The 2024 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Well I finally broke down and decided to start a new Rays save in OOTP25 even though I have 4 other ones + the daily "pre-plays" going. This one is going to be a Live Start which will provide more of a challenge in the short-term at least given the poor real-life beginning they've had (14-16). The key is staying afloat until all the talent comes back. On the offensive side of things we're playing without our two top LH bats, the Lowes, and I'm expecting Josh back at the end of the week. Also depth pieces like Jonathan Aranda, Jonnny DeLuca and Taylor Walls are recuperating.

The pitching is a bit problematic but Taj Bradley dazzled in his first rehab outing and I'll give him one more and bring him back to be the 5th starter in place of Tyler Alexander. At different points during the year we'll get Shane Baz, Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen back which if everyone stays healthy will give us a surplus of starters. We're also missing Pete Fairbanks and Colin Poche from the pen.

One thing I plan on doing to wake up the moribund offense is to bring up mega-prospect Junior Caminero. His current ratings suggest he'll be a useful but not extremely dangerous hitter but hopefully with playing time those ratings will go up (as they did in an experimental save I did where I rushed through 10 seasons). With B.Lowe out and Isaac Paredes entrenched at 3B, Junior will play the keystone. Otherwise there isn't a lot of help at Durham so it's going to be all about getting the injured guys back. Realistically with Baltimore and New York looking good to start the year a wild card is probably the best we can hope for.

Being the Rays there isn't of course much money to spend but I expect to be a somewhat active trader especially when the injured players come back and we need to jettison some of the currently-active players.

I'm undecided on how much detail to get into in this thread. I had cut the reports to monthly recaps for the 23 save, but I think I might update this thread weekly with a sentence or two for each game similar in format to my 22 save recaps.

Anyway, since I traditionally go with the box of the season's first game here's tonight's (April 30) game and in deference to real-life I used Kevin Cash's lineup for the game but after today it's all me as manager & GM.



And the hole's been dug a bit deeper after a painful loss that saw Garrett Cleavinger force in the tying run with an HBP and a Paredes error leading to the winning run scoring in the 10th.

Gonna have my work cut out for me.

[Art Deco]

Transaction: IF Junior Caminero is up, IF Curtis Mead is down.

May 1 at Milwaukee: 3-5 L. WP-Ashby (1-1). LP-Eflin (1-4, 4 7 4 4 3 3). HR-Pinto (3). Rays got 3 late including Pinto's 2-run homer to make it interesting but fell short again. Caminero was 0-4 in his 2024 debut.

May 3 vs NY Mets 1-3 L. WP-C.Scott (1-0). LP-Civale (2-3, 5.2 3 2 2 1 6). HR-Paredes (8). Rays had their chances and the difference was two men thrown out at the plate as they were beat by Christian Scott in his MLB debut.

Transaction: Josh Lowe is activated from the IL and Austin Shenton is sent to Durham.

May 4 vs NY Mets 11-8 W. WP-Littell (2-2, 5.1 7 3 3 2 2). LP-Peterson (0-1). S-Adam (2). HR-Y.Diaz (2), Paredes (9), Siri (2). This should have been a laugher as the Rays were up 11-3 but the bullpen made it way too interesting. Paredes was 2-3 with a 2 walks, a 2-run double and a solo homer, and Rosario and Caminero each had 3 hits and an RBI with the latter's coming on a triple.

May 5 vs NY Mets 5-4 W. WP-Pepiot (4-2, 6 5 2 2 1 2). LP-Odorizzi (0-1). S-Adam (4). Rays strung together two straight wins but once again needed Adam to rescue the game as a 5-2 lead dwindled to 5-4. Yandy and Rortvedt each had 2 hits and an RBI.

Record: 16-19, last in the AL East 8 1/2 back and 3 out of the third wild card.

Rays News: Amed Rosario (.353) and Jose Caballero (10) lead the AL in batting average and SBs respectively.

Down on the farm:



Keegan's bat is for real but he's a 35 catcher.

MLB News: AL Player of the Week was Adolis Garcia of Texas who was 12-25 with 7(!) homers. NL was the Giants' Austin Slater, 8 for 18 with 4 HR and 7 RBI. Freddie Freeman had a 5-5 game, but his Dodgers lost that and two others to Atlanta in a clash of the titans.

[Art Deco]

May 6 vs Chicago White Sox 0-5 L. LP-Alexander (1-1, 6 8 3 3 2 6). 3 measly hits as for the 4th time in 4 tries the Rays can't beat MLB's worst team. Perhaps they are the worst team.

May 7 vs Chicago White Sox 4-11 L. LP-Eflin (1-5, 5 11 7 7 1 5). HR-Paredes (10). There isn't much more to say.

May 8 vs Chicago White Sox 2-8 L. LP-Civale (2-4, 3.1 6 5 5 4 2). HR-Caminero (1), Pinto (4). Outscored 24-6 by the White Sox at home and swept by them in the season series is no way to go through life. The offense has been bad all year but now the pitching is its lousy equal and the scouts have downgraded the stuff of several of our hurlers in the past week. Highlight of the day was an inside-the-park homer from Caminero.

May 9 Off Day. A rare day in which they didn't lose.

May 10 vs NY Yankees 7-10 L. LP-Alexander (1-2). Starter-Littell (3.2 6 4 4 3 7). HR-Paredes 2 (12). The offense finally perks up but the pitching gets even worse as this ill-fated season of the Rays continues. One guy who can hold his head up with pride is Paredes, who is hitting 275/365/566 with 12 HR and 26 RBI in 39 games and added 2 and 4 tonight.

May 11 vs NY Yankees 5-8 L. LP-Adam (1-2). Starter-Pepiot (4 6 5 5 4 4). HR-Rosario (3), H.Ramirez (2) Back-to-back homers in 8th from Rosario and Harold (pinch-hitting) got them level at 5 but current closer Jason Adam gave up 3 in the 9th to lose it, probably due to rust since we haven't had any save situations of late. This team is as depressing to play in OOTP as they are to watch in real life.

May 12: vs NY Yankees 4-2 W. WP-Maton (1-2). S-J.Lopez (1). Starter-Eflin (5 8 2 2 1 2). Yandy's RBI double in the 8th broke a 2-2 tie and Paredes doubled him home for his 2nd RBI two-bagger of the day as the Rays broke a 5-game losing streak.

Record: 17-24. 11 behind Baltimore in the East and 6 back of the third wild card as the bottom continues to fall out. I've already started shopping free-agent-to-be Amed Rosario who's off to a hot start and might start dealing anyone else who isn't nailed down.

MLB News: AL Player of the Week is just-recalled White Sox rookie 3B Colson Montgomery who was 8-14 with 3 HR and 11 RBI, much of that against us in the early-week series. NL honors go to Mookie Betts, who was 11-24 with 5 HR and 11 RBI.

[CBLCardinals]

GO RAYS!

I enjoy following all of your RAYS adventures. They are a fun team to play due to small market and brutal AL East is always super competitive.

#RAYSUP

[Art Deco]

A couple of transactions I neglected to mention from last week - IF/DH Jonathan Aranda and SP Taj Bradley were activated from their rehab assignments while Niko Goodrum and Manuel Rodriguez went down to Durham.

Given that this team is going nowhere fast, I pulled the trigger on an Amed Rosario deal as he's a free agent at year's end:



As you can see it was over the objections of AGM Erik Neander but I felt it was the best offer we got for Rosario, who is a useful utility guy with some upside but wasn't going to command a king's ransom. And I'm quite happy to add Campusano, a good-hitting catcher who's decent defensively. Also we picked up Ornelas, who profiles as a potentially useful 4th OF type. To make room for Campusano, Ben Rortvedt was optioned to Durham and taking Rosario's place is another injury returnee, OF Jonny DeLuca, acquired in the Glasnow trade this past offseason. He'll give us a RH bench bat and will platoon with Josh Lowe in RF.

Shawn Armstrong is the only other free agent although if we were to keep everyone our payroll would balloon to $140M next year which is something Stu Sternberg isn't going to abide. So Zach Eflin ($18M) and Brandon Lowe, Jeffrey Springs, Yandy Diaz and Randy Arozarena (all projected around $10-11M) are all trade bait. Too bad they're all having terrible seasons or in the case of Springs, hurt. Also you can bet the $7.8M team option on Phil Maton will not be exercised.

