and Daniel Malone (#8) all found the Dodger Stadium seats (or in Baez's case the RF bullpen). Nate Thompson started and rolled through the first 5 allowing 0 runs and 3 hits, but ran out of gas in the 6th and gave up 3 runs, still picking up his 2nd win in 3 starts since rejoining Tampa Bay. Joe Trader made his Rays debut against his old team and pitched a 1-2-3 9th.

Game 2: Daniel Vasquez slugged a pair of homers to lead the Rays to an 8-4 win over the Dodgers and a sweep of the 2-game mini-series. Vasquez had a solo shot in the 6th and a 2-run jack in the 8th to give him 19 for the year while Jaiden Hardaway was 3-5 with HR #16 and 2 RBI. Kevin Morley, who's slumped of late, also chipped in with a longball, #7 for him. Danny Romero got past a 2-run first inning homer to finish 6 4 2 2 2 4 and improve to 14-2, 3.15 but Billy Hoyte made such a mess in the 9th with a 6-run lead (allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and leaving the bases loaded) that Kikuo Kawase had to come in to get the final out for save #24.

Team record: 73-27. Next up: Another off-day then we return home for a weekend with the Yankees.

[Art Deco]

I wasn't really looking to make a deal before the deadline tomorrow but this was actually offered to me by the AI, my assistant GM said "I don't like it, I love it!" and well I couldn't turn it down:



Hadley is an interesting case, a Rayhmer Costa-type with better stuff. As a starter he's rated 70 stuff and 70 control. Elite, right? Yeah but with 30 movement. Still there's enough skill here to make a pretty decent starter - his numbers were hurt by a .339 BABIP which hurts even more for a guy who gives up homers - even though we have no room for him. He has an option left so he's going to Durham until we figure out what to do with him. Wilson, whom we traded, is an iffy prospect that was a longshot to make the big club.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: It was a fairly routine 9-4 drubbing of the Yankees as we returned to Publix Park from a long western road trip. Omar Rodriguez had another 4-hit game, driving in one, Jaiden Hardaway was 2-5 with a double and 3 RBI, Mike McKee went 2-2 with an RBI double, and Jim Gebers (#17) and Bo Angeac (#15) homered. Tim Gates gave us the usual Tim Gates start which would have been 6 innings and 2 runs allowed, but he came out for the 7th on 83 pitches and put the first two on, both of whom Jeff Reece allowed to score so Gates ended 6 8 4 4 1 7 but went to 13-3, 3.42. Reece stayed in for the duration and picked up his first save of the year with 3 scoreless.

Game 2: Another day at the office for the Rays as they polished off the Yankees 9-1. Ron Adams was excellent again, going 7 7 1 1 2 7 to improve to 15-2, 3.51 as he continues to cement his Cy Young credentials. The usual suspects paced the bat attack: Daniel Vasquez was 4-5 with a 2-run HR (#20), Danny Ayala had a 3-run HR (#26) and a sac fly to give him 92 RBI, and Jaiden Hardaway was 2-4 with a 2-run homer (#17) and a steal.

Game 3: The Rays had to work hard for this one but scored 3 in the bottom of the 8th to take a 3-2 win over the Yankees and sweep the series to extend their winning streak to 5 and their recent run to 31 wins in their last 37. Down 2-0, Omar Rodriguez tripled in a run to make it 2-1 and then Danny Ayala blasted HR #27 to give the Rays the win. Josh Carsello started and pitched well, going 6 6 2 2 3 5 and Vinny Willard picked up win #6 with Kikuo Kawase closing it out for save #25.

Team record: 76-27. Next up: Kansas City visits for 4 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays took the opener from Kansas City 5-3 but it was a costly win as recently-reacquired Nate Thompson had to leave after 5 innings with ulnar nerve entrapment and is done for the season. It was a shame as Thompson was pitching his best game since being reacquired, going 5 3 0 0 1 10 and he will finish 3-1 as a Ray in the 4 starts he made. Chris Toombs surrendered a 3-run homer in the 6th to draw the Royals close, but the rest of the pen hold on with Kikuo Kawase getting a game-ending double play after walking two men to record save #26. Jeff Baez (#9) and Mike McKee (#11) hit back-to-back homers in the 2nd to get the Rays on the board and Omar Rodriguez added a 2-RBI single in the 4th.

