Game 1: 7-5 W. WP-Rasmussen (11-5, 5.2 6 5 5 1 5, 4 HR). S-Fairbanks (23). HR-Schmitt (25), Mears (26), Tucker (32). Ras was handed a 5-0 lead on a Schmitt slam (which brought the rookie to 100 RBI) and a Mears solo shot, but gave it all back on 4 homers to Houston to let them tie. Fortunately Tucker struck against his old team with a 2-run shot in the bottom of the 5th and the pen held from there.
Game 2: 2-1 W. WP-Swanda (11-8, 6 3 1 1 2 3). S-Fairbanks (24). HR-Tucker (33). Tucker won it again against his former club with a solo homer in the 6th to break a 1-1 tie while Swanda was outstanding. Kyle Manzardo made his MLB debut and was 0-4.
Game 3: 6-3 W. WP-Patino (5-1, 6 3 2 2 0 8). HR-Albies (12), J.Lowe (18). Luis Patino was outstanding in his return to the rotation, giving up a pair of solo homers and nothing else and Albies and Lowe hit 2-run homers to pace the offense as the Rays completed the sweep.
Team record: 84-53. The dark cloud of earlier in the week was lifted with the sweep and an Oakland sweep of the Yankees so the division race is really over at 9 games with the magic # down to 17. Next up: A big series in the only race that matters now, the one for a playoff bye. Kansas City, 1/2 game behind the Rays for the #2 seed, visits for 3 games. Tampa Bay is one game behind the Angels for the top seed.
MLB News: The Angels will have to do without two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani for the next 2-3 weeks with a bone bruise in his wrist after being hit by a pitch. Also former Rays reliever Oliver Drake announced his retirement effective at season's end.
Meanwhile here's a look at the standings as we're down to the season's final weeks:
A historically bad season for the Giants, who are at risk of having the worst record since the notorious 2003 Tigers.