The 2020 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

The rosters (Rays-laden as usual):



We had our entire starting infield (Alexander/S.Williams/Frick/Beckett) voted in along with Dan Gregory in CF as well as relievers Kikuo Kawase and Freddy Zamora. Beckett has moderate hamstring soreness for 3 more days so he'll likely be sitting out the game.

The HR Derby, featuring a couple of Rays:



One of these years a Ray will win this, but not this time.

Now for the game itself:



High drama as Nelson Gamez walked it off in the bottom of the 9th off hometown hero Oakland's Ben Danks with a moon shot. Rays who acquitted themselves were Josh Alexander (a solo homer), Dave Frick (on base all 3 times with 2 singles and a walk) and Freddy Zamora (a scoreless 8th inning).

Now it's time for the traditional second half of the season, and we'll be starting it with 3 in Baltimore.

[Art Deco]

I managed to move 3 pitchers who drove me up the wall for one of the better young pitchers in the NL in Brophy, who pitched for the NL in the All-Star Game. Here are his details:



He'll still be making the minimum next season, and I like the iron man designation. We did have to give up some good arms in return, even if they have been inconsistent for us. Toombs was going to go for the return of Satashi Sato, and he was out of options which would have necessitated waiving him or trading him for a marginal prospect. I had high hopes for Haroutunian, but he just hasn't performed with ERAs well over 5 in 2 of his 3 seasons at Durham including this year. And Vinny Willard needs no introduction, as he hasn't been able to consistently stay in the rotation. Brophy will go into the rotation and take Joel Gird's spot. I'm gonna keep Gird up and use him in long relief to see if he can do better than he did in his recent starts.

[Art Deco]

I totally forgot to write up this series before the All-Star Break, so here it goes out of order:

Game 1: The Rays scored 6 times in the 8th inning to turn a potential 3-2 defeat into an 8-3 win against St. Louis at Publix Park. Seth Williams tied it with a solo homer (#25) leading off the inning, and Dave Frick delivered a 2-run single for the tie-breaking and game-winning hit. The rally made a winner of Chris Williams (4-0) after Brad Jackson had a decent 6 8 3 3 1 3 outing. Jose Mendez homered earlier, his 9th.

Game 2: The bottom of the 8th was the decisive inning again for the Rays as Dave Frick had the game-winning hit yet again, an RBI single to break a 3-3 tie and give Tampa Bay a 4-3 win. They had built a 3-0 lead in part on solo homers from Jeff Googins (#2) and Josh Alexander (#24) but Johnny Soland got into trouble in the 7th and Ed Pretty was terrible, allowing Soland's men to score and one of his own to allow St. Louis to equalize. Soland still was an excellent 6.2 5 2 2 1 4 with Freddy Zamora getting win #6 and Kikuo Kawase save #24.

Game 3: The Rays completed the sweep of St. Louis with yet another late-inning win, this time walking it off in the bottom of the 9th on a 2-run Dan Gregory single to take a 6-5 decision. It was a back-and-forth game with the Rays falling behind 4-2, tying it up, and then allowing a run in the top of the 9th to go behind again. Joel Gird started and struggled some, going 5 6 4 4 3 2. Freddy Zamora, who gave up the run in the 9th, picked up the win for the second straight day (#7) thanks to the bottom of the 9th rally.

Team record: 77-20. Next up: After the All-Star break, we visit Baltimore for 3.

[Art Deco]

July 18: Activated P Satoshi Sato from the 10-day IL.

Game 1: Brad Jackson dominated his former club, no-hitting Baltimore for 5 2/3 innings in a 1-0 win at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Jackson finished 7 1 0 0 1 5 on 107 pitches and Kikuo Kawase completed the team 1-hitter with a 1-2-3 9th for save #25. Jackson is now 10-3, 3.58 and after a rocky start to the season has regained his Cy Young form of last year. Josh Alexander's first-inning solo homer (#25) stood up the rest of the way.

Game 2: Rays pitching recorded another shutout but this one was considerably less tense than yesterday's as they blasted Baltimore 15-0. Jeff Brockman went 5 4 0 0 2 7 to improve to 10-2, 4.40 in one of his better outings and Joel Gird went 3 scoreless in relief. Josh Alexander and Dan Gregory each had 3 hits and 4 RBI while Andy Ruggles hit a solo shot (#19) to lead a 15-hit attack.

