April 30: Activated OF Jasson Dominguez from the 10-day IL, optioned SS Melvin Gutierrez to AAA Durham.
Game 1: It was a rotten day in Tampa Bay as not only did the Rays lose a 3-run early lead once again and fell 8-6 to the Blue Jays, but Connor Kirkley was injured in a collision at 2nd base and broke his hamate bone which will sideline him for three months. We'll start with the game first as it was the same old story. They scored 3 times and batted around in the 1st with Nate Clark hitting a 2-run homer and Bobby Witt Jr singling in a run. After Jon Hayes gave Toronto a run back in the 2nd, they restored the 3-run lead on Clark's 2nd HR of the game and 6th of the year. Then Hayes started getting shelled, allowing 5 runs over the next two innings on a pair of homers. He settled in and ended up with a weird 6 8 6 6 1 11 line, so when he wasn't giving up homers he was whiffing people. Particularly frustrating were a pair of slow dribbler infield singles that preceded Werner Blakely's 3-run homer. The Rays crept back to tie it on Ricky Widmar's 3rd HR in the 4th and a solo shot from the just-activated Jasson Dominguez (#4) in the 5th. Jon Whiteleather and Mike Mooney got them through the 7th but Tim Siqueiros ran into trouble in the 8th, loading the bases with two out and giving up yet another infield dribbler (Toronto had 5 infield hits in total today) to score the go-ahead run. Mike Tudor was tagged for another run in the 9th and although they loaded the bases with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th, Rodolfo Rivas hit an infield popup to end the game. And then afterward they learned of Kirkley's prognosis, which means Jaiden Hardaway takes the full-time 2B job with Dane Ayers filling in as well. Kirkley was their best overall hitter so far (284/392/587 with 7 HR) and will be missed. Meanwhile the Orioles and Yankees both won, dropping the Rays to third, two games back. Just a lovely day all around.
Some good news from the farm:
Omar is BNN's #2 prospect in all of baseball, and will be patrolling our outfield most likely next season.
May 1: Placed 2B Connor Kirkley on the 60-day IL with a broken hamate bone, purchased the contract of IF Xavier Edwards from AAA Durham.
Look who finally made the Rays! Edwards of course was a top prospect with the Rays in the early-to-mid 20s before being traded to Kansas City in a deal which saw Spencer Torkelson come to Tampa Bay, as Edwards was blocked by Vidal Brujan and Wander Franco at the time. He had a few really good years with KC before falling off, and we signed him as a minor league free agent where he did well with Durham the last 2-3 weeks. His OBP, defensive and speed skills seem to be intact so he will help out as a pinch-runner, defensive replacement for the 45 Jaiden Hardaway at 2B and occasional starter.
Game 2: The Rays finally won comfortably and it was thanks to Christian Little, who pitched one of the best games of his career in a 6-0 victory. Little took a no-hitter into the 6th before Cody Schrier doubled with two out, and finished 7 1 0 0 0 14 on 103 pitches to pick up his first win of the season and get his ERA a bit more respectable at 4.11. Danny Medina finished with 2 1-hit innings for a combined 2-hit team shutout. They built an early lead again which held up for a change, with Bobby Witt Jr's RBI grounder getting them on the board in the 2nd before a big 3-run 3rd which featured a Rodolfo Rivas RBI single and a 2-run triple from Victor de Jesus. Rivas added a sac fly in the 5th and then a solo homer (#5) in the 7th to cap a 3-3, 3-run, 3 RBI day. Baltimore lost so they've pulled with a game of the lead but with the Yankees winning they're still in 3rd.
Game 3: The Rays got another gem of a start and shut Toronto out for the second straight game in a 4-0 win. Alec Sachais, who seems to own the Blue Jays, went 6 2 0 0 2 8 on 103 pitches to improve to 2-0, 2.90, Nate Thompson went two scoreless and Jordan Diaz pitched the 9th for the combined shutout. Offensively, they had 11 hits and ran rampant on former teammate Gabriel Moreno, stealing 8 bases. Jaiden Hardaway had 3 and Dayle Jenkins 2 to lead the SB parade, yet they only managed the 4 runs, 2 of which came in the first inning on Nate Clark's 7th HR of the year as he heats up. Ricky Widmar (who also stole a base) and Hardaway (who was 3-3 with a walk) had RBI singles for the other two runs, but with the pitching they got their profligacy with baserunners didn't matter today. Baltimore and the Yankees won so it's status quo in the division.
Team record: 14-10. Next up: An off-day then the LA Dodgers come to town for two games.