The 2022 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 7-8 L (12). LP-Watters (0-1). Starter-Khattak (5 8 4 4 2 5). HR-Bell (1). A tough one as the Rays fought back from 5-1 to tie it up on Hardy's 2-run double in the 8th. Watters and Stevenson then combined to give up 3 runs in the 12th before they nearly tied it again in the bottom of the inning but fell just short. Mesa was 4-6 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI and Evan Bell hit his first MLB homer.

Game 2: 0-4 L (14). LP-Little (1-1). Starter-Stone (8 2 0 0 3 6). Stone followed up his no-hitter with another dominating outing but the bats could do nothing for him or anyone who followed before things gave way in the 14th when Little allowed 4 runs and they suffered their second straight marathon loss.

Game 3: 5-2 W. WP-Acosta (2-1, 5.2 6 2 2 1 5). S-R.Rodriguez (9). HR-Mesa (3), Arrambide (1), Y.Alvarez (7). Yordan had a big game with an RBI single and a 2-run homer, leading the Rays to salvage a win in the finale.

Team record: 16-9. The Yankees won 2 of 3 so we've dropped 2 1/2 back as they're 19-7. Next up: 9-16 Oakland comes to town for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 1-3 L. LP-Lennon (1-1, 4.1 7 3 3 1 5). Lennon had a mixed-bag start and the bats only managed 3 hits in a dull night at the Trop.

Game 2: 5-1 W. WP-Stevenson (1-0). Starter-Oviedo (0.1 0 0 0 0 1). Rays scored all 5 runs in the 1st with C.Williams' bases-clearing double the big blow. Oviedo left after one batter with back spasms so Stevenson came on and went 4.2 3 1 1 0 3 in an impressive long relief outing for the win.

Game 3: 7-1 W. WP-Khattak (4-0, 9 2 1 1 1 6). HR-Y.Alvarez (8). Khattak was absolutely brilliant in pitching a complete-game 2-hitter and Yordan supplied the necessary offense with an RBI single and 2-run homer for the first three runs.

Team record: 18-10. Great news as the Yankees lost three heartbreakers in Seattle, two in extra innings and the third when Deivi Garcia took a no-hitter into the 9th up 2-0, walked two guys, and then lost the no-no and the game by giving up a 3-run homer and as a result the Rays are now only 1/2 game back. Next up: Unfortunately after an off-day the Rays have to travel to play 3 against those same Mariners in the Emerald City.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 5-4 W. WP-Buckman (1-1). S-R.Rodriguez (10). Starter-Stone (2.2 0 1 0 1 3). HR-A.Thomas (4), Hardy (6), Y.Alvarez (9). Thomas was everywhere tonight, going 2-4 with 3 runs scored, 2 steals and a solo homer to lead off the game. Stone had to leave with minor back tightness so Buckman got his first relief win of the year after recording 15 of them last year.

Game 2: 2-5 L. LP-Little (1-2). Starter-Acosta (0.2 3 2 2 0 1). Rays lost another starter early as Acosta left with a blister. Stevenson pitched well in long relief and left a 2-2 game for Little after 5 innings only to see the lefty allow 3 to lose it. A.Thomas had another nice game, 3-5 with a ribbie.

Game 3: 0-5 L. LP-Lennon (1-2, 4.2 8 4 4 1 3). Lennon gave up 4 runs in the 1st so it was always going to be tough, but the bats left an astounding 13 runners on base with Solano the biggest culprit, going 0-5 with 8 left on personally.

Team record: 19-12. The Yankees won 2 of 3 so we're 1 1/2 behind now in the division but still in the 1st wild card slot. Next up: We head cross-country to play 2 in Atlanta.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 4-6 L. LP-Khattak (4-1, 5 7 5 5 0 5). HR-Bell (2). Khattak had his first rough outing of the season, giving up a couple of homers, and a couple of comeback attempts fell short although the rookie Bell and Solano each had 3 hits.

