The 2020 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Dave Rose was dominant and while the bats took 6 innings to wake up the Rays ended up rolling to a 7-0 win. Rose (8-3) went 7 6 0 0 1 8, improving to 8-3, 2.72, and they needed him to keep them in the game as it wasn't until Jesus Avalos went yard with HR #13 that they got on the board. A 3-run 7th and a 3-run 8th put it away with David Morales and Alex Brown each knocking in a pair.

Game 2: It was the Rays' turn to be (nearly) shut out as they fell 4-2 to the Dukes with only Jesus Avalos' 8th-inning 2-run homer (#14) making a game of it. Randy Mastropietro (5-3) returned from his forearm soreness and looked good for 4 innings before the bottom fell out in the 5th and he finished 4.1 7 4 4 1 2.

Game 3: Much like the series opener the Rays took a while to get going but shut out Austin again thanks to Melvin Lopez as they prevailed 5-0. Lopez (2-1, 6-2 overall) was efficient at 6.2 5 0 0 0 2 and who else but Jesus Avalos got the offense going with an RBI double in the 5th. Dantel Chinchilla was 3-5 with an RBI double and Jose Lozada added a 2-run homer (#7). The only negative was that Avalos developed back tightness and will miss a week although he'll be available to pinch-hit.

Team record: 40-23. The Yankees also won 2 of 3 so the teams remain tied atop the AL East. Next up: An off-day then 3 games in Boston.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays rode a 4-run 5th and another outstanding start from Brad Villarreal to take a 5-1 win over the Red Sox at Fenway to open their series. Nesty de la Rosa's 2-run single was followed by a 2-run shot (#4) from Ezquiel Avalos, who should have way more than 4 homers at this point after hitting 101 over the previous 3 seasons. de la Rosa later added an RBI on his 3rd hit of the day to support Villarreal (8-2), who lowered his ERA to 2.79 after going 7 5 0 0 1 2. Despite our mediocre defense, he's the one starter who gets the job done without many strikeouts, following up his .277 BABIP last year with .272 so far this season.

Game 2: Another well-pitched game saw the Rays beat Boston again 3-0 behind Tim Johnson. It was Johnson's first win against three losses since rejoining the club and he was a dominant 7 2 0 0 1 10 in the process. Mario Berumen finished up for save #13. And for the second straight day Nesty de la Rosa swung the big bat, once again driving in all 3 with a 2-run homer (#8) in the first and an RBI double in the 2nd.

Game 3: The Rays completed the sweep thanks to yet another great start as Dave Rose along with some ample offensive support pitched them to an 8-2 win over the Red Sox. The Tampa Bay ace improved to 9-3, 2.68 with an 8 6 2 2 1 7 outing as he might just earn his first career Cy Young if he keeps it up. Keeping it up were the bats led by Sung-min Yang (2-3, HR #6, 3 RBI), Nesty de la Rosa once again (2-4, HR #9, 2 RBI) and Ezequiel Avalos (3-4 including HR #5). Nesty was a one-man wrecking crew in the series, going 7-12 with 2 HR and 8 RBI over the 3 games.

Team record: 43-23. This is normally the part of the post where I tell you that the Yankees also swept their series and remained tied with us but instead they actually lost 2 of 3 in Houston to fall two games back. Next up: We return home for 3 against Minnesota.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Randy Mastropietro pitched well before the bullpen let it get away but none of it mattered as the offense was shut down in a 5-0 loss to the Twins at Publix Park. Mastropietro (5-4) went 5.2 8 1 1 0 3 but Devin Cefalo followed allowing 3 runs. But 1-0 or 5-0 it was going to be a defeat as the offense mustered only 6 hits.

Game 2: It was a rare series loss for the Rays as they fell 7-5 to the Twins, unable to hold leads of 3-0 and 5-3. Things looked good early as Luis Barela hit career homer 598 (#11) with a man on and Ezequiel Avalos also went deep (#6) off former Ray Steve Morris, but Melvin Lopez and the bullpen couldn't keep the lead. Lopez ended up 5.1 7 5 5 1 4 and it all went wrong in the 6th when Lopez put men on and Steve Cleland (1-2) gave up 4 hits to score Lopez's men and two of his own.

Game 3: The Rays did salvage the finale, edging Minnesota 4-3. Brad Villarreal (9-2) was excellent as usual at 6 4 2 1 1 5 and Mario Berumen converted save #14 despite allowing two hits in the 9th by fanning the other 3 batters. Kang-cheol Lee was 3-4 with HR #4 and Jose Lozada doubled and drove in a pair.

Team record: 44-25. The Yankees swept Boston so our sole possession of first was short-lived as we're once again tied for the division lead. Next up: An off-day then the White Sox visit Publix Park for 3.

Rays news: Our top pitching prospect Julio Matilla, who was up earlier this season, is suffering from shoulder inflammation and is pretty much done for the season.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays came back to tie the game up from deficits of 4-0, 5-4 and 6-5, but Chicago's 2 runs in the 8th off Adan Guardado (2-1) were a bridge too far and they fell 8-6 to the White Sox in the opener at Publix Park. Tim Johnson had a rough time of it (3.1 8 6 6 0 6, 3 HR) but the offense did battle back led by Jose Lozada who doubled and drove in a pair. But Guardado put two men on in the 8th and with two out let them both score on a double.

Game 2: Deja vu as the Rays once again came back from a sizable deficit to tie, only to see the bullpen give up more runs as they fell 9-5 to Chicago. This time the starter who got them in early trouble was Dave Rose, who despite 11 whiffs in 6 innings gave up 5 runs on 5 hits thanks to a pair of homers. Alex Brown led the comeback charge with a solo homer (#2) and 2-run double, but today it was Danny Sanchez (2-3) who let them down, allowing 3 runs in the 7th right after they had tied it up.

Game 3: Tampa Bay did salvage the finale 4-1, getting a well-pitched game in what turned out to be a bullpen outing after Randy Mastropietro had to leave in the 4th with a sprained ankle. He'll have to miss at least his next start after going 3.2 4 1 1 0 2. Phil Weststrom (3-2), who took over for Mastropietro, picked up the win and Mario Berumen closed for save #15. Ezequiel Avalos led the offense with an RBI double before going yard (#7) back to back with Luis Barela, who hit his 12th of the season and moved one homer away from career dinger #600.

