The 2020 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays keep on rolling, making it 12 straight wins with an 11-2 drubbing of the Guardians at Progressive Field. The unlikely hitting hero was Jon Callahan, making his Rays season debut. Filling in for a tired Seth Williams at 1B, Callahan blasted a pair of homers and drove in 3. Doug Johns hit #12 solo, and Nelson Bocardo drove in 3 runs with a pair of doubles. Joel Gird (3-2) went 5.1 3 0 0 4 4 for the win.

Game 2: Luis Barela's 3-run homer in the first (#9) was the key hit as the Rays edged Cleveland 4-3 to make the winning streak a baker's dozen. Jon Callahan, filling in today at SS, had another big hit with an RBI single which proved to be the ultimate difference. Greg Bookhart (5-1) was 5.2 6 3 3 2 4 and picked up the win, while Sean Forbes pitched around a couple of hits in the 9th for save #8. There was some bad news, though: after striking out the side in the 8th Mike Robichaux was diagnosed with biceps tendinitis and will miss 6-7 weeks.

May 17: Placed P Mike Robichaux on the 10-day IL with biceps tendinitis, recalled P Ismael Vargas from AAA Durham.

Robichaux's injury leaves us without a dependable late-inning lefty. Vargas has been anything but dependable in his various stints with the big club, but he is a lefty. Speaking of lefties, Jon Cunningham has made a surprisingly early recovery from his torn flexor tendon last May after being thought to miss most of this season. He's on a rehab assignment and Durham and has looked good, so that will be a huge help.

Game 3: The Rays swept Cleveland for consecutive win #14, taking a 5-2 decision. Jim Brophy turned in one of his strongest outings of the year at 6.2 3 2 2 2 5 to improve to 4-0, and Sean Forbes got the save again, his 9th. 2-run homers from Jose Castillo (#7) and Chris Fox (#2) were the big blows for Tampa Bay.

Team record: 34-9. Next up: An off-day then back to Publix Park for 3 against the Yankees.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The winning streak reached 15 as the Rays bludgeoned the Yankees 10-5 at Publix Park. Luis Barela had a 2-run 1st-inning homer (#10), Doug Johns blasted 2 more and drove in 3 to give him 14 and 47 in 39 games and Seth Williams was on base 4 times with 2 hits and 2 walks. Dan Robinson couldn't take advantage of the run support as he struggled mightily, going 3.2 8 4 4 3 3, so Jon Harbour notched his first win of the season with 2 1/3 scoreless and Ben Moses went the final 1 2/3 for his first Rays save.

May 19: Activated OF Jose Mendez from the 10-day IL, optioned OF Jared Richardson to AAA Durham.

Game 2:I considered sending Jose Mendez on a rehab assignment since he missed almost a month, but decided to throw him right in the lineup and he answered any doubts by homering (#3) to lead off the game and going 3-5 with 2 RBI to pace the Rays to an 11-3 rout of New York, consecutive win #16. Doug Johns homered yet again (#15), a 3-run shot, Jose Castillo drove in 3, and Seth Williams and Dan Gregory (who had a pair of steals) each had 4 hits. Gordie Ager (5-3) wasn't great but good enough to win at 6 5 3 3 2 2.

Game 3: Well it took almost three weeks but the Rays finally suffered their 10th defeat of the season as it was the Yankees' turn to win a laugher, 9-2. Joel Gird (3-3) was hammered to the tune of 3.2 8 7 7 1 2 with a pair of homers allowed. The only Rays scoring came from - who else? - Doug Johns with a 2-run homer, his fourth in the three games of this series to give him 16, tied for 2nd in MLB, and 52 RBI, far and away the most in the big leagues. The 16 homers also mark one more than he hit during the entire 2044 regular season.

Team record: 36-10. Next up: The homestand continues with 3 against the Angels.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays kicked off their 4-game series at Publix Park against the Angels by routing them 15-4. LA couldn't retire Luis Barela, who was 3-3 with 2 HR (#11/12), 2 walks and 6 RBI while Jose Castillo was 4-4 with a HR (#8), a double, 5 runs scored and 2 RBI. And of course Doug Johns got in on the action with a HR (#17) and 3 RBI. Greg Bookhart went to 6-1 after going 5.2 4 4 4 1 8 - he was cruising until all 4 runs came against him in the 6th.

Game 2: Jim Brophy was sharp and so was the offense again in a 6-1 win in the second game. Brophy (5-0) was 5.1 6 1 1 1 6 and Ben Moses collected his 2nd save. The big hits were a bases-clearing triple from Seth Williams and a Chris Fox solo homer (#3).