Game 3: The Rays completed the sweep of Baltimore and extended their latest win streak to 7 with an 8-5 win over the Orioles. Andy Ruggles homered again (#20), a 3-run blast in the 1st, and Josh Alexander also finished a big weekend going 2-3 with 2 RBI to lead the attack. Jose Mendoza wasn't sharp for the second straight start but got enough run support to improve to 11-3 despite a 5.1 6 5 5 3 8 outing. Kikuo Kawase, the 5th Rays pitcher, had another perfect 2-whiff 9th for his 26th save.

Team record: 80-20, kind of easy to calculate their winning percentage. Next up: 3 games in Kansas City starting with Jim Brophy's Rays debut.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Jim Brophy was magnificent in his Rays debut and he and 3 relievers combined on a 2-hit shutout of Kansas City as Tampa Bay won 6-0. Brophy went 6 2 0 0 1 7 on 92 pitches for the win, and Ed Pretty, Satoshi Sato (in his first appearance off the IL) and Chris Johansen each threw a perfect inning. Kevin Morley's solo HR (#5) got them on the board and Doug Johns and Seth Williams added RBI doubles.

Game 2: It was deja vu all over again as the Rays took another 6-0 win - their 9th straight - over the Royals with Johnny Soland starring on the mound today. Soland went 8 3 0 0 0 6 to improve to 12-3, 3.70 and was heading for a shutout when he had to leave in the 9th with wrist soreness which will cause him to miss his next start. Ken Burgess completed the shutout. Andy Ruggles' 2-run HR (#21) was the big hit and Seth Williams was 3-3 with a walk.

Game 3: The winning streak came to an abrupt end as the Rays fell 6-1 to Kansas City. Brad Jackson's recent run of stellar starts also ended as he went 4 7 5 1 1 4 with a Dave Frick error proving costly. Jackson is now 10-4, 3.54. A Doug Johns 1st-inning RBI single was the extent of the offense as they only scratched out 3 hits against Royals pitching.

Team record: 82-21. Next up: An off-day then we return home for 3 over the weekend with Detroit.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays had their way with Detroit in the series opener at Publix Park, downing the Tigers 8-2. Andy Ruggles drove in 3 with a sac fly and a 2-run homer (#22), Josh Beckett had a 2-run shot (#9) and Josh Alexander doubled and drove in a pair. Jeff Brockman got the win with his usual 5-and-dive outing, going 5 4 2 2 3 4 on 93 pitches to improve to 11-2, 4.36.

Game 2: Jose Mendoza got back on track as the Rays handled the Tigers 6-1. The lefty, who had struggled in his last 2 starts, was a tidy 6 4 1 1 3 5 and upped his record to 12-3, 3.36. Taking care of the offense was Josh Alexander, who had a solo shot (#26) and doubled in another, and Doug Johns, who went deep with a man on for his 12th.

Game 3: It was the Jim Brophy show at Publix Park as the lefty made his home Rays debut in grand fashion, twirling a 3-hit complete-game shutout as Tampa Bay put the Tigers to the sword 14-0. 14 was also the number of whiffs Brophy got in a brilliant and dominant performance which saw him walk only one and go the distance on 120 pitches. His game score of 94 is far and away the best this season in MLB (87 was the previous high) and he's now 2-0 and unscored upon in 15 innings as a Ray. There was plenty of Tampa Bay scoring to go around as well with Kevin Morley enjoying his first 2-homer game, driving in 4 and giving him 7 on the year while Randy Rappaport made the most of a rare start by going 3-5 with a double, homer (#2) and 3 RBI. Josh Beckett feasted at the plate as well, 3-5 with HR #10 and 4 RBI as he's hitting an MLB-best .373.

Team record: 85-21. Next up: An off-day then we host Columbus for 2 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Kikuo Kawase blew a 4-3 lead in the 9th putting the Rays behind 6-4, but as so often is the case it didn't matter as they scored 3 times in the bottom of the 9th to walk off a 7-6 win over Columbus at Publix Park. The winning rally saw Doug Johns walked to force in a run, Jose Mendez tying it up with an RBI single and Josh Alexander scoring the winner on a wild pitch. Before all that Alexander had homered (#27), Johns singled in a run and Dan Gregory went 4-5 with 3 runs scored to give them the early lead behind Brad Jackson, who was OK at 6 9 3 3 1 5. Satoshi Sato relieved Kawase in the 9th to get the final out of the inning and ended up with his 4th win.