Team record: 45-27. The Yankees took 2 of 3 so we've dropped a game back into second. Next up: 4 games in Baltimore.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Melvin Lopez was excellent and his battery mate David Morales drove in 3 runs to lead the Rays to a 4-2 win at Baltimore. Lopez (3-1) was an efficient 8 6 1 1 0 2 and after Adan Guardado made a bit of a mess in the 9th, Mario Berumen finished up for save #16. Morales' 2-run double in the 4th was the game's big hit.

Game 2: Brad Villarreal turned in a rare stinker and the Rays were never competitive today in a 6-1 loss to the O's. Villarreal (9-3) couldn't keep the ball in the park, allowing 4 homers and getting hit to the tune of 5.1 10 5 5 0 4. Meanwhile the bats could only manage 4 hits with the lone run coming on a Kang-cheol Lee solo homer (#5).

Game 3: The Rays had trouble plating their runners today and it cost them in a 3-2 defeat at Baltimore. They had 10 hits and drew 4 walks but left 9 on base with David Morales stranding 5 personally. Tim Johnson (1-4) allowed all 3 runs early but toughed it out to go 6 5 3 3 2 3.

Game 4: More frustration for the Rays as like the other day they got an unusual poor start from a reliable starter with Dave Rose getting hit hard in a 7-6 loss. Rose (9-4) started off about as poorly as possible, loading the bases with the first three men he faced and then giving up a grand slam to the fourth. He allowed another homer and finished 4 8 6 6 2 5. The offense made a game of it, with Jesus Avalos (2-5 with a 2-run homer, #15) and Nesty de la Rosa (3-5, 2 RBI) leading the charge, and had a chance to tie in the 9th but couldn't get the man home.

Team record: 46-30. The poor showing in Charm City now has them 2 games back of the Yankees, a week or so after they were 2 ahead. Next up: A return home for 3 against Oakland.

While this was all going on we made a trade, although it was one with an eye on the (near) future:



Luis Barela's contract is up at year's end and he probably retires, so we need a 3B of the future and hopefully acquired one in Mayes, ranked the #86 prospect in baseball. He's 50/45 current contact/power with 65/55 potential, to with a 60/65 eye, and is a 65 defender already at the hot corner. Throw in 70 gap power and 65 speed and there isn't much he can't do. The price wasn't cheap though as we dealt one of our top prospects in Mendoza, rated #52 overall and who should be a top-notch 1B in the future. But we're very deep at the position up and down the organization while we didn't have anyone of his caliber at third.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: With Randy Mastropietro unavailable to make his scheduled start due to an ankle sprain, Phil Weststrom had to "Phil" in and he showed us why he was yanked from the rotation earlier this season as was hit hard in a 10-3 loss to the A's. He dropped to 3-3 after going 3 8 6 6 1 2 and another deposed starter Manny Cervantes gave up 3 more runs. Sung-min Yang hit HR #7 in a losing cause.

Game 2: The Rays got quite the scare in the second game, coasting with a 9-0 lead until Oakland suddenly scored 8 runs in the 8th before holding on to a 9-8 win. A 7-run 3rd broke it open and Jesus Avalos, Jose Lozada and Dantel Chinchilla each knocked in a pair to back another superb outing from Melvin Lopez (4-1) who went 7 1 0 0 2 4 on 97 pitches. Julio Baez, who had been excellent this year, then gave up a 2-out slam in the 8th to make it 9-5, and Adan Guardado put the first two men he faced on and then served up a 3-run homer and suddenly a laugher became a one-run game. Thankfully Mario Berumen disposed of Oakland on 5 pitches in the 9th to nail down save #17.

June 27: Claimed P Warren Dalton on waivers from Washington, designated P Manny Cervantes for assignment.

The theme of 2055 has been bringing back pitchers who recently left us with Tim Johnson and Melvin Lopez already rejoining the fold and now we welcome back Dalton, who gives us a second lefty in the pen. Meanwhile we finally pull the plug on Cervantes who has just been disastrous for us with his precipitous loss of stuff. As he's making $23M I don't expect any claimers.

Game 3: Unlike the day before, the Rays lost all of a sizable lead but like the day before they still won in the end, taking the series from Oakland with a 7-5 victory. They quickly went ahead 5-0 thanks to an Ezequiel Avalos homer (#8) and a 3-4, 2-RBI game from Jose Lozada. But Randy Mastropietro (6-4) ended up giving it all back by the 5th, finishing 5 7 5 5 3 3 with an uncharacteristic two homers allowed. Luckily for him and the Rays the lead was restored almost immediately when David Morales singled home a run in the bottom of the frame and the bullpen was sterling from there with four relievers each pitching a hitless inning, culminating in another economical Mario Berumen save (#18) this time on only 7 pitches.

Team record: 48-31. Thankfully the Yankees lost 2 of 3 so we've moved within a game of them. Next up: Houston visits for 3 as we reach the halfway point of the season.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays outhit Houston 11-5 but ended up on the wrong end of a 5-3 scoreline. Homers were the problem as Brad Villarreal (9-4), struggling for the second straight start, gave up a 3-run shot to former Ray Tomas Laboy, and Devin Cefalo in relief allowed a 2-run blast in the 6th to make it 5-0. Villarreal again had some uncharacteristic control issues, finishing 4.1 4 3 3 4 4. Homers from Dantel Chinchilla (#3) and Kang-cheol Lee (#6) got them back in it but it wasn't enough.

Game 2: Tampa Bay snapped back and took a 7-3 win over the Astros with Sung-min Yang's 3-run shot (#8) in the 1st the big blow. Despite being handed a sizable early lead Tim Johnson couldn't make it through the 5th, finishing 4 6 3 3 3 2 so the win instead went to Warren Dalton (1-0) who cleaned up Johnson's mess in the 5th. After Chris Resnick put a couple of men on in the 9th, Mario Berumen had to come in and close it out for save #19. The Rays also got a solo pinch-homer from Takayuki Tsujimura, his 8th.

Game 3: History was made at Publix Park in the rubber game:



Congrats to Luis and his homer (#13 for the year) was a very important one as it tied the game at 3 in the 6th after they had fallen behind 3-0 against one of the top pitchers in the game in Houston's Randy Heller (who was named AL Pitcher of the Month for June). After Barela's heroics Brian Whittaker completed the comeback with a 2-run triple to put them ahead for good in the 7th. Dave Rose (10-4), who gave up 2 homers of his own in a 3-run 1st, settled down after that to get the win going 7 5 3 3 1 7 and Mario Berumen saved again (#19).