Game 3: The Rays had the tables turned on them when the Angels erupted for 7 runs in the 8th to break a 4-4 tie and went to defeat Tampa Bay 11-5. Ed Pretty wasn't very pretty today, giving up 4 of those 7 runs but it was still a ballgame when Sean Forbes came in and promptly gave up 3 runs of his own, including a homer. It was probably two years ago that Forbes gave up more than one run in a game. Dan Robinson had a mediocre start at 6.2 8 4 4 0 6 while on offense the Rays got homers from Jose Castillo (#9), Seth Williams (#9) and Jon Callahan (#3).

Game 4: Gordie Ager turned in one of the best performances by a starter this year, a season that's seen the rotation up and down through two months despite the gaudy team record of 39-11 after a 4-1 win. Ager (6-3) went 8 6 1 1 0 7 and Sean Forbes bounced back from his bombing yesterday to get a 1-2-3 9th for save #10. Jon Callahan continues to produce off the bench and today he started and went 2-4 with a double and 2 RBI while Doug Johns was 2-4 with RBI #56 in his 45th game.

Team record: 39-11. Next up: 3 games in Minnesota.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The ball was flying out of Target Field today as the teams combined for 9 homers but the Rays come out on the short end of the score 11-8. Tampa Bay was up against old friend Vinny Willard today and they had their way with him as Seth Williams hit a pair of 2-run homers to give him 11 as he had a 5-RBI day and Tony Cordova and Dan Gregory each went deep for the first time this year. But Joel Gird was just as bad, going 3.2 6 5 5 2 3 with 3 homers of his own allowed, and former Twin relievers Dave Lugo (1-1) and Caleb Ramos were ineffective in their return home.

Game 2: A 4-run 7th buoyed by a 3-run Dave Frick homer (#4) earned the Rays a 4-3 win over the Twins to even up the series. Greg Bookhart (7-1) started but looked like a tough-luck loser as the Rays trailed 2-0 after 6. He finished 6.1 6 3 3 1 2 while Ben Moses went 1 2/3 and Sean Forbes took the 9th for save #11.

Game 3: The Rays played perhaps their worst game of the season in the series finale, getting thumped 6-0 by the Twins. They managed only three hits, made two key errors, had a runner picked off, you name it. Jim Brophy didn't pitch badly as he suffered his first loss of the year to drop to 5-1, going 5.1 5 3 2 1 6 but Ismael Vargas and Ed Pretty (who seems to have reverted to 2043 form) were terrible in relief.

Team record 40-13. Next up: They fly to Texas to open a 3-game series on Memorial Day.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays put 7 on the board in the 4th and cruised to an 8-2 win over the Rangers on their Memorial Day series opener at Globe Life Field. Dave Frick and Jose Castillo had 2-run singles and then Doug Johns cleared the bases with a triple in the inning, supporting Dan Robinson (6-2) who sent 6 5 2 2 2 2 for the win.

Game 2: It was crooked numbers time as the Rays had innings of 4, 7 and 4 runs in a 16-4 thumping of Texas. Jose Castlilo and Luis Barela each blasted a pair of homers and drove in 5, giving Castillo 11 and Barela 14 for the year. Dan Gregory was 2-5 with a double and 3 RBI while Nelson Bocardo was 3-5 with a 2-run double. Gordie Ager was the beneficiary of all the support, upping his record to 7-3 with a 5 6 1 1 0 6 outing.

Game 3: The bullpen twice blew leads including one of five runs as Sean Forbes surrendered a 3-run walk-off home in the 9th to send the Rays to an 11-9 loss to Texas. It looked like another laugher as Tampa Bay took a 7-2 lead into the bottom of the 6th but Joel Gird ran into trouble, loading the bases with nobody out, and Dave Lugo poured gasoline on the fire by allowing all of Gird's runners to score (leaving Gird with a 5.1 6 5 5 2 5 line) and three more of his own to put them behind 8-7. Chris Fox then had a 2-run double to put them back up 9-8 in the 7th, capping a 3-hit, 4-RBI day for him. Ben Moses had two scoreless innings before Forbes had his second disastrous outing in four appearances in the 9th. Earlier the Rays had homers from Chris Parham (#2, leading off the game) and Tony Cordova (#2, a 2-run shot).

Team record: 42-14. Next up: An off-day then 3 games in Seattle.

Some monthly awards came our way:

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Greg Bookhart pitched well but the offense was nearly non-existent in a 2-1 loss at Seattle. Bookhart went 6 4 2 1 0 4 yet dropped to 7-2 when the winning run scored for Seattle in the 6th on a Seth Williams error.