Game 2: The Rays fell behind late again but this time couldn't come all the way back, falling 6-5 to Columbus and suffering only their 8th loss of the year at Publix Park. Jon Harbour gave up a 2-run homer in the 7th to break a 4-4 tie and while Mike Willis tripled in a run in the 8th to make it 6-5, he wasn't brought home and Tampa Bay fell short. Willis was 2-5 with 2 RBI to lead the offense and Johnny Soland struggled at 5 7 4 4 3 4.

Team record: 86-22. Next up: An off-day then we visit Cincinnati for 3, where we'll likely be facing former Rays Jordan Perez, Vinny Willard and Danny Romero over the weekend as we've done quite a bit dealing with the Reds of late.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: It was reunion time as we started a series in Cincinnati in which we'd face three starters who were with the Rays last year. The first was Jordan Perez, and although he pitched well and left ahead 3-1, the Rays came back against another familiar face, Chris Toombs, for 5 runs in the 8th and 9th and beat the Reds 7-3. And the facing off against old foes thing wasn't limited to the Reds either as Jeff Brockman started against his old team and went 5.1 3 0 0 2 6. But Ed Pretty gave up 3 runs in the 7th to put the Rays behind before they teed off against Toombs with Josh Beckett's RBI double proving big before a couple of Toombs' runners scored on a 3-run Andy Ruggles shot (#23). Earlier Dave Frick homered off Perez (#6) as part of a 3-hit day. Ken Burgess notched win #2 in relief while Freddy Zamora cleaned up a Jon Harbour mess in the 9th and recorded his 7th save.

Game 2: It was Vinny Willard's turn to match up against his old team and he shut the Rays out for 6 1/3 innings before they fought back from 4-0 down to tie it in the 9th, only to lose in the bottom of the inning 5-4. Willard scattered 7 hits over his outing but didn't walk anyone and while Jose Mendoza deserved a better fate after going 5 6 1 1 1 5, Chris Williams was hit for 3 runs including a lefty homer to put the Rays in a real hole. But the Rays came back with 3 in the 8th and Josh Alexander's RBI single, his 3rd hit of the day, tied it up, only for Ed Pretty to falter again, putting the leadoff man on in the 9th and giving up an RBI double.

Game 3: The series of swapped starters facing each other concluded with newly-acquired Jim Brophy facing his team of last month while longtime former Rays ace Danny Romero was up against his old mates. And for the third straight game the former Ray bedeviled Tampa Bay hitters as Romero went 5.2 4 1 1 1 4. But for the second straight night the Rays overcame a deficit and tied it late, with Seth Williams' 2-run 8th-inning homer (#27) off still another former Ray, Billy Haroutunian, making it 3-3. And to make the deja vu complete, the Rays once against lost it in the bottom of the 9th as last night's hero with the game-winner for Cincinnati, Danny Britton, started the 9th with a triple off Freddy Zamora and scored on a fly ball. Brophy was a mixed bag in his 3rd Rays start: his overall line of 5 6 2 1 4 6 was adequate, but frustratingly both runs he allowed came on bases-loaded walks, one after a Williams error with 2 out. The Reds are an NL-best 68-44, and if things go right we could be seeing all these familiar faces again in late October.

Team record: 87-24. Next up: 3 games in Toronto.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays dropped their third in four games, losing 5-3 at Rogers Centre to the Jays in their series opener. Brad Jackson was OK at 6 9 3 3 2 3 but Joel Gird gave up 2 runs in the 7th to send them to defeat. Josh Alexander had a pair of RBI doubles to highlight the offense.

Game 2: Johnny Soland finished one out from a complete game and the offense had its way in a 7-1 win over Toronto. Soland went 8.2 4 1 1 3 3 and had to leave in the red with two men on. He's now 13-3, 3.66 in his maiden Rays season. Mike Willis was 3-4 with a HR (#4) and 2 RBI, Doug Johns went 2-3 with a 2-run HR (#13) and Josh Beckett had a 2-run single.

