The 2021 (and only 2021) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

The Rays split their first road series of 2039, holding on to first place a game ahead of Baltimore.

Tampa Bay took the lead three times against the Orioles in their road opener and blew the lead three times, losing when Eric Lewis melted down in the 9th and turned a potential 7-5 Rays win to in a 8-7 loss. Danny Rivera homered (#1) and drove in a pair and the Rays had their first lead of 4-2 which they lost in the 6th before Tony Fisher homered in the 7th (#3) to put them up 5-4. They gave up that lead in the bottom of the inning but it looked as if they'd still win when Billy Doughty (#1) and Danny Perez (#2, pinch-hitting) went yard to make it 7-5 in the 8th. Walt Kelly got the job done in the bottom of the inning but Lewis (0-1) put the leadoff man on in the 9th, gave up a homer to tie it, then walked a pair before allowing an RBI double to lost it, all without retiring a batter. Leo Gutierrez started and went 5 4 4 4 4 6.

The Rays had to work hard to even up the series, taking a 7-3 win over the Orioles in 13 innings. John Lopez hit his first Rays homer in the 9th to tie the game at 3, sending us to extras before Billy Doughty's pinch-hit RBI single in the 13th broke the deadlock and started a rally which culminated with a 2-run Jeremy Begley homer (#4). Moises Baca (1-0) truly earned the win after going the final 2 2/3 hitless, fanning 4 and rescuing Jamie Arnold from a 2nd-and-3rd, 1-out situation in the bottom of the 11th. The Rays also survived another near-death experience in the 10th when Eric Lewis nearly lost it again but was bailed out by Danny Perez who threw the runner out at home with 2 out. Mike Blake was mediocre at 5.2 8 3 3 2 1 and Danny Rivera earlier homered for the second straight day (#2).

Not much drama in the third game as the Orioles walloped the Rays 9-1. A 2-0 game got away from Tampa Bay when Baltimore scored 5 in the 6th off starter Chris Ericson (0-2) and Jamie Arnold, who couldn't get anyone out and gave up 4 of the runs. Ericson was a middling 5.1 4 3 3 3 3 and the lone Rays run came on a Frank Duron solo shot (#2) in the 8th.

Tampa Bay returned the favor of a blowout in the finale, obliterating the Orioles 10-1 behind a trio of home runs. It was billed as a pitchers' duel between Baltimore ace Joe White and the Rays' Danny Morales, but only Morales held up his end of the bargain, improving to 2-0 after a sterling 7 2 0 0 2 6 outing. White meanwhile walked a pair in the 2nd ahead of Justin Blackwell, who blasted his first homer of the year to make it 3-0. They then busted it open with a 7-run 7th which saw a 2-run homer from Isaiah Jackson (#1), a 2-run double by John Lopez, and a 3-run shot off the bat of Billy Doughty (#2).

Team record: 8-3. Next up: The 13-game road trip continues with a cross-country trek to Oakland for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

A disappointing series in which would have taken two of three if not for a bullpen meltdown in the finale.

Things started off well enough with a 5-1 win over Oakland in the opener thanks to another outstanding effort from Ruben Cerrillo, who went to 3-0, 0.42 since coming over this winter after a 7 4 1 1 0 6 outing. Walt Kelly went the final two innings for his second save. Cerillo's primary support came from Tony Fisher, who was 3-3 with 2 doubles, a homer (#4) and 3 RBI. Danny Perez also went yard with his 3rd.

The second game was a disaster as the A's routed the Rays 8-1. The bad omens started early when Leo Gutierrez had to leave the game after one batter with a tired arm, and the bullpen was not up to the task of pitching nearly the entire game. Moises Baca (1-1) came on first, and went 3 6 3 2 1 3 in taking the loss while Sebastian Burns and Chad Montgomery combined to allow five more runs. Frank Duron's solo homer (#3) leading off the 9th enabled Tampa Bay to avoid a shutout.

As alluded to above, the finale was a tough loss to swallow. Things were going swimmingly as the Rays took a 4-1 lead in the 7th on Justin Blackwell's 2-run double and a decent start from Mike Blake (5 6 1 1 1 2). But things started going wrong in the bottom of the frame when Isaiah Washington gave up a run to make it 4-2, Walt Kelly allowed a solo homer in the 8th to let Oakland within 4-3, and Eric Lewis gave up a game-tying homer in the 9th. Lewis then stayed on for the 10th and promptly gave up a second homer to let the A's walk it off. The veteran closer is off to a poor start at 0-2, 11.81 with 7 runs (on 4 homers!) allowed in 5 1/3 innings and has blown his last two save chances.

Team record: 9-5. We've fallen 1 1/2 behind 10-3 first-place Baltimore. Next up: The endless road trip continues with 3 in Texas after an off-day.

To add injury to insult for one of our guys:

[Art Deco]

Once again some bullpen shenanigans came into play, keeping the Rays from a sweep in the Lone Star state.

Danny Rivera and Billy Doughty had big games in the opener to lead Tampa Bay to an 11-7 win over Texas that really wasn't even that close until - you guessed it - the bullpen allowed some late runs to make it respectable for the Rangers. Rivera's 3-run homer in the 2nd (#3) was the key hit in a 5-run inning and Doughty's 3-run job (#3) in the 6th broke the game open as the pair each ended up driving in 4. Danny Arroyave also added a solo shot, his first of the year. They needed all the offense because Chris Ericson gave them another shaky start (4 8 4 4 4 2) and Ken Battle (1-0) ended up with the win after two scoreless, the only Rays pitcher untouched today.

