Rays 1, Astros 6
ALDS Record: 2-3. Rays lose best of five series and an opportunity to play against the New York Yankees in the American League Championship series. The winner of that series will represent the AL in the World Series. The Rays' season is now officially ended.
Attendance: 43,418. Minute Maid Park
The Rays could very well have won game five of the ALDS against the Astros. In fact, they should have won it. Tyler Glasnow tipped his pitches in the first inning which resulted in an Astro outburst: three singles and a double accounting for three runs in the first ten pitches. Then after an out, another single for another run. 4-0 Astros. The game was virtually over before it had begun. The Rays bullpen held the Astros scoreless for the next six innings, while the Rays scored on an Eric Sogard homer in the second. Had it not been for the pitch tipping, the Rays could have gone into the late innings winning 1-0. In the eighth Emilio Pagan gave up a pair of homers, and the game was not 2-1 Astros, but an out-of-reach 6-1.
Of course adding to the Rays' misery on Thursday night was Gerrit Cole, who threw his second masterpiece of the series. He went eight innings, 108 pitches, and gave up only two hits, that one run, and two walks. He struck out ten. But a one-run game is a different animal from a 4-1 game going into the late innings. Pitch tipping tipped this game in the Astro's favor.
That said, there is no bitterness, nothing but gratitude and thanks to all the Rays for giving their fans a great summer that lasted clear into the middle of October. GM Erik Neander, gets the credit along with Chaim Bloom, Sr. VP of baseball operations, for putting this team together. Kevin Cash has emerged as one of baseball's premier managers, smart, innovative, fearless--and he refuses any credit for the team's success, which he says is strictly the players' doing. It has been a pleasure watching him grow as a manager over his five-year tenure. And the people who hired Cash deserve credit too for seeing all the potential in a young managerial candidate: Principal owner Stu Sternberg and co-presidents Brian Auld and Matthew Silverman. The 2019 season had many heroes. They fell a little short of their goals, but the ones they did achieve were milestones in a franchise whose future in the Tampa Bay region is still a huge question mark.
Primarily the players get the kudos of course. There were many times, in the summer especially, when it was possible to second guess the manager and wonder why some of the players were still on the roster. But gradually the team played its way out of a long slump and emerged as a force to be reckoned with--position players, a limited corps of starting pitchers, a bullpen, unlike any other in baseball history, that took on a huge portion of the team's success, a defense that got better and better all year, and hitters who refused to believe they were out of a game. It was thrilling to watch them all year, a pleasure and a privilege. Rays up.
One last thought: What if the last two sell-outs against Houston in the ALDS are signs that a turnaround in attendance is underway? That possibility might just alter the upcoming conversations between the politicians and the Rays' front office. Maybe the greatest achievement of the 2019 Rays will be that they managed to keep the franchise in the Tampa Bay area. Hope springs eternal.
Tuesday, October 8. GAME FOUR, ALDS. Rays even series, 4-1. Showdown coming.
Rays 4, Astros 1
ALDS Record: 2-2 in best of five series
Attendance: 32,178. Tropicana Field. Another full house with rowdy Rays' fans waving towels and ringing cowbells. It was an outright love fest so at odds with the neglect the same fans showed during the regular season. Somehow this is the head scratching reality of Rays baseball, which may well be headed to Montreal for at least half of every season. The puzzle of Rays' attendance could not be more frustrating.
The Rays were juiced by the crowd from the get-go. Tommy Pham, the second man up in the first inning, hit a 2-2 changeup on a line over the left field fence, stunning Justin Verlander, who was confident he could handle the Rays on three days rest instead of four or five. Hadn't he one-hit them into the eighth inning in game one? Two batters in and he had already matched that hit output and scored a run as well. Suddenly Verlander and the Astros began to wonder if maybe they had made a strategic error putting him out there on short rest. They were trying to put the Rays away in four games, and Verlander had seemed the best man for the job, but Pham's homer gave the entire Astro organization pause. You could almost hear them second guessing themselves.
And the first inning wasn't even over. Ji-Man Choi walked, Avasail Garcia singled, Travis d'Arnaud singled in Choi, and Joey Wendle doubled to score Garcia, and suddenly Verlander was behind 3-0 after making 32 pitches. The second guessing was over. It was clear they had made a mistake. Not only was this not going to be a repeat of game one, it had all the markings of another wipeout. In the fourth, Willy Adames hit a long home run to make it 4-0, and Verlander was through for the night: three and two thirds innings, seven hits, three walks, and four runs.
In the meantime, Kevin Cash was busy with a pitching plan of his own. This was not to be an opener and bulk-man day, so normal all year for the Rays. Instead, it was all bullpen, like spring training games. The idea was to never give the Astros two at-bats against the same pitcher. Diego Castillo started and went one and two-thirds. Ryan Yarbrough pitched two innings, Nick Anderson pitched two and a third, Colin Poche pitched one and a third (and gave up a homer to Robinson Chirinos), Emilio Pagan pitched two-thirds of an inning, and for the last two outs, Cash called on his ace Cy Young winner Blake Snell, who shut the door on an Astro rally and sealed the victory--and a showdown winner-take-all game five on Thursday in Houston.
The Relay. As compelling as all these storylines are, the turning point of the game was a defensive gem that has already passed from history to legend. In the top of the fourth, with Jose Altuve on first, DH Yordan Alvarez hit a Yarbrough pitch to straightaway center field at a blistering 113.7 mph. Even speedy Kevin Kiermaier was unable to catch up to it. It short-hopped the wall and took a high, loopy bounce that Kiermaier had to wait for. When it came down 384 feet from home plate, he caught it, pivoted and threw to relay man Willy Adames, who also caught, pivoted, and threw from 178 feet to the plate where d'Arnaud caught it and made a sweep tag on the speedy Altuve, who was making a hook slide to evade the tag, hoping to score by sliding his left hand over the plate. By a fraction of an inch, a mere millisecond, the tag was made before Altuve's hand hit home. It was a stunning turn for the Astros, who never recovered enough to climb back into this game.
Game five, Thursday, 7:07, Minute Maid Park, Houston. Gerrit Cole vs. Tyler Glasnow. All hands on deck for the finale.
ALDS Record: 2-2 in best of five series
Attendance: 32,178. Tropicana Field. Another full house with rowdy Rays' fans waving towels and ringing cowbells. It was an outright love fest so at odds with the neglect the same fans showed during the regular season. Somehow this is the head scratching reality of Rays baseball, which may well be headed to Montreal for at least half of every season. The puzzle of Rays' attendance could not be more frustrating.
The Rays were juiced by the crowd from the get-go. Tommy Pham, the second man up in the first inning, hit a 2-2 changeup on a line over the left field fence, stunning Justin Verlander, who was confident he could handle the Rays on three days rest instead of four or five. Hadn't he one-hit them into the eighth inning in game one? Two batters in and he had already matched that hit output and scored a run as well. Suddenly Verlander and the Astros began to wonder if maybe they had made a strategic error putting him out there on short rest. They were trying to put the Rays away in four games, and Verlander had seemed the best man for the job, but Pham's homer gave the entire Astro organization pause. You could almost hear them second guessing themselves.
And the first inning wasn't even over. Ji-Man Choi walked, Avasail Garcia singled, Travis d'Arnaud singled in Choi, and Joey Wendle doubled to score Garcia, and suddenly Verlander was behind 3-0 after making 32 pitches. The second guessing was over. It was clear they had made a mistake. Not only was this not going to be a repeat of game one, it had all the markings of another wipeout. In the fourth, Willy Adames hit a long home run to make it 4-0, and Verlander was through for the night: three and two thirds innings, seven hits, three walks, and four runs.
In the meantime, Kevin Cash was busy with a pitching plan of his own. This was not to be an opener and bulk-man day, so normal all year for the Rays. Instead, it was all bullpen, like spring training games. The idea was to never give the Astros two at-bats against the same pitcher. Diego Castillo started and went one and two-thirds. Ryan Yarbrough pitched two innings, Nick Anderson pitched two and a third, Colin Poche pitched one and a third (and gave up a homer to Robinson Chirinos), Emilio Pagan pitched two-thirds of an inning, and for the last two outs, Cash called on his ace Cy Young winner Blake Snell, who shut the door on an Astro rally and sealed the victory--and a showdown winner-take-all game five on Thursday in Houston.
The Relay. As compelling as all these storylines are, the turning point of the game was a defensive gem that has already passed from history to legend. In the top of the fourth, with Jose Altuve on first, DH Yordan Alvarez hit a Yarbrough pitch to straightaway center field at a blistering 113.7 mph. Even speedy Kevin Kiermaier was unable to catch up to it. It short-hopped the wall and took a high, loopy bounce that Kiermaier had to wait for. When it came down 384 feet from home plate, he caught it, pivoted and threw to relay man Willy Adames, who also caught, pivoted, and threw from 178 feet to the plate where d'Arnaud caught it and made a sweep tag on the speedy Altuve, who was making a hook slide to evade the tag, hoping to score by sliding his left hand over the plate. By a fraction of an inch, a mere millisecond, the tag was made before Altuve's hand hit home. It was a stunning turn for the Astros, who never recovered enough to climb back into this game.
Game five, Thursday, 7:07, Minute Maid Park, Houston. Gerrit Cole vs. Tyler Glasnow. All hands on deck for the finale.
Monday, October 7. GAME THREE, ALDS. Rays make a statement, 10-3.
Rays 10, Astros 3
ALDS Record: 1-2 in best of five series
Attendance: 32,251. Tropicana Field. It was a loud and rowdy, all-Rays full- house cheering on the team that has given them so much all through this long season. These are the same fans who never show up in force during the season, but for Monday night's playoff game, they were in the mood to say thanks to the Rays as they faced elimination in this best of five series against the Astros. The game promised to be just as difficult as the first two had been, as they faced off against the third of the Astro's super-starters, Zack Greinke. But the fans were oblivious to the uphill battle looming. They were a towel-waving, bell-ringing human wave of excitement.
Fans at the Trop. Photo courtesy of Ben Wiley.
Charlie Morton was on the mound for the Rays, and after the first inning, it looked like it might be a long night. He got lead-off hitter George Springer, but Jose Altuve worked an eight-pitch at-bat that ended with a home run. It took the man the players call "Charlie Freakin' Morton" (tee shirts available) 31 pitches to get out of the first, but he only gave up that one run. It took him 21 more pitches to finish up the second, but there would be no more run scoring under Morton's five-inning, 93-pitch watch. Chaz Roe got two outs in the sixth, but gave up three hits and two runs. He was followed by Brendan McKay, Oliver Drake, and Colin Poche, who combined for three scoreless innings.
Meanwhile, picking up Morton who was already at 52 pitches, was Kevin Kiermaier in the home second. Avisail Garcia singled and Travis d'Arnaud was hit by a pitch before Kiermaier stepped to the plate and hit a ball over the center field wall and almost into the large devil ray tank. Suddenly the Rays had taken the lead and the crowed erupted. Fan favorite Ji-Man Choi hit another home run in the third making it 4-1. And then in the bottom of the fourth, they added four more runs, capped by Brandon Lowe's home run, and the lead grew to 8-1. Willy Adames' homer in the sixth made in 9-3, which grew again to 10-3 with an add-on run in the seventh.
It was an offensive explosion that made an emphatic statement in front of a super-excited crowd. Pitch for pitch, this may well have been the most dramatic and pure fun of all the games in Rays' history.
After the final out. Photo courtesy of Ben Wiley.
With the series now 2-1 in favor of Houston, the Rays bought themselves one more game Tuesday night. Astro's manager A.J. Hinch has already named Justin Verlander as his starter, and the Rays will probably have a full-fledged bullpen day. It sounds like a mismatch on the surface, but the Rays' bullpen has come together after a long and sometimes inconsistent summer to be an exciting unit eager to take the mound, eager to answer Kevin Cash's call to arms.
Verlander will be making a start on short rest, something he has never done in his career. It is impossible to know how he will react, which has got to give the Rays some hope. And it is unreasonable to think that under even the best of circumstances he could match his game one heroics, an eight-inning one-hitter. What's more, the Rays hitters may well be better able to hit Verlander having faced him a mere four days ago.
In short, there's hope in the Tampa-St. Pete area. This team doesn't panic, doesn't give up, and doesn't fear any team in either league. It might be Houston who should be feeling the pressure.
ALDS Record: 1-2 in best of five series
Attendance: 32,251. Tropicana Field. It was a loud and rowdy, all-Rays full- house cheering on the team that has given them so much all through this long season. These are the same fans who never show up in force during the season, but for Monday night's playoff game, they were in the mood to say thanks to the Rays as they faced elimination in this best of five series against the Astros. The game promised to be just as difficult as the first two had been, as they faced off against the third of the Astro's super-starters, Zack Greinke. But the fans were oblivious to the uphill battle looming. They were a towel-waving, bell-ringing human wave of excitement.
Fans at the Trop. Photo courtesy of Ben Wiley.
Charlie Morton was on the mound for the Rays, and after the first inning, it looked like it might be a long night. He got lead-off hitter George Springer, but Jose Altuve worked an eight-pitch at-bat that ended with a home run. It took the man the players call "Charlie Freakin' Morton" (tee shirts available) 31 pitches to get out of the first, but he only gave up that one run. It took him 21 more pitches to finish up the second, but there would be no more run scoring under Morton's five-inning, 93-pitch watch. Chaz Roe got two outs in the sixth, but gave up three hits and two runs. He was followed by Brendan McKay, Oliver Drake, and Colin Poche, who combined for three scoreless innings.
Meanwhile, picking up Morton who was already at 52 pitches, was Kevin Kiermaier in the home second. Avisail Garcia singled and Travis d'Arnaud was hit by a pitch before Kiermaier stepped to the plate and hit a ball over the center field wall and almost into the large devil ray tank. Suddenly the Rays had taken the lead and the crowed erupted. Fan favorite Ji-Man Choi hit another home run in the third making it 4-1. And then in the bottom of the fourth, they added four more runs, capped by Brandon Lowe's home run, and the lead grew to 8-1. Willy Adames' homer in the sixth made in 9-3, which grew again to 10-3 with an add-on run in the seventh.
It was an offensive explosion that made an emphatic statement in front of a super-excited crowd. Pitch for pitch, this may well have been the most dramatic and pure fun of all the games in Rays' history.
After the final out. Photo courtesy of Ben Wiley.
With the series now 2-1 in favor of Houston, the Rays bought themselves one more game Tuesday night. Astro's manager A.J. Hinch has already named Justin Verlander as his starter, and the Rays will probably have a full-fledged bullpen day. It sounds like a mismatch on the surface, but the Rays' bullpen has come together after a long and sometimes inconsistent summer to be an exciting unit eager to take the mound, eager to answer Kevin Cash's call to arms.
Verlander will be making a start on short rest, something he has never done in his career. It is impossible to know how he will react, which has got to give the Rays some hope. And it is unreasonable to think that under even the best of circumstances he could match his game one heroics, an eight-inning one-hitter. What's more, the Rays hitters may well be better able to hit Verlander having faced him a mere four days ago.
In short, there's hope in the Tampa-St. Pete area. This team doesn't panic, doesn't give up, and doesn't fear any team in either league. It might be Houston who should be feeling the pressure.
Saturday, October 5. GAME TWO, ALDS. Rays rally in 9th, but fall 3-1
Rays 1, Astros 3
ALDS Record: 0-2 in best of five series.
Attendance: 43,378. Minute Maid Park.
For the second straight night the Rays faced the best pitchers in baseball and came up short. No surprise there. Friday night they were bested by Justin Verlander. Saturday night featured Gerrit Cole in a likely Cy Young year when he went 20-5 with an ERA of 2.50 and a WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) of 0.89. He also struck out 326, and pitched 212 innings. He was dominant all year long. And he was again against the Rays Saturday night going seven and two-thirds, giving up four hits and a walk, but setting a record with 15 strikeouts.
In the ninth against reliever Roberto Osuna the Rays rallied for a single run, but were in a position for even greater damage with two golden opportunities: bases loaded with no outs and bases loaded with one out. The game ended with Travis d'Arnaud striking out (and looking bad doing so) and Kevin Kiermaier tapping out softly to first. It would have been a sweet comeback after having been so totally dominated by Cole for so long, but they weren't up to the task.
Blake Snell, still rehabbing after all and no doubt being pressed into service a little sooner than he should have been because of the situation, did a good job for three and a third, which was when Alex Bregman homered off him. He was replaced by Diego Castillo for a good fourth and fifth innings, Ryan Yarbrough for a perfect sixth, and then the Rays' best late inning relievers, Nick Anderson and Emilio Pagan, both of whom gave up the winning runs. Colin Poche got the last out. All told, it was a good outing for Rays pitching, just not good enough to battle Cole on this particular night.
Some will criticize Rays hitting in this game, but not being able to handle Cole is no disgrace. Their failure to produce more than a single run in the ninth, however, is on the hitters who should clearly have done better against a couple of journeymen relievers, Osuna and Will Harris. Despite the heroics of Cole, this game was winnable for the Rays, who simply failed to execute in the clutch.
And so now down two games to none in a best of five series, the Rays must win Monday's game, which is being played at Tropicana Field, a much friendlier venue than Minute Maid Park with its raucous orange and black screamers rooting the Astros on.
The Rays will send Charlie Morton to the mound to face the third of Houston's aces, Zack Greinke, who joined the team in a July trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks. His record with the Astros is 8-1 (3.02 ERA) and his full season record is 18-5 (2.93 ERA). His WHIP was 0.98 and he pitched 208 innings striking out 187. Morton went 16-6 with a 3.05 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP while striking out 240 over 194 innings. It's a good matchup. The Rays will probably be underdogs again, but that seems to suit them just fine. Once again, don't count the Rays quite yet.
ALDS Record: 0-2 in best of five series.
Attendance: 43,378. Minute Maid Park.
For the second straight night the Rays faced the best pitchers in baseball and came up short. No surprise there. Friday night they were bested by Justin Verlander. Saturday night featured Gerrit Cole in a likely Cy Young year when he went 20-5 with an ERA of 2.50 and a WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) of 0.89. He also struck out 326, and pitched 212 innings. He was dominant all year long. And he was again against the Rays Saturday night going seven and two-thirds, giving up four hits and a walk, but setting a record with 15 strikeouts.
In the ninth against reliever Roberto Osuna the Rays rallied for a single run, but were in a position for even greater damage with two golden opportunities: bases loaded with no outs and bases loaded with one out. The game ended with Travis d'Arnaud striking out (and looking bad doing so) and Kevin Kiermaier tapping out softly to first. It would have been a sweet comeback after having been so totally dominated by Cole for so long, but they weren't up to the task.
Blake Snell, still rehabbing after all and no doubt being pressed into service a little sooner than he should have been because of the situation, did a good job for three and a third, which was when Alex Bregman homered off him. He was replaced by Diego Castillo for a good fourth and fifth innings, Ryan Yarbrough for a perfect sixth, and then the Rays' best late inning relievers, Nick Anderson and Emilio Pagan, both of whom gave up the winning runs. Colin Poche got the last out. All told, it was a good outing for Rays pitching, just not good enough to battle Cole on this particular night.