Game 3: The Rays dropped consecutive series for the first time this season after being walloped 11-6 by Toronto. Jeff Brockman did not have it, getting tattooed to the tune of 2.2 9 6 4 1 3 and Jon Harbour gave up 4 (unearned) runs in a brutal 8th. Dan Gregory was 3-4 with an RBI as the offense did its job with 6 runs.

Team record: 88-26. Next up: An off-day then back home for 3 against Boston.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays' mini-slump continued as they lost their fifth game in their last seven, 7-6 to Boston in 13 innings at Publix Park. Jose Mendoza had a rough start (4 7 5 5 2 5) and the Rays found themselves down 5-1 early only to fight back and tie it up twice as Seth Williams drove in 3 including a 2-run homer (#27) which put him over the 100-RBI mark. Mike Willis ended up 3-7 with 2 doubles and an RBI, and the bullpen did well until Ken Burgess was touched for a run in the 13th to enable the Sox to win.

Game 2: Jim Brophy wasn't as impressive as the last time he took the mound at Publix Park but was good enough to help the Rays to a 4-2 win over Boston. After a 14-whiff, 3-hit shutout it was always going to be a tough act to follow and his 5 6 2 2 3 3 outing on 102 pitches isn't going to be hung in the Louvre but he's now 3-0 as a Ray. 4 relievers went a scoreless inning each with Kikuo Kawase recording save #27. Josh Alexander had the big hit, a 2-run double in the 3rd when the Rays scored all 4 of their runs.

Game 3: Brad Jackson was excellent once again and the Rays prevailed for the second straight day by a 4-2 score. The reigning AL Cy Young winner went 6 5 0 0 1 7 to improve to 11-4, 3.48. Chris Williams made a mess in the 9th with 2 runs in and Freddy Zamora had to clean it up after putting a couple of men on himself for save #8. Andy Ruggles had a 2-run HR (#24) in the 1st to send them on their way and Josh Alexander added an RBI triple.

Team record: 90-27. Next up: 4 games at home vs Toronto.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Jose Mendez had a big game at the plate and Johnny Soland was solid on the mound as the Rays took down Toronto 7-2 at Publix Park. Mendez, who had been having a down year, was 3-4 with a pair of homers (#s 10 & 11) and 4 RBI and Soland had a typical Soland start at 6 7 2 2 0 5 to improve to 14-3, 3.63.

Game 2: The Rays got some unusual length from Jeff Brockman as they once again topped the Jays 7-3. Brockman, who usually tires after 5, was efficient today and went 7 1 1 1 2 6, allowing only a solo homer to up his record to 12-3, 4.20. Seth Williams, who's slowed down in the second half of the season from his dizzying pace of the first, had a nice day going 2-4 with HR #28 and 3 RBI while Mike Willis was 3-4 with a double, two steals (to give him an AL-leading 41) and an RBI.

Game 3: It took 13 innings but the Rays made it 3 straight over Toronto and 5 straight wins overall with a 4-3 win. Dan Gregory's RBI single, his 4th hit of the day, was the winner after Jose Mendez dramatically led off the 9th with his 12th homer to tie the game at 3 in the bottom of the 9th. Gregory's hit made a winner of Kikuo Kawase for the 3rd time this year after he pitched the 12th and 13th. Jose Mendoza started and had to leave in the 3rd with a sore elbow (moderate for a week).

August 14: Placed P Jose Mendoza on the 10-day IL with a sore elbow, recalled P Alex Stephens from AAA Durham.

Game 4: The Rays swept the 4-game series with a tight 2-0 win over the Jays behind another fine outing from recent acquisition Jim Brophy. The lefty went 6 7 0 0 1 6 and is now 4-0, 0.87 in 5 starts since being acquired from Cincinnati. Satoshi Sato picked up his 2nd save with most of the regular pen tired from yesterday's extra-inning game. Both Rays runs came in the first on an RBI single from Josh Alexander and a Randy Rappaport RBI double.

