The 2020 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Jeff Brockman was outstanding but the bats and bullpen weren't and the Rays lost late to Toronto 4-0 at Rogers Centre. Brockman left a scoreless game in the 7th having gone 6.2 5 0 0 1 7 as he's on a roll now where he's looking like the ace we thought we acquired, and Ed Pretty got him out of a jam that inning. But Pretty put a man on in the 8th and with lefties due Joe Trader came in and for the second straight time he couldn't get it done and by the time the dust settled Toronto had scored 4 times. Meanwhile the offense was held to 4 hits in total.

August 11: Placed OF Andy Ruggles on the 10-day IL, purchased the contract of P Sean Forbes from AAA Durham.

Ruggles strained his back a couple of games ago and it was a "moderate" 5-day injury. The initial thought was to just leave him on the bench but thanks to the doubleheader earlier in the week we needed a starter on full rest and both Jose Mendoza and Steve Abeles had been used in the previous 4 days. So it was time to bring up our prized pitching prospect in Forbes. Our 4th round pick in 2037 and ranked the #31 prospect in MLB by BNN, Forbes had been brilliant at Durham, going 9-0, 2.20 with a 33/119 BB/K ratio in 110 innings, so he gets the call today.

Game 2: Well the Sean Forbes debut was not a very good one as Toronto scored 5 times against him in the first 3 innings and he finished 4 5 5 4 2 2 in a 10-4 loss. Steve Abeles gave up 3 more runs and the bats stayed shut out for 7 more innings before Jaiden Hardaway (#14) and Danny Ayala (#31) hit 2-run homers in the 8th after it was already 8-0 Jays. The loss was the Rays' 4th in 6 games after winning 17 straight.

Game 3: Tampa Bay salvaged a game from the series with a come-from-behind 5-4 win on a 2-run Danny Ayala homer (#32) in the 8th inning. Jordan Perez was pretty awful at 4.2 7 4 3 4 2 but the pen did the job with Chris Toombs picking up his 5th win and Kikuo Kawase notching save #28. All of the Rays scoring came via the longball today with Jaiden Hardaway hitting a pair of solo shots (#15 and 16, giving him 3 in 2 games) and Josh Alexander clubbing #34.

Team record: 81-36. Next up: An off-day then we head to Yankee Stadium for 3. New York's Jose Mendez has been moved into the rotation so look for more Jose Mendez-on-Jose Mendez action in the first game.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Once again it was Jose Mendez vs Jose Mendez as the Rays' OF went up against the Yankee pitcher of the same name, and once again the Rays' version got the better of things in a 6-3 win. When we last saw them face off a couple of weeks ago at Publix Park, our Mendez hit a walk-off homer against theirs, and this time their Mendez got the start. Sure enough our Mendez took him deep in the 1st inning (#6) with a man on, and then apparently wanting no part of him, their Mendez walked him with the bases loaded in the 2nd. Pat Moyer later added HR #12. Meanwhile Danny Romero kept doing his thing, going 7 5 3 2 0 9 to up his record to 13-2, 2.86 and Kikuo Kawase bagged save #29.

Game 2: Despite coming into the game with 33% of his homers against the pitcher of the same, Jose Mendez proved he could hit other-named pitchers by going 3-4 with a HR and 6 RBI in a 12-4 rout of New York. Mendez had a 2-run homer (#7) in the 1st and then a bases-clearing triple in the 2nd as he's found Yankee Stadium to his liking. Mike McKee added a 2-run blast (#13), Daniel Malone went back-to-back with him with #15, and Jaiden Hardaway continued his recent power surge with a 2-run homer (#17). Vinny Willard went 6 5 4 3 1 2 to improve to 8-2 and Jose Mendoza (not to be confused with the Jose Mendezes) went the final 3 for save #2, getting all 9 outs via the strikeout in a dominating outing.

Game 3: After scoring 18 times in the first two games of the series, the Rays couldn't get the bats going much in the finale and dropped a 5-3 decision to the Yankees. Jeff Brockman bookended his outing by giving a 3-run homer in the 1st and then a solo shot in the 6th to finish 5.1 9 4 4 0 5 in his first poor outing in a while. Ramon Ruiz (#6) and Jim Gebers (#7, as a pinch-hitter) went deep for the Rays.

Team record: 83-37. Next up: 4 games in Boston over 3 days, including a rainout makeoup doubleheader.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Brad Jackson was brilliant and Mike McKee blasted a pair of homers to lead the Rays to a 4-1 win at Fenway in the first game of a doubleheader. The lefty improved to 4-1, 3.38 as a Ray after going 7 4 1 1 1 2 6 and Kikuo Kawase picked up save #30 despite walking a pair. McKee meanwhile hit solo homers in the 2nd and 6th to give him 15 for the year while Danny Ayala homered (#33) and drove in the other two runs.

