The 2020 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

A ridiculous Opening Day...



Good grief! 19 runs on Opening Day as the Rays romped over the Jays at Publix Park. Luis Barela had the early hot bat, driving in 5 over the first 3 innings including a 3-run homer, and Josh Beckett piled it on with two doubles, a triple and 7 RBI in a career day for him. Thankfully the box is posted above so I don't have to recap all the hitting. Jim Brophy had one bad inning but still notched a quality start, and while the bullpen wasn't great in giving Toronto 3 runs the perfect inning from Ed Pretty was the big news as his renaissance may be underway.

Game 2: Some bad bullpen work doomed the Rays to an 8-5 loss to Toronto at Publix Park today. It was a 1-1 game through 5 and Gordie Ager was excellent at 5 4 1 1 1 8 but was at 91 pitches so he gave way to Dan Anderson, who immediately proceeded to allow 3 runs. Jose Mendoza came in and gave up 3 more in the 7th (4 in total) and that was that, despite a comeback effort which saw them load the bases in the 9th down 8-4 but Doug Johns grounded into a double play to muffle that threat. Seth Williams had a solo HR (#1) and Josh Beckett was 2-3 with his 8th RBI in two games.

Game 3: The Rays find themselves in a very unfamiliar position: below .500. That's thanks to an 8-6 loss to the Jays to drop them to 1-2. The pitching is off to a rough start with 22 runs allowed in the 3 games and today's culprit was starter Brad Jackson, who looked more like the guy who struggled in the spring than the one projected to be one of the league's top pitchers. He was hit for 5 runs in the 1st and 2 more in the 5th to finish 4.1 8 7 7 2 4 and put the team in a hole from which it couldn't climb out despite the best efforts of Luis Barela, who was 3-4 with a grand slam (#2) in the 6th and is now 8-10 with 4 walks, 2 HR and 9 RBI so far. They also got solo homers from Jeff Baer in his first start and Josh Beckett, the first for both this year.

Game 4: Tampa Bay managed a split of the series with a 6-4 win over Toronto which took 7 pitchers to get through as Greg Bookhart had to leave in the 4th inning of a 1-1 game with back spasms (he won't miss his next start). Josh Alexander's 3-run homer (#1) in the bottom of the 4th broke the 1-1 tie and Josh Beckett and Dave Frick had big RBI hits in the 7th which proved the difference. Dan Anderson got the win in relief despite allowing a run, and Chris Parham was shaky in the 8th allowing a couple before Chris Martin took care of the 9th for the save in his Rays debut. Luis Barela had 4 more hits today (all singles) and continues to hit .800 (12-15).

Team record: 2-2. Next up: An off-day then 2 games in Baltimore over the weekend with Saturday off.

[Art Deco]

First off the remaining 3 games of the Toronto series were added to the previous post, so if you're just clicking on "newest post" after I only posted Opening Day, scroll up for those results.

Meanwhile, here's something I always mean to do at the start of a season but rarely do, the team picture so you can put faces to the names:



I think Sean Forbes, Greg Bookhart, Jim Brophy and Seth Williams are our only clean-shaven players.

[Art Deco]

The game on the 8th was rained out, but instead of moving it to the open date on the 9th OOTP rescheduled it as a doubleheader on the 10th. Regardless it didn't faze the Rays as you'll read below.

Game 1: Johnny Soland's first start back from injury was a rough one as he put the Rays behind 5-1, but they tied it up in the 7th and scored three in the 11th to take an 8-5 win over Baltimore in the matinee game. Soland ruptured his UCL early last season and in coming back this year he had his ratings downgraded. It showed today as he went 5 8 5 5 2 5 and for a guy whose calling card had been being tough to homer on, he allowed 3 today. Fortunately his mates picked him up as Doug Johns' 3-run homer (#2) in the 7th capped a 4-run inning to tie it, and in the 11th Johns' RBI single was the game-winner and Dan Gregory, who had 4 hits, walked with the bases loaded to bring in another. Sean Forbes (1-0) got the win with two scoreless innings and Chris Martin had an easy 11th for save #2.

Game 2: The Rays swept the doubleheader (and the mini-series) by overwhelming the Orioles in the nightcap 14-4, banging out 22 hits. They put up 9 runs in the first 3 innings with Josh Alexander setting the tone in the top of the first with a 3-run homer (#2) after the first two hitters of the game reached. Alexander ended up with 4 RBI and so did Seth Williams, who was 4-6 with HR #2, and neither was even the star of the game - that was Jose Mendez, 5-5 with HR #1 and 2 RBI. Jim Brophy didn't start out all that hot, allowing 4 runs in the first 2 innings himself, but settled in to finish 5 6 4 4 2 10 and improved to 2-0.

