The 2021 (and only 2021) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Returning home was just the tonic for the Rays as they annihilated the Tigers over three games, outscoring them 26-7 in a sweep.

Sergio Espinoza continued to be a revelation and Danny Arroyave went yard twice to lead the Rays to a 7-1 win over Detroit in the opener. Espinoza went 8 5 1 1 1 7 to improve to 3-0, 1.80 in 5 starts since joining the rotation while Arroyave hit homers 16 & 17 in driving in 3 including a 2-run jack in the first to start the scoring. Billy Doughty added a solo shot (#10) in the romp.

Tampa Bay topped Detroit 10-2 in the second game as Danny Morales ran his record to 8-0. The righty needed 100 pitches to go 5 4 2 2 2 5 but by then he had a huge lead and four relievers tossed a scoreless inning apiece. Of course the real story tonight was the bats with Frank Duron driving in 3 including a 2-run double, Danny Rodriguez hitting a 2-run shot (#5), Tony Fisher also going deep for a pair (#15) and Jeremy Begley adding a bases-empty blast (#17).

The Rays finished off the sweep with a 9-4 win in the finale. Danny Arroyave had another big game, doubling, homering (#18) and driving in 3 while Danny Rivera went solo (#16) and Art Bing doubled in a pair. Mike Blake (4-2) was solid at 6 6 2 2 1 5, only dinged for a pair of solo homers. Tampa Bay is now an impressive 29-7 at home.

Team record: 49-24. Boston was swept so the Rays' division lead ballooned to 11 1/2 games. Next up: A day off as we head to Seattle for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

The Rays returned to their personal house of horrors Seattle's T-Mobile Park, where their World Series dreams went to die the last two seasons, and it was more disappointment as they dropped two out of three.

The Mariners came in the hottest team in baseball with 11 straight wins and walked away with their 12th after beating the Rays 6-5 in the opener. Ruben Cerrillo (5-5) had his worst start as a Ray, giving up a pair of homers in a rough 4 10 6 6 0 1 outing, only marginally better than the 6 he gave up the previous time out in 4 1/3 innings. The offense did get back in the game on solo homers from Danny Arroyave (#19), Danny Rodriguez (#6) and Jeremy Begley (#18) but it wasn't enoguh.

Moises Baca had a rough time of it in the second game and the Rays became Seattle's 13th straight victim in a 5-3 loss. Baca seems to alternate between brilliant and brutal and he was definitely the latter today, going 3 5 4 4 2 4 and needing 80 pitches to do so. Frank Duron was 3-4 with 2 doubles and 2 runs scored as one of the few Rays able to hold his head high on the day.

The Rays held a 4-0 lead in the finale and Sergio Espinoza took a no-hitter into the 7th and despite that they blew that lead and had to end up winning in 10 innings 5-4, snapping Seattle's 13-game win streak. 2-run homers from Justin Blackwell (#7) and Danny Perez (#18, his first in just over a month) gave Tampa Bay the advantage and Espinoza was rolling until the 7th, when with one out he walked a pair and then lost the no-hitter by giving up a 3-run homer. Walt Kelly then blew the save in the 9th allowing the Mariners to equalize but Danny Arroyave came to the rescue with the third of three consecutive singles that brought home the winner in the 10th. Kelly (5-3) stayed on to preserve his own vultured win.

Team record: 50-26. The division lead slipped a bit to 9 1/2 over the now-second place Yankees. Next up: 2 games in Boston.

[Art Deco]

The Rays made quick work of the Red Sox at Fenway, sweeping the two-game mini-series.

Tampa Bay took the opener 8-0 behind another sterling performance from Danny Morales, who moved to 9-0, 2.42 after going 7.1 4 0 0 1 7 and Chris Ericson retired the final 5 men he faced for the team shutout. Morales incidentally now has a career W/L record of 91-34, a .728 winning percentage which is the best in MLB history for 100 decisions or more (former Ray Joe Marlette is third at .710). Offensively Danny Perez was the story as he followed up his first-inning RBI single with a 2-run homer (#19) while John Lopez added a 2-run blast.

The Rays had to work harder to win the second game, tying it in the 8th and scoring three times in the 9th to take an 8-5 decision. Danny Perez homered (#20) for the third straight game to equalize and then Danny Arroyave came off the bench to lead off the 9th with his 20th as well to provide the winning blow before Isaiah Jackson doubled in two more for the final margin. Before all that the Rays got a poor start from Mike Blake (4.2 7 4 4 2 1) which cost them leads of 3-1 and 4-2. Isaac Washington improved his relief record to a gaudy 8-1 in picking up the win and Walt Kelly had an uneventful 9th for his 15th save. Jeremy Begley doubled, homered (#19) and drove in a pair as well.

Team record: 52-26. Next up: Another two-game quickie series farther down I-95 in Baltimore.

[Art Deco]

Tampa Bay swept its second straight two-game series on the road, handling the Orioles.

The Rays didn't get a hit until the sixth, and didn't score a run until the 8th when they put five of them on the board to come from behind and beat Baltimore 5-3 at Camden Yards. Danny Rivera beat out an infield single in the 6th to get that first safety and then Rivera drove in the first run with an RBI double in the 8th, setting the table for Justin Blackwell's 3-run homer (#8) to win it. Danny Rodriguez added a solo shot (#7) for insurance, and they made a winner of Ruben Cerrillo (6-5), who went 7 5 3 3 1 3. Walt Kelly loaded the bases in the 9th but got out of it for his 16th save.