No pitching issues in the second game as ace Danny Morales was masterful in a 4-1 victory over the Rangers. Morales improved to 3-0, 1.33 after a 7.1 7 1 1 1 4 outing with the only run against him coming after he left the game. For a change Eric Lewis saved (#4) without incident in the 9th and got his ERA back in single digits. Jeremy Begley was the star on the offense, driving in three of the runs with an infield single and a 2-run homer (#5).

In the finale the Rays lost the lead in the 8th and the game in the 10th as Texas came back to beat them 5-4. It was a 1-1 pitchers' duel into the 7th before Ruben Cerrillo proved human, giving up a couple of runs without recording an out and finishing 6 5 3 3 0 4 to see his ERA rise to 1.32. But the bats came to his rescue in the top of the 8th and Danny Arroyave's 3-run homer (#2) gave Tampa Bay a 4-3 lead. It would prove to be short-lived however as Jamie Arnold gave up the tying run in the bottom of the frame and then Walt Kelly (1-1) loaded the bases with nobody out in the 10th and Eric Lewis came on and gave up a single to lose it.

Team record: 11-6, 1 game behind Baltimore. Next up: Our 2-week, 13-game road trip finally concludes with 3 in Cleveland.

[Art Deco]

Another series in which we could have swept if not for that ****ing bullpen, as I've taken to calling it. Instead we had to settle for 2 of 3 as we ended up 7-6 on the marathon two-week, 13-game road trip.

The Rays won the opener in the first inning by putting up a 5-spot, taking an 8-3 victory over the Guardians. Danny Arroyave's grand slam (#3) was the big blow and the Rays also got big games from Jeremy Begley (4-5 with two doubles and an RBI) and Tony Fisher (3-5 with an RBI triple). Mike Blake won his first Rays decision by scattering the hits in a 5 10 3 3 0 4 outing.

The second game was the one in which the bullpen reared its ugly head again as the Rays saw a 4-0 lead evaporate into a 6-4 loss to Cleveland. Danny Arroyave stayed hot going 2-2 with 2 walks, 2 RBI and a run scored to help them to that lead, and despite some wildness Moises Baca pitched well in his spot start with Leo Gutierrez still one day out from recovering from a tired arm. Baca walked 4 in the first yet somehow escaped without allowing a run and settled in to go 5 4 2 2 5 5 and left with a 4-2 lead. But today it was Ken Battle and Isaiah Washington (1-1) who combined to allow 3 in the 6th to lose the lead and Jon Coggin allowed another run for good measure. The Rays did put two men on with less than two out in both the 7th and 8th but couldn't get anyone home.

Tampa Bay took the rubber game with another strong game on offense which this time was combined with quality pitching as they gouged the Guardians 10-0. Leo Gutierrez (2-0) returned to the rotation to go 6 6 0 0 1 7 and was amply supported. Danny Perez was 4-5 with a 2-run homer (#4), Danny Rivera was 2-3 with a 2-run shot (#4) and Danny Arroyave capped a big weekend with his 4th homer as well as the Dannys did the damage.

Team record: 13-7. Next up: A welcome and overdue return home to play 4 against Boston before we go on a 9-game road trip! That's 22 of 26 away from home. Who made this schedule?

[Art Deco]

It was the 2039 version of the Boston Massacre as the Rays swept the Red Sox by an aggregate score of 29-3 over the four games including a game to remember.

The opener was the closest of the four as the Rays got by Boston 4-2. Chris Ericson struggled again with his control and couldn't get through 5 (4.2 3 1 1 5 4) so Ken Battle (2-0) took over and picked up the win while the bullpen held for a change and Eric Lewis had an uneventful 9th for save #5. On offense the big blows were solo homers from Danny Arroyave (#5) and Isaiah Jackson (#2).

Danny Morales continued his blistering start to 2039 and Tampa Bay romped over the Red Sox 7-0 in the second game. Morales improved to 4-0, 1.06 with a 7 5 0 0 1 6 outing and was backed by a big game from Danny Perez who was 3-5 with a double, pair of homers (#5 & 6) and 3 RBI. Willis Ramirez, himself off to a hot start, tripled in a pair.

Then we had the third game:



As hot as Morales has been, Cerrillo has been even better since coming over for Luis Berumen last winter and today was his masterpiece. He was a Jeremy Begley error away from a perfect game so instead he just had a no-hit gem. He was never under any pressure thanks to 2-homer games from Danny Arroyave and Tony Fisher.

The Rays completed the sweep with another well-pitched blowout win, beating Boston 9-1. Mike Blake went 6 3 0 0 4 6 to improve to 2-0, 2.60 as the remade staff has been everything we've hoped for and then some. The game was settled in the first inning when Jeremy Begley led off with the first of his two homers (#6 & 7) and Justin Blackwell followed several batters later with a grand slam (#2). We nearly had a cycle on the night after a no-hitter as Begley also singled and tripled but instead of a double hit a second homer so he had an even better game than cycling.

Team record: 17-7. That's good enough for first place in the AL East, 3 1/2 ahead of Baltimore. Next up: After enduring a 2-week, 13-game road trip and coming home for only four games, we set back out for a 3-city, 9-game trek starting in one of the toughest places to go, Houston. We'll play 3 against our toughest foes who are off to a good 14-8 start themselves although it's only good for 3rd in the AL West with Texas (16-6) and San Antonio (15-7) off to blazing starts.

[Art Deco]

The new-look Rays faced their sternest test of the season to date going on the road to play the team that swept them out of last year's playoffs, Houston, and passed it with flying colors by sweeping the Astros.