Team record: 4-2. Next up: Another off-day then back home for 3 vs Cleveland.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays wielded the hot bats again as they gouged the Guardians 12-2. Doug Johns was the man of the match as he had a 2-run double in a 3-run first and then added a grand slam (#3) in a 7-run 4th. Dan Gregory had another 4-hit game, driving in a run, Tony Cordova had a 2-run double and Josh Beckett drove in 2 more to give him a league-leading 13 RBI through 7 games. Gordie Ager had an easy time, going 6 5 0 0 1 7 and getting his first win of 2044.

Game 2: Brad Jackson's struggles continued and the bats were largely held in check for a change as Cleveland edged the Rays 4-3. The veteran lefty got his strikeouts but gave up a couple of homers in a 6 8 4 4 1 8 outing and dropped to 0-2. The Rays' runs came via the homer with Josh Alexander's 2-run shot (#3) and a solo Josh Beckett homer (#2).

Game 3: The Rays struggled again today with Cleveland and are now off to a 3-4 start at their usual fortress Publix Park after a 6-4 loss. Greg Bookhart cruised through the first 3 before falling apart in the 4th and finished 5 8 5 5 3 5 to fall to 0-1, and the offense could only get going in fits and starts. They trailed 6-2 going to the bottom of the 9th, pushed 2 runs across and had the bases loaded, but couldn't get it done. Josh Alexander was 3-5 with an RBI.

Team record: 5-4. Next up: The homestand continues as the White Sox visit for the weekend.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays twice took the lead and twice the bullpen blew it, and then they lost in the 12th as the White Sox sent the Rays to their third straight defeat 7-5. Johnny Soland wasn't great (5 5 3 3 3 4) but left with a 4-3 lead after a 3-run Tony Cordova homer, his first of the year. But Dan Anderson gave up a homer in the 6th before Josh Alexander went deep in the bottom of the 7th (#4) to make it 5-4 Tampa Bay. Enter Chris Martin, who blew his first Rays save by giving up a 2-out RBI single in the 9th to send us to extras, and Jose Mendoza (0-1) was touched for two runs in the 12th.

Game 2: Tampa Bay fell for the fourth straight day and fell below .500 after a 3-2 loss to the White Sox at Publix Park and now are 3-6 at home this year. Chicago's Omar Guerrero dominated them to the tune of 5 3 0 0 1 6 until the Rays scored twice off the White Sox pen including yet another homer from Josh Alexander (#5) to get close but it wasn't enough. Jim Brophy was middling again at 5 7 3 3 1 3 but Jon Cunningham and Ed Pretty (continuing to look good in 2044) combined to fan 8 Chicago hitters over the final 4 innings to keep the Rays in striking distance. Dan Gregory had to leave with a hyperextended knee, a moderate 1-week injury so off to the IL he will go.

April 17: Placed OF Dan Gregory on the 10-day IL with a hyperextended knee, recalled IF/OF Jeff Googins from AAA Durham.

Game 3: After Gordie Ager allowed 2 Chicago runs in the top of the 1st it seemed like a "here we go again" moment, but the bats came to life and the pitching gave the White Sox nothing after that as the Rays snapped their 4-game losing streak with an emphatic 10-2 win. Ager (2-0) went 5 6 2 2 0 5 and Josh Alexander continued his recent ridiculous run by going 4-5 and homering for the third straight game (#6) with 3 RBI. Jose Mendez' 3-run homer in the 6th (#2) broke open a 3-2 game and Luis Barela added his 3rd of the year for good measure.

Team record: 6-6. Next up: An off-day then we start a road trip with 3 in Boston.

[Art Deco]

First off, Josh Alexander's recent big week gets recognized:



Game 1: The Rays wiped out a 3-0 Boston lead with a 5-run 5th and took a 6-3 win in their series opener at Fenway Park. Jose Mendez had the big hit, a bases-clearing double in that 5th inning while Seth Williams was 3-4 with an RBI. Brad Jackson (1-2) picked up his first win of the year even though he was a mediocre 5 5 3 3 2 4 but three relievers combined for 4 hitless innings the rest of the way with Chris Martin notching save #3.

Game 2: Greg Bookhart pitched a gem but it still wasn't good enough as the offense slumbered in a 2-0 loss. Bookhart was 7 3 1 0 3 8 in his best start of the year and closed out his performance by striking out the side in the 7th. Alas he dropped to 0-2 despite a good 3.52 ERA. The bats only managed 6 hits with Seth Williams, off to a start reminiscent of his 2042 MVP season, with 3 of them.