Tampa Bay had an easier time of it in the second game, beating the O's 5-1 thanks a 4-run 4th inning and a dominant outing from Moises Baca. The 4th was highlighted by a 2-run John Lopez homer (#5) and a solo blast from Billy Doughty (#11) but the big story today was Baca. Last time out I described him as either "brilliant or brutal" after he was knocked around in his previous start and today he was the former, going 7 1 0 0 2 10 in a truly dominant performance. The only negative on the day was the continued struggles of veteran closer Eric Lewis, who pitched the 9th and gave up yet another homer (his 9th in 18 innings!) and put two more men on before finally getting through the inning.

Team record: 54-26. Next up: Home for 3 against the Yankees.

[Art Deco]

This is a really good Rays team as its record would indicate, but its Achilles heel is the bullpen and it was terrible in this series as they dropped 2 of 3 at home.

Tampa Bay parlayed a 5-run 3rd inning into a 6-4 win over New York in the opener. The runs came courtesy of a 3-run Danny Arroyave homer (#21) and a 2-run blast from Billy Doughty (#12), and Sergio Espinoza (4-0) was excellent yet again at 6.2 7 2 2 2 5. With a 4-run lead in the 9th Chad Montgomery got the call but he was so bad (2 runs on 4 hits allowed) that Walt Kelly had to get the final two outs for his 17th save.

The second game was a strange affair which started with the Rays' Danny Morales and the Yankees' Malik Brim tossing zeroes until the 6th and ended with the Rays losing 7-4 in 11 innings. Morales put the leadoff man on in the 7th and departed, then Ken Battle made such a mess that the Yankees scored 4 runs. Morales ended up 6 5 1 1 1 5. The Rays immediately responded in the bottom of the inning with a 2-run Jeremy Begley blast (#20) and a solo shot from Tony Fisher (#16) to pull within one and tied it in the 8th on Danny Rivera's single. But Walt Kelly (5-4) stumbled in the 11th, giving up 3 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks and they went down to defeat.

With the "A" bullpen worked hard the previous two days the Rays were unable to hold a 3-2 lead after 7 and lost the game and the series to the Yankees 5-3. Jeremy Begley's RBI double broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the 7th but with top guys like Kelly and Washington unavailable, Sebastian Burns (1-1) came out for the 8th and the Rule 5 pick showed he wasn't ready for prime time, giving up a hit and walking 3 without recording an out and 3 of those men scored to lose the game for Tampa Bay. As a result a decent Mike Blake start (5.2 2 1 1 4 6) was wasted. Tony Fisher earlier had a solo homer (#17).

Team record: 55-28. Next up: We get July 4 off before Houston visits for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

It's been an impressive first half for the Rays, although they've tailed off some of late (15-13 after starting 40-15). Of course it's World Series or bust so with their big lead in the AL East the playoffs are all but assured it's a matter of avoiding key injuries and continuing to play well.

Around the league:



San Antonio and Washington are the current 3rd wild cards cut off here. Looks like Jeremy Begley is bidding for an MVP.



As befits a 55-28 squad the team stats are going to look really good, so I'll concentrate on the flaws - a 3.90 bullpen ERA isn't great and the pitching staff is very reliant on the defense as they don't strike out a lot of people. Coupled with a fair number of homers allowed the staff WAR is pretty mediocre but first in runs allowed is first in runs allowed, however you get there.



The basic rule of thumb is 3 WAR is the cutoff to define an above-average player and if that's the case we have virtually our entire lineup (9 players) on pace for 3 WAR or more, which gives you some kind of indication of how potent this offense is. The one exception is at 1B where the Duron/Lopez platoon has only managed 0.7 WAR to date. Both have hit for average and moderate power but could be better.



The pitching is not quite as impressive, even though as mentioned they're #1 in the AL in fewest runs allowed. That's down to the awesome D as everyone except Blake and a few of the relievers have low BABIPs against. Morales and Cerrillo have earned every bit of their surface numbers however, even though Cerrillo has dropped off over the last month or so. The real problem is the pen with several of its members putting up negative WAR and there's no bigger conundrum than Lewis as the veteran closer has been about as bad as can be this year especially with the absurd number of homers allowed. He's been moved into lower-leverage situations but still hasn't looked good, and therefore there's a lot of pressure on Washington and Kelly to carry the pen as nobody else is remotely reliable. Didn't think I'd be in this position coming into the season but we're going to need another late-inning power arm before the trade deadline.



Ahead of the draft here's where the system stands and while we don't have a lot of high-end prospects things are a bit misleading as we have plenty of MLB-ready depth on the offensive side of things at Durham with some guys who are shown here (Arevalo, Bellamy) and others who aren't for whatever reason (Willie Maldonado, Ines Monts, Esteban Benavides, Luis Cisneros, Rodrigo Trejo) who all could be playing if not starting for many other teams. We also have a few relievers who could be of immediate help and may get the call if I cut bait on some of the underperforming vets without options. Also things are better than they seem on the futures front since many of our key starters are 25 or younger (D.Rodriguez, Doughty, D.Perez, Duron, W.Ramirez, J.Lopez).

[Art Deco]

It was another lost series for the Rays on this homestand as they once again had some bullpen problems and lost 2 of 3 to the Astros. Houston may not be the dominant team they've been in recent seasons (44-37 coming in) but I don't think we want to see them in the playoffs.