Game 2: The offense bounced back to support a fine Jim Brophy performance in a 6-2 win over the Mariners. Brophy (6-1) was 8 3 2 2 3 6, keeping Seattle in check throughout. Doug Johns had a 2-run single while Dave Frick and Luis Barela added RBI doubles to lead the bats.

Game 3: Dan Robinson was brilliant against his old team, but so were his old team's pitchers and a guy that Seattle acquired from us for Robinson delivered the walk-off game winner in the 9th to give the M's a 1-0 win. Robinson went 7 2 0 0 2 4 and ended up with a no-decision as Tampa Bay bats were held to 4 hits on the day, and in the 9th Jeff Baer, our backup catcher last year, doubled in a run off Ben Moses (1-1) to give Seattle the victory. The Rays ended up with 7 runs total in the 3-game series, the same amount they scored in one inning earlier in the week in Texas.

Team record: 43-16. Next up: The amateur draft and an off-day, then we return to Tampa to play 3 against the White Sox.

[Art Deco]

It was a down year for pitching in this year's draft. How down? The #1 overall pick (by Pittsburgh) was a high-school pitcher rated at 45 potential stuff. It was hard to find any starters who were projected for more than 50 or 55 stuff. So the bats were where it was at, and we ended up some potentially pretty good ones despite drafting at the end of each round.

This is our early-round haul:



Schaffer looks like a good-hitting, decent-fielding corner OF:



He's listed as a CF but I don't see him staying there. Next we took Alejandre:



The Ole Miss product is a defensive wizard behind the plate and already would be considered an above-average MLB receiver. He has the potential to develop into a decent hitter, which would be all he'd need to be with that defense.

Busick:



He's got a long way to go and high school 1B are inherently risky, but man if he lives up to his potential across the board he's going to be a beast at the plate, even if he ends up at DH.

Jones:


Jones is a JuCo product who's best position probably also is DH, but he too has the potential to rake.

Hart:



Still another high school 1B, although he looks at least like he'll be able to field the position. Great power potential, iffy contact, but we're at the tail end of the 4th round now and we'll take any plus tools.

Dunleavy:



A college MI with some pop from (relatively) nearby Stetson, I see a possible backup MI here.

Cassidy:



Nominally a pitcher in the draft pool, Cassidy is one of my classic "let's make him a hitter" picks who has great batting ratings and looks like a steal at the end of the 6th round.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The opener at Publix Park featured a matchup of the pitchers who finished 1-2 for last year's AL Cy Young in Chicago's Omar Guerrero and Tampa Bay's Gordie Ager, and after today's 9-1 Rays rout some will be asking for a recount. The Rays jumped all over Guerrero in a 4-run 2nd and scored 5 off him on 11 hits in 2 1/3 innings while Ager was in fine form, going 6 1 0 0 3 6 to improve to 8-3. Dave Frick's 3-run homer (#5) in the 2nd was the big blow while Jose Castillo was 4-5 with an RBI and Doug Johns and Jose Mendez were each 3-5 with 2 RBI.

We made a trade after the opener, moving a fixture of the pitching staff who isn't quite the hurler he used to be:



Mendoza spent parts of 8 years with us and was absolutely brilliant in 2041-42 when he went a combined 35-7 and earned 8 WAR. But injuries have sapped him of his control (which was never great to start with) and some of his effectiveness, and he had essentially devolved into a mop-up man making $7.5M. We're eating 90% of the contract in this deal and the "prospects" we got are more suspects, but it was that or release him as we needed to make room for the returning Jon Cunningham. I could have sent down Ismael Vargas again, but it's time to give Vargas a run as a lefty setup guy and see what we really have there.

Game 2: The bullpen didn't fare well today in a 10-inning, 4-2 loss to the White Sox. First, Sean Forbes blew his 3rd save and gave up his 5th homer of the season already after only allowing one of each all of last year when he gave up a 9th-inning homer to tie it at 2, and then Dave Lugo (1-2) got knocked around for two runs without retiring anybody in the 10th. As a result they wasted a good start from Joel Gird (6 4 1 1 0 3). Doug Johns' 2-run homer in the 6th (#18) was all the offense they could manage.