Team record: 50-32. Incredibly the Yankees were swept at home by their arch-rival Boston so the Rays now find themselves up a game in the AL East. And they'll have a chance to expand that lead as after a day off the Yankees come to Publix Park for 3 games.

Next up: the midseason review.

[Art Deco]

It's been a decent if unspectacular 1st half and now that the Yankees have come down to Earth it hopefully won't be a repeat of last season where we could never catch them and spent the entire second half looking to the wild card game.



We actually have the best record in baseball as the only team (just barely) above .600 as nobody has really dominated in the early going.



The offensive numbers are quite good as usual and we did have to suffer the better part of the month without reigning AL MVP Jesus Avalos. The pitching is decent but not great outside of Dave Rose and maybe Brad Villarreal, but we're making it work. The defense is typically subpar but not quite as bad as it's been in some other years. Barela at 3B is killing us in the field but we've been trying to get Lee and his 60 glove in the lineup and play Barela at 1B or DH while we can and Chinchilla and Alex Brown are plus defenders in the middle. The OF defense is shaky as J.Avalos is not a great CF but neither are Lozada or E.Avalos.



It's a measure of how great Jesus Avalos is that he missed about a month and still is far and away tops in WAR on the team. Jose Lozada has been our unsung hero at the plate with a lot of key hits of late, and you can make the argument that Lee should be playing 3B every day with Barela on the bench as he has better numbers offensively and defensively. I would point out though that most of Lee's ABs have been against LHP which he crushes so I doubt his slash line would look this good with a steady diet of RHP. But I can't ignore Barela down there at 0.2 WAR and now that he hit his milestone homer I will be phasing him out some. One thing that's helped us is that we've gotten good contributions from the bench in Lee, Machado and Whittaker in particular. Even the seldom-used Tsujimura is slugging .600.



There is a fair amount to like on the staff. Dave Rose is Dave Rose of course, and Melvin Lopez has been a godsend since being claimed on waivers (although I don't expect that .253 BABIP to hold up with our mediocre D). The bullpen has been largely very good with our back-end guys in particular thriving so the rebuild there has been a success. I'm not sold on Tim Johnson, and if we can trade for one more quality starter I'd feel better.



It's a bit top-heavy but this is the best shape our farm system has been in quite some time, ranked third overall by BNN. Of course we have two top-10 prospects in potential two-way guy Samuels, whose future really lies in his bat, and Whitaker, who is an ace in the making and might help us down the stretch. Mattila was the guy I thought would help this year but he's on the shelf for the rest of the year with shoulder inflammation. Clarke meanwhile has turned into a steal in the 6th round of this year's draft and is already considered a top-100 prospect with 50/70/70 potential. And down there at 9th and 299 overall is Rodriguez, who could be our CF before long (he's an elite defender at the position already and has a decent 60/50 potential bat that he's not that far from).

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays lost the lead in the 9th in the opener of this crucial midseason showdown series, but scored in the bottom of the frame to take a big walk-off 5-4 win over the Yankees. Mario Berumen (3-0), entrusted with a 4-3 lead, gave up a leadoff homer to start the 9th and put two more on but got out of it. This set things up for the bottom of the inning when Brian Whittaker tripled and Jesus Avalos brought him home with an infield single to walk it off. Melvin Lopez went 5.1 4 3 3 2 5 and Nesty de la Rosa knocked in a pair of runs.

July 3: Placed SS Alex Brown on the 10-day IL with a sprained thumb, recalled 2B Jayden Woodard from AAA Durham.

Brown will miss 4-5 weeks and Dantel Chinchilla will slide over to SS with Jose Machado getting the bulk of the PT at 2B, although Woodard and his 70 glove will see some time as well and serve as a defensive replacement. Woodard is also a candidate to man the position next year when Chinchilla goes free agent.

Game 2: Walk-off magic again for the Rays as this time they came back from falling behind 5-0 in the top of the first to beat the Yankees again 7-6 in 10 innings. Randy Mastropietro had a rough time of it, getting smoked in the opening frame and finishing 3.1 7 5 5 1 1, but his teammates kept chipping away. Dantel Chinchilla had a 2-run homer (#4) as part of a 3-run 3rd and the big blow came in the 8th when Jose Machado erased a 6-4 New York lead with a 2-run jack (#4). This set things up for the 10th when former Rays closer Steve Talbott got into a jam after Brian Whittaker came up big again, doubling to put men on 2nd and 3rd. Talbott intentionally walked Jesus Avalos, which backfired on him when he then walked Luis Barela to force in the winning run. Chris Resnick (2-1) picked up the win in relief.

Game 3: Amazingly the Rays took a third straight thriller from the Yankees and opened up a healthy 4-game lead in the AL East after a 5-4 win in the finale. Today's hero was Dantel Chinchilla, who singled in the winning run in the bottom of the 8th scoring Sung-min Yang who had doubled to start the frame. Once again the Rays overcame a rough outing from their starter as Brad Villarreal's recent slump continued when he allowed 3 in the second to put them behind and finished 5 8 4 2 2 2 with his own error hurting him. A 2-run Ezequiel Avalos homer (#9) got them back in it and David Morales' RBI single in the 6th tied it at 4. The bullpen was excellent with Adan Guardado (4-1) earning the win after fanning 5 over 2 scoreless innings and Mario Berumen getting it done this time, whiffing 3 in the 9th to nail down his 21st save.

Team record: 53-32. Next up: Off to Cleveland for 3 games against a bad (31-54) Guardians squad.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Brian Whittaker picked a great time to hit his first homer of the season, a solo shot in the 8th which broke a 1-1 tie and gave the Rays a 2-1 win in their series opener at Cleveland. Tim Johnson had a fine outing at 6.1 3 1 1 3 5, Chris Resnick (3-1) picked up the win in relief and Mario Berumen closed it out for save #22.

Game 2: Cleveland scored 4 runs in the 7th to break open a deadlocked game and beat the Rays 7-3. Dave Rose (10-5) was knocked around a bit and put the leadoff man on in the 7th, giving way to Adan Guardado with lefties due. Guardado wasn't effective, giving up a pair of hits and a pair of walks and that was that. Rose finished 6 11 4 4 0 5 and they did get homers from Brian Whittaker (#2) and Jose Machado (#5).