Game 2: 2-1 W (10). WP-Vargas (2-0). Starter-Oviedo (6 0 0 0 3 6). HR-Bell 2 (4). Thought I'd be posting the full box of this remarkable game as despite being dominated by Atlanta's Edwin Barreto to the tune of 8 3 1 1 0 16, the Rays held a 1-0 on Bell's first homer in the 8th and took a combined no-hitter into the bottom of the 9th. Alas with one out Randy Rodriguez gave up a single, then proceeded to walk three men to force in the tying run. "No problem" said Bell and the rookie hit his second of the game and third in two nights to win it in the 10th. Rays batters struck out 20 times in total but they still got the victory.

Team record: 20-13. The Yankees won both their games so the Rays fall 2 1/2 back. Next up: 2 more games with Atlanta but they're at the Trop.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 3-6 L. LP-Vargas (2-1). Starter-Stone (5.2 5 2 2 1 8). Rays took a 3-2 lead into the 7th before Vargas put a couple on and the hapless Max Green gave up a 3-run homer to let Atlanta go ahead for good. Green was supposed to be a key addition to the pen but has been terrible with 4 homers allowed in 8 IP including one in each of his last 3 appearances.

Game 2: 4-6 L. LP-Acosta (2-2, 2.1 1 1 1 0 2). HR-Rutschman (9), Tovar (2). The Rays dropped their 2-game set to Atlanta in an injury-riddled game. First Acosta had to leave with back spasms in the 3rd and he took a hard-luck loss because he left with one man on only for Stevenson to take over and get hammered, giving up 5 runs. Acosta will be fine for his next start but the same can't be said for Yordan, who fractured a finger and will miss a month, leaving a gaping hole in the lineup.

Team record: 20-15. The Yankees keep rolling and are now 25-11 and 4 1/2 up on the Rays, who at least still hold the first wild card. Next up: More interleague action at the Trop as Washington visits for 3 but they're even hotter than the Yanks at 26-10, the best record in MLB.

[Art Deco]

Transaction: Yordan Alvarez suffered a fractured finger in the last game and will miss about 5 weeks. It's a tough blow for the offense with Javy Jasso the primary DH in his place. Coming up to take his roster spot is 2030 1st-round pick OF Kyle Deckard, who was hitting 333/374/496 at Durham. He's rated 50/45 contact/power with potential for 5 more, but is a 65 gap hitter and has a 60 eye to go with well-above average corner D and can play a passable CF. A righty, he'll mostly play against lefties.

Game 1: 10-5 W. WP-Lennon (2-2, 6 9 4 4 4 6). The offense came to play as they scored 10 runs on 14 hits and only one of those hits was for extra bases, a Hardy double. C.Williams was 3-5 with 4 RBI, Rutschman was 3-4 with 2 RBI and Deckard's first MLB hit was a 2-run single.

Game 2: 2-7 L. LP-Khattak (4-2, 5 6 3 3 2 4). HR-A.Thomas (5). The bats didn't do much and the bullpen let a close game get away.

Game 3: 4-1 W. WP-Buckman (2-1). S-R.Rodriguez (11). Starter-Oviedo (4.2 3 1 1 3 8). HR-Rutschman (10), Mesa (4). Mesa's 2-run homer in the 5th broke a 1-1 tie and the Rays got great pitching including a dominant but short outing from Oviedo.

Team record: 22-16. They managed to gain a game on the Yankees and moved within 3 1/2 of the division lead while remaining the first wild card. Next up: The Marlins visit the Trop for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 8-7 W. WP-R.Rodriguez (2-0). Starter-Stone (5 5 4 4 2 7). HR-Hardy 2 (8), C.Williams (5). A wild one that saw the Rays take an early 4-0 lead, fall behind 7-5, tie it on Williams' 2-run homer in the 6th and then walk it off on a Jasso RBI double in the bottom of the 9th. Hardy had 2 HR and 4 RBI to give them the early lead.

Game 2: 0-6 L. LP-Acosta (2-3, 4.1 7 5 5 0 6, 2 HR). A stinker of a game that saw Acosta hit hard. The offense had many chances to score but failed to take any of them.