Game 3: The Rays blew a 5-0 lead yet still came back to win 8-7 with some walk-off magic in the 9th on a 2-run Doug Johns shot (#19). Jose Mendez single-handedly gave them that 5-0 lead with a 2-run single and a 3-run HR (#4) and Greg Bookhart was dealing, fanning 9 White Sox over 4 shutout innings. But he suddenly couldn't get anyone out in the 5th, and after Caleb Ramos let a couple of his runners in it was 6-5 Chicago and Bookhart finished 4.2 8 6 6 1 9. The Chicago lead expanded to 7-5 before Seth Williams homered (#12) to make it 7-6 before Johns took White Sox closer Walt Klopfer deep to walk it off. Jon Harbour (2-0) picked up the win with 2 scoreless innings of relief.

Team record: 45-17. Next up: Oakland visits for 4 games over the weekend including a scheduled doubleheader on Saturday.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: It was a tight, tense affair at Publix Park which saw the Rays prevail 2-0 behind Jim Brophy and the bullpen. Brophy (7-1) went 5.2 6 0 0 3 6, pitching around runners, and Dan Anderson, Ben Moses and Sean Forbes (with save #12) completed the shutout. Jose Mendez' homer to lead off the game (#5) turned out to be all they'd need, but Doug Johns added some insurance in the 8th with an RBI single.

Game 2: You wouldn't know it by the 13-2 final score in favor of the Rays, but the first game of Saturday's doubleheader was another tight game with Rays only up 2-1 after 6 1/2 before they exploded for 11 runs in the 7th and 8th. Dan Robinson (7-2) was outstanding at 7 7 1 1 0 6 but he had to pitch on the edge the whole game and it wasn't until Doug Johns' 2-run HR (#20) in the bottom of the 6th that the Rays went ahead. But the floodgates opened after that and when all was done, Jose Castillo (#12), Luis Barela (#15) and Jose Mendez (#6) had homered with Johns finishing 4-5 with 4 RBI and Barela and Mendez each knocking in 3.

Game 3: The nightcap was another Rays blowout, but this one was on early when the Rays scored 6 times in the 3rd on their way to a 10-4 win. Jonathan Melendez was added to pitch the second game, and although he wasn't as sharp as he was in his two fill-in starts in April, he was good enough to go to 3-0 after a 5 5 3 3 2 4 outing. Mario Saro was 3-5 with a double, steal and 3 RBI, Jose Castillo homered again (#13) and Chris Parham had a 2-run double.

Game 4: The Rays completed the sweep with another offensive explosion, making it 40 runs in 3 games with a 17-6 football-score drubbing of Oakland. Jose Castillo tripled, homered (#14) for the third straight game and drove in 6, Jose Mendez homered twice more to double his homer total for the season in this series with his 4th in 3 games, and Mario Saro added #6. Doug Johns drove in his MLB-leading 73rd run of the year with Castillo the next-closest to him at 57. Gordie Ager (9-3) wasn't great at 5.1 7 4 4 1 5 but Caleb Ramos gave up a grand slam to score the final two runners against him.

Team record: 49-17. Next up: An off-day then a brief 2-game series in Toronto.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Joel Gird was hit for 4 runs in the 1st and that essentially decided the game as Toronto took a 5-3 win over the Rays at Rogers Centre. The 4 runs offset Jose Castillo's solo shot in the top of the 1st (#15) and a 2-run shot in the 3rd from Luis Barela (#16). Gird settled in after the first but the damage was done as he dropped to 3-4, 5.73 after going 6.1 9 4 4 1 2.

Game 2: Almost a carbon copy of last night's game as it was Greg Bookhart's turn to be bombed in the first inning and he was even worse with 6 runs allowed as Toronto swept the 2-game series from the Rays with a 7-5 win. Luis Barela gave the Rays a quick 2-0 lead with HR #17 in the top of the 1st but Toronto batted around against Bookhart. Like Joel Gird the night before Bookhart (7-3) settled down although he was touched for a run in the 5th and finished a brutal 4.1 10 7 7 2 4. Tony Cordova had a solo shot (#3) and Jose Mendez a 2-run HR (#9) to get them within 6-5 after 3 but the offense dried up after that.

Team record: 49-19. Next up: 4 games in Detroit.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays had a 3-0 lead going into the bottom of the 5th and Jim Brophy was cruising along until suddenly he wasn't, and the Rays ended up losing 8-3 to Detroit to make it three straight defeats. Brophy (7-2) couldn't get anyone out in the 5th and finished 4.2 10 6 6 1 2. Dan Gregory (#2) and Luis Barela (#18) had first-inning solo homers and Seth Williams had 4 hits to provide the offense.