The Astros took the opener 8-4 as they hit Ruben Cerrillo hard despite the lefty garnering 11 strikeouts in the game. He dropped to 6-6 after a strange 6.2 9 6 6 0 11 outing with the bullpen allowing his last runner to score and giving up a pair of their own to ice it for Houston. Frank Duron was 3-4 with a double and 2 RBI and Jeremy Begley went 3-5 with an RBI double.

Jeremy Begley showed why he's one of (if not the) top players in baseball as he nearly single-handedly led the Rays to an 8-3 win over Houston in the second game. He homered in the third and then in the 8th with his team down 3-2 Begley slammed a 3-run homer (#22) to provide the winning margin. Tony Fisher added a solo shot (#18) for good measure in the inning as the Rays jumped on their former ace Joe Marlette, now pitching in the Astro pen with his 35 stuff. For a change Moises Baca was neither brilliant nor brutal in going 5.1 5 3 3 2 6, settling in after giving up 3 early runs. Jamie Arnold (1-1) picked up the win in relief.

The bullpen really did rear its ugly held in the rubber game, a wild back-and-forth affair that saw Houston prevail 9-8. Sergio Espinoza put them in a 4-0 hole early (although he recovered to finish 6 6 4 4 2 6) but the offense fought back to go ahead 5-4 in the 5th and then Justin Blackwell's second two-run homer of the game (#10) made it 7-4 in the 6th. Then the bullpen went to work. Ken Battle gave up 2 runs in the 7th to let the Astros within one, and then Isaac Washington (8-2) picked a bad time to have a rare poor outing, allowing the tying run in relief of Battle in the 7th and then two more to lose it in the 8th. Billy Doughty responded with a solo homer (#13) in the bottom of the inning to make it a 1-run game again but that would be all the Rays would manage.

Team record: 56-30. Next up: Toronto comes into town for 3 and the Rays will try to head into the All-Star break on a high note.

[Art Deco]

The Rays got right going into the All-Star break against a bad Jays team, sweeping them after dropping the first two series on this homestand.

The opener was over not long after it started as the Rays built an 8-0 lead by the 3rd and cruised to a 9-2 win over Toronto. Those 8 early runs came courtesy of a 3-run Danny Arroyave homer (#22) in the first, a 3-run Danny Perez shot (#21) in the 3rd and a 2-run jack from Justin Blackwell (#11) later that inning. The explosion enabled Danny Morales to move to 10-0 with the righty going a tidy 6 3 1 1 3 8.

It took a little longer for the Rays to get going in the second game but the end result was the same as they trounced Toronto 11-4. Tampa Bay didn't take the lead until Billy Doughty's RBI double in the 5th put them up 2-1 and although Toronto forged ahead 3-2 in the top of the 6th the floodgates opened as Danny Rivera hit the first of his two homers (#17) with two men on to put the Rays up to stay in the bottom of the frame and they kept tacking on from there with 2-run blasts from Danny Arroyave (#23) and Jeremy Begley (#23) along with a solo clout from Rivera (#18). Mike Blake went 5.2 5 3 3 1 7 and Chris Ericson (5-3) picked up the win in relief.

The finale was a little harder-fought but Tampa Bay still prevailed 5-3 behind Ruben Cerrillo's best game in a while and a pair of homers from Billy Doughty with both celebrating their selection to the AL All-Star team. Cerrillo (7-6) went 6 3 1 1 4 5 with only the walks a bit unusual while Doughty slugged a 3-run homer in the 4th to put them up 3-1 and then added a solo shot in the 7th (#15) for the ultimate margin of victory. John Lopez then also went solo (#6) in the 8th after Toronto got a 2-run homer off Isaac Washington in the top of the inning. Walt Kelly put an end to things with a 1-2-3 9th for save #18.

Team record: 59-30. Next up: The All-Star break, including the Amateur Draft. We'll resume action on Thursday with 4 games in Boston.

MLB News: Former Ray and current Astro slugger Dominic Scavone, who hit a whopping 179 homers over the previous 4 seasons (although he slumped to only 7 so far this year at age 37) is done for the year with a broken bone in his elbow

[Art Deco]

Rivera: A projectable high-school lefty out of Missouri, he has ace potential at 75/65/65 but I'll believe it if I see him approaching those ratings in a few years.

Eaglin: A college IF from Towson who could develop a special bat (70 contact/65 power) although he'll need to given his defense at SS and 3B is going to be adequate at best.

Macho: The Macho Man is another college draftee from the University of Kansas who also has an intriguing bat (70/60 potential) but will provide slightly below-average defense at 3B and perhaps could end up at 1B or LF.

Garvin: Prep lefty from the state of Washington with a big arm (80/55/55 potential) whose demands scared off teams and he fell to the third round, we're able to go overslot since we were under on our earlier picks.

Garza: College OF from Bradley who projects as a leadoff type (60 contact, 70 gap ceiling) with good speed and above-average defense across the outfield.

Plaza: A versatile guy from the University of West Florida who could have an above-average bat (65 contact, 55 power) and can play 2B, 3B, SS and LF well. OSA likes him even more.

