The 2021 (and only 2021) Tampa Bay Rays - Page 83

Art Deco · 04-08-2026, 03:58 PM

The Rays welcomed back all-everything 2039 MVP SS Jeremy Begley for this series and not coincidentally they swept Atlanta.

Transaction: To make room for Begley, Jim Vroom was optioned to Durham.

Jeremy Begley wasted no time getting back into the swing of things for his first MLB action in months and Rogelio Fitzgerald drove in 4 runs as the Rays routed Atlanta 7-1 in the series opener. Begley singled and stole a base in his first trip to the plate and added an RBI double while Fitzgerald got 3/4 of his ribbies with a bases-clearing double. Ruben Cerrillo (14-7) was in fine form at 7 4 1 0 3 7 for the win.

Transaction: It's September roster expansion time and as promised 3B/OF Isaac Gardener is back after an impressive first month in MLB and RP Omar Sears rejoins the club as well.

And Jeremy Begley was the man again as Tampa Bay topped Atlanta 7-4 in the second game. The star man was 3-5 including a 3-run homer (#20) in the 2nd inning that broke the game open. Begley's blast was one of four on the day for the Rays who also got solos from Tony Fisher (#13), Rogelio Fitzgerald (#27/35) and Justin Blackwell (#17). Brad Paquette (10-8) had a nice outing that would have been nicer had Danny Mauricio not let the two men Paquette left on base in the 8th score on a 3-run homer, leaving him with a 7.2 5 3 3 3 2 line. Eric Lewis closed it out for save #28.

The Rays finished off the sweep with a 4-2 win in the finale behind still another excellent outing from Leo Gutierrez. Once again the lefty (11-6) lowered his MLB-leading ERA, this time down to 2.42 as he went 6 1 1 1 6 5 while pitching around those walks with the only run off him a solo homer. Eric Lewis notched save #29 despite allowing a run in the 9th. The key swing in the game came in the 5th when Tony Fisher broke a 1-1 tie with a 3-run homer, his 14th.

Team record: 90-46, with the magic number for the division down to 14. Next up: Kansas City visits for 3 games.

Art Deco · 04-12-2026, 12:14 PM

After blowing out the Royals in the opener the Rays lost a couple of one-run games and the series as we continue to mark time until the playoffs. The magic number for the division is down to 11.

And it was the Rays routing the Royals 10-1 to start the series with Jeremy Begley having yet another big game since coming off the IL. The star SS had an RBI single in the 2nd and a 2-run homer (#21) in the 4th while Danny Rivera's 2-run single was the big hit in a 5-run 2nd. Melvin Olvera made the rubble bounce in the 6th with a 3-run shot (#17) and the win went to Sebastian Burns (7-1), who dealt with a lot of traffic on the bases but still went 5 4 0 0 4 3. In fact it might have been a semi-competitive game had the Royals not left 13 men on base.

The Royals eked out a 2-1 win in the second game as yesterday's offensive fireworks were nowhere to be found for Tampa Bay. Danny Morales (11-11) pitched well at 6.1 7 2 2 1 5 but had nothing to show for it other than an L.

Kansas City took the rubber 6-5 in 12 innings after the Rays battled back from a 4-1 deficit to tie it up. Walt Kelly (6-5) gave up 2 runs on 4 hits in his second inning of relief to lose it, and although Rogelio Fitzgerald (#28/36) went solo in the bottom of the inning with two out, it was just a consolation homer. Ruben Cerrillo started but was limited to a 3.1 2 1 1 1 3 line as he left with a mild shoulder strain which shouldn't cause him to miss a start. Danny Mauricio was the weak link in the pen today, giving up a 3-run homer in the 6th to put them behind, but a 2-run Tony Fisher homer (#15) in the bottom of the inning got them within one and Billy Doughty's solo shot (#12) in the 8th brought the teams to parity.

Transaction: Backup IF Ray Green suffered a herniated disc and will go on the IL where he should need just the minimum, and back up from Durham is IF Luis Solorzano, our 2B of the future who struggled early this season when Begley was first hurt. Solorzano was hitting 292/348/474 with the Bulls.

Team record: 91-48. Next up: A day off then a trip to face their bogey team, the Houston Astros, for 3 games. Houston is 80-59 and in a wild card spot, so there's always the risk of facing them in the postseason.

