The 2020 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Sprouse: A slick-fielding SS out of college who probably isn't going to hit much. Thought for once we'd prioritize defense.

Holt: Well first of all I have to include this:



Our Steve Holt is a pitcher who I drafted as a hitter as his potential 50/55/30 pitching ratings are nothing to write home about but his 65/60/50 potential ratings for hitting are. We'll try to have him play 3B.

McKinney: CF from South Carolina (the university) who also has stellar defensive ratings (potentially) and could be an OK hitter. Defense, baby!

Kim: Another listed pitcher with better hitting ratings out of a New Jersey high school.

Guzman: Decent-fielding, potentially decent-hitting college junior 3B.

Overall as you can probably tell I'm not wowed by this class.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays dropped the opener of their series at Chase Field to the Diamondbacks 7-4 after Johnny Soland imploded in the middle innings. Soland was dealing through the first 3, then gave up 4 in the 4th and 3 more in the 5th to finish 4.2 7 7 7 0 8 with a couple of homers allowed. Josh Beckett had a 2-run HR (#4) in the 2nd to give the Rays a short-lived early lead.

June 7: Recalled P Joel Gird from AAA Durham, optioned P Ismael Vargas to AAA Durham.

Gird, who deserves to be in the rotation but we already had 5 starters, makes his season debut tonight due to the doubleheader we had last Friday. He was a solid 4-5, 3.38 with 14 walks and 75Ks in 74 innings at Durham.

Game 2: Take a bow, Joel Gird. Not only did he pitch well in his spot start and 2044 MLB debut, he threw a Maddux as the Rays blanked Arizona 7-0. Gird was 9 5 0 0 1 4 on 91 pitches in his gem and combined with Johnny Soland sporting an ERA well into the 5s he made a case for a change at the back end of our rotation. We'll give Soland some leash for now but it's getting a bit shorter. Mike Willis was 3-6 with 2 steals and Seth Williams went 4-4 with a steal at the top of the order while Dan Gregory drove in 3 including a 2-run triple in the first to lead the offense. Gird was returned to Durham with a pat on the back after the game.

Game 3: It took 12 innings but the Rays eked out a 3-2 win over Arizona to take the series. The bottom of the order won it after Dave Frick tripled in the top of the 12th and Jeff Baer singled him home. Gordie Ager was outstanding (6 4 1 0 3 5) while Dan Anderson (2-2) wound up with the win and Chris Martin got all 3 outs via the whiff for save #14. Luis Barela was 4-5 with a double and an RBI.

Team record: 39-19. The Yankees split their four games during the week so we picked up 1/2 a game and are now 4 up. Next for the Rays: A day off then back home for 3 vs Houston.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Brad Jackson's great run of late came to a crashing halt as he was torched for 7 runs in a 9-6 loss to Houston at Publix Park. Jackson (5-5) was hit early and often, going 1.1 8 7 7 1 0 as the Astros put 8 on the board in the 2nd. The game wasn't as close as the final implied as Josh Beckett hit a 3-run HR (#5) in the 9th, although they did get the tying run to the plate later in the inning. Jose Mendez drove in the other 3 on a single and a 2-run homer (#6).

Game 2: The Rays got a touchdown and the extra point in the 1st inning on their way to a 15-5 rout of the Astros to even up their series. Doug Johns had a big day with a 2-run double in that 1st inning and a 3-run HR (#7) in the 4th, Tony Cordova had a 2-run shot in the 1st (#3), Josh Beckett homered for the second straight day (#6) and drove in 3, and Josh Alexander chipped in a grand slam (#16) as the Rays banged out 20 hits. Jim Brophy (7-2) was given the big lead, but struggled throughout and barely made it through 5 to get the win at 5 9 5 5 1 3.

Game 3: The Rays took the rubber game of the series 8-4 as Jose Mendez went yard twice. The LF had a 2-run homer in the 5th and a solo shot in the 8th to give him 8 on the year along with a .317 BA, and Dan Gregory had a big 3-run HR (#3) in the 7th to break the game open. Dave Frick was also 3-4 with a triple and 2 RBI. Greg Bookhart pitched well to improve to 8-2, 2.99 as he went 6 4 2 2 0 3.