Some will criticize Rays hitting in this game, but not being able to handle Cole is no disgrace. Their failure to produce more than a single run in the ninth, however, is on the hitters who should clearly have done better against a couple of journeymen relievers, Osuna and Will Harris. Despite the heroics of Cole, this game was winnable for the Rays, who simply failed to execute in the clutch.
And so now down two games to none in a best of five series, the Rays must win Monday's game, which is being played at Tropicana Field, a much friendlier venue than Minute Maid Park with its raucous orange and black screamers rooting the Astros on.
The Rays will send Charlie Morton to the mound to face the third of Houston's aces, Zack Greinke, who joined the team in a July trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks. His record with the Astros is 8-1 (3.02 ERA) and his full season record is 18-5 (2.93 ERA). His WHIP was 0.98 and he pitched 208 innings striking out 187. Morton went 16-6 with a 3.05 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP while striking out 240 over 194 innings. It's a good matchup. The Rays will probably be underdogs again, but that seems to suit them just fine. Once again, don't count the Rays quite yet.
Friday, October 4. GAME ONE, ALDS. Astros manage a win over Rays, 6-2
Rays 2, Astros 6
ALDS Record: 0-1 in best of five series
Attendance: 43,360. Minute Maid Park.
In what may be the most important Rays story of the day, the city of St. Petersburg has given permission to Tampa to resume a search for a new ballpark. For months St. Pete has refused to budge on this issue, insisting that the Rays honor their contract to remain at Tropicana Field until the expiration of their lease in 2027. Now, suddenly, perhaps in the wake of the Rays first playoff team in six years, keeping the team in the region seems to have become a priority. Or perhaps the reason is that the Rays front office has been flirting with the possibility of splitting each season between Tampa-St. Pete and Montreal, Canada. Either way there is a new glimmer of hope that we will get to keep the team here, where it began and belongs.
As to the division championship game between the Rays and the Astros, it was a close game with Houston's Justin Verlander and Tampa Bay's Tyler Glasnow matching scoreboard zeroes for four innings. In the bottom of the fifth with one on, Glasnow threw a good pitch, a 97 mph fastball up in the strike zone, to Houston's always underestimated Jose Altuve, who turned it around and deposited it in the left field stands. Glasnow deserved better, especially against Verlander, who didn't give up a hit until the fifth, a harmless single.
Brendan McKay replaced Glasnow and allowed a single and double, putting runners on first and third. Then with two out Chaz Roe came in and got a playable popup into shallow right field. With three players converging on the ball, second baseman Brandon Lowe thought he was in position to make an over the shoulder catch, but the ball hit his glove and fell to the ground. The Rays could easily have escaped the inning without giving up a single run, but suddenly it was 4-0 and the game was out of hand with Verlander dominating Rays' hitters until he left in the eighth, when the Rays put up a pair of runs. Too little too late.
The stakes are higher in the playoffs, but this type of game, with a great pitcher overwhelming the opposition and a popup that falls between fielders is what baseball is all about. The Rays know that and will not go into game two on Saturday night feeling demoralized.
The trouble is they face Gerrit Cole whose record for 2019 is 20-5 with a 2.50 ERA and a major's leading 326 strikeouts. Once again they have their work cut out for them, but they will take heart from the additional statistic that the Rays have beaten him twice in four games (with no-decisions in the others) and that his ERA against them in that stretch is a more encouraging 3.51.
Taking the mound for the Rays will be Blake Snell, whose road back from arm trouble and the IL has been alternately sharp and shaky. The Rays will need a strong performance that lasts four or five innings, and hope they can score against Cole, before giving the ball to the bullpen, which will need to be on point the rest of the way.
Again it's an uphill battle, but just as the first game turned against them on a couple of plays, the Rays will play hard and perhaps get the breaks this time. It's never a good idea to count this team out.
ALDS Record: 0-1 in best of five series
Attendance: 43,360. Minute Maid Park.
In what may be the most important Rays story of the day, the city of St. Petersburg has given permission to Tampa to resume a search for a new ballpark. For months St. Pete has refused to budge on this issue, insisting that the Rays honor their contract to remain at Tropicana Field until the expiration of their lease in 2027. Now, suddenly, perhaps in the wake of the Rays first playoff team in six years, keeping the team in the region seems to have become a priority. Or perhaps the reason is that the Rays front office has been flirting with the possibility of splitting each season between Tampa-St. Pete and Montreal, Canada. Either way there is a new glimmer of hope that we will get to keep the team here, where it began and belongs.
As to the division championship game between the Rays and the Astros, it was a close game with Houston's Justin Verlander and Tampa Bay's Tyler Glasnow matching scoreboard zeroes for four innings. In the bottom of the fifth with one on, Glasnow threw a good pitch, a 97 mph fastball up in the strike zone, to Houston's always underestimated Jose Altuve, who turned it around and deposited it in the left field stands. Glasnow deserved better, especially against Verlander, who didn't give up a hit until the fifth, a harmless single.
Brendan McKay replaced Glasnow and allowed a single and double, putting runners on first and third. Then with two out Chaz Roe came in and got a playable popup into shallow right field. With three players converging on the ball, second baseman Brandon Lowe thought he was in position to make an over the shoulder catch, but the ball hit his glove and fell to the ground. The Rays could easily have escaped the inning without giving up a single run, but suddenly it was 4-0 and the game was out of hand with Verlander dominating Rays' hitters until he left in the eighth, when the Rays put up a pair of runs. Too little too late.
The stakes are higher in the playoffs, but this type of game, with a great pitcher overwhelming the opposition and a popup that falls between fielders is what baseball is all about. The Rays know that and will not go into game two on Saturday night feeling demoralized.
The trouble is they face Gerrit Cole whose record for 2019 is 20-5 with a 2.50 ERA and a major's leading 326 strikeouts. Once again they have their work cut out for them, but they will take heart from the additional statistic that the Rays have beaten him twice in four games (with no-decisions in the others) and that his ERA against them in that stretch is a more encouraging 3.51.
Taking the mound for the Rays will be Blake Snell, whose road back from arm trouble and the IL has been alternately sharp and shaky. The Rays will need a strong performance that lasts four or five innings, and hope they can score against Cole, before giving the ball to the bullpen, which will need to be on point the rest of the way.
Again it's an uphill battle, but just as the first game turned against them on a couple of plays, the Rays will play hard and perhaps get the breaks this time. It's never a good idea to count this team out.
Wednesday, October 2. WILDCARD GAME: Rays win, move on to Houston for the ALDS
Rays 5, Athletics 1
One winner-take-all "wildcard" game to determine who goes on to play Houston in the American League Division Series.
Attendance: 54,005. Oakland Coliseum.
The Rays were a game worse than Oakland in the regular season standings, 96-66 to 97-65. That gave the A's a huge home-field advantage, because they got 54,000 rabid, towel-waving fans to support their home team. To say it was a hostile work environment for the Rays is to understate their disadvantage--by a lot.
And then to make the matter worse, A's manager Bob Melvin started his six-five southpaw Sean Manaea, the one they call the "Throwin' Samoan," who was 4-0 in his last five starts with a 0.78 ERA and a strikeout per inning. He'd only given up four earned runs over that stretch. Rays manager Kevin Cash was forced to counter with his right-handed lineup when he would rather have fielded his better hitting left-handed lineup.
And then Cash came up with a major surprise. Yandy Diaz, who had played in the last game of the year against Toronto after missing more that two months on the IL, was selected for the Wild Card roster, presumably as either a DH or PH. But at game time, Cash put him at first base, hitting leadoff.
Of course it was no surprise at all that Cash chose "Ground Chuck" Charlie Morton, the ace of the staff at 16-6 (3.05), to start the game.
In the top of the first, with 54,000 screaming A's fans cheering the home team, Diaz picked out a pitch that was out over the plate and hit it into the right field bleachers. The crowd never quite recovered, especially after in the top of the second, Avisail Garcia hammered a ball halfway up the centerfield green monster with an exit velocity of 115.2 mph. And in the third, with his second at-bat, Diaz homered again, an almost identical ball to his first inning homer. In the fifth, Tommy Pham homered too. The crowd was still hopeful, but it wasn't raucous any longer.
Also quieting the crowd was Morton's pitching, which wasn't spectacular by any means. But it was good enough. In the first inning he walked two and gave up a single to load the bases before getting Jurickson Profar on a fly ball. The A's faithful had to know that squandering an early opportunity against a good team was a bad omen.
Morton lasted five innings (94 pitches) for the win. The only run he allowed was unearned coming in on a two-base throwing error and a sacrifice fly. But the reliable bullpen shut down the A's for the rest of the way. Diego Castillo pitched two innings of scoreless ball, allowing two hits and striking out three. Nick Anderson came on to pitch the eighth and get the first man in the ninth before Emilio Pagan came on to get the last two outs.
The Wild Card Game against the best two runners-up in each league has come in for criticism because it is just a one game, winner-takes-all showdown. Baseball doesn't work that way as a rule. Teams always have a series to iron out wrinkles, make adjustments, find a winning formula. But that's not how it works for the Wild Card Game, which always leaves one team exasperated and frustrated--and heading home for the winter.
For the Rays it's on to Houston to play the best team in baseball. They had better hope there is still a supply of magic in Kevin Cash's bag of tricks. But it is good to recall that the first four-game series of the season was against the Astros and that the Rays took that series, three games to one. It's happened before, it can happen again.
One winner-take-all "wildcard" game to determine who goes on to play Houston in the American League Division Series.
Attendance: 54,005. Oakland Coliseum.
The Rays were a game worse than Oakland in the regular season standings, 96-66 to 97-65. That gave the A's a huge home-field advantage, because they got 54,000 rabid, towel-waving fans to support their home team. To say it was a hostile work environment for the Rays is to understate their disadvantage--by a lot.
And then to make the matter worse, A's manager Bob Melvin started his six-five southpaw Sean Manaea, the one they call the "Throwin' Samoan," who was 4-0 in his last five starts with a 0.78 ERA and a strikeout per inning. He'd only given up four earned runs over that stretch. Rays manager Kevin Cash was forced to counter with his right-handed lineup when he would rather have fielded his better hitting left-handed lineup.
And then Cash came up with a major surprise. Yandy Diaz, who had played in the last game of the year against Toronto after missing more that two months on the IL, was selected for the Wild Card roster, presumably as either a DH or PH. But at game time, Cash put him at first base, hitting leadoff.
Of course it was no surprise at all that Cash chose "Ground Chuck" Charlie Morton, the ace of the staff at 16-6 (3.05), to start the game.
In the top of the first, with 54,000 screaming A's fans cheering the home team, Diaz picked out a pitch that was out over the plate and hit it into the right field bleachers. The crowd never quite recovered, especially after in the top of the second, Avisail Garcia hammered a ball halfway up the centerfield green monster with an exit velocity of 115.2 mph. And in the third, with his second at-bat, Diaz homered again, an almost identical ball to his first inning homer. In the fifth, Tommy Pham homered too. The crowd was still hopeful, but it wasn't raucous any longer.
Also quieting the crowd was Morton's pitching, which wasn't spectacular by any means. But it was good enough. In the first inning he walked two and gave up a single to load the bases before getting Jurickson Profar on a fly ball. The A's faithful had to know that squandering an early opportunity against a good team was a bad omen.
Morton lasted five innings (94 pitches) for the win. The only run he allowed was unearned coming in on a two-base throwing error and a sacrifice fly. But the reliable bullpen shut down the A's for the rest of the way. Diego Castillo pitched two innings of scoreless ball, allowing two hits and striking out three. Nick Anderson came on to pitch the eighth and get the first man in the ninth before Emilio Pagan came on to get the last two outs.
The Wild Card Game against the best two runners-up in each league has come in for criticism because it is just a one game, winner-takes-all showdown. Baseball doesn't work that way as a rule. Teams always have a series to iron out wrinkles, make adjustments, find a winning formula. But that's not how it works for the Wild Card Game, which always leaves one team exasperated and frustrated--and heading home for the winter.
For the Rays it's on to Houston to play the best team in baseball. They had better hope there is still a supply of magic in Kevin Cash's bag of tricks. But it is good to recall that the first four-game series of the season was against the Astros and that the Rays took that series, three games to one. It's happened before, it can happen again.
Sunday, September 29. Game 162. Rays lose another, but it doesn't matter.
Rays 3, Blue Jays 8
Final Record: 96-66. 30 games over .500.
Attendance: 25,738. Rogers Centre.
If Saturday's game was lackluster, Sunday's was lackadaisical, a half-hearted affair. Maybe on Saturday afternoon the players were still suffering the aftereffects of the champagne and beer party on Friday that celebrated their clinching a place in the playoffs. Maybe on Sunday they were thinking ahead to Oakland this coming Wednesday. Either way, both games were sub-par for this very good, if unpredictable, Tampa Bay Rays team.
Blake Snell seemed to take a step backward in his rehab work when he gave up three hits, two walks, and two runs in two and a third innings. He did strike out four, and he maintained after the game that he was happy with the outing, especially what he saw as his improved curve ball. "I just feel I'm going to get better and better," he told the press, "so yeah, it's encouraging."
Yonny Chirinos, who is also working his way back to reliable form after a long stretch on the IL, was even worse, giving up four hits and four runs in two and two-thirds. Anthony Banda and Jose De Leon, both in post-Tommy John mode, worked an inning each, Banda giving up three hits and two runs in his inning, while De Leon struck out the side in the eighth. The game seemed more like a spring training exercise than a real contest.
On the offensive side, it was good to see Ji-Man Choi return after fouling a ball off his foot a couple of nights back and missing the first two games of the final series against the Blue Jays. He doubled and homered. A healthy Choi is a good sign for the Oakland game on Wednesday.
And it was also good to see Yandy Diaz, activated for the last game of the season after missing two months with a fractured foot bone. He was the DH and hit leadoff. He hit the ball in typically hard Diaz fashion, both lineouts, but very encouraging.
The Rays finished with the best team ERA, .365, in the AL, narrowly edging out the Houston Astros, who finished at .366, according to a report in the Tampa Bay Times.
One final note: Traitor Joe Maddon was fired by the Chicago Cubs.
Final Record: 96-66. 30 games over .500.
Attendance: 25,738. Rogers Centre.
If Saturday's game was lackluster, Sunday's was lackadaisical, a half-hearted affair. Maybe on Saturday afternoon the players were still suffering the aftereffects of the champagne and beer party on Friday that celebrated their clinching a place in the playoffs. Maybe on Sunday they were thinking ahead to Oakland this coming Wednesday. Either way, both games were sub-par for this very good, if unpredictable, Tampa Bay Rays team.
Blake Snell seemed to take a step backward in his rehab work when he gave up three hits, two walks, and two runs in two and a third innings. He did strike out four, and he maintained after the game that he was happy with the outing, especially what he saw as his improved curve ball. "I just feel I'm going to get better and better," he told the press, "so yeah, it's encouraging."
Yonny Chirinos, who is also working his way back to reliable form after a long stretch on the IL, was even worse, giving up four hits and four runs in two and two-thirds. Anthony Banda and Jose De Leon, both in post-Tommy John mode, worked an inning each, Banda giving up three hits and two runs in his inning, while De Leon struck out the side in the eighth. The game seemed more like a spring training exercise than a real contest.
On the offensive side, it was good to see Ji-Man Choi return after fouling a ball off his foot a couple of nights back and missing the first two games of the final series against the Blue Jays. He doubled and homered. A healthy Choi is a good sign for the Oakland game on Wednesday.
And it was also good to see Yandy Diaz, activated for the last game of the season after missing two months with a fractured foot bone. He was the DH and hit leadoff. He hit the ball in typically hard Diaz fashion, both lineouts, but very encouraging.
The Rays finished with the best team ERA, .365, in the AL, narrowly edging out the Houston Astros, who finished at .366, according to a report in the Tampa Bay Times.
One final note: Traitor Joe Maddon was fired by the Chicago Cubs.
Saturday, September 28. Game 161: Post-party fizzle, Rays lose 4-1
Rays 1, Blue Jays 4
Record: 96-65
Attendance: 20,293. Rogers Centre.
In a day game after clinching a wild card berth and partying until way after normal bedtime, the Rays took the field hung over and worn out. Not surprisingly they were beaten in a lackluster affair, 4-1.
It was literally over in the bottom of the first when Ryne Yarbrough gave up a lead off home run to Teoscar Hernandez (25) and then followed that by giving up another three hits and two more runs. The Rays couldn't get on the board until the seventh when Matt Duffy, who had two of the Rays three hits, hit one over the left field fence, his first homer in his injury-shortened season, the first in fact in 427 at-best, according to Tampa Bay Times. Toronto got the run back in the bottom of the seventh, and that's how the game ended with the Rays players heading off the field and toward their rooms no doubt for more rest and more headache pills.
The Times reported that longtime Toronto clubhouse manager Kevin Malloy, who was in charge of cleaning up the mess, said "It was as bad as it's ever been." He needed to call in a professional cleaning crew to help. The clubhouse was finally cleaned up at 4 A.M. But carpets were still wet and smelly even with fans and dehumidifiers running all night. That's what nearly $10,000 of beer and champagne will cause. Maybe that's one part of baseball culture that can be changed for the better--maybe cutting back to $5,000 and a slightly toned down celebration would still be fun but not so damaging.
Yarbrough, now 11-6, put the wobbly first inning behind him and went on to pitch four more innings of solid baseball, so it's a bad-new, good-news situation. There's concern over Yarbrough's continuing troubles, and relief that he was able to right the ship.
In Sunday's game, the last of the season, Blake Snell will take the mound and hopefully regain the magic he lost in his last start. Yonny Chirinos will also get some work.
Record: 96-65
Attendance: 20,293. Rogers Centre.
In a day game after clinching a wild card berth and partying until way after normal bedtime, the Rays took the field hung over and worn out. Not surprisingly they were beaten in a lackluster affair, 4-1.
It was literally over in the bottom of the first when Ryne Yarbrough gave up a lead off home run to Teoscar Hernandez (25) and then followed that by giving up another three hits and two more runs. The Rays couldn't get on the board until the seventh when Matt Duffy, who had two of the Rays three hits, hit one over the left field fence, his first homer in his injury-shortened season, the first in fact in 427 at-best, according to Tampa Bay Times. Toronto got the run back in the bottom of the seventh, and that's how the game ended with the Rays players heading off the field and toward their rooms no doubt for more rest and more headache pills.
The Times reported that longtime Toronto clubhouse manager Kevin Malloy, who was in charge of cleaning up the mess, said "It was as bad as it's ever been." He needed to call in a professional cleaning crew to help. The clubhouse was finally cleaned up at 4 A.M. But carpets were still wet and smelly even with fans and dehumidifiers running all night. That's what nearly $10,000 of beer and champagne will cause. Maybe that's one part of baseball culture that can be changed for the better--maybe cutting back to $5,000 and a slightly toned down celebration would still be fun but not so damaging.
Yarbrough, now 11-6, put the wobbly first inning behind him and went on to pitch four more innings of solid baseball, so it's a bad-new, good-news situation. There's concern over Yarbrough's continuing troubles, and relief that he was able to right the ship.