Art Deco · Yesterday, 09:53 AM

The Rays visited the team that has brought them the most heartache in recent years come playoff time and managed to pull off a sweep. It's not quite exorcising their demons (it'll take a playoff win over them for that) but it still felt good to hammer Houston.

When Eric Lewis blew the save in the 9th inning of the opener allowing a solo homer, it seemed like "he were go again" time but the Rays scored twice in the 12th to take a 6-4 win. Danny Rodriguez's RBI single plated the winner and Stephen Farrior (6-0) picked up the win with a couple of scoreless innings of relief with Walt Kelly grabbing his 11th save. Earlier Justin Blackwell had a bases-clearing triple which erased a 2-0 Houston lead in the 7th and Brad Paquette turned in a solid start, going 6.2 6 3 2 0 5.

Tampa Bay left it late once again to best the Astros, scoring 3 times in the 8th and once more in the 9th to take a 5-3 win. Trailing 2-1 after 7 with only Tony Fisher's solo homer (#16) to show for it, they were helped when the Houston bullpen walked the bases loaded and Danny Rivera delivered a 2-run single. Four more walks over the rest of the inning and the 9th led to a couple of more runs for insurance. Jamie Arnold (3-0) earned the win in relief and Jose Rodriguez got his second Rays save (and 25th overall) despite allowing a run in the 9th. Leo Gutierrez went 4.1 4 2 2 3 8 on 90 pitches.

Yet another close game broke for the Rays late, and it broke big-time for them in the final as 2-2 after 7 ended up a 12-3 Tampa Bay rout. Tony Fisher, as red-hot as they come of late, broke the deadlock in the 8th with a 2-run shot (#17) and then Danny Rivera came through again with a 3-run blast (#11) to put it away. The Rays then tacked on another 5 runs in the 9th highlighted by another Justin Blackwell bases-clearer, today a double. Danny Mauricio (6-2) picked up the win after Sebastian Burns went 5 3 2 2 2 8.

Team record: 94-48. The magic number for the division is down to 7. Next up: 3 games in Detroit.

04-08-2026, 03:58 PM	#1641
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,800	August 31-September 2, 2040: vs Atlanta (3) The Rays welcomed back all-everything 2039 MVP SS Jeremy Begley for this series and not coincidentally they swept Atlanta. Transaction: To make room for Begley, Jim Vroom was optioned to Durham. Jeremy Begley wasted no time getting back into the swing of things for his first MLB action in months and Rogelio Fitzgerald drove in 4 runs as the Rays routed Atlanta 7-1 in the series opener. Begley singled and stole a base in his first trip to the plate and added an RBI double while Fitzgerald got 3/4 of his ribbies with a bases-clearing double. Ruben Cerrillo (14-7) was in fine form at 7 4 1 0 3 7 for the win. Transaction: It's September roster expansion time and as promised 3B/OF Isaac Gardener is back after an impressive first month in MLB and RP Omar Sears rejoins the club as well. And Jeremy Begley was the man again as Tampa Bay topped Atlanta 7-4 in the second game. The star man was 3-5 including a 3-run homer (#20) in the 2nd inning that broke the game open. Begley's blast was one of four on the day for the Rays who also got solos from Tony Fisher (#13), Rogelio Fitzgerald (#27/35) and Justin Blackwell (#17). Brad Paquette (10-8) had a nice outing that would have been nicer had Danny Mauricio not let the two men Paquette left on base in the 8th score on a 3-run homer, leaving him with a 7.2 5 3 3 3 2 line. Eric Lewis closed it out for save #28. The Rays finished off the sweep with a 4-2 win in the finale behind still another excellent outing from Leo Gutierrez. Once again the lefty (11-6) lowered his MLB-leading ERA, this time down to 2.42 as he went 6 1 1 1 6 5 while pitching around those walks with the only run off him a solo homer. Eric Lewis notched save #29 despite allowing a run in the 9th. The key swing in the game came in the 5th when Tony Fisher broke a 1-1 tie with a 3-run homer, his 14th. Team record: 90-46, with the magic number for the division down to 14. Next up: Kansas City visits for 3 games.