Team record: 41-20. The Yankees took 2 of 3 so the lead remains 4 games. Next up: An off-day at home then Seattle comes in for 3.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Gordie Ager was dominant and the Rays rode him and a pair of homers to squeeze out a 2-1 win over Seattle at Publix Park. Ager went 6 5 1 1 2 10 to improve to 7-3, 2.61 and the bullpen did its job with 3 scoreless innings culminating in Chris Martin's 9th for save #15. Jose Mendez picked up where he left off by leading off the game with HR #9 and Josh Alexander's 17th in the 4th broke a 1-1 tie and provided the winning margin.

Game 2: Josh Beckett continued on his homer binge and a 5-run 5th propelled the Rays to a 7-4 win over Seattle. Beckett's 3-run blast, his 7th and third in five games, came in that 5th and was the game's big hit. The dynamic duo of Josh Alexander and Luis Barela were also each 2-4 with a double and RBI. Johnny Soland started and like last time out cruised through the early innings before falling apart, but he did get win #4 despite going 5.2 7 4 4 2 5 and allowing 3 homers. Jose Mendoza took over for him and was electric, getting all of his 7 outs via strikeout, and Satoshi Sato took the 9th today for his 2nd save.

Game 3: There's no middle ground with Brad Jackson this season, he's either on a tear or he's getting torn. He started the season with 8 mediocre-to-bad starts, then ran off 6 straight gems and now he's on the bad side of the ledger again after getting bombed for the second straight outing in an 8-3 loss. Today he went 3.2 7 7 6 3 4 with a pair of homers allowed to fall to 5-6, 5.27. For the second straight time Jon Harbour came in and allowed a homer with men on to the first batter he faced, and although he went 3 1/3 scoreless after that he ended up leaving with strained triceps and will be out a few weeks. Doug Johns was 2-4 with a solo homer (#7) for the only offense worth mentioning.

Team record: 43-21. The Yankees also took 2 of 3 so as you were in the East with the Rays up 4 games. Next up: A rematch of last year's World Series as the Giants come to town for 3 over the weekend.

[Art Deco]

June 17: Placed P Jon Harbour on the 10-day IL with a strained triceps, recalled P Joel Gird from AAA Durham.

Gird returns after his spot-start shutout last week and will take over Harbour's long relief role.

Game 1: Jim Brophy was solid and so were the bats in an 8-3 win over the Giants in a rematch of last year's World Series at Publix Park. Brophy (8-2) went 6.1 7 3 3 1 7 for the win and he was backed by Seth Williams, who had a 2-run HR (#9) in the first, and Mike Willis, who homered (#2) and drove in a pair. Josh Beckett was 3-5 with 2 RBI and Doug Johns went 3-4 with an RBI double as well.

Game 2: Greg Bookhart had a rare rough 2044 start and put the Rays in a 5-1 hole from which they nearly climbed out of but lost 5-4. Bookhart fell to 8-3 after a 4.2 6 5 5 3 2 outing. A couple of unlikely homers brought the Rays back into the game with Dave Frick launching a solo shot (#3) and Tony Cordova hitting one with a man on (#4).

Game 3: A 3-run rally in the 6th enabled the Rays to take the series from the Giants with a 4-1 win. Dave Frick and Seth Williams had RBI singles in that 6th inning with Frick finishing the day 3-3 with 2 RBI. Gordie Ager started and pitched well (5.1 6 1 1 2 2) but the win went to Ed Pretty (2-0) in relief. Chris Martin got all 3 outs in the 9th on whiffs for his 16th save.

Team record: 45-22. Next up: We hit the road starting with 3 games in Cleveland.

[Art Deco]

We had two rainouts in this series, the second (Tuesday) game was rained out and we were supposed to play a doubleheader on Wednesday, but the first game of that was rained out so we made it up on Thursday, originally an off-day for both teams.

Game 1: So who had a 5-hit Johnny Soland shutout on their bingo card? Didn't think so. But the struggling Rays starter whose rotation spot was in jeopardy came through with a 9 5 0 0 1 8 performance on 111 pitches to improve to 5-2, 4.97 in a 9-0 Rays win. He was well-supported with Dan Gregory 4-5 with HR #4 and a RBI, Luis Barela driving in 3 with a pair of hits and Dave Frick and Tony Cordova each knocking in a pair.