Game 2: A pitchers' duel which saw Dan Robinson hurl 7 scoreless finished a 1-0 Tigers win over the Rays, sending Tampa Bay to its season-high 4th straight loss. Robinson was pitching to contact and doing it well, going 7 4 0 0 2 0 in the no-decision but his teammates could only scratch out 5 hits and Detroit broke through for a run with 2 out in the 9th against Ben Moses (1-2), the second walk-off loss he's suffered this month.

Game 3: The Rays finally broke out of it in a big way, crushing the Tigers 10-2 to snap their 4-game losing streak. MLB runaway RBI leader Doug Johns had a huge game in adding to his totals, delivering a 3-run homer in the 3rd (#21) and a 2-run single to give him 5 ribbies on the day and 79 on the year, 20 ahead of the competition. Dan Gregory brought home a pair and Seth Williams was 2-3 with an RBI. Gordie Ager (10-3) was excellent at 8 6 2 2 0 2, meaning the Rays starters the last two nights have allowed as many runs (2) as they've had strikeouts (2) in 15 innings.

Game 4: Tampa Bay salvaged a split of the series with a 5-3 win behind Joel Gird and 3 RBIs from Seth Williams. Gird (4-4) has been up and down this season but he was up today, going 6.2 7 3 3 1 3 for the win, and Sean Forbes had a 1-2-3 9th for save #13. Williams had a 2-run triple in a 4-run 2nd inning which won the game for them and later singled in an insurance run in the 9th. Chris Parham got a rare start and went 3-5 with a double and RBI.

Team record: 51-21. Next up: We head back home to Tampa for a rematch of three of the last four World Series as the Reds come to town for 3.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: It was a rematch of three of the last four Fall Classics and it went the same way tonight with the Rays taking a convincing 10-3 win over Cincinnati which they blew open with a 5-run 5th. Seth Williams and Dave Frick each did the damage, driving in 3 apiece with both getting 2-run hits in that 5th inning. Greg Bookhart (8-3) got the win with a 7.1 5 3 3 0 7 outing marred by a couple of runs against in the 8th. As the Rays added 3 in the 8th, Dave Lugo wound up with his 2nd save when he got out of the top of the frame and stayed in.

Game 2: The Rays played one of their sloppiest games of the season in a 6-3 loss to the Reds, committing 3 errors and seeing a sequence where Cincinnati scored 3 times in the 4th on two bases-loaded walks by former Red Jim Brophy and a wild pitch to score another. Brophy (7-3) was not sharp as he went 5 6 4 3 5 1. Jose Mendez' solo shot in the 1st (#10) was the highlight of the day for Tampa Bay.

Game 3: Dan Robinson was in his second straight low-scoring duel but this time he came out on top in a 2-1 Rays win. The lefty went to 8-5 after a 6 6 1 0 3 5 outing, Ben Moses fanned 5 in two perfect innings of relief, and Sean Forbes pitched around a leadoff double in the 9th to get save #14. Jose Castillo's solo homer (#16) broke the deadlock in the 4th and Jon Callahan added an RBI fielder's choice to provide the eventual winning run.

Team record: 53-22. Next up: An off-day at home then Baltimore comes in for 3 over the weekend.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays broke open a close game with a 7-run 6th and stomped the Orioles 10-2 at Publix Park to open a 3-game set. Jose Mendez was 4-5 with a double and RBI while Seth Williams and Luis Barela each knocked in a pair to lead the attack. Gordie Ager (11-3) went 5.1 5 1 1 1 6 in an impressive outing for the win.

Game 2: Tampa Bay raced out to a 9-2 lead after 3 innings and then had to end up holding on to take a 9-6 win over Baltimore. Luis Barela had a big game with HR #19 and 4 RBI while Seth Williams added a 2-run shot (#13) and Chris Fox added a solo blast (#4). Joel Gird wasn't very good but didn't need to be with all the run support, improving to 5-4 off a 5.1 10 4 4 1 5 performance. Gird's ERA is now 5.65 and we're going to give Caleb Ramos a shot in the rotation and move Gird to long relief for now. Sean Forbes had a 1-2-3 9th for his 15th save.

Game 3: Greg Bookhart (8-4) leads the AL in pitcher WAR at 2.8 but now sports an ERA of 5.08 after being hit hard in a 7-4 loss to Baltimore. Bookhart today was 4 8 5 5 2 7 and continues to struggle in the BABIP department, sitting at .370 this year after allowing .363 and .332 BABIPs the previous two seasons. Wasted was another big game from Luis Barela (2-4 with HR #20 and 2 RBI), and Doug Johns' team-high 22nd longball to go with 81 RBI.