[Art Deco]

The teams:

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

SP Alfredo Campos (SEA) - 9-2, 2.97 ERA, 100.0 IP, 1.33 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 2.0 WAR
SP Ruben Cerrillo (TB) - 6-6, 3.23 ERA, 114.1 IP, 0.98 WHIP, 7.1 K/9, 2.4 WAR
SP Pat Harrell (CWS) - 6-5, 2.91 ERA, 105.0 IP, 0.98 WHIP, 7.3 K/9, 1.2 WAR
SP Jerrod Keeshan (MIN) - 8-4, 2.40 ERA, 108.2 IP, 0.97 WHIP, 11.8 K/9, 4.1 WAR
SP Jose Lizarde (KC) - 10-3, 3.57 ERA, 108.1 IP, 1.20 WHIP, 10.0 K/9, 3.1 WAR
SP Danny Morales (TB)* - 10-0, 2.32 ERA, 112.1 IP, 0.99 WHIP, 8.9 K/9, 3.2 WAR
SP Joe White (BAL) - 5-7, 3.58 ERA, 110.2 IP, 1.17 WHIP, 15.2 K/9, 3.5 WAR
RP Matthew LaPoint (SA) - 0-0, 2.55 ERA, 53.0 IP, 1.17 WHIP, 6.5 K/9, 0.9 WAR
RP Jose Quintana (BOS) - 3-1, 6 SV, 2.47 ERA, 47.1 IP, 1.37 WHIP, 13.3 K/9, 0.9 WAR
RP Jose Vallejo (SEA) - 3-1, 2.09 ERA, 51.2 IP, 1.16 WHIP, 9.4 K/9, 0.5 WAR
RP Isaac Washington (TB) - 8-2, 1.91 ERA, 33.0 IP, 1.03 WHIP, 10.6 K/9, 0.9 WAR
CL Jesus Evangelista (OAK) - 4-8, 3.74 ERA, 74.2 IP, 1.34 WHIP, 8.9 K/9, 1.7 WAR
CL Jorge Ochoa (HOU) - 1-2, 22 SV, 2.18 ERA, 33.0 IP, 1.12 WHIP, 10.9 K/9, 0.6 WAR (Injured)
CL Devon Williams (LAA)* - 4-1, 22 SV, 2.32 ERA, 42.2 IP, 0.98 WHIP, 10.3 K/9, 1.3 WAR
C Billy Doughty (TB) - .255/.307/.475, 255 AB, 13 HR, 107 wRC+, 2.3 WAR
C Chris Garrison (TEX) - .341/.411/.729, 85 AB, 9 HR, 203 wRC+, 1.4 WAR
C Willie Gutierrez (HOU) - .273/.321/.494, 249 AB, 10 HR, 116 wRC+, 1.4 WAR
C Israel White (BAL)* - .250/.359/.500, 240 AB, 16 HR, 131 wRC+, 2.8 WAR (Injured)
1B Juan Armenta (BAL)* - .273/.321/.573, 337 AB, 29 HR, 133 wRC+, 1.7 WAR
1B Aaron Banks (MIN) - .324/.410/.557, 327 AB, 12 HR, 18 SB, 157 wRC+, 3.9 WAR
1B Jose Duran (TOR) - .265/.349/.521, 340 AB, 23 HR, 130 wRC+, 1.6 WAR
1B Salvatore Garza (DET) - .311/.382/.553, 322 AB, 23 HR, 149 wRC+, 2.5 WAR
1B Felix Najera (NYY) - .279/.372/.531, 326 AB, 21 HR, 1 SB, 141 wRC+, 2.4 WAR
1B Darius Williams (SA)* - .320/.402/.579, 328 AB, 23 HR, 1 SB, 158 wRC+, 3.5 WAR
2B Patrick Cofield (NYY)* - .274/.340/.427, 288 AB, 7 HR, 106 wRC+, 1.8 WAR (Injured)
2B Leo Gil (TEX)* - .296/.397/.581, 301 AB, 23 HR, 1 SB, 162 wRC+, 3.6 WAR
2B Manny Jaramillo (DET) - .276/.343/.476, 250 AB, 12 HR, 1 SB, 117 wRC+, 1.2 WAR
3B Danny Arroyave (TB) - .287/.332/.550, 338 AB, 23 HR, 134 wRC+, 2.7 WAR
3B Jalen Smith (TEX)* - .305/.381/.559, 311 AB, 18 HR, 149 wRC+, 4.0 WAR
SS Jeremy Begley (TB)* - .314/.371/.586, 360 AB, 23 HR, 23 SB, 157 wRC+, 6.2 WAR
SS Sal Mendoza (CLE) - .278/.341/.440, 291 AB, 11 HR, 3 SB, 110 wRC+, 1.8 WAR
LF Nicodemas Jacobson (HOU) - .299/.364/.510, 355 AB, 13 HR, 43 SB, 135 wRC+, 3.2 WAR
LF Nate Miller (SEA)* - .306/.378/.600, 330 AB, 25 HR, 5 SB, 160 wRC+, 4.3 WAR
LF Ramon Pineda (NYY) - .322/.396/.584, 320 AB, 19 HR, 162 wRC+, 3.7 WAR
CF Josh Manuel (HOU)* - .350/.428/.548, 294 AB, 13 HR, 15 SB, 166 wRC+, 4.1 WAR
CF Moises Rubio (SEA) - .308/.361/.551, 325 AB, 16 HR, 13 SB, 143 wRC+, 3.6 WAR
RF Rogelio Gonzales (KC) - .284/.360/.554, 327 AB, 22 HR, 142 wRC+, 2.6 WAR

While the National League will feature these star players:

SP David Carrasco (MIA) - 7-6, 2.68 ERA, 107.1 IP, 1.10 WHIP, 6.8 K/9, 2.0 WAR
SP Elijah Daniels (PHI) - 6-3, 2.70 ERA, 103.1 IP, 1.18 WHIP, 8.5 K/9, 2.9 WAR
SP Jordan Delgado (NYM) - 8-0, 1.54 ERA, 58.1 IP, 0.87 WHIP, 9.4 K/9, 2.1 WAR
SP James Hays (LAD) - 11-1, 2.98 ERA, 105.2 IP, 1.15 WHIP, 11.7 K/9, 2.6 WAR
SP Juan Ramires (NYM) - 7-7, 4.27 ERA, 105.1 IP, 1.29 WHIP, 10.8 K/9, 1.5 WAR
SP Jose Villarreal (ARI) - 2-6, 3.40 ERA, 92.2 IP, 1.22 WHIP, 9.9 K/9, 1.9 WAR
SP Andy Williamson (WSH)* - 10-5, 2.42 ERA, 126.2 IP, 1.01 WHIP, 9.7 K/9, 3.6 WAR
RP Chris Bohlig (WSH) - 2-5, 4.81 ERA, 33.2 IP, 1.72 WHIP, 10.4 K/9, 0.3 WAR
RP Chris Burfield (COL) - 4-2, 5.10 ERA, 42.1 IP, 1.35 WHIP, 7.9 K/9, 1.0 WAR
RP Alexis Gonzalez (MEM) - 2-1, 3.33 ERA, 51.1 IP, 1.27 WHIP, 10.0 K/9, 0.4 WAR
RP Zach Mugford (EP) - 0-0, 1.61 ERA, 44.2 IP, 0.99 WHIP, 8.1 K/9, 0.9 WAR
CL Jac Caglianone (CHC) - 0-3, 23 SV, 3.93 ERA, 34.1 IP, 1.28 WHIP, 13.6 K/9, 1.0 WAR
CL Jadon Smith (WSH)* - 4-3, 20 SV, 1.82 ERA, 39.2 IP, 1.26 WHIP, 12.9 K/9, 1.7 WAR
C Joey Bart (SD) - .215/.303/.426, 223 AB, 11 HR, 97 wRC+, 2.0 WAR
C Jon Born (NYM) - .259/.321/.446, 251 AB, 13 HR, 1 SB, 109 wRC+, 2.2 WAR
C Jonathan Ruelas (SF)* - .271/.363/.488, 207 AB, 12 HR, 133 wRC+, 1.8 WAR
1B Jose Arias (ATL) - .299/.357/.578, 344 AB, 25 HR, 145 wRC+, 2.4 WAR
1B John Natson (EP)* - .335/.438/.727, 319 AB, 36 HR, 213 wRC+, 6.0 WAR
2B Jared McCrae (CHC)* - .314/.347/.432, 322 AB, 6 HR, 2 SB, 108 wRC+, 1.4 WAR
2B Victor Perez (STL)* - .272/.319/.426, 298 AB, 1 HR, 11 SB, 97 wRC+, 1.6 WAR
3B Josh Beckelman (PHI)* - .252/.334/.461, 306 AB, 16 HR, 107 wRC+, 1.8 WAR
3B Juan Gonzalez (EP) - .329/.395/.476, 313 AB, 9 HR, 2 SB, 143 wRC+, 2.8 WAR
SS Chris Pell (CIN) - .259/.337/.431, 320 AB, 9 HR, 11 SB, 104 wRC+, 1.4 WAR
LF Kevin Aguillard (CHC)* - .303/.369/.579, 337 AB, 22 HR, 10 SB, 151 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
LF Melvin Archundia (CHC)* - .256/.321/.507, 355 AB, 25 HR, 118 wRC+, 1.2 WAR
LF Ben Grabinski (COL) - .331/.394/.639, 269 AB, 14 HR, 4 SB, 164 wRC+, 3.2 WAR
LF Naotaka Nakahara (LAD) - .291/.394/.563, 302 AB, 23 HR, 1 SB, 155 wRC+, 4.1 WAR
LF Mario Osby (COL) - .331/.381/.635, 260 AB, 18 HR, 5 SB, 160 wRC+, 2.3 WAR
LF Alex Ramirez (COL) - .338/.412/.570, 263 AB, 8 HR, 156 wRC+, 2.2 WAR
LF Alex Rodriguez (MEM) - .276/.369/.529, 308 AB, 21 HR, 139 wRC+, 3.1 WAR
LF Tomas Rojo (NYM) - .318/.397/.568, 324 AB, 24 HR, 164 wRC+, 3.5 WAR
CF Mario Velasguez (PHI)* - .332/.396/.598, 328 AB, 23 HR, 2 SB, 165 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
RF Rogelio Fitzgerald (MIL)* - .269/.352/.640, 297 AB, 31 HR, 161 wRC+, 3.3 WAR
RF Mario Medina (COL) - .307/.372/.599, 332 AB, 21 HR, 10 SB, 146 wRC+, 3.7 WAR

(former Rays in italics)

As befitting a team with the best record in baseball the Rays are well-represented on the AL squad including starters Morales and Begley.

Begley tops the returnees with his 9th straight (and overall) selection, and it's the second selection for Morales, Cerrillo, Washington, Doughty and Arroyave.

The Derby:

No Rays participated.



The game:



A long night for the AL with the Rays highlights being Begley's first-inning double off one-time Rays ace James Hays and Morales' scoreless inning (oddly he was voted as the starter but came on in the 5th). With selected starter Israel White injured Doughty ended up getting the start and playing the whole game (going 0-3).

[Art Deco]

We resumed post-ASB action by continuing to spin our wheels, splitting four games at Fenway but maintaining an 11-game division lead.