August 3: Placed P Nate Thompson on the 60-day IL with ulnar nerve entrapment, recalled P Steve Beaver from AAA Durham.

The plan is to move Damani Cotton into the rotation as I've always been intrigued by what he could do in that role. Beaver will take over his righty long relief role after looking good in an earlier callup this year although he's struggled some at Durham. There are some other really good options at Durham (Steve Abeles, Jose Mendoza, Camren Nethercutt, the just-acquired Tim Hadley), so Beaver will need to pitch well to stay up.

Game 2: A 4-4 game in the 6th turned into a 14-6 Rays rout of the Royals tonight at Publix Park. Danny Ayala had the big hit in the bottom of the 6th, a bases-clearing double which broke the 4-4 deadlock, and Daniel Vasquez capped a 4-hit day with a bases-clearing double of his own in a 6-run 8th to give him 4 RBI on the day. Jim Gebers (#18) and Daniel Malone (#9) added 2-run homers to bolster the attack. Gebers was playing because the injury bug continued with Jaiden Hardaway having to leave the game early. Fortunately it's just a strained back but it's moderate for a week so we'll do the safe thing and put him on the 10-day IL. Danny Romero started and had a rough 3rd inning, giving up 4 runs, but was spotless outside of that and hung around long enough to get the win after going 6 8 4 4 1 9. He's now 15-2, 3.27 and is likely battling teammate Ron Adams for this year's AL Cy Young. Joe Trader went the final 3 innings for his first Rays save, although he gave up 3 hits, 2 walks and 2 runs in the process.

August 4: Placed 2B Jaiden Hardaway on the 10-day IL with a back strain, recalled IF Devin Boatman from AAA Durham.

Game 3: Kansas City gave the Rays a beating tonight 8-2 as they had their way with Tim Gates. The righty surrendered 4 in the first, including a 3-run homer, and finished a rough 5 7 7 7 4 4 to drop to 13-4, 3.77. Steve Beaver was impressive with 3 shutout innings and 4 Ks but Billy Hoyte struggled again in the 9th, walking 3 and allowing a run. Not much offense to speak of with Jon Jimenez and Danny Ayala providing RBI singles.

Game 4: The Rays took a wild 11-7 win over Kansas City which saw Damani Cotton flub his lines in his audition to take Nate Thompson's place in the rotation. Things looked good for Cotton when the Rays gave him a 5-1 lead after 3 innings which saw him only allow two hits. But he had a hard time getting anyone out in the 4th and by the time the dust had settled the Royals were ahead 6-5. The Rays re-took the lead 7-6 on a 2-run Jon Jimenez HR (#21) but Jeff Reece gave up a homer in the 5th to allow the Royals to tie again. But 3 runs in the 5th on a Daniel Vasquez RBI single and a 2-run Jim Gebers shot (#19) put the Rays ahead to stay, and Reece settled down for 2 1/3 innings and win #3 with Vinny Willard adding 2 scoreless innings. Vasquez drove in 3, Jimmy Leonard hit a 2-run homer (#5) and Danny Ayala added a solo shot for #28 to round out the offense.

Team record: 79-28. Next up: Minnesota visits for 3 on the weekend.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays did not pitch well at all today and dropped a 9-7 decision to the lowly Minnesota Twins at Publix Park. Ron Adams got the start and was homer-prone, allowing 3 in all in a 6 8 7 7 0 6 performance which saw him fall to 15-3, 3.82 and put a crimp in his Cy Young hopes. The bullpen wasn't much better, allowing a couple of runs which proved to be the difference. It was 7-2 Twins through 6 but the offense fought back late, with homers from Daniel Vasquez (#21, a 2-run shot) and Danny Ayala (#29), who hit the 100-RBI mark.

Durham update: Ted Hadley is doing his best to say "pick me, pick me!" after seeing Damani Cotton struggle in the rotation as he struck out 17 in 7 innings in his start tonight while walking none and allowing only 1 run on 3 hits (a homer, natch). The 17 whiffs are a Durham Bulls record, by the way.