Game 3: The Rays bounced back to take the series from Boston with a 5-2 win in the finale. It was a balanced attack with Jeff Baer doubling twice and driving in a run, Seth Williams with 2 more hits and an RBI (he's up to .411) and Luis Barela breaking out of a mini-slump after his insane start with 3 hits and a ribbie. Johnny Soland recorded his first win of the year after going a busy 5.1 4 1 1 4 3 and the fourth reliever of the game Chris Martin finished up for save #4.

Team record: 8-7, 1 1/2 games behind the Yankees, who are next up as we head down I-95 from Boston to play 3 against them at the Stadium.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Jim Brophy was magnificent and Josh Alexander had another big game as the Rays took care of the Yankees 6-0 at the Stadium. Brophy went 7 4 0 0 2 8 on 96 pitches and improved to 3-1, 3.91 in his best start of the young season. Alexander meanwhile doubled twice, homered (#7) and drove in 3. Mike Willis was also 2-5 with a double, triple and RBI.

Game 2: Gordie Ager was one out away from a shutout when he gave up a homer to New York's Elias Aragune to let New York equalize the game at 1, and then Aragune took Chris Martin deep leading off the 12th to send the Rays to a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat. Ager was coasting with an 80-pitch shutout through 8 and retired the first two Yankees before disaster struck. He finished the inning and went 9 4 1 1 1 6 to lower his ERA to 1.44 but all the offense could manage was a 4th-inning solo homer from Luis Barela, his 4th. They had a chance to score in the 10th after putting the first two men on but couldn't advance them.

Game 3: The Rays' mediocre start to 2044 continued as they lost another tough one to New York 4-3 to see them drop to 9-9 and 2 1/2 behind the front-running Yankees. Today they built a 3-0 behind a grooving Brad Jackson only for it to go wrong. Jackson first gave up a couple of runs in the 6th, and then put two on with one out in the 7th as he had a fairly low pitch count. Steve Forbes came on and was dreadful, first wild-pitching the runners to 2nd and 3rd, then giving up a sac fly and a single to score them both. Jackson finished 6.1 8 4 4 0 6 but probably deserved a better fate. Jose Mendez' 2-run homer in the 4th (#3) helped the Rays to the early lead but the offense was pretty muted for the second straight day.

Team record: 9-9. They'll try to get well against the 3-14 Orioles, who visit Publix Park for 3 games next.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Nothing like a 3-14 team coming to down to get your team well, and that's what the Rays did in a 13-3 rout of Baltimore. After Greg Bookhart gave up a 3-run homer in the top of the first it was all Rays thereafter with Josh Alexander blasting a 2-run HR in the 1st (#8) as part of a 3-4, 3-RBI day and Seth Williams going deep (#3) with a man on as part of his 3-4, 3-RBI day with 4 runs scored. Also feasting was Mike Willis (3-5, triple, 2 RBI) and Doug Johns (2 RBI). Bookhart got his first win of the year after settling down and finishing 5 5 3 3 3 8 and Jose Mendoza, who had been idle for 10 days, went the final 4 and whiffed 8 for his 1st save.

Game 2: The Rays looked like they'd coast to another win up 4-0 after 5, but Baltimore put 5 on the board in the 6th to briefly go ahead before Tampa Bay answered in the bottom half with a pair and held on for a 6-5 win. Seth Williams homered again with a man on (#4) to help build that lead, and after the Orioles went ahead Josh Beckett led off the bottom of the 6th with his 3rd to tie it up before Tony Cordova's fielder's choice scored the winner. Johnny Soland was looking as good as he'd been all season through 5 and had 2 on with one in and 2 out in the 6th. Jon Cunningham came in and crapped the bed, giving up a hit to score another and then a 3-run homer, leaving Soland with a 5.2 3 3 3 2 6 line. He undeservedly vultured the win, his first as a Ray, and Chris Martin took care of the 9th for save #5.

April 27: Activated OF Dan Gregory from the 10-day IL, optioned IF/OF Jeff Googins to AAA Durham.

Game 3: The Rays turned in perhaps their worst effort of the season as they were bludgeoned by then 3-16 Baltimore 8-1 in the finale. Jim Brophy got strikeouts but gave up the big hits (a 2-run triple and a 3-run homer) in a 5.1 5 6 6 2 9 outing which dropped him to 3-2, 5.08. Meanwhile former Ray Tim Gates held them to 1 hit through 6 innings and the shutout was only averted in the 9th on a Luis Barela solo homer (#5).

