The 2020 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays - Page 69

Art Deco · 10-08-2021, 11:56 PM

An impressive upset win by the Reds in this series, pounding the NL Cy Young winner of the last two seasons, Josh Doyle, in Games 1 and 5 in Columbus to take the series. They'll play the Cubs now as a Windy City Series is on the table. Of course the Rays will be doing their best to prevent it.

Art Deco · 10-09-2021, 10:21 AM

The Rays' bats were just too much for Chicago in the ALCS opener as they scored in every inning but the 2nd. Jeff Baez had the big hit of the game, a 3-run homer in the 4th that turned a 3-2 game into a 6-2 game and sent Tampa Bay on its way. Tim Gates gave us the typical Tim Gates start, and while there was some bullpen shakiness it didn't matter with the huge lead, although the Sox briefly got back within 8-5 at one moment. Josh Carsello will see what he can do tomorrow in Game 2.

Art Deco · 10-09-2021, 10:39 AM

Once again the Rays' bats were just too much for the White Sox with the big hits a 2-run jack from ALDS MVP Jon Jimenez and an Omar Rodriguez grand slam which really put it away. Josh Carsello was shaky as usual but settled down once he got the big lead and pitched decently overall with Steve Beaver getting his first postseason save, a 3-inning special. We're off to Chicago in two days with Danny Romero getting the nod.

In the NLCS:

Cubs ace Raul Robles brought the arm with 6 2/3 scoreless and one-time Ray and grizzled vet Vlad Guerrero Jr. brought the bat, driving in 4, as Chicago took Game 1.

Art Deco · 10-09-2021, 10:43 AM

A couple of late runs and a fine outing from Jeff "Kent" Brockman gets Cincinnati even in the series.

Art Deco · 10-09-2021, 11:04 AM

Almost there...

The Rays are one game away from the World Series after a much more taut, low-scoring game than the first two at Publix Park. Danny Romero was brilliant once he got away from having to face the Blue Jays, and Ken Burgess was excellent in relief, shaking off his shaky end to the season. Back-to-back homers in the 8th from Omar Rodriguez and Danny Ayala (his first of the postseason) were huge, opening up a 3-run lead. One sour note, though: Daniel Malone was hit on his foot by the first pitch of the game and suffered a fracture so he's done for the rest of the postseason as our injury woes mount. Meanwhile Vinny Willard will go from pitching (and winning) an elimination game in one series to pitching a potential clincher in the next.

Art Deco · 10-09-2021, 11:35 AM

A move: We placed Daniel Malone on the playoff IL and recalled OF Ray Cervantes from AAA Durham, so if he plays he'll make his MLB debut in the postseason.

Back in the World Series! The Rays moved to 11-1 in franchise history in the ALCS with tonight's sweep of the White Sox. They battered Chicago closer Devon McGehie for 4 runs on 5 hits in the 8th to break open a 3-3 game, and despite some shakiness from Mike Wherry in relief they held on for the win and the sweep. Jon Jimenez remains Mr. October this year with his 2nd straight Series MVP honors. Now we sit back to see if we have a rematch of 2036 with the Cubs or face the Reds for the first time.

And right now it looks more likely to be the Cubs, as Vlad Jr continues his tear and tries to get a date with his old team:

Art Deco · 10-09-2021, 11:43 AM

While Vlad Jr is getting all the headlines it was another former Ray who stepped up today for Chicago as Steve Givens was dominant in getting the Cubs a 3-1 series lead.

Art Deco · 10-09-2021, 11:57 AM

And so once again it will be the Cubs, whom we beat in 5 games two years ago, facing the Rays in the World Series.

Art Deco · 10-09-2021, 07:15 PM

When this team is on...

The Rays belted 7 homers, almost certainly a World Series and a postseason record, and annihilated the Cubs in Game 1 at Publix Park. They jumped all over Chicago ace (or co-ace with Steve Fairweather) Raul Robles to send 9 men to the plate and score 4 times in the first, and they were just getting warmed up. The homers came from 7 different players, also undoubtedly a record. Danny Romero was hittable even though he got his strikeouts but thanks to the run support it didn't matter. Tim Gates will go in Game 2 against Fairweather in a pitching matchup that slightly favors the Cubs, but Gates doesn't have to pitch against this Rays lineup.

Art Deco · 10-09-2021, 07:36 PM

We have a series...

Turnabout is fair play and all that as the Cubs crushed the Rays 12-2, making both World Series games so far decided by double digits. There isn't much to say except the Rays bats were dominated by Steve Fairweather, and poor Jimmy Leonard was overmatched but I have no RH-hitting OF left to platoon with him. Tim Gates was terrible, and the Cubs are the opposite of the Jays as they're a lefty-dominant team so it's better to throw lefties at them. I'm hoping this means Josh Carsello has some success in Game 3 at Wrigley, and it's possible Jose Mendoza (added to the roster for this series with Steve Beaver dropped) will get the start in lieu of Vinny Willard in Game 4.

Art Deco · 10-09-2021, 07:56 PM

Tense but fun...

The Rays took to the friendly confines of Wrigley Field like it was their second home, taking a tight 3-1 win over the Cubs thanks primarily to Josh Carsello and Jimmy Leonard. We thought Carsello would fare better against the lefty-heavy Cubs lineup but we didn't expect 7 5 1 1 0 7 as he lowers his postseason ERA to 2.65 and looked more like the reigning AL Cy Young winner he is. Mike Wherry got into some trouble, putting the tying runs in scoring position with two out in the 8th, but Kikuo Kawase got the always tough Vlad Guerrero Jr to ground out, and then struck out the side in the 9th to nail down the win. Leonard meanwhile, overmatched badly against Steve Fairweather in Game 2, was the offense tonight as he drilled his first postseason homer to give the Rays a 1-0 lead and then doubled in the winning run in the 7th.

I have decided to roll the dice and go with Jose Mendoza tomorrow in Game 4, with Vinny Willard ready to come in for him early if needed.

Art Deco · 10-09-2021, 08:24 PM

The Rays are one win away from their 10th World Series title after winning a game they had to win twice, first building a losing a 5-2 lead before annihilating Cubs closer Vinny Contreras with a 7-run 8th inning. Plenty of offensive heroes with Jimmy Leonard coming through again with a big homer and Omar Rodriguez capping the big 8th inning with a massive 3-run blast that landed on Waveland Avenue. Jose Mendoza was dazzling at times with the start and his final line was marred by my leaving him one batter too long, giving up a double to put men on 2nd and 3rd before Chris Toombs came in and gave up a hit allowing them both to score. Toombs then blew the lead in the 7th but it didn't matter. Danny Romero will now look to close it out in Game 5; he won't get 17 runs of support (I think) but will settle for a well-pitched game.

Art Deco · 10-09-2021, 09:12 PM

It was all trick and no treat for the Rays on Halloween as the Cubs forced a return trip to Publix Park with a 5-4, 11-inning win in Game 5. Danny Romero pitched pretty much the same game he did in Game 1, but the difference was that Raul Robles was much better this time around, as was Cub closer Vinny Contreras. Meanwhile Mike Wherry continued his relative ineffectiveness this postseason giving up a same-handed triple to Victor Mesa Jr which turned out to be the winning run. So now we go back to Tampa for Game 6, which will feature a rematch of the Game 2 starters in Tim Gates and Steve Fairweather, a matchup that did not go well at all for the Rays. Perhaps Gates can follow Robles' turnaround.