Game 2: Normal service resumed as the Rays trounced the Twins 8-1 behind a fine effort from Josh Carsello. The consistently inconsistent lefty went 6.2 8 1 1 0 7 tonight with the lack of walks particularly notable as he improved to 8-6, 4.65. Daniel Vasquez continued on his ridiculous tear, going 3-3 with HR #22 and 4 RBI tonight. He has multiple hits in his last five games and in eight of his last 9 as over the latter period he's gone 22-for-39 with 5 HR and 18 RBI. Omar Rodriguez was 3-4 with a steal and Devin Boatman knocked in a couple of runs.

Game 3: In a game very similar to the series opener, the Rays got some bad pitching and it cost them in a 9-6 loss to Minnesota as they dropped two of three to the cellar-dwelling Twins. Danny Romero was hit as hard to day as he's been all season, allowing 6 runs (5 earned) and 11 hits in only 3 innings, although he ended up with a no-decision when the bats battled back to tie it at 6. Instead Steve Beaver took the loss, even though he only allowed the one run in 3 innings and fanned 4. Daniel Malone had a 2-run homer (#10) and Daniel Vasquez kept going with 3 more hits and an RBI (now 25-for-44 over his last 10 games) but it wasn't enough.

Team record: 80-30. Next up: 3 games in Toronto.

Awards note: I'm not going to cut and paste the story, instead I'll just note that Daniel Vasquez was perhaps the least surprising AL Player of the Week in recent memory.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays broke open a close 3-1 game by scoring 7 times off the soft underbelly of the Toronto bullpen to take a 10-2 win at Rogers Centre in the series opener. Tim Gates, who almost never goes beyond 6 innings, made it through 8 today on only 89 pitches, going 8 4 2 2 2 5 to improve to 14-4, 3.68 and 27-5 over two seasons with Tampa Bay. Daniel Malone was 3-6 with a homer (#11), 3 RBI and a steal, and it would not surprise you to know that Daniel Vasquez was 3-5 with 3 RBI to make it 28-49 in his last 11 games. Jeff Baez knocked in a pair as well.

Game 2: The Jays beat the Rays 6-4 to even up the series as Damani Cotton didn't distinguish himself in yet another start. Cotton went 6 5 5 3 3 2, although he was hurt by a costly Jim Gebers error which led to a pair of unearned runs. The loss spoiled the coming-out party of Ben Hill, who got the start against Toronto's tough lefty David Ruiz and greeted him with a homer, Hill's first in the show. And then in his next at-bat against a reliever, Hill went deep again and later added a single. In limited action he's 11-for-25 with the two homers and probably should start more but guys like Jon Jimenez and Daniel Vasquez are currently blocking his path. Gebers also hit a solo homer (#20), while Vasquez cooled off some facing a lefty tonight and was held to one hit.

Game 3: The Rays took the rubber game of the series with a 5-3 win behind a solid outing from Ron Adams. The righty wasn't dominating but went 7 7 3 3 1 4 to improve to 16-3, 3.82, and Kikuo Kawase fanned 3 Jays in the 9th around a hit and a walk to record save #27. The big hit of the game was a grand slam from Danny Ayala in the 4th, his 30th homer of the year, and Daniel Malone added an RBI double in the 7th for some insurance.

Team record: 82-31. Next up: An off-day before we head to Yankee Stadium for 3.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: It was a battle of Rays aces past and present as Josh Carsello went up against Leo Ortega at Yankee Stadium, and it lived up to billing as the Rays squeaked out a 2-1 win. I've been hard on Carsello this year for good reason but he really has seemed to turn things around of late and today was the latest example as he went 6.1 4 1 1 2 8 for the win, making it only 6 runs allowed over his last 4 starts. He's now 9-6, 4.49, still not great overall but his ERA was well above 5 not that long ago. Kikuo Kawase nailed down save #28. The offense was meager but sufficient as Mike McKee had a solo homer (#12) in the 3rd and Omar Rodriguez's RBI single in the 5th proved to be the winner.

August 14: Optioned IF Devin Boatman and OF Ben Hill to AAA Durham, activated 2B Jaiden Hardaway from the 10-day IL, claimed IF Ramon Ruiz off waivers from St. Louis and added him to the active roster.