May 13 at Boston: 4-5 L. LP-E.Ramirez (0-1). Starter-Bradley (6 5 2 2 1 5). HR-Aranda (1), Y.Diaz (3). Should have been a win at 4-2 in the 9th but Jason Adam walked 3 guys, gave up a run, left two on and we had to bring Erasmo in since everyone else was tired, and he proceeded to load the bases and give up a game-losing 2-run single. And in his Rays debut Luis Campusano doubled twice and then was hit on the hand with a pitch, breaking it and will be out a month. Unbelievable.

Transaction: Campusano goes on the IL and Rortvedt is back up while Pete Fairbanks is activated off the IL and Erasmo Ramirez is designated for assignment.

May 14 at Boston: 8-6 W. WP-Civale (3-4, 5.2 11 4 4 0 6). S-Fairbanks (4). HR-Caminero (2), Siri (3). Yandy and Siri had massive games with the former banging out 4 hits and driving in 2 and the latter homering and knocking in 4 including a 3-run shot in the 6th off Rays Spring Training invitee Nayouki Uwasama to break a 4-4 tie. Fairbanks converted the save in his first appearance off the IL.

May 15 at Boston: 10-8 W. WP-Armstrong (1-1). S-Fairbanks (5). Starter-Littell (4.2 6 4 4 1 3). HR-Aranda (2), Y.Diaz (4). Another wild win where the Rays kept taking leads and losing them before a 5-run 8th highlighted by a bases-clearing Jose Caballero double. Aranda was 2-2 with a walk, homer and 3 RBI.

May 16 at Boston: 7-3 W. WP-Pepiot (5-2, 5 7 2 2 2 5). HR-Pinto (5). A season-high third straight win with Jonny DeLuca doubling twice and driving in a pair for his first contributions as a Ray while Jose Caballero had another big double knocking in a pair.

Transaction: Still another injury return as lefty reliever Colin Poche is back and Jacob Lopez is returned to the Bulls.

May 17 at Toronto: 5-8 L. LP-Eflin (1-6, 5 5 5 5 2 5). HR-H.Ramirez (3), Siri (4). An early 4-1 went by the wayside as Eflin's struggles continued.

May 18 at Toronto: 8-12 L. LP-Adam (1-3). Starter-Bradley (5 6 4 4 2 2). HR-Caminero (3). The offense has finally gotten its act together on this road trip but the pitching staff still hasn't gotten the memo and leads of 3-0 and 6-3 vanished in another disheartening defeat. Rays pitching allowed 7(!) homers including 3 to Danny Jansen and they actually led 8-6 in the 7th before Adam crapped the bed again, giving up 4 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits in only 2/3 of an inning.

May 19 at Toronto: 4-6 L. LP-Civale (3-5, 5 7 5 5 2 3). HR-Siri (5), Caballero (3). Whatever good vibes came out of the Boston series have dissipated completely after the Rays scored 17 runs in Toronto over the weekend and left with nothing to show for it. Once perennially one of the best defensive teams in baseball the Rays this year are dead last (30th) in MLB in defensive efficiency as they seem to allow double-digit hits in almost every game. One culprit is the phenom Caminero, who's a butcher at 2B but is hitting a robust 333/426/561 with 3 HR and 9 RBI in 16 games and still has 0.6 WAR in that span which would translate to 5-6 over a full season.

Record: 20-28, now 14 1/2 and 7 back in the division and wild card. Barring a massive turnaround in the next month there's going to be a lot of players for sale. Upcoming: Back to the Trop for a pair of series against Boston and Kansas City.

MLB News: AL PotW is Houston's Jeremy Pena, 11-20 with 4 HR and 15 RBI while the NL winner is LA's Freddie Freeman, 11-22 with 3 HR and 9 RBI.

Also winning player of the week honors on the farm was this guy:



We could be seeing him sooner than later as he's baseball's #15 prospect, a plus-plus defensive SS (something we can use) and his bat has rapidly developed.

[Art Deco]

Only transaction this week was to activate Taylor Walls from his rehab assignment at Durham and option him there since I prefer to keep Richie Palacios up.

May 20 vs Boston: 4-3 W. WP-Fairbanks (1-2). Starter-Littell (6 6 2 2 1 6). HR-Y.Diaz (5). Bullpen blew a 3-1 lead but Harold Ramirez came off the bench to deliver a walk-off pinch-single. Yandy knocked in the other 3 with a homer and a double.

May 21 vs Boston: 7-5 W. WP-Cleavinger (4-0). S-Fairbanks (6). Starter-Pepiot (5.1 9 5 5 0 7). No homers today but 7 doubles including a pair from Caballero, who knocked in 3, and Pinto, who knocked in two. Cleavinger turned in 2 2/3 scoreless for the win.

May 22 vs Boston: 4-8 L. LP-Eflin (1-7, 5 8 5 5 1 3). Another rough outing from last year's ace Eflin.

May 23 Off Day.

May 24 vs Kansas City 6-7 L. LP-Adam (1-4). Starter-Bradley (4.1 4 4 3 3 5). HR-Paredes (13), Siri (6). A tough one as Adam gave up 2 in the 9th after the Rays had come to back to tie at 5, marking Adam's fourth straight appearance allowing 2 or more runs. Paredes had a 3-run shot.

May 25 vs Kansas City 6-3 W. WP-Civale (4-5, 6 7 2 2 1 8). HR-Caballero (4), Caminero (4). It was the game of Junior Caminero's young MLB career as he was 2-3 with a homer and 4 RBI to lead the Rays to a tidy win.

May 26 vs Kansas City 5-3 W. WP-Littell (3-2, 5.2 7 3 3 2 2). S-Fairbanks (7). HR-Arozarena (4), Paredes (14), Caminero (5). It's been a very rough season for Randy but today his 2-run homer in the first was the big hit with Paredes going back-to-back with him and the bullpen holding strong for a change.

Record: 24-30. Still 14 back in the division and now 5 in the wild card. Next week: An off-day then 3 at home vs Oakland and 3 in Baltimore against the 38-15 Orioles.

MLB News: AL Player of the Week is Boston's Wilyer Abreu, 11-24 with 5 HR and 10 RBI. NL recipient is Atlanta's Michael Harris II, 13-28 with 2 HR, 6 RBI and 9 runs scored.

[Art Deco]

May 27: Off.

May 28 vs Oakland: 5-4 W. WP-Eflin (2-7, 6 5 3 3 2 5). S-Fairbanks (8). HR-Rortvedt (1). Rortvedt's first homer of the year was an early 2-run shot and Josh Lowe contributed an RBI triple.

May 29 vs Oakland: 3-2 W. WP-Kelly (2-0). S-Adam (4). Starter-Pepiot (5 7 1 1 2 8). HR-Arozarena (5). Randy's solo homer in the 6th put them up 2-1 and they never lost the lead after that as the Rays now have their first 4-game win streak of the year.

May 30 vs Oakland: 7-1 W. WP-Bradley (1-0, 7 2 1 0 1 7). HR-Arozarena (6), Caminero (6). Taj pitched one of the best games of the season, Randy's 3-run homer keyed a 5-run 3rd and the Rays completed the sweep and ran their win streak to 5.

May 31 at Baltimore 5-8 L. LP-Poche (0-2). Starter-Civale (5.1 5 2 1 2 3). HR-Aranda (3). Rays led this one 5-1 in the 5th and Civale left up 5-2 before the bullpen gave up 6 runs to lose it, 5 of which were allowed by Armstrong and Poche.

June 1 at Baltimore: 4-5 L. LP-Armstrong (1-2). Starter-Littell (4 7 4 4 0 2). Although Armstrong took the loss, this one was on Littell as the Rays lost a 4-run lead for the second straight day after the righty was entrusted with a 4-0 lead thanks in large part to Josh Lowe's 2-run double.