Team record: 94-27. Next up: The homestand concludes with 3 against Baltimore over the weekend.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Brad Jackson dominated his former team again as the Rays took a comfortable 7-2 win over Baltimore at Publix Park. Jackson was 7 6 0 0 0 6 to improve to 12-4, 3.33 and he was supported primarily by Andy Ruggles (2-4 with a 2-run double and 2-run HR, #25) and Seth Williams (2-4 with a double and 2 RBI).

Game 2: The Rays led 6-1 after 5 but had to hang on to a 7-5 win, their 8th straight. Johnny Soland was coasting through 5 after allowing a homer to lead off the game, but ran into trouble in the 6th as he was tagged for 3 runs. He still managed to go to 15-3 despite a 5.2 5 4 4 2 7 line and Kikuo Kawase picked up save #28 after retiring former Ray Mike Harms with the bases loaded in the 9th. Dan Gregory was 3-5 with an RBI and Dave Frick was 2-5 with 2 RBI to pace the bat attack.

August 17: Optioned P Alex Stephens to AAA Durham, recalled P Sean Forbes from AAA Durham.

A year or two back Forbes was our prized pitching prospect (he's behind Joel Gird and Greg Bookhart now) but he's suffered a few injuries which have sapped his stamina to 35. Although he was starting at Durham (and pitching well - a 2.36 ERA and 11/53 BB/K ratio in 53 IP) his MLB future is in relief where he rates 70/55/65 and he'll get some action with the big club.

Game 3: Jeff Brockman had another fine start that lasted more than 5 innings as the Rays swept Baltimore and made it 9 straight with a 5-1 win. Brockman was 6 6 1 1 1 4 to up his record to 13-3, 4.07 while Sean Forbes made his season debut with 1 2/3 scoreless before Freddy Zamora went the final 1 1/3 for save #9. Jose Mendez was 4-4 with an RBI, Dave Frick drove in a pair and Doug Johns was 2-4 with a ribbie to lead the offense.

Team record: 97-27. Next up: 3 games at Yankee Stadium where New York finds itself 1/2 game out of the second wild card behind Minnesota.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays came into this game winners of 10 of 10 against the Yankees this year but left on the losing end when Kikuo Kawase gave up a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 9th to allow New York a 7-6 walk-off win. They had a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the 6th before Joel Gird got knocked around and Ken Burgess allowed the tying run on a single. Gird finished 5.2 6 5 5 1 8 but Kevin Morley homered (#8) in the top of the 7th to restore the Rays lead at 6-5 before Kawase lost it in the 9th. The homer was only the 2nd allowed by Kawase this year and only the 15th in 487 regular-season appearances. Jose Mendez (#13) went deep earlier in the game.

Game 2: Jim Brophy suffered his first loss as a Ray as they fell once again to the Yankees 4-3. Brophy had a 2-1 lead into the 5th before allowing a 3-run homer to former Ray Jon Jimenez, and finished 6.1 8 4 4 0 6. The Rays had a chance when Yankee closer Mike Barkley walked the first two men in the 9th, but Dave Frick grounded into a double play to short-circuit that rally. Josh Alexander (#28) had a solo homer for Tampa Bay.

Game 3: The Rays salvaged the final game of the series with a 5-3 win behind their ace Brad Jackson. The lefty went 7.1 4 2 2 1 5 with an uncharacteristically poor Freddy Zamora allowing both of Jackson's runs to score and one of his own but still improved to 13-4, 3.29. Kikuo Kawase had no problems tonight with a 1-2-3 9th for save #29. Jose Mendez had the game's big hit, a bases-clearing triple that turned a 1-0 lead into a 4-0 one. Doug Johns had a solo shot for his 14th.

Team record: 98-29. Next up: An off-day then we continue the road trip out west with 3 in Anaheim against the Angels.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays opened their series in Anaheim against the Angels with a 7-4 win. After a couple of Angels errors Dave Frick launched his first career MLB grand slam (#7) to break open the game and give the Rays a 6-0 lead in the 4th. Johnny Soland was solid if not spectacular at 6 7 2 2 4 4 to improve to 16-3, 3.71 and Kikuo Kawase recorded save #30, reaching that mark for the 9th straight season. Kevin Morley was also 2-4 with HR #9.