Always good to get J-Hard back, but the news here is the claim of Ruiz and demotion of Hill. Jim Gebers had been our backup MI when everyone was healthy, but he's really not suited to those positions, especially SS. So we claimed Ruiz, once a top prospect of ours whom we dealt in an ill-fated swap to the Cardinals about 5 years ago for a 3B prospect named Kjeld Visser who never panned out. Ruiz isn't a great hitter, but he has 55 power and a 55 eye, and more importantly he's a 65 SS. So if (when) we get the inevitable Jeff Baez injury, we've got a SS with more pop in his bat than Boatman. Ruiz is a FA at year's end so this is about the here and now, and room had to be made for him so Hill goes down. Not on merit - he raked in his limited at-bats with us - but positionally he doesn't fit right now as he's a pure DH and Jon Jimenez and Gebers have that role now.

Game 2: Danny Romero pitched his second complete-game shutout of the season as the Rays waylaid the Yankees 9-0. The lefty, in a battle with teammate Ron Adams for Cy Young consideration, went 9 5 0 0 0 8 to improve to 16-2, 3.31 and continues to be the team's most consistent pitcher this year. Danny Ayala had a big game with the bat today, going 3-5 with a 3-run HR (#31) and 5 RBI in total, and Jaiden Hardaway was on base 5 times with 4 walks and a 2-run homer (#18) plus two steals.

Game 3: Tim Gates hurled the staff's second straight complete game as the Rays once again pounded the Yankees 10-2 to sweep the series. Gates went 9 6 2 2 2 12, and if I just saw that line and had to guess the # of pitches, I'd say 115. But somehow Gates did it on only 93 pitches which is why he completed the game. The two runs against came on a homer, and he had 3 double plays behind him which helped keep the pitch count down. On offense Omar Rodriguez had a massive day, starting off the proceedings with a 3-run homer (#22) in the top of the 1st and going 3-for-3 with 4 RBI on the day. Daniel Vasquez (#23), Bo Angeac (#16) and Jim Gebers (#21) contributed homers as well and Jaiden Hardaway was on base 4 more times with 3 walks and a single as he sports a mere .465 OBP. Ramon Ruiz made his Rays debut and while he acquitted himself well in the field, the plate was another story as he was 0-5 with 3 strikeouts.

Team record: 85-31. Next up: Back home for 3 against the San Diego Padres.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Trailing 3-1 going into the bottom of the 9th the Rays came back in dramatic fashion to take a 4-3 win over the Padres at Publix Park. Mike McKee and Jaiden Hardaway led off the inning with back-to-back doubles to cut the San Diego lead in half, and after Daniel Malone (who had doubled in the first Rays run) flew to shallow center Omar Rodriguez stepped up and blasted HR #23 to walk it off for the Rays. Damani Cotton started and after he gave up a 1st-inning 3-run homer to former Tampa Bay prospect Angelo Romo it looked like another rough start for him. But he was dialed in from there and finished 6 4 3 3 1 8, enough to earn him another start. Mike Wherry, who had pitched only once in the previous 24 days, picked up his 2nd win after a scoreless 9th.

Game 2: The runs were plentiful today as the Rays took a 14-8 slugfest from the Padres. Bo Angeac homered twice (17 & 18) and drove in 3 while Omar Rodriguez had a bases-clearing triple as part of a 4-RBI day (which put him over 100) to pace the offense. Ron Adams went to 17-3 with the win after a 6 5 3 3 3 8 which saw all 3 runs against come in the 2nd which briefly put San Diego ahead. Jeff Reece made a mess, giving up 5 runs in the 7th including a grand slam, leaving Billy Hoyte to go the final 2 1/3 which was good enough for his 2nd save.

Game 3: The Rays' bullpen blew the game twice in the late innings, but thanks to the heroics of Omar Rodriguez they pulled out a 6-5 walk-off win at Publix Park to sweep the series from San Diego and make it 7 straight. O-Rod tripled to lead off the bottom of the 9th to complete the cycle and scored on Bo Angeac's single for the win. Before the last two innings it looked like a fairly routine 4-1 Rays win with Josh Carsello continuing his in-season renaissance with a 7 4 1 1 3 6 outing and Rodriguez supplying the offense. But Ken Burgess had his first really bad game as a big leaguer, giving up 3 runs on only 8 pitches to allow the Padres to tie in the 8th, and although Ramon Ruiz doubled for his first Rays hit and scored on a Jaiden Hardaway single to restore the lead at 5-4 in the bottom of the 8th, Kikuo Kawase decided to allow his first run since May 9 to let the Padres equalize again. O-Rod finished 4-5 including HR #24 with 3 more RBI with his cycle and is 35 for 76 since July 30 and has 3 HR and 13 RBI in his last 4 games as he's not quite ready to cede the MVP back to J-Hard.

