Game 1: The Rays tied their own regular season wins record by notching #127 with a 9-4 decision over Baltimore at Publix Park, and now have two shots to break it. Speaking of tying records Nate Schultz picked up win #22, which ties the team record set by Andy Aparicio and Jon Hayes in 2031, thanks to a 6 4 2 2 3 4 outing which concludes his regular season at 22-2, 3.19 with 241 whiffs in 197.1 innings. Chris Hicks continued to struggle, allowing 2 runs in 1 inning of work while Bob Sirna went the final two scoreless. On offense a 6-run 2nd inning put the game away early with the big hit a bases-clearing double from Nate Clark. Jaiden Hardaway drew a bases-loaded walk in the inning and later hit HR #42 with the bases empty, and Will Quintana was 2-4 with a couple of RBI singles.
Playoff race update: Everything is fully set in the AL after Detroit beat Minnesota to clinch the Central. The Twins will travel to Anaheim to play the Angels in the wild card game with the winner facing off against the Rays in the ALDS, although the Angels just suffered a huge blow when Mookie Betts strained his hamstring and is done for the year. Betts had one of the great age-40 seasons, going .308/362/569 with 38 HR. Detroit will start their ALDS in Texas as these teams square off for the 30th straight year, or something like that. Things did get more interesting in the NL when Arizona won and San Diego lost, pulling the D-backs within 1 game of the Padres for the second wild card.
Game 2: The 2033 Tampa Bay Rays, your all-time single-season wins record holder. They managed win #128 by outlasting Baltimore in a wild 14-10 game to break their own record of 127 set two years ago. They overcame early-game deficits of 4-0 and 8-5 as the Big Ray Machine continued to lay waste to Oriole pitching. Danny Medina was terrible today in his final start, giving up a 3-run homer to Tommy McDougal and an inside-the-park homer to Luis Urias in the 1st (the animation was hilarious by the way, it looked like a ping pong ball bouncing around the outfield). After a 3-run Victor de Jesus homer in the 3rd (#53, tying Nate Clark for the team record) gave the Rays a 5-4 lead in the 3rd, Medina lost it again in the 4th, giving up 4 more runs with an error mixed in and he was pulled for David Sanchez. Sanchez turned in the best performance of his brief Rays career by going 2.1 1 0 0 1 3 (and deservedly getting his first MLB win), allowing the offense to come back. Bo Angeac's 3-run homer in the 5th (#46) tied it up at 8 and Jaiden Hardway's 2-run HR (#42) in the 6th put them ahead to stay. Rodolfo Rivas added a 2-run shot (#42) in the 8th as well. de Jesus ended the day 4-4 with the HR and 3 RBI and has hit in 20 straight games while Hardaway capped his MVP season (he'll be rested tomorrow) with a 4-hit game as well. Jim Connors and Tim Siqueiros pitched a scoreless 7th and 8th but Mike Wherry struggled in the 9th, allowing 2 runs before finally closing it out. I think I might turn offense back down next season.
Playoff Race Update: It's all over in the NL now as well as Arizona lost at Kansas City and San Diego won, clinching the second wild card for the Padres who will travel to Washington to play the NL Wild Card Game. The winner of that will play St. Louis in the NLDS while the other one sees the Dodgers opening in Columbus.
October 2: Optioned P David Sanchez to AAA Durham, recalled OF Danny Ayala from AAA Durham.
Just a paper move to get another bat up to give Nate Clark a rest in the season finale.
Game 3: It looked like the Orioles might get a consolation win against a lineup of Rays bench players as they took a 3-2 lead into the 8th but the team that refuses to lose refused to lose, scoring 3 times in the 8th to take a 5-3 win over Baltimore and season win #129 to add to their MLB record. Kevin Kerstetter got the start for the Rays and he pitched very well, shutting Baltimore out through 5 with 7 whiffs before a combination of tiring and bad luck cost him in the 6th. Baltimore loaded the bases with a couple of infield hits and Luis Urias hit a bases-clearing double to put the O's up 3-0. Kerstetter ended 5.2 4 3 3 2 8 and concluded a season which saw him pitch much better over the last couple of months and he figures to be a key part of the 2034 staff. Rodolfo Rivas, one of three regulars playing today, cut the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the inning with HR #43, while Bob Sirna went 1 1/3 and Chris Hicks had a rare 1-2-3 8th inning. This set up the bottom of the 8th, which saw the Rays tie it up with a Rivas single and then with two out and the specter of unwanted extra innings looming, Alex Buitrago came through with a 2-run double. Jim Connors got the call in the 9th and scared us by giving up a single and double to put men on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out, but got two shallow fly balls and a strikeout of Druw Jones to end the game and the regular season, notching his 7th save while Hicks picked up his first win of the year.
Final Regular Season Record: 129-33. Next up: Game 1 of the ALDS later this week at Publix Park against either the Twins or the Angels.
