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Art Deco · 02-07-2022, 08:13 PM

After a frustrating loss in the opener the Rays came back to eke out a pair of one-run wins against Oakland, while Toronto likewise took 2 of 3 in their series so Tampa Bay remains 3 back in the East. Meanwhile the Rays are in a 3-way tie for the 2 wild card spots with Texas/LA and Detroit.

Transaction: Activated P Drew Rasmussen from his rehab assignment, optioned P Levi Kelly to AAA Durham.

Rasmussen looked great at Durham and is ready to make his season debut in the opening game of this series. He'll replace Slade Cecconi in the rotation with the rookie righty moving to long relief, taking Kelly's role. Kelly could never achieve any consistency since being acquired from Washington the winter before last, and he's going to be used as a starter at Durham.

The opening game was a frustrating one as the Rays left 12 runners on base in a 5-3 loss. Drew Rasmussen made his season debut and while his rehab went well the MLB rust showed as he went 3.1 4 3 3 3 3 on 84 pitches. He left with two men on, and unfortunately the first batter to face Jonathan Loaisiga in the 4th took him deep to make it 4-2 A's. While most of his teammates were futile with men on Andrew Greckel had a huge game, going 4-5 and driving in all 3 Rays runs with HR #5 and a double. Otherwise it was a LOB fest with the worst offender Alex Kirilloff, 0-5 with 8 stranded.

In the second game they couldn't get length from Tyler Glasnow but came back to win with 2 runs in the 6th 5-4. It took 100 pitches to get Glasnow through four as he finished 4 6 3 1 3 6 with a Wander Franco error proving costly. Tylor Megill gave up a run in his 2 innings of work but still picked up his first Rays win after Blake Hunt tripled in a run to break a 4-4 tie. Hunt had earlier doubled in a run as he's been way more productive in his limited action than starter Adley Rutschman, still scuffling around .150 after two months. Unfortunately Hunt ruptured his MCL when sliding into 3rd on that go-ahead triple and his season is done. 3 relievers followed Megill with the third, JT Ginn, notching his 7th save.

Transaction: Placed C Blake Hunt on the 60-day IL with a ruptured MCL, recalled C Corey Collins from AAA Durham.

Collins did a decent job as the backup C last season but lost out to Hunt, who was out of options, and now gets the job back.

It was a bit of deja vu as the Rays came back again to take the lead in the middle innings and had to hold onto a 1-run lead for several innings for the second straight night in a 3-2 win. Oakland scored in each of the first two innings off Dustin May, but that would be all he'd allow in a fine 6.1 6 2 1 2 8 outing, improving to 5-5, 2.50. DL Hall struck out the side in a 1-2-3 9th for save #3. Corey Collins started the comeback with a sac fly, Andrew Greckel homered again (#6) in the 4th to tie it, and Victor Robles delivered a 2-out RBI single in the 5th for the winning run.

Team record: 33-24. Next up: Back home for 3 against one of the teams we're tied with for a wild card, the Texas Rangers.

We also made a trade:

We liberated Cartaya, who's languished in the Dodgers farm system for several years, in exchange for Alcantar, a 19-year-old projectable lefty who intrigued Andrew Friedman. Cartaya's an elite defensive C (65 or 70 depending on which scout you ask), and looks to be a .260, 15-HR guy in the bigs based on his 50 or so offensive ratings across the board. Adley Rutschman has one year of team control left after this one, and while I had considered trying to extend him it's going to cost a lot and his hit tool has been downgraded to 45, which has manifested itself in his hitting woes this year. Cartaya will go to AA Montgomery but depending on how Collins fares as the new backup, he could come up to the big club at some point.

02-07-2022, 08:13 PM	#459
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,613	May 30-June 1, 2026: at Oakland (3) After a frustrating loss in the opener the Rays came back to eke out a pair of one-run wins against Oakland, while Toronto likewise took 2 of 3 in their series so Tampa Bay remains 3 back in the East. Meanwhile the Rays are in a 3-way tie for the 2 wild card spots with Texas/LA and Detroit. Transaction: Activated P Drew Rasmussen from his rehab assignment, optioned P Levi Kelly to AAA Durham. Rasmussen looked great at Durham and is ready to make his season debut in the opening game of this series. He'll replace Slade Cecconi in the rotation with the rookie righty moving to long relief, taking Kelly's role. Kelly could never achieve any consistency since being acquired from Washington the winter before last, and he's going to be used as a starter at Durham. The opening game was a frustrating one as the Rays left 12 runners on base in a 5-3 loss. Drew Rasmussen made his season debut and while his rehab went well the MLB rust showed as he went 3.1 4 3 3 3 3 on 84 pitches. He left with two men on, and unfortunately the first batter to face Jonathan Loaisiga in the 4th took him deep to make it 4-2 A's. While most of his teammates were futile with men on Andrew Greckel had a huge game, going 4-5 and driving in all 3 Rays runs with HR #5 and a double. Otherwise it was a LOB fest with the worst offender Alex Kirilloff, 0-5 with 8 stranded. In the second game they couldn't get length from Tyler Glasnow but came back to win with 2 runs in the 6th 5-4. It took 100 pitches to get Glasnow through four as he finished 4 6 3 1 3 6 with a Wander Franco error proving costly. Tylor Megill gave up a run in his 2 innings of work but still picked up his first Rays win after Blake Hunt tripled in a run to break a 4-4 tie. Hunt had earlier doubled in a run as he's been way more productive in his limited action than starter Adley Rutschman, still scuffling around .150 after two months. Unfortunately Hunt ruptured his MCL when sliding into 3rd on that go-ahead triple and his season is done. 3 relievers followed Megill with the third, JT Ginn, notching his 7th save. Transaction: Placed C Blake Hunt on the 60-day IL with a ruptured MCL, recalled C Corey Collins from AAA Durham. Collins did a decent job as the backup C last season but lost out to Hunt, who was out of options, and now gets the job back. It was a bit of deja vu as the Rays came back again to take the lead in the middle innings and had to hold onto a 1-run lead for several innings for the second straight night in a 3-2 win. Oakland scored in each of the first two innings off Dustin May, but that would be all he'd allow in a fine 6.1 6 2 1 2 8 outing, improving to 5-5, 2.50. DL Hall struck out the side in a 1-2-3 9th for save #3. Corey Collins started the comeback with a sac fly, Andrew Greckel homered again (#6) in the 4th to tie it, and Victor Robles delivered a 2-out RBI single in the 5th for the winning run. Team record: 33-24. Next up: Back home for 3 against one of the teams we're tied with for a wild card, the Texas Rangers. We also made a trade: We liberated Cartaya, who's languished in the Dodgers farm system for several years, in exchange for Alcantar, a 19-year-old projectable lefty who intrigued Andrew Friedman. Cartaya's an elite defensive C (65 or 70 depending on which scout you ask), and looks to be a .260, 15-HR guy in the bigs based on his 50 or so offensive ratings across the board. Adley Rutschman has one year of team control left after this one, and while I had considered trying to extend him it's going to cost a lot and his hit tool has been downgraded to 45, which has manifested itself in his hitting woes this year. Cartaya will go to AA Montgomery but depending on how Collins fares as the new backup, he could come up to the big club at some point. Last edited by Art Deco; 02-07-2022 at 08:15 PM.