Game 2: With another doubleheader Sean Forbes got another start and it didn't go well at all as the Rays lost the nightcap 5-4. Forbes didn't make it out of the 2nd after giving up 4 runs and 4 hits and left with what turned out to be a mild hamstring strain. Boston led 5-1 going into the 8th before Daniel Malone hit a 2-out, 3-run HR in the 9th (#16) to make the final score look closer than it was.

August 18: Placed P Sean Forbes on the 10-day IL with a hamstring strain, recalled P Alex Stephens from AAA Durham.

Game 3: It was one of those games as Jordan Perez was blasted by Boston to give them an early 5-1 lead but the bats came storming back and by the time it was over the Rays were 14-9 winners. Perez went 2 7 6 6 2 3 in yet another bad start which saw his ERA rise to 5.67 and I am thisclose to replacing him in the rotation with Jose Mendoza, who followed him today with 3 innings of 1-run ball with 5 Ks and picked up his 3rd win. Jose Mendez continued his week to remember by banging out 5 hits (one of many to tie the team record), with 2 doubles, a homer (#8) and 3 RBI. Danny Ayala was 4-6 with a 2-run HR (#34), Pat Moyer was 3-6 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI and Josh Alexander drove in a pair.

August 19: Optioned P Alex Stephens to AAA Durham, activated OF Andy Ruggles from the 10-day IL.

Stephens turned in two big shutout innings when yesterday's game was somewhat in the balance and may earn another recall.

Game 4: The Rays overcame a rare mediocre start from Danny Romero and came back with 7 late runs to overtake Boston 8-4. Romero was hit for 3 runs in the first and finished 5.1 7 4 4 1 6 but was taken off the hook when the Rays erupted with 5 in the 7th to take the lead. Mike McKee and Josh Beckett had RBI hits to tie the game, and Jaiden Hardaway delivered a 2-run double to break the deadlock. Jeff Baez added a 2-run shot in the 9th (#5) for good measure and earlier the ludicrously-hot Jose Mendez hit HR #9. Chris Toombs picked up his 6th win in relief, getting two whiffs in the 6th to get Romero out of a jam and Ed Pretty had 2 perfect innings in relief.

Team record: 86-38. Next up: Back home for 4 vs Kansas City.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: It was the Vinny Willard show at Publix Park tonight as the righty pitched the best game of his career, dominating the Royals to the tune of 7 2 1 1 2 12 in a 7-3 win. Willard improves to 9-2, 2.50 and has cemented a spot in the postseason rotation. Chris Toombs crapped the bed in the 8th, allowing 3 runs and loading the bases, necessitating Kikuo Kawase to come in for a 5-out save with the bullpen thin. KK did the job with all 5 outs via the whiff and picked up his 31st save. Jimmy Leonard was the hitting star as his 3-run shot in the 2nd (#20) made a 1-0 game a 4-0 game. Josh Beckett was 4-4 with a double and 3 RBI and Andy Ruggles went 3-4 with a triple and an RBI.

Game 2: The Rays' bats were silenced tonight by KC's Zach Thomas in a 3-0 loss as they managed only 5 hits. Jeff Brockman started and was meh, going 5 5 3 2 3 5 but Dan Anderson threw 4 perfect innings of relief with 4 punchouts.

Game 3: The Rays took an early 4-0 lead and hung on to win 4-3 thanks to some top-notch bullpen work. Andy Ruggles had a 2-run HR (#27) in the 2nd and later in the inning Jeff Baez doubled home a run to get things going off the bat. Brad Jackson started and was decent but ran into some trouble and finished 5 6 3 3 2 9. He improved to 5-1 thanks to some stellar pen performances, starting with Jose Mendoza who whiffed 4 in 2 shutout innings and continuing with Ed Pretty striking out the side in the 8th and Kikuo Kawase doing likewise in the 9th for save #32.

Game 4: Tampa Bay let one get away in the finale, losing a 4-2 lead in the 6th and dropping a 6-4 decision to Kansas City. Danny Ayala had a 2-run double and Mike McKee an RBI two-bagger in a 4-run 5th, but Chris Toombs surrendered a 3-run homer in the 6th with a couple of Jordan Perez's runners aboard and despite several chances to come back they just couldn't get the men home. Perez got another start due to Jose Mendoza having to be used in relief last night and he pitched well for awhile but his final line of 5.1 5 4 4 1 9 was more of the same as his ERA is now 5.71.

Team record: 88-40. Next up: Boston comes to town for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays overcame a rare bad start from Danny Romero to come back and take the series opener from Boston 7-5 at Publix Park. Romero was hit for 5 runs in the 4th inning and finished 5.1 7 5 5 3 3 but his teammates kept him from being saddled with a loss. A 2-run Josh Alexander double cut the Boston lead to 5-3, a 2-run Kevin Morley double tied it in the 6th and a 2-run Daniel Malone homer (#17) in the 8th won it. Andy Ruggles earlier hit HR #28. The bullpen was solid as usual with Dan Anderson getting 5 outs on 9 pitches, Joe Trader nabbing his 4th win and Kikuo Kawase recording save #32.