Game 2: Jeff Brockman continued his recent roll and the Rays got by the Angels 3-1. The righty pitched to contact and went 7 4 1 1 1 2 to go to 14-3, 3.93 and give him three straight starts with only 3 ER allowed in his last 20 IP. Kikuo Kawase saved again for #31. Solo homers from Dave Frick (#8) and Josh Alexander (#29) were all they needed. One bit of bad news, though: Kevin Morley was hit on the thumb with a pitch and suffered a break which will shelve him for a month.

August 24: Placed C Kevin Morley on the 10-day IL with a broken thumb, recalled C Nelson Bocardo from AA Montgomery; activated P Jose Mendoza from the 10-day IL and optioned P Steve Forbes to AAA Durham.

It's showtime for Bocardo, who's been a solid prospect for several years as he was our July 2 signing back in 2035. He's spent the last three years in Montgomery and has hit .295 and .285 the last two seasons, so he has very good contact skills. The power is marginal (ISOs of about .110) and he's an average (50) receiver. Meanwhile, Mendoza comes back after the minimum on the IL and will start today.

Game 3: Jose Mendoza was excellent in his return to the rotation and the Rays swept the Angels with a 5-2 win. Mendoza went 6 6 2 2 0 6 and left after allowing a leadoff homer in the 7th. He's now 13-3, 3.55 and with Kikuo Kawase having worked the last two days, Freddy Zamora picked up save #10, a 5-out special in which he retired them all, fanning 3. Josh Alexander was a one-man offense today, hitting a solo homer (#30) in the 1st and then breaking a 1-1 tie in the 7th with a bases-clearing double.

Team record: 101-29. Next up: We head up the Pacific coast to play 3 in Seattle.

[Art Deco]

August 25: Activated OF Jimmy Leonard from his rehab assignment at AAA Durham, optioned OF Randy Rappaport to AAA Durham.

Game 1: Welcome back, Jimmy Leonard! The OF, who had missed about three months with a severely sprained ankle, returned to the lineup tonight and smacked two homers, the first breaking a 2-2 tie in the 6th and the second with two men on in the 8th, giving him 20 and the Rays a 7-5 win in Seattle. Down 2-1 in the 6th Josh Alexander homered for the third straight game (#31) to tie it up before Leonard put them ahead. Brad Jackson was solid again on the mound, going 6 7 2 2 1 6 and improving to 14-4, 3.28 and after Jon Harbour turned a 7-2 lead into a 7-5 one with two out in the 9th, Kikuo Kawase came in for save #32.

Game 2: An 8-2 lead behind a mega-game from Josh Alexander wasn't enough tonight as the bullpen imploded in a 9-8 loss to the Mariners. Alexander was 4-5 with a 3-run HR (#32) and 6 RBI, homering for the fourth straight game with 12 RBI in that stretch, and Jim Brophy was decent if homer-prone, allowing 3 and going 6.1 7 4 3 1 6. But after Ken Burgess left in the 7th with back spasms (bad enough to keep him out 5-6 weeks) after facing one batter, Chris Williams was downright horrible, allowing Burgess' runner to score and 4 of his own as Seattle put 5 on the board in the 8th, although Freddy Zamora gave up the game-winning hit.

August 27: Placed P Ken Burgess on the 10-day IL with recurring back spasms, recalled P Sean Forbes from AAA Durham.

Game 3: The bullpen failed again as a great Johnny Soland outing was wasted and Kikuo Kawase couldn't protect a 3-0 lead in the 9th with the Rays falling 4-3 in 10 innings. Soland went 7 4 0 0 1 4, Mike Willis was 3-4 with a double and a triple and Josh Beckett had a pair of RBI singles as the Rays looked like locks to take the series. But Kawase gave up 3 hits to score 2 runs, uncorked a wild pitch, and then Seth Williams booted a grounder to allow the tying run to score. And Ed Pretty served up a homer in the bottom of the 10th and the Mariners had a walk-off win as they pull 1 1/2 behind Houston for the AL West lead. The loss put off the Rays' clinching of the AL East off for a couple of days.

Team record: 102-31. Next up: An off-day to travel home where we'll face Minnesota for 3 over the weekend. The Twins have gone bad lately and after holding the second wild card for much of the year are now 4 1/2 behind the Yankees.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Jeff Brockman was dominant and the Rays handled Minnesota 6-2 at Publix Park. Brockman's been on a roll of late and today was his 4th straight start in which he's allowed exactly 1 run but this was his best of the season as he went 7 2 1 1 0 11 and is now 15-3, 3.80. Tony Cordova was the unlikely hitting star, going 2-4 with a 2-run double and 3 RBI total.