Game 3: 4-5 L. LP-Ogando (1-2). Starter-Lennon (6 3 1 1 3 10). HR-Bell (5), Hardy (9). The bullpen reared its ugly head again as outside of R-Rod it's been kind of awful this year and today it wasted the best start of Lennon's young career by far as he left with a 4-1 lead after 6. Watters (8.62 ERA) gave up the three tying runs in the 7th and Ogando gave up the winner in the 8th.

Team record: 23-18, now 4 1/2 back of the Yankees but still WC1 by 2 1/2. Next up: An off-day then we travel to New York to play 3 against the Mets, who are a very good 26-16.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 0-6 L. LP-Khattak (4-3, 6 9 5 5 0 3). Khattak was hit for five runs before recording an out. He settled down from there but the damage was done and the bats didn't do anything anyway.

Game 2: 6-0 W. WP-Oviedo (4-1, 5.1 4 0 0 1 4). S-Ogando (1). HR-Mesa 2 (6). Oviedo and two relievers combined on a 5-hit shutout and Mesa drove in 3 with his pair of homers. Rutschman was also 2-4 with 2 RBI as the Rays flipped the score from yesterday.

Transaction: SS Isaac Cedillos goes on the IL with back spasms which shouldn't keep him out more than minimum. To replace him up welcome back Gunnar Henderson, who played for the Rays in an injury-marred 2031 (74 games) before going to Seattle where he hit 23 HR last year but only hit .203. As a result he had to settle for a MiLB contract with us and was 245/319/594 with 12 HR in 29 games at Durham.

Game 3: 0-7 L. LP-Stone (2-3, 5.2 7 3 3 2 6). A series of shutouts went the Mets' way as they blanked the Rays for second time in three games, this time on only four hits. Henderson was 0-3 with 3 strikeouts in his return to the Rays.

Team record: 24-20. We're now 5 1/2 back of the Yankees in the East but still up 2 1/2 in the first wild card as only three teams in the AL have a winning record (Detroit leads the Central at 22-22).

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 3-2 W. WP-Vargas (3-1). S-R.Rodriguez (12). Starter-Acosta (2 0 0 0 1 3). HR-Jasso (3), Hardy (10). Rays trailed 2-0 going into the 7th when Jasso and Hardy went deep back-to-back to tie it, and backup catcher Arrambide delivered an RBI double in the 8th to win it. Acosta had to leave with a herniated disc in his back and will miss about a month.

Transaction: Acosta goes on the IL and we've summoned Danny Fragoso from Durham to take his place in the rotation. The 22-year-old Cuban lefty was signed as an IFA in the offseason and was an excellent 4-0, 2.33 with the Bulls with 34 Ks in 46 IP so he's not overpowering but hopefully can give us some passable innings.

Game 2: 12-6 W. WP-Lennon (3-2, 5.1 4 2 2 3 6). HR-Mesa (7), Hardy (11). Rays took a 5-0 lead in this one only to see Toronto pull within 5-4 before Mesa's grand slam in the 8th put it away. Mesa added a sac fly to give him a 5-RBI day and the rookie Lennon was very good today.

Game 3: 6-4 W. WP-L.Gonzalez (2-0). S-R.Rodriguez (13). Starter-Khattak (4 9 4 4 1 4). HR-A.Thomas (6). Khattak couldn't stand prosperity with a 5-2 lead but the bullpen took over for him in the 5th and shut down the Jays the rest of the way. Jasso was 2-4 with 2 RBI and Thomas' solo homer in the 8th was an appreciated insurance run.

Game 4: 8-6 W. WP-Watters (1-1). S-R.Rodriguez (14). Starter-Oviedo (4.2 3 5 5 1 4). HR-Mesa (8), G.Henderson (1). The Rays completed the sweep in much the same fashion as they won the previous two games: jumping out to a big lead, watching Toronto come back and then finally putting it away. Gunnar's grand slam in the 4th made it 6-1, but Oviedo gave almost all of it back in the 5th and then Watters vultured a win by giving up a game-tying homer in the 8th to Vlad Guerrero. That's because Tampa Bay loaded the bases in the 9th with nobody out, and after it looked like the chance would go begging with two batters striking out, Jasso delivered a 2-run single to win it.