Moises Baca was lit up like a Christmas tree, putting the Rays down 7-2 in the 2nd and although the offense made a game of it they still fell short to Boston 8-6. Baca (5-6) got through the first and after Danny Rivera's 2-run double put Tampa Bay ahead, it all fell apart in the second and when the dust settled he finished 1.2 6 7 7 2 2. Chris Ericson was great in long relief (and might take Baca's rotation spot), going 5.1 4 1 1 1 7. Rivera ended up driving in 3 and the Rays got solo homers from Danny Perez (#22) and Frank Duron (#10).

The Rays romped to an 8-3 win in the second game behind another stellar effort from all-everything SS Jeremy Begley, who went 3-3 with double, walk and 2 RBI and a solid outing from Sergio Espinoza who improved to 5-0, 2.67 after going 6 7 2 2 2 5. Tony Fisher drove in 3 with a double and a homer (#19).

It's not a 2039 Rays series without the bullpen letting them down at some point and today was that day as they fell 7-6 to the Red Sox in 14 innings. First Ruben Cerrillo couldn't hold a 4-1 lead, giving up 3 runs in the 6th including a game-tying 2-run homer to finish 6.1 7 4 4 1 4 but Danny Rodriguez, who had a 2-run double earlier, hit a 2-run homer (#8) to put the Rays back ahead 6-4 in the 7th. That lead was short-lived as Isaac Washington put two men on in the 8th and Jamie Arnold gave up a 2-run triple to score them and let Boston tie it up. We trudged on until the 14th when Ken Battle (5-1) couldn't get anyone out starting his third inning of work and allowed the losing run. John Lopez also homered (#7) for Tampa Bay.

Mike Blake pitched by far his best game as a Ray as they salvaged a split in the finale with a 5-0 win over Boston. Blake (5-2) nearly hurled a complete-game shutout but finally ran out of gas with his pitch count at 119 and putting two men on in the 9th to finish 8.2 2 0 0 3 7 and lower his ERA to 3.24. Blake was supported by Jeremy Begley, who belted a 2-run homer (#24) and Danny Rivera, who homered (#19) and also drove in a pair.

Team record: 61-32. Next up: Two games in New York against the Yankees.

Seems like all I do in this thread of late is complain about the bullpen, so I finally did something about it:



In a move which will hopefully be more successful than bringing back Eric Lewis (for a third time), welcome back Devon Williams, who's been one of the game's better closers and pitched for us in 2034-35. Williams has 184 career saves (25 for us) and had 23 this season as the Angels' stopper. He's rated 75/60/65 so he's the real deal and will either be the 8th inning guy or take over the closer role from Walt Kelly, who's been effective but not overpowering. The price was Castillo, a 3-star starting pitcher prospect who could be a mid-rotation starter if everything goes his way but had been struggling in the minors for us.

To make room for Williams we had to move another of our relievers:



Coggin had pitched well the previous two seasons for us but struggled this year with -0.2 WAR, a 4.79 ERA and 6 homers allowed in 35 IP. We did well in getting the 24-year-old Trevino back but he just adds to our glut of MLB-ready OFs who are stuck at Durham. Perhaps we'll package 2-3 of them for something we need this offseason.

Also to make room on the 40-man Willie Barahona was DFA'd. He was a 3rd round pick in 2033 who was nominally a catcher but a 25 there so really a DH. He still has 55/60 potential but if I had to bet I think he'll go unclaimed.

[Art Deco]

The Rays forgot to pack their bats for the trip to New York, losing both games to the Yankees while scoring a grand total of three runs and seeing their division lead drop to single-digits (9 games).

Danny Morales tasted defeat for the first time in 2039 as the Rays fell 5-1 to New York in the opener. He was touched for a couple of unearned runs in the 1st and then another pair in the 4th to drop to 10-1 and finish the day 5.1 8 4 2 0 5. Justin Blackwell's solo homer (#12) in the 5th was all the offense could manage.

I guess the bullpen is going to remain a problem no matter who we bring in as the Rays lost the second game when newly-reacquired Devon Williams gave up a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 9th to let the Yankees sweep the 2-game series with a 3-2 win. Before that though the story of the game was another anemic offensive performance from Rays hitters, who were no-hit for 6 1/3 innings by New York's Malik Brim before Danny Perez went yard (#23) to break it up and Justin Blackwell followed with a homer (#13) for the second straight day to tie it up. Moises Baca went 5 5 2 2 3 3, allowing back-to-back solo homers in the 3rd as all 5 runs scored in the game came from bases-empty blasts, with the one off Williams in his second inning of work (he only needed 7 pitches to get through the 8th) the winner.

Team record: 61-34. Next up: Another two-game quickie series, this one at home against Boston.

[Art Deco]

The Rays bounced back to take both games of their mini-series with the Red Sox and opened up a double-digit lead in the AL East again.

The opener was over pretty much before it got going as the Rays scored 6 times in the opening frame and routed Boston 10-3. Billy Doughty's 3-run homer (#16) capped the big inning and he knocked in another later to give him a 4-ribbie day. Jeremy Begley (#25) and Tony Fisher (#20) added solo homers in the 6th and Sergio Espinoza (6-0) cruised to another win at 6.2 5 1 1 2 6.

The second game was a heavier lift but the Rays prevailed thanks to a brilliant outing from Ruben Cerrillo as they got by Boston 3-1. The lefty, who was near unhittable in April and May, had been more erratic lately but was in command today, nearly going the distance at 8.1 5 1 1 0 7 to improve to 8-6, 3.13. Walt Kelly got the final two outs for save #19 after Cerrillo gave up a one-out double in the 9th. A pair of runs in the 3rd were the difference with Justin Blackwell's RBI single the decider.