In Sunday's game, the last of the season, Blake Snell will take the mound and hopefully regain the magic he lost in his last start. Yonny Chirinos will also get some work.
Friday, September 27. Game 160. WILD ONES!! Rays make the postseason, first time since 2013.
Rays 6, Blue Jays 2
Record: 96-64
Attendance: 16,348. Rogers Centre.
The Rays won for the 96th time this season and with the Indians' loss to the Washington Nationals it turned out to be the magic number putting them into MLB's postseason playoffs for the first time in six years, for the first time in the Kevin Cash Era, for the first time since Traitor Joe Maddon abandoned us. It was a sweet victory for everyone in the Rays family. And it was all done with the smallest payroll in all of baseball. Damn right we're proud of them!
They had a 90-win season in 2018, but it wasn't enough to earn a spot in the postseason hunt. That was the same year that began with a wholesale change of personnel that had sparked so much criticism it was hard even for the long-suffering faithful to root for them. It looked like the front office had written off the entire season even before it had even begun. But Cash managed to put together the players who survived the purge and turn them into a very competitive team that by season's end was so good that not many teams wanted to face them. Still, they fell short.
Not this time. This time they went into game 160 with 39 people on the roster, and they all seem to be contributors. Some of them had been on the IL so long that they had missed most of the season, people like Brandon Lowe, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell. Add Joey Wendle to the list of walking wounded who brought late life to the lineup.
Friday's game was typical of the Rays Way. Tommy Pham, the hard nosed tough guy who hates to smile, put them ahead in the third with his 21st home run with one man on. An inning later Willy Adames singled in another run. But in the seventh inning, Rays pitching gave up a two-run homer to Blue Jay center fielder Teoscar Hernandez to narrow the lead to 3-2. But the Rays, scoreboard watching as the Nationals were beating the Indians, scored two in the eighth for a more comfortable lead--and suddenly for the first time all year, it began feeling inevitable that they would win--the game and the postseason wildcard berth.
That inevitability showed itself in the eighth when the second run of the inning scored--on a strikeout. As Adames struck out to end the inning, the ball squirted past the catcher and went all the way to the backstop, which gave Adames just enough time to beat the throw to first, which squirted away again allowing Nate Lowe to score from third. Were the Rays destined to win the game and the postseason berth? After that play, even I was willing to entertain the possibility.
The Rays post game show continued late into the evening covering the champagne and beer party in the visitor's clubhouse interspersed with soggy interviews with young men being boisterous.
A one-game playoff with the Oakland A's will be hard-fought and unpredictable, but the Rays have definitely got the A's attention. They won't be looking forward to taking on Kevin Cash's crew.
The Rays aren't finished yet.
Record: 96-64
Attendance: 16,348. Rogers Centre.
The Rays won for the 96th time this season and with the Indians' loss to the Washington Nationals it turned out to be the magic number putting them into MLB's postseason playoffs for the first time in six years, for the first time in the Kevin Cash Era, for the first time since Traitor Joe Maddon abandoned us. It was a sweet victory for everyone in the Rays family. And it was all done with the smallest payroll in all of baseball. Damn right we're proud of them!
They had a 90-win season in 2018, but it wasn't enough to earn a spot in the postseason hunt. That was the same year that began with a wholesale change of personnel that had sparked so much criticism it was hard even for the long-suffering faithful to root for them. It looked like the front office had written off the entire season even before it had even begun. But Cash managed to put together the players who survived the purge and turn them into a very competitive team that by season's end was so good that not many teams wanted to face them. Still, they fell short.
Not this time. This time they went into game 160 with 39 people on the roster, and they all seem to be contributors. Some of them had been on the IL so long that they had missed most of the season, people like Brandon Lowe, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell. Add Joey Wendle to the list of walking wounded who brought late life to the lineup.
Friday's game was typical of the Rays Way. Tommy Pham, the hard nosed tough guy who hates to smile, put them ahead in the third with his 21st home run with one man on. An inning later Willy Adames singled in another run. But in the seventh inning, Rays pitching gave up a two-run homer to Blue Jay center fielder Teoscar Hernandez to narrow the lead to 3-2. But the Rays, scoreboard watching as the Nationals were beating the Indians, scored two in the eighth for a more comfortable lead--and suddenly for the first time all year, it began feeling inevitable that they would win--the game and the postseason wildcard berth.
That inevitability showed itself in the eighth when the second run of the inning scored--on a strikeout. As Adames struck out to end the inning, the ball squirted past the catcher and went all the way to the backstop, which gave Adames just enough time to beat the throw to first, which squirted away again allowing Nate Lowe to score from third. Were the Rays destined to win the game and the postseason berth? After that play, even I was willing to entertain the possibility.
The Rays post game show continued late into the evening covering the champagne and beer party in the visitor's clubhouse interspersed with soggy interviews with young men being boisterous.
A one-game playoff with the Oakland A's will be hard-fought and unpredictable, but the Rays have definitely got the A's attention. They won't be looking forward to taking on Kevin Cash's crew.
The Rays aren't finished yet.
Wednesday, September 25. Game 159. Morton wins 16th, Rays shut out Yankees, 4-0
Rays 4, Yankees 0
Record: 95-64
Attendance: 20,390. Tropicana Field. Last home game of the year. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the Rays drew a total of 1,178,735 this season. That puts the Rays attendance last in the American League, and last in MLB except for the Miami Marlins. Television viewership was up 15%.
With two outs in the sixth on Wednesday night, Charlie Morton left a ball a little too high in the strike zone to D. J. LeMahieu, who promptly slapped it into right field for a single. It was the only hit the mighty Yankees managed all night.
It wasn't all Morton, though he pitched with precision and confidence. He shared the workload with Diego Castillo, Oliver Drake, Nick Anderson (who struck out Aaron Judge with two on and two out in the eighth), and with Andrew Kittredge, who struck out the side in the ninth.
But it was Morton the Lion Hearted who was the star. He set personal records for games in a season, 33, for wins in a season, 16, for innings pitched in a season, 194.2, and for strikeouts in a season, 240, only 12 fewer than Chris Archer's franchise record of 252 in 2015.
Offensively, the Rays got just enough to win without much exertion because the Yankees were being hog tied all night. Joey Wendle opened the game with a homer and later in the first, they scored a second run on a Brandon Lowe single. It remained a little too close for comfort until the sixth when Matt Duffy doubled in Avisail Garcia for a third run--and then Garcia himself homered in the eighth. But the game was a lot closer than its 4-0 final score might suggest.
It's a good thing base running isn't figured in to determine if a team deserves to win. The Rays have been "atrocious" as base runners (Manager Kevin Cash's word at some point midseason). On Wednesday night Duffy doubled to left to drive in Garcia, but then wandered too far off second while the play on Garcia at the plate was being made. The Yankees alertly caught Duffy in a rundown, snuffing out another possible run. Earlier, Joey Wendle was on third with two out--and was nonchalant about getting back to the bag after a pitch. Yankee catcher Kyle Higashioka noticed and rifled the ball to third to pick him off, another rally snuffed out. Maybe the Rays need to hire a spring training base-running guru for next year's spring training, like maybe Ricky Henderson.
After Thursday's off day, the Rays finish off the season against the Blue Jays in Toronto. They are currently two games over the Indians for the second wild card spot, so any combination of two Rays wins and/or Cleveland losses will put them into the postseason. Tyler Glasnow will open against the Jays on Friday night.
Record: 95-64
Attendance: 20,390. Tropicana Field. Last home game of the year. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the Rays drew a total of 1,178,735 this season. That puts the Rays attendance last in the American League, and last in MLB except for the Miami Marlins. Television viewership was up 15%.
With two outs in the sixth on Wednesday night, Charlie Morton left a ball a little too high in the strike zone to D. J. LeMahieu, who promptly slapped it into right field for a single. It was the only hit the mighty Yankees managed all night.
It wasn't all Morton, though he pitched with precision and confidence. He shared the workload with Diego Castillo, Oliver Drake, Nick Anderson (who struck out Aaron Judge with two on and two out in the eighth), and with Andrew Kittredge, who struck out the side in the ninth.
But it was Morton the Lion Hearted who was the star. He set personal records for games in a season, 33, for wins in a season, 16, for innings pitched in a season, 194.2, and for strikeouts in a season, 240, only 12 fewer than Chris Archer's franchise record of 252 in 2015.
Offensively, the Rays got just enough to win without much exertion because the Yankees were being hog tied all night. Joey Wendle opened the game with a homer and later in the first, they scored a second run on a Brandon Lowe single. It remained a little too close for comfort until the sixth when Matt Duffy doubled in Avisail Garcia for a third run--and then Garcia himself homered in the eighth. But the game was a lot closer than its 4-0 final score might suggest.
It's a good thing base running isn't figured in to determine if a team deserves to win. The Rays have been "atrocious" as base runners (Manager Kevin Cash's word at some point midseason). On Wednesday night Duffy doubled to left to drive in Garcia, but then wandered too far off second while the play on Garcia at the plate was being made. The Yankees alertly caught Duffy in a rundown, snuffing out another possible run. Earlier, Joey Wendle was on third with two out--and was nonchalant about getting back to the bag after a pitch. Yankee catcher Kyle Higashioka noticed and rifled the ball to third to pick him off, another rally snuffed out. Maybe the Rays need to hire a spring training base-running guru for next year's spring training, like maybe Ricky Henderson.
After Thursday's off day, the Rays finish off the season against the Blue Jays in Toronto. They are currently two games over the Indians for the second wild card spot, so any combination of two Rays wins and/or Cleveland losses will put them into the postseason. Tyler Glasnow will open against the Jays on Friday night.
Tuesday, September 24. Game 158: Ji-Man wins the game with 12th inning walk-off homer
Rays 2, Yankees 1 12 innings
Record: 94-64
Attendance: 16,699. Tropicana Field.
In the third inning of Tuesday night's game, Yankee outfielder Cameron Maybin, who feasts on Rays pitching, hit a solo home run off Yonny Chirinos. And then in the bottom of the fifth, Kevin Kiermaier evened the game at one with a solo shot of his own.
The game stayed tensely tied for the next six scoreless innings. The Rays couldn't even score in the bottom of the 11th, their lucky inning. But leading off the 12th, Ji-Man Choi launched a game-winning, walk-off homer--and the Rays took the first of two games against the AL East winning New York Yankees, who have already won 102 games this year. The win put the Rays at 94-34, a full 30 games over .500.
The ever-diligent Marc Topkin from the Tampa Bay Times collected a few interesting numbers, as for example that this was the tenth walkoff win this year for the Rays, their eighth in their last 23 home games. He also pointed out that the Rays lost 12 of their first 17 games this year against the Yankees. Manager Kevin Cash was quoted after the game, "They've beat us up." He went on: "You can't take anything away from what New York has done. They've beat us, and there's a reason they beat us. It's because of the depth of their roster and how quality their players, position players and pitchers, are"
But it was a mutual admiration society because Yankee manager Aaron Boone likes Tampa's team too. "Run prevention. They're hard to score against. They have some really talented starting pitchers and a number of good arms that can match up in situations and a lineup that has some versatility, some power, and some speed. . . . It's one of the best teams in the league in my view."
But on this Tuesday night, the Rays squeezed out a win in 12 innings. It was a must-win game for the Rays--and so they found a way to do it--they willed it to happen. The Yankees despite having wrapped up the division, played their usual tough game, using 11 pitchers to smother the Rays for most of the game. The Rays used nine pitchers, and in the end, it was Pete Fairbanks who got the win, bringing his record to 2-3. They're peaking at the right time in the season--and with four more games to play, they know what they have to do--win, win, win, win. It's not very complicated.
Wednesday's game will feature traditional starter, Charlie Morton, shooting for his 16th win, a career high, while New York will counter with an opener who will give way to bulk man J. Happ. It should be another nail biter.
Record: 94-64
Attendance: 16,699. Tropicana Field.
In the third inning of Tuesday night's game, Yankee outfielder Cameron Maybin, who feasts on Rays pitching, hit a solo home run off Yonny Chirinos. And then in the bottom of the fifth, Kevin Kiermaier evened the game at one with a solo shot of his own.
The game stayed tensely tied for the next six scoreless innings. The Rays couldn't even score in the bottom of the 11th, their lucky inning. But leading off the 12th, Ji-Man Choi launched a game-winning, walk-off homer--and the Rays took the first of two games against the AL East winning New York Yankees, who have already won 102 games this year. The win put the Rays at 94-34, a full 30 games over .500.
The ever-diligent Marc Topkin from the Tampa Bay Times collected a few interesting numbers, as for example that this was the tenth walkoff win this year for the Rays, their eighth in their last 23 home games. He also pointed out that the Rays lost 12 of their first 17 games this year against the Yankees. Manager Kevin Cash was quoted after the game, "They've beat us up." He went on: "You can't take anything away from what New York has done. They've beat us, and there's a reason they beat us. It's because of the depth of their roster and how quality their players, position players and pitchers, are"
But it was a mutual admiration society because Yankee manager Aaron Boone likes Tampa's team too. "Run prevention. They're hard to score against. They have some really talented starting pitchers and a number of good arms that can match up in situations and a lineup that has some versatility, some power, and some speed. . . . It's one of the best teams in the league in my view."
But on this Tuesday night, the Rays squeezed out a win in 12 innings. It was a must-win game for the Rays--and so they found a way to do it--they willed it to happen. The Yankees despite having wrapped up the division, played their usual tough game, using 11 pitchers to smother the Rays for most of the game. The Rays used nine pitchers, and in the end, it was Pete Fairbanks who got the win, bringing his record to 2-3. They're peaking at the right time in the season--and with four more games to play, they know what they have to do--win, win, win, win. It's not very complicated.
Wednesday's game will feature traditional starter, Charlie Morton, shooting for his 16th win, a career high, while New York will counter with an opener who will give way to bulk man J. Happ. It should be another nail biter.
Monday, September 23. Game 157: 3 homers in the 4th push Rays over the top
Rays 7, Red Sox 4
Record: 93-64
Attendance: 8,779. Tropicana Field. The joint should have been rocking with fans.
With the wild card pressure heavy on the Rays, they entered Monday's game knowing they had to win. The A's and Tribe are not giving up, so every game from here on is a must-win game. But they were scoreless in the first three innings, aimless, and the worst part of it was Blake Snell's performance. After his last excellent performance (his first since returning from the IL), there were high hopes for this important game.
Snell, however, wasn't able to get through the second inning, giving up two hits and three walks before being yanked. Things looked bleak. Pete Fairbanks gave up a second run in the third, and Austin Pruitt gave up two more in the top of the fourth. The Red Sox were on the verge of busting the game open.
But it turned out it was the Rays who busted it open in the bottom of the fourth. A pair of singles brought Ji-Man Choi to the plate, and he promptly homered to make it 4-3. One batter later, Brandon Lowe, making only his second appearance since taking the summer off for medical reasons, hit a ball farther than the estimated 441 feet to right field. It was a monster. That tied the game. And finally, after Keven Kiermaier was hit by a pitch, Willy Adames hit his 20th home run of the season, and suddenly the Rays had turned a 4-0 deficit into a 6-4 lead.
After the fourth inning, Rays pitchers put together five scoreless innings, with Pruitt (despite his shaky work) getting the win and Poche getting the save, his second.
And so the Red Sox are finished for the year--and the Yankees come to town tomorrow for the final two home games of the year. Another must win game.
The Don Zimmer MVP of the Rays as voted on by the Tampa Bay chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, came out a dead heat, the co-winners being Austin Meadows and Charlie Morton.
Record: 93-64
Attendance: 8,779. Tropicana Field. The joint should have been rocking with fans.
With the wild card pressure heavy on the Rays, they entered Monday's game knowing they had to win. The A's and Tribe are not giving up, so every game from here on is a must-win game. But they were scoreless in the first three innings, aimless, and the worst part of it was Blake Snell's performance. After his last excellent performance (his first since returning from the IL), there were high hopes for this important game.
Snell, however, wasn't able to get through the second inning, giving up two hits and three walks before being yanked. Things looked bleak. Pete Fairbanks gave up a second run in the third, and Austin Pruitt gave up two more in the top of the fourth. The Red Sox were on the verge of busting the game open.
But it turned out it was the Rays who busted it open in the bottom of the fourth. A pair of singles brought Ji-Man Choi to the plate, and he promptly homered to make it 4-3. One batter later, Brandon Lowe, making only his second appearance since taking the summer off for medical reasons, hit a ball farther than the estimated 441 feet to right field. It was a monster. That tied the game. And finally, after Keven Kiermaier was hit by a pitch, Willy Adames hit his 20th home run of the season, and suddenly the Rays had turned a 4-0 deficit into a 6-4 lead.
After the fourth inning, Rays pitchers put together five scoreless innings, with Pruitt (despite his shaky work) getting the win and Poche getting the save, his second.
And so the Red Sox are finished for the year--and the Yankees come to town tomorrow for the final two home games of the year. Another must win game.
The Don Zimmer MVP of the Rays as voted on by the Tampa Bay chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, came out a dead heat, the co-winners being Austin Meadows and Charlie Morton.
Sunday, September 22. Game 156. A step back, Rays lose to Red Sox, 7-4
Rays 4, Red Sox 7
Record: 92-64
Attendance: 17,946. Tropicana Field.
The Rays probably lost Sunday's game because they couldn't get to the eleventh inning, which they own.
Or it could be because they played a bad game.
Ryan Yarbrough put them in a 4-0 hole in the first inning, the big blow a three-run homer coming from C turned 1B Christian Vazquez. The Rays chipped away with single runs in the first three innings, including an opposite field home run from Joey Wendle. But then Andrew Kittredge replaced Yarbrough with runners on first and second and hit Xander Bogaerts, loading the bases. Then he walked J. D. Martinez, forcing in a run. Then he uncorked a wild pitch to score another run, and the Red Sox took a 6-3 lead. It grew to 7-3 on Joey Wendle's error in the seventh.
If there was anything about the game that was promising for the Rays, it was two-way rookie Brandon McKay, who was called on as a pinch hitter in the ninth. He hit a 420-foot homer to right field. He has had nine at-bats, as a DH, PH, and as the pitcher in NL games where the pitchers hit, and he is now 2 for 9 (.222) with one long home run that got everyone's attention. For the first time it seems that McKay may in fact have a major league two-way player future.
Yarbrough pitched three and a third, gave up eight hits, one walk, and six earned runs. The loss brought his record to 11-5. Perhaps more scary, as reported in the Tampa Bay Times, he hasn't won since August 11, is 0-2 in his last seven starts, and has a 5.45 ERA over that stretch. It's hard to see how Manager Cash can trust him with the ball in the remaining games--but he probably will.
This was a loss when losses can't be tolerated if the Rays hope to make the postseason. It's time for the cliches: Their backs are against the wall. There's no tomorrow. Well, to be precise, there will be a pair of games against the Yankees when the Red Sox leave town on Monday night, and then after an off day on Thursday, the Rays travel to Toronto for a weekend series against the Blue Jays. The way things are playing out between the Rays, the Indians, and the Athletics, the postseason may not be settled until that last weekend. This is high drama, baseball style.