Art Deco · 10-10-2021, 01:15 AM

It never gets old...

Champions again, rebounding after last year's ALDS loss and a near-loss in this year's ALDS. It's the Rays' 10th title and while there will likely be some big changes next year, it's time for all those involved to celebrate. Tonight Tim Gates answered the bell after being humiliated in Game 2, and the Rays got to Steve Fairweather, who lost the plate (and the plot) in the 4th inning, with Bo Angeac's 3-run homer the kickoff to the rout. The article above doesn't mention it, but Omar Rodriguez won World Series MVP off an 11-for-26, 2 HR, 6 RBI performance. Omar had won it two years ago as well when we last wore the crown. If baseball had a Conn Smythe Award like hockey for MVP of the playoffs, it might be Jon Jimenez who hit .339-7-19 for the postseason including a 2-run blast tonight. Here's a look at the celebration:

Here are the final postseason stats, I've never posted this before and I'm not sure why. The WAR is kind of funky here, I have no idea how Jon Jimenez has -0.2 WAR after putting up a 1.189 OPS in regular at-bats while playing 1B and DH (or how Kevin Morley recorded 0.3 WAR despite playing an inning and striking out in his lone at-bat), so I've sorted by OPS instead. But we shouldn't sleep on what a great postseason Jeff Baez had:

The pitching:

Ouch, Mike Wherry (including giving up a 3-run homer trying to finish out today's game).

Art Deco · 10-10-2021, 10:52 AM

Time to look at the trophy:

We've been given a payroll of $190M, which isn't even going to be enough to keep everyone (and that's after Josh Carsello leaves as a free agent), as I'm looking at $195M in potential salaries:

At least a couple of the big ticket guys need to go. Bo Angeac is the most obvious: he's 33, in his final year of team control, and we have a more than capable replacement in Jim Gebers. The other candidate is a bit more controversial, but also in the final year of time control: Omar Rodriguez. We're awash in OFers, and although none of them can do everything Omar does, some of them can approximate it. One of them is Ben Hill, who proved he could rake at the MLB level over the last month-plus of the season and during the postseason. Another candidate to move is Jon Jimenez. He's not prohibitively expensive yet, but we have Daniel Vasquez to play 1B and a lot of young hitters to DH (probably Hill, who's a terrible OF). Others likely to go: I've soured on Billy Hoyte and have Mike Wherry (yes he had a bad postseason but a better track record), Chris Toombs and Joe Trader as lefties in the pen.

RETIREMENTS: A lot of big name retirements were announced. Ronald Acuna Jr. hung 'em up and the Braves retired his #13; brief former Ray Adley Rutschman called it a career and the Orioles retired #76, 2-way sensation Shohei Ohtani retired to Japan and another Rays rental, Eloy Jimenez, who retired with 697 career homers. There were quite a few former Rays retiring: Mainstay of the mid-to-late 20s championship teams Brandon Marsh, Jhon Diaz, Dane Ayers, Luis Berdin and catchers Carlos Perez and Francisco Alvarez. Others of note: Pierson Gibis, Amed Rosario, Ryan Mountcastle, former Rays farmhand Ian Lewis.

Awards time:

Kawase wins the award for the fourth time in five seasons. He has only one more year of team control but he's so good (usually at least 3 WAR/season) I might see if he'll take a 2/30 deal (he's due for about 14-15 in arbitration).

As befitting for a team which had an incredible offense, the Rays took 6 of the 9 Silver Slugger Awards for 2038: C Mike McKee, 2B Jaiden Hardaway, 3B Jim Gebers, and we also swept the outfield with LF Danny Ayala, CF Daniel Malone and RF Omar Rodriguez. It was the first of these for McKee, Gebers and Malone.

November 15: The Rookie of the Year awards were announced and the AL winner was Jesus Castrellon, who hit .282-24-92 for Cleveland this year after we had dealt him to the Guardians along with Jeremy Glasson last winter for Danny Romero. Vinny Willard, who got my vote and one other, finished 3rd.

Death, taxes and a Rays pitcher taking home the Cy Young Award. Romero became the 3rd straight Ray after Nate Thompson and Josh Carsello, the 6th in the last 8 years, and the 11th in the last 16 years to win. I thought the vote might end up closer with several of the top starters bunched between 4 and 4.3 WAR, but Romero's gaudy W/L record must have held sway. And not only did a Ray take the AL Cy Young, but a former Rays draftee took the NL version with Johnny Soland winning after I spoke about him at more length in this post.

And who else could it be?

He just keeps getting better with age, as at 33 he had arguably his best season in the bigs, or at least his best in 5 years, with 11.4 WAR and career highs in batting average (.380) and OBP (.483). This is his 5th MVP in 6 years after ceding the award to teammate Omar Rodriguez last season. Omar had to settle for a distant 2nd this year, with Danny Ayala 5th and Daniel Malone 7th.

Art Deco · 10-11-2021, 10:30 AM

As mentioned previously some big names who were cornerstones of the last several years need to be shipped out as they're either headed into their last year of arbitration or have cheaper, just-as-good replacements ready to step in, or both. We'll start with the biggest of the three:

Mendez is about 85% of O-Rod, right now viewed as a 25-HR, .290 hitter with some room to grow and he's a right-handed bat as well. Not entirely sure he breaks camp with us as we're looking at an Ayala-Malone-Leonard outfield but he could start with us as a 4th outfielder. Combs is a big-time relief arm who was the Giants' 2nd round pick in 2037. We needed to throw in Pilch to get him, but Pilch appears to be nothing special. Here's a look at Mendez:

He's not going to be a superstar, but he should be a damn good player with no real weaknesses.

Trade #2:

Sadly, Bo must go, and he's headed to the desert. Another mainstay of the last 5 years or so, Bo gives way to Jim Gebers who played all over the place last year and had a great season but now gets to play his natural 3B position full-time. In return we get two more third basemen, which is kind of a weak position in the system although Callahan can also play SS, and projects to hit .280 with 40-double, 15-20 HR power and grades 60 at the hot corner and 50 at short. He'll go to Durham. Beckett is more advanced and spent the last 6 weeks or so with Arizona last year. He's a 70-contact guy who will hit .310-.320 but 10 HR a season is about his ceiling. He too is a good defensive 3B rated 60. He has an option left as well so he's iffy to make the team right away. Finally Morales is an elite bullpen arm with 70 stuff, 50 movement and 50 control and very well could step right into our pen. As for the others we gave up, Barriga is a long shot to be useful, Burns can hit .280-.290 and be a useful fourth outfielder type but was deeply buried on our depth charts, and a 5th round pick is a 5th round pick.

Trade #3:

While O-Rod and Angeac were due for over $20M in arbitration, Jimenez was projected for a more reasonable $11M so this was more of a positional than a salary move, although the salary savings are still substantial. Daniel Vasquez is the 1B and this frees up the DH spot for Ben Hill. Although with the expected return of Nate Thompson and Ron Adams we're not exactly thin in the rotation, it never hurts to have another decent starter and that's what Harbour projects to be. The Rockies mostly used him in the bullpen but as a starter he rates at 60 stuff, 55 movement and 65 control which will definitely play. He has 55 stamina so that won't be a problem either.