Game 2: It looked like another rout as the Rays went up 5-0 in the 2nd but they had to instead hold on to a 6-5 win over the Guardians at Progressive Field. Mike Willis had the big day on offense, 4-5 with an RBI triple while Seth Williams drove in a pair. Brad Jackson started and his struggles continued, going 5 8 4 4 1 3 yet improving to 6-6. Chris Martin put a couple on in the 9th but pitched around them for save #17.

Game 3: The Rays swept the series from Cleveland with another rout, this time by a football score of 14-3. Five different Rays went yard: Mike Willis (#3, a 2-run shot as part of a 3-hit day); Luis Barela (#16, a 2-run job); Seth Williams (#10, a 3-run blast); Jeff Baer (#3, a solo shot to go with 2 doubles); and Josh Beckett (#8, a 3-run homer which extended his hitting streak to 15 games). Jim Brophy (9-2) coasted with all the support, going 6 5 1 1 2 6.

Team record: 48-22. Next up: 4 games in Baltimore over 3 days, including a scheduled Saturday doubleheader after we had that 2-game weekend series in the first week of the season. The division lead is now 6 1/2 games so I'm not going to keep mentioning it until and unless the Yankees get closer than 5.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays and Greg Bookhart took a 6-3 win in the opener of their 4-game set at Oriole Park over Baltimore. The sophomore lefty was solid at 5 4 1 0 1 6, improving to 9-3, 3.19 and after Chris Parham made a mess in the 9th with a 6-1 lead and gave up two runs, Satoshi Sato got the final two outs for his 3rd save. Josh Beckett had a triple and 2 RBI while Tony Cordova had a double and 2 RBI while Doug Johns was 3-4 with a pair of doubles to lead the offense.

Game 2: The teams played a doubleheader today and the Rays were 9-1 winners in the matinee behind another great performance from Gordie Ager. The lefty was 6 2 0 0 2 9 and is now 8-3, 2.37. Luis Barela drove in 3 runs with a pair of singles, Dave Frick belted a solo homer (#4) and Seth Williams was 3-4 with an RBI.

Game 3: The Rays completed the doubleheader sweep with a 7-2 win over Baltimore, their 7th straight victory. Joel Gird got another start with two being played today and he shone again going 6 5 2 2 1 6 to make it 2 wins in 2 starts this year. Luis Barela had 4 more hits and an RBI while Josh Alexander and Tomas Laboy were each 2-4 with an RBI double.

Game 4: Baltimore salvaged a game from the series with a 4-1 win over the Rays, snapping Tampa Bay's 7-game win streak. The Orioles' B.J. Staehle shut them out over 6 4-hit innings, walking nobody and whiffing nobody. Johnny Soland was matching Staehle before Baltimore got to him and finished 6 5 4 4 1 2 to drop to 5-3.

Team record: 51-23. Next up: We return to Publix Park to host Boston for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays took care of Boston 8-5 in the opener of their 3-game set at Publix Park in a game that really wasn't that close. Before Boston got 4 in the 9th off Ismael Vargas the Rays were cruising to an 8-1 win behind 2-RBI games from Luis Barela, Josh Beckett and Dan Gregory and a Josh Alexander solo homer (#18). Brad Jackson started and should have won, but he continued to struggle today despite only allowing a single run as he finished 4.1 8 1 1 3 3 on 98 pitches, constantly putting men on only to strand them. Dan Anderson (3-2) went the next 3 2/3 scoreless for the win.

Game 2: Jim Brophy didn't have it today and put the Rays in a 7-2 hole but it didn't matter as they fought back to take a 9-8 win over the Red Sox. Brophy struggled with his command and control, going 3.1 8 7 7 4 5 as last year's AL Cy Young winner now sports a 4.89 ERA. But the Rays batted around in a 5-run 4th inning to tie it at 7 with Tomas Laboy leading off with his first homer of the year and Dan Gregory delivering a 2-run single to highlight it. After Boston went back ahead 8-7, Gregory had an RBI double in the 6th and Laboy hit his second homer of the game and the year in the 7th to win it for Satoshi Sato, who went to 3-0. Chris Martin finished up for save #18.