Record: 92-64
Attendance: 17,946. Tropicana Field.
The Rays probably lost Sunday's game because they couldn't get to the eleventh inning, which they own.
Or it could be because they played a bad game.
Ryan Yarbrough put them in a 4-0 hole in the first inning, the big blow a three-run homer coming from C turned 1B Christian Vazquez. The Rays chipped away with single runs in the first three innings, including an opposite field home run from Joey Wendle. But then Andrew Kittredge replaced Yarbrough with runners on first and second and hit Xander Bogaerts, loading the bases. Then he walked J. D. Martinez, forcing in a run. Then he uncorked a wild pitch to score another run, and the Red Sox took a 6-3 lead. It grew to 7-3 on Joey Wendle's error in the seventh.
If there was anything about the game that was promising for the Rays, it was two-way rookie Brandon McKay, who was called on as a pinch hitter in the ninth. He hit a 420-foot homer to right field. He has had nine at-bats, as a DH, PH, and as the pitcher in NL games where the pitchers hit, and he is now 2 for 9 (.222) with one long home run that got everyone's attention. For the first time it seems that McKay may in fact have a major league two-way player future.
Yarbrough pitched three and a third, gave up eight hits, one walk, and six earned runs. The loss brought his record to 11-5. Perhaps more scary, as reported in the Tampa Bay Times, he hasn't won since August 11, is 0-2 in his last seven starts, and has a 5.45 ERA over that stretch. It's hard to see how Manager Cash can trust him with the ball in the remaining games--but he probably will.
This was a loss when losses can't be tolerated if the Rays hope to make the postseason. It's time for the cliches: Their backs are against the wall. There's no tomorrow. Well, to be precise, there will be a pair of games against the Yankees when the Red Sox leave town on Monday night, and then after an off day on Thursday, the Rays travel to Toronto for a weekend series against the Blue Jays. The way things are playing out between the Rays, the Indians, and the Athletics, the postseason may not be settled until that last weekend. This is high drama, baseball style.
Saturday, September 21. Game 155: Another 11th inning miracle.
Rays 5, Red Sox 4 11 innings
Record: 92-63
Attendance: 18,179. Tropicana Field.
After winning two one-run games in the eleventh inning, one against the Dodgers and one against the Red Sox, one might have concluded that another such would be impossible. But one would have been very wrong!
Travis d'Arnaud and Joey Wendle singled home runs in the third, but d'Arnaud was caught at the plate by Mookie Betts. The Red Sox got one back on a home run from Xander Bogaerts in the top of the fourth. Willy Adames hit the longest homer of his career, estimated at 462 feet, which extended the Rays lead to 3-1. The Red Sox tied the game in the eighth on a two-run homer by Rafael Devers--and the teams drifted into extra innings. The Rays faithful figured they had the Red Sox right where they wanted them when the teams started the eleventh inning.
But the script seemed to have a new ending. Mitch Moreland, who hit two homers the night before, lofted another one in the top of the eleventh. Red Sox up 4-3. Unfazed, the Rays got a double from d'Arnaud in the bottom of the eleventh, which brought up Nate Lowe, already 0 for 4 in the game and in a 6 for 37 slump during which time he had struck out 13 times, as reported in the Tampa Bay Times.
Lowe managed to get enough on a Josh Smith pitch (the eleventh pitcher of the night for Boston) and sliced the ball down the left field line for an opposite field, walk-off home run. It was just another routine miracle for these Rays, these 2019 cardiac kids.
Tyler Glasnow had started the game about four hours earlier and done beautifully over the three innings he pitched: 2 hits, no runs or walks, and seven strikeouts. Almost as significant as Tyler's performance was the return to action of Yonny Chirinos, who had been on the IL since early August. He also did nicely in his one inning even though he gave up a homer to Xander Bogaerts. He seems ready to take his place in the bullpen over the next, and last, seven games of the season.
In all, Kevin Cash used nine pitchers, with Nick Anderson giving up the homer to Rafael Devers that tied the game in the eighth, and Diego Castillo giving up the eleventh-inning homer from Mitch Moreland. Castillo was the beneficiary of Lowe's homer and came away with the victory, making him 5-8.
Sunday afternoon's game begins at 1:10. Ryan Yarbrough, who has struggled of late, starts against ex-Ray Nathan Eovaldi.
Record: 92-63
Attendance: 18,179. Tropicana Field.
After winning two one-run games in the eleventh inning, one against the Dodgers and one against the Red Sox, one might have concluded that another such would be impossible. But one would have been very wrong!
Travis d'Arnaud and Joey Wendle singled home runs in the third, but d'Arnaud was caught at the plate by Mookie Betts. The Red Sox got one back on a home run from Xander Bogaerts in the top of the fourth. Willy Adames hit the longest homer of his career, estimated at 462 feet, which extended the Rays lead to 3-1. The Red Sox tied the game in the eighth on a two-run homer by Rafael Devers--and the teams drifted into extra innings. The Rays faithful figured they had the Red Sox right where they wanted them when the teams started the eleventh inning.
But the script seemed to have a new ending. Mitch Moreland, who hit two homers the night before, lofted another one in the top of the eleventh. Red Sox up 4-3. Unfazed, the Rays got a double from d'Arnaud in the bottom of the eleventh, which brought up Nate Lowe, already 0 for 4 in the game and in a 6 for 37 slump during which time he had struck out 13 times, as reported in the Tampa Bay Times.
Lowe managed to get enough on a Josh Smith pitch (the eleventh pitcher of the night for Boston) and sliced the ball down the left field line for an opposite field, walk-off home run. It was just another routine miracle for these Rays, these 2019 cardiac kids.
Tyler Glasnow had started the game about four hours earlier and done beautifully over the three innings he pitched: 2 hits, no runs or walks, and seven strikeouts. Almost as significant as Tyler's performance was the return to action of Yonny Chirinos, who had been on the IL since early August. He also did nicely in his one inning even though he gave up a homer to Xander Bogaerts. He seems ready to take his place in the bullpen over the next, and last, seven games of the season.
In all, Kevin Cash used nine pitchers, with Nick Anderson giving up the homer to Rafael Devers that tied the game in the eighth, and Diego Castillo giving up the eleventh-inning homer from Mitch Moreland. Castillo was the beneficiary of Lowe's homer and came away with the victory, making him 5-8.
Sunday afternoon's game begins at 1:10. Ryan Yarbrough, who has struggled of late, starts against ex-Ray Nathan Eovaldi.
Friday, September 20. Game 154: Rays are the latest version of baseball's "cardiac kids"
Rays 5, Red Sox 4 11 innings
Record: 91-63
Attendance: 17,117
This was a scoreless game through six innings, Charlie Morton and Rick Porcello matching scoreboard zeroes. But in the top of the seventh Morton blinked, giving up a one-out double to Brock Holt. Manager Kevin Cash went to the mound, but instead of pulling Morton, he gave him a well-earned opportunity to continue through the inning, despite his pitch count that was just about at the 100 mark. It was an act of respect--and everyone in the building and watching on television understood.
But the gesture backfired. On Morton's 103rd pitch, Mitch Moreland launched a home run to straightaway center.
The Red Sox pulled Porcello for the bottom of the seventh, however, and the Rays took advantage of the Bosox bullpen. Darwinzon Hernandez gave up a single to Travis d'Arnaud and then walked the next two batters. Marcus Weldon replaced Hernandez and gave up a slow chopper to third off the bat of PH Nate Lowe. The Red Sox tried for an around-the-horn, inning-ending double play, but the lumbering Lowe hustled and beat the throw to first. D'arnaud scored. Willy Adames got a key hit to right field that scored the tying run. The third run came in on a wild pitch. Then in the bottom of the eighth Austin Meadows walked and was driven in by Ji-Man Choi's double. 4-2 Rays.
Nick Anderson pitched a strong top of the eighth and gave way to Emilio Pagan. It was a seemingly perfect sequence that these two have earned, Anderson in the eighth and Pagan in the ninth. But this pitching decision backfired too when Pagan gave up a triple that was followed by another home run from Mitch Moreland. And the game was tied. The air suddenly got thicker for stunned Rays fans. But the players took it in stride.
In the eleventh, with two out, Mike Brosseau and Daniel Robertson walked bringing up Adames again, and again he came up with a clutch hit, a walk-off single to left, driving in PR Johnny Davis, who scored easily.
These Rays are a resilient group as the last two tough games show. They both ended up with the Rays winning in extra innings by a single run. Eight games to go and the Rays still have an uphill battle, but if their spunky play of the last two games is any indication, you don't want to rule them out quite yet.
Tyler Glasnow (as an opener who may go as many as four innings) gets the ball on Saturday at 6:10.
Record: 91-63
Attendance: 17,117
This was a scoreless game through six innings, Charlie Morton and Rick Porcello matching scoreboard zeroes. But in the top of the seventh Morton blinked, giving up a one-out double to Brock Holt. Manager Kevin Cash went to the mound, but instead of pulling Morton, he gave him a well-earned opportunity to continue through the inning, despite his pitch count that was just about at the 100 mark. It was an act of respect--and everyone in the building and watching on television understood.
But the gesture backfired. On Morton's 103rd pitch, Mitch Moreland launched a home run to straightaway center.
The Red Sox pulled Porcello for the bottom of the seventh, however, and the Rays took advantage of the Bosox bullpen. Darwinzon Hernandez gave up a single to Travis d'Arnaud and then walked the next two batters. Marcus Weldon replaced Hernandez and gave up a slow chopper to third off the bat of PH Nate Lowe. The Red Sox tried for an around-the-horn, inning-ending double play, but the lumbering Lowe hustled and beat the throw to first. D'arnaud scored. Willy Adames got a key hit to right field that scored the tying run. The third run came in on a wild pitch. Then in the bottom of the eighth Austin Meadows walked and was driven in by Ji-Man Choi's double. 4-2 Rays.
Nick Anderson pitched a strong top of the eighth and gave way to Emilio Pagan. It was a seemingly perfect sequence that these two have earned, Anderson in the eighth and Pagan in the ninth. But this pitching decision backfired too when Pagan gave up a triple that was followed by another home run from Mitch Moreland. And the game was tied. The air suddenly got thicker for stunned Rays fans. But the players took it in stride.
In the eleventh, with two out, Mike Brosseau and Daniel Robertson walked bringing up Adames again, and again he came up with a clutch hit, a walk-off single to left, driving in PR Johnny Davis, who scored easily.
These Rays are a resilient group as the last two tough games show. They both ended up with the Rays winning in extra innings by a single run. Eight games to go and the Rays still have an uphill battle, but if their spunky play of the last two games is any indication, you don't want to rule them out quite yet.
Tyler Glasnow (as an opener who may go as many as four innings) gets the ball on Saturday at 6:10.
Thursday, September 19. Off Day
After last night's 8-7 nail-biter against the Dodgers, the Rays took the off day to regularize their breathing and get set for the tomorrow's game against the Red Sox, who are out of the postseason conversation--except as a spoiler. For them the upcoming games are all for pride, and the Boston Red Sox franchise has plenty of that. These will be four hard-fought contests. Buckle up Rays fans.
Wednesday, September 18. Game 153. Rays rally late, beat L.A. in 11 innings. .
Rays 8, Dodgers 7 11 innings
Record: 90-63
Attendance: 48,253. Dodger Stadium
The Oakland Athletics pulled off a walk-off 1-0 win in the 11th inning against the weak Kansas City Royals. The Cleveland Indians won a 2-1 walk-off in the tenth against the even weaker Detroit Tigers. Keeping pace against the NL best L.A. Dodgers was going to be tough--and the Rays knew it going in.
Manager Kevin Cash played this one like the last game of the World Series--all hands on deck. Twenty-two hitters and pitchers found their way to the plate in this 4:40 marathon that began at 8:10 Eastern Time and didn't end till 12:50. He also paraded nine pitchers to the mound--as did the Dodgers. The game had no meaning for the Dodgers, unlike the Rays, who had a lot riding on the outcome, but the Dodgers played a ferocious game, getting key hits, rallying from deficits, and never conceding anything. Winning this one, in L.A., against an inspired team, in front of some 48,000 very involved fans, would be the perhaps the greatest challenge of the season for the 90-63 Rays.
The Rays fell behind 5-4 in the sixth on a Joc Pederson RBI single and a passed ball. Cody Bellinger's 45th homer in the eighth made it 6-4, but in the top of the ninth, the Rays tied it at 6 on a Ji-Man Choi single and a clutch sac fly by Travis d'Arnaud.
In the 11th, Austin Meadows picked out a breaking ball and drove it into the right field seats for his 32nd home run of the season. Tommy Pham followed that with a double to left, his fifth hit of the night. He went to third on a ground out and came home on Choi's sac fly. Rays up, 8-6. But the proud and tough Dodgers mounted a rally of their own in the bottom of the inning against Pete Fairbanks, who lost Tuesday's game.
Corey Seager singled and Will Smith put a high fly near the foul line in right. Avisail Garcia had a long run, but he caught up to the ball--and dropped it. After two outs were recorded, Edwin Rios singled to center driving in Seager. With runners on first and second, and the Rays leading by a single run, Dodger manager Dave Roberts called on backup catcher Russell Martin to pinch hit. This time Fairbanks was up to the task, getting Martin to swing and miss on a 3-2 count.
Colin Poche got the win (5-5) and Fairbanks got his second save.
In many ways the Rays pulled off a miracle in Dodger Stadium, one they can savor on their Thursday off day and build on for the upcoming four-game series against the Red Sox in St. Pete. If you can't feel the momentum swinging toward the Rays at this point, it's time to get a new antenna.
Tommy Pham wrapped it up for the press after the game: "We had a ton of fight in us tonight."
Record: 90-63
Attendance: 48,253. Dodger Stadium
The Oakland Athletics pulled off a walk-off 1-0 win in the 11th inning against the weak Kansas City Royals. The Cleveland Indians won a 2-1 walk-off in the tenth against the even weaker Detroit Tigers. Keeping pace against the NL best L.A. Dodgers was going to be tough--and the Rays knew it going in.
Manager Kevin Cash played this one like the last game of the World Series--all hands on deck. Twenty-two hitters and pitchers found their way to the plate in this 4:40 marathon that began at 8:10 Eastern Time and didn't end till 12:50. He also paraded nine pitchers to the mound--as did the Dodgers. The game had no meaning for the Dodgers, unlike the Rays, who had a lot riding on the outcome, but the Dodgers played a ferocious game, getting key hits, rallying from deficits, and never conceding anything. Winning this one, in L.A., against an inspired team, in front of some 48,000 very involved fans, would be the perhaps the greatest challenge of the season for the 90-63 Rays.
The Rays fell behind 5-4 in the sixth on a Joc Pederson RBI single and a passed ball. Cody Bellinger's 45th homer in the eighth made it 6-4, but in the top of the ninth, the Rays tied it at 6 on a Ji-Man Choi single and a clutch sac fly by Travis d'Arnaud.
In the 11th, Austin Meadows picked out a breaking ball and drove it into the right field seats for his 32nd home run of the season. Tommy Pham followed that with a double to left, his fifth hit of the night. He went to third on a ground out and came home on Choi's sac fly. Rays up, 8-6. But the proud and tough Dodgers mounted a rally of their own in the bottom of the inning against Pete Fairbanks, who lost Tuesday's game.
Corey Seager singled and Will Smith put a high fly near the foul line in right. Avisail Garcia had a long run, but he caught up to the ball--and dropped it. After two outs were recorded, Edwin Rios singled to center driving in Seager. With runners on first and second, and the Rays leading by a single run, Dodger manager Dave Roberts called on backup catcher Russell Martin to pinch hit. This time Fairbanks was up to the task, getting Martin to swing and miss on a 3-2 count.
Colin Poche got the win (5-5) and Fairbanks got his second save.
In many ways the Rays pulled off a miracle in Dodger Stadium, one they can savor on their Thursday off day and build on for the upcoming four-game series against the Red Sox in St. Pete. If you can't feel the momentum swinging toward the Rays at this point, it's time to get a new antenna.
Tommy Pham wrapped it up for the press after the game: "We had a ton of fight in us tonight."
Tuesday, September 17, Game 152. Rays fall again.
Rays 5, Dodgers 7
Record: 89-63
Attendance: 48,663. Dodger Stadium
While the 88-63 Cleveland Indians were beating the 45-105 Detroit Tigers 7-2, and while the 90-61 Oakland Athletics were beating the 56-95 Kansas City Royals, 2-1, the 89-63 Tampa Bay Rays were squaring off against the 97-54 Los Angeles Dodgers.
The game was tied at two in the seventh when the Dodgers scored five times against loser Pete Fairbanks (1-3), who pitched a third of an inning giving up three hits, one walk, and five runs (thee earned). The Rays launched a comeback in the eighth on an RBI single from Travis d'Arnaud and a two-run homer from Jesus Aguilar, but that was it and the Rays fell to the best team in the NL, 7-5.
And suddenly the flying high Rays have lost four of their last five and also lost their perch atop the wild card standings, which Oakland now leads by two and a half games.
Meantime, tomorrow the Rays take on the hot Dodgers once again while the A's and Indians continue their series against AL patsies in Detroit and Kansas City.
If there was an upside to this difficult defeat on Tuesday night in Los Angeles, it was the return of Blake Snell who tossed two perfect innings with four strikeouts over 27 pitches. He was followed by seven relievers who did a good job--except for Colin Poche, who gave up two runs in the fifth and Fairbanks.
As tough a game as Wednesday's is likely to be, this one against the Dodgers is a "must win."
Record: 89-63
Attendance: 48,663. Dodger Stadium
While the 88-63 Cleveland Indians were beating the 45-105 Detroit Tigers 7-2, and while the 90-61 Oakland Athletics were beating the 56-95 Kansas City Royals, 2-1, the 89-63 Tampa Bay Rays were squaring off against the 97-54 Los Angeles Dodgers.
The game was tied at two in the seventh when the Dodgers scored five times against loser Pete Fairbanks (1-3), who pitched a third of an inning giving up three hits, one walk, and five runs (thee earned). The Rays launched a comeback in the eighth on an RBI single from Travis d'Arnaud and a two-run homer from Jesus Aguilar, but that was it and the Rays fell to the best team in the NL, 7-5.
And suddenly the flying high Rays have lost four of their last five and also lost their perch atop the wild card standings, which Oakland now leads by two and a half games.
Meantime, tomorrow the Rays take on the hot Dodgers once again while the A's and Indians continue their series against AL patsies in Detroit and Kansas City.
If there was an upside to this difficult defeat on Tuesday night in Los Angeles, it was the return of Blake Snell who tossed two perfect innings with four strikeouts over 27 pitches. He was followed by seven relievers who did a good job--except for Colin Poche, who gave up two runs in the fifth and Fairbanks.
As tough a game as Wednesday's is likely to be, this one against the Dodgers is a "must win."