Kikuo Kawase is staying in Tampa Bay for an extra year as he signed a 2/30 deal. The best reliever in baseball would have been a free agent at the end of the upcoming season but will hang around through at least 2040.

November 30: Former longtime Ray Tim Siquieros is on the move again. After signing a 2-year deal with Atlanta last winter, he suffered through a horrendous (6.17 ERA, -0.9 WAR) season and was dealt today to the Mets for a couple of minor leaguers.

December 5: We have the first big free agent signing of the winter and it's a former Rays star. 35-year-old Jasson Dominguez, who spent the last 6 years in St. Louis, signed a 3/73.4 deal with the Cubs. Caveat emptor, I say: Dominguez has hit in the .220s the last couple of years and doesn't walk, and although he still has prodigious power he's also rated as "wrecked". You'd think the Cubs would have learned from their experience with another former Ray, Ricky Widmar, who was injured about 75% of the time during his contract with them.

December 12: Cleveland was aggressive in shoring up its rotation as the Guardians added perhaps the top two starting pitchers on the market (depending on where you rank Josh Carsello) in Edwin Harty (17-7, 3.00 last year in Milwaukee) and Andy Cormier (9-9, 3.10 on a bad Angels team last year) on 3/64 and 6/120 contracts respectively.

We have made another trade:

Essentially we traded from one glut to exacerbate another, as we had plenty of starters and as much as I was intrigued by Hadley's 70/35/70 skill set, having him pitch was just waiting around for the homers to happen despite all the whiffs and few walks. In return we get Moyer, who only hit 35 HR and 100 RBI for San Diego last year and is a right-handed bat. He should fill the role Eric Titcombe did a few years back, mashing against lefties. This would mean Jose Mendez would be headed to a ridiculously-loaded Durham squad.

December 17: Everyone's favorite reliever, ex-Ray Jordan Diaz, finds himself back in Houston for the second time on a 2/22.6 deal. He's still a clubhouse cancer, but he still is an effective reliever. The Astros also traded for Baltimore's excellent closer Phil Daniels a couple of weeks back.

December 20: Placed OF Mike Willis, Ps Ian Cowles, Ed Pretty and Danny Hill on the 40-man roster. Waived Ps Jose Varela and Mike Thomas and designated them for assignment.

The annual Rule 5 shuffle. Willis is a top 100 prospect, Pretty is a potentially elite reliever and Cowles and Hill have potential use as starters or long men. Varela, our #1 pick several years ago, isn't a bad lefty swingman while Thomas, who was up with us briefly in 2037, isn't quite as good as the guys I added to the 40-man.

December 22: Not a soul was taken in the Rule 5 Draft, the first time I think this has happened in this save.

December 23: Lost P Mike Thomas on waivers to Detroit. Jose Valera cleared waivers and was outrighted to AAA Durham.

I wish him the best.

December 30: There goes Josh Carsello, he signed a massive 7/164 deal with the Phillies where he'll join another former Rays starter, Nate Schultz. We collect a comp 1st rounder in next year's draft.

Art Deco · 10-12-2021, 09:14 AM

January 1: It was former-Rays-on-the-move day in MLB. One-time Rays superstar Wander Franco, now a shell of his former self after hitting .223 and .195 the last two years in Seattle, was dealt to Cincinnati for a couple of minor leaguers. Another one-time Rays superstar who's fallen on hard times also was traded as Christian Little, coming off a 5-16, 6.18 season, was shipped by the Angels to the White Sox. Julio Cedillo, who was the CF on the 2028 team which won the Series (although he missed the postseason due to injury), signed a 3/38 deal with St. Louis after spending the last 10 years with Cleveland. And finally Jon Hayes, who won 60 games for us from 2030-2032, signed a 1/4.8 deal with Texas after spending last year in the Cubs' bullpen.

The Hall of Fame voting is in:

Flaherty won 4 Cy Youngs between 2026 and 2030 and ended his career with a 3.00 ERA in 2743 IP with 186 wins. Alvarez, who spent 2 years with the Rays which weren't his best, finished his career with 545 HR including a 60-HR season in 2026. That's when we traded for him and in 2027 and 2028 it took him two seasons just to hit 62.

Yet another trade:

Room needed to be made on 40-man for Ron Adams and Jaiden Hardaway, both of whom were coming off the 60-day IL, so Crabb and Nethercutt who were unlikely to make the team out of spring training were shipped off to New York along with a very marginal prospect in Camarena for Doug Johns, the 15th overall pick in the 2037 draft and an excellent CF prospect. Johns, like Nethercutt, is a 2-way player but his pitching seems significantly inferior to his hitting so we'll try to make sure he's mostly used in the outfield. Here are his details:

He's probably not going to be a superstar but he looks he'll be a solid player although he might end up in LF. Hopefully he turns out similar to the last Mets outfield prospect we acquired, Daniel Malone.

January 16: One of our lefty relievers for the past several years, Billy Hoyte, signed a 1/7.6 deal with the Angels, which is way more than he would have rec'd in arbitration, which was still more than I wanted to pay him since he was non-tendered. So good for him.

January 19: Veteran slugger Bob Kelly, who bedeviled us with Boston during the first part of his career and did likewise the Cubs in last year's World Series after a 30/100 season, is back to bother us again as he joined up with the Jays on a 5/98 deal. He's also a lefty hitter so he'll be providing some diversity to the almost-exclusive RH lineup the Jays have hurt us with.

Never go full Ron Burgundy:

The former Rays catcher wasn't known as the sharpest tool in the box.

Meanwhile, we have our own freak injury:

Not as bad as Quintana's, but an inauspicious start for the "new O-Rod".

It's Adam and Drake LaRoche all over again:

Spring Training came and went, quite uneventfully which is the way I like it with no injuries going into the season.

Art Deco · 10-13-2021, 10:52 PM

It's season 20 of this save, and here's the Rays' Opening Day roster:

C-McKee, Morley
1B-D.Vasquez
2B-Hardaway
SS-J.Baez
3B-Gebers
IF-R.Ruiz
OF-Ayala, Malone, Leonard, Cervantes, Moyer
DH-B.Hill

SP-Romero, Thompson, Gates, Adams, Harbour
LR-Abeles, Willard
MR-Cotton, Toombs, Morales, Trader
SU-Burgess, Wherry
CL-Kawase

No surprises here, although Ray Cervantes makes it over Jose Mendez as the latter missed much of Spring Training with the dog frisbee injury. Also Steve Abeles is out of options and I didn't what was offered when I shopped him so he makes the team as a long reliever over Jose Mendoza and Steve Beaver. Also Jeff Reece, who was up most of last season, starts the year in Durham as he struggled with his control during his time with the big club.

Now, the preseason predictions and get ready to be surprised:

88-74! You gotta be kidding me! Now yes our offense is down a bit with O-Rod, Bo Angeac and Jon Jimenez gone, but we're still progged to lead the league in scoring (albeit at a lower level). The main thing is it doesn't like our pitching, and in fairness last year's 3.88 ERA was our highest in 12 years, by some margin. Well it should be an interesting year and I'm not expecting the usual regular season romp. Incidentally, the fewest wins the Rays have had in the save came in the first two seasons of 2020 and 2021 where they won 94. 2025 saw 96 wins as the only non-100-win season after 2021 and they've won at least 112 every year since 2027. Last year's 119 wins snapped a 5-year streak of at least 120.