Game 2: It was comeback time again as Vinny Willard had a tough 3rd inning allowing 4 runs but the bats came to the rescue again in a 7-4 win. Willard settled down and stuck around long enough to go to 10-2 with a 6 7 4 3 2 6 outing and Kikuo Kawase once again saved, his 33rd. Andy Ruggles had a nice day with a 2-run single in the first and an RBI double in the 5th while Josh Alexander (#35) and Pat Moyer (#13) added solo homers.

Game 3: Rinse and repeat. Jeff Brockman put Tampa Bay in a 3-0 hole early but the offense overwhelmed again in a 10-3 win. Brockman went to 10-4 with the Rays after a mediocre 5 7 3 3 2 5 performance but Dan Anderson came through with 3 more perfect innings and now sports an 0.53 ERA in 50.2 IP. Jim Gebers had a monster game, doubling twice and hitting HR #8 while driving in 4, Jeff Baez was 2-4 with HR #6 and 2 RBI, Jaiden Hardaway hit #18, Josh Alexander was 3-5 with a double and an RBI and Jose Mendez had 4 hits.

Team record: 91-40. Next up: An off-day then we head to Atlanta for a pair of interleague games.

[Art Deco]

The second game was originally scheduled for the 29th with a day off on the 30th but it was rained out and moved to that date.

Game 1: Brad Jackson was outstanding as he went seven scoreless in a 4-1 win at Truist Park over Atlanta. The lefty went 7 3 0 0 2 7 to improve to 6-1, 3.05 as a Ray. Dan Anderson and Joe Trader made a bit of a mess in the 9th with a run scoring so Kikuo Kawase had to get the last out with the bases loaded for save #34. Pat Moyer (#14) and Daniel Malone (#18) hit solo homers to lead the offense.

Game 2: Jordan Perez's days in the rotation are over after another maddening outing which saw him and Steve Abeles put the Rays in an 8-0 hole, one they nearly climbed out of before losing 8-7 and having the tying run on in the 9th. Perez was dominant through 3 scoreless innings to start the game, fanning 7, but lost it in the 4th and 5th and finished 4.1 6 6 6 2 9. Here's hoping his premium stuff plays better in long relief where he can go 2 or 3 innings before blowing up as he's done as a starter. Danny Ayala had an 8th inning grand slam (#35) to make it 8-5 and Daniel Malone (#19) and Jose Mendez (#10, pinch-hitting) hit solo shots in the 9th to cut the Atlanta lead to 8-7. Josh Alexander singled with two out but Jimmy Leonard whiffed on a full count to end the game.

Team record: 92-41. Next up: 3 games in Cleveland.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Danny Romero did not fare well against his former team nor did the bats in a 5-1 loss to the Guardians at Progressive Field. Romero went 6 7 4 4 2 3 and only Jeff Baez's 5th inning solo homer (#7) stood between them and a shutout.

September 1: Recalled OF Mike Willis and P Danny Hill from AAA Durham.

September roster expansion time and Willis, perhaps the minors' most blocked player, finally makes the big leagues after spending nearly 3 full seasons at Durham after being acquired in the trade with Houston which brought us Jimmy Leonard and sent Jon Soranno, Jim Golunski and Danny Medina the other way. Willis hit 309/384/469 with 115 steals over that time frame, he'd been an elite leadoff man for us if we already didn't have one in Jaiden Hardaway. He's got a good shot at finally sticking next year when Danny Ayala goes free agent.

Also some monthly awards:



Mendez will be another beneficiary of Ayala's departure next year as he will likely get everyday at-bats.



Johns is another in our never-ending string of quality outfielders, acquired the winter before last from the Mets. We were envisioning him as Daniel Malone's heir in CF but he hasn't developed defensively there like we hoped, only rated 40. His bat will definitely play in a corner, but he'll likely have to spend another year at Durham as we probably won't have an opening. Johns is also a legit pitcher, putting up decent numbers in A+ and AA, but hasn't really been used as one at Durham. Back to the games:

Game 2: The Rays romped in the second game 8-2 as Vinny Willard took a no-hitter into the 6th inning but lost Mike McKee to injury. McKee's injury isn't too serious, a strained back which will shelve him 2-3 weeks so he'll be back in plenty of time for the playoffs. His battery mate meanwhile was dealing once again, no-hitting the Guardians for 5 2/3 before giving up a homer then a couple of more hits for a run before departing with a 5.2 3 2 2 1 7 line as he goes to 11-2, 2.65. Jaiden Hardaway had the game's big hit, a bases-clearing double in the 2nd and Josh Alexander was 3-4 with an RBI double.