Game 3: The Rays dropped the rubber game of the series to a bad Guardians team with their 9th-inning rally falling short in a 7-6 loss. Melvin Lopez (4-2), coming off a nice run, didn't have it today and was hit hard at 4 9 5 5 0 4. The poor pitching wasted a career 5-for-5 day from Nesty de la Rosa with a triple and 2 RBI, and Ezequiel Avalos' 10th homer with a man on in the 9th got them within one. They then put the next two men on but couldn't bring either home. And the loss was doubly costly as reliable middle reliever Devin Cefalo was lost for the rest of the season with a labrum tear.

Team record: 54-34. Luckily for Tampa Bay the Yankees continue in free fall, also losing 2 of 3 with their one win the only one in their last ten so the 4-game division lead remains intact. Next up: An off-day then back home for 3 against Boston before we hit the All-Star break.

[Art Deco]

July 9: Placed P Devin Cefalo on the 60-day IL with a partially torn labrum, recalled P Brandon Birth from AAA Durham.

Cefalo will be out for the season, and he'll be missed as he had a 2.41 ERA in middle relief after last year's 2.10. Birth was a 14th-round pick in 2048 who finally made it. He has pretty mediocre stuff and control but was on the 42-man roster and had 18 saves at Durham.

Game 1: Another classic wild one at Publix Park - the Rays fell behind 5-0, went ahead 10-5 before Boston came back to tie it, and finally won it in the 13th on Sung-min Yang's walk-off RBI double to prevail 11-10. It started with another lousy outing from Randy Mastropietro, who went 4 8 5 3 0 3 and put them in that 5-0 hole. The bats battled back as Nesty de la Rosa's bases-clearing triple cut the lead to 5-4, and a 4-run 7th keyed by Jose Lozada's 2-run single put them up 10-5. But Julio Baez couldn't handle the 8th, loading the bases with nobody out and then Danny Sanchez allowed a man to score before giving up a grand slam that enabled Boston to equalize. Mario Berumen was heroic from that point, going 4 perfect innings on only 38 pitches to prolong the game and finally Yang brought home Ezequiel Avalos, who had reached with his fourth hit of the day, to win it with Adan Guardado (5-1) getting the decision.

Game 2: Rays pitching thought "we fell behind by 5 early yesterday and won, why not do it again?" as this time Brad Villarreal (9-5) was tattooed at 3 9 6 6 0 2. And for a few minutes it looked like we might be in for a repeat as the bats cut the Boston lead to 6-4. But that would be it for them and the Rays fell to the Red Sox 9-4. The brief but futile comeback saw back-to-back solo homers from Ezequiel Avalos (#11) and Luis Barela (#14, career #601), and the lone bright spot was two scoreless innings with four whiffs in relief from Brandon Birth in his MLB debut.

Game 3: Falling behind early is not a recommended method for winning a lot of games but the Rays kept doing it in this series and damned if they didn't end up winning two of three. Today it was Tim Johnson who struggled out of the gate as he allowed Boston to go up 4-1. And for the longest time it looked like that would be that before the Rays rallied for 5 runs in the bottom of the 8th to pull out a 6-4 win. As he was on Friday, Sung-min Yang was the hero as this time it was his 3-run homer (#9) to dead center that was the difference between victory and defeat. Ezequiel Avalos drove in the other 3 including a 2-run double earlier in the inning. Johnson settled down and finished 6 9 4 4 2 6, Steve Cleland (2-2) earned the win with a pair of scoreless innings and Mario Berumen got the job done again in the 9th for save #23. The series turned out alright but maybe take the lead early next time, guys?

Team record: 56-35. The Yankees are hot again, sweeping their series so they shaved our division lead down to 3. Next up: The All-Star Break before we return to action with four big games at Yankee Stadium.

[Art Deco]

The rosters:

Leading the way for the American League All-Stars will be:

SP Harris Bowness (NYY) - 8-3, 2.17 ERA, 107.2 IP, 0.88 WHIP, 7.8 K/9, 2.8 WAR
SP Adrian Gomez (DET) - 5-3, 4.00 ERA, 87.2 IP, 1.46 WHIP, 5.9 K/9, 1.3 WAR
SP Mario Guererro (MIN) - 13-2, 2.39 ERA, 120.1 IP, 0.95 WHIP, 9.5 K/9, 3.9 WAR
SP Randy Heller (HOU)* - 8-3, 2.46 ERA, 128.0 IP, 1.09 WHIP, 10.1 K/9, 4.8 WAR
SP Jesus Morales (AUS) - 7-6, 3.74 ERA, 101.0 IP, 1.23 WHIP, 6.7 K/9, 1.4 WAR
SP Hugo Pantoja (CWS) - 8-3, 2.36 ERA, 107.0 IP, 1.04 WHIP, 8.2 K/9, 3.1 WAR
SP Elias Trujillo (BAL) - 8-5, 2.57 ERA, 122.1 IP, 1.21 WHIP, 10.8 K/9, 3.9 WAR
RP Nicodemo Ambrogi (CLE) - 6-8, 3.72 ERA, 94.1 IP, 1.26 WHIP, 6.8 K/9, 1.0 WAR
RP Randy Harley (OC) - 4-2, 4.03 ERA, 38.0 IP, 1.18 WHIP, 6.9 K/9, -0.0 WAR
RP Tony Tafolla (SEA) - 3-0, 1.90 ERA, 52.0 IP, 1.04 WHIP, 6.8 K/9, 0.8 WAR
CL Melvin Delgado (TEX) - 6-5, 18 SV, 2.54 ERA, 49.2 IP, 0.99 WHIP, 9.4 K/9, 1.2 WAR
CL Chris O'Brien (MIN) - 3-4, 23 SV, 1.90 ERA, 42.2 IP, 1.08 WHIP, 9.9 K/9, 2.3 WAR
CL Steve Talbott (NYY)* - 0-3, 30 SV, 2.29 ERA, 39.1 IP, 1.09 WHIP, 7.6 K/9, 0.7 WAR
C Mario Emanis (HOU) - .260/.325/.434, 242 AB, 8 HR, 1 SB, 109 wRC+, 2.5 WAR
C David Evans (TOR)* - .286/.341/.502, 287 AB, 17 HR, 2 SB, 130 wRC+, 3.0 WAR
C David Morales (TB) - .268/.336/.377, 265 AB, 1 HR, 98 wRC+, 2.1 WAR
1B Mario Delgado (CWS)* - .276/.368/.430, 337 AB, 14 HR, 1 SB, 128 wRC+, 1.4 WAR
1B Juan Martines (CWS) - .289/.378/.608, 332 AB, 28 HR, 6 SB, 172 wRC+, 3.6 WAR
1B Mario Pineda (BAL) - .349/.387/.592, 292 AB, 18 HR, 174 wRC+, 3.0 WAR
1B Josue Rios (MIN) - .299/.349/.651, 344 AB, 31 HR, 173 wRC+, 3.9 WAR
1B Jim Schaller (NYY)* - .329/.373/.593, 307 AB, 21 HR, 167 wRC+, 3.1 WAR
2B Jerry Esparza (TOR)* - .329/.382/.653, 343 AB, 28 HR, 1 SB, 188 wRC+, 5.6 WAR
3B Jaden Bates (LAA) - .336/.414/.472, 265 AB, 1 HR, 18 SB, 152 wRC+, 2.8 WAR
3B Dan Brown (MIN)* - .295/.338/.460, 322 AB, 8 HR, 118 wRC+, 1.2 WAR
SS Tony Loera (BOS) - .239/.281/.341, 331 AB, 4 HR, 3 SB, 68 wRC+, 1.1 WAR
SS Agustin Orozco (MIN)* - .294/.340/.484, 347 AB, 18 HR, 128 wRC+, 3.5 WAR
SS Alex Peralta (SEA) - .314/.378/.428, 353 AB, 3 HR, 16 SB, 130 wRC+, 3.8 WAR
LF Sandy Almanzar (OAK)* - .268/.327/.466, 339 AB, 16 HR, 117 wRC+, 2.1 WAR
LF Juan Mendez (HOU)* - .296/.369/.473, 260 AB, 8 HR, 1 SB, 136 wRC+, 2.4 WAR
CF Jesus Avalos (TB)* - .314/.400/.631, 236 AB, 15 HR, 173 wRC+, 3.2 WAR
CF Keith Billingsley (TOR) - .272/.335/.539, 334 AB, 21 HR, 9 SB, 140 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
CF Juan Mendez (OC) - .310/.373/.503, 352 AB, 10 HR, 9 SB, 139 wRC+, 3.9 WAR
CF Angel Pena (LAA) - .291/.378/.526, 327 AB, 19 HR, 20 SB, 154 wRC+, 5.2 WAR
RF Kevin Hill (BAL) - .296/.330/.521, 351 AB, 16 HR, 4 SB, 132 wRC+, 2.6 WAR

While the National League will feature these star players:

SP Alex Diaz (ATL) - 3-1, 2.67 ERA, 57.1 IP, 1.01 WHIP, 6.9 K/9, 1.1 WAR
SP Jeremy Engle (ARI) - 8-6, 3.13 ERA, 106.1 IP, 1.22 WHIP, 10.2 K/9, 2.3 WAR (Injured)
SP Josh Gosa (IND) - 10-4, 2.88 ERA, 137.2 IP, 1.08 WHIP, 9.3 K/9, 4.8 WAR
SP Nick Jacques (PIT) - 5-7, 2.92 ERA, 92.1 IP, 1.19 WHIP, 7.5 K/9, 2.6 WAR
SP Josh Langford (COL) - 5-4, 4.26 ERA, 99.1 IP, 1.35 WHIP, 8.0 K/9, 1.9 WAR
SP Jesus Melchor (STL) - 8-7, 2.71 ERA, 119.2 IP, 1.07 WHIP, 9.8 K/9, 2.6 WAR
SP Lienhard Moser (STL)* - 4-7, 3.55 ERA, 101.1 IP, 1.23 WHIP, 9.6 K/9, 2.5 WAR
SP Jose Velasquez (MIL) - 7-5, 3.14 ERA, 117.1 IP, 1.14 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, 2.3 WAR
RP Steve Falcon (CHC) - 6-0, 2.83 ERA, 35.0 IP, 1.17 WHIP, 10.8 K/9, 0.4 WAR
RP Steve Kay (CHC) - 4-2, 2.64 ERA, 64.2 IP, 1.10 WHIP, 7.2 K/9, 1.3 WAR
CL Dave Flores (SF) - 1-5, 26 SV, 3.96 ERA, 36.1 IP, 1.21 WHIP, 11.9 K/9, 0.9 WAR
CL Alex Melendez (SD) - 3-2, 22 SV, 2.48 ERA, 40.0 IP, 1.05 WHIP, 11.5 K/9, 0.6 WAR
CL Bill Sutherland (WSH)* - 4-2, 13 SV, 1.48 ERA, 24.1 IP, 0.86 WHIP, 11.8 K/9, 1.3 WAR
CL Nate Trevathan (LAD) - 6-3, 22 SV, 2.62 ERA, 48.0 IP, 1.15 WHIP, 9.4 K/9, 1.0 WAR
C Ben Caperon (COL)* - .281/.342/.446, 249 AB, 4 HR, 6 SB, 107 wRC+, 2.6 WAR
C Ju-zheng Kum (WSH) - .264/.318/.404, 277 AB, 7 HR, 96 wRC+, 2.0 WAR
C Kelvin Olague (ATL) - .312/.362/.393, 247 AB, 105 wRC+, 1.7 WAR
1B Jamie Heitz (CLB) - .302/.346/.556, 338 AB, 20 HR, 1 SB, 150 wRC+, 2.7 WAR
1B Devin Livingston (NYM) - .257/.311/.590, 300 AB, 30 HR, 1 SB, 148 wRC+, 2.3 WAR
1B Manny Muniz (WSH)* - .285/.331/.531, 309 AB, 18 HR, 132 wRC+, 1.3 WAR
2B Joe Clardy (CIN)* - .326/.372/.518, 340 AB, 12 HR, 6 SB, 147 wRC+, 2.8 WAR
2B Emilio Colon (ARI) - .280/.358/.424, 311 AB, 9 HR, 7 SB, 120 wRC+, 2.8 WAR
2B Juan Davila (PHI) - .286/.382/.496, 339 AB, 15 HR, 8 SB, 142 wRC+, 3.6 WAR
3B Jim Furtado (STL)* - .258/.315/.428, 318 AB, 14 HR, 1 SB, 107 wRC+, 1.4 WAR
SS Edgar Pereda (PHI) - .244/.337/.430, 291 AB, 12 HR, 7 SB, 111 wRC+, 1.2 WAR
SS Emilio Villalobos (LAD)* - .317/.366/.444, 259 AB, 2 HR, 129 wRC+, 1.9 WAR
LF Ramon Herrera (CIN)* - .322/.388/.658, 351 AB, 32 HR, 186 wRC+, 4.4 WAR
LF Bill Jones (IND)* - .333/.411/.621, 306 AB, 22 HR, 1 SB, 187 wRC+, 4.5 WAR
LF Michael Love (ATL) - .267/.317/.544, 329 AB, 24 HR, 5 SB, 134 wRC+, 3.5 WAR
LF Jorge Rodarte (PIT) - .334/.402/.611, 293 AB, 19 HR, 179 wRC+, 3.2 WAR
CF Tim Thompson (CLB)* - .234/.324/.495, 333 AB, 19 HR, 15 SB, 126 wRC+, 2.9 WAR
RF Alex Mendoza (WSH)* - .362/.404/.537, 348 AB, 5 HR, 35 SB, 158 wRC+, 3.5 WAR
RF Raul Navarro (ARI) - .275/.327/.556, 313 AB, 17 HR, 16 SB, 140 wRC+, 3.0 WAR
RF Chris Parchman (PIT) - .294/.393/.573, 309 AB, 21 HR, 169 wRC+, 4.2 WAR
RF Gregorio Salazar (IND) - .322/.367/.618, 267 AB, 19 HR, 171 wRC+, 2.7 WAR