Team record: 63-34. Next up: A proper 3-game series for a change at home against Baltimore.

[Art Deco]

The Rays marched on, taking 2 of 3 from the Orioles at the Trop.

They did drop the opener as Baltimore hit Mike Blake with a 5-spot in the 3rd and that was enough to take a 5-3 win over Tampa Bay. Blake (5-3) allowed 2 runs in the inning and with two out gave up a 2-run homer then another back-to-back, finishing 5 5 5 5 2 2. Tony Fisher had a solo shot (#21) for the Rays.

The second game was billed as a premium pitching matchup between Orioles strikeout artist Joe White and Rays ace Danny Morales but the Rays got to White for 6 runs in the 5th inning to break it open and win 8-3. Danny Rivera was the hitting star as his 2-run homer in the 4th tied the game at 2 and his solo shot (#21) capped the big 5th. In between the Rays got a 2-run homer from Danny Rodriguez (#9) to forge ahead to stay and a 3-run blast from Frank Duron (#11) to make it 7-2. Morales meanwhile improved to 11-1 after a good but not great 7 8 3 3 2 6 start.

Transaction: Eric Lewis was being eased back into things after a poor start and an IL stint and had allowed only 2 runs over his last 11 outings, but his back gave out on him and he'll be sidelined 3 weeks with chronic soreness. Omar Sears is back up from Durham to take his place in the pen.

The Rays got a quality outing from Moises Baca in the finale and beat Baltimore 5-1 to take the series. Baca (6-6) went 6 4 1 1 0 4 with the lack of walks most notable considering he had issued 45 free passes in 75 innings coming in. Danny Rivera stayed hot with an RBI single and a solo homer (#22), his third in two games, and Willis Ramirez and John Lopez each had 3 hits.

Team record: 65-35. Next up: Off to Toronto for 3 games as the trade deadline approaches.

[Art Deco]

What do you get the team that seemingly has everything for baseball's Christmas, the trading deadline? A couple of high-quality vets.

We'll start with the bigger one:



Using WAR as a measurement first base has been our weak position this year with rookies Frank Duron and John Lopez combining for 0.7 WAR to date. They haven't been terrible - they've totaled 18 HR and 60 RBI while hitting .278 and .280 respectively, but neither have drawn tons of walks with their OBPs only about 50 points higher. So we went out and got Garza, who's done this over his career:



With 65 contact, 70 power and a 70 eye Garza is the prototypical mashing first baseman. He's a free agent at year's end and cost us a very good prospect in Valdez, who has 65 contact and 55 power potential and has overachieved as a 5th-round pick in 2035. We have a LOT of OF prospects though, so as we go all-in to try and win a World Series he was tradeable for us. Garza will of course take over at 1B and although he's done quite respectably Duron will go down to Durham to make room since we can't carry three first basemen.

The other deal:



We went out and got the wily veteran Barnett to round out our rotation. Also a free agent who didn't cost us much as Garza (Parmer is a 5th OF if things go right for him), the 38-year-old has had quite the career, earning 52.6 WAR to date including 2 so far this year as he was 8-5, 3.52 in 20 starts covering 120 IP for San Diego and boasts 55/70/70 ratings. While I quite like the Morales/Cerrillo/Espinoza part of the rotation I was less sold on Blake as the 4th starter given his mediocre stuff and I'm not sure how much to count on Leo Gutierrez, who just went on a rehab with Durham. He'll take Baca's place in the rotation and Omar Sears, who just came up, will head back to the Bulls while Baca moves to the pen.

To make room on the 40-man for these two I had to make a couple of tough DFA calls - C Javy Denton has been up before and would make a good backup C for many MLB teams, and 1B Danny Bellamy (a waiver claim of ours himself from Minnesota last year) can hit at the MLB level but he's expendable as I just went on about how many 1B we have.

[Art Deco]

Decided to go ahead and play another series out of my regular rotation since I wanted to see the new guys in action without waiting a couple of days. And they contributed, most notably in the second game as the Rays took 2 of 3 north of the border.

Salvatore Garza didn't play in the first game as he came to us from Detroit fatigued, so he got the day off. He might have helped save us from a 5-3 defeat although his replacement John Lopez did homer. In fact this one looked like a Rays win most of the way with Lopez (#8), Jeremy Begley (#26) and Danny Arroyave (#24) all going deep and Sergio Espinoza cruising with a 3-0 lead going into the bottom of the 7th. But it all went bad quickly as Espinoza gave up a pair of singles to start the inning followed by a 3-run homer to tie it, gave up another double and was pulled for Ken Battle, who let that guy score and one of his own as the game was turned on its head. Espinoza lost for the first time in seven decisions this year and finished 6 9 4 4 0 4.

Both of the new acquisitions played major roles in the second game as Salvatore Garza was in the lineup for the first time and Bryce Barnett got the start. And it was such a success that I'm going to provide the box (and there's too much offense to recap):



Not bad when you tie a team record in your debut. Fisher's injury was minor (bruised cheek) and he should only miss a few days.

For the longest time in the finale it looked like the Rays had used up all their offense night before as they scored only once through 8 innings and were tied with the Jays but a 5-run explosion in the 9th gave them a 6-1 win and the series. Danny Rodriguez went solo in the first (#10) and it looked like another romp might be on. But despite putting men on throughout the game they couldn't get them home. Meanwhile Ruben Cerrillo had to leave with a minor injury after going 4 3 0 0 2 2 but Chris Ericson came through with 3 hitless innings and they did take a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the 8th. Unfortunately Devon Williams gave up his second key homer in only four appearances since coming over to let Toronto tie and it looked like the night might end in frustration. But the bats finally went to work in the 9th with Willis Ramirez and Danny Perez singling in runs (the 5th hit of the day for Perez!) and Danny Rivera put the game away with a 3-run homer (#23) to make it four homers in his last five games. Williams (1-1) ended up vulturing the win.