Art Deco · 10-13-2021, 11:38 PM

Maybe those preseason predictions were onto something:

It wasn't a pretty opener for the Rays as Danny Romero struggled mightily, and Damani Cotton came in with 2 of Romero's runners on and served up a 3-run homer that made a 3-2 game a 6-2 game. And while the offense didn't seem to miss the departed O-Rod, Angeac & Jimenez too much by reaching base 18 times, they left a ton of runners on base and couldn't get the big hit today, with Jim Gebers and Daniel Malone the biggest culprits.

Speaking of O-Rod and Angeac, the former was 0-3 and the latter was 0-4 in their respective debuts today for the Giants and D-backs, a game Arizona won 5-1.

Game 2: The Rays were cruising up 6-0 through 4 with Nate Thompson on the mound before the righty lost the plot in the 5th and he and Chris Toombs allowed the Yankees 6 to tie it up. But Tampa Bay put up a 5-spot in the 7th and went on to a wild 13-7 win over New York for their first win of 2039. Mike McKee was the hitting star, clubbing two doubles and a homer and driving in 3, Jeff Baez and Ben Hill were each 3-5 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI, and Danny Ayala hit his 2nd homer in as many days. Jimmy Leonard also doubled twice after doing so on Opening Day as he scored 3 times and the Rays banged out 21 hits in total after 14 yesterday. Thompson finished an ugly 4.2 6 5 5 3 0 with the "0" in the strikeout column of particular concern while Mike Wherry ended up with the win in relief.

Game 3: The Rays walked it off 6-5 today to take 2 of 3 in the season-opening series with the Yankees, but shouldn't have had to to as leads of 4-1 and 5-3 were blown by the bullpen. Jaiden Hardaway's single in the bottom of the 9th scored Jeff Baez with the game-decider and made a winner of Kikuo Kawase, who blew the save in the top of the 8th allowing a single to score one of Ken Burgess's runners. They jumped out to what looked like a comfortable 4-1 lead through 6 behind Tim Gates, who was excellent at 6 3 1 1 2 7, and homers from Jimmy Leonard (now with 5 extra-base hits) and Daniel Vasquez. But Mike Wherry gave up 2 runs in the 7th while only getting one out, and although Ken Burgess did a good job getting out of that inning and Daniel Malone homered in the bottom of the 7th to make it 5-3, Burgess struggled big-time himself in the 8th and was charged with the tying runs. Kawase was pressed into early action and although he allowed the tying hit, he set the Yankees down from there through the 9th on only 17 pitches.

Team record: 2-1. Next up: Perennial ALDS nemesis (and BNN-predicted AL East winner) Toronto comes to town for 4 games.

Art Deco · 10-14-2021, 10:11 AM

Game 1: The Rays left it late again, but this time it was more of a thrill than a feeling of relief as they trailed 1-0 with 2 out in the bottom of the 8th when Daniel Vasquez stepped up to drill a 2-run homer (#2) off former Ray Jim Connors to win it for Tampa Bay 2-1. Ron Adams (7 4 1 1 1 5) and David Gallegos (7 2 0 0 3 8) were in a pitchers' duel but neither was around for the decision. The win went to Vinny Willard to pitched a perfect 8th and Kikuo Kawase notched his first save of the year with a 1-hit 9th. Jim Gebers was 0-3 and is off to a miserable start, 1-15 with 9 strikeouts in his first run as undisputed starter at 3B.

Game 2: The Rays belted 6 homers in a 10-6 win over Toronto that once again ended up closer than it should have been thanks to shaky bullpen work. Jimmy Leonard hit 2 of them, driving in 3, and is off to a torrid start with 4 doubles and 3 homers through the season's first 5 games. Mike McKee is also hot, hitting his 2nd of the year and is sitting at .500 right now while Ben Hill hit his first of the year with a man on in the 1st to get things going, Daniel Malone hit his 2nd, and Jim Gebers broke out of his schneid with his first of the year. Jon Harbour made his Rays debut and went 5 9 2 2 0 6, pitching around baserunners but getting the job done. The same couldn't be said for Damani Cotton, who allowed runs in the 6th and 7th, and then put 2 on the in the 8th which Joe Trader allowed to score. Trader then made his own mess in the 9th which Vinny Willard had to clean up, getting the final two outs for save #1.

Game 3: Another high-scoring Rays win which saw 4 more runs charged against the bullpen as they went to 5-1 with a 12-6 win at Publix Park. Ben Hill and Pat Moyer led the charge with Hill going 4-5 with 3 RBI and Moyer hitting his first Rays homer to kick off a 6-run 4th and following it up with a bases-clearing double. Danny Ayala was also 2-4 with a triple and 3 RBI while Daniel Malone went 3-4 with 2 RBI. Danny Romero was more like his Cy Young self today, going 5.2 5 2 2 2 5 for his first win of the year and allowing the two runs after tiring in the 6th. Jesus Morales took over and was a mixed bag, allowing a hit to score one of Romero's runners but pushing through until the 9th and could have had been done with only one run allowed and a save but Ramon Ruiz, in his first action of the season, booted a grounder with two out in the 9th. This loaded the bases and Chris Toombs came in, and proceeded to walk a man to force in a run then gave up a 2-run double before finally getting the last out.

Game 4: The Rays romped 8-1 to sweep the series and make it 6 straight after losing on Opening Day. Nate Thompson really wasn't much better than he was in his first start, but somehow managed 5 scoreless innings despite allowing 6 hits, 4 walks and only fanning 2. He has a horrific 7/2 BB/K ratio in his first two starts over 10 innings and change and will need to start pitching better but today he managed the win. After Steve Abeles loaded the bases in the 6th and allowed a run with 2 out, Vinny Willard got him out of it and he and Chris Toombs cruised the rest of the way. Danny Ayala swung the big bat today, blasting a pair of homers to give him 4 and he drove in 3, while also hitting #4 was Jimmy Leonard, still off to a scorching start. Jaiden Hardaway was 3-5 with an RBI. With the loss the Blue Jays, predicted by BNN to break out 17-season strangehold on the AL East, are off to an 0-6 start.

Team record: 6-1. Next up: Our first road trip of the season starts at Yankee Stadium with 3 games in 4 days there.

10-08-2021, 11:56 PM	#1361
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,579	October 14, 2038: NLDS Game 5 An impressive upset win by the Reds in this series, pounding the NL Cy Young winner of the last two seasons, Josh Doyle, in Games 1 and 5 in Columbus to take the series. They'll play the Cubs now as a Windy City Series is on the table. Of course the Rays will be doing their best to prevent it.

10-09-2021, 10:21 AM	#1362
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,579	October 15, 2038: ALCS Game 1 The Rays' bats were just too much for Chicago in the ALCS opener as they scored in every inning but the 2nd. Jeff Baez had the big hit of the game, a 3-run homer in the 4th that turned a 3-2 game into a 6-2 game and sent Tampa Bay on its way. Tim Gates gave us the typical Tim Gates start, and while there was some bullpen shakiness it didn't matter with the huge lead, although the Sox briefly got back within 8-5 at one moment. Josh Carsello will see what he can do tomorrow in Game 2.