Game 3: The Rays put an 8-spot on the board in the 3rd inning and cruised to a 10-4 win over Boston to complete the sweep and give them 15 wins in their last 18 games. Josh Alexander had a grand slam (#19) and Tony Cordova a bases-clearing double in that 3rd to back Greg Bookhart, who earned a share of the AL wins lead with 10 after a 6 7 3 3 0 10 outing.

Team record: 54-23. Next up: The homestand continues with 4 against Detroit.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Gordie Ager had a rare bad start but the Rays overcame it to take an 8-7 come-from-behind win over the Tigers in the first of their 4-game set at Publix Park. The lefty, who came in with a 2.38 ERA, saw it rise about 1/2 a run after going 5 7 6 6 2 5 and putting Tampa Bay in a 6-3 hole. But a 5-run 6th capped by a 3-run Tony Cordova homer (#5) put the Rays back on top, and Mike Willis added a 2-run triple. Chris Parham (1-0), who's struggled at the plate and on the mound this year, got his first Rays win and Chris Martin picked up save #19 despite allowing a solo homer.

Game 2: The Rays lost an early 3-1 lead thanks to Johnny Soland and the bullpen and a late rally wasn't enough in a 7-5 loss to the Tigers. Jose Mendez hit HR #10 and the Rays were looking good, but Soland gave up a couple of runs to let Detroit tie and finished 5.2 6 3 2 3 5. Jose Mendoza (0-2) then allowed 2 runs (as did Ed Pretty) and a rally in the 9th featuring RBI singles from Josh Beckett (his 2nd of the game) and Dave Frick and had the bases loaded fell short. Dan Gregory had 4 hits including a triple and Luis Barela was 3-5 with an RBI.

Game 3: After taking a 4-0 lead the Rays held on for a 4-3 win over Detroit. The streaky Brad Jackson, coming off a run of poor starts, pitched well today hopefully auguring a hot run as he improved to 7-6 with a 6.2 6 3 0 0 3 outing. Chris Martin had a 1-2-3 9th for save #20. Dave Frick (2-3 with 2 RBI) and Tomas Laboy (2-3 with an RBI) led the offense.

Game 4: Jim Brophy's inconsistent follow-up season to his Cy Young continued as he struggled at 4 7 3 3 3 4 but the Rays fought back to take 3 of 4 in the series from Detroit with another 4-3 win. Seth Williams' infield single in the 8th brought home the winning run while Mike Willis was 3-4 with a steal and Tomas Laboy had an RBI double. Five different pitchers hurled a scoreless frame after Brophy left with the win going to Sean Forbes (2-1) and the save once again to Chris Martin (#21).

Team record: 57-24. Next up: We start the second half of the season with 4 more home games against the Angels.

[Art Deco]

Where things stand halfway through the 2044 season:



The Rays look playoff-bound again of course. Meanwhile Jimmy Leonard is having a big season for Oakland in his walk year as the A's have not yet extended him. Our team stats:



Wow, look at that defensive efficiency and zone rating. Single-digit ranks! The DE was even better a week or two ago before we started giving up a lot of hits on this homestand. The offense has gotten weird - we've always had a high average but never .307 as a team, yet we're not hitting homers as we've dropped to 6th in the league. I expect that to regress positively in the second half but it's very strange. The individual batting stats:



We can see where some of the homer culprits are. Doug Johns, for example, is having a good year but has only 7 round-trippers, and even the big two of Alexander and Barela are only on pace for 38 and 32, respectively. And with a team BA of .307 it's not surprising that virtually everyone is hitting .300 with the exception of Dave Frick at .286. Even the two catchers are hitting .300! The individual pitching:



Some inconsistency in the rotation as showing by our collective 4.05 ERA from the starters but a lot of that is due to some bad BABIP luck on the part of Brophy and Jackson as with the exception of Soland all the starters are still on pace for 3.8 WAR. And how about that bullpen? Sato and Forbes have been particularly brilliant and Dan Anderson and Ed Pretty are having fine bounceback seasons.

[Art Deco]

July 4: Activated P Jon Harbour from the 10-day IL, optioned P Ismael Vargas to AAA Durham.