Team record: 28-20. The 4-game sweep enabled them to cut the Yankees' division lead to 3 1/2 games, and put them 4 1/2 in the first wild card position. Next up: A return home to play 3 against the Angels.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 0-4 L. LP-Stone (2-4, 6.1 4 2 1 0 9). This was a 0-0 game into the 7th and Stone, who had pitched a no-hitter earlier this season, was perfect through 6 1/3 before giving up 2 runs on 4 hits and not retiring another batter. He had no margin for error since the offense was AWOL with a few regulars needing rest.

Game 2: 2-6 L. LP-Fragoso (0-1, 4 3 2 2 1 3). HR-G.Henderson (2). Another loss to the Angels as a 2-1 game became 6-1 late thanks to the pen. Fragoso had to pitch on 3 days' rest so he had a short outing, but looked decent in his MLB debut.

Game 3: 9-2 W. WP-Lennon (4-2, 5.2 5 2 2 2 7). HR-Bell (6). Rays salvaged the finale by flipping the script of the night before, nursing a 3-2 lead before erupting for 6 runs in the 7th and 8th to make it a rout. The rookies got it done with Deckard hitting a first-inning bases-clearing triple and Bell launching a 3-run homer while Mesa drove in the other 3 on a single and sac fly.

Team record: 29-22. Still 3 1/2 behind the Yanks, and comfortably in the WC1 slot. Next up: Texas visits for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 4-3 W (13). WP-Stevenson (2-0). Starter-Khattak (7.1 5 3 3 2 5). HR-J.Jones (1). Rookie Josh Jones' first MLB homer was a big one as he led off the 13th to walk it off for Tampa Bay. Solano was 3-6 with a save-high 4 steals.

Game 2: 3-0 W. WP-Oviedo (5-1, 6 4 0 0 2 7). S-Ogando (2). HR-Rutschman (11). The conversion of Oviedo back to a starter has been a big success as he's now 5-1, 2.54 and was brilliant today. Rutschman's 3-run homer in the 3rd supplied all the offense.

Transaction: 1B Nelson Haro returned from a brief rehab to join the team for the first time since late April. To make room 1B Evan Bell was sent back to Durham but he more than held his own in his first big league stint, hitting 262/309/429 with 6 homers in 126 AB.

Game 3: 5-1 W. WP-Stone (3-4, 7 1 1 1 1 11). HR-Haro (3), Hardy (12), Jasso (4). For the second straight start and third time this year Stone took a no-hitter into the 7th (of course the first time he completed one) in yet another dominant performance. He walked the leadoff man to lose the perfect game and then gave up an RBI double to lose the no-hitter but finished out the inning to a huge ovation. Meanwhile Haro took the first pitch he saw coming off the IL out of the park and combined with Hardy's 2-run jack the Rays were up 3-0 after the first and never looked back in completing the sweep.

Team record: 32-22. No ground gained on the Yankees who also swept their series but we're now a commanding 6 games ahead as WC1. Next up: A day off then Seattle visits for 3.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 5-2 W. WP-Fragoso (1-1, 5.2 6 2 2 0 6). S-R.Rodriguez (15). HR-Jasso (5), Tovar (3). 22-year-old Cuban rookie Fragoso picked up his first MLB win with Jasso's 3-run homer the big blow supporting him.

Game 2: 3-7 L. LP-Lennon (4-3, 5.2 6 3 3 3 8). HR-C.Williams (6), Jasso (6). Rays were down 3-2 after 7 and 4-3 after 8 before the pen allowed 3 in the 9th to let it get away. Jasso homered for the third straight game in a losing cause.

Game 3: 7-1 W. WP-Buckman (3-1). Starter-Khattak (2.2 2 1 1 0 3). HR-Mesa (9). Rays handily beat Seattle and took 2 of 3 from a team that was 37-18 coming in. Mesa was 2-3 with a homer and Hardy knocked in a pair but it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows as Khattak tore his mensicus and is done for the year. Buckman, an ace in long relief for us, will get a crack at the rotation at least until Acosta comes back in a few weeks.

Team record: 34-23. As impressive as beating Seattle 2 of 3 was, we lost ground in the AL East as the Yankees swept their series and improved to 39-19, 4 1/2 games up. Next up: We'll get a chance to do something about that as we head to the Bronx for 4 games.