10-09-2021, 10:39 AM	#1363
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,579	October 16, 2038: ALCS Game 2 & NLCS Game 1 Once again the Rays' bats were just too much for the White Sox with the big hits a 2-run jack from ALDS MVP Jon Jimenez and an Omar Rodriguez grand slam which really put it away. Josh Carsello was shaky as usual but settled down once he got the big lead and pitched decently overall with Steve Beaver getting his first postseason save, a 3-inning special. We're off to Chicago in two days with Danny Romero getting the nod. In the NLCS: Cubs ace Raul Robles brought the arm with 6 2/3 scoreless and one-time Ray and grizzled vet Vlad Guerrero Jr. brought the bat, driving in 4, as Chicago took Game 1.

10-09-2021, 10:43 AM	#1364
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,579	October 17, 2038: NLCS Game 2 A couple of late runs and a fine outing from Jeff "Kent" Brockman gets Cincinnati even in the series.

10-09-2021, 11:04 AM	#1365
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,579	October 18, 2038: ALCS Game 3 Almost there... The Rays are one game away from the World Series after a much more taut, low-scoring game than the first two at Publix Park. Danny Romero was brilliant once he got away from having to face the Blue Jays, and Ken Burgess was excellent in relief, shaking off his shaky end to the season. Back-to-back homers in the 8th from Omar Rodriguez and Danny Ayala (his first of the postseason) were huge, opening up a 3-run lead. One sour note, though: Daniel Malone was hit on his foot by the first pitch of the game and suffered a fracture so he's done for the rest of the postseason as our injury woes mount. Meanwhile Vinny Willard will go from pitching (and winning) an elimination game in one series to pitching a potential clincher in the next. Last edited by Art Deco; 10-09-2021 at 11:17 AM.

10-09-2021, 11:35 AM	#1366
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,579	October 19, 2038: ALCS Game 4 & NLCS Game 3 A move: We placed Daniel Malone on the playoff IL and recalled OF Ray Cervantes from AAA Durham, so if he plays he'll make his MLB debut in the postseason. Back in the World Series! The Rays moved to 11-1 in franchise history in the ALCS with tonight's sweep of the White Sox. They battered Chicago closer Devon McGehie for 4 runs on 5 hits in the 8th to break open a 3-3 game, and despite some shakiness from Mike Wherry in relief they held on for the win and the sweep. Jon Jimenez remains Mr. October this year with his 2nd straight Series MVP honors. Now we sit back to see if we have a rematch of 2036 with the Cubs or face the Reds for the first time. And right now it looks more likely to be the Cubs, as Vlad Jr continues his tear and tries to get a date with his old team: Last edited by Art Deco; 10-09-2021 at 11:52 AM.

10-09-2021, 11:43 AM	#1367
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,579	October 20, 2038: NLCS Game 4 While Vlad Jr is getting all the headlines it was another former Ray who stepped up today for Chicago as Steve Givens was dominant in getting the Cubs a 3-1 series lead.

10-09-2021, 11:57 AM	#1368
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,579	October 21, 2038: NLCS Game 5 And so once again it will be the Cubs, whom we beat in 5 games two years ago, facing the Rays in the World Series.

10-09-2021, 07:15 PM	#1369
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,579	October 26, 2038: World Series Game 1 When this team is on... The Rays belted 7 homers, almost certainly a World Series and a postseason record, and annihilated the Cubs in Game 1 at Publix Park. They jumped all over Chicago ace (or co-ace with Steve Fairweather) Raul Robles to send 9 men to the plate and score 4 times in the first, and they were just getting warmed up. The homers came from 7 different players, also undoubtedly a record. Danny Romero was hittable even though he got his strikeouts but thanks to the run support it didn't matter. Tim Gates will go in Game 2 against Fairweather in a pitching matchup that slightly favors the Cubs, but Gates doesn't have to pitch against this Rays lineup.

10-09-2021, 07:36 PM	#1370
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,579	October 27, 2038: World Series Game 2 We have a series... Turnabout is fair play and all that as the Cubs crushed the Rays 12-2, making both World Series games so far decided by double digits. There isn't much to say except the Rays bats were dominated by Steve Fairweather, and poor Jimmy Leonard was overmatched but I have no RH-hitting OF left to platoon with him. Tim Gates was terrible, and the Cubs are the opposite of the Jays as they're a lefty-dominant team so it's better to throw lefties at them. I'm hoping this means Josh Carsello has some success in Game 3 at Wrigley, and it's possible Jose Mendoza (added to the roster for this series with Steve Beaver dropped) will get the start in lieu of Vinny Willard in Game 4.

10-09-2021, 07:56 PM	#1371
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,579	October 29, 2038: World Series Game 3 Tense but fun... The Rays took to the friendly confines of Wrigley Field like it was their second home, taking a tight 3-1 win over the Cubs thanks primarily to Josh Carsello and Jimmy Leonard. We thought Carsello would fare better against the lefty-heavy Cubs lineup but we didn't expect 7 5 1 1 0 7 as he lowers his postseason ERA to 2.65 and looked more like the reigning AL Cy Young winner he is. Mike Wherry got into some trouble, putting the tying runs in scoring position with two out in the 8th, but Kikuo Kawase got the always tough Vlad Guerrero Jr to ground out, and then struck out the side in the 9th to nail down the win. Leonard meanwhile, overmatched badly against Steve Fairweather in Game 2, was the offense tonight as he drilled his first postseason homer to give the Rays a 1-0 lead and then doubled in the winning run in the 7th. I have decided to roll the dice and go with Jose Mendoza tomorrow in Game 4, with Vinny Willard ready to come in for him early if needed.

10-09-2021, 08:24 PM	#1372
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,579	October 30, 2038: World Series Game 4 The Rays are one win away from their 10th World Series title after winning a game they had to win twice, first building a losing a 5-2 lead before annihilating Cubs closer Vinny Contreras with a 7-run 8th inning. Plenty of offensive heroes with Jimmy Leonard coming through again with a big homer and Omar Rodriguez capping the big 8th inning with a massive 3-run blast that landed on Waveland Avenue. Jose Mendoza was dazzling at times with the start and his final line was marred by my leaving him one batter too long, giving up a double to put men on 2nd and 3rd before Chris Toombs came in and gave up a hit allowing them both to score. Toombs then blew the lead in the 7th but it didn't matter. Danny Romero will now look to close it out in Game 5; he won't get 17 runs of support (I think) but will settle for a well-pitched game.

10-09-2021, 09:12 PM	#1373
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,579	October 31, 2038: World Series Game 5 It was all trick and no treat for the Rays on Halloween as the Cubs forced a return trip to Publix Park with a 5-4, 11-inning win in Game 5. Danny Romero pitched pretty much the same game he did in Game 1, but the difference was that Raul Robles was much better this time around, as was Cub closer Vinny Contreras. Meanwhile Mike Wherry continued his relative ineffectiveness this postseason giving up a same-handed triple to Victor Mesa Jr which turned out to be the winning run. So now we go back to Tampa for Game 6, which will feature a rematch of the Game 2 starters in Tim Gates and Steve Fairweather, a matchup that did not go well at all for the Rays. Perhaps Gates can follow Robles' turnaround.