Game 1: Greg Bookhart was hit for 4 runs in the 1st inning but it didn't matter as the Rays supplied plenty of July 4 fireworks in a 14-4 win over the Angels at Publix Park. The Rays got two quick runs back in the bottom of the 1st and then erupted for 7 in the 3rd keyed by a 3-run Josh Alexander homer (#20) before tacking on 3 more in the 4th including a 2-run Doug Johns blast (#8). Johns lated added an RBI double while Tomas Laboy was 3-4 with a double and 3 RBI. Bookhart settled in after the rough opening frame and got his AL-leading 11th win after going 5 8 4 4 1 3. Jon Harbour was impressive with 3 scoreless after coming off the IL today. Luis Barela was hit by a pitch after Alexander's homer which trigged a brawl leading to a 4-game suspension.

July 5: Placed 3B Luis Barela on the restricted list, recalled IF Jon Callahan from AAA Durham.

Our fill-in SS during last year's World Series finally gets his first big league call of 2044.

Game 2: Trailing 2-1 going into the bottom of the 7th, the Rays put 5 on in the board to take a 6-3 win over the Angels. Tony Cordova, who had earlier singled in the only Rays run to that point, hit a 2-run single to put them ahead after Tomas Laboy's knock tied it up. Gordie Ager was outstanding but ended up with a no-decision after going 6 6 2 2 0 10 while Dan Anderson (4-2) was awarded the win with Chris Martin securing save #22.

Game 3: The Rays had another one of their big innings today with one that was bigger than most as they turned a 1-1 game in the 5th into a rout thanks to a 9-run outburst in an 11-1 win. Seth Williams, who hit a solo HR (#11) for the only Tampa Bay run going into the 5th, added a 2-run single to kick-start the rally which saw 5 consecutive 2-out hits including a 2-run single from Tomas Laboy and a 2-run double from Dave Frick. Dan Gregory also drove in a pair while Johnny Soland pitched his best game of the season, improving to 6-3, 4.52 after a dominant 7 3 1 0 1 10 performance.

Game 4: The Rays completed the sweep of the Angels today without the benefit of any big innings as they eked past LA 3-2 in 11 innings. Jose Mendez' RBI double was the walk-off winner after a 2-run Chris Parham single in the 6th tied the game. Brad Jackson seems to be back on a roll, going 6 6 2 1 2 6 and Dan Anderson (5-2) picked up his second win of the series by going the final 1 2/3 scoreless.

Team record: 61-24. Next up: 3 games at Fenway against the Red Sox to take us into the All-Star break.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays continued their week of big innings by putting 8 on the board in the 4th to take a 10-0 lead and hold on to beat Boston 10-6 in the first of a 3-game set at Fenway Park. Mike Willis had a 2-run single, Chris Parham a 2-run double against his old team and Josh Alexander drove in a pair to propel the offense. Jim Brophy continued his struggles but with the support still went to 10-2 despite going 5.2 3 5 5 5 6 and seeing his ERA rise to 5.13. Former Rays prospect Francis Moranchel, sent to Boston in the deal which brought Parham last winter, had a grand slam off Brophy and 5 RBI in his best day as a big leaguer.

Game 2: The Rays fought back with a 4-run 7th to tie Boston at 4 but dropped a 5-4 decision in 11 when Dan Anderson surrendered a walk-off homer to Boston. Greg Bookhart was not sharp, going 5 7 4 3 3 2 but was taken off the hook when Tomas Laboy halved the Boston lead with a 2-run HR (#3) over the Monster and Josh Alexander had a 2-run single later in the inning to tie it. We trudged on to the 11th when Anderson, the sixth Rays pitcher, gave up the homer.

Game 3: The Rays keep on banging out the hits, piling up 18 more in a 9-5 win over Boston to take the series and head into the All-Star break. Josh Beckett and Jeff Baer had RBI doubles in the 5th to break a 5-5 tie and they got homers from Luis Barela (#17, solo), Josh Alexander (#21, a 2-run shot) and Tomas Laboy again (#4, solo). Beckett had 3 hits and 2 RBI while Laboy continued his hot run with 3 more hits. Laboy is 26 for his last 53 with 4 HR and 16 RBI. Gordie Ager wasn't great (5.1 6 5 5 1 4) but managed to improve to 9-3, 3.13 with the win. Ed Pretty had an impressive outing, facing 5 men and fanning them all.

Team Record: 63-25. Next up: The All-Star break, and when we return to action on Friday we host Baltimore for 3.