Team record: 67-36. Next up: A day off then 3 games in Anaheim against the Angels.

[Art Deco]

The Rays took their customary 2 out of 3 in Anaheim. Having acquired a 1B, SP and late-inning reliever in the last week or two we made no further deals at the deadline.

The bats didn't arrive in SoCal on time as the Rays were held to a mere two hits (both off the bat of Jeremy Begley) in a 2-0 loss to the Angels. It wasn't as if they were overpowered as LA pitching only managed 4 strikeouts, but just about every batted ball found a glove. Danny Morales (11-2) was the tough-luck loser at 6.1 6 2 2 3 6.

Offense was at a premium again as the Rays made it 15 innings without scoring a run until breaking through for three in the 7th to take a 3-0 win over the Angels. Mike Blake (6-3) pitched one of his best games of the season going 6 4 0 0 2 4 and the bullpen held with Walt Kelly pitching around of couple of hits for his 20th save. The belated offense came thanks mostly to RBI singles from Justin Blackwell and Danny Rodriguez.

Tampa Bay took 2 out of 3 in this series with LA despite scoring in only 2 of the 27 innings in which they played but tonight it was quality over quantity as the rode a 10-spot in the 3rd to a 10-3 win over the Angels. The biggest inning of the year got going with Danny Rodriguez's 3-run homer (#11) and was capped by Jeremy Begley's grand slam (#28). The outburst enabled Sergio Espinoza (7-1) to cruise to the win at 6 7 1 1 0 6, lowering his ERA to 2.72.

Team record: 69-37. Next up: A day off before the second week of our two-week road trip begins with 3 at Yankee Stadium.

A big July for Begley:



Barring injury or some other freakish event Begley should be a unanimous AL MVP - his 7.6 WAR to date is a whopping 3 more than his closest competitor and is 1.2 better than the NL leader to give you an idea of what kind of season he's having. Those numbers above go with elite Gold Glove defense as he sports a +13.3 ZR at SS.

MLB News: Colorado's Brady House hit career homer #400.

[Art Deco]

The Rays had perhaps their most impressive series of the year, going into New York and sweeping a Mets team which was 65-39 when it started, a team that could be considered a peer.

After a midseason funk following a brilliant start it looks like Ruben Cerrillo is back in April/May form as he and three relievers combined the shut out the Mets 3-0. Cerrillo (9-6) went 6.1 6 0 0 2 7 and over his last three starts has allowed only a single run over 18 2/3 innings. Walt Kelly was the third of those relievers and earned save #21. All of the offense came courtesy of Danny Perez via his 3-run homer (#24) in the 4th.

Willis Ramirez came off the bench to give Tony Fisher a breather and Tampa Bay didn't miss a beat as Ramirez led them to a 7-3 win over the Mets. The left fielder was 3-5 with 3 RBI and a steal including a 2-run homer (#5) to put them up 3-0 in the 5th while Jeremy Begley went solo (#29). It turned out to be a bullpen day for the staff as Bryce Barnett had to leave with a mild ab strain after retiring just one batter (he'll be fine for his next start), so Moises Baca (7-6) came in and pitched 3 1/3 scoreless to earn the win.

The Rays had to come back in order to complete the sweep of New York, erasing a 4-1 deficit through 4 and making off with an 8-6 win. Ace Danny Morales (12-2) had his early struggles but hung in there to go 6 7 4 4 0 5 and pick up the win thanks in large part to Salvatore Garza. The slugging 1B and big deadline trade acquisition homered twice and drove in 3, giving him 3 homers with the Rays and 26 overall although the pivotal blow came off the bat of Danny Rodriguez, whose 2-run homer (#10) in the 6th put the Rays ahead to stay. Danny Perez had a big day as well, going 3-5 with 2 steals and a 2-run homer (#25) in the 9th that proved to be the margin of victory after Sebastian Burns yielded a 2-run homer in the bottom of the inning.

Team record: 72-37. Next up: More interleague play with 3 in Atlanta.

[Art Deco]

The Rays forgot to bring their bats to Atlanta but still managed to salvage one game out of the three in a disappointing performance.

They were shut out 2-0 in the opener by Atlanta, managing only six hits. Mike Blake (6-4) was the tough-luck loser, going a fine 6.1 4 2 2 3 6 with both runs against him allowed to score by Isaac Washington, including one on a bases-loaded walk.

Things weren't too good either in the second game as they lost 5-1 to Atlanta. Justin Blackwell's solo homer (#14) in the 3rd brought them brief parity but Sergio Espinoza (7-2) had his worst start of the year at 4.1 9 4 3 2 3 and with the anemic offense that was too much to overcome.

Tampa Bay managed to pull out finale, eking out a 2-1 win over Atlanta. Ruben Cerrillo (10-6) continued his recent roll with an excellent 6 5 1 1 2 8 outing and Walt Kelly pitched around a couple of baserunners for his 22nd save. The offense was meager again but solo homers from Danny Rodriguez (#13) in the 1st and backup C Art Bing (#1) in the 5th were enough today thanks to Cerrillo.

Team record: 73-39. Next up: Home for 3 against the White Sox.