Team record: 55-23. Next up: An off-day then we close out the first half of the schedule with 3 games in Pittsburgh. Meanwhile Tomas Laboy was sent on a rehab assignment with Durham.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays' offense was toothless tonight in a 4-1 loss at PNC Park to the Pirates to open their interleague series. The Rays only managed 6 hits and eventually Pittsburgh got to Jim Brophy (7-4) for a couple of homers and he finished 5.2 5 4 4 2 5.

Game 2: The bats bounced back tonight although they left it late, scoring 3 times in both the 7th and 8th to take a 9-3 win over the Buccos. Dan Gregory's 2-run double in the 7th broke a 3-3 tie (and he was hurt on the play, more on that in a minute) and Jose Mendez blasted a 3-run homer (#11) in the 8th to salt the game away. Dan Robinson was knocked around a bit to the tune of 5.1 10 3 3 1 6 but Dan Anderson was excellent in relief, going 2 2/3 scoreless for his 3rd win. Gregory suffered a hip strain and will miss about a month.

June 29: Placed OF Dan Gregory on the 10-day IL with a hip strain, recalled OF Jared Richardson from AAA Durham.

Game 3: The Rays dropped 2 of 3 to the worst team in baseball after a Pirate homer walked it off for them in the bottom of the 9th, sending Tampa Bay to a 3-2 defeat. Jose Castillo and Luis Barela had RBI hits in the 3rd to put the Rays up 2-0, and Gordie Ager was outstanding at 6 3 0 0 0 5. But Ben Moses coughed up a 2-run homer in the 7th and with lefties due in the 9th Ismael Vargas got a high-leverage chance. Pittsburgh pinch-hit a righty, and he took Vargas deep to end the game.

Team record: 56-25. Next up: Our midesason review, and 3 games in Baltimore.

[Art Deco]

First the standings:



Rays team stats:



One or two fewer baserunners thrown out and we'd have a clean sweep of all the offensive categories. The pitching has been spotty this year and the defense continues highly mediocre, what else is new?

Individual hitting stats:



I'd say things are going well when 7 of the 9 spots in your lineup are on pace for over 5 WAR.

Individual pitching stats:



A bit of a mixed bag here. It's a bit jarring to see Sean Forbes, a 3-win reliever last year, with negative WAR but that's thanks to the 5 homers he's allowed already. The top 4 starts have been pretty good, with Brophy and Bookhart getting the short end of the BABIP stick.

[Art Deco]

June 30: Activated IF Tomas Laboy from the 10-day IL, designated IF Jon Callahan for assignment and placed him on waivers.

Laboy laid waste to AAA pitching in 4 games on his rehab assignment, going 10-19 with 2 HR and 6 RBI, so I'd say he was ready. He had a 22-game hitting streak before he got hurt which he'll look to extend. Callahan meanwhile is out of options and we're hoping he clears again like he did at the start of the season.

Game 1: The Rays kicked off the second half of the season with a 14-1 rout of Baltimore at Oriole Park, playing home run derby with 7 round-trippers. Two of them came off the bat of Jose Castillo, giving him 18 after a 3-hit, 4-RBI night. Also finding the seats were Jose Mendez (#12), Tony Cordova (#4), Mario Saro (#7, a grand slam), Doug Johns (#23) and Luis Barela (#21). Also Tomas Laboy was back in the lineup and made it 23 straight with a hit. Meanwhile the other big story was the debut of Caleb Ramos in the rotation and the righty was excellent tonight at 6 3 1 1 1 7 as he picked up his first Rays win. The guy he replaced in the rotation, Joel Gird, went the final 3 scoreless for his 1st save of the year.

Game 2: The Rays edged the Orioles 4-3 in the second game behind a good outing from Greg Bookhart and three more homers which accounted for all of their scoring. Bookhart gave up his usual high number of hits, but limited the damage in a 6 9 2 2 1 3 outing to improve to 9-4. Sean Forbes was shaky in the 9th, allowing a run on three hits, but held on for save #16. Meanwhile it was bombs away again with Jose Castillo (#19), Jose Mendez (#14, a 2-run shot) and Luis Barela (#22) all going deep for the second straight game to provide the offense. The only sour note was that Tomas Laboy's 23-game hit streak was snapped. He made the first out in the 7th and twice it looked like the Rays would get him another at-bat but both times they hit into double plays.