[Art Deco]

A look at the rosters:



Only 6 Rays are going to the game this year: Ager, Bookhart, Sato, Alexander, Beckett and Barela. This year we have a lot of players doing well but not spectacularly (especially with the HR numbers down) and it's reflected here. It's the first time for Bookhart, and there are a few former Rays going as well with Willie Zerman having a great year (traded a while back for Andy Ruggles), Jimmy Leonard as mentioned previously and then Billy Haroutunian and Dave Brown in the NL.

The HR Derby:



Alexander and Barela were surprising omissions as our relative All-Star snubbery continues. Jimmy Leonard was the closest thing we had to a rooting interest and he fell in the semis.

Some news: Our former long-time closer Kikuo Kawase, with the Mets this year, is done for the season after requiring surgery for bone chips in his elbow, a tough blow for the 37-year-old.

The game itself:



Rays contributions were muted here, with Josh Alexander and Josh Beckett each singling and Satoshi Sato pitching a 1-2-3 9th. Gordie Ager and Jim Brophy, both of whom pitched over the weekend in Boston, did not play.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays returned from the All-Star break not missing a beat as they continued their big-inning ways by scoring all 6 of their runs in the 4th on a trio of 2-run homers and downed Baltimore 6-4 at Publix Park. The Orioles had raced out to a 3-0 lead against Jim Brophy but they were no match for the power display in the 4th with Luis Barela (#18), Dave Frick (#5) and Mike Willis (#4) each going deep with a man on. Brophy (11-2) was pedestrian once again in the win, going 6 5 4 4 2 5 with a pair of homers allowed. Chris Martin breezed through the 9th for save #23.

Game 2: It was rally time at Publix Park as the Rays scored 3 times in the bottom of the 9th to get by Baltimore 5-4. They loaded the bases and Seth Williams walked to force in a run and two batters later Luis Barela delivered a 2-run single to let Tampa Bay walk it off. Gordie Ager started and was betrayed by his defense, finishing 5 6 4 2 2 6 with a couple of key errors costing him, Joel Gird followed with 3 dazzling scoreless innings with 5 whiffs and Jose Mendoza pitched the 9th to earn his 1st win of the year. Josh Beckett earlier had a 2-run single.

Game 3: The motto of the Rays this year seemingly could be "no early lead, no problem" as once again they fought back from a deficit to win, this time 8-6 to sweep the Orioles despite trailing 5-0 after 2 innings. Brad Jackson reverted back to rough form today as his 3.1 9 5 5 3 7 line will attest (at least he was missing some bats) but it didn't matter with this offense. 7 runs over the 5th and 6th innings gave them the lead, capped by a bases-clearing Seth Williams triple. Jose Mendez earlier hit HR #11. Jon Harbour (2-0) was outstanding in long relief, going 3 2/3 scoreless for the win, and Chris Martin had another 2-whiff 1-2-3 9th for save #24.

Team record: 66-25. Next up: We head to the thin air of Denver to play 3 games at Coors against the Rockies.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: It was an unusual low-scoring affair at Coors Field with the Rays taking a 1-0 lead into the 7th before Dan Anderson was hit for a couple of runs and they fell to Colorado 3-1. The offense only managed 6 hits but the one run was good enough for Greg Bookhart at 5 6 0 0 1 4; alas, Anderson (5-4) allowed a couple runs in the 7th after getting Bookhart out a jam in the 6th.

Game 2: Things were shaping up to be a repeat of last night's game as Colorado led 3-1 after 8 innings but the Rays scored twice in the 9th to tie and twice again in the 10th to win it 5-3. Seth Williams' 2-run double was the equalizer and Dave Frick came through with an RBI double and scored on Jeff Baer's single in the 10th. Satoshi Sato (4-0) picked up the win with 1 1/3 scoreless and Chris Martin had one of his 2-whiff perfect innings for save #25. Johnny Soland had a fine start at 5 4 2 2 3 7.

Game 3: The finale was more like a Coors Field game with the Rays bombing the Rockies 11-4 and taking the series. Josh Alexander got things started off right away with a 3-run shot in the first (#22). Luis Barela hit a solo shot (#19) and Dan Gregory added a 2-run blast (#6). Alexander and Barela added another RBI each to back Jim Brophy who went to 12-2 with a 5 6 2 2 2 3 outing. Things actually got close enough in the 8th for Sean Forbes to enter in a save situation and he stayed on through the 9th getting all 4 outs via the K for his 2nd save.