Sunday, September 15. Game 151: Rays flat, Pujols takes over
Rays 4, Angels 6
Record: 89-62
Attendance: 36,709. Angel Stadium
The Rays lost 6-4 on Sunday afternoon to the LA Angels, but they have a 7-3 record over the last ten games, which sounds pretty good--and is except that the Oakland A's are 8-2 and widening the gap between themselves and the Rays. As of Monday, the Rays are a game and a half behind the Athletics for the wild card spot, and they are a game and a half ahead of the Indians for the second wild card spot.
They need to step up their play over the last 11 games, which they have to win at least six of to remain in competition. But they've got the Dodgers coming up for two games in LA, the Red Sox for four games in Tampa, two games against the Yankees in Tampa and three final games against the Blue Jays in Toronto. Let's hope it doesn't depend on sweeping the very spunky Jays. All in all, the Rays need to play their best baseball over the next nine games.
Which means they can't play the way they did on Sunday against the Angels. Ryan Yarbrough wasn't sharp, giving up 10 hits, two walks, and six runs in five innings (93 pitches). The big blow was Albert Pujols three-run homer, his 23rd of the year, in the fifth, but he also had an RBI double, giving him four on the day.
It's right to pause for a moment to pay our respects to the great Albert Pujols, who at age 39 and a veteran of 19 big league seasons, won't be around much longer. His numbers: 656 home runs (6th all time); 1,332 extra base hits (5th); 2,071 RBIs (5th); 3,194 hits (15th); .300 B.A. (203rd); 311 intentional walks (2nd). It's no disgrace to be beaten by future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols.
And yet Pujols magic notwithstanding, the loss could not have come at a worse time.
The Rays offense which has played well over the year, at least when it wasn't in one of its comatose stretches, managed a first inning run on a Jesus Aguilar sac fly, but then put up goose eggs for the next six innings. Then in the eighth, all-star Austin Meadows launched a three-run homer (his 31st) to center, cutting the Angel lead to 6-4, the final score.
Rays pitching after Yarbrough was good, especially the performance of Anthony Banda, trying to work his way back into the Rays already deep relief corps. He pitched a perfect sixth and seventh with two strikeouts.
Monday the players and staff will enjoy Los Angeles on an off day, but Tuesday they will get back to work against the Dodgers.
These are hard days to live through as a fan, but they are also the meaningful games we all wanted the Rays to be playing in September. Enjoy it.
Record: 89-62
Attendance: 36,709. Angel Stadium
The Rays lost 6-4 on Sunday afternoon to the LA Angels, but they have a 7-3 record over the last ten games, which sounds pretty good--and is except that the Oakland A's are 8-2 and widening the gap between themselves and the Rays. As of Monday, the Rays are a game and a half behind the Athletics for the wild card spot, and they are a game and a half ahead of the Indians for the second wild card spot.
They need to step up their play over the last 11 games, which they have to win at least six of to remain in competition. But they've got the Dodgers coming up for two games in LA, the Red Sox for four games in Tampa, two games against the Yankees in Tampa and three final games against the Blue Jays in Toronto. Let's hope it doesn't depend on sweeping the very spunky Jays. All in all, the Rays need to play their best baseball over the next nine games.
Which means they can't play the way they did on Sunday against the Angels. Ryan Yarbrough wasn't sharp, giving up 10 hits, two walks, and six runs in five innings (93 pitches). The big blow was Albert Pujols three-run homer, his 23rd of the year, in the fifth, but he also had an RBI double, giving him four on the day.
It's right to pause for a moment to pay our respects to the great Albert Pujols, who at age 39 and a veteran of 19 big league seasons, won't be around much longer. His numbers: 656 home runs (6th all time); 1,332 extra base hits (5th); 2,071 RBIs (5th); 3,194 hits (15th); .300 B.A. (203rd); 311 intentional walks (2nd). It's no disgrace to be beaten by future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols.
And yet Pujols magic notwithstanding, the loss could not have come at a worse time.
The Rays offense which has played well over the year, at least when it wasn't in one of its comatose stretches, managed a first inning run on a Jesus Aguilar sac fly, but then put up goose eggs for the next six innings. Then in the eighth, all-star Austin Meadows launched a three-run homer (his 31st) to center, cutting the Angel lead to 6-4, the final score.
Rays pitching after Yarbrough was good, especially the performance of Anthony Banda, trying to work his way back into the Rays already deep relief corps. He pitched a perfect sixth and seventh with two strikeouts.
Monday the players and staff will enjoy Los Angeles on an off day, but Tuesday they will get back to work against the Dodgers.
These are hard days to live through as a fan, but they are also the meaningful games we all wanted the Rays to be playing in September. Enjoy it.
Saturday, September 14. Game 150. An efficient, low-energy win
Rays 3, Angels 1
Record: 89-61
Attendance: 39,056. Angel Stadium.
Tyler Glasnow in his second game back after nearly four months on the IL for right forearm strain, threw three good innings against the Angels on Saturday night. He gave up two hits and a walk but did not give up a run despite allowing a triple to Brian Goodwin with one out in the third, a jam he got out of by popping up David Fletcher and striking out red-hot Kole Calhoun on a fastball just a tick under 100 mph. It was a strong showing.
The Rays hitters meanwhile were quieted most of the evening with a grand total of five hits. One of them, however, was a bases loaded double by Travis d'Arnaud that scored all three of the Rays runs. The other eight Rays innings were scoreless.
But the Rays bullpen gave up but a single run, on a Nick Anderson wild pitch in the seventh. For the rest of the game, Rays pitchers were in total control: Trevor Richards pitched the fourth and fifth for the win, making him 6-12, and Peter Fairbanks worked a clean sixth. Then came the end-of-game boys, Anderson in the seventh, Oliver Drake in the eighth, and Emilio Pagan the ninth for his 20th save.
The last game against the Angels is Sunday afternoon. A sweep is what the Rays are after as they chase the postseason and need to win as many of the remaining 12 games as they can. With 89 wins so far, they have a fighting chance if they can get to 95 or 96, which would require winning five or six more. Seven or eight more would clinch it in all probability.
And still there is nothing to be done but play the games one at a time. The ones against the Red Sox and Yankees at the Trop between September 20 and 26 will give the fans yet another opportunity to root the Rays on--and drown out the hate-the-Rays crowd who will show up to root against their home team. It's disgraceful, frustrating, and demoralizing for the team. Regardless of how far the Rays go in the postseason if they get there at all, the out-of-towners who root against them will force Rays management to Montreal. Who can blame them?
Record: 89-61
Attendance: 39,056. Angel Stadium.
Tyler Glasnow in his second game back after nearly four months on the IL for right forearm strain, threw three good innings against the Angels on Saturday night. He gave up two hits and a walk but did not give up a run despite allowing a triple to Brian Goodwin with one out in the third, a jam he got out of by popping up David Fletcher and striking out red-hot Kole Calhoun on a fastball just a tick under 100 mph. It was a strong showing.
The Rays hitters meanwhile were quieted most of the evening with a grand total of five hits. One of them, however, was a bases loaded double by Travis d'Arnaud that scored all three of the Rays runs. The other eight Rays innings were scoreless.
But the Rays bullpen gave up but a single run, on a Nick Anderson wild pitch in the seventh. For the rest of the game, Rays pitchers were in total control: Trevor Richards pitched the fourth and fifth for the win, making him 6-12, and Peter Fairbanks worked a clean sixth. Then came the end-of-game boys, Anderson in the seventh, Oliver Drake in the eighth, and Emilio Pagan the ninth for his 20th save.
The last game against the Angels is Sunday afternoon. A sweep is what the Rays are after as they chase the postseason and need to win as many of the remaining 12 games as they can. With 89 wins so far, they have a fighting chance if they can get to 95 or 96, which would require winning five or six more. Seven or eight more would clinch it in all probability.
And still there is nothing to be done but play the games one at a time. The ones against the Red Sox and Yankees at the Trop between September 20 and 26 will give the fans yet another opportunity to root the Rays on--and drown out the hate-the-Rays crowd who will show up to root against their home team. It's disgraceful, frustrating, and demoralizing for the team. Regardless of how far the Rays go in the postseason if they get there at all, the out-of-towners who root against them will force Rays management to Montreal. Who can blame them?
Friday, September 13. Game 149. Fireworks display comes at a good time.
Rays 11, Angels 4
Record: 88-61
Attendance: 39,914. Angel Stadium
Off Friday night's 11-4 fireworks, there isn't anything wrong with the 88-61 Rays. Of course they have to keep it up one game at a time, but with 13 games to go there is a good chance they will win seven more for a 95-win season. It is still hard to imagine it will take more than that to make the playoffs--but it is still a possibility.
In Friday night's game against the Angels, the Rays were behind 1-0 going into the third inning, when they got three homers, from Willy Adames (18), Austin Meadows (31), and Jesus Aguilar (11)--4-1 Rays. The teams traded two-run innings to put the score at 6-3, but Rays hitting added five runs over the last four innings and Rays pitching stiffened, allowing only one more run over the last six innings.
The Rays run in the top of the ninth was started by newcomer Johnny Davis, who slapped a ball into the left-field corner. The speedster was standing on third by the time the ball got back into the infield. He came in with the last run of the game on a sac fly by Jesus Aguilar. When he got back to the dugout, it erupted with smiles, slaps, high fives, and hugs. This was 29-year-old Davis's first at-bat and first hit in the major leagues. Celebration all around.
There was cause for celebration too because Charlie Morton got the win, and is now 15-6 on the year. He extended his own personal records by reaching 182.1 innings and 223 strikeouts. Morton went six innings (94 pitches) and gave up a home run to Kole Calhoun in the third. In the eighth, Calhoun hit another HR off Andrew Kittredge, who pitched the seventh and eighth. Jalen Beeks mopped it up with a clean ninth.
The Rays slept better than they had in the previous two nights, but they've got another game tonight against the Angels. Tyler Glasnow is scheduled to be the starter tonight, so the hope is that he will go deeper than his two-inning outing last time. There are no guarantees with Glasnow considering how much time he has missed, but a good performance would make the remaining games a little less daunting. One game at a time.
Record: 88-61
Attendance: 39,914. Angel Stadium
Off Friday night's 11-4 fireworks, there isn't anything wrong with the 88-61 Rays. Of course they have to keep it up one game at a time, but with 13 games to go there is a good chance they will win seven more for a 95-win season. It is still hard to imagine it will take more than that to make the playoffs--but it is still a possibility.
In Friday night's game against the Angels, the Rays were behind 1-0 going into the third inning, when they got three homers, from Willy Adames (18), Austin Meadows (31), and Jesus Aguilar (11)--4-1 Rays. The teams traded two-run innings to put the score at 6-3, but Rays hitting added five runs over the last four innings and Rays pitching stiffened, allowing only one more run over the last six innings.
The Rays run in the top of the ninth was started by newcomer Johnny Davis, who slapped a ball into the left-field corner. The speedster was standing on third by the time the ball got back into the infield. He came in with the last run of the game on a sac fly by Jesus Aguilar. When he got back to the dugout, it erupted with smiles, slaps, high fives, and hugs. This was 29-year-old Davis's first at-bat and first hit in the major leagues. Celebration all around.
There was cause for celebration too because Charlie Morton got the win, and is now 15-6 on the year. He extended his own personal records by reaching 182.1 innings and 223 strikeouts. Morton went six innings (94 pitches) and gave up a home run to Kole Calhoun in the third. In the eighth, Calhoun hit another HR off Andrew Kittredge, who pitched the seventh and eighth. Jalen Beeks mopped it up with a clean ninth.
The Rays slept better than they had in the previous two nights, but they've got another game tonight against the Angels. Tyler Glasnow is scheduled to be the starter tonight, so the hope is that he will go deeper than his two-inning outing last time. There are no guarantees with Glasnow considering how much time he has missed, but a good performance would make the remaining games a little less daunting. One game at a time.
Thursday, September 12. Game 148: A dud and a thud, Rays fall out of first place in wild card race
Rays 4, Rangers 6
Record 87-61
Attendance: 18,222
The Rays needed to bounce back from Wednesday's crushing 10-9 defeat by taking the rubber game of the three-game set against the Texas Rangers and avoid a tailspin in the last two weeks of the season. They lost the game 6-4, their hitting falling short and their pitching falling even shorter. And the defense was charged with two errors though it was shakier than that. As to the tailspin, we'll have to wait now to see how they respond in the opening game against the L.A. Angels on Friday night.
If the game was a dud, there was also a loud thud as the team fell into second place in the wildcard race as the Oakland Athletics took over first place beating the AL West leading Astros for a third straight day. Unless the A's show some signs of fallibility in the last two weeks of the season, the Rays are not likely to take over first again.
The Rays tied the score at one in the top of the second, but they had bases loaded and no outs--and barely managed a single run to tie the game. Then a combination of no lock-down pitching and a suddenly porous defense gave the Rangers four runs in the fourth. The Rays came back with three in the fifth, the big blow a double from Austin Meadows, who continues the team's hottest hitter. Texas added a run in the seventh while the Rays went scoreless for the last four innings.
Rays pitching was led by Brandon McKay, who managed three and a third innings giving up six hits, two walks, and three runs. He also took the loss and is now 2-4 on the year. He was replaced by Pete Fairbanks, who was traded near the trade deadline in July for Rays farmhand Nick Solak. Solak has been hitting .385 over the last week with ten hits, two homers, eight RBIs, and five walks. He's hitting cleanup for the Rangers. And in the fourth inning against Fairbanks he hit a two-run home run. So not only did he effectively beat the Rays, he left management scratching its head how they could have missed the upside of Solak's bat.
A dud and a thud.
But the pennant race continues without missing a beat on Friday night against the Angels. The best way to get over two bad losses in a row to a barely .500 team is to win the next game. At this point every game is a must-win contest. The Rays have to keep the pressure on--and hope the A's and Cleveland Indians blink under the pressure.
Record 87-61
Attendance: 18,222
The Rays needed to bounce back from Wednesday's crushing 10-9 defeat by taking the rubber game of the three-game set against the Texas Rangers and avoid a tailspin in the last two weeks of the season. They lost the game 6-4, their hitting falling short and their pitching falling even shorter. And the defense was charged with two errors though it was shakier than that. As to the tailspin, we'll have to wait now to see how they respond in the opening game against the L.A. Angels on Friday night.
If the game was a dud, there was also a loud thud as the team fell into second place in the wildcard race as the Oakland Athletics took over first place beating the AL West leading Astros for a third straight day. Unless the A's show some signs of fallibility in the last two weeks of the season, the Rays are not likely to take over first again.
The Rays tied the score at one in the top of the second, but they had bases loaded and no outs--and barely managed a single run to tie the game. Then a combination of no lock-down pitching and a suddenly porous defense gave the Rangers four runs in the fourth. The Rays came back with three in the fifth, the big blow a double from Austin Meadows, who continues the team's hottest hitter. Texas added a run in the seventh while the Rays went scoreless for the last four innings.
Rays pitching was led by Brandon McKay, who managed three and a third innings giving up six hits, two walks, and three runs. He also took the loss and is now 2-4 on the year. He was replaced by Pete Fairbanks, who was traded near the trade deadline in July for Rays farmhand Nick Solak. Solak has been hitting .385 over the last week with ten hits, two homers, eight RBIs, and five walks. He's hitting cleanup for the Rangers. And in the fourth inning against Fairbanks he hit a two-run home run. So not only did he effectively beat the Rays, he left management scratching its head how they could have missed the upside of Solak's bat.
A dud and a thud.
But the pennant race continues without missing a beat on Friday night against the Angels. The best way to get over two bad losses in a row to a barely .500 team is to win the next game. At this point every game is a must-win contest. The Rays have to keep the pressure on--and hope the A's and Cleveland Indians blink under the pressure.
Wednesday, September 11. Game 147. Good hitting, bad pitching, horrible base running, Rays lose 10-9
Rays 9, Rangers 10
Record: 87-60
Attendance: 19,746. Global Life Park
As well as the Rays have been playing for the last two weeks, perhaps it was inevitable they should have a letdown. They did on Wednesday night in a game that could well have been one of their greatest successes.
In the first inning, which took almost a full hour to play, the Rays jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a Tommy Pham double and a Matt Duffy single. But in the bottom of the first, the Rangers scored seven times to take a 7-2 lead, which dissolved when the Rays scored five times in the top of the second to tie the game at seven. That's 14 runs in an inning and a half.
The Rays took a one-run lead on a Duffy sac fly in the fourth, which is how it remained until the bottom of the seventh.when Rougned Odor jerked a Nick Anderson fastball down the right field line for a three-run homer. Rangers up, 10-8. In the ninth, Ji-Man Choi hit his second home run of the night, a solo shot that tightened the game up, but that is how it ended with the Rangers eking out a one-run win over the red-hot Rays.
The Rays used eight pitchers on the night with Andrew Kittredge opening and giving up three runs without registering an out before being replaced by Jalen Beeks, who gave up four more runs and getting two outs before he was replaced by Austin Pruitt, who got them out of the first and settled things down with three more solid innings. Colin Poche started the seventh and had two men on when he was replaced by Anderson, who then threw the home run ball to Odor. Officially the loss went to Poche.
At various times during the season, Rays base running has been so bad that even Kevin Cash once called it "atrocious." Wednesday night it was the most atrocious it has ever been. Duffy was on third with two outs when he was caught napping. Guillermo Heredia was picked off first. Choi was caught off second by the catcher. And most galling of all, Johnny Davis, a 29-year-old base-stealing phenom from the Mexican League in his very first Rays game, was put in as a pinch runner--and was picked off. Ironic? Yes. Pathetic? Most definitely.
Almost every break has gone the Rays way over the last two weeks, but Wednesday night balanced the scales--and what could have been an inspiring win turned into a deflating and disheartening loss that will be hard to spring back from.
The rubber game of the series is Thursday night with Brandon McKay still working his way back into the rotation after late season arm fatigue and a stint at Durham working against lefty Kolby Allard, who came over to the Rangers from Atlanta at the trade deadline and has gone 3-0 with an ERA of 1.47 over his last three games. The Rays will have to put Wednesday's tough loss behind them very quickly.
Record: 87-60
Attendance: 19,746. Global Life Park
As well as the Rays have been playing for the last two weeks, perhaps it was inevitable they should have a letdown. They did on Wednesday night in a game that could well have been one of their greatest successes.
In the first inning, which took almost a full hour to play, the Rays jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a Tommy Pham double and a Matt Duffy single. But in the bottom of the first, the Rangers scored seven times to take a 7-2 lead, which dissolved when the Rays scored five times in the top of the second to tie the game at seven. That's 14 runs in an inning and a half.
The Rays took a one-run lead on a Duffy sac fly in the fourth, which is how it remained until the bottom of the seventh.when Rougned Odor jerked a Nick Anderson fastball down the right field line for a three-run homer. Rangers up, 10-8. In the ninth, Ji-Man Choi hit his second home run of the night, a solo shot that tightened the game up, but that is how it ended with the Rangers eking out a one-run win over the red-hot Rays.
The Rays used eight pitchers on the night with Andrew Kittredge opening and giving up three runs without registering an out before being replaced by Jalen Beeks, who gave up four more runs and getting two outs before he was replaced by Austin Pruitt, who got them out of the first and settled things down with three more solid innings. Colin Poche started the seventh and had two men on when he was replaced by Anderson, who then threw the home run ball to Odor. Officially the loss went to Poche.
