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Art Deco · 09-14-2022, 10:34 AM

It was the biggest series of the year as the showdown for first place with Boston took place at the Trop, and the Rays did not disappoint their fans as they swept the Red Sox and opened up a 3 1/2-game lead in the AL East. Two of the games were nail-biters and the other was a blowout and now the Rays have their largest lead in some time.

The opener could have gone very badly as Kevin DiCostanzo's mini-slump continued and he blew a 2-run lead in the 9th. But Ed Howard doubled with 2 out in the bottom of the inning and Jamie Reiner singled him home to give the Rays a 5-4 walk-off win over Boston. Tampa Bay erupted for 4 runs in the 5th including a 3-run Kelly Crumpton shot (#20), and Michael Prosecky pitched well at 5.1 2 2 2 1 5 despite giving a couple of those runs back in the 6th. This brought us to the 9th when DiCostanzo gave up 2 runs on 3 hits and blew his second straight save after converting his first 21. He ended up with the win though to improve to 4-1.

The second game turned out to be a laugher as the Rays routed the Red Sox 10-4. With the score 2-2 in the bottom of the 3rd, Andrew Greckel put the Rays ahead to stay with a mammoth (460 feet) 2-run blast (#9) and they piled on from there. Wander Franco was on base 4 times, scored 3 times and drove one in, and Dong-hwan Kim was 3-5 with a double and 2 RBI. James Hays (8-2) wasn't his most dominating self, but pitched well enough at 7 6 3 3 0 6 for the win.

The Rays completed the sweep by eking out a 3-2 win in the finale with a strong outing from Robinson Ortiz and some timely hitting doing the trick. Ortiz went 5.2 7 2 2 0 8 for his best start in a while and Ed Howard's 3rd hit and 2nd RBI single of the day scored the winning run in the bottom of the 6th. JT Realmuto added an RBI double and the bullpen was excellent including a bounce-back outing from Kevin DiCostanzo who not only snapped out of his three-game funk by saving in the 9th (#22), but struck out the side. Tylor Megill (1-1) picked up the win in relief.

Team record: 57-25. Next up: The homestand continues with 4 against Toronto. I'll also have the midseason review up next.

09-14-2022, 10:34 AM	#830
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,627	June 28-30, 2030: vs Boston (3) It was the biggest series of the year as the showdown for first place with Boston took place at the Trop, and the Rays did not disappoint their fans as they swept the Red Sox and opened up a 3 1/2-game lead in the AL East. Two of the games were nail-biters and the other was a blowout and now the Rays have their largest lead in some time. The opener could have gone very badly as Kevin DiCostanzo's mini-slump continued and he blew a 2-run lead in the 9th. But Ed Howard doubled with 2 out in the bottom of the inning and Jamie Reiner singled him home to give the Rays a 5-4 walk-off win over Boston. Tampa Bay erupted for 4 runs in the 5th including a 3-run Kelly Crumpton shot (#20), and Michael Prosecky pitched well at 5.1 2 2 2 1 5 despite giving a couple of those runs back in the 6th. This brought us to the 9th when DiCostanzo gave up 2 runs on 3 hits and blew his second straight save after converting his first 21. He ended up with the win though to improve to 4-1. The second game turned out to be a laugher as the Rays routed the Red Sox 10-4. With the score 2-2 in the bottom of the 3rd, Andrew Greckel put the Rays ahead to stay with a mammoth (460 feet) 2-run blast (#9) and they piled on from there. Wander Franco was on base 4 times, scored 3 times and drove one in, and Dong-hwan Kim was 3-5 with a double and 2 RBI. James Hays (8-2) wasn't his most dominating self, but pitched well enough at 7 6 3 3 0 6 for the win. The Rays completed the sweep by eking out a 3-2 win in the finale with a strong outing from Robinson Ortiz and some timely hitting doing the trick. Ortiz went 5.2 7 2 2 0 8 for his best start in a while and Ed Howard's 3rd hit and 2nd RBI single of the day scored the winning run in the bottom of the 6th. JT Realmuto added an RBI double and the bullpen was excellent including a bounce-back outing from Kevin DiCostanzo who not only snapped out of his three-game funk by saving in the 9th (#22), but struck out the side. Tylor Megill (1-1) picked up the win in relief. Team record: 57-25. Next up: The homestand continues with 4 against Toronto. I'll also have the midseason review up next.