04-12-2026, 12:14 PM	#1642
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,800	September 3-5, 2040: vs Kansas City (3) After blowing out the Royals in the opener the Rays lost a couple of one-run games and the series as we continue to mark time until the playoffs. The magic number for the division is down to 11. And it was the Rays routing the Royals 10-1 to start the series with Jeremy Begley having yet another big game since coming off the IL. The star SS had an RBI single in the 2nd and a 2-run homer (#21) in the 4th while Danny Rivera's 2-run single was the big hit in a 5-run 2nd. Melvin Olvera made the rubble bounce in the 6th with a 3-run shot (#17) and the win went to Sebastian Burns (7-1), who dealt with a lot of traffic on the bases but still went 5 4 0 0 4 3. In fact it might have been a semi-competitive game had the Royals not left 13 men on base. The Royals eked out a 2-1 win in the second game as yesterday's offensive fireworks were nowhere to be found for Tampa Bay. Danny Morales (11-11) pitched well at 6.1 7 2 2 1 5 but had nothing to show for it other than an L. Kansas City took the rubber 6-5 in 12 innings after the Rays battled back from a 4-1 deficit to tie it up. Walt Kelly (6-5) gave up 2 runs on 4 hits in his second inning of relief to lose it, and although Rogelio Fitzgerald (#28/36) went solo in the bottom of the inning with two out, it was just a consolation homer. Ruben Cerrillo started but was limited to a 3.1 2 1 1 1 3 line as he left with a mild shoulder strain which shouldn't cause him to miss a start. Danny Mauricio was the weak link in the pen today, giving up a 3-run homer in the 6th to put them behind, but a 2-run Tony Fisher homer (#15) in the bottom of the inning got them within one and Billy Doughty's solo shot (#12) in the 8th brought the teams to parity. Transaction: Backup IF Ray Green suffered a herniated disc and will go on the IL where he should need just the minimum, and back up from Durham is IF Luis Solorzano, our 2B of the future who struggled early this season when Begley was first hurt. Solorzano was hitting 292/348/474 with the Bulls. Team record: 91-48. Next up: A day off then a trip to face their bogey team, the Houston Astros, for 3 games. Houston is 80-59 and in a wild card spot, so there's always the risk of facing them in the postseason.

Yesterday, 09:53 AM	#1643
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,800	September 7-9, 2040: at Houston (3) The Rays visited the team that has brought them the most heartache in recent years come playoff time and managed to pull off a sweep. It's not quite exorcising their demons (it'll take a playoff win over them for that) but it still felt good to hammer Houston. When Eric Lewis blew the save in the 9th inning of the opener allowing a solo homer, it seemed like "he were go again" time but the Rays scored twice in the 12th to take a 6-4 win. Danny Rodriguez's RBI single plated the winner and Stephen Farrior (6-0) picked up the win with a couple of scoreless innings of relief with Walt Kelly grabbing his 11th save. Earlier Justin Blackwell had a bases-clearing triple which erased a 2-0 Houston lead in the 7th and Brad Paquette turned in a solid start, going 6.2 6 3 2 0 5. Tampa Bay left it late once again to best the Astros, scoring 3 times in the 8th and once more in the 9th to take a 5-3 win. Trailing 2-1 after 7 with only Tony Fisher's solo homer (#16) to show for it, they were helped when the Houston bullpen walked the bases loaded and Danny Rivera delivered a 2-run single. Four more walks over the rest of the inning and the 9th led to a couple of more runs for insurance. Jamie Arnold (3-0) earned the win in relief and Jose Rodriguez got his second Rays save (and 25th overall) despite allowing a run in the 9th. Leo Gutierrez went 4.1 4 2 2 3 8 on 90 pitches. Yet another close game broke for the Rays late, and it broke big-time for them in the final as 2-2 after 7 ended up a 12-3 Tampa Bay rout. Tony Fisher, as red-hot as they come of late, broke the deadlock in the 8th with a 2-run shot (#17) and then Danny Rivera came through again with a 3-run blast (#11) to put it away. The Rays then tacked on another 5 runs in the 9th highlighted by another Justin Blackwell bases-clearer, today a double. Danny Mauricio (6-2) picked up the win after Sebastian Burns went 5 3 2 2 2 8. Team record: 94-48. The magic number for the division is down to 7. Next up: 3 games in Detroit.