They took the opener in comeback fashion, turning a 4-2 deficit after 6 into a 6-4 triumph. Danny Perez started the turnaround with a solo homer (#7) in the 7th to cut the deficit to 4-3 and then a 3-run rally in the 8th as Tony Fisher's RBI single tied it, Perez's RBI single put them ahead, and John Lopez added one of his own for insurance. Earlier they got solo shots from Danny Rivera (#5) and Isaiah Jackson (#3). Leo Gutierrez struggled at 4.2 8 4 4 1 3 but the bullpen held Houston scoreless the rest of the way with Ken Battle (3-0) getting the win and Eric Lewis pitching a 2-whiff 1-2-3 9th for his 6th save, so perhaps he's gotten his act together.

The final score of the second game was 11-3 Rays but they trailed 2-1 after 5 and it was tied at 3 after 6 before 8 runs over the 7th and 8th made it a laugher. Danny Perez drew a bases-loaded walk in the 7th to put them ahead for good and John Lopez singled in another run before 6 runs in the 8th keyed by a 2-run Justin Blackwell single ended any suspense. Blackwell (#3) and Danny Arroyave (#8) had earlier hit solo homers in the 6th and Willis Ramirez had 4 of the team's 17 hits on the night. Chris Ericson once again couldn't get through the 5th thanks to control problems (4.1 3 2 2 4 3 and 16 BBs in 22 IP so far) so Isaiah Washington (2-1) earned the relief win.

After the game we made a trade:



Although Lopez is listed as a SS the only position he could really play competently was 1B and we had used him as our DH against lefties the last two seasons where he did combine to hit .347 over 392 ABs with little power (5 HR). With Danny Rodriguez soon to come off the IL there wasn't going to be any room for him with Danny Perez taking over at DH and Lopez was off to a poor 2 for 20 start so it was time to move him. In return we got a guy who could serve as a stopgap 3B next season as Danny Arroyave is a free agent. Benavides has 45 contact/55 power with 50/60 potential and is an average fielder at the position. He'll go to Durham.

Back to the action. We were up against our former longtime ace Joe Marlette in the finale. Marlette completely lost his stuff last year as has been well-chronicled in these pages and was down to 35 and he came into the game with a 4.76 ERA and only 5 whiffs in 17 IP in his first year with Houston. We did knock him around a bit (5 9 3 3 1 4) but he held his own; instead it was the Houston bullpen we got to in an 8-7 win to complete the series sweep. Danny Perez continued to impress, hitting a 2-run homer (#8) off Marlette in the first and added a 2-run single in a 4-run 6th that put us up 7-3. But Danny Morales struggled big-time for the first time this year and he left two on before giving way to Jon Coggin in the bottom of the inning, and Coggin promptly gave up a 3-run homer to former Rays C Willie Gutierrez to let Houston tie. We held there until the 9th when Danny Rivera singled in Willis Ramirez, who himself had singled and stole second with two out. Jeremy Begley also had a big game, going 4-4 with 2 runs scored, a steal and an RBI. Morales had a brutal 5.1 8 6 6 3 4 line allowing 3 homers, and Walt Kelly (2-1) picked up the win after getting the final out in the 8th and staying on in the 9th to preserve the win.

Team record: 20-7. Lost in the excitement of sweeping Houston is the fact the team is now on an 8-game win streak, and the division lead is up to 4 1/2 on Baltimore. And this while playing most of our games on the road and our next stop is Chicago, where we'll play 3 against the 12-13 White Sox.

And this:

[Art Deco]

The Rays' 9-game win streak came to a halt but they still managed to take 2 of 3 low-scoring affairs on the south side of Chicago.

And it was in the opener that the streak ended after the bats went silent in a 2-1 loss to the White Sox. Coming off a no-hitter and an 0.99 ERA to start the season Ruben Cerrillo proved he was human when he gave up a 2-run homer in the 3rd but was stingy thereafter, dropping to 4-1 despite a fine 7 7 2 2 0 2 outing. Danny Arroyave's RBI single in the first was one of only four hits for the offense.

It's kind of amazing the Rays are off to the start they are given how much the back-end bullpen has struggled in the early going and today was a microcosm of that as Eric Lewis gave up two homers in the 9th to let Chicago tie things up but they still wound up winning 4-3 in 11 innings. Mike Blake pitched his usual workmanlike game at 6 7 1 1 2 2 and thanks in part to Frank Duron's 4th homer the Rays took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the 9th. But Lewis continued his struggle to keep the ball in the park, giving up homers #5 and 6 in only 9.1 IP of work and blowing his third save in the process. Danny Rivera took him off the hook though in the 11th with his 6th homer as he looks more like the hitter we thought we were acquiring the winter before last rather than his 2038 version. Moises Baca (2-1) pitched the 10th and 11th for the win.

The Rays took another tight one in the rubber game, getting by Chicago 3-2 in an injury-riddled affair for them. It started off with starter Leo Gutierrez departing in the 2nd with shoulder tendinitis that's going to shelve him for 6 weeks, and continued later with star OF Tony Fisher leaving with a hand contusion after being hit by a pitch and he'll miss enough time to warrant going on the 10-day IL. Still they overcame adversity thanks in large part to Sebastian Burns, who went 2 2/3 scoreless in relief of Gutierrez to win his first decision as a Ray and Willis Ramirez, who delivered a key 2-run triple. Walt Kelly got the call in the 9th and he succumbed to whatever is going on with Eric Lewis as he allowed a solo homer to get Chicago back within one, but recovered to get the final out for his 3rd save.

Team record: 22-8. We're 6 up on the Yankees and 6 1/2 on Baltimore. Despite the gaudy record it's not the best in baseball - the Dodgers are 23-6. Next up: Our latest road trek ends with 3 games in Minnesota after an off-day.