Team record: 11-10. The Yankees also won 2 of 3 so the Rays remain 2 1/2 back in the East. Next up: An off-day then Toronto comes in for 3 over the weekend.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: It was a rare 1-0 game at Publix Park as Gordie Ager, Sean Forbes and Chris Martin combined on a 1-hit shutout for the Rays win. Ager (3-0) was 6 1 0 0 3 7 and lowered his league-leading ERA to 1.16, Forbes threw two perfect innings and Martin converted in the 9th for save #6. The lone run came in the 3rd on a Seth Williams groundout to 1st.

Game 2: He wasn't even in the starting lineup and had to come in when the slumping Doug Johns was ejected for arguing a third strike call, but Jose Mendez was the hero as his 2-run walk-off homer in the 11th (#4) gave the Rays a 5-3 win. The Jays jumped on Brad Jackson in the 1st to take a quick 3-0 lead but Jackson and the Rays' bullpen shut them out for the next 10 innings as they came back on a couple of Josh Alexander RBI hits and Luis Barela's 6th homer of the year in the 6th. Jackson finished 5 6 3 3 0 3 and Ed Pretty (1-0), the fourth Rays reliever, picked up the win.

Game 3: It took until the 1st of May but the Rays finally swept a series by beating Toronto 10-8 in a game that really wasn't that close. Yesterday's hero Jose Mendez was today's hero as well as this time he got the start and didn't stop hitting, going 5-5 with a triple while 5 was also the number of runs driven in by Luis Barela as he was 3-4 including a 2-run HR (#7). Dan Gregory added a 2-run double to the cause. Greg Bookhart threw a lot of pitches to get through 5 (110 to be precise) but qualified for the win at 5 7 3 2 2 5 and evened his record at 2-2, 3.91. The bullpen didn't cover itself in glory with the big lead as all 3 relievers allowed at least one run, including Jon Cunningham who allowed a Jays grand slam in the 9th to make the final close.

Team record: 14-10. The Yankees took 2 of 3 from Boston so the Rays are within 1 1/2. Next up: An off-day then the Dodgers visit for 2 games in our first interleague action of the year.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays took a 10-2 win over the Dodgers in the first of their 2-game set at Publix Park, breaking open a 5-2 game with 5 in the 8th. The top 4 hitters in the lineup combined to go 11-17 with 7 RBI, led by Seth Williams (4-5, 2 RBI), Josh Alexander (2-3, 3 RBI) and Luis Barela (3-5, 2 RBI). Jim Brophy (4-2) was in fine form, going 7 4 2 2 1 7.

Game 2: The Rays swept the 2-game series from LA and made it 5 straight wins thanks to a 7-5 decision in another game that wasn't that close until the bullpen made it so. They jumped out to a 6-1 lead thanks to a Josh Alexander solo shot (#9) and a Seth Williams grand slam (#5) and overcame the early exit of Johnny Soland with a blister. Soland left in the 2nd and Jose Mendoza took over, putting up one of the weirdest lines you'll see. He gave up 6 hits and 2 walks in only 1 2/3 innings, but only one run scored against him and that was when Jon Harbour relieved him with the bases loaded and nobody out in the 4th and walked in a run. Harbour got out of it without further damage and ended up throwing 4 scoreless innings for his first win. But in the 8th Chris Parham let in a run and put two more on with two out, so Sean Forbes came in and promptly gave up a 3-run homer to see the lead dwindle to 6-5. Josh Beckett provided insurance in the bottom of the 8th with his 2nd RBI single of the game, and Chris Martin closed out the 9th for save #7.

Team record: 16-10. Next up: Another off-day then LA week continues when we head west to play 3 over the weekend at the Angels.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: It was one of those games where the Rays squandered most of their chances while the Angels took advantage of theirs, and the end result was a 4-2 LA win. Tampa Bay had 10 hits and drew 5 walks, yet could only plate 2 of these runners on RBI singles from Josh Alexander and Luis Barela. Meanwhile Gordie Ager was victimized by a former Ray as Pat Moyer hit a 3-run homer in the 1st for all the runs LA would need and suffered his first loss of the year in a 5.2 7 4 4 0 6 outing which saw his ERA jump from 1.16 to 1.96.