Only two Rays get the call, and I'm not sure that isn't about right although Dave Rose certainly had a case. For Morales it's his fourth selection in five years, missing out only last season, and for J.Avalos it's his third nod and third consecutive. Former Rays dot the AL staff with Delgado, O'Brien and Talbott while in the NL there's Falcon and Davila.

The Derby (with no Rays):



Guess the wind was blowing in.

The game:



Not much doing for our guys with Avalos and Morales a combined 0-5.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Some late magic earned the Rays a 5-3 win over the Yankees in the first of their big 4-game series as they pushed their division lead back up to four games. They were completely shut down by Yankee starter Jonathan Elliott through 7 and trailed 3-0 but feasted on the New York bullpen for 4 runs in the 8th and one more in the 9th. The big blow came courtesy of Jose Machado who hit a game-tying 3-run homer (#6) to tie it before Luis Barela's RBI double provided the winning margin. Jose Lozada added a solo shot (#8) in the 9th for insurance. Dave Rose (11-5) hung around long enough for the win at 7 5 3 3 1 5 while Mario Berumen closed the door for save #24.

Game 2: The Rays were comeback kids again but they only came back to tie this time and wound up on the wrong end of things when the Yankees' Brent Casey hit a walk-off grand slam off Julio Baez in the bottom of the 13th to give New York a 7-3 win. Mario Lopez started and went 5 4 2 2 2 5 and his mates tied it in the 9th off former Rays closer Steve Talbott on a wild pitch, but they couldn't get anything going in extras. And then in the 13th Danny Sanchez (2-4) loaded the bases with one out in the inning and gave way to Baez, who got a force at the plate for out #2 but couldn't sneak a fastball past Casey who ended the game.

Game 3: A tight pitchers' duel (1-0 through 6) turned into a 6-5 game which saw the Rays come out on top after holding on in the 9th. Brad Villarreal (10-5) pitched his best game in a while, going 5.2 7 0 0 2 4 and the Rays' run in the 2nd held up for 6 before they expanded the lead thanks to the same duo who homered in the first game as Jose Machado (#7, a 2-run shot) and Jose Lozada (#9) went yard in the 7th. Luis Barela also came through again with an RBI single in the 9th and that proved to be the decided after the bullpen coughed up 5 runs in the bottom of the 9th with Julio Baez faltering again inheriting someone's mess, this time Warren Dalton's, who loaded the bases and allowed a run. And then for the second straight day Baez, who was in because the top relievers were used in the first two games, allowed a grand slam but this time he got the final out and held on for a shaky first save.

Game 4: The Rays' offense went AWOL in the finale and the Yankees obtained a series split with a 2-0 win. The bats only managed six hits, wasting the best performance from Randy Mastropietro (6-5) in several starts as he went 6 3 2 2 2 5. Still the status quo was maintained as the Rays left New York with the same 3-game division lead they arrived with.

Team record: 58-37. Next up: 3 games in Seattle.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays were shut out for the second straight day by the score of 2-0 as they were blanked by Marquise Hines and the Mariners. Tim Johnson dropped to 1-5 through no fault of his own after going 6 2 2 2 4 6 as the bats only managed 6 hits.

Game 2: My kingdom for a run! The third-best offense in MLB was shut out for the third straight game as the Mariners did it to the Rays again, winning 8-0 after a scoreless affair into the 6th got out of hand with 7 Seattle runs. Dave Rose (11-6) started and was keeping the Rays in the game before he was suddenly unable to get the third out in the 6th and Seattle scored 3 times off him. He gave way to Julio Baez, who couldn't get anyone out himself, allowing 2 of Rose's men to score and 2 more of his own. Baez has now allowed 8 runs in 3 innings over his last 6 appearances and has become borderline unusable. Rose finished with an ugly 5.2 6 5 5 3 6 line as a result. The offense was a little better today, banging out 9 hits, but couldn't get anyone home in perhaps the longest team scoring drought I've had in this 36-season save.

Game 3: They scored! And boy did they ever, mauling the Mariners 10-4 although they had to come back and piled on late. Jose Lozada broke the 28-inning drought with an RBI double in the 2nd but they still trailed 4-2 after 4 as Melvin Lopez had some trouble at 4.1 8 4 4 2 3. But Lozada came through again with a game-tying 2-run homer (#10) in the 5th, and Dantel Chinchilla's 2-run single in the 7th put them up to stay as they rapped 18 hits as a team and came out of their funk in a big way. The bullpen was outstanding as well, allowing only 1 hit over the final 4 2/3 with Steve Cleland (3-2), having an excellent season, earning the win.