June 2 at Baltimore: 1-4 L. LP-Eflin (2-8, 5.2 8 4 4 4 2). Any thoughts of climbing back into the wild card race after winning 5 straight and 7 of 9 were dealt a severe blow after this sweep in Baltimore. They did take a (short-lived) lead for the third straight day but couldn't score again after the 1st.

Record: 27-33. Next week: An off-day, 2 in Miami, another off-day, then 3 more against Baltimore, this time at the Trop (as part of a 4-game wraparound series that concludes the following Monday).

Transactions: During the week Colorado returned pitcher Anthony Molina to us after taking him in last winter's Rule 5 Draft. Also we've activated Shane Baz from his rehab assignment and sent Tyler Alexander to Durham. The question is whether Baz will join the rotation since there isn't an obvious opening although Zac Eflin should probably be demoted given how poorly he's pitched (2-8, 5.83) as our nominal ace. Still his big free agent contract will likely keep him afloat.

MLB News: The monthly awards for May:

AL Batter: Kyle Tucker (HOU) .311-10-18
NL Batter: Freddie Freeman (LA) .365-6-17
AL Pitcher: Max Scherzer (TEX) 4-0, 1.39, 5/35 BB/K in 32 IP
NL Pitcher: Woo-Suk Go (SD) 4-0, 1.17, 6 saves
AL Rookie: Wilyer Abreu (BOS) .361-9-17
NL Rookie: Jackson Chourio (MIL) .323-2-17

The weekly awards:
AL: Vinny Pasquantino (KC), 17-31 (.548), 5 HR, 18 RBI
NL: Nico Hoerner (CHI), 9-18 (.500), 3 HR, 5 RBI

Also our Carson Williams was named the SL Batter of the Month after hitting .327-10-37 while Tre Morgan was named the Carolina League Player of the Week going 13-26 with 2 HR and 10 RBI.

[Art Deco]

An eventful week, details after the game summaries.

June 3: Off Day

June 4: at Miami 5-9 L. LP-Pepiot (5-3, 4.1 6 5 5 4 4). HR-DeLuca (1). DeLuca was 3-5 with a homer, not much else to write home about.

June 5: at Miami 6-2 W. WP-Bradley (5.1 4 2 2 3 4). HR-Pinto (6), Siri (7). Taj was terrific and Parades' 2-run triple was the big hit.

June 6: Off Day

June 7: vs Baltimore 4-7 L. LP-Fairbanks (1-3). Starter-Civale (6 5 3 2 4 5). Rays just can't seem to beat the Orioles as they took a 4-3 lead into the 9th before Fairbanks melted down. Before that Paredes had a couple of RBI singles to help them to the lost lead.

June 8: vs Baltimore 3-5 L. LP-Baz (0-1, 5.1 4 3 3 6 3). Shane Baz made his 2024 debut and perhaps the rust showed a bit as he was unusually wild, walking 6.

June 9: vs Baltimore 6-5 W (10). WP-Cleavinger (5-0). Starter-Pepiot (6 3 1 1 3 3). Finally a win over Baltimore, although they had to come back to do it after blowing a 4-1 lead in the 8th when Jason Adam gave up 4 runs on a pair of homers. They loaded the bases after two out and nobody on in the 9th and got a bases-loaded walk from J.Lowe to tie it and then in the 10th Brandon Lowe singled home the winner as part of his second 3-hit performance in as many games since being activated.

Record: 29-36. Next up: one more game at home vs Baltimore, the Cubs follow for 3 at the Trop and then we go to Atlanta for 3.

This team is going nowhere fast, so it was time for some deals:

First, we dealt Harold Ramirez to Cleveland for reliever Nic Enright, who's capable to pitching in a big-league pen (rated 55/50/55) but will be at Durham for now. To replace Harold we brought back Curtis Mead, who wasn't hitting much at Durham either but will take his role as DH vs LHP.

Then we made a somewhat larger deal:



Eflin has been lousy this year after being so good in 2023 and while I would have liked to give him a shot at bouncing back the fact remains that his salary for 2025 is $18M and with $146M needed to bring everyone back next year, an amount Stu Sternberg will never pay (at least until he gets his new stadium), costs had to be cut. A few weeks back nobody wanted Eflin but this time the Padres were interested and they offered us Vasquez, who had a very good 2.74 ERA in 46 IP with a 19/45 BB/K ratio. That ERA was helped along by a .267 BABIP so he's not that good, and he's rated 50/50/45 (with potential to bump the movement and control up 5) and 45 stamina. For now he'll pitch in long relief as Baz takes Eflin's rotation spot.

Also as you may have surmised from the game summaries above Brandon Lowe was activated after a brief rehab with the Bulls, and Jonathan Aranda was sent back to Durham. Aranda had shown some signs of life at 234/338/432 and he's viewed with potential to be a 298/376/489 hitter so we're by no means giving up on him, just making room. Also Luis Campusano, injured in his first game after being acquired in our previous deal with the Padres, was activated with Ben Rortvedt going down.

EDIT: Forgot my players of the week:

AL: Aaron Judge (NYY), 9-24, 5 HR, 12 RBI
NL: Ozzie Albies (ATL), 9-24, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 7 RS

Also Dominic Keegan won again at AA Montgomery after a 9-16, 1 HR, 3 RBI week.

One interesting MLB trade where Arizona sent prospects including Slade Cecconi to the Angels for closer Carlos Estevez.

[Art Deco]

June 10: vs Baltimore 7-5 W. WP-Kelly (3-0). S-Maton (1). Starter-Littell (4.2 5 2 2 4 5). Thanks to a 6-run 2nd the Rays built a 7-0 lead and as usual had to watch Baltimore chip away at it before ultimately holding on. A 2-run single from Yandy and a 2-run double from J.Lowe were the big hits.

Transactions: The win over the Orioles was costly as starting SS Jose Caballero fractured a foot and will miss 3 weeks while CF Jose Siri strained his oblique and will be out 3-4 weeks. Oselvis Basabe, who filled in at SS last year when Wander had to go away, and OF Kameron Misner are up from Durham. This would have been Taylor Walls' big chance to return but he strained his groin and is out until mid-late July.

June 11: vs Chicago Cubs 7-6 W. WP-Maton (2-2). S-Fairbanks (9). Starter-Bradley (5.2 6 4 2 1 6). HR-B.Lowe (2), Paredes (15), Caminero (8), J.Lowe (1). Once again the Rays lost a healthy lead, up 5-2 before Chicago got 4 in the 6th. But 2 runs in the 7th, including J.Lowe's first homer of the year won it. Paredes was 3-3 with a double, HR and 2 RBI.

June 12: vs Chicago Cubs 6-13 L (10). LP-Poche (0-3). Starter-Civale (6 6 5 5 2 4). HR-B.Lowe (3), Arozarena (8). Rays lost a 6-5 lead in the 8th and then the roof caved in during the 10th as Chicago scored 7 times off Poche and the hapless Shawn Armstrong. Randy had a rare 3-hit game this season.

June 13: vs Chicago Cubs 9-2 W. WP-Baz (1-1, 5.2 3 2 2 3 8). HR-Palacios 2 (5), Caminero (9). Rays played perhaps their most complete game of the season in romping over the Cubs with Palacios homering twice, Paredes delivering a bases-clearing double, and Baz with his first win in two years thanks to a dominating performance.

June 14: at Atlanta 2-15 L. LP-Pepiot (5-4, 3 9 6 6 1 5). Once again after a nice run at home the Rays go on the road to be pasted by one of MLB's elite. Things got so bad Kameron Misner pitched in the 8th.

June 15: at Atlanta 2-11 L. LP-Littell (3-3, 3 12 9 9 2 1). Another ass-kicking from Atlanta with Littell left in to take a beating since the pen was exhausted yesterday but still had to cover 5 innings.

June 16: at Atlanta 2-4 L. LP-Bradley (2-1, 5 8 4 4 2 1). The best thing you can say about this one is that it wasn't a blowout but it ended up a sweep nonetheless.

Record: 32-40. Next week: A day off then 3 in Minnesota followed by 3 in Pittsburgh.