[Art Deco]

Yet another series the Rays could have swept if not for their late-inning bullpen problems; instead they settle for two of three.

Transactions: Tony Fisher and Leo Gutierrez went on the 10 and 15-day ILs respectively with Fisher due back once his time is up while Gutierrez will miss 6 weeks. Ines Monts, up last September, takes Fisher's spot while Moises Baca will move into the rotation and Danny Mauricio, part of pen the last few years, is up from Durham.

Speaking of their bullpen they had to keep outscoring it in the opener, eventually prevailing 11-7 in a wild one at Minnesota. They jumped out to a 5-0 lead only to see the Twins pull within 5-4 when Chris Ericson (1-2) ran out of gas and Ken Battle threw some on the fire, although he still got his first win after going 5.1 3 3 3 1 2. Then after scoring 3 and going up 8-4 Jon Coggin gave up 3 runs in the 8th to make it 8-7 before they finally tacked on 3 in the 9th to put it away. The offense was buoyed by five homers, including a pair from Danny Perez (#9 & 10) who drove in 4 with Frank Duron (#5), Jeremy Begley (#8) and John Lopez (#2) also going yard. Lopez also doubled and drove in 3 on the night.

Danny Arroyave was the hero for the Rays in the second game as his 2-run 8th-inning homer (#9) broke a 2-2 tie and gave Tampa Bay a 4-2 win over the Twins. Danny Morales started and pitched well but probably shouldn't have come out for the 7th as he gave up a leadoff homer that let Minnesota equalize. As a result he finished 6 3 2 2 1 10. Instead the win went to Walt Kelly (3-1) and Eric Lewis pitched around a walk for save #7. John Lopez was 2-4 with a 2-run double for the other Rays runs.

The Rays offense went largely AWOL in the finale but if not for another blown Eric Lewis save they could have won 2-1. Instead Lewis gave up his 7th(!) homer in 11 IP this year to let the Twins tie it in the 9th and we slogged on for 8 more innings before Chad Montgomery (0-1) gave up a 3-run homer in his 4th inning of work to let Minnesota win 5-2 in 17. Lewis was only attempting to close things out because Walt Kelly had pitched the previous two nights but Kelly is now officially the closer after Lewis blew his 4th save of the young season. Of course had the bats done more it might not have been an issue tonight but as it was they wasted another outstanding Ruben Cerrillo start (8 6 1 1 1 6 - probably should have brought him out for the 9th but he was at 101 pitches). The Rays' two runs came on solo homers from Ines Monts (#1) and Danny Arroyave (#10).

Team record: 24-9, 6 games up on the Yankees. Next up: Back home finally for 3 against KC after playing 22 of the last 26 on the road. Believe it or not after that series were on the road again, but this time for only 3 games before starting a proper homestand.

Rays News: We sent reigning AL Rookie of the Year Danny Rodriguez on a rehab assignment after he broke his collarbone two games into the season and he should only need a couple of games at Durham.

[Art Deco]

Despite some further discomfort from the bullpen the Rays did manage to sweep a series this time instead of taking two of three.

Tampa Bay unloaded for 5 runs in the 6th inning to opener to turn a 4-2 deficit into a 7-4 lead, then had to hang on to get by the Royals 7-6. Danny Rivera, who had earlier hit a solo homer (#7), hit a 2-run double to tie the score in that 6th inning and Justin Blackwell followed with a 3-run shot (#4) to provide the winning margin. Isaac Washington took over in the 7th and made quite the mess, giving up 2 runs and leaving with men on 2nd and 3rd without recording an out. But Sebastian Burns was the bullpen hero today, striking out the next three to preserve the one-run lead and fanning two more in a perfect 8th before Walt Kelly got through the 9th for his 4th save. Jon Coggin (1-0) got the win despite allowing a 2-run homer in the 6th to allow KC to take the lead, and Moises Baca struggled with his control in a 4 4 2 1 5 2 start. Danny Arroyave also homered (#11) for Tampa Bay.

Mike Blake (3-0) went six shutout innings while Danny Rivera (#8) and Billy Doughty (#4) homered to lead the Rays to a 4-2 win over Kansas City in the second game. Blake finished 6 2 0 0 0 3 and lowered his ERA to 2.04 as he continues to impress in Tampa Bay colors, and Eric Lewis converted a save chance (#8) by getting the final two outs after Chad Montgomery gave up 2 runs in the 9th.

The Rays jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead on the Royals and made it stand up as they completed the sweep with a 5-3 win. Chris Ericson (2-2) won his second straight after going 5 4 2 2 1 4 and although the bullpen had a hiccup or two they saw it out with Walt Kelly picking up save #5. The offense came via a Jeremy Begley homer (#9) leading off the game and a Danny Arroyave bases-clearing double which capped a 4-run 3rd.

Team record: 27-9, 7 up on both the Yankees and Red Sox. Next up: Again on the road with 3 in Detroit before we finally return home for a legitimate homestand.

MLB News: Former Rays superstar pitcher and current Dodger James Hays won his 200th career game on his way to the Hall of Fame.

[Art Deco]

After seven straight series wins the Rays finally lost one - and to nobody's surprise the bullpen was a culprit.

Transaction: After missing a little over a month, reigning Rookie of the Year Danny Rodriguez is back from his rehab assignment and ready to patrol CF. Willie Maldonado was returned to Durham.

Tampa Bay did cruise in the opener at Comerica Park however, crushing the Tigers 9-1. The game was 3-1 Rays going into the 6th when they unloaded for four homers: solo shots from Danny Perez (#11), Danny Rivera (#9) and Billy Doughty (#5) before Danny Rodriguez capped the scoring with a 2-run shot (his first, and after tripling in a run in his first at-bat back from the IL). Doughty later added #6 for good measure. Danny Morales wasn't efficient to improve to 5-0 but he was effective, at 5.2 4 1 1 3 9 on 107 pitches.