September 10: Placed C Mike McKee on the 10-day IL, recalled C Tony Cordova from AAA Durham.

Our catcher pipeline is tapped again as Cordova arrives to back up Kevin Morley. Cordova was the key acquisition in the deal which sent Daniel Vazquez to Colorado last winter and right now he's a 65-rated catcher with good gap power who should hit .240-.250.

Game 3: The injury bug hit the Rays again in a game they took in 10 innings 4-2. Jose Mendoza, finally re-established in the starting rotation, had to leave in the third after 2 2/3 scoreless innings with 5 whiffs as it turned out he had bone chips in his elbow and will require surgery, putting him out for the rest of the season although he should be ready for spring training. Pat Moyer's solo homer in the 2nd (#15) and Mike Willis' RBI single in his MLB debut (he also walked twice) gave the Rays a 2-1 lead which they nursed until the 9th when Kikuo Kawase suffered a rare blown save and would have lost the game had Jeff Baez not made a spectacular defensive play with 2 out in the inning to keep the game tied. The Rays scored twice in the 10th on a bases-loaded walk to Moyer and Josh Alexander's sac fly scoring Willis. Kawase vultured his 8th win and saved it for himself.

Team record: 94-42. Next up: 3 games in Toronto.

Oh and some news about Jaiden Hardaway 2.0:



I've talked up Williams before and as it's highly unlikely we re-sign Hardaway he's more than ready to take over as his replacement. He doesn't quite have Hardaway's eye but he has a similar hit tool and decent (55) power. He also hardly ever strikes out with only 37 this season.

[Art Deco]

September 3: Placed P Jose Mendoza on the 60-day IL with surgery for bone chips in his elbow, recalled P Sean Forbes from AAA Durham.

Rather than put Jordan Perez back into the rotation, we're going to give prized prospect Forbes another shot even though his prior 2-start stint did not go well at all.

Game 1: The Rays rode four homers to a 6-3 win over Toronto in the series opener at Rogers Centre. Danny Ayala had two of them, solo blasts in the 2nd and 6th to give him 37 on the season while Josh Alexander had a 2-run jack (#36) as part of a 3-RBI day and Daniel Malone went solo for #20. Jeff Brockman got the start and was decent at 5 5 1 1 4 6 on 103 pitches to go 11-4 as a Ray and Ed Pretty notched his 4th save with Kikuo Kawase needing rest.

Game 2: Brad Jackson had his worst start as a Ray, putting them behind 6-0 before they nearly came all the way back in a 6-5 loss. Mike Willis's 2nd double and 3rd hit of the game in the 9th nearly brought Jaiden Hardaway home with the tying run but J-Hard was gunned down at the plate. Jackson was hit hard (4.2 10 6 4 2 6) to drop to 6-2 since joining the club and the bats were held silent until the 8th when they scored 3 times including a 2-run Danny Ayala single. Kevin Morley added a 2-run homer in the 9th (#8) to bring them within a run but Hardaway was thrown out and Willis was stranded at second to end the game.

Game 3: The second time around went much better for Sean Forbes as he returned to the scene of one of his two bad starts during his first callup and helped the Rays to a 9-1 win. Forbes went 5 5 1 1 2 4 to earn his first MLB win and he had plenty of support. The Rays didn't homer but they did bang out 16 hits including 7 doubles and a triple. Daniel Malone had that triple among his 3 hits and drove in a run, Jeff Baez knocked in 3 with a double and a single and Danny Ayala had a 2-run double. Tony Cordova made his MLB debut behind the plate today and aside from calling a good game he was on base 3 of 5 times up with 2 singles (one of which knocked in a run) and a walk.

Team record: 96-43. The Rays have officially clinched a playoff spot with the division magic number at 11. Next up: An off-day then a return home to face the Orioles for 3.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays were homer-happy in their return to Publix Park tonight as they beat Baltimore 7-3, putting five in the seats. Josh Alexander led the parade, going 3-4 with 2 HR and 3 RBI to give him 38 and 111 on the season, Andy Ruggles had 2 doubles and a solo shot (#29), Kevin Morley hit his 9th and Mike Willis, not known for his power, blasted his first MLB dinger. Danny Romero was far from sharp (6 6 3 3 4 2) but improved his record to 14-3, 3.31.

Game 2: Vinny Willard wasn't his best but Chris Toombs was the one who really let the game get away as the Rays fell to the Orioles 7-4. Willard allowed 2 runs through 5 and put the leadoff man on in the 6th before Toombs came in and stunk things up, allowing a 2-run homer and a 3-run homer to make it 7-0 Baltimore. Josh Alexander hit HR #39 as the Rays mounted a comeback attempt which fell 3 runs short.