At various times during the season, Rays base running has been so bad that even Kevin Cash once called it "atrocious." Wednesday night it was the most atrocious it has ever been. Duffy was on third with two outs when he was caught napping. Guillermo Heredia was picked off first. Choi was caught off second by the catcher. And most galling of all, Johnny Davis, a 29-year-old base-stealing phenom from the Mexican League in his very first Rays game, was put in as a pinch runner--and was picked off. Ironic? Yes. Pathetic? Most definitely.
Almost every break has gone the Rays way over the last two weeks, but Wednesday night balanced the scales--and what could have been an inspiring win turned into a deflating and disheartening loss that will be hard to spring back from.
The rubber game of the series is Thursday night with Brandon McKay still working his way back into the rotation after late season arm fatigue and a stint at Durham working against lefty Kolby Allard, who came over to the Rangers from Atlanta at the trade deadline and has gone 3-0 with an ERA of 1.47 over his last three games. The Rays will have to put Wednesday's tough loss behind them very quickly.
Tuesday, September 10. Game 146. Rays roll into Texas, win 5-3 in 11
Rays 5, Rangers 3. 11 innings
Record: 87-59. 16 games left.
Attendance: 18,467. Global Life Park.
The Rays rolled into Arlington, Texas having won five in a row and 11 of their last 12. It's a team that seems finally to have achieved its potential by grinding out games one at a time, never getting too high or too low. This is as good as they've been in years, better than last year's 90-win team, better than most of the glory years under Traitor Joe Maddon. This may be the best Rays team ever--if, that is, they can keep it up for the 16 games remaining on their schedule. They need to win seven more to reach 95 wins and a probable postseason position. Otherwise, the season goes up in smoke.
Tuesday night's game did not at first look promising. The teams traded scoreless innings until the bottom of the fourth when the Rangers scored all three of their runs, two coming on a home run by Nick Solak, a Rays prospect until he was traded in July to the Rangers for pitcher Pete Fairbanks. The Rays got one back in the top of the fifth, but with Ranger starter and Ray killer Lance Lynn efficiently buzzing through an injury-adjusted lineup, a sixth win in a row began to look unlikely--until the top of the eighth when Joey Wendle tripled off reliever Rafael Montero and Austin Meadows, reigning AL Player of the Week, hit one over the centerfield fence.
Locked at three, the teams got through a scoreless tenth before the Rays, with ample help from the Rangers, scored two runs for the win. The odd scoring came with two outs and Nate Lowe on first. Willy Adames hustled to beat out an infield single. Kean Wong hit a swinging bunt toward first. Reliever Emmanuel Chase fielded the ball but Wong had already passed him on the base path, which forced an awkward throw to first that turned into an error. When 2B Rougned Odor, who was covering first, threw to second, the ball sailed into left field and Lowe scored the go-ahead run. And then for good measure, Guillermo Heredia laced a hard single to left scoring Adames.
Pete Fairbanks was called on to pitch the bottom of the 11th and despite giving up a pair of hits, shut the door and locked up the Rays' 87th win--and his own first save.
In all Rays pitching only gave up five hits in 11 innings. Starter Ryan Yarbrough went seven strong innings giving up only three hits and striking out seven over 102 pitches. He was followed by Nick Anderson, Colin Poche, Emilio Pagan, who got the win and is now 4-2, and Fairbanks.
They won't win all 16 of their remaining games, of course, but at the moment they are definitely hard to beat. The Rangers get another chance Wednesday night.
Record: 87-59. 16 games left.
Attendance: 18,467. Global Life Park.
The Rays rolled into Arlington, Texas having won five in a row and 11 of their last 12. It's a team that seems finally to have achieved its potential by grinding out games one at a time, never getting too high or too low. This is as good as they've been in years, better than last year's 90-win team, better than most of the glory years under Traitor Joe Maddon. This may be the best Rays team ever--if, that is, they can keep it up for the 16 games remaining on their schedule. They need to win seven more to reach 95 wins and a probable postseason position. Otherwise, the season goes up in smoke.
Tuesday night's game did not at first look promising. The teams traded scoreless innings until the bottom of the fourth when the Rangers scored all three of their runs, two coming on a home run by Nick Solak, a Rays prospect until he was traded in July to the Rangers for pitcher Pete Fairbanks. The Rays got one back in the top of the fifth, but with Ranger starter and Ray killer Lance Lynn efficiently buzzing through an injury-adjusted lineup, a sixth win in a row began to look unlikely--until the top of the eighth when Joey Wendle tripled off reliever Rafael Montero and Austin Meadows, reigning AL Player of the Week, hit one over the centerfield fence.
Locked at three, the teams got through a scoreless tenth before the Rays, with ample help from the Rangers, scored two runs for the win. The odd scoring came with two outs and Nate Lowe on first. Willy Adames hustled to beat out an infield single. Kean Wong hit a swinging bunt toward first. Reliever Emmanuel Chase fielded the ball but Wong had already passed him on the base path, which forced an awkward throw to first that turned into an error. When 2B Rougned Odor, who was covering first, threw to second, the ball sailed into left field and Lowe scored the go-ahead run. And then for good measure, Guillermo Heredia laced a hard single to left scoring Adames.
Pete Fairbanks was called on to pitch the bottom of the 11th and despite giving up a pair of hits, shut the door and locked up the Rays' 87th win--and his own first save.
In all Rays pitching only gave up five hits in 11 innings. Starter Ryan Yarbrough went seven strong innings giving up only three hits and striking out seven over 102 pitches. He was followed by Nick Anderson, Colin Poche, Emilio Pagan, who got the win and is now 4-2, and Fairbanks.
They won't win all 16 of their remaining games, of course, but at the moment they are definitely hard to beat. The Rangers get another chance Wednesday night.
Monday, September 9. Off Day
Austin Meadows was named AL Player of the Week for the second time this season, as reported in the Tampa Bay Times on Tuesday, September 10. His line for the week: B.A. .522; runs, 9; hits, 12 (two doubles and four home runs); 8 RBIs; 26 total bases; and an OPS (on base plus slugging), 1.130. He couldn't be peaking at a better time, and with any luck at all, he'll keep it up for the last 17 games of the season.
Sunday, September 8. Game 145: Streaking Rays head west for eight games
Rays 8, Blue Jays 3
Record 86-59. If the Rays go 9-8 in the 17 games they have left, they will have 95 wins for the year--and a likely postseason spot.
Attendance: 14,071. Tropicana Field
So far in September, the Rays are 7-1. If you count the last three games in August, their record is 10-1, a late season charge that has put them a game ahead of the Oakland Athletics in the wild card race. This has turned into the team they thought they were--then began to doubt during June and July.. But baseball is the long, slow sport of the summer, the one that takes six months to sort out. They are now 27 games over .500, and with 17 games left to play, the Rays are in an excellent position to make their first postseason appearance since 2013.
Sunday afternoon's game against the Blue Jays was never in doubt, such is the confidence of this team at this point in the season. Tyler Glasnow opened the game with an adrenaline-driven return to the mound after almost four full months on the IL: he struck out the side with hundred-mile-an-hour fastballs and breaking balls in the 80s. In the bottom of the first, Austin Meadows put them ahead with his 28th home run of the year.
Perhaps exhausted from his long-anticipated return to the mound and his all-out first inning, Glasnow stumbled in the second, walking a man and surrendering a long home run to Randal Grichuk. But the Rays came back with two in the second, three in the fifth, and two in the seventh on a combination of 10 hits and two walks. The bullpen continued its sharp work with good performances from Trevor Richards, who got the win and is now 5-12, and then Chaz Roe, Diego Castillo (two innings, three Ks), newcomer Cole Sulser, and finally from Anthony Banda, making his return to action after June 2018 Tommy John surgery.
There was an unspoken inevitability to the final outcome, the final brush-off as the Rays swept the Blue Jays for their ninth sweep of the season. No one even seemed concerned when Kevin Kiermaier took himself out of the game in the fifth with a stiff neck. No matter. They'll just find someone else to replace him and he'll probably be ready to play on Tuesday in Arlington against the Rangers. The Rays feel in command.
Milestone: The Rays pitching staff struck out 10, giving them 1,438 on the season, breaking by one the previous high set in 2014, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Record 86-59. If the Rays go 9-8 in the 17 games they have left, they will have 95 wins for the year--and a likely postseason spot.
Attendance: 14,071. Tropicana Field
So far in September, the Rays are 7-1. If you count the last three games in August, their record is 10-1, a late season charge that has put them a game ahead of the Oakland Athletics in the wild card race. This has turned into the team they thought they were--then began to doubt during June and July.. But baseball is the long, slow sport of the summer, the one that takes six months to sort out. They are now 27 games over .500, and with 17 games left to play, the Rays are in an excellent position to make their first postseason appearance since 2013.
Sunday afternoon's game against the Blue Jays was never in doubt, such is the confidence of this team at this point in the season. Tyler Glasnow opened the game with an adrenaline-driven return to the mound after almost four full months on the IL: he struck out the side with hundred-mile-an-hour fastballs and breaking balls in the 80s. In the bottom of the first, Austin Meadows put them ahead with his 28th home run of the year.
Perhaps exhausted from his long-anticipated return to the mound and his all-out first inning, Glasnow stumbled in the second, walking a man and surrendering a long home run to Randal Grichuk. But the Rays came back with two in the second, three in the fifth, and two in the seventh on a combination of 10 hits and two walks. The bullpen continued its sharp work with good performances from Trevor Richards, who got the win and is now 5-12, and then Chaz Roe, Diego Castillo (two innings, three Ks), newcomer Cole Sulser, and finally from Anthony Banda, making his return to action after June 2018 Tommy John surgery.
There was an unspoken inevitability to the final outcome, the final brush-off as the Rays swept the Blue Jays for their ninth sweep of the season. No one even seemed concerned when Kevin Kiermaier took himself out of the game in the fifth with a stiff neck. No matter. They'll just find someone else to replace him and he'll probably be ready to play on Tuesday in Arlington against the Rangers. The Rays feel in command.
Milestone: The Rays pitching staff struck out 10, giving them 1,438 on the season, breaking by one the previous high set in 2014, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Saturday, September 7. Game 144: Rays come from behind, win 9th out of last 10
Rays 5, Blue Jays 3
Record: 85-59
Attendance: 12,663
With 85 wins, the Rays need to win nine or ten of their remaining 18 games to secure a postseason position, but even with their current hot streak (winning 9 of their last 10), they face a tough road to get to 95 wins. After Sunday's game against Toronto, the Rays play six against the Texas Rangers and LA Angels, both teams playing under .500 ball with nothing to lose--so playing spoiler should be fun for them. At this stage of their seasons, there will be a lot of talent evaluation for next season going on, which means players will be doing their best to show they belong on next year's major league roster. The games mean everything to them. The Rays had better not take anything for granted against either the Rangers or the Angels.
And then the schedule gets hard again. The following two games against the NL West leading Dodgers in Los Angeles will be important for them as they try to nail down enough wins to earn postseason home field advantage. They will not be resting their regulars. Then back at the Trop, the Rays play four against the Red Sox, who at 76 and 66, are still harboring hopes to sneak into the postseason. Needless to say, they will be playing hard against their rivals in the AL East. Then come two games against the Yankees, who have owned the Rays all year. If the Rays haven't picked up the necessary 9 or 10 wins by then, they end the season in Toronto where there are more talented rookies (like Cavan Biggio, Vladimir Guerrero, and Bo Bichette) to make every game against them a hard-fought contest. None of this will be easy.
But even with all those caveats, the Rays will have to go into a terrible tailspin to fall out of contention for a playoff spot. With 18 to go, they need to finish 10-8 to make it, maybe even 9-9. They are currently 26 games over .500.
Saturday's game was another they would have lost earlier in the season when they could not find the formula to win close games. They scored the first two runs of the game in the fourth on an Austin Meadows single and a bases loaded walk. The Blue Jays took the lead with three runs in the sixth, but the Rays came back to tie it in the seventh on hits by by rookie Kean Wong (his first game and first hit) and castaway Daniel Robertson who had rejoined the team from Durham on September 1. Then in the eighth with the score tied at three, Travis d'Arnaud put them ahead by a run and Robertson again came through with a run-producing single.
If there is a concern regarding Saturday's win, it is with Charlie Morton, who pitched a fine first five innings before giving up three runs and the lead in the sixth. Overall he allowed five hits and two walks. Not exactly a shabby performance, but everyone worries about how much Morton has left in the tank. At 35, he already has 30 games started (14-6), 176 1/3 innings, and 219 strikeouts. The Rays will be counting on him over the last three weeks of the season--and hopefully into the postseason.
Colin Poche pitched the seventh, Nick Anderson the eighth (for the win), and Oliver Drake closed it out for his second save of the year, striking out the side. Altogether another good performance from a team that is finally showing how good it can be, but whose record all year has been marked by streaks of good and bad baseball. And so there has to be some concern that they will not collapse one last time when the stakes are so high.
Sunday's game features Tyler Glasnow's return to the mound after missing nearly five months on the IL. When he left, he was among the league's best pitchers with a 6-1 record and an ERA of 1.86. Hopes will be running high.
Record: 85-59
Attendance: 12,663
With 85 wins, the Rays need to win nine or ten of their remaining 18 games to secure a postseason position, but even with their current hot streak (winning 9 of their last 10), they face a tough road to get to 95 wins. After Sunday's game against Toronto, the Rays play six against the Texas Rangers and LA Angels, both teams playing under .500 ball with nothing to lose--so playing spoiler should be fun for them. At this stage of their seasons, there will be a lot of talent evaluation for next season going on, which means players will be doing their best to show they belong on next year's major league roster. The games mean everything to them. The Rays had better not take anything for granted against either the Rangers or the Angels.
And then the schedule gets hard again. The following two games against the NL West leading Dodgers in Los Angeles will be important for them as they try to nail down enough wins to earn postseason home field advantage. They will not be resting their regulars. Then back at the Trop, the Rays play four against the Red Sox, who at 76 and 66, are still harboring hopes to sneak into the postseason. Needless to say, they will be playing hard against their rivals in the AL East. Then come two games against the Yankees, who have owned the Rays all year. If the Rays haven't picked up the necessary 9 or 10 wins by then, they end the season in Toronto where there are more talented rookies (like Cavan Biggio, Vladimir Guerrero, and Bo Bichette) to make every game against them a hard-fought contest. None of this will be easy.
But even with all those caveats, the Rays will have to go into a terrible tailspin to fall out of contention for a playoff spot. With 18 to go, they need to finish 10-8 to make it, maybe even 9-9. They are currently 26 games over .500.
Saturday's game was another they would have lost earlier in the season when they could not find the formula to win close games. They scored the first two runs of the game in the fourth on an Austin Meadows single and a bases loaded walk. The Blue Jays took the lead with three runs in the sixth, but the Rays came back to tie it in the seventh on hits by by rookie Kean Wong (his first game and first hit) and castaway Daniel Robertson who had rejoined the team from Durham on September 1. Then in the eighth with the score tied at three, Travis d'Arnaud put them ahead by a run and Robertson again came through with a run-producing single.
If there is a concern regarding Saturday's win, it is with Charlie Morton, who pitched a fine first five innings before giving up three runs and the lead in the sixth. Overall he allowed five hits and two walks. Not exactly a shabby performance, but everyone worries about how much Morton has left in the tank. At 35, he already has 30 games started (14-6), 176 1/3 innings, and 219 strikeouts. The Rays will be counting on him over the last three weeks of the season--and hopefully into the postseason.
Colin Poche pitched the seventh, Nick Anderson the eighth (for the win), and Oliver Drake closed it out for his second save of the year, striking out the side. Altogether another good performance from a team that is finally showing how good it can be, but whose record all year has been marked by streaks of good and bad baseball. And so there has to be some concern that they will not collapse one last time when the stakes are so high.
Sunday's game features Tyler Glasnow's return to the mound after missing nearly five months on the IL. When he left, he was among the league's best pitchers with a 6-1 record and an ERA of 1.86. Hopes will be running high.
Friday, September 6. Game 143: Another shutout: the Rays are charging!
Rays 5, Blue Jays 0
Record: 84-59
Attendance: 10,853. Tropicana Field. Better than yesterday, but not good. The Trop should be a sell-out every night, especially at this time of year with the Rays in serious contention for the postseason.
Tuesday night against the Baltimore Orioles, seven Rays pitchers combined for a shutout. Friday night against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Rays got a two-hit shutout with only five pitchers. Improvement of a sort. Not that the pitchers should be singled out for the recent rampage the Tampa Bay Rays have been on. They've also been getting great defense (mostly) and the timely hitting they have not always had this season. With 84 wins already in the bag (25 games over .500) and 19 left to play, the Rays chances at postseason baseball are very good, but there can be no drop off from here on out.
Brendan McKay showed that his time on the IL and at Durham rested him sufficiently to rediscover his command and arm strength. He pitched three and two-thirds innings, giving up one hit, no walks, and striking out seven over 59 pitches. Pete Fairbanks got the win following McKay with an inning and a third of perfect baseball. Cole Sulser, just called up for the first time at age 29, pitched a good eighth but got himself in a jam in the ninth, giving up a hit and two walks to load the bases, which brought on The Closer, officially designated or not,.Emilio Pagan, who shut the door and picked up his 19th save.
Offensively, Avisail Garcia knocked in the first run in the first inning, and then in the second, Mike Zunino hit a two-run homer. They added on with a run scoring on a passed ball in the fourth and another coming in on Austin Meadows single in the eighth.
Saturday's game will have Charlie Morton on the mound, and Sunday will feature the return of Tyler Glasnow as the opener. His last appearance was on May 10. He spent the entire summer on the IL for a right forearm strain. When he went down, his record was 6-1 with an ERA of 1.86. Heady stuff. Rays fans would do well, however, to temper unrealistically high expectations. But still, Glasnow might be the ingredient that seals the deal.
The Rays have two more games against the Blue Jays this weekend before going on a two-city road trip, taking them to Arlington, Texas (the Rangers), and Los Angeles (the Angels and the Dodgers). After that there are four games against the Red Sox and two against the Yankees at the Trop. The last three games of the year are against the Blue Jays again, but in Toronto. After their summer slump, it's hard to believe the Rays are actually up to their necks in very meaningful September games--a tight race for a wild card spot in the playoffs. If they had started this run a little earlier, they might have been in contention for first place in the AL East, but the Yankees have run away with that race, and at 92-50 they are 8.5 games ahead of second-place Tampa.
If you're a Rays fan, it doesn't get any better than this--but let's hope it does get a little better every day for the rest of the month.
Record: 84-59
Attendance: 10,853. Tropicana Field. Better than yesterday, but not good. The Trop should be a sell-out every night, especially at this time of year with the Rays in serious contention for the postseason.