The Rays were clobbered in the second game 11-3 by Detroit. Ruben Cerrillo (4-2) gave up a pair of 2-run homers and finished 6 4 4 4 3 6 before the bullpen (Chad Montgomery and Jon Coggin) really let the game get away. The only bright spot was Danny Rodriguez's ridiculous assault on Tigers pitching after being activated as after tripling and homering yesterday he hit two more out of the park (#2 & 3) to drive in all 3 Rays runs.

Transaction: Another big name is back as slugging OF Tony Fisher's short stint on the IL ended with Ines Monts heading back to Durham.

Tampa Bay blew three leads in the finale with the last of the batch being decisive as they fell 5-4 to Detroit to drop the series. Oops, he did it again as Eric Lewis (0-3), out of the closer's role, got the ball in the 8th with a 4-3 lead and gave another homer, a 2-run shot to lose it. Blown save #5 came courtesy of HR #8 allowed in a mere 13 innings - he's now at -1.2 WAR and that's hard to do as a pitcher. Needless to say he's not going to see a high leverage situation for awhile, which is problematic because we're short on high leverage relievers. Before the latest Lewis loss we had another returnee hit the ground running as Tony Fisher belted a 2-run homer (#7) in the first and later Danny Perez went solo (#12) in the 7th to give us our last lead. Moises Baca struggled with his control again, going 4.1 4 1 1 4 3 and has doled out 18 free passes in 22.2 IP.

Team record: 28-11. We'd probably be 33-6 if not for the pen but still up 5 1/2 on Boston, which had won 10 straight before losing on our off-day following the Detroit series. Next up: After that off-day we're home for 3 against woeful 10-27 Atlanta.

Ex-Rays News: Good and bad for some of our old friends. The good: Billy Carlow hit career homer #400. The bad: Luis Berumen, traded to the Cubs this past winter, is out 4-5 weeks with a broken foot, while one-time star 2B Arturo Gutierrez will miss a similar amount of time for Milwaukee with a broken rib.

[Art Deco]

I think I'm going to make "would have swept if not for the bullpen" a macro since it happened again for the umpteenth time this season.

The bullpen actually did a good job in the opener, holding Atlanta scoreless over the final five innings as the Rays came back to win 7-6. They had to overcome the worst start from Mike Blake in Tampa Bay colors as the righty struggled with his control at 4 7 6 4 4 5 and allowed a pair of homers as well, putting his teammates behind 6-3 in the 4th. But homers from Danny Rivera (#10, solo) and Tony Fisher (#8, a 2-run shot) got them even in the bottom of the inning and Danny Perez's solo shot (#13) in the 7th was the winner. Isaac Washington (3-1) got the win after getting five outs, all via the strikeout, and Walt Kelly had a 1-2-3 9th for save #6.

Tampa Bay once again had to come back from a 4th-inning deficit, this time trailing 3-1 before coming back to win 6-3 over hapless Atlanta. Billy Doughty's bases-clearing double gave them the lead for good in the bottom of the 4th as he drove in four on the night and Chris Ericson (3-2) solved his control problems in going 7 4 3 3 0 6 but overcompensated by giving up three solo homers. Walt Kelly once again went 1-2-3 in the 9th for his 7th save.

And then there was the finale where the Rays took a 3-2 lead into the 8th only to end up losing 6-3 thanks to more bullpen shenanigans. Danny Morales pitched well as usual (6 5 2 0 1 5) and Isaac Washington struck out 3 more in 1 1/3 getting them into the 8th but with lefties due Jamie Arnold (0-1) came on and promptly gave up a double and a homer to surrender the lead, and Danny Mauricio showed why he didn't make the team this year out of spring training by giving up two more in the 9th. Our other Dannys were at it again with Rivera (#10) and Perez (#14) homering and Rodriguez singling in the go-ahead run in the 7th for the short-lived lead.

Team record: 30-12, 4 games up on the red-hot Yankees, winners of 4 straight and 8 out of 10. Next up: Those very New Yorkers, who visit the Trop for 3 and hope to close the gap.

[Art Deco]

No need for the obligatory "a sweep if not for the bullpen" as this time the Rays did pull off a sweep of New York, outscoring the Mets 23-4 in the process.

Ruben Cerrillo had a hiccup in his last outing allowing four runs but he wasn't going to let such a thing happen again as he dominated New York, going 8 4 0 0 0 4 in a 3-0 Rays win. Cerrillo (5-2, 1.52) was perfect through four and gave way to Walt Kelly in the 9th, who finished off the shutout for save #9. The offense came via the longball with Tony Fisher breaking a scoreless deadlock in the 6th with a 2-run shot (#9) and Frank Duron going solo later in the inning with #6.

The second game was over barely after it began as Tampa Bay put a touchdown and extra point on the board in the first as they rolled to a 14-1 blowout of the Mets. In a game where Rays hitters belted four homers, only Danny Rodriguez's solo shot (#4) came in that first with Justin Blackwell's 2-run single the big hit. But they did pile on after that with Danny Perez going deep twice (#15 and #16) and driving in four while Danny Arroyave found the seats for his 12th. Blackwell was 3-3 for D-Rod was 4-6 as he's hitting a cool .500 (18 for 36) on the season with all but 5 at-bats coming after his injury. Moises Baca (3-1) was free and easy in his best MLB start (6 3 1 1 2 4) for the win.