Game 3: The Rays dropped a series for the first time in almost a month as they lost 4-1 in 11 innings to the Orioles at Publix Park. Jeff Brockman was pretty good (5 6 1 1 1 5) while former Ray Tim Gates held his old mates to an unearned run over 4 2/3 innings before departing with back stiffness. Baltimore finally broke through for 3 in the 11th off Dan Anderson, although 2 of the runs came after a Kevin Morley passed ball on a strikeout which would have ended the inning. The bats managed a meager 5 hits through the 11 innings, with Mike Willis getting 2 of them as he's made quite an impression since coming up as he's now 9-18 with two walks, a homer and four steals in four starts.

Team record: 97-45. Next up: The homestand continues as the Guardians visit for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays slugged their way to another win today, blasting Cleveland 10-5 at Publix Park. The Guardians took an early 3-1 lead off Brad Jackson, but Kevin Morley equalized with a 2-run homer (a career-high #10) in the 4th and Andy Ruggles put them ahead as he reached the 30-homer mark with a 2-run shot in the 5th. Speaking of round numbers Josh Alexander added HR #40 in the 6th as part of a 4-5, 4-RBI day which also featured two doubles. Alexander leads the AL with 6.1 WAR and is a strong candidate for MVP. Jackson settled in for the win after going 7 7 4 4 2 6 to make him 7-2 as a Ray.

Game 2: The bullpen melted down as the Rays lost a 9-3 lead in a 6-run 7th and Cleveland took a 10-9 lead in the 8th but a pair of pinch-hit homers in the bottom of the 9th allowed the Rays to walk it off with a 12-10 victory. It's hard to know where to begin here so we'll start at the end. With the Rays trailing bottom 9, Pat Moyer led off the inning with a pinch-hit homer (#16) to tie and after Daniel Malone singled for his third hit of the day, Jim Gebers came off the bench and slugged homer #9 to win the game. He made a winner of Ken Burgess, the lone Rays pitcher today to not allow a run. Homers from Danny Ayala (#38), Jeff Baez (#8) and Jimmy Leonard (#21) helped built the 9-3 lead and Sean Forbes while not great at 5 5 3 3 4 4 was in line for the win. But after a scoreless 6th Danny Hill gave up 3 runs in the 7th to halve the lead and Dan Anderson couldn't get anyone out either and gave up 3 more to let Cleveland tie. Then former Ray Jeremy Glasson homered off Ed Pretty in the 8th to put the Guardians ahead before the Rays' 9th-inning heroics.

Game 3: The Rays' bullpen woes continued as Danny Romero was cruising with a 4-1 lead in the 6th before things went off the rails and there was no miracle comeback today as Cleveland salvaged the final game of the series by beating Tampa Bay 5-4. They wasted a brilliant day from Daniel Malone, who had a solo shot and a 3-run blast to score all 4 Rays runs, homers #21 & 22 for the CF. Romero was rolling against his old team but put a couple of men on in the 6th and Dan Anderson faltered again, allowing Romero's 2 runners and one of his own to score to let Cleveland tie it up. And like yesterday Cleveland went ahead in the 8th on a solo homer, today off Joe Trader, but unlike yesterday the Rays went down meekly in the 9th.

Team record: 99-46. Next up: An off-day then Oakland visits for 3. The A's, who looked historically bad when we faced them early in the season, are now just conventionally bad at 52-95.

Durham Playoff Update: Another year, another division title for the Bulls who went 87-53 this year. That bought them a first-round matchup with the Syracuse Mets, and before you get too excited they dropped the first two games in Durham. Both were low-scoring affairs (2-1 and 3-2) and both saw the Mets start lefties, kryptonite to the lefty-heavy Bulls lineup which actually had a losing record against portsiders during the regular season. Game 1 saw them only manage 1 hit, and Game 2 wasn't much better as they scored their 2 runs as part of a 9th-inning rally which fell short. Willie Duran was the only one hitting as the righty-swinger had the sole hit in Game 1 and homered and doubled in Game 2. Prospect Joel Gird will try to save their season in two days in Syracuse.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: In the end the Rays romped to an 11-4 win over Oakland at Publix Park behind a huge game from rookie Mike Willis, but they first had to come back from being 4-3 down in the 5th. Willis tripled his first two times up, the second of which drove in a pair, and he later added a 2-run single to give him a 3-hit, 4-RBI day. Jimmy Leonard drove in 3, 2 of them on his 22nd HR of the year and Josh Alexander was 2-5 with an RBI. Jeff Brockman started and won, going 5.1 7 4 4 0 9; he's now 12-4, 4.11 with the Rays. Jordan Perez had his best outing since being moved to the bullpen, going the final 3 2/3 scoreless for his first save.