Game 2: The Rays made up for their profligacy yesterday by routing the Angels 11-3, scoring 10 times in the first 5 innings. Luis Barela kicked things off with a solo homer (#8) in the 2nd, Josh Alexander added a 2-run shot in the 4th (#10) and Tony Cordova had a 3-hit, 3-RBI day including a 2-run blast (#2). Dave Frick was also 4-5 with an RBI. Brad Jackson coasted with the support, turning his best start this season at 7 7 2 2 0 5 to improve to 2-3, 6.15.

Game 3: It was another Rays blowout in the rubber game of the series as they took a 9-2 win over the Angels. Josh Alexander went deep once again with a man on and his 11 HR and 35 RBI lead MLB. Slumpers Josh Beckett and Doug Johns both snapped out of it with 3-5 games with Beckett driving in a pair and Johns one, while Jeff Baer hit his 2nd homer, a solo shot. Greg Bookhart (3-2) got the win going 6 7 2 2 1 4 and Jose Mendoza picked up his 2nd 3-inning save of the season.

Team record: 18-11. Despite the recent turnaround in fortunes, there's no gaining ground on the Yankees, who now have won 9 straight and are 3 up in the East after scoring 3 times in the 9th against Boston to tie and then in the 10th to win. Next up: 3 games in Seattle.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays lost a 3-0 lead in the opener of their 3-game set in Seattle, but scored twice in the 9th to take a 5-3 win over the Mariners. Mike Willis led off the inning with a pinch-single, stole second, and scored on a Jose Mendez single, then Mendez scored on a Josh Alexander double. Satoshi Soto picked up his first win of the year after winning 9 in relief last season and Chris Martin closed it out for save #8. Jim Brophy started and went 5 4 2 2 4 7.

May 10: Signed P Leo Bernal to a minor league contract and assigned him to Durham.

Bernal was the Cardinals' closer the last two seasons saving 69 games over that period, but was waived, went unclaimed and was released so we scooped him up. He's a righty with 70 stuff, 60 control but only 40 movement. Last year he was worth 2.6 WAR as he only allowed 3 homers, but he gave up 11 in a similar number of innings in 2042. Depending on how Ed Pretty bounces back (so far so good this year) we could use a righty with strikeout stuff in the back end of the pen so we'll keep an eye on Bernal at Durham.

Game 2: And one of the reasons we picked up Bernal is because the pen has been inconsistent this year and tonight they allowed 2 runs in the 8th to send the Rays to a 3-1 defeat. Johnny Soland turned in his best start of the season (5 4 1 1 2 6 on 87 pitches) but Sean Forbes put a man on in the 8th and with lefties due Jose Mendoza got the call with Jon Cunningham already used and Satoshi Sato tired from yesterday. Mendoza couldn't get the job done, allowing Forbes' runner to score along with one of his own. Of course the offense shares some blame tonight, managing only 1 run on 7 hits.

Game 3: Gordie Ager had his worst start of the year, putting the Rays in a 5-0 hole they almost climbed out of but didn't as they dropped the game and the series to Seattle 5-4. Ager was hit hard at 3.2 9 5 5 3 5 and has seen his ERA jump from 1.16 to 1.96 to 2.90 over the course of his last two starts. Jon Harbour had another nice relief outing of 3 1/3 scoreless to keep Seattle in check while Seth Williams had a 5th-inning grand slam (#6) to cut the lead to 5-4. But they couldn't push across the tying run over the final 4 innings and had only 5 hits on the night. They had a chance to equalize in the 9th when Dan Gregory led off with a walk and stole second but they couldn't get him home.

Team record: 19-13. The Rays are in real early divisional trouble now as the Yankees may never lose again, having won 13 straight including on the Rays' off-day after this series, so the New York lead is now 5 1/2 games. This might be the first time in a long time they'll need most of the season to take over the lead (assuming they do); the last time the division was in doubt as late as September was 2025 when they fended off Baltimore. And of course 2021 was the last time they didn't win it. Meanwhile it's a great time to be a baseball fan in New York as not only are the Yankees on a 13-game win streak but the Mets have also won 12 straight.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays rode a 4-run first inning to a 5-2 win over Oakland at Publix Park. Brad Jackson (3-3) continued his recent turnaround with a 6 4 1 1 2 5 performance and Josh Beckett had the game's big hit, a bases-clearing triple in that 1st-inning rally. Seth Williams added HR #7 for the fifth run.

Game 2: Rinse and repeat as the Rays took another 5-2 victory over the A's. Greg Bookhart was in fine form today, improving to 4-2, 3.29 with a 7 7 1 1 0 5 outing and Satoshi Sato went the final two innings for his first save of the year. The Rays trailed 1-0 in the 5th when Mike Willis tripled in a run to tie it, and Josh Beckett's sac fly scored the go-ahead run in the 6th before Josh Alexander gave them some breathing room with a 2-run single in the 7th.