MLB News: Players of the Week:

AL: Rafael Devers (BOS), .579-2-7
NL: TJ Friedl (CIN), 9-19, 2 HR, 13 RBI

Also on the Monday after the week ended Pittsburgh's Jack Suwinski joined numerous others in tying the record for HR in a game with 4 against Cincinnati, although it might have been the lowest-scoring game with a 4-HR performance as the Pirates beat the Reds 5-3 with Suwinski knocking in all five runs. Elsewhere Toronto's Danny Jansen had a 3-homer game the same day, Jansen's 2nd such game of the season after doing it against the Rays last month.

[Art Deco]

June 17: Off

June 18: at Minnesota 1-0 W. WP-Civale (6-5, 6 3 0 0 1 9). S-Fairbanks (10). Four pitchers combined on a 3-hit shutout and the game's only run scored on an error in the 3rd.

June 19: at Minnesota 7-11 L. LP-Vazquez (0-1). Starter-Baz (2.2 7 6 6 3 4). HR-Mead (2), J.Lowe 2 (3). In a 180 from yesterday the Rays fell behind 5-0, came back to tie at 6, but then saw the pen give up 5 more runs to lose. J.Lowe was 3-5 with 2 homers in the loss.

June 20: at Minnesota 5-3 W. WP-Pepiot (6-4, 6 5 0 0 1 5). S-Fairbanks (11). HR-B.Lowe (4), Arozarena (9). A 5-0 lead turned dicey after the bullpen got involved with Jason Adam giving up multiple runs again, but they held on to take the series.

June 21: at Pittsburgh 3-4 L (11). LP-Cleavinger (5-1). Starter-Littell (5 9 3 3 1 4). HR-J.Lowe (4). We battled rookie sensation Paul Skenes to a draw but couldn't score in the 10th or 11th. Cleavinger then came on in the 11th, walked a man, hit a man, and gave up an RBI single to lose it without getting an out.

June 22: at Pittsburgh 0-4 L. LP-Bradley (2-2, 5 5 2 2 3 7). The bats were AWOL, managing only 5 hits.

Time for a huge trade:



Yes the man who was probably the face of the franchise is dealt (although strangely I didn't get a "fan interest crashed" message after the trade was made). I was shopping prospect packages and Detroit made this offer which I felt compelled to take. Randy was set to make 8 figures in arbitration next year even with the down season he's had and we have to keep shedding payroll with all the raises due next year. The package we received is intriguing if a bit flawed as like Randy (and moreso), Tork has been miserable this year after hitting 31 HR last season but he's still a power bat with pedigree. Meadows, brother of former Ray Austin, gives us a 70-rated CF to platoon with the mercurial Jose Siri, and Olson has had some MLB success in both the rotation and relief, although he'll start out at Durham. Kameron Misner was sent down to make room for Meadows. The odd question is why Detroit wanted Arozarena, given they have as poor a record as us. Apparently they feel he's more of a proven vet they can build around and his higher salary and two more years of team control aren't issues for their higher payroll.

June 23: at Pittsburgh 4-8 L. LP-Civale (5-6, 2.1 7 6 6 3 3). HR-B.Lowe (5). After pitching his best game of the season Civale pitches his worst. Tork was 0-3 with a walk and P.Meadows 0-4 in their Rays debuts.

Record: 34-44. Next week: Back home for 3 against Seattle and 3 against Washington with an off-day in between.

MLB Players of the Week:

AL: Tyler O'Neill (BOS), 10-28, 6 HR, 11 RBI. O'Neill has hit 24 HR in only 237 AB this season in a great pickup for the Sox.
NL: Elias Diaz (COL): 10-21, 3 HR, 8 RBI.

Also earning player of the week awards was our own prospect Xavier Isaac, getting the SL nod for going 7-20 with 4 HR and 10 RBI. Isaac has 23 HR and 65 RBI between Montgomery and High-A Bowling Green this season and just had the scouts upgrade his potential power to 70. Looking forward to seeing Isaac, Carson Williams and Junior Caminero together in the big-league lineup and that might happen as soon as next year.

[Art Deco]

June 24: vs Seattle 5-3 W. WP-Baz (2-1, 6 7 2 2 2 3). S-Fairbanks (12). HR-J.Lowe (5), P.Meadows (1/5). The new guys contributed to the win as Parker Meadows had a 2-run homer and Spencer Torkelson a 2-run double to lead the Rays to a series-opening win.

June 25: vs Seattle 3-1 W. WP-Pepiot (7-4, 6 5 1 1 3 3). S-Fairbanks (13). HR-J.Lowe (6). Josh Lowe homered for the third straight day and fifth time in as many games, Paredes was 4-4 and Pepiot was excellent in a tidy win.

June 26: vs Seattle 4-5 L. LP-Littell (3-4, 5.1 5 4 4 4 6). HR-Paredes (16), B.Lowe (6), Diaz (6). Yandy had 3 hits including a homer but it wasn't enough today.

June 27: Off Day.

June 28: vs Washington 5-3 W. WP-Bradley (3-2, 7.2 1 0 0 4 8). S-Fairbanks (14). HR-Campusano (1/3). Taj Bradley pitched the game of his MLB career, finishing four outs short of a no-hitter before Nasim Nunez's single ended his day. On the other side Campusano hit his first homer as a Ray, a 2-run shot, to spark the offense. Yandy continues to heat up with another 3-hit game.

June 29: vs Washington 10-2 W. WP-Maton (3-2). Starter-Civale (5 3 2 2 3 6). HR-Paredes 2 (18). Isaac Paredes should be the Rays' All-Star representative as he's having a great year and today's 2-homer, 5-RBI performance punctuated that. This was actually a 2-2 game in the 7th before they got a 2-run single from B.Lowe before breaking it open with 6 in the 8th including a 2-run J.Lowe double.

June 30: vs Washington 2-6 L (10). LP-Fairbanks (1-4). Starter-Baz (6 5 2 2 2 10). Once again they couldn't complete the series sweep as Fairbanks gave up a 2-out go-ahead hit in the 10th and then Colin Poche relieved him only to give up a 3-run homer to Keibert Ruiz. As a result a dominating start from Baz was wasted.

Record: 38-46. Next week: After an off day we hit the road for 3 in Kansas City and 3 at Texas.

Players of the Week:

AL: Giancarlo Stanton (NY), 9-27, 6 HR, 10 RBI
NL: Wilmer Flores (SF), 11-25, 3 HR, 6 RBI

Players of the Month for June:

AL Batter: Aaron Judge (NY), .333-17-37
NL Batter: TJ Friedl (CIN), .393-6-26
AL Pitcher: David Festa (MIN), 4-1, 1.52, 32 Ks in 29.2 IP
NL Pitcher: Kodai Senga (NY), 5-0, 2.04, 28 Ks in 35 IP
AL Rookie: Festa
NL Rookie: Gordon Gracetto (STL), 3-0, 1.62, 24 Ks in 33.2 IP

Since we're at the halfway mark of the season, time to look at the MLB standings and Rays stats to date:



If someone had told me when the season began that the Rays would have a better record than the Dodgers at midseason, I'd have said "Yay, great!".



Nothing but ugly here, and Pythagoreas says they've overachieving.



As mentioned, Paredes is far and away the club's MVP with nobody else really distinguishing themselves although B.Lowe has been very good since coming off the IL.



The starters have actually pitched decently this year, except for the departed Eflin, and have mainly been the victims of the team's uncharacteristically horrid defense. The bullpen on the other hand has been dreadful on its own.



At least the future looks semi-bright as Williams, Isaac and Keegan look to join Caminero to form a potentially exciting core for the second half of the decade. We'll have to get the pitching up to snuff somehow but if the likes of McClanahan, Springs and Rasmussen can regain health and effectiveness they'll form quite a formidable rotation with holdovers like Taj, Baz and Pepiot. The bullpen will need a lot of work, though.

[Art Deco]

Transaction: Jose Caballero comes off the IL and Oselvis Basabe goes back to Durham.

July 1: Off Day.

July 2: at Kansas City 2-9 L. LP-Pepiot (7-5, 5 5 3 3 2 5). Nothing pretty about this one.

July 3: at Kansas City 3-1 W. WP-Littell (4-4, 6 3 1 1 4 5). S-Fairbanks (14). HR-Paredes (19). Littell was sharp and Paredes drove in all 3 runs with a 2-run homer and a sac fly.