Team record: 68-26. Next up: 4 games in Oakland.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays took the opener of their 4-game set in Oakland behind the brilliant pitching of Gordie Ager 7-1 tonight. The lefty is now 10-3, 3.03 after going 7 2 1 1 0 6. Josh Beckett's 2-run double in the 4th which made a 1-0 game a 3-0 one was the big hit tonight and Seth Williams was 3-5 with a double and RBI.

Game 2: Tampa Bay beat Oakland comfortably once again as they brought the boomsticks tonight in a 9-2 win. Jose Mendez went yard twice to give him 13, Luis Barela broke the game open with a grand slam (#20) and Seth Williams found the seats for his 12th among his 4 hits tonight. Brad Jackson (8-6) was decent tonight at 5.2 4 2 2 2 2 and Jose Mendoza whiffed 4 over 2 perfect innings.

Game 3: The Rays made it 3 straight over Oakland in a tight, low-scoring game 2-0 thanks mostly to Greg Bookhart. The sophomore lefty was dominating, going 5.2 4 0 0 1 9 to improve to 12-3, 3.24, and Chris Martin finished the 4-man shutout with a perfect 9th for his 26th save. The game featured a rare triple play when Seth Williams lined to 3rd with the runners going. Williams and Josh Beckett had RBI singles to provide the offense.

Game 4: Tampa Bay overcame a 2-homer game from old friend Jimmy Leonard and got a 2-homer game of their own from Tomas Laboy to take a 9-7 win, sweeping Oakland and making it 6 straight wins overall. Laboy had a grand slam in the 3rd to put them up 6-0 but Oakland rallied to get back in it before Laboy homered again in the 8th to provide some insurance. The second-year man has hit the cover off the ball when he's played, now at 363/414/626 with 6 HR and 23 RBI in only 107 AB. Josh Alexander had a 2-run shot (#23) and Johnny Soland (7-3) got the win despite going 5 7 4 4 2 2. The bullpen was a bit shaky, but not Chris Martin who had a perfect 9th for his 27th save of the season and more importantly the 400th of his illustrious career. That's good for 8th place all-time as he passed Aroldis Chapman a couple of saves ago but it will be a little while before he catches Billy Wagner at 422.

Team record: 72-26. Next up: An off-day then 2 games in LA against the Dodgers.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays dropped the first of their two-game set at Dodger Stadium 3-2 to LA. They took an early 2-0 lead on RBI singles from Jose Mendez and Seth Williams, but the Dodgers got 3 in the middle innings off Jim Brophy and that was it. The lefty dropped to 12-3 after a 5 7 3 3 1 7 outing.

Game 2: Apparently the Rays didn't pack their bats for this trip to LA as they were swept by the Dodgers after losing 8-0 tonight, scoring a grand total of 2 runs in the series. Gordie Ager (10-4) wasn't his best tonight, hit to the tune of 4.2 10 6 5 1 5 and the offense had several chances to score early but didn't and went down meekly thereafter.

Team record: 72-28. Next up: An off-day then a return home to the play the Yankees over the weekend.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Last time the Yankees came to town in late May, the Rays were trying to catch them. Fast forward a couple of months and the Rays are 12 1/2 games up. Make that 13 1/2 as Brad Jackson pitched a fine game and the Rays took a 4-1 victory at Publix Park in the series opener. Jackson wound up with a no-decision after a 6 3 1 1 2 4 outing, leaving before the Rays won the game with 3 in the 8th. Tony Cordova's solo homer (#6) broke the tie and Doug Johns added a 2-run triple. Sean Forbes (3-1) got the win and Chris Martin notched save #28.

Game 2: The Rays jumped out to a 7-1 lead, saw the Yankees pull back within 7-5, and went on to take a 9-5 decision over New York. Seth Williams and Tony Cordova each had 3 hits and 2 RBI and Dan Gregory was 2-4 with an RBI to lead the offense. Greg Bookhart was handed the big lead but couldn't get through the 5th to pick up the win as he was uncharacteristically wild at 4.2 4 3 3 5 5. Jose Mendoza (2-2) got the win despite allowing a couple of runs.