Game 3: The Rays completed the sweep with another well-pitched game as they downed Oakland 3-2 on Luis Barela's tie-breaking solo homer in the 8th (#9). Jim Brophy pitched a great game (7 4 1 1 3 5) and was in line for a win before former Athletic Jon Cunningham gave up a homer in the 8th to allow Oakland to tie it at 2, the 4th homer Cunningham has allowed in 13 innings this year (not great, Bob!). Barela came to his rescue and got Cunningham his 2nd vultured win while Chris Martin had a 1-2-3 9th for save #9.

Team record: 22-13. The Yankees finally proved to be human by dropping 2 of 3 to the always-tough White Sox, so the division deficit has been trimmed to 3 1/2 games. Next up: We head to Toronto for 3.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the 3rd inning and romped their way to a 10-4 win at Rogers Centre in the series opener against the Jays. They scored 6 times in the 2nd highlighted by a 3-run Seth Williams homer (#8) and a 2-run Luis Barela shot (#10). Dave Frick then blasted his 1st homer of the year, a 3-run shot in the 3rd, and the rout was truly on. Johnny Soland (2-0) was OK at 6.1 7 4 4 1 5.

Game 2: It was another comfortable Tampa Bay win as they went up 7-0 by the 5th and rolled behind Gordie Ager for a 7-1 win over Toronto. The lefty bounced back from a couple of bad starts and went 7 3 0 0 1 6 to improve to 4-2, 2.47. Mike Willis had 3 hits and scored twice with Seth Williams and Dan Gregory each driving in a pair, the latter becoming the last everyday Rays player to hit his first homer of the year.

Game 3: After seemingly scoring at will in the series' first two games the Rays couldn't score at all in the finale and lost 3-0 to Toronto. They were held to five hits and gave no support to Brad Jackson, who went 5.1 8 3 3 1 3 and fell to 3-4.

Team record: 24-14. The Yankees won 2 of 3 at the same time and then won the next day while we were off, so the Rays are now 4 behind New York. Next up: 3 games in Detroit.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Satoshi Sato gave up a rare homer to let Detroit tie the game late, but the Rays fought back with 4 runs in the 11th to take an 8-5 win over the Tigers in their series opener at Comerica Park. Josh Alexander's 3rd RBI of the game (after hitting a 2-run HR, #12, in the 3rd) was a bases-loaded HBP which forced in the go-ahead run, then Luis Barela smacked a 2-run double to give them breathing room. The Rays led 4-3 after Greg Bookhart shook off early troubles (allowing 3 runs before recording an out) and went 6 5 3 3 1 7. Sato got Sean Forbes out of a mini-jam in the 7th but then allowed a solo homer (to a lefty, no less), only the third he's given up in his MLB career although two have come in this season, his third. Chris Martin (1-1) picked up his first win as a Ray.

Game 2: Jim Brophy was one out away from a shutout before losing it and the Rays coasted to a 7-1 win over the Tigers. Doug Johns, who hit 28 HR last season but had not gone deep since April 12, broke open a 2-0 game in the 5th with a grand slam (#3) and drove in a 5th run later to pace the offense while Dave Frick banged out a pair of RBI singles. Brophy took a 2-hit shutout into the 9th and after striking out the leadoff man, gave up a single and double while running on fumes and then an RBI groundout, and finished 8.2 4 1 1 2 8 on 109 pitches to improve to 5-2, 3.54.

Game 3: It looked like a sweep was in the cards when Doug Johns homered for the second straight day, this time with two men on (#4) to give the Rays a 4-0 lead in the first inning, but Johnny Soland turned around and let Detroit score 6 in the bottom of the inning and the Rays couldn't score again in a 7-4 loss. Soland (2-1) threw 51 pitches in the seemingly never-ending first and finished 3 5 6 6 3 4 with his ERA rising to 5.65. Joel Gird is pitching well at Durham, I'm just sayin'.