Team record: 88-31. Next up: An off-day then Texas visits for 3.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Omar Rodriguez has been grabbing the headlines lately but tonight it was Jaiden Hardaway's turn to reassert himself as the straw that stirs the drink in Tampa Bay. The 4-time MVP banged out 5 hits tonight, including a key 3-run homer (#19) in another slugfest win, 13-8 over Texas. Danny Romero was unable to replicate the shutout form of his last start as the Rangers hit him hard to the tune of 4.2 9 6 6 0 6 putting the Rays in a 6-3 hole. Of course a 3-run deficit never fazes this offense, and a 5-run 7th completed the comeback with Daniel Malone's 2-run single putting the Rays ahead and then Hardaway's 3-run homer making it 10-6. Malone was 3-4 with 3 runs scored as well as the 2 RBI, Jeff Baez was 4-5 with 3 doubles and 3 RBI and Bo Angeac drove in a pair. Steve Beaver picked up his first MLB win with 2 1/3 scoreless in relief of Romero.

Game 2: Tim Gates was outstanding again and the Rays ran their win streak to 9 with a 7-4 win over Texas at Publix Park. The righty improved to 16-4, 3.50 with a 6 5 1 1 2 8 performance against a tough Rangers lineup. Some bullpen shenanigans allowed Texas to score three times in the 9th to make the final score respectable, but it was a comfortable Rays win in the end. Jeff Baez drove in 3 including a pair with a double in a 5-run 5th that broke the game in the Rays' favor, Jaiden Hardaway had 3 more hits, and Mike McKee launched a solo shot (#13) in the 6th.

Game 3: The winning streak reached double digits as the Rays handled Texas 8-4. Jimmy Leonard's 2-run single off longtime Texas ace Victor Presas gave the Rays a 5-4 lead in the 5th and they never looked back. Danny Ayala drilled a 3-run homer (#32) in the 6th to salt it away and Damani Cotton picked up his first win this season as a starter, although his 5 8 4 4 1 6 line wasn't particularly inspiring. But Steve Beaver and Joe Trader each went 2 scoreless to close out the game and our pitching lineup today of Cotton-Beaver-Trader had a real Oregon Trail ring to it. Omar Rodriguez had an early 2-run double but injured himself in the process, pulling a rib cage muscle. Although the injury will allow him to play, it's expected to persist for the better part of 2 weeks so we'll play it safe and IL him.

Team record: 91-31. Next up: The Red Sox come to town for 4.

I've heard this guy is pretty good:

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August 23: Placed OF Omar Rodriguez on the 10-day IL with a pulled rib cage muscle, recalled OF Ben Hill from AAA Durham.

Ben is back and will get to play a little more as we may hold our nose a few times and play him in the OF where's he rated 35 in LF and 30 in RF as his bat is special. Omar will be back after rosters expand so Hill likely gets to stay up through September.

Game 1: The Rays' 10-game win streak came to an end tonight in a tough 2-1 loss to the Red Sox at Publix Park. Ron Adams gave up a couple of solo homers in his 7 innings of work including one to noted Rays-killer Mario Aguilar, and that was enough to give Boston the win. Adams drops to 17-4, 3.79. The only Rays run came off the bat of just-recalled Ben Hill, who homered (#3) in the 7th. They had a chance to tie with 2 out in the 9th when Daniel Malone walked, stole second and went to third on the bad throw, but pinch-hitter Daniel Vasquez flew to deep center to end the game.

Game 2: The Rays bounced back to beat Boston 7-5 after taking a big early lead and holding on after some shaky bullpen work. Josh Carsello stayed hot by going 7 5 2 2 3 5 and improving to 10-6, 4.23, but Jeff Reece and Chris Toombs conspired to allow Boston to score 3 times and Ken Burgess had to come in and get the final out of the 8th. Kikuo Kawase put an end to the nonsense with a 1-2-3 2K 9th for save #29. Jaiden Hardway led the offense, going 3-4 with HR #20 while Danny Ayala (#33, a 2-run shot), Mike McKee (#14, solo) and Jimmy Leonard (#6, with a man on) also homered.