Game 2: Vinny Willard and the bullpen couldn't hold a 5-1 lead but the Rays won anyway when rookie Tony Cordova singled in a run in the 8th to give them a 6-5 win. Jaiden Hardaway led off the game with HR #19 and Danny Ayala had a 2-run shot for #39 as they built that lead but Willard gave up 3 runs in the 5th to allow Oakland within 5-4. He finished 5.2 9 4 4 1 5 and was still in line for the win but Ed Pretty allowed Oakland to tie in the 8th before Cordova came through. Pretty vultured his 9th win of the year (I don't think I've ever had a Rays reliever win 10 in a season in this save) and Kikuo Kawase pitched around a couple of men to strike out the rest for his 35th save.

Game 3: Tampa Bay completed the sweep of hapless Oakland with a 10-3 shellacking that was much closer for most of the game. The first of Andy Ruggles' 2 doubles against his former team and a Kevin Morley solo shot (#11) gave them an early 3-0 lead but the A's got to Brad Jackson for 3 in the 5th to tie it and the lefty finished the game 5 4 3 3 3 4 on 98 pitches. Josh Alexander's 2-run single in the 6th put the Rays back on top to stay, and Alexander finished the day 4-4 with 3 RBI. Ruggles added a solo homer (#31) and Jaiden Hardaway had a 2-run double as things got out of hand for the A's. Dan Anderson picked up win #4 in relief.

Team record: 102-46. Next up: 3 games in Texas, where the Rangers trail Houston by 2 games in the AL West but are 4 up on Cleveland for the second wild card.

MLB Playoff Race Update: As we head into the season's final two weeks, the Rays (AL East winners) and Boston (#1 wild card ) are the only AL teams with their positions set. Chicago and Cleveland are in mortal combat for the Central with the White Sox only 1/2 game up (the loser won't have a wild card to fall back on), while as mentioned above Houston is 2 up on Texas. Over in the NL, Columbus has all but clinched the East and the Pirates (looking to make the playoffs for the first time in 21 seasons of this save) are 4 up on the Cubs in the Central. The Dodgers are 1/2 up on Colorado with the loser of that battle a wild card, and the Padres are 4 up on the Phillies for the second wild card.

Durham Playoff Update: After winning the Governors' Cup 7 straight years from 2031-2037 the Bulls have now lost in the opening round 3 straight seasons as they took Game 3 but dropped Game 4 in Syracuse. They blasted the Mets 10-4 in Game 3 behind homers from Randy Rappaport and Quincy Siegle before losing Game 4 in heartbreaking fashion 7-6 in 11 innings after holding leads of 5-2 and 6-4 as the bullpen couldn't get the job done. Doug Johns and Siegle (again) homered for the losing cause.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Despite falling behind early (as they seem to always do) the Rays overwhelmed Texas 12-5 and clinched the AL East for the 19th straight season. Sean Forbes struggled again going 4 7 5 5 1 5 but the bullpen was dominant over the final 5 innings with Jordan Perez picking up the win, his 11th, with 2 scoreless innings before departing with a sore back, nothing serious. Josh Alexander was on base all 5 times with 3 walks and 2 hits including HR #41 in the 1st, and Josh Beckett, Jose Mendez, Jaiden Hardaway and Andy Ruggles each drove in a pair. One Ray who didn't join the party was Danny Ayala, 0-6 with 12 runners left on base.

Game 2: Tampa Bay came back late to edge Texas 3-2 in the second game with Daniel Malone's 8th-inning solo shot to dead center (#23) the game-winner. Danny Romero was a bit off today at 5 8 2 2 0 3 but Dan Anderson turned in two scoreless innings for win #5 while Kikuo Kawase collected save #36.

Game 3: The Rays were held to 6 hits, all singles, in a 5-0 loss to Texas in the finale. Jeff Brockman gave up a couple of solo homers in the 1st which was all Texas needed and finished 6 5 4 4 1 7 in kind of a typical outing for him with the Rays as he's now 12-5, 4.20.

Team record: 104-47. Next up: This season's road slate concludes in Toronto with 4 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays opened their final road series of the season in grand fashion, shellacking the Jays 14-2 behind a career day from Jeff Baez. The veteran SS, more known for his glove than his bat, went 5-5 with 2 doubles, a homer (#9) and 4 RBI to lead the way. Danny Ayala piled on to his MLB-leading RBI total with 5 of his own on a 2-run single and a bases-clearing double - he now has 137. Vinny Willard coasted with all the support, going 6 2 1 1 3 4 to improve to 12-3, 2.88 and cement his status as the #4 starter in the playoffs while Alex Stephens went the final 3 innings for his first MLB save.

Game 2: Brad Jackson couldn't stand prosperity after the Rays gave him a 4-0 lead as he completely imploded in the 5th and 6th, allowing 7 runs to give Toronto an 8-4 win. Jackson gave up hit after hit in those innings, finishing 5.2 9 7 7 1 1 after cruising through the first 4. Danny Ayala stayed hot on offense with HR #40, a triple and 2 RBI.