Team record: 26-15. The Yankees also took 2 of 3 in Oakland so the division deficit remains at 4. Next up: 4 straight games against Columbus starts with a pair at Nationwide Ballpark.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays built a 6-0 lead but had to hold on for a 7-5 win in Columbus in the first of two games at Nationwide Ballpark before the teams return to play 2 at Publix Park. Seth Williams, Doug Johns and Dan Gregory each drove in a pair with the latter hitting his 2nd homer of the year. Gordie Ager had the big lead but ran into trouble in the 6th, allowing 4 runs including a 3-run shot from one-time Rays superstar Victor de Jesus, still plugging along at 39. Ager went to 5-2 after going 5.1 9 4 4 0 8. Things got dicey in the 9th when Chris Martin had to leave with a run in due to back tightness and Sean Forbes was thrust into a mess, which he made worse by walking the first man he faced to load the bases. But he got a strikeout to end the game and pick up his 1st save of the year.

Game 2: Rays pitching was great tonight, holding Columbus to 1 hit through 11 innings, but as you can tell the hitting wasn't, and eventually the Lightning broke through for a run in the 13th off Dan Anderson and took a 1-0 win. Brad Jackson pitched by far his best game of the year, going 7 1 0 0 1 8 and finally getting his ERA below 5 at 4.68. 4 more hitless innings followed from the pen before Anderson gave up a hit in the 12th and then two more and a walk to allow Columbus to plate the winner in the 13th. The bats managed 8 hits and had some chances, but grounding into 3 double plays cut short some rallies.

Team record: 27-16. The Yankees were off on the 23rd and lost on the 24, so the Rays moved a half-game closer at 3 1/2 back. As mentioned we return to Publix Park for 2 more against these Lightning.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays broke open a close game with a 5-run 5th and went on to take care of the Lightning 11-3 as the teams switched to Publix Park for two games. Trailing 2-1 going into the bottom of the 5th, Luis Barela had a 2-run single to put the Rays ahead and Doug Johns walloped a 3-run HR (#5). Johns also had two doubles and they scored 5 more times in the 8th to break it open. Greg Bookhart (5-2) got the win after going 6 6 3 3 1 4 and Jon Harbour went the final 3 scoreless for his first save of the year.

Game 2: Tampa Bay mounted a 3-run rally in the 8th to come all the way back from deficits of 4-0 and 5-3 to sweep the 2-game mini-series with Columbus. RBI singles from Josh Beckett (his 2nd of the game), Dave Frick and Jeff Baer won the game while Luis Barela earlier hit HR #11. Jim Brophy had a rough start, giving up 2-run homers in the each of the first two innings and finishing 5 8 5 5 0 2, but the bullpen held the fort with 2 scoreless from Dan Anderson, one from Jon Cunningham (who earned win #3) and one from Chris Martin for save #10.

Team record: 29-16. New York split the two games they played at the same time so the division arrearage is down to 2 1/2 games. Next up: Those same Yankees come to town for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

May 27: Placed IF Tomas Laboy on the 10-day IL with an inner ear infection, recalled IF/OF Jeff Googins from AAA Durham.

Game 1: The Rays took the opener of their showdown series with the Yankees at Publix Park 4-3, cutting the Bronx Bombers' division lead to 1 1/2 games. They built an early 4-1 lead without any real big hits as two of the runs scored on Josh Alexander sac flies. Johnny Soland started but couldn't get through the 5th as his wildness led to a line of 4.1 4 2 1 5 2 on 100 pitches. Satoshi Sato (2-0) was awarded the win by the official scorer even though Jon Harbour who preceded him was awarded a hold, and Chris Martin got save #11 with a 1-2-3 two-whiff 9th.

Game 2: In a similar game to yesterday's the Rays got the better of the Yankees again 4-2, moving to within 1/2 game of the division lead. Dan Gregory had an RBI triple and Dave Frick an RBI double in the 4th to give the Rays a 3-0 lead, and Gordie Ager (6-2) wasn't his best but good enough for the win at 5.1 6 2 2 2 2. With some of the "A" bullpen tired the save wound up going to Jose Mendoza, who put the tying runs on and balked them to 2nd and 3rd before recovering with two whiffs to end the game. It was his 3rd save and first not of the 3-inning variety. One serious down note though was the loss of Jon Cunningham, who got through the 8th but had to leave with what turned out to be a torn flexor tendon which was given the longest injury time I've seen in this save, 14-15 months so we won't be likely seeing him until 2046.

May 29: Placed P Jon Cunningham on the 60-day IL with a torn flexor tendon in his elbow, recalled P Ismael Vargas from AAA Durham.

We'll give Vargas first crack since he's our best left-handed option at Durham. He's been up and down with his 80 stuff but 40 control. Expect to see Jose Mendoza in more of a late-inning role now.