Game 3: Tampa Bay lost for the second time in three games to Boston after dropping a 6-4 decision. Danny Romero was roughed up early and suffered only his third loss of the season as he allowed 4 runs in the first 3 innings before settling in to finish 6 8 4 4 0 3. Vinny Willard gave up a 2-run homer in the 9th which proved to be the difference when the offense rallied late. But the bats were held to only 1 run over 7 innings and trailed 6-2 in the 9th before Jim Gebers blasted a 2-run pinch-homer (#22) to halve the Boston advantage. Ben Hill delivered a pinch-single and Jaiden Hardaway singled as well, but the rally ended with Jon Jimenez grounding out.

August 26: Placed IF Ramon Ruiz on the 10-day IL with a high ankle sprain, recalled IF Devin Boatman from AAA Durham.

Our injury cover for Jeff Baez ended up injured instead, as Ruiz will miss 4 weeks with the sprain suffered in yesterday's game.

Game 4: The Rays salvaged a split of the series with Boston thanks to an 8-2 win today. Jaiden Hardaway (#21) and Ben Hill (#4) homered in the first inning to send the Rays on their way, while Jim Gebers was 3-5 with 2 RBI. Hill also singled in a run his second time up and is hitting a cool 410/425/795 in 39 at-bats with the big club. Tim Gates started and wasn't his sharpest, but good enough to go 5.1 8 2 2 1 4 and improve to 17-4, 3.49. He left the bases loaded and one out in the 6th for Vinny Willard, who fanned the first two Sox he faced to end the threat. Billy Hoyte took over from there and went 3 1-hit innings to notch save #3.

Team record: 93-33. Next up: 3 games in Houston.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays faced off to the closest thing they have to a peer as the Astros came in 83-44 and they took the first game of the series 11-5, although that final is a bit misleading. It was a 5-4 game going into the 9th before the Rays broke it open with 6 runs on a 3-run Danny Ayala homer (#34), a 2-run blast by Jimmy Leonard against his old team (#7) and a Jeff Baez solo shot back-to-back with Leonard (#10). Before that the offense was led by (who else?) Jaiden Hardaway, 4-4 with 3 doubles and Bo Angeac, who had a 2-run homer (#19) in the 3rd. Damani Cotton started and pitched pretty well, improving to 4-2 with a 6 5 3 3 1 4 line which was marred by his allowing a leadoff single in the 7th before leaving which came around to score. The multi-hit game for Hardaway was his 5th straight and 8th in his last 9 games; he's an absurd 25 for his last 40 and has raised his BA from .352 to .379. He now sits at 8.9 WAR and is on pace for 11.4, just shy of his save-best 11.7 set in 2033.

Game 2: Tampa Bay took another hard-fought game from Houston, this time 4-3 in 11 innings. The Rays were up against longtime former teammate Danny Medina, now in the Astros rotation after toiling in the Tampa Bay bullpen for 5 years. He's pitched well (3.19 ERA coming in) but his old friends treated him rudely, scoring 3 runs on 10 hits off him in 4 innings. Given that ratio the Rays should have had more runs but they didn't and the game went 3-3 into extras before Daniel Vasquez, who had homered earlier off Medina (#23), doubled in Daniel Malone with the winner in the 11th to cap a 4-hit day. Kikuo Kawase got the final out in the 9th and the Astros in order in the tenth, all on a grand total of 9 pitches, so he saved his own 4th win of the season with a scoreless 11th as well. Ron Adams started and went 6 8 3 3 1 5, settling in after some early troubles, and Jimmy Leonard had a nice game against his old team going 3-3 with 2 walks and 3 steals.

Game 3: The Rays survived a bullpen meltdown to sweep the series from Houston, taking a 10-9 win at Minute Maid Park behind a couple of former Astros. The Rays took a 9-2 lead into the bottom of the 7th but Billy Hoyte and Ken Burgess couldn't get anyone out and Houston came all the way back to tie. But in the top of the 9th former Astro Jimmy Leonard delivered an RBI double to score Bo Angeac and provide the winning margin. Earlier another former Astro Jim Gebers drilled a pair of homers to help the Rays to that 9-2 lead, driving in 4 and giving him 24 longballs on the year. Kevin Morley (#8) and Danny Ayala (#34) also went deep. Josh Carsello got the start and put up still another fine start (6 4 2 2 0 5) but was deprived of the win thanks to the bullpen failures. One reliever who didn't fail though was Joe Trader. With Kikuo Kawase tired, Trader ended up going the final 2 1/3, getting out of the 7th-inning mess and staying on to whiff 5 and pick up his first win as a Ray in his finest hour with the team.