10-10-2021, 01:15 AM	#1374
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,579	November 2, 2038: World Series Game 6 It never gets old... Champions again, rebounding after last year's ALDS loss and a near-loss in this year's ALDS. It's the Rays' 10th title and while there will likely be some big changes next year, it's time for all those involved to celebrate. Tonight Tim Gates answered the bell after being humiliated in Game 2, and the Rays got to Steve Fairweather, who lost the plate (and the plot) in the 4th inning, with Bo Angeac's 3-run homer the kickoff to the rout. The article above doesn't mention it, but Omar Rodriguez won World Series MVP off an 11-for-26, 2 HR, 6 RBI performance. Omar had won it two years ago as well when we last wore the crown. If baseball had a Conn Smythe Award like hockey for MVP of the playoffs, it might be Jon Jimenez who hit .339-7-19 for the postseason including a 2-run blast tonight. Here's a look at the celebration: Here are the final postseason stats, I've never posted this before and I'm not sure why. The WAR is kind of funky here, I have no idea how Jon Jimenez has -0.2 WAR after putting up a 1.189 OPS in regular at-bats while playing 1B and DH (or how Kevin Morley recorded 0.3 WAR despite playing an inning and striking out in his lone at-bat), so I've sorted by OPS instead. But we shouldn't sleep on what a great postseason Jeff Baez had: The pitching: Ouch, Mike Wherry (including giving up a 3-run homer trying to finish out today's game). Last edited by Art Deco; 10-10-2021 at 01:25 AM.

10-10-2021, 10:52 AM	#1375
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,579	2038-39 Offseason, Part 1 Time to look at the trophy: We've been given a payroll of $190M, which isn't even going to be enough to keep everyone (and that's after Josh Carsello leaves as a free agent), as I'm looking at $195M in potential salaries: At least a couple of the big ticket guys need to go. Bo Angeac is the most obvious: he's 33, in his final year of team control, and we have a more than capable replacement in Jim Gebers. The other candidate is a bit more controversial, but also in the final year of time control: Omar Rodriguez. We're awash in OFers, and although none of them can do everything Omar does, some of them can approximate it. One of them is Ben Hill, who proved he could rake at the MLB level over the last month-plus of the season and during the postseason. Another candidate to move is Jon Jimenez. He's not prohibitively expensive yet, but we have Daniel Vasquez to play 1B and a lot of young hitters to DH (probably Hill, who's a terrible OF). Others likely to go: I've soured on Billy Hoyte and have Mike Wherry (yes he had a bad postseason but a better track record), Chris Toombs and Joe Trader as lefties in the pen. RETIREMENTS: A lot of big name retirements were announced. Ronald Acuna Jr. hung 'em up and the Braves retired his #13; brief former Ray Adley Rutschman called it a career and the Orioles retired #76, 2-way sensation Shohei Ohtani retired to Japan and another Rays rental, Eloy Jimenez, who retired with 697 career homers. There were quite a few former Rays retiring: Mainstay of the mid-to-late 20s championship teams Brandon Marsh, Jhon Diaz, Dane Ayers, Luis Berdin and catchers Carlos Perez and Francisco Alvarez. Others of note: Pierson Gibis, Amed Rosario, Ryan Mountcastle, former Rays farmhand Ian Lewis. Awards time: Kawase wins the award for the fourth time in five seasons. He has only one more year of team control but he's so good (usually at least 3 WAR/season) I might see if he'll take a 2/30 deal (he's due for about 14-15 in arbitration). As befitting for a team which had an incredible offense, the Rays took 6 of the 9 Silver Slugger Awards for 2038: C Mike McKee, 2B Jaiden Hardaway, 3B Jim Gebers, and we also swept the outfield with LF Danny Ayala, CF Daniel Malone and RF Omar Rodriguez. It was the first of these for McKee, Gebers and Malone. November 15: The Rookie of the Year awards were announced and the AL winner was Jesus Castrellon, who hit .282-24-92 for Cleveland this year after we had dealt him to the Guardians along with Jeremy Glasson last winter for Danny Romero. Vinny Willard, who got my vote and one other, finished 3rd. Death, taxes and a Rays pitcher taking home the Cy Young Award. Romero became the 3rd straight Ray after Nate Thompson and Josh Carsello, the 6th in the last 8 years, and the 11th in the last 16 years to win. I thought the vote might end up closer with several of the top starters bunched between 4 and 4.3 WAR, but Romero's gaudy W/L record must have held sway. And not only did a Ray take the AL Cy Young, but a former Rays draftee took the NL version with Johnny Soland winning after I spoke about him at more length in this post. And who else could it be? He just keeps getting better with age, as at 33 he had arguably his best season in the bigs, or at least his best in 5 years, with 11.4 WAR and career highs in batting average (.380) and OBP (.483). This is his 5th MVP in 6 years after ceding the award to teammate Omar Rodriguez last season. Omar had to settle for a distant 2nd this year, with Danny Ayala 5th and Daniel Malone 7th. Last edited by Art Deco; 10-11-2021 at 12:17 AM.