The Rays finished off the sweep with a 6-1 win in the finale and improved to 18-2 at home this year. A five-run third was the difference with Danny Rivera going solo (#12) and Willis Ramirez adding a 2-run shot (#3) in the inning. Mike Blake was up against his old team but had to leave in the 4th with a sore elbow after going 3.2 5 0 0 3 5. Ken Battle (4-0) went 2 1/3 scoreless as the bullpen did a fine job for a change.

Team record: 33-12, 6 up on the Yankees. Next up: San Antonio visits for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Once again the Rays failed to complete a sweep, but for a change the bats were at fault instead of the bullpen.

The Rays scored 5 times in the first inning of their opener against San Antonio and never looked back, rolling to a 9-4 win. Alamos starter Justin Robinson walked 5 in less than 2 innings and Justin Blackwell knocked in three of them with a bases-clearing double in that first while Danny Perez homered again (#17) and drove in 3 and Billy Doughty plated a pair including himself on HR #7. Chris Ericson (4-2) was in good form at 5 6 1 1 1 1 6 for the win.

Danny Morales did his thing again and the Rays got the best of the Alamos 4-2. The ace righty improved to 6-0, 1.96 after a 7.1 4 1 1 1 5 outing which is almost par for the course with him. Walt Kelly came on in the 8th and made a mess in the 9th so Ken Battle came in against a lefty for the final out and earned his first save. Tony Fisher led the way on offense with a pair of RBI singles, one in the first to get them on the board and then the other in a 3-run 6th inning.

As alluded to in the open, it was the bats which let Tampa Bay down in the finale as they only managed 3 hits in a 3-0 loss to San Antonio. Ruben Cerrillo (5-3) was decent at 7.2 7 3 3 2 7 but was wholly unsupported as the Rays lost for only the third time this season in 23 home games.

Team record: 35-13, 7 1/2 up on the Yankees. Next up: An off-day then 3 games in Toronto.

[Art Deco]

Another Meat Loaf series for the Rays as they take two out of three, but they weren't terribly convincing in besting the Jays who were 16-32 coming in.

Transaction: Mike Blake went on the IL with his sore elbow and will miss about a month, and Sergio Espinoza is recalled from AAA Durham to take his rotation spot. Espinoza was up for a little while last year and struggled in the rotation (a 6.75 ERA in 5 starts) and was 3-2, 4.33 for the Bulls.

The game they dropped was the opener, falling 6-3 to Toronto. A trio of two-run homers did them in with the first two allowed by Moises Baca (3-2) who went 5 4 4 4 3 2. Frank Duron was 2-4 with a solo homer (#7). Making matters worse was that star second-year man Danny Rodriguez got hurt again and will miss two weeks with an oblique strain, after already missing the first month of the season.

Transaction: D-Rod goes on the IL and OF Danny Arevalo is up from Durham. Arevalo was up for about a month last season when Danny Rivera got hurt and yes, he's another in our never-ending line of Dannys. D-Rod's injury will give Willis Ramirez full-time at-bats and he was great in April while filling in.

The Rays eked by the Jays 3-2 in the second contest on single runs in the 5th, 6th and 7th with Tony Fisher's solo shot (#10) the last of them and the difference in the game. The big story though was the excellent season debut of Sergio Espinoza, who pitched his best game as a big-leaguer (6.1 5 1 1 1 8) for the win. Walt Kelly was shaky in the 9th, giving up a run on three hits, but held on for save #9.

Tampa Bay took the rubber game from the Jays 4-2. Chris Ericson put them in a 2-0 hole after one of his typical mediocre starts this year (4 5 2 2 2 4 2) but the bullpen shone after that with 5 scoreless innings and Ken Battle (5-0) earned the win when Danny Arroyave's RBI single in the 6th put the Rays on top to stay. Arroyave added a solo homer (#13) while Frank Duron drove in the other two runs on a bases-empty blast (#8) and a sac fly. Walt Kelly this time cruised through the 9th, fanning a pair in a 1-2-3 inning for his 10th save.

Team record: 37-14. The division lead has grown to 9 over the Yankees. Next up: An off-day then back home for 3 against Baltimore.

[Art Deco]

The Rays got three mediocre-to-poor starts in this series from their rotation including their two best pitchers, but still managed to overcome them in two games out of the three.

Danny Morales struggled in the opener, helping put them behind 6-3, but a 5-run rally in the bottom of the 8th enabled Tampa Bay to pull out an 8-6 win in the opener. Morales wasn't horrible but wasn't his usual self either, needing 100 pitches to go 5 5 4 3 2 7 and then Ken Battle gave up a 2-run homer in the 7th. Danny Arroyave got the comeback started in the 8th with a 2-run double but was thrown out going to 3rd, Frank Duron followed with a solo homer (#9) to tie it, and with two out RBI hits from Billy Doughty and Justin Blackwell won it. Chad Montgomery (1-1) got the win and Walt Kelly picked up save #11 after pitching out of a jam he created by putting men on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. Tony Fisher hit HR #11 earlier in the game.

It was "same story, different day" in the second game as this time it was Ruben Cerrillo who struggled before his teammates came to the rescue in a 6-5 walk-off win over Baltimore. Cerrillo surrendered a pair of homers in going 5 6 4 4 2 5 and the Rays trailed 4-0 before putting a 5-spot on the board for the second straight night. Tony Fisher broke the ice with HR #12 leading off the inning, Danny Rivera later had a 3-run shot (#13) to tie and Jeremy Begley tripled to put them ahead. And although Jamie Arnold blew the lead in the 8th by letting the O's tie it back up, Danny Arroyave came through in the bottom of the 9th with a walk-off RBI double to make the Rays and Isaac Washington (4-1) winners.