Team record: 96-33. Next up: 3 games in Boston.

Jaiden Hardaway, never not ridiculous:

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Game 1: The Rays trailed 6-4 going into the 8th inning but exploded for 8 runs and took a 12-7 win in the series open at Fenway Park. They had stayed in it on a 2-run Daniel Malone homer (#12) and solo shots from Jaiden Hardaway (#22) and Danny Ayala (#36) and offset another poor start from Danny Romero (6 9 5 5 3 7), who seems to have body-swapped with Josh Carsello as once the latter started getting hot, he started slumping, allowing 5, 4, 6 and 5 runs around a shutout in his last 5 starts as his ERA has rose 1/2 a run to 3.80. But Daniel Vasquez doubled to make it 6-5 in the 8th and Jon Jimenez followed with a 2-run double to put the Rays ahead to stay. Mike McKee added a homer in the inning (#15) and Vinny Willard picked up win #7 in relief despite allowing 2 runs in his 2 innings of work.

Game 2: A low-scoring game for a change but what didn't change was the result: a Rays win, 4-2 in 10 innings. Tim Gates was sharp (6.1 4 2 1 2 5) but left in the 7th trailing 2-1 before Daniel Vasquez tied it up in the top of the 8th with an RBI double. And it was Vasquez who came through again in the 10th with an RBI triple and scored on Bo Angeac's sac fly. Kikuo Kawase picked up win #5 after pitching both the 9th and 10th.

September 1: Recalled P Ted Hadley from AAA Durham.

Hadley is one of our September roster expansion callups, with Omar Rodriguez's impending activation the other. He certainly got the job done at Durham, going 4-0, 1.96 in 6 starts with an 8/59 BB/K ratio; of course he really didn't belong there. He's going to get the start today at Fenway with Damani Cotton going back to long relief.

Game 3: The Rays bludgeoned Boston once again 12-4 to make it 7 straight wins and a series sweep. I've run out of superlatives for Jaiden Hardaway, who was 3-4 with 2 walks, a double and 2 RBI today to raise his batting average to .385, his OBP to .490 and his WAR to 9.5 with a month still to go. It's hard to raise your batting average 33 points over two weeks this late in the season especially when it was .352 to start with, which gives you an idea of how hot he's been lately. Also having big days were Ben Hill (3-6 with a double and 3 RBI, hitting .400 and with a hit in every game he's started), Jon Jimenez (3-5 with 2 RBI) and Jim Gebers (HR #25, a 2-run shot). Ted Hadley made his Rays debut with the start and cruised through 5 with only one run allowed before not getting anyone out in the 6th. He still managed the win but his 5 7 4 4 2 5 line wasn't the prettiest. Damani Cotton, whose rotation spot Hadley took, was on his regular rest and went the final 4 innings scoreless to pick up his 2nd save of the year.

Team record: 99-33. Next up: an off-day then back home vs Toronto for Labor Day weekend.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays made it 8 straight and notched win #100 on the season with a 7-2 triumph over Toronto at Publix Park. Ron Adams went to 18-4 with a 6 8 2 2 0 7 start and Bo Angeac hit a big 3-run homer (#20) in the 5th to break a 2-2 tie.

September 4: Activated OF Omar Rodriguez from the 10-day IL.

Game 2: The Rays took a 5-3 win, their 9th straight, over Toronto on back of three big homers. Jaiden Hardaway's 2-run shot (#23) in the bottom of the 6th broke a 3-3 tie, after the Rays had scored the first 3 on a Daniel Vasquez solo shot (#25) and a 2-run Jon Jimenez jack (#22). Josh Carsello started and the first time in a while struggled some, going 5 10 3 3 1 2 and leaving with a couple of men on to start the 6th. But Steve Beaver got him out of the jam and picked up his second win with 2 perfect innings, fanning 3. The rookie's been great since being called up with an 0.89 ERA in 20.1 IP with a 4/27 BB/K ratio and Kikuo Kawase had a 1-2-3 9th for save #30. Omar Rodriguez, just off the IL, suffered a thigh bruise on a double and will have to sit out 3 days.