Game 3: The Rays completed the sweep of New York and moved into first place for the first time since April 6 thanks to another low-scoring win, 4-0 behind Brad Jackson. Jackson's renaissance after a terrible start has been remarkable as he went 7 4 0 0 0 5 today to improve to 4-4, 4.12 and he's gone 3-1 over his past 5 starts with only 6 runs allowed in his last 32.1 IP and a 4/26 BB/K ratio in that time. All 4 Rays runs came in the 6th inning with Dan Gregory's 2-run triple the key blow. The Rays went the entire weekend without homering, scored only 12 runs total yet swept the Yankees thanks to outstanding pitching.

Team record: 32-16. Next up: We'll spend Memorial Day and the two days after that in Kansas City.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays blew it open late with a 7-run 8th and routed the Royals 11-2 at Kauffman Stadium in the first of their 3-game series. Luis Barela, Jose Mendez and Jeff Googins each drove in a pair to back the excellent pitching of Greg Bookhart, who went 7 4 0 0 2 3 to improve to 6-2, 3.14.

Game 2: Tampa Bay made it 7 straight wins with a 5-2 defeat of Kansas City. Jose Mendez led the bats with a double, two triples and 2 RBI, Luis Barela had a solo shot (#12) and Mike Willis was 2-5 with an RBI triple. Jim Brophy (6-2) was solid at 5 5 2 2 2 7 and Chris Martin recorded save #12 despite putting a couple of men on in the 9th.

Game 3: The Rays completed the sweep and extended their win streak to 8 with a comfortable 8-2 win over the Royals. Mike Willis led off the game with his first homer of the year to set the tone and Seth Williams had a double and 3 RBI as he's taken over the MLB lead in that category from teammate Josh Alexander with 49. The Rays were also the beneficiary of 11 walks issued by Royals pitching. Johnny Soland (3-1) was very sharp today, going 6 shutout innings before running out of gas in the 7th and finishing 6.2 4 2 2 1 4.

Team record: 35-16. Next up: 4 games in Minnesota. The Yankees are trying their best to keep up with us but they did drop one game to Toronto so our division lead is up to 1 1/2 games.

[Art Deco]

The Thursday night game was rained out so we're playing a doubleheader on Friday.

Game 1: The Rays were held to 4 hits in the first game of the doubleheader to open the 4-game series at Minnesota and fell 3-1 to the Twins, snapping their 8-game win streak. Dave Frick's 3rd-inning homer (#2) was the only Tampa Bay run and Gordie Ager (6-3) deserved a better fate against his old team after going 6 9 3 2 1 5.

Game 2: The Rays bounced back in the nightcap to take a 4-2 win as Brad Jackson kept on rollin'. The lefty went 6 3 1 1 1 2 and improved to 5-4, 3.88 with Chris Martin notching save #12 despite allowing a run and putting two more men on in the 9th. The big hit of the game was a 2-run 5th-inning homer from Josh Alexander off former teammate Jeff Brockman, his 13th of the year as he snapped out of a mini-slump.

Game 3: Josh Alexander picked up where he left off yesterday with possibly the game of his career as the Rays trounced the Twins 11-1 at Target Field. The slugging DH had 2 doubles, 2 homers (#s 14 & 15), and was 5-5 with a walk, 4 runs scored and 4 RBI. His running mate Luis Barela also went deep twice and drove in 3 to give him 14 on the year as the middle of the order was terrifying. Greg Bookhart (7-2) coasted with all this support, going 6 5 1 1 1 4 and lowering his ERA to 2.98.

Game 4: The Rays were up 8-1 after 4 and had the reigning AL Cy Young winner Jim Brophy on the mound - what could go wrong? Turns out plenty as Brophy and the bullpen conspired to let Minnesota tie it up at 8 and then after Luis Barela hit a 2-run HR (#15) in the 11th to make it 10-8, Chris Martin (1-2) gave up a 2-run homer in the bottom of the inning, put a couple of more on and Ed Pretty hit former Ray Randy Rappaport to load the bases and then walked in the winning run as Minnesota took an improbable 11-10 win. Jose Mendez led the game off with HR #5 and ended up with 3 hits and 3 RBI and Dave Frick had a 2-run double to help stake the Rays to the big early lead but Brophy couldn't handle prosperity and let the Twins back within 8-5, finishing 5.1 10 5 5 1 4. Then Jose Mendoza gave up 3 runs to let the Twins tie in the 7th and off we went for a further bullpen meltdown.

Team record: 37-18. Despite losing a pair in the Twin Cities, the Yankees are in free-fall now and were swept by Baltimore in addition to losing their Thursday game so the division lead is up to 3 1/2 games. Next up: 3 games in Arizona.