[Art Deco]

Transaction: Khattak was put on the 60-day IL with his torn meniscus that ended his season and we purchased the contract of a familiar name, Eric Orze, from Durham. Orze pitched for the Rays from 2027-2030 and was in the rotation for the first 2 1/2 years of that stint, going 28-21, 4.36 as he was mostly a 5th starter/swingman type. He had signed a minor league contract a couple of weeks back with the Bulls after the Phillies let him go and he'll be our longman/mop-up guy.

Game 1: 4-5 L. LP-R.Rodriguez (2-1). Starter-Stone (7.1 6 2 2 1 5). HR-A.Thomas (7). A gut-punch of a loss as the Rays blew a 4-1 lead they took in the 8th when R-Rod gave up a 3-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the 9th. They were shut down by former teammate Luis German for 7 before erupting for 4 in the 8th including a Thomas solo shot and a 2-run Mesa double, but couldn't hold that lead in a game they needed.

Game 2: 2-6 L. LP-Oviedo (5-2, 4 5 5 5 4 3). The hangover from yesterday's game continued as Oviedo put them in a 5-0 hole after 2 and Mesa's 2-run double in the 9th merely avoided a shutout.

Game 3: 2-3 L. LP-Fragoso (1-2, 5 3 3 1 4 6). Fragoso was decent but gave up 3 in the first around a key Cedillos error and that was enough for the Yankees to take their third straight in the series as the offense continued to be meek.

Game 4: 6-1 W. WP-Lennon (5-3, 9 6 1 1 0 4). HR-Haro (4), Mesa (10), Jasso (7). The 23-year-old rookie Lennon was brilliant today in his first career complete game, needing only 91 pitches to twirl his gem at Yankee Stadium and salvage the finale for Tampa Bay. Jasso had a big game at the plate, drilling a 2-run homer as part of a 4-RBI day.

Team record: 35-26. The near-disaster of a series dropped the Rays 6 1/2 behind the Yankees but they remain firmly ensconced in the first wild card. Next up: A return home for interleague action with 3 against Arizona who's stumbling along at 28-33.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 4-3 W (13). WP-Green (1-1). Starter-Buckman (6 5 3 3 3 6). Fitting I suppose that Buckman, who went 15-8 in relief last year, got a no-decision in his first MLB start but the Rays still won it when Cedillos singled in the winner in the bottom of the 13th. Jasso had a 2-run single in regulation.

Game 2: 5-7 L. LP-R.Rodriguez (2-2). Starter-Stone (7.2 4 2 2 2 10). HR-Tovar (4), Rutschman 2 (13), Jasso (8). A very unfortunate loss as the Rays led this one 4-0 after 7 and 5-3 after 8 only to blow it thanks to a bullpen that was fried from the previous night's marathon. As a result we turned to guys like Green and Watters, who have been terrible this year and predictably were again tonight, leading us to turn to a tired R-Rod in the 9th and he couldn't get it done either. A shame as Stone was dominant (a one-hitter through 7) and we pushed him a bit too far based on the tired pen. Also it meant the feat of back-to-back-to-back homers from Tovar, Rutschman and Jasso in the 4th went for naught.

Game 3: 4-3 W. WP-Oviedo (6-2, 6 4 1 1 1 7). S-Ogando (3). HR-Mesa (11). Oviedo bounced back from his brutal start at Yankee Stadium to pitch a gem and the Rays held on despite the pen allowing runs in the 8th and 9th. The four runs were knocked in by four different players including Mesa's solo shot.

Team record: 37-27. Still 6 1/2 behind New York and still a solid WC1. Next up: A bad (24-41) Giants team visits for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 4-1 W. WP-Fragoso (2-2, 7 3 1 1 1 3). S-Vargas (1). The rookie Fragoso was excellent again and Jasso had an RBI double while Hardy added 2 hits including a double and an RBI to lead the Rays to an opening win.