Game 3: Sean Forbes just isn't ready for prime time as he was pounded for 7 runs in an inning-plus as the Rays were once again battered by the Jays 11-5. The rookie righty has made 6 starts, with one good, one decent and the other four terrible. Jordan Perez was no relief in relief, giving up 4 more runs on 5 hits and 5 walks in 3 2/3 and his postseason roster spot is in jeopardy. Danny Ayala just won't stop hitting though, as he was 3-4 with 3 more RBI giving him 10 in the first 3 games of this series and 142 for the season. Andy Ruggles added HR #32.

Game 4: The Rays are glad they won't be seeing Toronto in the ALDS this year after the Jays rocked them once again and took a 9-7 lead in the season series (not to mention a couple of ALDS eliminations in the last 5 years) with an 8-6 victory that really wasn't that close. Today's mound victim was Danny Romero, who's not had a good September and went 2.1 8 7 7 1 1. It was 8-2 when the Rays put four on the board in the 9th, including a 2-run double from Jose Mendez who drove in 3 for the day.

Team record: 105-50. Next up: We come home for the final week of the season starting with 4 against the Yankees.

[Art Deco]

Going into the final week of the regular season the NL is pretty cut and dried with the only suspense whether Colorado or the Dodgers wins the West.

The AL is a different story with it suddenly being a 3-team race for first in the Central, and Texas's grip on the second wild card suddenly shaky. I mentioned the Rays wouldn't have to face Toronto in the playoffs but thanks to their 3 straight wins over the Rays the Jays have an outside (2 1/2 back with a week left) chance to get the second wild card. Here are the details:

[Art Deco]

September 24: Activated C Mike McKee from the 10-day IL, optioned C Tony Cordova to AAA Durham.

Cordova impressed in his limited action and might figure in next season.

Game 1: 6 different Rays pitched in this game and none of them were any good as the Yankees took a 12-9 win over Tampa Bay at Publix Park. Jeff Brockman started and went 4.1 4 3 3 5 6, Danny Hill and Joe Trader each gave up a pair and every time the offense tried to catch up the pitching allowed more runs. The Rays did get a trio of 2-run homers: Danny Ayala (#41), Daniel Malone (#24) and Jim Gebers (#10).

September 25: Activated OF Pat Moyer from the 10-day IL, optioned OF Mike Willis to AAA Durham.

Willis was very impressive, showing the speed/on-base combo he displayed in the minors, even if he did cool a bit from his torrid start. He may yet end up on the postseason roster given his blazing speed and perhaps could be this year's Dave Roberts.

Game 2: The Rays' losing streak reached 5 as more lousy pitching doomed them in a 7-5 loss. The until-now-reliable Vinny Willard was hit for 3 runs in the 1st and went 4.2 7 4 4 1 6 while Chris Toombs allowed 3 runs on a pair of homers. Jeff Baez led the offense with 3 RBI on a pair of singles.

Game 3: It's Groundhog Day in September as the Rays kept losing, 6 on the trot now as they fell 5-4 to the Yankees. Brad Jackson turned in a veritable gem compared to the starts they've received of late, going 6 7 3 3 2 6 but Ken Burgess allowed a 2-run homer in the 8th to break a 3-3 tie and send them to defeat. Daniel Malone was the star on offense, going 3-4 with a pair of doubles and an RBI.

Game 4: Our long national nightmare is over as the Rays finally snapped their 6-game losing streak with a 9-4 win, although not without some angst as Sean Forbes went from fanning 5 in his first 3 innings allowing only a hit to not surviving the 4th after allowing 4 runs and putting Tampa Bay behind 4-3. Fortunately the pen stepped up and turned in 5 1/3 scoreless innings starting with Steve Abeles, who picked up win #3. Meanwhile Ramon Ruiz had the game of his life, homering 3(!) times (#s 10-12) and driving in 4 to lead the bat attack while Jaiden Hardaway went back-to-back with Ruiz's first homer in the 3rd, J-Hard's 20th of the season. Hardaway had 3 hits and 3 runs scored on the day while Andy Ruggles drove in a pair.

Team record: 106-53. Next up: 3 games at home to close out the season against Toronto, and if the Rays don't want to have to face the Jays again in the playoffs it would behoove them to win a couple of them.