August 30: Optioned P Steve Forbes to AAA Durham, purchased the contract of P Dave Brown from AA Montgomery.

There it is - the first draftee in Rays history to make his MLB debut in the same year he was drafted. Brown has 80 stuff, 70 movement but 40 control, and he was effective but wild at Montgomery. I purchased his contract now to make him playoff-eligible and we'll see how he fares in September to see if he makes the postseason roster.

Game 2: It was a wild slugfest today but the Rays came out on top 9-8. They gave Jose Mendoza leads of 4-0 and 6-3 but he couldn't get out of the 5th, taking 117 pitches to go 4.1 7 3 2 3 7. Andy Ruggles had a 2-run HR in the 1st (#26) and Jimmy Leonard went back-to-back with him for #21. Dave Brown made his MLB debut in relief but struggled, giving up 2 hits, 2 walks and 3 runs in 2/3 of an inning and Satoshi Sato ended up with win #5 per the AI official scorer for going 1 2/3 scoreless in the 7th and 8th despite the Rays never losing the lead. Kikuo Kawase handed the 9th for save #33.

Game 3: After being lights-out in the second half of the season Brad Jackson finally had a clunker and the Rays were waxed 10-3 by Minnesota. Jackson went 4.2 9 7 7 0 4 and allowed a pair of homers, including one by former Ray Pat Moyer.

Team record: 104-32. Next up: 4 at home against the White Sox, who are having a Rays-like season at 94-42 in what could be an ALCS preview.

[Art Deco]

September 1: Recalled P Sean Forbes from AAA Durham.

The yo-yoing of Forbes continues as he's back up for September roster expansion. The other spot will likely go to Dan Anderson as he's on a rehab at Durham right now.

Game 1: The Rays took the opener of their "showdown series" with the White Sox rather convincingly today 11-5. In fact it really wasn't even that close as the Rays went up 11-0 before Chicago got a couple off a tiring Johnny Soland and 3 off Jon Harbour. Soland was excellent overall, going 5.2 5 2 2 3 2 to improve to 17-3, 3.53. The bats were the big story though with Josh Alexander clubbing a pair of homers to give him 34 and driving in 3 while Seth Williams broke out of his recent quiet period with #29. Dan Gregory also drove in 3 with a bases-clearing triple.

Game 2: Tampa Bay took another one from the White Sox today 4-1 behind an outstanding Jim Brophy performance. The lefty was 7 7 1 1 2 9 and is now 5-1, 1.95 since coming over from the Reds while Kikuo Kawase had a 1-2-3 9th for save #34. Jimmy Leonard tied it up for the Rays with HR #22 and Seth Williams brought home the game-winner with a triple.

Game 3: The Rays took their third straight from the White Sox 8-3, taking a 3-3 game in the 7th and breaking it open late. Jimmy Leonard homered for the second straight day (and has done nothing but rake since coming off the IL) for #23 and then a 4-run 8th busted it open with RBI doubles from Josh Alexander and Leonard the big hits. Doug Johns was 4-4 with a pair of doubles and 3 RBI as well. Jeff Brockman finally broke his streak of allowing 1 run per game by giving up 2 today in a 5.2 5 2 2 1 6 outing and Satoshi Sato picked up his 6th win with 1 1/3 scoreless.

Game 4: The media was hyping this series as an ALCS preview but for the White Sox' sake they better hope not as it would have been a 4-game sweep as the Rays won again 6-3. Jose Mendoza was the story today, taking a 1-hit shutout into the 9th before putting the first two on and running up a pitch count of 122. With a 6-run lead the slumping Chris Williams came in and was terrible again, allowing both of Mendoza's runners to score and one of his own on a homer, requiring Ed Pretty to come in for the final out and get save #3. Mendoza finished 8 2 2 2 5 8 and went to 14-3, 3.49. Jimmy Leonard homered for the third straight game (#24), doubling and driving in a pair while Josh Beckett was 3-4 with 2 RBI singles and continues to lead MLB in average at .359.