Game 3: Tampa Bay completed the sweep of Baltimore with a 6-3 win as Jim Brophy was outstanding and they got a big hit from an unlikely source. Brophy (8-4) was 6 5 1 1 2 5 for the win and while Ed Pretty struggled again, giving up 2 runs to let the Orioles back in the game, Sean Forbes closed the door with a 1-2-3 2K 9th for save #17. Unfortunately though Forbes strained his forearm on the final pitch of the game and will be shelved for a couple of weeks. Ben Moses will likely close although it'll be a bit of mix and match. Meanwhile on the offensive side of things Jared Richardson got a start and had a big 2-run double to put the Rays ahead to stay in the 4th. Tony Cordova went deep in his second straight start (#5) as well.

Team record: 59-25. Next up: An off-day then we visit Wrigley Field on July 4th for the first of two games in the friendly confines.

[Art Deco]

While most folks spend their July 4th holiday grilling and doing fun outdoor activities, we spent it wheeling and dealing. First, we made a big July 2 international signing, Bob Sanchez:



There's nothing not to like here - if he lives up to potential he's a star hitter with a great corner OF glove who can play a passable CF. Long way to go with him, though.

Then we made a pair of pretty good-sized trades because a team sitting at 59-25 needs a shakeup of course. First this one:



This trade accomplishes several objectives. First, it gets us off the Ed Pretty rollercoaster. Now I like Ed Pretty and he's had some great seasons for us, but of late it's been a wild ride with a horrible season in 2043, a very good one last year, and the makings of a poor one this year as you can see from those numbers. Nevertheless based on his track record and his 80 stuff, he still always comes up in various "make this work" trade shopping I do and it was time to cash him in before another season like 2043 puts a big dent in his trade value. In return we get Goulet, who could help us right now but I'm looking at new year. That's because to keep everyone on the roster we'd be projected to spend $220M, which we're not going to do so players will have to go. One of them is likely Gordie Ager, projected for $22M in his final arbitration year and another is Dan Robinson, projected at $19M, and that would punch of couple of holes in the rotation. That's where Goulet comes in, as here are his ratings as a starter:



Not too shabby. That's the OSA scouting, my scout has him at 65 stuff as a starter but both have him 75 as a reliever. Although Goulet just got called up by Atlanta, we're going to ship him to Durham because we're going to need Pretty's roster spot for the guys we acquired in this even-bigger deal:



This one brings us an established closer in Minier, a pretty good starter in Gibson, and even though we dealt away a top prospect in Gutierrez we get a decent one back in Wilson. First about what we gave up. Gutierrez is the #78 prospect in baseball, a righty power pitcher who was a scouting discovery in 2041. He was at A+ Charlotte, and doing OK but his potential is 50 stuff, 45 movement and 60 control which doesn't scream domination to me. Nevertheless he's highly regarded around the league and he brought us some serious pitching help. Here's the deal on Gibson, a late bloomer at 31:



Despite throwing around 100, he does pitch to some contact and his numbers have been helped by a .275 BABIP which is likely to go up with our mediocre defense. But he's a solid starter and is only projected for about $4M in arbitration next year, so that's a help to fill the 2046 rotation as well. Not sure yet whether he ends up in our current rotation as Caleb Ramos was excellent in his first start - for now he's long relief. Then there's Minier:



He's been one of the more consistent closers in the league over the last 3 1/2 seasons and I've had my eye on him for a while. He is a free agent at season's end but we need back-end bullpen help now with guys like Satoshi Sato and Sean Forbes injured and Mike Robichaux just about to come back from rehab.

But as they say on the late-night commercials, that's not all. We picked up Wilson, a pretty good 1B prospect:



He was KC's supplemental 1st-rounder last year and has done nothing but rake since turning pro.

What a day!

[Art Deco]

July 4: Placed P Sean Forbes on the 10-day IL with a strained forearm, recalled P Jose Morales from AAA Durham.

Morales has been outstanding at Durham this year, with 5 walks and 33 whiffs in 19 innings and 10 saves. The lefty was up a little while with us in 2043 and will get another crack to stick around.

Game 1: The Rays got a fine start from Dan Robinson and couple of big homers in a 4-run 4th to break a 1-1 tie, sending them on their way to a 6-3 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field on our nation's birthday. Robinson (9-2) was in charge throughout, going 6.2 5 2 2 2 6, while Jose Mendez (#14, a solo shot) and Seth Williams (#14, a 3-run blast) went deep in the pivotal 4th inning. Tomas Laboy was 2-4 with an RBI as well.

Game 2: Veteran Raul Robles, in his second tour of duty with the Cubs where he won the NL Cy Young in 2035, turned back the clock today and 1-hit the Rays over 7 1/3 innings in a 5-1 Chicago win. Luis Barela's RBI single in the 1st turned out to be the only hit the Rays would get today, and Gordie Ager (11-4) was roughed up some at 5 9 4 4 0 3.