Moises Baca was awful in the finale and this time his teammates with the sticks were almost as bad as the Orioles took a 5-1 win over Tampa Bay. Baca (3-3) has struggled big-time with his control this year and tonight was a glaring example as he went 3.1 2 4 4 5 5 and walked the last two men he faced with the bases loaded, giving way to Sebastian Burns who then walked the first two men he faced to force in two more runs. Rays pitchers ended up issuing 9 free passes in total on the night. Willis Ramirez's 8th-inning solo homer (#4) averted a shutout.

Team record: 39-15, 9 1/2 up on the Yankees. Next up: The homestand continues with Seattle in town for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Although the Rays had won their previous five series they'd been eking out a lot of wins and not playing the best baseball, and it caught up with them in this series as the bats didn't do a lot and the bullpen blew a couple of games (what else is new?) so Seattle ended up taking 2 of 3.

They did win the opener but had to rally late to squeak out a 3-2 win. Danny Perez drove in all 3 runs, first with a 2-run double in the 6th to even the game up and then with an RBI single in the 8th to score the winner. Isaiah Washington (5-1) got the win by retiring all 5 men he faced and Walt Kelly got the save despite putting men on 2nd and 3rd to start the inning, Houdini-ing his way to save #12. Sergio Espinoza turned in a good start at 5.2 7 2 2 2 3.

The second game was 2-2 late as well, but Walt Kelly was tattooed for 4 runs in the top of the 9th and the Mariners took a 6-2 win. Billy Doughty's 2-run double in the 2nd gave them a 2-0 lead and Chris Ericson was pitching his best game of the season, no-hitting Seattle until the 6th when the M's ended up scoring twice off him and tying the game as he finished 5.2 2 2 2 0 4. It stayed that way until the 9th and this time Kelly (3-2) had no escape unlike last night, hitting a man and giving up 3 hits with all the runners scoring.

The Rays still looked like they'd do their usual two-out-of-three thing when they took a 3-1 lead into the 9th but with Kelly and Washington unavailable having pitched the previous two nights, the final inning was entrusted to Sebastian Burns, who let the Mariners equalize and then Seattle scored off Jon Coggin (1-1) in the 10th to take a 4-3 win. Before all that Jeremy Begley hit a pair of solo homers (#10 & 11) and Danny Morales was his usual magnificent self (7 4 1 1 1 6) in what looked like a recipe for a win before the bullpen left it in the oven too long.

Team record: 40-17. Still a healthy 8 1/2-game lead on the Yankees, who are our next opponent as they visit the Trop for 4 games.

[Art Deco]

Another good series for Tampa Bay as they took 3 of 4 from the visiting Yankees and kept their stranglehold on the AL East intact.

The opener saw maximum drama as Justin Blackwell's 3-run walk-off homer (#5) in the bottom of the 10th gave the Rays an improbable 5-3 win over New York. For 9 innings it was a 1-1 pitchers' duel with the Yankees' Danny Holley (6 shutout innings) and Tampa Bay's Ruben Cerrillo (7.2 7 1 1 0 6) dominating. Walt Kelly (4-2) then gave up a 2-run homer in the top of the 10th and it looked like the Rays were cooked but after Tony Fisher doubled, Danny Perez singled him home with two out to make it 3-2, Danny Arevalo singled and then Blackwell stepped up and curled one just inside the LF foul pole to win it.

Pitching was the coin of the realm again in the second game as Moises Baca (4-3) pitched the game of his MLB career and led Tampa Bay to a 2-0 win over the Yankees. Baca, who had struggled with his control all season which saw most of his starts abbreviated, was on point today going 6 1 0 0 1 7. And with the "A" bullpen tired Ken Battle came through with two scoreless and rookie Omar Sears pitched a 1-2-3 9th for his first MLB save. The offense came courtesy of solo homers in the 6th and 7th innings from Tony Fisher (#13) and Billy Doughty (#8).

After a pair of excellent starts the Rays got one even more impressive in the third game as rookie Sergio Espinoza dominated the Yankees in pitching a complete-game 2-hit shutout as Tampa Bay walloped New York 9-0. Espinoza, who struggled in a brief callup last year, has been very good so far since coming up as an injury fill-in and today walked 2 and fanned 12 in his 122-pitch gem (it helps that he's rated 70 stamina). This now makes him 2-0, 1.29 in three starts and he isn't going anywhere for now. It helped that he had plenty of support with Billy Doughty hitting a 2-run homer (#9), Danny Perez adding a 2-run triple and Danny Rivera going solo (#14) among the offensive highlights.

After allowing only 3 runs in the series' first 3 games with a pair of shutouts, the pitching faltered in a big way in the finale as the Yankees returned the favor of yesterday's rout in beating the Rays 10-4. Chris Ericson (4-3) remained terribly inconsistent, going 4.2 10 3 3 2 3 with a pair of homers allowed and it could have been worse while the bullpen was awful especially Jon Coggin who allowed five runs (one earned) in his not-brief-enough appearance. With Espinoza's emergence Ericson's days in the rotation may be numbered when the injured guys return. Tony Fisher's 2-run homer (#14) was the lone highlight of the day for Tampa Bay fans.

Team record: 43-18. Next up: Off to Baltimore for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Rinse and repeat: The Rays won 2 out of 3 for 10th time this season.

The opener was billed as a pitcher's duel between Rays ace Danny Morales and Baltimore's strikeout artist Joe White (who's topped the 300-K mark in all four of his full seasons), but only Morales held up his end of the bargain in a 5-2 Tampa Bay win. The righty improved to 7-0 and lowered his ERA to 2.03 thanks to a 8 4 1 1 0 7 outing and while White got his strikeouts (8 in 5.2 IP) he was hit for five runs with Jeremy Begley doing the most damage, going 3-5 with HR #12 and Danny Arroyave added a 2-run shot (#14).