Team record: 59-39. The recent losing run has allowed the Yankees to creep within 2 games of the division lead. Next up: A day off and then they'll try to get going at home with 3 against Texas.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Brad Villarreal got back on track and Kang-cheol Lee had a big game to lead the Rays to a 4-1 win over Texas in the series opener at Publix Park. Villarreal (11-5) was an excellent 6 5 1 1 1 7 for the win and the bullpen did likewise with Mario Berumen securing save #25. Lee meanwhile was 3-4 with a double, solo homer (#7) and steal while Jesus Avalos' 2-run homer (#16) in the 3rd was the decisive blow, breaking a 1-1 tie.

Game 2: Deja vu all over again as Tampa Bay topped Texas 4-1 for the second straight day. Randy Mastropietro (7-5) isn't a big strikeout guy but he was today, going 5.1 6 1 1 0 9 for the win and also like yesterday Mario Berumen got the save, his 26th. Continuing the deja vu effect was Kang-cheol Lee, who homered again (#8) himself, and he was joined in that department by backup C Cesar Scroggins who went deep for the second time this season.

Game 3: For the third straight day Rays pitching allowed the Rangers only a single run, but today that was enough to lose them the game as they put several runners but couldn't get any of them home in a frustrating 1-0 loss. Tim Johnson (1-6) continues to pitch better than his record and the only run of the game came in the 6th when Warren Dalton gave up a hit allowing Johnson's man to score, leaving him with a fine 5.2 2 1 1 4 8 line. The bats had 8 hits and drew 4 walks but a couple of ill-timed double plays hurt and Texas SS Jim Bell made back-to-back sensational plays with men on base to deny them another scoring opportunity.

Team record: 61-40. The Yankees also took 2 of 3 to remain two back of Tampa Bay. Next up: Some interleague play as we're off to play vestigial "rival" Columbus (which moved from Miami a couple of decades ago) for 3 games.

And we also made a couple of trades, one with an eye on next year and the other for this. First, this one:



Apparently Seattle was giving away Bland, a rookie OF with 60 contact, 55 power, and a 60 eye with some potential to bump out about 5 in those categories who also has 65 speed and can play a 65 LF. He was hitting 265/343/511 with 13 homers for the Mariners but will be sent to Durham as there's no place for him right now on the big club as he's a lefty hitter. I say "giving away" because Hill is a 26-year-old minor league vet who isn't terrible but isn't that great either. Meanwhile the more significant deal for the present was this one:



Trevathan is a veteran lefty with 291 career saves who's a free agent at season's end, rated 65/65/65 and makes an already strong bullpen that much stronger. Although he was LA's closer he won't be supplanting Berumen, who's having an All-Star-caliber season. Instead he will give us a much better second lefty in the pen to go with Adan Guardado. Trevathan made his Tampa Bay debut in the 1-0 finale loss and pitched a 1-2-3 8th. The price wasn't cheap as we deal 2051 #1 pick and our 11th-rated prospect in Conyers, who has two-way ability but some flaws in his game on both ends. Offensively he has tremendous power (60 current, 65 potential) but looks to be contact-challenged (40), while on the mound he has decent stuff but only 30 control. To make room for Trevathan, Brandon Birth was optioned back to Durham.

[Art Deco]

July 26: Placed 1B Nesty de la Rosa on the 10-day IL, recalled 1B/OF Joel Bland from AAA Durham.

Didn't take long for Bland to join the big club after coming over in trade as de la Rosa strained a hamstring and will be out 5 weeks. Bland will platoon with Tsujimara at 1B with Luis Barela playing some there as well.

Game 1: Dave Rose was solid and the Rays rolled to a 7-2 win over the Lightning in Columbus. The ace righty improved to 12-6 after going 6 4 1 1 4 7 and was backed with homers from Ezequiel Avalos (#12), Kang-cheol Lee (#9) and Sung-ming Yang (#10). David Morales also knocked in a pair.

Game 2: Melvin Lopez was hit hard and the offense couldn't erase the deficit in a 5-3 second-game loss. Lopez (4-3) was knocked around in a 5-run 2nd inning that did all the damage and finished 4.2 7 5 5 1 7. Ezequiel Avalos was 2-4 with an RBI as the Ray's offensive standout today.

Game 3: The Rays managed to win the series from Columbus by taking the rubber game 9-4 in 11 innings. Joel Bland made his first real contribution to the club with a 3-run homer (#1/14) which put the game away in the top of the 11th after he had earlier singled and stole a base. Brad Villarreal was shaky in his start (4 9 3 3 1 3) but the bullpen held firm with a 4-3 lead until Nate Trevathan put two men on in the 8th and Mario Berumen allowed one of them to score on a single. Berumen (4-0) stayed in and went 2 1/3 for the win. Earlier they got a 2-run homer from Kang-cheol Lee (#10).

Team record: 63-41. The Yankees also won 2 of 3 so we maintain our 2-game lead on them. Next up: An off-day to travel west where we'll play 3 against the 53-50 Dodgers in LA.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays took the opener from LA 8-5 but lost a starting pitcher in the process. Randy Mastropietro put them in a quick 2-0 hole before leaving in the second with a partially torn labrum that will sideline him for six weeks. The bats picked him up though as after they tied it in the 3rd Sung-min Yang launched a 2-run homer (#11) to help them to a 5-2 lead, and after the bullpen coughed up that lead Ezequiel Avalos won in the 9th with a solo shot (#13) and Jose Machado followed with a 2-run triple to salt it away. We ended up using 8 pitchers with Chris Resnick (4-1) getting the win and Mario Berumen notching his 27th save.

July 31: Placed P Randy Mastropietro on the 15-day IL and purchased the contract of P Elijah Whitaker from AAA Durham.

The time has come to give the #7 prospect in baseball a shot at our rotation opening. 2053's 1st-round pick has had a meteoric ascent, although he had a middling 4.37 ERA with the Bulls. He's currently rated 55/65/50 (with 70/70/60 potential which is why he's rated so highly) so hopefully he can at least replicate Mastropietro's numbers.

Game 2: Elijah Whitaker's MLB debut was a bit of a rough one and the Rays fell 5-3 to the Dodgers. Whitaker gave up 2 runs on 3 hits in the first and struggled from here, finishing 3.2 8 3 3 2 2 and took the loss. Jesus Avalos had a solo homer (#17) in the losing cause.