10-11-2021, 10:30 AM	#1376
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,579	2038-39 Offseason, Part 2: The trades As mentioned previously some big names who were cornerstones of the last several years need to be shipped out as they're either headed into their last year of arbitration or have cheaper, just-as-good replacements ready to step in, or both. We'll start with the biggest of the three: Mendez is about 85% of O-Rod, right now viewed as a 25-HR, .290 hitter with some room to grow and he's a right-handed bat as well. Not entirely sure he breaks camp with us as we're looking at an Ayala-Malone-Leonard outfield but he could start with us as a 4th outfielder. Combs is a big-time relief arm who was the Giants' 2nd round pick in 2037. We needed to throw in Pilch to get him, but Pilch appears to be nothing special. Here's a look at Mendez: He's not going to be a superstar, but he should be a damn good player with no real weaknesses. Trade #2: Sadly, Bo must go, and he's headed to the desert. Another mainstay of the last 5 years or so, Bo gives way to Jim Gebers who played all over the place last year and had a great season but now gets to play his natural 3B position full-time. In return we get two more third basemen, which is kind of a weak position in the system although Callahan can also play SS, and projects to hit .280 with 40-double, 15-20 HR power and grades 60 at the hot corner and 50 at short. He'll go to Durham. Beckett is more advanced and spent the last 6 weeks or so with Arizona last year. He's a 70-contact guy who will hit .310-.320 but 10 HR a season is about his ceiling. He too is a good defensive 3B rated 60. He has an option left as well so he's iffy to make the team right away. Finally Morales is an elite bullpen arm with 70 stuff, 50 movement and 50 control and very well could step right into our pen. As for the others we gave up, Barriga is a long shot to be useful, Burns can hit .280-.290 and be a useful fourth outfielder type but was deeply buried on our depth charts, and a 5th round pick is a 5th round pick. Trade #3: While O-Rod and Angeac were due for over $20M in arbitration, Jimenez was projected for a more reasonable $11M so this was more of a positional than a salary move, although the salary savings are still substantial. Daniel Vasquez is the 1B and this frees up the DH spot for Ben Hill. Although with the expected return of Nate Thompson and Ron Adams we're not exactly thin in the rotation, it never hurts to have another decent starter and that's what Harbour projects to be. The Rockies mostly used him in the bullpen but as a starter he rates at 60 stuff, 55 movement and 65 control which will definitely play. He has 55 stamina so that won't be a problem either. Kikuo Kawase is staying in Tampa Bay for an extra year as he signed a 2/30 deal. The best reliever in baseball would have been a free agent at the end of the upcoming season but will hang around through at least 2040. November 30: Former longtime Ray Tim Siquieros is on the move again. After signing a 2-year deal with Atlanta last winter, he suffered through a horrendous (6.17 ERA, -0.9 WAR) season and was dealt today to the Mets for a couple of minor leaguers. December 5: We have the first big free agent signing of the winter and it's a former Rays star. 35-year-old Jasson Dominguez, who spent the last 6 years in St. Louis, signed a 3/73.4 deal with the Cubs. Caveat emptor, I say: Dominguez has hit in the .220s the last couple of years and doesn't walk, and although he still has prodigious power he's also rated as "wrecked". You'd think the Cubs would have learned from their experience with another former Ray, Ricky Widmar, who was injured about 75% of the time during his contract with them. December 12: Cleveland was aggressive in shoring up its rotation as the Guardians added perhaps the top two starting pitchers on the market (depending on where you rank Josh Carsello) in Edwin Harty (17-7, 3.00 last year in Milwaukee) and Andy Cormier (9-9, 3.10 on a bad Angels team last year) on 3/64 and 6/120 contracts respectively. We have made another trade: Essentially we traded from one glut to exacerbate another, as we had plenty of starters and as much as I was intrigued by Hadley's 70/35/70 skill set, having him pitch was just waiting around for the homers to happen despite all the whiffs and few walks. In return we get Moyer, who only hit 35 HR and 100 RBI for San Diego last year and is a right-handed bat. He should fill the role Eric Titcombe did a few years back, mashing against lefties. This would mean Jose Mendez would be headed to a ridiculously-loaded Durham squad. December 17: Everyone's favorite reliever, ex-Ray Jordan Diaz, finds himself back in Houston for the second time on a 2/22.6 deal. He's still a clubhouse cancer, but he still is an effective reliever. The Astros also traded for Baltimore's excellent closer Phil Daniels a couple of weeks back. December 20: Placed OF Mike Willis, Ps Ian Cowles, Ed Pretty and Danny Hill on the 40-man roster. Waived Ps Jose Varela and Mike Thomas and designated them for assignment. The annual Rule 5 shuffle. Willis is a top 100 prospect, Pretty is a potentially elite reliever and Cowles and Hill have potential use as starters or long men. Varela, our #1 pick several years ago, isn't a bad lefty swingman while Thomas, who was up with us briefly in 2037, isn't quite as good as the guys I added to the 40-man. December 22: Not a soul was taken in the Rule 5 Draft, the first time I think this has happened in this save. December 23: Lost P Mike Thomas on waivers to Detroit. Jose Valera cleared waivers and was outrighted to AAA Durham. I wish him the best. December 30: There goes Josh Carsello, he signed a massive 7/164 deal with the Phillies where he'll join another former Rays starter, Nate Schultz. We collect a comp 1st rounder in next year's draft. Last edited by Art Deco; 10-12-2021 at 01:08 AM.

10-12-2021, 09:14 AM	#1377
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,579	2038-39 Offseason, Part 3 January 1: It was former-Rays-on-the-move day in MLB. One-time Rays superstar Wander Franco, now a shell of his former self after hitting .223 and .195 the last two years in Seattle, was dealt to Cincinnati for a couple of minor leaguers. Another one-time Rays superstar who's fallen on hard times also was traded as Christian Little, coming off a 5-16, 6.18 season, was shipped by the Angels to the White Sox. Julio Cedillo, who was the CF on the 2028 team which won the Series (although he missed the postseason due to injury), signed a 3/38 deal with St. Louis after spending the last 10 years with Cleveland. And finally Jon Hayes, who won 60 games for us from 2030-2032, signed a 1/4.8 deal with Texas after spending last year in the Cubs' bullpen. The Hall of Fame voting is in: Flaherty won 4 Cy Youngs between 2026 and 2030 and ended his career with a 3.00 ERA in 2743 IP with 186 wins. Alvarez, who spent 2 years with the Rays which weren't his best, finished his career with 545 HR including a 60-HR season in 2026. That's when we traded for him and in 2027 and 2028 it took him two seasons just to hit 62. Yet another trade: Room needed to be made on 40-man for Ron Adams and Jaiden Hardaway, both of whom were coming off the 60-day IL, so Crabb and Nethercutt who were unlikely to make the team out of spring training were shipped off to New York along with a very marginal prospect in Camarena for Doug Johns, the 15th overall pick in the 2037 draft and an excellent CF prospect. Johns, like Nethercutt, is a 2-way player but his pitching seems significantly inferior to his hitting so we'll try to make sure he's mostly used in the outfield. Here are his details: He's probably not going to be a superstar but he looks he'll be a solid player although he might end up in LF. Hopefully he turns out similar to the last Mets outfield prospect we acquired, Daniel Malone. January 16: One of our lefty relievers for the past several years, Billy Hoyte, signed a 1/7.6 deal with the Angels, which is way more than he would have rec'd in arbitration, which was still more than I wanted to pay him since he was non-tendered. So good for him. January 19: Veteran slugger Bob Kelly, who bedeviled us with Boston during the first part of his career and did likewise the Cubs in last year's World Series after a 30/100 season, is back to bother us again as he joined up with the Jays on a 5/98 deal. He's also a lefty hitter so he'll be providing some diversity to the almost-exclusive RH lineup the Jays have hurt us with. Never go full Ron Burgundy: The former Rays catcher wasn't known as the sharpest tool in the box. Meanwhile, we have our own freak injury: Not as bad as Quintana's, but an inauspicious start for the "new O-Rod". It's Adam and Drake LaRoche all over again: Spring Training came and went, quite uneventfully which is the way I like it with no injuries going into the season. Last edited by Art Deco; 10-13-2021 at 10:43 PM.

10-13-2021, 10:52 PM	#1378
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,579	2039 Opening Day Roster & Preseason Predictions It's season 20 of this save, and here's the Rays' Opening Day roster: C-McKee, Morley 1B-D.Vasquez 2B-Hardaway SS-J.Baez 3B-Gebers IF-R.Ruiz OF-Ayala, Malone, Leonard, Cervantes, Moyer DH-B.Hill SP-Romero, Thompson, Gates, Adams, Harbour LR-Abeles, Willard MR-Cotton, Toombs, Morales, Trader SU-Burgess, Wherry CL-Kawase No surprises here, although Ray Cervantes makes it over Jose Mendez as the latter missed much of Spring Training with the dog frisbee injury. Also Steve Abeles is out of options and I didn't what was offered when I shopped him so he makes the team as a long reliever over Jose Mendoza and Steve Beaver. Also Jeff Reece, who was up most of last season, starts the year in Durham as he struggled with his control during his time with the big club. Now, the preseason predictions and get ready to be surprised: 88-74! You gotta be kidding me! Now yes our offense is down a bit with O-Rod, Bo Angeac and Jon Jimenez gone, but we're still progged to lead the league in scoring (albeit at a lower level). The main thing is it doesn't like our pitching, and in fairness last year's 3.88 ERA was our highest in 12 years, by some margin. Well it should be an interesting year and I'm not expecting the usual regular season romp. Incidentally, the fewest wins the Rays have had in the save came in the first two seasons of 2020 and 2021 where they won 94. 2025 saw 96 wins as the only non-100-win season after 2021 and they've won at least 112 every year since 2027. Last year's 119 wins snapped a 5-year streak of at least 120. Last edited by Art Deco; 10-13-2021 at 10:54 PM.