Transaction: SP Mike Blake was activated off the IL and Danny Mauricio was returned to Durham. Blake will rejoin the rotation and Chris Ericson has been moved to long relief.

The second game saw the Rays and Orioles combine for 19 hits but only three runs and Baltimore got the odd one to win 2-1. Mike Blake returned from the IL and did alright at 5 8 2 2 3 4 but took his first Tampa Bay loss against 3 wins. Jeremy Begley's solo shot (#13) in the 3rd was the lone Rays run as they otherwise left 9 men on the sacks.

We were headed to a repeat of yesterday's 2-1 Baltimore win before the Rays rallied for a pair in the 8th to take the finale 3-2 along with the series. John Lopez came off the bench for a game-tying pinch-double and Danny Rivera was plunked with the bases juiced for the winner. Isaac Washington (6-1) picked up the relief win and Walt Kelly had a quick 9th for his 13th save after Ruben Cerrillo turned in his usual fine start going 6.2 7 2 1 1 6. Unfortunately Tony Fisher tweaked his hamstring and we're waiting to see if the injury is minimal or moderate so he may be IL-bound.

Team record: 45-19. Next up: Off to Miami to play against the cross-state rival Marlins.

[Art Deco]

For a change the Rays lost 2 of 3 instead of winning 2 of 3 as they played a trio of close ones with the Marlins.

Moises Baca couldn't hold a 4-0 lead in the opener and the Rays dropped it 8-6 to Miami. Baca (4-4), who had been brilliant tossing 6 1-hit innings his last time out, was staked to the lead on a solo Jeremy Begley homer (#14) and Danny Arroyave's 2-run blast, but after mowing down the Marlins for 3 innings was ambushed in the 4th, giving up 5 runs and finishing 5 3 5 5 4 3 as his poor control led to loading the bases and giving up a grand slam. Begley had 4 hits in a losing cause as did Sergio Espinoza in his MLB debut as a hitter - the starter had been a two-way player in the minors and hit decently. He had four singles and an RBI in 5 at-bats.

Tampa Bay came from behind to take the middle game, scoring 3 times in the 8th to pull out a 4-3 win when John Lopez came off the bench and drilled a 3-run homer (#3). Lopez had been a candidate for demotion as he'd hit a disappointing 254/324/373 prior to his blast and that's primarily against LHP as a righty. Lopez's blow made a winner yet again in relief of Isaac Washington, now 7-1 and Walt Kelly handled the 9th for save #14. Sergio Espinoza, who did it with the bat the night before, used his arm to go an effective 6 3 3 3 2 5 with the final run against him scoring after he left.

The Rays blew leads of 2-0, 5-4, and 7-6 before ultimately succumbing 8-7 in 12 innings to Miami in the rubber game of the series. Danny Arevalo had his best game as an MLBer with a 2-run homer (#1) and RBI double and Jeremy Begley had another big day going 3-6 with a 2-run double but Tampa Bay's pitching let them down. And it was a letdown considering ace Danny Morales took the mound and was hit hard at 3.2 9 6 6 1 4. The pen did reasonably well afterwards although Omar Sears gave up the tying run in the 7th and Jon Coggin (1-2) surrendered the winner in the 12th.

Team record: 46-21, still 9 1/2 up in the AL East. Next up: A day off then 3 games in DC against the Nats, who are stumbling along at 33-34.

[Art Deco]

A bad road trip culminated in a sweep in Washington which saw the Rays blown out twice and then blow another 9th-inning lead in the other game.

Transaction: We welcome back star OF Danny Rodriguez from his second IL stint of the season and hope he can stick around this time. Danny Arevalo was optioned to Durham.

Washington's Austin Tyree no-hit the Rays for 7 innings before Danny Rivera launched a solo homer (#15) leading off the 8th and that would be the only hit they'd get in a 7-1 drubbing at the hands of the Nationals. Mike Blake (3-2) wasn't very good at 3 7 4 4 2 2 but with the way the bats were going today it wouldn't if mattered if he was very good.

The Rays suffered more capital punishment in DC in the second game, losing again handily 7-2. This time it was the usually-reliable Ruben Cerrillo (5-4) getting knocked around as the lefty surrendered 3 homers in a rough 4.1 8 6 6 1 4 performance. Jeremy Begley's solo homer (#15) in the 3rd briefly tied the game at 1 but that was as good as the day got for Tampa Bay.

Transaction: P Eric Lewis is activated and P Omar Sears is optioned to Durham. Sears pitched well in his callup but he was the only one left in the pen with options. Lewis, who was horrendous in the closer role before losing it and subsequently going on the IL, will pitch in a 5th-7th-inning role and hopefully get back on track.

It looked like the Rays might salvage the finale, but their bugaboo bullpen cost them another one as they were walked off 5-4 by the Nats. Back-to-back blasts in the 5th from Justin Blackwell (#6) and Jeremy Begley (#16) put the Rays up 3-2, and although Eric Lewis was charged with his 6th blown save in his first appearance off the IL when he allowed the tying run in the 7th, Danny Rodriguez singled home the go-ahead run in the 8th. Isaac Washington got through the bottom of the inning but in the Washington 9th Walt Kelly (4-3) succumbed to the black cloud over the bullpen by blowing his first save of the season, giving up a pair of doubles sandwiched around an error with the second one bringing home a pair of runs to lose it.

Team record: 46-24. Fortunately the Rays didn't lose much off their division lead as Boston only won once to reduce it to 8 1/2 games. Next up: A welcome return home where we'll play 3 against Detroit.