Tuesday night against the Baltimore Orioles, seven Rays pitchers combined for a shutout. Friday night against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Rays got a two-hit shutout with only five pitchers. Improvement of a sort. Not that the pitchers should be singled out for the recent rampage the Tampa Bay Rays have been on. They've also been getting great defense (mostly) and the timely hitting they have not always had this season. With 84 wins already in the bag (25 games over .500) and 19 left to play, the Rays chances at postseason baseball are very good, but there can be no drop off from here on out.
Brendan McKay showed that his time on the IL and at Durham rested him sufficiently to rediscover his command and arm strength. He pitched three and two-thirds innings, giving up one hit, no walks, and striking out seven over 59 pitches. Pete Fairbanks got the win following McKay with an inning and a third of perfect baseball. Cole Sulser, just called up for the first time at age 29, pitched a good eighth but got himself in a jam in the ninth, giving up a hit and two walks to load the bases, which brought on The Closer, officially designated or not,.Emilio Pagan, who shut the door and picked up his 19th save.
Offensively, Avisail Garcia knocked in the first run in the first inning, and then in the second, Mike Zunino hit a two-run homer. They added on with a run scoring on a passed ball in the fourth and another coming in on Austin Meadows single in the eighth.
Saturday's game will have Charlie Morton on the mound, and Sunday will feature the return of Tyler Glasnow as the opener. His last appearance was on May 10. He spent the entire summer on the IL for a right forearm strain. When he went down, his record was 6-1 with an ERA of 1.86. Heady stuff. Rays fans would do well, however, to temper unrealistically high expectations. But still, Glasnow might be the ingredient that seals the deal.
The Rays have two more games against the Blue Jays this weekend before going on a two-city road trip, taking them to Arlington, Texas (the Rangers), and Los Angeles (the Angels and the Dodgers). After that there are four games against the Red Sox and two against the Yankees at the Trop. The last three games of the year are against the Blue Jays again, but in Toronto. After their summer slump, it's hard to believe the Rays are actually up to their necks in very meaningful September games--a tight race for a wild card spot in the playoffs. If they had started this run a little earlier, they might have been in contention for first place in the AL East, but the Yankees have run away with that race, and at 92-50 they are 8.5 games ahead of second-place Tampa.
If you're a Rays fan, it doesn't get any better than this--but let's hope it does get a little better every day for the rest of the month.
Thursday, September 5. Game 142: Tough game, good win.
Rays 6, Orioles 4
Record: 83-59
Attendance: 5,962. It isn't any wonder the Rays are looking into splitting their home games between Tampa Bay and Montreal. Attendance like this is shameful. The more so because the team is 24 games over .500 for the first time this year and sitting atop the wild card race. Locals will not support them. And yet they're proud of their "baseball culture" in St. Pete/Tampa. If you hear sarcasm there, you're paying attention.
The Rays won a close game Thursday night, 6-4, broadcast over YouTube with former Ray hero Carlos Pena part of the crew. It was sweet to see him back at the ballpark he starred in during the glory years under manager Joe Maddon. He saw an up and down game.
The Blue Jays drew first blood when super-rookie Bo Bichette hit his first of two home runs leading off the game, this one a blast to right center off starter Austin Pruitt on the 13th pitch of his at bat. With nicely distributed run production, the Rays took the lead in the fourth with two runs coming in on an Austin Meadows double, some sloppy Blue Jay defense, and an Avisail Garcia sac fly. Then they tacked on single runs in every inning thereafter, four in all.
Bichette's second HR tied the game at four in the seventh, but in the bottom of the seventh, Austin Meadows put the Rays ahead for good with a solo home run, his 27th. He followed that up with an RBI double in the eighth, giving him a team leading 75 on the year.
The top of the ninth was Emilio Pagan time, but this time he had to keep his fingers crossed when with two on and two out, he gave up a long fly ball to center that managed to stay in the park. It shows as his 18th save, but it was sloppy. The Rays were pleased to get out of the game with a win. Like the Orioles, the Blue Jays are playing the Rays tough, so don't be surprised to see more of the same types of games coming up, seven in all, including the last three of the season. Hang on for a bumpy ride Rays fans, all 5,962 of you.
Record: 83-59
Attendance: 5,962. It isn't any wonder the Rays are looking into splitting their home games between Tampa Bay and Montreal. Attendance like this is shameful. The more so because the team is 24 games over .500 for the first time this year and sitting atop the wild card race. Locals will not support them. And yet they're proud of their "baseball culture" in St. Pete/Tampa. If you hear sarcasm there, you're paying attention.
The Rays won a close game Thursday night, 6-4, broadcast over YouTube with former Ray hero Carlos Pena part of the crew. It was sweet to see him back at the ballpark he starred in during the glory years under manager Joe Maddon. He saw an up and down game.
The Blue Jays drew first blood when super-rookie Bo Bichette hit his first of two home runs leading off the game, this one a blast to right center off starter Austin Pruitt on the 13th pitch of his at bat. With nicely distributed run production, the Rays took the lead in the fourth with two runs coming in on an Austin Meadows double, some sloppy Blue Jay defense, and an Avisail Garcia sac fly. Then they tacked on single runs in every inning thereafter, four in all.
Bichette's second HR tied the game at four in the seventh, but in the bottom of the seventh, Austin Meadows put the Rays ahead for good with a solo home run, his 27th. He followed that up with an RBI double in the eighth, giving him a team leading 75 on the year.
The top of the ninth was Emilio Pagan time, but this time he had to keep his fingers crossed when with two on and two out, he gave up a long fly ball to center that managed to stay in the park. It shows as his 18th save, but it was sloppy. The Rays were pleased to get out of the game with a win. Like the Orioles, the Blue Jays are playing the Rays tough, so don't be surprised to see more of the same types of games coming up, seven in all, including the last three of the season. Hang on for a bumpy ride Rays fans, all 5,962 of you.
Tuesday, September 3. Double Header. Game 2. Game 141. The seven-pitcher shutout.
Rays 2, Orioles 0
Record: 82-59
Attendance: Same as Game 140, double header
The Rays bounced back almost nicely to take the second game of Tuesday's double header, 2-0. They got single runs in the fourth on Austin Meadow's home run, his 26th, and in the seventh on Ji-Man Choi's triple and Avisail Garcia's RBI single. It wasn't much after all as they went scoreless for six innings, plus eight more in the first game, and only managed seven hits, same as in the opener.
Pitching was the story of the second game with seven bullpen regulars combining for a seven-hit shutout. The winner was Diego Castillo, whose record improved to 3-8 and the save went to Emilio Pagan, his 17th. All of that was made possible by an inning in which the Rays sloppy defense put them in serious trouble with a run in and a man on third with no one out. Chris Davis led off with a single to right that Meadows played into a double. Richie Martin then bunted. Joey Wendle charged the ball but threw it wildly past first that scored Davis and put Martin on third, but the umpires decided to call it all back. Martin had run inside the base line, interference according to the MLB rule book. He was ruled out, Wendle's error was erased, and Davis's run was taken off the board as he returned to second base. Kevin Kiermaier could not make a play on Jonathan Villar's drive to the wall, but when the dust settled, Davis held up at third, which surprised Villar who rounded second and was caught between second and third with Davis standing on the bag. End of threat. The Rays misplayed three balls and the Orioles lost runs by horrible base running.
So in the end the Rays had themselves a seven-pitcher shutout and split the double header to put their record at 82-59.
If you put 94 wins as a goal, the number that would almost surely put them in the postseason, they would have to finish 12-9 at least. That sounds doable for a team that is 23 games over .500, but to get there they must do well against the Dodgers (the 11th and 12th of the month in L.A.), the Red Sox (the 20th to the 23rd at the Trop), and the Yankees (the 24th and 25th at the Trop). They also have 13 games left against Toronto (seven), Texas (three), and the Los Angeles Angels (three). But this is an achievable goal--unless the Rays fall into one of their extended batting slumps or the bullpen collapses or the defense springs a leak. And they have shown us all year that all those are possibilities. But if September runs even close to reasonable expectations, the Rays will grab a piece of the postseason pie, for the first time since 2013.
This is the best part of the season, meaningful games in September. Good job Rays.
Record: 82-59
Attendance: Same as Game 140, double header
The Rays bounced back almost nicely to take the second game of Tuesday's double header, 2-0. They got single runs in the fourth on Austin Meadow's home run, his 26th, and in the seventh on Ji-Man Choi's triple and Avisail Garcia's RBI single. It wasn't much after all as they went scoreless for six innings, plus eight more in the first game, and only managed seven hits, same as in the opener.
Pitching was the story of the second game with seven bullpen regulars combining for a seven-hit shutout. The winner was Diego Castillo, whose record improved to 3-8 and the save went to Emilio Pagan, his 17th. All of that was made possible by an inning in which the Rays sloppy defense put them in serious trouble with a run in and a man on third with no one out. Chris Davis led off with a single to right that Meadows played into a double. Richie Martin then bunted. Joey Wendle charged the ball but threw it wildly past first that scored Davis and put Martin on third, but the umpires decided to call it all back. Martin had run inside the base line, interference according to the MLB rule book. He was ruled out, Wendle's error was erased, and Davis's run was taken off the board as he returned to second base. Kevin Kiermaier could not make a play on Jonathan Villar's drive to the wall, but when the dust settled, Davis held up at third, which surprised Villar who rounded second and was caught between second and third with Davis standing on the bag. End of threat. The Rays misplayed three balls and the Orioles lost runs by horrible base running.
So in the end the Rays had themselves a seven-pitcher shutout and split the double header to put their record at 82-59.
If you put 94 wins as a goal, the number that would almost surely put them in the postseason, they would have to finish 12-9 at least. That sounds doable for a team that is 23 games over .500, but to get there they must do well against the Dodgers (the 11th and 12th of the month in L.A.), the Red Sox (the 20th to the 23rd at the Trop), and the Yankees (the 24th and 25th at the Trop). They also have 13 games left against Toronto (seven), Texas (three), and the Los Angeles Angels (three). But this is an achievable goal--unless the Rays fall into one of their extended batting slumps or the bullpen collapses or the defense springs a leak. And they have shown us all year that all those are possibilities. But if September runs even close to reasonable expectations, the Rays will grab a piece of the postseason pie, for the first time since 2013.
This is the best part of the season, meaningful games in September. Good job Rays.
Tuesday, September 3. Double Header. Game One. Game 140: Losing the edge
Rays 2, Orioles 4
Record: 81-59
Attendance: 6,844 (For both games, if you can believe it--not even the thrills of a pennant race can budge Rays fans from their Barco-Loungers.)
The Baltimore Orioles seem to be on a mission to keep the Rays out of the playoffs. They beat the Rays in back-to-back games on August 24 and 25, and they beat the Rays in the opening game of a double header on Tuesday. After 140 games, the Rays sit with an 81-59 record. With 22 games remaining, they need to finish 14-8 to win 94 games on the season and virtually seal a playoff spot, but 14-8 seems a long way off at this point.
The opening game saw them collect a mere six hits and go scoreless for eight of nine innings. But they did score first in the fourth with a two-run homer from Travis d'Arnaud, his 16th. But the Orioles came back with two in the fifth and one each in the sixth and ninth. The gaming winning blow was Anthony Santander's solo homer in the sixth off Oliver Drake, who took the loss and is now 3-2 on the year. Newly brought up Peter Fairbanks and Hoby Milner pitched two innings of shaky baseball, with Milner giving up the final run in the ninth inning.
The Rays five-game home winning streak came to a screeching halt. The Rays looked perilously close to going on one of their patented scoreless inning streaks. The whole team played like they were scared of losing and not like they were on a mission to win their way into the postseason. Very discouraging.
Record: 81-59
Attendance: 6,844 (For both games, if you can believe it--not even the thrills of a pennant race can budge Rays fans from their Barco-Loungers.)
The Baltimore Orioles seem to be on a mission to keep the Rays out of the playoffs. They beat the Rays in back-to-back games on August 24 and 25, and they beat the Rays in the opening game of a double header on Tuesday. After 140 games, the Rays sit with an 81-59 record. With 22 games remaining, they need to finish 14-8 to win 94 games on the season and virtually seal a playoff spot, but 14-8 seems a long way off at this point.
The opening game saw them collect a mere six hits and go scoreless for eight of nine innings. But they did score first in the fourth with a two-run homer from Travis d'Arnaud, his 16th. But the Orioles came back with two in the fifth and one each in the sixth and ninth. The gaming winning blow was Anthony Santander's solo homer in the sixth off Oliver Drake, who took the loss and is now 3-2 on the year. Newly brought up Peter Fairbanks and Hoby Milner pitched two innings of shaky baseball, with Milner giving up the final run in the ninth inning.
The Rays five-game home winning streak came to a screeching halt. The Rays looked perilously close to going on one of their patented scoreless inning streaks. The whole team played like they were scared of losing and not like they were on a mission to win their way into the postseason. Very discouraging.
Monday, September 2. Game 139. Rays win fifth in a row at the Trop, top Orioles 5-4 in 11
Rays 5, Orioles 4
Record: 81-58
Attendance: 10,566. Tropicana Field
It was Tommy Pham Day at the Trop on Sunday. He went 3 for 4 with three RBIs, including the walk-off single in the tenth inning. He was hit on the right knee in the eighth inning, and promptly stole second--as much a revenge gesture as a baseball strategy. But he didn't score in the eighth. When he got to the plate in the tenth with two out and Joey Wendle on second, Baltimore reliever Dillon Tate, brushed him back with a fastball. High heat. Chin music. The Baltimore bench cheered Tate on, which added a level of anger to Pham's usual high-grade intensity. He dug in and hit a sharp single through the left side, scoring Wendle who slid head first into home barely beating the tag. Pham was swamped by his teammates who had begun to wonder if their flatness over the previous four innings might bring them down just when they were beginning to feel a true pennant fever. But no, they managed to squeak out a victory. Tommy Pham Day.
After the game, Pham was interviewed on the field by Fox Sports Sun's Tricia Whitaker. What was he feeling in that final at-bat? "First pitch, he threw it at my head, and after that I just wanted to kill him." Pham's by now legendary intensity had tilted to overstatement, but Tate must have been concerned looking in at the plate and facing an angry Tommy Pham. "But," he went on, "success is revenge. And I got the game-winning hit for us."
But the game was hardly a cake walk for the Rays. The Orioles took the last two games of a four-game set on August 24 and 25, and they were intent on adding another W to spoil the Rays' chances. The Rays took a 2-0 lead on Austin Meadows home run in the second. They added on in the fifth with two more runs. With two out, Wendle was hit by a pitch and Meadows singled, which brought up Pham, who doubled home both runs.
But Baltimore got on the board in the sixth. Ryan Yarbrough had been skating through the Oriole lineup through the fifth, but in the sixth, he was responsible for four runs that tied the score. At that point the bullpens took over, both sides coming up with four scoreless innings. Cash selected Diego Castillo for the seventh, Oliver Drake for the eighth, and Emilio Pagan in the ninth. The win went to Colin Poche, now 4-4, who pitched the tenth. Adding to Pham's revenge, Dillon Tate (0-1) took the loss in the sixth game of his career.
Telling statistic from Marc Topkin in the Tampa Bay Times: In close games, the Rays were 1-7 early in the season, but they have won 10 of their last 11 and 18 of their last 26. Overall they are 19-15.
Tuesday, September 3: double header. The schedule originally called for single games on Tuesday and Wednesday, but Hurricane Dorian forced the teams to take precautionary measures and schedule the double header instead. Look for lots of pitchers on both sides--and probably names you aren't familiar with.
Record: 81-58
Attendance: 10,566. Tropicana Field
It was Tommy Pham Day at the Trop on Sunday. He went 3 for 4 with three RBIs, including the walk-off single in the tenth inning. He was hit on the right knee in the eighth inning, and promptly stole second--as much a revenge gesture as a baseball strategy. But he didn't score in the eighth. When he got to the plate in the tenth with two out and Joey Wendle on second, Baltimore reliever Dillon Tate, brushed him back with a fastball. High heat. Chin music. The Baltimore bench cheered Tate on, which added a level of anger to Pham's usual high-grade intensity. He dug in and hit a sharp single through the left side, scoring Wendle who slid head first into home barely beating the tag. Pham was swamped by his teammates who had begun to wonder if their flatness over the previous four innings might bring them down just when they were beginning to feel a true pennant fever. But no, they managed to squeak out a victory. Tommy Pham Day.
After the game, Pham was interviewed on the field by Fox Sports Sun's Tricia Whitaker. What was he feeling in that final at-bat? "First pitch, he threw it at my head, and after that I just wanted to kill him." Pham's by now legendary intensity had tilted to overstatement, but Tate must have been concerned looking in at the plate and facing an angry Tommy Pham. "But," he went on, "success is revenge. And I got the game-winning hit for us."
But the game was hardly a cake walk for the Rays. The Orioles took the last two games of a four-game set on August 24 and 25, and they were intent on adding another W to spoil the Rays' chances. The Rays took a 2-0 lead on Austin Meadows home run in the second. They added on in the fifth with two more runs. With two out, Wendle was hit by a pitch and Meadows singled, which brought up Pham, who doubled home both runs.
But Baltimore got on the board in the sixth. Ryan Yarbrough had been skating through the Oriole lineup through the fifth, but in the sixth, he was responsible for four runs that tied the score. At that point the bullpens took over, both sides coming up with four scoreless innings. Cash selected Diego Castillo for the seventh, Oliver Drake for the eighth, and Emilio Pagan in the ninth. The win went to Colin Poche, now 4-4, who pitched the tenth. Adding to Pham's revenge, Dillon Tate (0-1) took the loss in the sixth game of his career.
Telling statistic from Marc Topkin in the Tampa Bay Times: In close games, the Rays were 1-7 early in the season, but they have won 10 of their last 11 and 18 of their last 26. Overall they are 19-15.
Tuesday, September 3: double header. The schedule originally called for single games on Tuesday and Wednesday, but Hurricane Dorian forced the teams to take precautionary measures and schedule the double header instead. Look for lots of pitchers on both sides--and probably names you aren't familiar with.
Sunday, September 1. Game 138. Rays sweep Tribe, take over first in wild wild-card race
Rays 8, Indians 2
Record: 80-58
Attendance: 14,922. Tropicana Field
The Rays took game three against the Indians, sweeping the series, by a score of 8-2. The win put them half a game ahead of Cleveland in the AL wild card race, with 24 games left to play. If they can win at least 14 of them, they will finish the regular season with 94 wins, which ought to be enough to make the post season.
Once again the Rays offense came through, this time with 14 hits and eight runs. Newly called up Nate Lowe homered, his sixth, in the fourth, and the Rays scored in five of eight innings.
Thirty-five-year-old Charlie Morton picked up the win putting his record at 14-6. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks over five and a third innings and 108 pitches. He had eight strikeouts, which gives him 209 for the year, the most he's ever had in a single season over a twelve-year career. He also saw his innings pitched rise to 170, only one short of his career high set in Pittsburgh in 2011. And if he wins one more game, he will tie his record for wins in a season, 15 in 2018 when he was with Houston. Morton has led the way for his young Rays teammates all year, so it was only fitting that he should be on the mound Sunday finishing the sweep against Cleveland and putting his team atop the AL wild card race.