Game 2: 3-0 W. WP-Lennon (6-3, 7 4 0 0 1 8). S-R.Rodriguez (16). HR-Rutschman (14). Lennon pitched the best game of his young career and his battery mate Rustchman supplied the key hit with a 2-run homer off former longtime Rays starter Donye Evans, who's now 3-4, 3.94 with the Giants.

Game 3: 6-3 W. WP-Buckman (4-1, 5.2 6 1 1 4 3). S-Stevenson (1). HR-Solano (3), Hardy (13). After 22 career relief wins including 15 last season Buckman got his first MLB win as a starter despite pitching with a lot of traffic today as the Rays completed the sweep of San Fran. Hardy had the big bat with a 2-run homer and RBI single.

Team record: 40-27. The Rays did slice two games off the Yankees' division lead, reducing it to 4 1/2 to stay in that race and they continue to remain comfortably as the WC1. Next up: A day off then off to Cleveland for 3 against the 34-34 Guardians.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 5-1 W. WP-Stone (4-4, 6.1 2 0 0 1 7). S-M.Green (1). HR-Jasso (9), Cedillos (3). A scoreless game until Jasso's 2-run jack in the 7th and then Cedillos belted a 3-run bomb in the 8th to back Stone, who now leads the AL in pitcher WAR at 2.9.

Game 2: 12-2 W. WP-Oviedo (7-2, 5.2 4 0 0 3 7). HR-C.Williams (7), Jasso (10), Haro (5). Williams' 3-run homer in the 2nd got the party started and Haro capped it with a slam with backup catcher Arrambide had 4 hits. Meanwhile Oviedo is the lastest reliever-turned-starter success story for us in recent years as he lowered his ERA to 2.77.

Game 3: 2-3 L. LP-Ogando (1-3). Starter-Fragoso (6.1 6 2 1 3 2). A tough way to end the 6-game win streak as Ogando gave up a solo homer to Juan Soto in the 8th, breaking a 2-2 tie.

Team record: 42-28. We continue to cut into the Yankees' division lead as it's now down to 3 1/2. Next up: Back home to play 4 against Baltimore.

Rays News: A couple of franchise stalwarts began rehab assignments - Yordan Alvarez and Aldry Acosta. Jasso has been so good filling in for Yordan that we'll have to find at-bats for him while Fragoso has been impressive as well in Acosta's rotation spot.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 2-3 L (11). LP-L.Gonzalez (2-1). Starter-Lennon (6 6 2 2 2 6). Rays scored twice in the first and couldn't again, dooming them to an extra-inning defeat.

Game 2: 3-2 W. WP-Stevenson (3-0). S-R.Rodriguez (17). Starter-Buckman (2.2 2 1 1 2 0). Haro had a pair of RBI singles and the bullpen excelled after Buckman left early with a herniated disc in his back.

In need of an offensive boost, we swung a big trade:



Who is Jose Pino?



Yeah, he's pretty good. The only knock on him is his defense but it's something you live with when you have a 5-6 WAR player. We paid a good price for him, starting with our incumbent 2B Mesa, who did a decent job for us but was a 2-WAR player. Cantu is an excellent power prospect, but there are questions about his contact (50 ceiling) and he's limited to 1B (probably DH since he's a 40 at 1B). Gonzalez is the key prospect, a potential do-it-all CF with potential 65 contact/65 power and a good glove, but he's 18 and in DSL ball. The fourth guy was a half-star "make it work" guy. Pino gives the offense a legit boost which it badly needed. He has 3 years of team control left but will obviously get expensive, projected for $14.5M in arbitration next year and $20M+ in the two years after that but should be worth it.

Transactions: Aside from swapping out Mesa for Pino, Buckman goes on the IL with his herniated disc although he should be back when his 15 days are up, Christian Rodriguez is recalled from Durham for long relief while Stevenson moves back into the rotation. Also in another boost to the offense Yordan Alvarez is activated off the IL after swatting 3 homers in his 2 rehab games and Kyle Deckard, who struggled in his first MLB callup, is sent back to the Bulls.