Team record: 60-26. Next up: We head back to Tampa for 4 vs Boston at Publix Park.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: With this offense the Rays aren't fazed by a 6-0 deficit and sure enough after falling behind by that margin in the 6th they came back and took a 7-6 walk-off win in 10 innings. Caleb Ramos was hit hard in his second start (3.1 7 6 6 3 3) and is going back to the pen to make way for new acquisition Marc Gibson. But Jon Harbour was great for 3 2/3 scoreless to buy time for the bats to do their thing, and do it they did. Mario Saro (#8), Tomas Laboy (#11, a 2-run shot) and Tony Cordova (#6) all homered, the latter two in a 5-run 7th inning which brought the game level. Then Jose Mendez delivered an RBI single in the 10th and the Rays were winners. Mike Robichaux (2-0) got the final two outs in the top of the frame for the win.

Game 2: No comeback necessary in the second game as Jim Brophy was outstanding in a 7-0 win. The lefty went 6 3 0 0 1 7 to improve to 9-4 with Dave Lugo and Jon Cunningham completing the shutout. Luis Barela was the star at the plate with a pair of 2-run homers, the first coming in the first and the second in the fifth to give him the team lead with 24 longballs. Nelson Bocardo was 3-4 with a double, triple and 2 RBI to help out.

Game 3: Another comfortable day for the Rays as a 4-run first and some fine pitching from Greg Bookhart led to a 9-2 win. Mario Saro kicked off the first-inning rally by homering (#9) to lead off the game and Chris Fox started his 3-5, 2-RBI day with a run-scoring single to cap the inning. Doug Johns was 2-5 with HR #24 and 3 RBI while Jose Castillo joined the 20-homer club with a solo shot. Bookhart (10-4) meanwhile was in control, going 6 4 1 1 2 5. Dan Anderson pitched the final 3 innings for his 1st save of the year.

July 9: Optioned P Jon Cunningham to AAA Durham, activated P Marc Gibson.

Gibson, acquired in the big trade with Kansas City, is added to the roster to start today's game, the last before the All-Star Break. Cunningham is the victim of a numbers game and has options, although he still doesn't look as sharp as he did before last year's injury.

Game 4: The Rays completed the sweep of Boston in a tight 3-2 affair as Jose Mendez walked it off for the second time in the series with a solo homer in the bottom of the 9th (#15) to cap a 3-4, 2-RBI day which featured a pair of doubles as well. Marc Gibson made his debut as the starter and his Rays career began inauspiciously as he served up a 2-run homer to former Tampa Bay farmhand Francis Moranchel in the 1st. But that would be all he'd yield and he finished a solid 6 4 2 2 2 5. Also making his Rays debut today was reliever Willie Minier, and he too got off to a rough start, giving up a potential RBI single to first man he faced in the 8th but Jared Richardson had his back by throwing out the runner at the plate to keep the game tied at 2. Minier then had a 1-2-3 9th and picked up the win when Mendez went deep.

Team record: 64-26. Next up: The All-Star Break, after which we return to action on the west coast with 3 games in Anaheim.

[Art Deco]

Rays making it were Gordie Ager (appearance #4), Ben Moses (his first), Seth Williams (3), Luis Barela (6), Jose Castillo (first), Doug Johns (2), Jose Mendez (first) and Dan Gregory (6th, although he'll miss the game due to injury). Full rosters:





The home run derby:

It finally happened! 26 seasons in this save and a Ray finally won the Derby although it was the most bizarre one I've seen. As you may know in OOTP 23 you have the option to watch the Derby without playing it (before you could only sim or play but not watch), and I don't know if it's a result of this change but there were extremely few homers hit in it. Also I finally figured out why there were so many 1-homer victories in each round - it's because OOTP ends the round when a play exceeds his opponent's total instead of letting it finish like they do IRL. Anyway, we had the bizarre sight of Luis Barela winning the Derby 1-0 in the final round as Rob Winchester went first and was shut out, the first time I've ever seen that happen.



The game itself:



Congrats to Doug Johns, MVP of the All-Star Game with a solo homer. Gordie Ager pitched a perfect 1st, and I'm not sure why he didn't get the win since the AL took the lead in the bottom of the inning and never relinquished it. Ben Moses and Jose Castillo didn't play, Seth Williams had a pinch-single and a steal, and Luis Barela and Jose Mendez were hitless.