With so many more pitchers available after the September 1 call-up, manager Kevin Cash called on five relievers, including new guys Hoby Miller and Pete Fairbanks, who combined for one and two-thirds of perfect work. Kittredge and Roe tossed the next innings, and Ricardo Pinto, who had his season kick off yesterday when he gave up four runs, pitched a perfect final inning.
The Rays may stumble in the last month, but as a team they will never forget their clutch win over the Indians on September 1, 2019.
A baseball moment. Back on May 30, the traditional Memorial Day that kicks off the summer, Carlos Carrasco pitched for the Indians, but it was his last appearance until Sunday, the day before Labor Day. During the summer he was diagnosed with leukemia and has been under treatment ever since, but he has also been working to return and on Sunday Manager Terry Francona called on him to pitch the seventh inning. When he took the mound, he received a standing ovation from the fans at Tropicana Field and the players from both teams who left their dugouts to applaud. Afterward Carrasco was moved to say that "even the other team came out," according to the Tampa Bay Times, which also quoted catcher Kevin Plawecki: "That was one of the coolest moments that I've ever been a part of."
Record: 80-58
Attendance: 14,922. Tropicana Field
The Rays took game three against the Indians, sweeping the series, by a score of 8-2. The win put them half a game ahead of Cleveland in the AL wild card race, with 24 games left to play. If they can win at least 14 of them, they will finish the regular season with 94 wins, which ought to be enough to make the post season.
Once again the Rays offense came through, this time with 14 hits and eight runs. Newly called up Nate Lowe homered, his sixth, in the fourth, and the Rays scored in five of eight innings.
Thirty-five-year-old Charlie Morton picked up the win putting his record at 14-6. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks over five and a third innings and 108 pitches. He had eight strikeouts, which gives him 209 for the year, the most he's ever had in a single season over a twelve-year career. He also saw his innings pitched rise to 170, only one short of his career high set in Pittsburgh in 2011. And if he wins one more game, he will tie his record for wins in a season, 15 in 2018 when he was with Houston. Morton has led the way for his young Rays teammates all year, so it was only fitting that he should be on the mound Sunday finishing the sweep against Cleveland and putting his team atop the AL wild card race.
With so many more pitchers available after the September 1 call-up, manager Kevin Cash called on five relievers, including new guys Hoby Miller and Pete Fairbanks, who combined for one and two-thirds of perfect work. Kittredge and Roe tossed the next innings, and Ricardo Pinto, who had his season kick off yesterday when he gave up four runs, pitched a perfect final inning.
The Rays may stumble in the last month, but as a team they will never forget their clutch win over the Indians on September 1, 2019.
A baseball moment. Back on May 30, the traditional Memorial Day that kicks off the summer, Carlos Carrasco pitched for the Indians, but it was his last appearance until Sunday, the day before Labor Day. During the summer he was diagnosed with leukemia and has been under treatment ever since, but he has also been working to return and on Sunday Manager Terry Francona called on him to pitch the seventh inning. When he took the mound, he received a standing ovation from the fans at Tropicana Field and the players from both teams who left their dugouts to applaud. Afterward Carrasco was moved to say that "even the other team came out," according to the Tampa Bay Times, which also quoted catcher Kevin Plawecki: "That was one of the coolest moments that I've ever been a part of."
Saturday, August 31. Game 137: Good, very good, but can they keep it up?
Rays 9, Indians 6
Record: 79-58
Attendance: 13,327. Tropicana Field
The Cleveland Indians are half a game ahead of Tampa and Oakland for the AL wild card, but the Rays just finished beating the Tribe up, 9-6 on Saturday and 4-0 on Friday, thus making a point to the American League. They're in it to win it.
Will they? That depends on whether or not they can continue playing as they have in recent days, as they have for long stretches of the season, as they did in April. Or will they revert back to the dark days of June-July and long stretches when they haven't scored runs in so many innings that it was hard to count them up.
But when they get the pitching they are so proud of, as they have recently, when their hitters hammer out singles, doubles, and homers, as they have recently, and when the defense hits another high watermark, as it did Saturday, then there is no question they will be a postseason presence.
In Saturday's game, opener Diego Castillo, who gets chance after chance, failed again, giving up three hits including a homer and two runs in all. Jalen Beeks, who has also failed to perform well recently, pitched three scoreless innings for the win, 6-3. Standbys Drake, Anderson, and Roe kept the Tribe hitless for two and a third more. But manager Kevin Cash called on newcomer Ricardo Pinto, who no doubt suffered first-game jitters. It was a good spot to introduce the new guy to late season pressure games because there was little pressure at the time with the score 9-2. But an inning and a third later the score was 9-6 and Cash had to bring in Emilio Pagan (who says he isn't the closer?) to get the last two outs--and his 16th save.
The offense was in sync all night with 11 hits and home runs from Choi (13), Pham (20), Garcia (18), and d'Arnaud (15).
But it was the defense that drew the most gasps, especially in the third with Francisco Lindor on first and a ball hit off the wall in left. Lindor was off on contact. Pham played the ball off the wall but was running toward center field, requiring him to make a full turn to throw the ball into the infield. Kiermaier was right there too, so Pham jumped out of the way at the last second giving Kiermaier a chance to throw the ball into Joey Wendle, who was playing short. In one movement Wendle caught the ball, pivoted, and pegged it in to d'Arnaud, who short-hopped it and tagged the speedy Lindor on the ankle. It was spectacular, enough to light a fire under the team the rest of the way out. Maybe it was enough to light a fire for the rest of the month.
September 1 call ups. The big names are Nate Lowe and Daniel Robertson, but others were called up too: relievers Pete Fairbanks and Hoby Milner, and catcher Michael Perez. And it won't be long before we see Anthony Banda, Jose De Leon, Brendan McKay, and maybe Aaron Slegers, according to Marc Topkin in the Tampa Bay Times. Trustworthy Rays through large chunks of the season, Mike Brosseau and Guillermo Heredia, will both be back with the club soon now.
And then there is Tyler Glasnow, who has been shut down three and a half months with an elbow issue. His rehab work is just about complete and a return to the mound may come as soon as this week. Blake Snell's return is also possible.
September does indeed have meaningful games to be played, which is all any of us could have hoped for back in February. Now all the boys have to do is finish the job!
Record: 79-58
Attendance: 13,327. Tropicana Field
The Cleveland Indians are half a game ahead of Tampa and Oakland for the AL wild card, but the Rays just finished beating the Tribe up, 9-6 on Saturday and 4-0 on Friday, thus making a point to the American League. They're in it to win it.
Will they? That depends on whether or not they can continue playing as they have in recent days, as they have for long stretches of the season, as they did in April. Or will they revert back to the dark days of June-July and long stretches when they haven't scored runs in so many innings that it was hard to count them up.
But when they get the pitching they are so proud of, as they have recently, when their hitters hammer out singles, doubles, and homers, as they have recently, and when the defense hits another high watermark, as it did Saturday, then there is no question they will be a postseason presence.
In Saturday's game, opener Diego Castillo, who gets chance after chance, failed again, giving up three hits including a homer and two runs in all. Jalen Beeks, who has also failed to perform well recently, pitched three scoreless innings for the win, 6-3. Standbys Drake, Anderson, and Roe kept the Tribe hitless for two and a third more. But manager Kevin Cash called on newcomer Ricardo Pinto, who no doubt suffered first-game jitters. It was a good spot to introduce the new guy to late season pressure games because there was little pressure at the time with the score 9-2. But an inning and a third later the score was 9-6 and Cash had to bring in Emilio Pagan (who says he isn't the closer?) to get the last two outs--and his 16th save.
The offense was in sync all night with 11 hits and home runs from Choi (13), Pham (20), Garcia (18), and d'Arnaud (15).
But it was the defense that drew the most gasps, especially in the third with Francisco Lindor on first and a ball hit off the wall in left. Lindor was off on contact. Pham played the ball off the wall but was running toward center field, requiring him to make a full turn to throw the ball into the infield. Kiermaier was right there too, so Pham jumped out of the way at the last second giving Kiermaier a chance to throw the ball into Joey Wendle, who was playing short. In one movement Wendle caught the ball, pivoted, and pegged it in to d'Arnaud, who short-hopped it and tagged the speedy Lindor on the ankle. It was spectacular, enough to light a fire under the team the rest of the way out. Maybe it was enough to light a fire for the rest of the month.
September 1 call ups. The big names are Nate Lowe and Daniel Robertson, but others were called up too: relievers Pete Fairbanks and Hoby Milner, and catcher Michael Perez. And it won't be long before we see Anthony Banda, Jose De Leon, Brendan McKay, and maybe Aaron Slegers, according to Marc Topkin in the Tampa Bay Times. Trustworthy Rays through large chunks of the season, Mike Brosseau and Guillermo Heredia, will both be back with the club soon now.
And then there is Tyler Glasnow, who has been shut down three and a half months with an elbow issue. His rehab work is just about complete and a return to the mound may come as soon as this week. Blake Snell's return is also possible.
September does indeed have meaningful games to be played, which is all any of us could have hoped for back in February. Now all the boys have to do is finish the job!
Friday, August 30. Game 136: Pruitt and pen shut out Tribe
Rays 4, Indians 0
Record: 78-58
Attendance: 15,294. Tropicana Field
Austin Pruitt, up and down nine times from the minors so far this season, was in unfamiliar territory Friday night when he was called on to start against the Cleveland Indians. All he did was throw five and a third scoreless innings giving up only four hits, no walks, and striking out six. That damn near makes him the ace of the staff right now--with apologies to Charlie Morton and Ryan Yarbrough.
Unfortunately, Pruitt was gone by the seventh inning when Avisail Garcia singled through the left side to drive in the fist run of the game. Before the inning was over, Jesus Aguilar pulled an outside pitch over the left field fence for a three-run homer making the final score 4-0. Timely hitting, some would say, while others might point out they were held scoreless in the rest of the innings and had eight hits in all.
Following Pruitt were Oliver Drake, the beneficiary of the seventh inning outburst and winner of the game (3-1), Colin Poche, and Andrew Kittredge--all yeomen shutout relievers.
Jose De Leon was sent down to Durham after the game, and righty reliever Ricardo Pinto was called up, having put together 123 and a third innings at the Double A and Triple A levels this year, according to the Tampa Bay Times. On Saturday the first, rosters can be expanded, which will bring new options to Manager Kevin Cash's pitching, hitting, fielding, and base running arsenals. Every game is critical at this point in the season, so Cash will have to find the right formula night by night if he hopes to manage the Rays into the playoffs. Should be fun if it doesn't kill us first.
Record: 78-58
Attendance: 15,294. Tropicana Field
Austin Pruitt, up and down nine times from the minors so far this season, was in unfamiliar territory Friday night when he was called on to start against the Cleveland Indians. All he did was throw five and a third scoreless innings giving up only four hits, no walks, and striking out six. That damn near makes him the ace of the staff right now--with apologies to Charlie Morton and Ryan Yarbrough.
Unfortunately, Pruitt was gone by the seventh inning when Avisail Garcia singled through the left side to drive in the fist run of the game. Before the inning was over, Jesus Aguilar pulled an outside pitch over the left field fence for a three-run homer making the final score 4-0. Timely hitting, some would say, while others might point out they were held scoreless in the rest of the innings and had eight hits in all.
Following Pruitt were Oliver Drake, the beneficiary of the seventh inning outburst and winner of the game (3-1), Colin Poche, and Andrew Kittredge--all yeomen shutout relievers.
Jose De Leon was sent down to Durham after the game, and righty reliever Ricardo Pinto was called up, having put together 123 and a third innings at the Double A and Triple A levels this year, according to the Tampa Bay Times. On Saturday the first, rosters can be expanded, which will bring new options to Manager Kevin Cash's pitching, hitting, fielding, and base running arsenals. Every game is critical at this point in the season, so Cash will have to find the right formula night by night if he hopes to manage the Rays into the playoffs. Should be fun if it doesn't kill us first.
Thursday, August 29. Game 135: Rays Up! 9-8. Kick Astro Asses
Rays 9, Astros 8
Record: 77-58
Attendance: 33,051. Minute Maid Park
The Rays scored in six of the nine innings on Thursday, piled up 14 hits, and came from behind three times to win a very crucial game three against the Astros, 9-8. In the process, they also avoided a three-game sweep; in fact, the more realistic way to look at the series is that they managed to take one of the games, which some would have thought is about all they could reasonably have hoped for against these Monster Astros.
And they beat new Astro Zack Greinke--well, he didn't take the loss, but the Rays did rough him up to the tune of six hits, one walk, two HRs, and five runs in five and two-thirds. And they weren't very respectful to Gerrit Cole the night before either, scoring four runs off him in six and two-thirds. A third loss in a row would have buried the Rays, but they found some inner strength, rallied, picked up momentum, and now face new hope against the Cleveland Indians.
But when your pitching staff gives up eight runs on eight hits and ten walks, five by Colin Poche in the fifth inning, something has gone wrong. All told Rays pitchers walked three runs in. But fortunately they got a gutsy performance from Emilio Pagan, who got the final seven outs for his 15th save. They got home runs from Austin Meadows (24) and Travis d'Arnaud (14) and clutch hitting from Ji-Man Choi (two RBIs). All season long these players have been by turns brilliant and brutal--it is just impossible to guess which team will take the field on any given day or night.
It's a crap shoot again on Friday night against the red-hot Cleveland Indians. Are the Rays really in the post-season hunt? It hardly seems possible after the last five games that the Rays are going to be relevant in late September. But if everything falls just right, and the Rays put the right team on the field for the next month, it could happen. Maybe.
Wednesday, August 28. Game 134: Hits and runs--but not enough. Rays drop another to the Astros
Rays 6, Astros 8
Record: 76-58
Attendance: 25,539 Minute Maid Park
The Rays offense came to life Wednesday against the Astros, scoring six runs in four innings, including homers from Ji-Man Choi and Willy Adames. They even had the lead, twice, before Diego Castillo gave up three hits and a walk, good for three runs, in his one inning of work in the seventh. Oliver Drake gave up a pair of runs in the eighth giving up three hits and two walks. By the end of the game, the sloppy relievers managed to turn a potential victory into an 8-6 defeat--and in the process wasted another very fine start by Ryan Yarbrough, who gave up three runs in six innings.
One encouraging sign was the healthy hitting off one of the stars of the Houston staff, Gerrit Cole, who lasted six and two-thirds and gave up four runs, but struck out 14. (Astro pitchers struck out 19 in all.) It wasn't quite enough to beat the Astros, but it was the first game in a while that Rays hitters had a little fun at the plate.
Manager Kevin Cash added pitcher Jose De Leon to the roster, but to make room he optioned Mike Brosseau to Durham. Brosseau has had some key hits over the last six weeks, and for a team always looking for offensive sparks, he was a welcome addition to the lineup.
The loss was the fourth in a row for the Rays, and with the Astros coming up again on Thursday, the losses could hit five in a row, which would match the Rays longest losing streak of the season.
Record: 76-58
Attendance: 25,539 Minute Maid Park
The Rays offense came to life Wednesday against the Astros, scoring six runs in four innings, including homers from Ji-Man Choi and Willy Adames. They even had the lead, twice, before Diego Castillo gave up three hits and a walk, good for three runs, in his one inning of work in the seventh. Oliver Drake gave up a pair of runs in the eighth giving up three hits and two walks. By the end of the game, the sloppy relievers managed to turn a potential victory into an 8-6 defeat--and in the process wasted another very fine start by Ryan Yarbrough, who gave up three runs in six innings.
One encouraging sign was the healthy hitting off one of the stars of the Houston staff, Gerrit Cole, who lasted six and two-thirds and gave up four runs, but struck out 14. (Astro pitchers struck out 19 in all.) It wasn't quite enough to beat the Astros, but it was the first game in a while that Rays hitters had a little fun at the plate.
Manager Kevin Cash added pitcher Jose De Leon to the roster, but to make room he optioned Mike Brosseau to Durham. Brosseau has had some key hits over the last six weeks, and for a team always looking for offensive sparks, he was a welcome addition to the lineup.
The loss was the fourth in a row for the Rays, and with the Astros coming up again on Thursday, the losses could hit five in a row, which would match the Rays longest losing streak of the season.
Tuesday, August 27. Game 133. Astros 15, Rays 1: Season-ending embarrassment?
Rays 1, Astros 15
Record: 76-57
Attendance: 28,454. Minute Maid Park
The Rays may be pardoned if panic has set in after being completely dominated in a showdown game against a premier team in MLB, one that stands a very good chance of winning it all this season. They couldn't measure up in any facet of the game.
It was so bad that infielder Mike Brosseau was called on to pitch two innings--and had better pitching stats than any of the three other real pitchers used by manager Kevin Cash. Loser Charlie Morton (13-6) lasted four innings giving up seven hits, one homer, two walks, and six earned runs; Andrew Kittredge gave up three runs in his inning, and Chaz Roe gave up five in his. Brosseau only gave up one run in his two innings, though by then Astro hitters may have let up a little in their at-bats.
In all it was a season-ending embarrassment. The mercy rule should have been called after the sixth, for by then the Astros had scored two, four, three, and five runs in four consecutive innings. The Rays don't have an answer for Astro hitting or pitching. They should consider forfeiting the next two games and heading back to Tampa to try their luck against the Cleveland Indians.
For those keeping track, after Tuesday's game, the Rays added eight more scoreless innings to their recent struggles at the plate. They've only managed to score in five of their last 36 innings.
The human interest story was Charlie Morton's return to Minute Maid Park where he had helped the team to the World Series and remains beloved. There was gushing sentiment spilling out everywhere in pre-game ceremonies, a feel-good story that will be remembered and not soon outdone. Then the game started and the Astros beat the crap out of their old pal.
Record: 76-57
Attendance: 28,454. Minute Maid Park
The Rays may be pardoned if panic has set in after being completely dominated in a showdown game against a premier team in MLB, one that stands a very good chance of winning it all this season. They couldn't measure up in any facet of the game.
It was so bad that infielder Mike Brosseau was called on to pitch two innings--and had better pitching stats than any of the three other real pitchers used by manager Kevin Cash. Loser Charlie Morton (13-6) lasted four innings giving up seven hits, one homer, two walks, and six earned runs; Andrew Kittredge gave up three runs in his inning, and Chaz Roe gave up five in his. Brosseau only gave up one run in his two innings, though by then Astro hitters may have let up a little in their at-bats.
In all it was a season-ending embarrassment. The mercy rule should have been called after the sixth, for by then the Astros had scored two, four, three, and five runs in four consecutive innings. The Rays don't have an answer for Astro hitting or pitching. They should consider forfeiting the next two games and heading back to Tampa to try their luck against the Cleveland Indians.
For those keeping track, after Tuesday's game, the Rays added eight more scoreless innings to their recent struggles at the plate. They've only managed to score in five of their last 36 innings.
The human interest story was Charlie Morton's return to Minute Maid Park where he had helped the team to the World Series and remains beloved. There was gushing sentiment spilling out everywhere in pre-game ceremonies, a feel-good story that will be remembered and not soon outdone. Then the game started and the Astros beat the crap out of their old pal.
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