Game 3: It's another double-digit win streak and another series sweep as the Rays edged the Jays 5-4 today. Danny Ayala (#37) and Jeff Baez (#11) each had 2-run homers to help the Rays build a 5-0 lead. Danny Romero started and looked to be out of his slump with 6 strong 1-run innings but surrendered a 3-run homer in the 7th to allow the Jays within one and finished 6.2 8 4 4 1 6. He still improved to 17-3 but the ERA is getting up there at 3.87. Vinny Willard got 4 big outs and Kikuo Kawase took care of the 9th for save #31.

Team record: 102-33. Next up: Baltimore visits for 3.

Awards note: Jaiden Hardaway won AL Player of the Week for the third straight week. Talk about hot.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays showed today that you can't leave the door open for even an inch or they'll take advantage after a key Baltimore error allowed them to pull off a come-from-behind 5-4 win on Labor Day at Publix Park. Tampa Bay trailed 4-3 in the bottom of the 8th with 2 out and a man on, and Daniel Vasquez hit a simple pop to Baltimore 2B Greg Westhoff, who dropped it to keep the inning alive. So up stepped Daniel Malone who drilled a 2-run double into LCF gap and instead of hoping for a 9th-inning rally the Rays were winners. Tim Gates was roughed up early as Baltimore took a 4-0 on the strength of two Josh Hutchinson homers but Jaiden Hardaway drove in a couple to get the Rays within striking distance. Gates finished 5 7 4 4 1 7 but the bullpen was brilliant, combining to go 4 1 0 0 0 10 with Chris Toombs, who picked up win #3, and Ken Burgess, who picked up save #2 with Kikuo Kawase tired, each striking out the side in their inning of work.

NOTE: Wasn't even paying attention but we clinched the division with today's win.

Game 2: The Rays made it 12 straight by once again winning the game in the bottom of the 8th, today by the score of 6-5. Unlike yesterday however it was the Rays who blew a 4-run lead, but Jaiden Hardaway's 24th homer of the year broke a 5-5 tie in the 8th, his 3rd hit of the game and enough for him to reach 10 WAR for the fourth time in the last six seasons (and he had 9.5 and 9.7 WAR in the other two!). Tampa Bay had built a 5-1 lead with a 2-run Ben Hill single (still hitting over .400 with a 16-game hitting streak) and Daniel Malone RBI triple the big hits, but Ted Hadley ran out of gas in the 6th and gave up a 2-run homer as is his wont, Steve Beaver couldn't get anyone out and the Orioles tied it with 4 in the inning. Hardaway's homer though made Mike Wherry a winner for the 3rd time and Ken Burgess got the final out to save it for the second straight day, his 3rd of the season.

Game 3: Another 3+ run blown, another win anyway for the Rays, their 13th straight as they walked off an 8-7 decision over Baltimore. It looked like this might finally be the time the Rays lose as the Orioles took a 7-6 lead into the bottom of the 9th and their closer Phil Daniels whiffed Daniel Vasquez to start the inning. But Jimmy Leonard singled for his 3rd hit of the game and pinch-hitter Ben Hill stepped up and continued to build his legend by pulling a line drive homer just over the LF wall inside the foul pole to walk it off for Tampa Bay. The homer was Hill's 5th in 66 AB and his triple slash line is 424/457/758. He's a butcher in the field but if you hit like that nobody cares. Overshadowed by Hill's heroics was Omar Rodriguez, who blasted a pair of homers and drove in 3 to give him 26 and 112 in those categories and of course Jaiden Hardaway was 2-4 with a walk and an RBI. Ron Adams was gifted a 6-3 lead but he just didn't really have it today, going 5 8 5 5 3 5 and seeing his ERA rise to 3.94. The bullpen wasn't much better with Joe Trader allowing the tying run and Vinny Willard the go-ahead score in the top of the 9th but thanks to Hill, Willard ended up with his 8th win of the year.

Team record: 105-33. Will they ever lose again? New York will get 4 cracks at them at Yankee Stadium next although they're 0-12 vs the Rays this year.