The 2024 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

June 11: at Cincinnati 5-1 W. WP-McGee (7-3, 7 2 1 1 0 11). HR-Caminero (11), Irish (6). Fresh off a 7-inning, 13-K performance in his previous start McGee went and did it again, dominating the Reds. Irish's 3-run homer in the 7th was the big hit.

June 12: at Cincinnati 6-13 L. LP-Sheehan (4-5, 4 7 5 5 2 6). HR-C.Williams (12), Cermak (14). The polar opposite of yesterday's game on the mound for the Rays, they were down 9-1 before scoring some runs.

June 13: at Cincinnati 1-5 L. LP-H.Smith (6-3, 5 5 3 3 2 6). HR-Westburg (10). Max Fried won the battle of lefties today, dominating the Rays to the tune of 8 5 0 0 1 8. Westburg's homer in the 9th averted a shutout as Tampa Bay dropped the series and 5 of 6 on the road trip.

June 14: Off-Day.

June 15: vs Minnesota 6-3 W. WP-Misiorowski (2-4, 6 6 1 1 0 7). S-Klein (18). HR-Isaac (16), C.Williams (13). Les Mis pitched an excellent game and Isaac drove in 4 including a 3-run homer in the first inning.

June 16: vs Minnesota 4-3 W. WP-Bradley (8-3, 6.2 3 2 2 1 10). S-Klein (19). HR-Caminero (12). Home cooking for the Rays again as Taj is dominant and the bullpen did just enough to not lose a 4-1 lead. Caminero's 3-run homer in the 5th was the decisive blow.

Transaction: We claimed P Ricardo Yan on waivers from the Angels and optioned Jackson Baumeister to Durham. After a good season last year Baumeister has struggled in 2029 and gave up 4 runs in Cincinnati in his last outing. Yan can start and relieve and he'll be used in the pen; he's rated 55/55/45, nothing special but serviceable. He had earned 3.7 WAR in LA's rotation over the previous two seasons combined.

June 17: vs Minnesota 4-3 W. WP-Yan (1-0). S-Maldonado (2). Starter-McGee (6 5 3 3 2 4). HR-P.Meadows (6), Irish (7). We gave Yan his Rays debut in the 7th inning of a 3-3 game and he struck out the side before Irish homered in the bottom of the inning, giving Yan the win. He then struck out the first man he faced in the 8th before giving way in what was quite the successful introduction to the Tampa Bay fans.

Team record: 46-26, now up 6 on Baltimore. Next week: Toronto in town for 3 before a day off to travel to Minnesota to resume hostilities with the Twins for 3 games.

Players of the Week:

AL: Nolan Schanuel (LA), 12-24, 3 HR, 8 RBI
NL: Jorge Fonseca (WAS), 10-15, 1 HR, 8 RBI

[Art Deco]

June 18: vs Toronto 9-1 W. WP-Hennen (4-0). Starter-Sheehan (5.1 3 1 1 2 4). HR-Kjerstad (8). The final score was a bit misleading as it was a 1-1 game until the 6th when Kjerstad singled in a run after hitting a solo homer earlier, and then they exploded for 6 in the 8th keyed by Irish's 2-run single.

June 19: vs Toronto 2-5 L (11). LP-Yan (1-1). Starter-H.Smith (5 5 2 2 2 5). HR-Doughty (7), Isaac (17). Yan's second outing as a Ray was a marked contrast from his first as he gave up 3 runs in the 11th to lose it.

June 20: vs Toronto 11-10 W. WP-Maldonado (1-2). Starter-Misiorowski (5 5 4 4 1 8). HR-Cermak 2 (16), J.Ramos (8), Keegan (4), Isaac (18), Irish (8), Doughty (8). This game was as ridiculous as the score implies with the Rays up 7-5 going into the 8th before giving up 5 runs to fall behind 10-7, only to score twice in the bottom of the 8th on Irish's 2-run homer and then Doughty walked it off in the bottom of the 9th with his own 2-run shot, the seventh homer of the game for Tampa Bay. Cermak had a monster game, going 3-4 with a double, 2 homers and 4 RBI.

June 21: Off-Day.

June 22: at Minnesota 4-5 L. LP-Horton (3-2). Starter-Bradley (5 4 2 2 2 5). HR-Montes (13). Rays led 2-0 going into the bottom of the 6th and Taj put the first two men and gave way to Horton, who completely lost the plot and gave up 3 runs of his own in addition to Bradley's two runners. Montes drove in all four Rays runs on 3 hits including a double and a homer.

June 23: at Minnesota 3-2 W. WP-McGee (8-3, 6 5 2 2 2 8). S-Klein (20). Tampa Bay scored its 3 runs in the 4th on a bases-loaded HBP, a bases-loaded walk, and a sac fly and made them stand up for the duration thanks to some fine pitching.

June 24: at Minnesota 12-6 W. WP-Sheehan (5-5, 5.1 5 4 4 3 6). HR-Montes (14), Westburg (11). Montes had another huge game, going 3-3 with 2 walks, a double, a homer and 4 RBI while Isaac was 4-6 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI and Cermak had a bases-clearing triple as the Rays raked in Minneapolis. Sheehan deserved a better line but Yan blew up in the 6th in relief of him up 10-2 and gave up two of Sheehan's runners and two of his own. I'm not starting to see why Yan was on waivers in the first place.

Team record: 50-28. With a couple of Baltimore losses the division lead has now ballooned to 8 games. Next week: Divisional play as we go to Toronto for 3 then come home and play 4 against Boston.