July 4: at Kansas City 9-2 W. WP-Bradley (4-2, 7 9 2 2 1 7). HR-Mead (3), Torkelson (1). A 7-run 5th keyed by Mead's grand slam led the Rays to their third straight series win. Also our long national nightmare is over as Spencer Torkelson finally hit his first homer of 2024 - not just with us but for the entire season.

July 5: at Texas 3-4 L. LP-Baz (2-2, 5.2 6 4 4 0 4). HR-Y.Diaz (7), Pinto (7). Rays came up just short in this one but Yandy stayed toasty going 2-4 with a homer.

July 6: at Texas 9-2 W. WP-Civale (6-6, 5 5 1 1 1 8). HR-Paredes (20), B.Lowe (7). Civale was excellent and Luis Campusano drove in 3 with a pair of hits.

July 7: at Texas 2-7 L. LP-Pepiot (7-6, 4 7 4 4 1 8). HR-Paredes (21). Pepiot fanned 8 but couldn't keep the ball in the park, giving up 3 homers as the Rays dropped the series.

Record: 41-49. Next week: An off-day before a homestand that brings the Yankees and Cleveland each in for 3 games before we hit the All-Star break. Also the Amateur Draft where we'll have the 18th overall pick.

Players of the Week:

AL: Evan Carter (TEX) 14-25, 4 HR, 14 RBI. He did much of that damage against us, including a 2 HR, 5 RBI game in the series finale.

NL: Jazz Chisholm Jr. (MIA) 14-25, 2 HR, 6 RBI.

[Art Deco]

July 8: Off Day.

July 9: vs NY Yankees 5-1 W. WP-Littell (5-4, 6.2 4 1 1 3 2). B.Lowe and Pinto had 2-run singles and Littell pitched well.

July 10: vs NY Yankees 14-2 W. WP-Olson (1-0). Starter-Bradley (4.2 0 1 1 4 3). HR-Caminero (10), Paredes (22), J.Lowe (7), Y.Diaz (8), Torkelson (2). Paredes knocked in 4 and Yandy 3 as the Rays romped. The only one who couldn't celebrate that loud was Taj, who couldn't make it through the 5th and pick up an easy win - he fell one out short at 103 pitches with some control issues.

July 11: vs NY Yankees 3-6 L. LP-Baz (2-3, 4.2 9 6 6 1 7). HR-Caminero 2 (12), Paredes (23). Baz got his Ks but was hit hard otherwise as the Rays couldn't quite complete the sweep.

July 12: vs Cleveland 6-5 W. WP-Civale (7-6, 6 5 1 1 1 4). S-Fairbanks (16). HR-Y.Diaz (9). Rays took care of the AL-best (59-34 coming in) Guardians although they almost blew a 6-1 lead after 7. Fairbanks got the shakiest of saves, walking 3 (and whiffing 3) in the 9th. The Yandyssaince continued as he had 3 more hits including a homer.

Transaction: Lefty Andrew Saalfrank, whom we claimed on waivers last month and then got hurt (I think I failed to mention this at the time) was activated and Reese Olson sent to Durham.

July 13: vs Cleveland 3-1 W. WP-Pepiot (8-6, 8 2 0 0 3 6). S-Adam (5). HR-Paredes (24). Pepiot pitched a career-high 8 shutout innings and Paredes knocked in all 3 runs on a 2-run homer and sac fly.

Transaction: Jose Siri was activated and Jonny DeLuca was optioned to Durham.

July 14: vs Cleveland 2-4 L. LP-Kelly (3-1). Starter-Littell (5.2 4 1 1 4 4). HR-Pinto (8). For the umpteenth time the Rays had a chance to sweep and lost the third game with Cleavinger giving up a 3-run homer in the 7th with two of Kelly's runners aboard to lose it.

Record: 45-51. Slowly getting better but still well off the playoff pace. Next week: The All-Star break, after which we resume on Friday in New York against the Yankees, where we'll play a 4-game wraparound series including the following Monday.

Players of the Week:

AL: Cal Raleigh (SEA), 6-15, 5 HR, 11 RBI.
NL: Austin Riley (ATL), 10-23, 4 HR, 9 RBI.

Meanwhile our heavy-hitting catching prospect Dominic Keegan was named SL Player of the Week after going 9-15 with 3 HR and 6 RBI for AA Montgomery.

Also one of our DSL squads played this epic game:



Next post: The 2024 Amateur Draft.

[Art Deco]

Here's how the first round went across MLB for those interested:



Kansas City always takes the Gator (see Jackson Kowar & Brady Singer).

Meanwhile we were thrilled to get a potential frontline starter in Hagen Smith at #18. Here's how our draft went:



Smith has 75/55/50 potential and we'll be assigning him to Low-A Charleston to see how he fares in the pros. With the new complex league schedules, most of these guys won't play until 2025. Notes on some other picks:

Fountain: LSU commit with 75 power and 50 contact potential. Listed as a 3B, he'll probably end up at 1B since the glove looks poor.

Shields: Here's hoping he's half as good as former Rays stalwart starter James. A high-school starter with some polish and 70 stuff and 60 control potential but could be prone to the longball with 45 HRA movement.

Russell: A lefty high school starter with a similar profile to Shields but only 65 stuff potential.

Davila: A high school OF with broad-based potential but none of it off the charts.

Also we drafted some bloodlines in the 8th round with Noah Sheffield, son of Gary, and in the 10th with Max McGwire, son of Mark. Both play their dads' positions as youngsters, SS and 1B respectively.

[Art Deco]

The teams:

Selected to play for the American League All-Stars are:

SP Tyler Anderson (LAA) - 5-7, 4.15 ERA, 95.1 IP, 1.31 WHIP, 7.2 K/9, 1.4 WAR
SP Luis Castillo (SEA) - 9-6, 3.47 ERA, 111.2 IP, 1.10 WHIP, 9.0 K/9, 2.5 WAR (Injured)
SP Cristian Javier (HOU) - 6-2, 2.93 ERA, 83.0 IP, 1.29 WHIP, 8.2 K/9, 1.3 WAR
SP Carlos Rodón (NYY) - 6-5, 2.99 ERA, 96.1 IP, 1.31 WHIP, 8.7 K/9, 1.5 WAR
SP Max Scherzer (TEX) - 6-2, 2.51 ERA, 68.0 IP, 0.78 WHIP, 9.9 K/9, 1.8 WAR
SP Tarik Skubal (DET) - 9-3, 3.00 ERA, 105.0 IP, 1.02 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, 3.0 WAR
SP Framber Valdez (HOU)* - 5-4, 3.49 ERA, 87.2 IP, 1.36 WHIP, 9.7 K/9, 1.7 WAR
SP Bruce Zimmermann (BAL) - 6-2, 2.58 ERA, 69.2 IP, 0.98 WHIP, 7.2 K/9, 2.1 WAR
RP Yennier Cano (BAL) - 3-3, 2.47 ERA, 62.0 IP, 1.26 WHIP, 8.3 K/9, 0.7 WAR
RP Emmanuel Clase (CLE)* - 2-3, 17 SV, 2.35 ERA, 38.1 IP, 0.97 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 0.8 WAR
RP Erick Fedde (CWS) - 4-3, 3.52 ERA, 79.1 IP, 1.29 WHIP, 8.2 K/9, 1.2 WAR
RP Clay Holmes (NYY) - 4-1, 12 SV, 1.37 ERA, 39.1 IP, 1.40 WHIP, 8.9 K/9, 0.5 WAR
RP Michael Lorenzen (TEX) - 7-1, 3.86 ERA, 60.2 IP, 1.20 WHIP, 7.9 K/9, 0.9 WAR
CL Jordan Romano (TOR) - 3-1, 17 SV, 1.60 ERA, 33.2 IP, 0.98 WHIP, 11.0 K/9, 1.4 WAR
C Danny Jansen (TOR) - .240/.338/.567, 208 AB, 19 HR, 133 wRC+, 2.4 WAR
C Ryan Jeffers (MIN)* - .238/.341/.440, 277 AB, 15 HR, 110 wRC+, 1.4 WAR
C Bo Naylor (CLE) - .284/.405/.528, 250 AB, 14 HR, 4 SB, 150 wRC+, 3.0 WAR
C Salvador Perez (KC)* - .316/.367/.604, 225 AB, 16 HR, 149 wRC+, 2.5 WAR
C Cal Raleigh (SEA) - .264/.342/.545, 277 AB, 24 HR, 133 wRC+, 3.1 WAR
C Adley Rutschman (BAL) - .305/.357/.483, 331 AB, 14 HR, 123 wRC+, 2.9 WAR
1B Ryan O'Hearn (BAL) - .328/.375/.574, 305 AB, 19 HR, 4 SB, 149 wRC+, 2.5 WAR
2B Jose Altuve (HOU)* - .289/.369/.531, 356 AB, 20 HR, 10 SB, 137 wRC+, 2.9 WAR
2B Jackson Holliday (BAL) - .297/.388/.561, 269 AB, 16 HR, 25 SB, 150 wRC+, 3.6 WAR
3B Rafael Devers (BOS) - .279/.352/.584, 315 AB, 22 HR, 2 SB, 138 wRC+, 3.1 WAR
3B Aledmys Diaz (OAK) - .245/.303/.393, 163 AB, 4 HR, 88 wRC+, 0.5 WAR
3B Isaac Paredes (TB) - .283/.364/.569, 332 AB, 24 HR, 144 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
3B Jose Ramirez (CLE)* - .298/.364/.565, 356 AB, 20 HR, 9 SB, 142 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
3B Justin Turner (TOR) - .310/.383/.506, 326 AB, 14 HR, 138 wRC+, 2.3 WAR
SS Gunnar Henderson (BAL)* - .285/.370/.575, 355 AB, 25 HR, 16 SB, 145 wRC+, 4.1 WAR
LF Tyler O'Neill (BOS)* - .304/.390/.612, 312 AB, 27 HR, 9 SB, 154 wRC+, 3.6 WAR
CF Luis Robert Jr. (CWS)* - .288/.330/.572, 257 AB, 19 HR, 7 SB, 131 wRC+, 2.6 WAR
CF George Springer (TOR) - .289/.387/.537, 311 AB, 20 HR, 13 SB, 146 wRC+, 2.9 WAR
RF Josh Naylor (CLE)* - .310/.370/.595, 348 AB, 24 HR, 6 SB, 149 wRC+, 2.9 WAR
RF Juan Soto (NYY)* - .303/.432/.541, 327 AB, 21 HR, 3 SB, 164 wRC+, 4.1 WAR
RF Kyle Tucker (HOU) - .303/.403/.614, 350 AB, 30 HR, 13 SB, 167 wRC+, 4.6 WAR


The National League All-Stars will have these players on their roster:

SP Gordon Graceffo (STL) - 4-3, 3.86 ERA, 67.2 IP, 1.12 WHIP, 6.5 K/9, 0.7 WAR
SP Derek Holland (SF) - 7-2, 1.90 ERA, 66.1 IP, 1.06 WHIP, 8.4 K/9, 2.2 WAR
SP Nick Lodolo (CIN) - 6-4, 4.16 ERA, 88.2 IP, 1.17 WHIP, 10.0 K/9, 1.8 WAR
SP Paul Skenes (PIT) - 5-3, 2.36 ERA, 76.1 IP, 1.05 WHIP, 10.4 K/9, 2.7 WAR
SP Blake Snell (SF) - 3-4, 4.39 ERA, 67.2 IP, 1.49 WHIP, 9.7 K/9, 1.2 WAR
SP Justin Steele (CHC)* - 7-3, 2.87 ERA, 100.1 IP, 1.13 WHIP, 7.6 K/9, 2.3 WAR
SP Zack Wheeler (PHI) - 4-5, 2.64 ERA, 99.0 IP, 1.16 WHIP, 8.6 K/9, 2.3 WAR
RP David Bednar (PIT) - 2-4, 6 SV, 5.08 ERA, 33.2 IP, 1.37 WHIP, 11.8 K/9, 0.3 WAR
RP Enyel De Los Santos (SD) - 0-1, 1.66 ERA, 48.2 IP, 1.15 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, 1.1 WAR
RP Camilo Doval (SF)* - 4-1, 5 SV, 2.91 ERA, 46.1 IP, 1.12 WHIP, 10.5 K/9, 0.6 WAR
RP Spencer Howard (SF) - 8-1, 1.56 ERA, 52.0 IP, 1.00 WHIP, 9.9 K/9, 0.6 WAR
CL Cal Quantrill (COL) - 4-4, 4.65 ERA, 71.2 IP, 1.30 WHIP, 5.5 K/9, -0.1 WAR
CL Paul Sewald (AZ) - 4-0, 19 SV, 1.99 ERA, 31.2 IP, 0.73 WHIP, 11.9 K/9, 1.4 WAR
C William Contreras (MIL) - .311/.386/.516, 318 AB, 12 HR, 2 SB, 142 wRC+, 3.8 WAR
C Gabriel Moreno (AZ) - .310/.389/.455, 268 AB, 5 HR, 9 SB, 127 wRC+, 2.8 WAR
C J.T. Realmuto (PHI) - .254/.308/.449, 283 AB, 12 HR, 8 SB, 97 wRC+, 1.4 WAR
C Will Smith (LAD)* - .330/.404/.537, 294 AB, 12 HR, 149 wRC+, 3.3 WAR
1B Pete Alonso (NYM) - .263/.344/.604, 346 AB, 34 HR, 7 SB, 148 wRC+, 2.7 WAR
1B Freddie Freeman (LAD)* - .334/.435/.527, 368 AB, 13 HR, 11 SB, 159 wRC+, 3.9 WAR
1B Christian Walker (AZ) - .289/.401/.506, 332 AB, 19 HR, 8 SB, 144 wRC+, 3.0 WAR
1B Patrick Wisdom (CHC) - .245/.354/.597, 216 AB, 22 HR, 3 SB, 147 wRC+, 2.1 WAR
2B Ozzie Albies (ATL)* - .298/.362/.556, 329 AB, 17 HR, 9 SB, 141 wRC+, 2.9 WAR
2B Luis Garcia (WSH) - .262/.301/.392, 309 AB, 6 HR, 9 SB, 81 wRC+, 0.6 WAR
3B Alec Bohm (PHI)* - .295/.365/.456, 329 AB, 8 HR, 3 SB, 119 wRC+, 2.0 WAR
3B Max Muncy (LAD) - .248/.348/.569, 306 AB, 28 HR, 137 wRC+, 2.5 WAR
SS Willy Adames (MIL)* - .301/.394/.594, 342 AB, 24 HR, 8 SB, 162 wRC+, 4.9 WAR
SS Mookie Betts (LAD)* - .325/.443/.619, 323 AB, 20 HR, 17 SB, 180 wRC+, 5.2 WAR
SS Francisco Lindor (NYM) - .245/.328/.459, 355 AB, 20 HR, 16 SB, 112 wRC+, 3.3 WAR
LF Marcell Ozuna (ATL) - .295/.346/.606, 373 AB, 33 HR, 146 wRC+, 2.8 WAR
LF Jurickson Profar (SD) - .294/.404/.474, 272 AB, 9 HR, 9 SB, 142 wRC+, 2.5 WAR
LF Christian Yelich (MIL)* - .296/.395/.509, 287 AB, 17 HR, 15 SB, 144 wRC+, 2.4 WAR
CF Jazz Chisholm Jr. (MIA) - .284/.372/.518, 278 AB, 16 HR, 14 SB, 136 wRC+, 2.6 WAR
CF Michael Harris II (ATL)* - .332/.370/.540, 298 AB, 12 HR, 18 SB, 141 wRC+, 3.1 WAR
RF Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD) - .265/.341/.535, 359 AB, 26 HR, 13 SB, 132 wRC+, 2.7 WAR
DH Shohei Ohtani (LAD)* - .282/.384/.559, 372 AB, 24 HR, 17 SB, 147 wRC+, 3.5 WAR (Injured)

Paredes turns out to be our only representative, which isn't surprising. What was a bit surprising is that Xavier Isaac was our only selection to the Futures Game with Carson Williams being snubbed.