Game 3: 3-11 L. LP-Stone (4-5, 5.1 5 5 5 4 6). HR-Tovar (5), Haro (6). Pino made his Rays debut and while he had a decent game his teammates didn't as Baltimore blew out the Rays. Stone had only allowed 6 runs over his last 5 starts and cruised through the first 4 with a 2-0 lead, but the bottom fell out in the 5th as he gave up 5 runs on a couple of homers and the bullpen was brutal from there in letting it get away. Pino was 2-4 with a walk so he did his part.

Game 4: 7-0 W. WP-Oviedo (8-2, 6.2 6 0 0 3 6). HR-J.Jones (2), Pino (1/22). Oviedo was dominant again, pitching the Rays to a split. It was a tense 2-0 game until the 7th when Jones broke it open with a 3-run homer and then Pino launched what we hope is the first of many homers in a Tampa Bay uniform to cap the scoring.

Team record: 44-30. The two losses cost us a game in the division race as we now trail the Yanks by 4 1/2. Next up: Interleague play as 36-39 San Diego visits for 3.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 0-3 L. LP-Fragoso (2-3, 4.1 6 3 3 2 4). Rays were held to six hits by Tarik Skubal and the Padre bullpen as they dropped the opener.

Game 2: 3-2 W. WP-Lennon (7-3, 5.1 8 2 2 1 8). S-R.Rodriguez (18). HR-Haro (7). Tampa Bay jumped out to an early 3-0 lead then held on the rest of the way as Lennon pitched out of several jams and the pen held. Haro was 2-4 with his solo homer.

Game 3: 7-0 W. WP-Stevenson (4-0, 6 1 0 0 4 5). HR-Solano (4), Jasso (11). Stevenson's return to the rotation to replace the injured Buckman was a smash success as he and two relievers combined on a 1-hit shutout. Solano's grand slam highlighted a 6-run 2nd inning and allowed the Rays to coast.

Team record: 46-31. We regained a game on the Yankees in the division race, cutting their lead to 3 1/2. Next up: More interleague action as the Dodgers visit for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Going to share the box on this one, since we had a special event:



Had a no-hitter earlier this year (with Stone pitching) and now a cycle for Haro.

Game 2: 7-3 W. WP-Orze (1-0). Starter-Oviedo (1 1 0 0 0 1). HR-Solano (5), Pino (2/23). Oviedo had to leave with a sore elbow and as a result Orze picked up his first Rays win since 2030. Solano had a massive night, going 4-4 with a triple, homer and 3 RBI while Pino drove in a pair including his second Rays homer.

Game 3: 0-3 L. LP-Fragoso (2-4, 4.1 5 3 3 1 5). Rays bats were held to 3 hits and the Dodgers scored all their runs in the first.

Team record: 48-32. The Yankees lost twice so we're about as close as we've been in a long time, only 2 1/2 back. Next up: A day off to head to Wrigley for 3 against the Cubs, struggling this year at 33-47.

[Art Deco]

We're halfway through the defense of our World Series crown, solidly in a playoff spot and looking for more (the division):



Yes that's our old friend Wander Franco leading the AL in batting average, RBI and WAR, bidding for an MVP but not going anywhere with Boston right now.



Overall we've been pretty consistent this year, getting excellent pitching and just enough hitting although despite being 4th in the league in OPS we're only 10th in runs scored so we're not hitting with RISP very well and the team's poor baserunning isn't helping either.



Outside of Rutschman, this has been a pretty uninspiring group of hitters and here's hoping they get hot in the second half (or like last year, get red-hot in the playoffs). The left side of the infield has been a mess with Cedillos and Williams playing at replacement level and after upgrading 2B with Pino we might make another move to upgrade one of those positions.



Stone was an inspired free-agent signing (only wished I had signed him to a 2-year deal, not a 1-year) and Oviedo was an inspired relief conversion. With rookies Lennon and Fragoso impressing, the pitching pipeline keeps on keepin' on. Veterans Watters and Green have been brutal in the bullpen though. Acosta will be back off the IL to start the next game.



A middle-of-the-pack farm system. Gurrola is on the verge, hitting .300 at Durham and I'm seriously considering dealing Alek Thomas (on a one-year deal) to make room for him. Also Lowe is more than ready to be the backup catcher should something happen to Arrambide. Otherwise the top guys are a few years away.