Game 3: In a game that was somewhat reminiscent of the series opener, the Rays had to withstand some shenanigans from the bullpen but ended up with another 8-5 win over LA. This time they built a seemingly-unassailable 7-0 lead with ace Dave Rose on the mound but Rose ran out of gas in the 7th and the bullpen made a mess to allow the Dodgers within 7-5. But the back end of the pen held from there with Mario Berumen saving again (#28) and seeing his ERA dip below 1 at 0.98. Rose (13-6) earned the win by going 6.1 4 4 2 2 7. Meanwhile Tampa Bay got a huge game from new acquisition and callup Joel Bland, who led the game off with a homer and then followed that with a 2-run shot (#3/16) in the 3rd. They also got a 2-run jack from Ezequiel Avalos (#14) and a key insurance blast from Sung-min Yang (#12) in the 9th.

Team record: 65-42. Status quo in the AL East as the Yankees also won 2 of 3 so the Rays maintain their 2-game division lead with 3 more games off the calendar. Next up: Back home for 3 against Indianapolis.

[Art Deco]

August 2: Claimed P Erik Witten on waivers from Minnesota, optioned P Elijah Whitaker to AAA Durham.

Whitaker's debut was pretty bad and we had to opportunity to claim Witten, who's a borderline starter with 40 stamina but is rated 55/65/55 and was used as a swingman by Atlanta last year but this year had only pitched in relief. We'll stick him in the rotation and see what happens.

Game 1: Melvin Lopez was hit hard again and the Rays couldn't overcome the hole he put them into and fell 7-5 to Indianapolis. Lopez (4-4) has been on a bad run after starting off hot upon rejoining the Rays earlier this year and today's 3.2 6 6 6 4 3 outing means he's allowed 22 runs in his last 21.2 innings over his last 5 starts. A 3-run homer from the red-hot Ezequiel Avalos (#15) in the 1st gave the Rays a short-lived 3-1 lead and Luis Barela had a pinch-homer (#15) in the 9th.

Game 2: Once again Comets hitters battered Rays pitching and although the offense did its part it wasn't enough in a 12-8 loss. Today it was Brad Villarreal (11-6) who gave up a whopping 7 runs on 13 hits in 4.2 IP to have the team down 7-1 by the 3rd. Homers from Jesus Avalos (#18), Cesar Scroggins (#3) and Joel Bland (#4/17) along with a bases-clearing double from Jose Machado made a game of it but the bullpen was lousy as well.

Game 3: The Rays at least salvaged the finale thanks to a fine debut by Erik Witten and took the win 6-3. Witten succeeded where his teammates faltered the previous two days, going 5 6 1 1 2 7 for the victory with Mario Berumen closing the door for save #29. All six Tampa Bay runs came on four homers, two solos from Jesus Avalos (#19 & 20), one solo from Ezequiel Avalos (#16, his fourth in six games) and a 3-run jack from Joel Bland (#5/18).

Team record: 66-44. Unfortunately the Yankees swept their series in St. Louis and have moved into a tie with the Rays atop the AL East. Next up: The 65-45 Angels come to town for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: A day of frustration for the Rays as despite banging out 12 hits and drawing 3 walks, they hit into 5 double plays and lost 5-3 to the Angels in the opener at Publix Park. Tim Johnson (1-7) struggled some at 4 7 4 3 3 5 but the story was the squandered opportunities by the offense. Jose Lozada was 3-5 with 2 RBI and David Morales went 4-4 but everyone else seemed to be making outs at the wrong time with Kang-cheol Lee grounding into a pair of DPs himself.

Game 2: The Rays bounced back behind Dave Rose to take the second game by the same score they lost the day before, beating the Angels 5-3. Rose (14-6) was his typically solid 7 6 2 2 2 2 6 and Mario Berumen secured his 30th save despite allowing his first run since July 2 and only being scored upon for the second time in his last 30 appearances. Rose was backed by Jesus Avalos and Sung-min Yang, who each had 3 hits including a homer (#21 for Avalos & #13 for Yang) and 2 RBI. Avalos tripled and scored as well.

Game 3: Another day of missed opportunities for Tampa Bay as they lost their second straight series at home thanks to a bitter 3-2 defeat. Instead of hitting into DPs like they did in the first game they just left them on base with 12 in all including 8 from David Morales, who twice left the bases loaded in key situations. As a result they wasted Melvin Lopez's best start in about a month (5 4 1 1 2 6) with the bullpen letting them down as Steve Cleland gave up the equalizer in the 6th and Nate Trevathan (0-1) the winner in the 7th. Jesus Avalos had another 3-hit day and drove in a run but it wasn't enough.

Team record: 67-46. And with the Yankees taking 2 of 3 the Rays have dropped into second place, a game behind New York. Next up: They'll need to sweep the 3 from Baltimore to salvage a winning homestand before they go to Yankee Stadium for a huge series next weekend.

Despite the lousy week as a team, one Ray was able to hold his head up in pride:



Not sure "scrappy" is the best adjective for supremely-talented reigning AL MVP, but it's good to see him raking again after being in almost a month-long slump.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays' struggles of late continued as the offense went limp in a 4-1 loss at home to Baltimore. The bats only managed 6 hits and scored their only run while grounding into a double play. Brad Villarreal (11-7) was mediocre at 5 8 3 3 1 5.

Game 2: Tampa Bay lost a 3-1 lead in the 7th when Aden Guardado gave up a 3-run homer to put them behind 5-3 but instead of saying "here we go again" they responded with 3 in the bottom of the inning and bounced back to take a 7-5 win over the Orioles. RBI singles from Joel Bland, Jose Lozada and Ezequiel Avalos turned things around and Jose Machado added an insurance run with a solo homer (#8) in the 8th while Sung-min Yang went yard earlier with his 14th. Erik Whitten turned in a decent start at 4.1 5 1 1 0 5, Julio Baez won his first decision of the year and Mario Berumen closed the door for his 31st save.

Game 3: The Rays took the rubber game from Baltimore 9-5, jumping out to a big early 6-2 lead and never looking back. Ezequiel Avalos had a 2-run homer (#17) and a 3-RBI day, while Jose Lozada (#11) and David Morales (#2) also found the seats. Tim Johnson (2-7) wasn't great in notching the win at 6.1 9 5 5 1 2 but he never surrendered the lead.

Team record: 69-47. Unfortunately the Yankees swept Oakland, meaning we fall 2 games behind ahead of a big 3-game series with them in New York after an off-day.