The Derby:



No invite for Isaac despite his 24 HR, although that would have only equaled the lowest total among the participants, which was Josh Naylor's. And wouldn't you know, he won the thing.

Speaking of Derby participants, Pete Alonso signed a 4/97 extension with the Mets shortly before the break.

The game:



Isaac was 0-2.

[Art Deco]

Transaction: We signed OF Alex Verdugo to a minor league deal after he was let go by the Yankees, passing through waivers. He was hittiing 242/347/373 with New York so he was getting on base but not doing much else. He did go 7-12 with 3 HR and 6 RBI in his first 3 games with the Bulls so we know AAA isn't a challenge. He could be up soon.

Also a couple of our long-lost pitchers are close to being back with Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs embarking on rehab assignments with Durham. Rasmussen may be used as a multi-inning guy in the pen when he returns given that he's had issues staying healthy as a starter.

July 15-18: Off for the All-Star break.

July 19: at NY Yankees 1-7 L. LP-Baz (2-4, 5.2 8 4 4 1 2). It's possible Baz loses his rotation spot to Springs as he's struggled since coming back with a 6.26 ERA including today's rough outing.

July 20: at NY Yankees 10-2 W. WP-Bradley (5-2, 6 4 2 2 1 7). HR-Paredes 3 (27), B.Lowe 2 (9). What a game for Isaac Paredes, who if anything is getting hotter instead of slowing down. The third-sacker was 4-5 with 3 homers (tying the team single-game record), a double and 7 RBI. Normally Brandon Lowe's 2-homer game would be the talk of the day but he was an afterthought compared to Isaac.

July 21: at NY Yankees 5-4 W. WP-Poche (1-3). S-Fairbanks (17). Starter-Civale (4.1 7 4 4 0 5). HR-Y.Diaz (10). Perhaps the most satisfying win of the year after the Rays found themselves down 4-0 in the first when Civale yielded a pair of 2-run homers and it looked like a long day at Yankee Stadium. But Tampa Bay fought back behind Spencer Torkelson, who had his best day as a Ray with a 2-run double to get them within 4-3 and after Yandy's solo homer in the 7th tied it Tork delivered an RBI single in the 8th to win it.

Record: 47-52. They've now won three straight series and have inched within 5 games of .500. They're 4 1/2 out of the third wild card with several teams between them and that spot so the playoffs are still a long shot but a winning record is still possible with the returning pitchers. Next week: One more in the Bronx with the Yankees then 3 in Toronto before returning to the Trop for 3 with Cincinnati.

Players of the (Abbreviated) Week:

AL: Kyle Tucker (HOU), 7-15, 4 HR, 10 RBI (that's an impressive 3 games). Paredes was 6-11 with the 3 HR and 7 RBI he had in the finale.
NL: Thairo Estrada (SF), 8-12, 2 HR, 7 RBI.

Minor league note: First-round pick Hagen Smith made his pro debut with Class-A Charleston and it was a tough one as he put up a 3.1 6 5 5 4 5 line with a pair of homers allowed.

[Art Deco]

July 22: at NY Yankees 3-2 W. WP-Pepiot (9-6, 6 5 2 2 1 5). S-Fairbanks (18). HR-P.Meadows (2/6). Rays ended up taking 3 of 4 in the Bronx as Meadows was 3-4 with a 2-run homer and Yandy was 3-4 with the other ribbie.

Transaction: Curtis Mead was sent back to Durham again and Alex Verdugo had his contract purchased as we'll see if the veteran OF can give us a boost.

July 23: at Toronto 8-9 L. LP-Littell (5-5, 0 6 7 7 1 0). HR-Torkelson (3). You score 5 runs in the top of the 1st you have to feel pretty good about things but then Littell couldn't get anyone out and Toronto answered with 8 in the bottom of the inning. Consequently a big game from Tork was wasted as he had an RBI double in that first and a 3-run homer to get them within one.

July 24: at Toronto 6-9 L. LP-Baz (2-5, 4.1 8 7 6 1 4, 3 HR). HR-Pinto (9), Caballero (5). Caballero had a monster game with two doubles, a homer and 3 RBI but Baz's woes in the rotation continued and the Rays couldn't outscore their pitching once again.

Transaction: After the game we decided we've seen enough of Baz for now and he was sent to Durham with Jacob Lopez back up until we need to replace Baz in the rotation with either Drew Rasmussen or Jeffrey Springs.

July 25: at Toronto 1-4 L. LP-Bradley (5-3, 4.1 9 3 3 1 7). The pitching was a little better but the offense was non-existent as the Rays were swept north of the border to kill whatever momentum they had going after the successful series in New York.

July 26: vs Cincinnati 8-3 W. WP-Civale (8-6, 6 6 3 3 1 7). S-J.Lopez (1). HR-Verdugo (1), Y.Diaz 2 (12), Torkelson (4). Home cooking was good for Tampa Bay as Verdugo's first Rays hit was a 3-run blast and Yandy homered twice, driving in 4 and raising his BA over .280 as he has to be a contender for AL Batter of the Month. Lopez pitched 3 perfect innings for the save.

Transaction: We claimed P Luis Contreras on waivers from Arizona. He's got a big arm and is rated 65/50/45. Our previous waiver claim Andrew Saalfrank was optioned to Durham to make room. Also we made a trade:



This was a deal offered to us to by Arizona. Armstrong had lost his spot in our pen and was at Durham and while Curet has a live enough arm that he was added to the 40-man last winter to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, he struggled this year and doesn't project that well. The lure for us is Hitt, a lefty who was Arizona's 4th round pick last year out of the University of Alabama and who has 50/60/50 potential as a starter. Mabrey is a reliever who doesn't look too special.

July 27: vs Cincinnati 7-6 W. WP-Fairbanks (2-4). Starter-Pepiot (5 4 3 3 2 6). Yandy had a bases-clearing double and Pinto drove in 3 as they lost a 5-3 lead in the 8th but came back to win it late.

July 28: vs Cincinnati 0-6 L. LP-Littell (5-6, 5 5 3 3 3 1). For the umpteenth time this season the Rays won the first two games of a series but couldn't complete the sweep as the bats went to sleep against the Reds' Connor Overton. They did put some men on as B.Lowe and Paredes both left 7 on base.

Record: 50-56. Next week: An off-day, Miami visits for 2, another off-day and then we head to Houston for 3 games.

Not sure how active we'll be at the deadline as we made some trades (Eflin, Arozarena, Rosario) to clear out salary already but I'm not quite ready to part with potential $10M guys like Yandy and B.Lowe just yet. Nor do I want to part with Paredes, who's been our best player this year. Might listen on Civale, who's progged for $7M next year.

Players of the Week:

AL: Tyler O'Neill (BOS), 11-26, 4 HR, 12 RBI
NL: Austin Riley (ATL), 12-25, 5 HR, 13 RBI (including a 3-HR game against the Mets)

[Art Deco]

July 29: Off Day.

July 30: vs Miami 1-7 L. LP-Bradley (5-4, 5 3 3 3 3 3). Rays were held to five hits on a tough night.

So we did make a move at the deadline, trading away a starter with two more coming back:



Civale was going to start to get expensive next year and his numbers since joining the team weren't screaming must-keep, although in fairness he has pitched well of late. In exchange we got a couple of intriguing guys in Loftin, who provides a RH bat who can play all over the place and hit some (291/358/363 in 182 AB for the Royals). His versatility fits our club DNA. And Cross was once a more sought-after prospect after being KC's first pick in 2022 but he's struggled some in the minors. His potential is still good: 50 contact, 65 gap, 55 power, 70 stealing ability and 60 in RF. Not a stud but a potentially very solid guy. The other guy we threw in, Florian, isn't anything worth noting.

With the moves we welcome back Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs from their rehab assignments, taking the place of the traded Civale while Jacob Lopez is returned to Durham. Also in a big bit of news to make room for Loftin we reluctantly sent down Junior Caminero. The much-ballyhooed rookie hit quite well when called up in May but has gone ice cold over the last couple of months, hitting only .208 since June 1 with a .258 OBP. There were 8 homers mixed in there but it wasn't enough. We'll give him a month at Durham and bring him back when rosters expand.