Game 3: Tampa Bay completed the sweep with a 6-3 win over the Yankees behind a big game from Doug Johns. Johns is hitting over .300 like usual but the power has been missing this year. Not today though as he hit his 9th homer with a man on and singled in another while Josh Beckett was 3-4 with a 2-run triple. Johnny Soland (8-3) got the win after going 5 3 3 3 3 6 and Chris Martin struck out the side in the 9th for his 29th save.

Team record: 75-28. Next up: Kansas City visits for 4 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays took a wild, back-and-forth game from Kansas City 11-9 in 10 innings on a 2-run walkoff homer from Luis Barela, his 2nd of the game, to open their 4-game set at Publix Park. The Rays trailed 5-2 going into the bottom of the 6th after Jim Brophy went 5 8 3 3 1 4 and Dan Anderson allowed a couple of runs but stormed back for 7 in the bottom of the frame to take the lead, highlighted by a 3-run Barela blast. Jon Harbour was given the ball in the 9th with the score 9-5, and he was flat-out awful, giving up 3 runs before Chris Martin came in and was also terrible, giving up a pair of RBI hits to allow the Royals to tie. At least Martin had an excuse as it turned out he had a mild shoulder strain and will miss a couple of weeks. But Barela came to the rescue with his 2nd of the game and 22nd of the year in the 10th, and made a winner of Sean Forbes (4-1). Dave Frick had 3 RBI and Josh Alexander drove in a pair.

August 2: Placed P Chris Martin on the 10-day IL with a mild shoulder strain, recalled P Ismael Vargas from AAA Durham.

Game 2: A much more relaxed affair today with the same result as the Rays took a 4-1 win over the Royals behind Gordie Ager. The lefty, now 11-4, was 7 6 1 1 0 8. Dave Frick and Tony Cordova had RBI doubles in the 5th to break open a scoreless game, and Frick later added an RBI single.

Game 3: Brad Jackson and Jose Mendoza combined for a shutout as the Rays made it 3 straight over the Royals and 6 straight overall with a 5-0 win. Jackson (9-6) was 6 4 0 0 2 4 and Mendoza went the final 3 with 5 whiffs for his 4th save. All the Tampa Bay scoring came via the homer with Luis Barela (#23) and Tony Cordova (#7) with 2-run shots and Doug Johns (#10) adding a solo blast.

Game 4: The Rays completed the 4-game sweep with a comfortable 9-2 win over Kansas City at Publix Park. Greg Bookhart was in fine form, improving to 13-3, 3.25 after going 6 4 2 1 1 5. Mike Willis was 3-4 with a 3-run HR (#5), Josh Alexander re-took the team lead with #24 and Tomas Laboy keeps on hitting with HR #7. Chris Parham and Seth Williams also drove in a pair.

Team record: 79-28. Next up: We finish off the homestand with 3 against Minnesota.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays rode a pair of big homers to trounce the Twins 9-3 in the series opener at Publix Park. Dan Gregory had a grand slam (#6) in the 1st and Josh Beckett launched a 3-run blast (#9) in the 6th to supply the offense with Gregory adding an RBI later to give him 5. Johnny Soland was all over the place but good enough to go 9-3 after a 5 6 2 2 4 5 outing. Jose Mendoza whiffed 5 in 2 2/3 innings of shutout relief.

Game 2: Pitching was the name of the game as the Rays once again downed Minnesota, this time 3-0. Jim Brophy (13-3) flashed his 2043 Cy Young form going 7.2 5 0 0 3 7 and Satoshi Sato fanned a pair in the 9th for his 4th save. Josh Alexander, Tony Cordova and Doug Johns had RBI singles to supply the offense.

Game 3: The Rays completed the sweep of Minnesota (and the homestand), extending their win streak to 10 games with another 3-0 triumph this time behind former Twin Gordie Ager. The lefty could be the latest in a long line of Rays to win the Cy Young as he's now 12-4, 3.03 after a 6.1 2 0 0 2 5 outing today and he currently leads the AL in pitcher WAR at 4.5. Satoshi Sato finished up once again for save #5. Seth Williams' 2-run homer in the 1st (#13) was all the support Ager needed.

Team record: 82-28. Next up: 3 games in Toronto.