10-13-2021, 11:38 PM	#1379
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,579	April 3-6, 2039: vs NY Yankees (3) Maybe those preseason predictions were onto something: It wasn't a pretty opener for the Rays as Danny Romero struggled mightily, and Damani Cotton came in with 2 of Romero's runners on and served up a 3-run homer that made a 3-2 game a 6-2 game. And while the offense didn't seem to miss the departed O-Rod, Angeac & Jimenez too much by reaching base 18 times, they left a ton of runners on base and couldn't get the big hit today, with Jim Gebers and Daniel Malone the biggest culprits. Speaking of O-Rod and Angeac, the former was 0-3 and the latter was 0-4 in their respective debuts today for the Giants and D-backs, a game Arizona won 5-1. Game 2: The Rays were cruising up 6-0 through 4 with Nate Thompson on the mound before the righty lost the plot in the 5th and he and Chris Toombs allowed the Yankees 6 to tie it up. But Tampa Bay put up a 5-spot in the 7th and went on to a wild 13-7 win over New York for their first win of 2039. Mike McKee was the hitting star, clubbing two doubles and a homer and driving in 3, Jeff Baez and Ben Hill were each 3-5 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI, and Danny Ayala hit his 2nd homer in as many days. Jimmy Leonard also doubled twice after doing so on Opening Day as he scored 3 times and the Rays banged out 21 hits in total after 14 yesterday. Thompson finished an ugly 4.2 6 5 5 3 0 with the "0" in the strikeout column of particular concern while Mike Wherry ended up with the win in relief. Game 3: The Rays walked it off 6-5 today to take 2 of 3 in the season-opening series with the Yankees, but shouldn't have had to to as leads of 4-1 and 5-3 were blown by the bullpen. Jaiden Hardaway's single in the bottom of the 9th scored Jeff Baez with the game-decider and made a winner of Kikuo Kawase, who blew the save in the top of the 8th allowing a single to score one of Ken Burgess's runners. They jumped out to what looked like a comfortable 4-1 lead through 6 behind Tim Gates, who was excellent at 6 3 1 1 2 7, and homers from Jimmy Leonard (now with 5 extra-base hits) and Daniel Vasquez. But Mike Wherry gave up 2 runs in the 7th while only getting one out, and although Ken Burgess did a good job getting out of that inning and Daniel Malone homered in the bottom of the 7th to make it 5-3, Burgess struggled big-time himself in the 8th and was charged with the tying runs. Kawase was pressed into early action and although he allowed the tying hit, he set the Yankees down from there through the 9th on only 17 pitches. Team record: 2-1. Next up: Perennial ALDS nemesis (and BNN-predicted AL East winner) Toronto comes to town for 4 games. Last edited by Art Deco; 10-14-2021 at 10:12 AM.

10-14-2021, 10:11 AM	#1380
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,579	April 7-10, 2039: vs Toronto (4) Game 1: The Rays left it late again, but this time it was more of a thrill than a feeling of relief as they trailed 1-0 with 2 out in the bottom of the 8th when Daniel Vasquez stepped up to drill a 2-run homer (#2) off former Ray Jim Connors to win it for Tampa Bay 2-1. Ron Adams (7 4 1 1 1 5) and David Gallegos (7 2 0 0 3 8) were in a pitchers' duel but neither was around for the decision. The win went to Vinny Willard to pitched a perfect 8th and Kikuo Kawase notched his first save of the year with a 1-hit 9th. Jim Gebers was 0-3 and is off to a miserable start, 1-15 with 9 strikeouts in his first run as undisputed starter at 3B. Game 2: The Rays belted 6 homers in a 10-6 win over Toronto that once again ended up closer than it should have been thanks to shaky bullpen work. Jimmy Leonard hit 2 of them, driving in 3, and is off to a torrid start with 4 doubles and 3 homers through the season's first 5 games. Mike McKee is also hot, hitting his 2nd of the year and is sitting at .500 right now while Ben Hill hit his first of the year with a man on in the 1st to get things going, Daniel Malone hit his 2nd, and Jim Gebers broke out of his schneid with his first of the year. Jon Harbour made his Rays debut and went 5 9 2 2 0 6, pitching around baserunners but getting the job done. The same couldn't be said for Damani Cotton, who allowed runs in the 6th and 7th, and then put 2 on the in the 8th which Joe Trader allowed to score. Trader then made his own mess in the 9th which Vinny Willard had to clean up, getting the final two outs for save #1. Game 3: Another high-scoring Rays win which saw 4 more runs charged against the bullpen as they went to 5-1 with a 12-6 win at Publix Park. Ben Hill and Pat Moyer led the charge with Hill going 4-5 with 3 RBI and Moyer hitting his first Rays homer to kick off a 6-run 4th and following it up with a bases-clearing double. Danny Ayala was also 2-4 with a triple and 3 RBI while Daniel Malone went 3-4 with 2 RBI. Danny Romero was more like his Cy Young self today, going 5.2 5 2 2 2 5 for his first win of the year and allowing the two runs after tiring in the 6th. Jesus Morales took over and was a mixed bag, allowing a hit to score one of Romero's runners but pushing through until the 9th and could have had been done with only one run allowed and a save but Ramon Ruiz, in his first action of the season, booted a grounder with two out in the 9th. This loaded the bases and Chris Toombs came in, and proceeded to walk a man to force in a run then gave up a 2-run double before finally getting the last out. Game 4: The Rays romped 8-1 to sweep the series and make it 6 straight after losing on Opening Day. Nate Thompson really wasn't much better than he was in his first start, but somehow managed 5 scoreless innings despite allowing 6 hits, 4 walks and only fanning 2. He has a horrific 7/2 BB/K ratio in his first two starts over 10 innings and change and will need to start pitching better but today he managed the win. After Steve Abeles loaded the bases in the 6th and allowed a run with 2 out, Vinny Willard got him out of it and he and Chris Toombs cruised the rest of the way. Danny Ayala swung the big bat today, blasting a pair of homers to give him 4 and he drove in 3, while also hitting #4 was Jimmy Leonard, still off to a scorching start. Jaiden Hardaway was 3-5 with an RBI. With the loss the Blue Jays, predicted by BNN to break out 17-season strangehold on the AL East, are off to an 0-6 start. Team record: 6-1. Next up: Our first road trip of the season starts at Yankee Stadium with 3 games in 4 days there. Last edited by Art Deco; 10-14-2021 at 05:55 PM.