July 31: vs Miami 6-2 W. WP-Contreras (1-0). Starter-Rasmussen (5 4 2 2 1 8). HR-B.Lowe (10). Rasmussen was excellent in his first start back after giving up a 2-run homer in the opening frame. And he was amply supported (albeit after he left) by Brandon Lowe, who drove in 5 including a grand slam in a 5-run 6th.

August 1: Off-Day.

August 2: at Houston 6-4 W. WP-Kelly (4-1). S-Fairbanks (19). Starter-Pepiot (6 5 3 3 1 7, 3 HR). HR-Torkelson (5). Trailing 3-0 heading into the 8th the Rays rallied for another 5-spot keyed by a slam, this time from Tork. Nick Loftin had 3 hits and 2 steals in his first Rays start.

August 3: at Houston 3-6 L. LP-Maton (3-3). Starter-Littell (6 5 2 2 1 6). This was a 2-2 game into the 7th before Maton was mashed for four runs. Yandy continued his tear, going 3-5 with a double and an RBI to bring his AVG up to .287.

August 4: at Houston 8-7 W. WP-Contreras (2-0). S-Fairbanks (20). Starter-Springs (4 6 2 2 2 5). Another big comeback win as they scored 4 times in the 9th off Houston closer Josh Hader with Jose Siri's bases-clearing double the winning blow. Springs was pretty good in his return but something is up with his stamina - although he's rated 45 he was in the red on pitch #60, which could be a real issue.

Record: 53-58. Next week: Yet another off-day (our third in eight days) then 3 in St. Louis before returning home for 3 against the Orioles.

Players of the Month (July):

AL Batter: Evan Carter (TEX), .378-10-32 with 12 walks.
NL Batter: Austin Riley (ATL), .389-9-25 with 30 runs.
AL Pitcher: Aaron Civale (KC but really us), 4-0, 3.04
NL Pitcher: Justin Steele (CHI), 5-1, 2.09
AL Rookie: Carter
NL Rookie: Jordan Lawlar (ARI), .329-5-17 although he tore his groin and is now out 5-6 weeks

Players of the Week:

AL: JD Martinez (TOR), 9-25, 4 HR, 11 RBI
NL: Jordan Lawlar (ARI), 9-10, 2 HR, 4 RBI before tearing the groin

Seeing JD Martinez on Toronto probably has you wondering about the big deals at the deadline so here are the significant players who changed teams:

Bobby Miller (LAD to TEX)
Tyler O'Neill (BOS to SEA)
Kenley Jansen (BOS to NYY)
Jesus Luzardo (MIA to BAL)
Grayson Rodriguez (BAL to MIA) yes, they were traded for each other
JD Davis (OAK to MIN)
Nick Pivetta (BOS to MIL)
David Bednar (PIT to CLE)
Paul Goldschmidt (STL to NYY)
Orelvis Martinez (TOR to NYM)
JD Martinez (NYM to TOR)
Jonathan India (CIN to BAL)
Triston McKenzie (CLE to SF)
Walker Buehler (LAD to ATL)
Aroldis Chapman (PIT to SEA)

[Art Deco]

Transaction: Tork goes on the 10-day IL with a bone bruise in his wrist and will be back when his time is up, Curtis Mead is called up for his third (fourth?) chance.

August 5: Off Day.

August 6: at St. Louis 2-4 L. LP-Bradley (5-5, 5 7 4 4 3 4). HR-Pinto (10). Not much to say about this one, Rays only had 4 hits.

August 7: at St. Louis 6-12 L. LP-Rasmussen (0-1, 3.2 7 6 6 3 3). HR-Verdugo (2/6). This one was U-G-L-Y as Ras was pounded in his second start back. Verudgo's pinch-slam in the 8th made the final only slightly more respectable.

August 8: at St. Louis 19-9 W. WP-Pepiot (10-6, 5.1 2 0 0 4 6). HR-B.Lowe (11), Campusano (2/4), Palacios (6), Mead 2 (5), J.Lowe (8). A very silly game that saw the Rays go up 15-0 in the 3rd. It was 19-3 in the 9th before Jason Adam gave up 6 runs just trying to get the game over. B.Lowe knocked in 5 while J.Lowe and Palacios brought home 3. Pepiot took over the AL wins lead with 10.

August 9: vs Baltimore 3-2 W (10). WP-Fairbanks (3-4). Starter-Littell (6 8 0 0 1 6). HR-Y.Diaz (13). Rays lost a 2-0 lead in the 8th but still pulled out the win when Pinto singled in the ghost runner Siri (who earlier doubled and tripled).

August 10: vs Baltimore 1-10 L. LP-Springs (0-1, 4.2 5 4 4 5 2, 4 HR). Turns out the return of Rasmussen and Springs has not been a panacea as the latter coughed up 4 solo homers and was lucky not to have allowed more runs after walking 5. The bullpen did, though.

August 11: vs Baltimore 3-0 W. WP-Adam (2-4). S-Fairbanks (21). Starter-Bradley (6 3 0 0 2 7). HR-Paredes (28). A nice game as Taj was great and they scored 3 in the 7th to win with Pinto's RBI double the key hit.

Record: 56-61. Next week: The homestand continues with Houston in for 3, a day off, and then Arizona visits for 3.

Players of the Week:

AL: Carlos Correa (MIN), 10-23, 4 HR, 12 RBI
NL: Michael Harris II (ATL), 12-24, 5 HR, 11 RBI

News from the farm: A couple of weeks back I wrote that first-round pick Hagen Smith had a rough pro debut. Since then he's been on fire, fanning 32 in 23.2 IP over four starts with only 7 runs allowed including an 8 1 1 1 1 12 gem in his last outing. As a result he's been bumped up to High-A Bowling Green and I'm beginning to wonder if he'll be able to help the big club next season.

[Art Deco]

August 12: vs Houston 0-1 L (10). LP-Maton (3-4). Starter-Rasmussen (6 3 0 0 1 4). Bats only managed three hits in 10 innings, wasting Ras's best start since returning.

August 13: vs Houston 1-7 L. LP-Pepiot (10-7, 4 9 5 5 1 4). An ugly loss with only Mead's 3-3 with the lone RBI a bright spot.

August 14: vs Houston 0-10 L. LP-Littell (5-7, 7 5 2 2 1 7). It was 2-0 game after 7 before the Astros unloaded on the pen, but with the offense AWOL again (4 hits) it didn't matter.

August 15: Off Day.

Transaction: The Alex Verdugo era is over in Tampa Bay as he was apparently released by the Yankees for a reason, demonstrated by his pathetic 140/271/260 line with us in 50 AB. Someone had to go as Spencer Torkelson was activated off the IL.

August 16: vs Arizona 0-3 L. LP-Springs (0-2, 6 5 3 3 1 8). If you thought the offense was bad in the Houston series (and it was) tonight they were no-hit by Eduardo Rodriguez until Mead led off the 8th with a single, their only knock of the night.

August 17: vs Arizona 5-4 W (11). WP-Vasquez (1-1). Starter-Bradley (5 3 2 2 5 3). Finally some runs and finally a win, although they only scored twice through 9 before using the Manfred Man to get some offense going in extras. Yandy had a pair of RBI singles and Paredes' RBI double won it.

August 18: vs Arizona 2-3 L. LP-Poche (1-4). Starter-Rasmussen (5 4 0 0 2 4). Ras was great again and they had a 2-0 lead through 7 before Kelly gave up a 2-run homer in the 8th and Poche allowed his 16th(!) HR in 43 IP to lose it. After the game he was sent to Durham and Jacob Lopez was recalled.

Also the team went the entire week without homering.

Record: 57-66. Next week: We head to the west coast for 4 in Oakland and 3 in LA against the Dodgers with Friday's tentative pitching matchup Ryan Pepiot vs Tyler Glasnow as we get to see who won the trade.

Players of the Week:

AL: Gunnar Henderson (BAL), 10-21, 3 HR, 9 RBI
NL: Christian Encarnacion-Strand (CIN), 9-17, 1 HR, 7 RBI