Playoff Race Update: Things are wild and wacky in the AL outside of the Rays and Astros winning their divisions and the Red Sox taking the first wild card. The White Sox took 2 of 3 from Cleveland during the week and are now 1 game up on both the Guardians and Detroit. Texas arrested their recent slide with a couple of wins and are a game up on Toronto for the 2nd wild card after the Jays picked up where they left off against the Rays last weekend and swept Houston. Cleveland and Detroit sit 2 back of Texas. Over in the NL it's all over but the shouting with Columbus clinched, Pittsburgh with a magic # of 1, and Colorado 2 up on the Dodgers going into the final 3 games, while the Dodgers and Padres have clinched the wild cards.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays dealt the Blue Jays' playoff hopes a serious blow with a 9-6 win that only got that close late in the game. A 6-run 4th saw Tampa Bay blow open an 8-0 lead with Mike McKee's solo shot (#16) starting off the inning and Danny Ayala's 42nd HR, a 3-run shot, capping it. Josh Alexander added #42 and drove in a pair. Danny Romero made an outstanding final start of the regular season going 6.1 5 1 1 2 5 to finish the year 15-4, 3.58. He's not the front-runner for the Cy Young anymore, but his teammates did him a favor by battering potential favorite David Ruiz for 7 runs in 3 1/3 and dropping him to 18-7, 3.52. Chris Toombs was horrible again, giving up a 3-run homer without retiring anyone which allowed Toronto within 3, requiring Kikuo Kawase to pitch the 9th for save #37.

Game 2: It looked like the Rays would put Toronto in the 2040 grave after taking a 2-0 lead through 4 behind a dealing Jeff Brockman, but it was Toronto which dealt Brockman pain in the 5th by scoring 5 times off him and going on to a 7-4 win to stay one game back of the wild card going into the season's final day. Brockman finished 5 6 5 5 3 4 and ended his season 12-6, 4.44 with Tampa Bay and 16-10, 3.97 overall. It was good for 4.5 WAR and 3.0 with Tampa Bay, but it seemed worse than that. Josh Beckett was 4-4 with an RBI and Jimmy Leonard hit HR #23.

Game 3: After Toronto eliminated the Rays in last year's ALDS it was time for revenge and Tampa Bay knocked Toronto out of a potential playoff spot by taking a 5-1 win behind Vinny Willard. Texas lost so had Toronto won they would have forced a playoff for the final wild card spot but Willard had other ideas, going 6 6 1 1 2 3 to finish the year 13-4, 2.98 with 16 starts after making 26 relief appearances. Andy Ruggles' 3-run homer in the 1st (#33) was the game's big hit.

Final Regular Season Record: 108-54. Next up of course is the ALDS against either Boston or Texas. The Rangers backed into the second wild card despite losing because everyone else chasing them lost as well.

Playoff Race Update: As mentioned, Texas clinched the second wild card. Had Cleveland and the White Sox both won on the final day, they'd be playing the loser of their AL Central playoff in a playoff for the wild card, but they both lost. Those two 84-78 teams will square off in a 1-game playoff for the Central title. Over in the NL, defending champion Colorado wrapped up the West so the Dodgers and Padres will square off in the wild card game. The Pirates meanwhile, who hadn't made the playoffs since 2015, left it until the last day after having a magic # of 1 for four days but lost 4 straight while the Cubs won 4 in a row. But Pittsburgh won and Chicago lost on the final day and they will open at Columbus in the NLDS. This now leaves the Giants as the only team to not make the playoffs in this save which dates back to 2020.

[Art Deco]

Congrats to the White Sox and former Rays farmhand Jeremy Holston for taking the AL Central where they'll play the Astros in the ALDS.

[Art Deco]

No 20-game winners in MLB this year, unusual that we didn't have one as well but our starters were inconsistent throughout the season with the possible exception of Danny Romero.

Our final team stats:



This is by far the worst starting pitching we've had in this save but thankfully the bullpen was really good. We'll see in a minute all the relief wins we had. The defense as usual was no help.

Batting stats:



A great first full season for Josh Alexander, who stands a decent shot at keeping the MVP Award in Tampa Bay. Most players would love to have a season like Jaiden Hardaway did, but 5.3 WAR by his standards is a demonstration of the age-related decline he's entering into at 35, which is why we likely won't be re-signing him. Jeff Baez had a great season with 3.9 WAR despite playing about 2/3 of the games as we tried to protect him as best we could with his "wrecked" status.

The pitching stats (hold your nose):



Those starters, ugh. Danny Romero was excellent as usual and Vinny Willard saved the rotation when he took a spot (it's no coincidence our midseason 17-game win streak happened after he joined) but the pen was great with a few exceptions (the traded Ken Neil, Chris Toombs) with Ed Pretty a true revelation, a Kawase-level reliever. In fact 44 of our 108 wins were credited to relievers, which has to be a team record.

[Art Deco]

It's the Red Sox!

[Art Deco]

Also this bit of news:



MacDonald follows in the footsteps of Ed Pretty and Ken Burgess, who were IL relievers of the year before him. MacDonald isn't quite the prospect the other two were and as you can see he's been with Durham for five seasons now. He has incredible stuff (80 as a reliever) which you can see with the strikeout numbers and is rated 65 for movement (only allowing 2 homers all year), but he has abysmal control (30) as he walked 42 in his 60 innings this year but was so dominant he overcame it. Not sure how well that translates at the MLB level though.