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Art Deco · 01-28-2022, 09:41 PM

There's just no middle ground with this team, having won 11 of their first 12 only to lose 8 of their next 9, and now they're on the upswing again after sweeping the Yankees at the Trop to make it 5 straight wins overall. Unfortunately the Jays swept Oakland as well, so the Rays remain 3 off the division lead but they are now 2 games up in the first wild card position.

Slade Cecconi pitched his best game as a big-leaguer in the opener and the Rays held on to win 6-4 after going up 6-2 after 4 innings. The young righty went 7 5 3 2 1 6 to even his record at 2-2, 4.30 and JT Ginn managed his 3rd save despite allowing a run in the 9th. Alex Kirilloff had a big game, going 2-3 with 3 RBI including a 2-run homer (#2) in the 4th. Carter Kieboom also went deep (#4) with a 2nd-inning solo shot and Wander Franco, in a slump which saw his average dip to .238, came out of it today going 3-3 with an RBI triple.

It was a marquee pitching matchup with Tyler Glasnow facing the Yankees' Gerrit Cole in the second game but neither figured into the decision in a 4-3 Rays win. Glasnow pitched better, going 7 4 3 3 1 9, but lost a 3-0 lead in the 7th when Aaron Judge took him deep with a couple of men on in a classic "left him in for one batter too long" situation. However Andrew Greckel tripled for his third hit of the day in the 8th and Heston Kjerstad singled him home for the winner. And picking up the win for the Rays with a scoreless 8th and 9th was none other than former long-time Yankee Jonathan Loaisiga, making it two wins in two scoreless two-inning outings since joining the Rays. Adley Rutschman homered (#3) off Cole in the 1st and Carter Kieboom drove in a pair of runs.

Until the 9th, the finale looked like the classic 2026 Dustin May start of late: pitch brilliantly, get no run support, and see the bullpen expand the deficit. But the most unlikely of rallies in the bottom of the 9th gave the Rays 3-2 walk-off win. May shut the Yankees out through 5 in a scoreless game before allowing a run in the 6th to finish 6 5 1 1 1 8 and Jake Miller allowed a run in the 7th to make it 2-0. This brought us to the bottom of the 9th when Andrew Greckel was hit by a pitch, Heston Kjerstad reached on a Gleyber Torres error, Brett Baty singled to load the bases, and with Ed Howard at bat with one out Yankee closer Pedro Avila balked home Greckel to make it 2-1, then walked Howard to re-load the bases. Up stepped Victor Robles, who hit a fly ball to deep center which new Yankee CF Byron Buxton dropped, allowing Kjerstad and Baty to score to win it for the Rays. Not many 2-run winning rallies with an HBP, balk and 2 errors that I can recall.

Team record: 17-10. Next up: 3 games in Cleveland where the Guardians will likely want some revenge for last year's ALDS sweep.

01-28-2022, 09:41 PM	#449
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,611	April 28-30, 2026: vs NY Yankees (3) There's just no middle ground with this team, having won 11 of their first 12 only to lose 8 of their next 9, and now they're on the upswing again after sweeping the Yankees at the Trop to make it 5 straight wins overall. Unfortunately the Jays swept Oakland as well, so the Rays remain 3 off the division lead but they are now 2 games up in the first wild card position. Slade Cecconi pitched his best game as a big-leaguer in the opener and the Rays held on to win 6-4 after going up 6-2 after 4 innings. The young righty went 7 5 3 2 1 6 to even his record at 2-2, 4.30 and JT Ginn managed his 3rd save despite allowing a run in the 9th. Alex Kirilloff had a big game, going 2-3 with 3 RBI including a 2-run homer (#2) in the 4th. Carter Kieboom also went deep (#4) with a 2nd-inning solo shot and Wander Franco, in a slump which saw his average dip to .238, came out of it today going 3-3 with an RBI triple. It was a marquee pitching matchup with Tyler Glasnow facing the Yankees' Gerrit Cole in the second game but neither figured into the decision in a 4-3 Rays win. Glasnow pitched better, going 7 4 3 3 1 9, but lost a 3-0 lead in the 7th when Aaron Judge took him deep with a couple of men on in a classic "left him in for one batter too long" situation. However Andrew Greckel tripled for his third hit of the day in the 8th and Heston Kjerstad singled him home for the winner. And picking up the win for the Rays with a scoreless 8th and 9th was none other than former long-time Yankee Jonathan Loaisiga, making it two wins in two scoreless two-inning outings since joining the Rays. Adley Rutschman homered (#3) off Cole in the 1st and Carter Kieboom drove in a pair of runs. Until the 9th, the finale looked like the classic 2026 Dustin May start of late: pitch brilliantly, get no run support, and see the bullpen expand the deficit. But the most unlikely of rallies in the bottom of the 9th gave the Rays 3-2 walk-off win. May shut the Yankees out through 5 in a scoreless game before allowing a run in the 6th to finish 6 5 1 1 1 8 and Jake Miller allowed a run in the 7th to make it 2-0. This brought us to the bottom of the 9th when Andrew Greckel was hit by a pitch, Heston Kjerstad reached on a Gleyber Torres error, Brett Baty singled to load the bases, and with Ed Howard at bat with one out Yankee closer Pedro Avila balked home Greckel to make it 2-1, then walked Howard to re-load the bases. Up stepped Victor Robles, who hit a fly ball to deep center which new Yankee CF Byron Buxton dropped, allowing Kjerstad and Baty to score to win it for the Rays. Not many 2-run winning rallies with an HBP, balk and 2 errors that I can recall. Team record: 17-10. Next up: 3 games in Cleveland where the Guardians will likely want some revenge for last year's ALDS sweep.