Team record: 108-32. Next up: 3 games in Toronto over the weekend.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: After a great second half Brad Jackson has now been hit hard in consecutive starts as the Rays were on the wrong end of a 10-4 beatdown by the Jays. The lefty went 5 8 5 5 1 5 and rookies Sean Forbes and Dave Brown were hit for another 4 runs. The loss wasted a big day from Tony Cordova, who was 2-4 with HR #5 and 3 RBI.

Game 2: The Jays beat the Rays again today 4-3 with a run in the 8th to break a 3-3 tie. Johnny Soland pitched well (7 8 3 3 0 2) but Toronto scored off Freddy Zamora to take the win as he dropped to 7-4. Andy Ruggles had a 2-run HR (#27).

Game 3: The Rays salvaged a game from the series by turning the tables on Toronto. After the Jays won a 4-3 game with a run in the 8th yesterday Tampa Bay did the same today with Andy Ruggles' 28th homer of the year breaking the deadlock. Jim Brophy gave up 3 runs after the first two innings but settled down after that to go 6.1 7 3 3 0 5 and Ed Pretty picked up win #4 in relief with Kikuo Kawase pitching a 1-2-3 9th for save #35. Seth Williams reached the 30-homer mark with a 2-run shot in the 1st.

Team record: 109-34. Next up: An off-day then 2 games in Columbus, which is desperately fighting for an NL wild card.

[Art Deco]

We were originally supposed to play the 9th and the 10th but the second game was rained out so it was pushed to the 11th.

Game 1: The Rays played their third straight 4-3 game but unfortunately lost when Kikuo Kawase served up a 2-run homer to the Lightning's Rob Winchester to give Columbus a walk-off win. This came after Jose Mendez threw the tying run out at the plate so it wasn't Kawase's finest hour. It looked like the Rays would have a win when Seth Williams singled in a run in the 8th to put them up 3-2 after Josh Alexander hit HR #35 to tie it in the 6th. A good start from Jeff Brockman (6 5 2 2 1 6) was wasted.

Game 2: Tampa Bay made up for Tuesday's heartbreak by short-circuiting the Lightning 11-2 at Nationwide Ballpark. While they didn't homer, the Rays banged out 7 doubles with a pair each from Tony Cordova and Seth Williams, both of whom drove in 3. Jose Mendoza was in fine form, going 6 6 1 1 3 5 to improve to 15-3, 3.40 while Jon Harbour went the final 3 allowing only a solo homer to record his first save of the season.

Team record: 110-35. Next up: The road trip continues with 3 in Boston.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Brad Jackson's rough run continued and the Rays were held to 3 hits by the wonderfully-named Benoit Casanova in a 7-1 loss at Fenway to the Red Sox. Jackson was hit for 3 in the 1st and finished 6 7 4 4 2 3 to drop to 14-7, 3.77 as he's allowed 16 runs in his last 3 starts and his ERA has risen by half a run. Andy Ruggles' 29th homer was the sole Rays score.

Game 2: After being shackled the night before the Rays' bats came out with a vengeance today as they stomped the Sox 9-0 behind Johnny Soland. The righty improved to 18-3, 3.40 after going 7 2 0 0 3 5 with Chris Johansen finishing the shutout. Josh Alexander's 2-run HR (#36) in the 1st made sure it wouldn't be a repeat of last night while Andy Ruggles homered again (#30) and drove in a pair. Seth Williams and Josh Beckett each had 3 hits and an RBI as well.

Game 3: The Rays took the series from Boston with a 5-3 win in the finale. Doug Johns led the attack, homering (#15) and doubling with 2 RBI and Randy Rappaport was 2-4 with 2 RBI in a rare start. Jim Brophy was excellent (6 4 1 1 1 6) and went to 6-1, 2.14 with the Rays. Kikuo Kawase recorded save #36 but it wasn't easy as he gave up a run on a hit and 2 walks. Also OSA's scouts have reported his velocity has dropped to 93-95 from 94-96 as he is 36 after all. He's been our guy for 9 years now but he's a free agent at year's end and probably isn't coming back this time.

Team record: 112-36. Next up: 3 at home vs the Yankees, who have essentially clinched a wild card spot (magic # of 3). We'll be seeing either them or Seattle in the ALDS.