Players of the Week:

AL: Colson Montgomery (CHI), 10-24, 4 HR, 6 RBI
NL: Jairo Pomares (SF), 10-23, 3 HR, 7 RBI

MLB News: A real shocker - Houston's Yordan Alvarez is hurt again, this time for the rest of the season with a torn PCL. Also Boston reliever Hunter Harvey is done for 2029 with shoulder inflammation.

[Art Deco]

Record: 52-29
1st place, AL East, 8 games up on Baltimore.

There was definitely some concern coming into the season and coming off a World Series win with numerous players leaving for free agency, losing 2/3 of our outfield, our closer, a starting pitcher and both catchers. But instead of a rebuild it's been a reload as the Rays boast the best record in the AL and trail only Cincinnati (55-27) for the best record in MLB. All those offseason holes have been filled adroitly, with Ryan Cermak blossoming as a full-time OF, Lazaro Montes and Jose Ramos putting up combined all-star numbers as a platoon, Will Klein thriving in the closer's role and the Ike Irish/Dom Keegan pairing a hit behind the plate.

Here's how things look around MLB at the midway point:



It's been a real team effort on offense as we don't have anyone among the league leaders but everyone is pulling their weight. There are a couple of Rays starters among the pitching leaders which we'll get to shortly.



The team has been largely consistent throughout the season with only one mini-slump. The offense has been quite decent and homer-centric, while the pitching has been the class of the league as you can see above.



As mentioned, nobody is truly tearing it up offensively (Meadows and Williams lead the club in WAR but a lot of that comes from their gloves), but quite a few players are doing just fine. The one big exception is our big star Junior Caminero, coming off seasons of 6.8 and 5.1 WAR and giving us only 0.3 in the first half. He should get untracked at some point so that's a plus - I think. Hays is likely going to be DFA'd soon, perhaps in favor of Lara, who was just called up and is a high-average speed guy that could play instead against lefties.



The Bradley/McGee/Smith combo might be MLB's best threesome and although it was a shame to lose Schwellenbach to injury after pitching so well, Misiorowski has been solid even if his overall numbers aren't that hot - he's pitched much better in his last 4-5 starts. Sheehan has been a solid back-end guy. As mentioned Klein has been a quality closer, and the unsung heroes of the staff have been Horton and Mercedes, both excelling in multi-inning relief roles. Lopez though has been dreadful and like Hays on offense, a likely candidate for replacement.



The farm system may not be spectacular but it is solid, and has a pretty good amount of depth with three more guys making MLB's top 500. Cuebas has backed up his elite prospect status with good numbers in the DSL but he's of course several years away. Closest to the bigs is 2025 top pick Schoolcraft, who just returned from a minor injury. The 2-way guy still needs to refine his mound repertoire and while he boasts 65 MLB power (now, not potential) and 18 HR so far this year, that goes with 40 contact (45 potential). He's still a potential 70/60/45 pitcher though so his progress in that department will determine his arrival.

[Art Deco]

June 25: at Toronto 3-0 W. WP-H.Smith (7-3, 6.2 6 0 0 0 6). HR-Montes (15). Hagen was hellacious and a couple of 4th innings runs stood up before Montes hit a pinch-homer in the 9th.

June 26: at Toronto 5-1 W. WP-Misiorowski (3-4, 5 5 1 1 2 6). HR-Montes (16), Cermak (17). Mis was in fine form, Isaac had a 2-run single, and Montes and Cermak added solo shots for another comprehensive win.

June 27: at Toronto 1-12 L. LP-Bradley (8-4, 4 9 8 8 2 3). HR-Ramos (9). And they were due for a stinker I guess although it was a surprise with Taj on the mound. Lopez came in and gave up Taj's runners and four of his in a 6-run Toronto 5th.

June 28: vs Boston 5-3 W. WP-Maldonado (2-2). S-Klein (22). Starter-McGee (5 6 1 1 2 7). Tampa Bay lost a 2-0 lead and fell behind 3-2 but a 3-run rally in the 8th secured another win.

June 29: vs Boston 4-0 W. WP-Sheehan (6-5, 5 2 0 0 4 6). S-Horton (1). HR-Caminero (13), Montes (17). Sheehan was solid and Montes drove in 3 with a 2-run homer and RBI single as the Rays keep rolling.

June 30: vs Boston 9-10 L. LP-McMillon (5-2). Starter-H.Smith (5.1 6 6 6 4 7). HR-Doughty (9), Westburg (12), Caminero (14). It looked like Tampa Bay was rolling to another win despite a poor start from Smith as they built a 9-4 lead through 5. But the bullpen failed big-time, with Mercedes (who helped get Boston within 9-8) and McMillon (who allowed 2 runs in the 8th to lose it) the culprits. As a result a massive game from finally-heating-up Caminero (4-5, triple, homer, 2 RBI) went for naught.

July 1: vs Boston 3-9 L. LP-Misiorowski (4.1 6 6 6 0 5, 6 HR). HR-Cermak (18). That's not a typo, Mis gave up six(!) solo homers including four in a five-batter span in the 3rd inning). When he keeps the ball in the park he's great (a 16/70 BB/K ratio in 48 IP) but he's now allowed 16 homers or one every three innings. Ouch.

Team record: 54-31, 8 games up on the now-second place Yankees. Next week: 4 at home against Texas then 3 in Oakland.

Players of the Week:

AL: Willy Adames (SEA), 9-23, 4 HR, 8 RBI
NL: Cayden Wallace (ATL), 9-21, 4 HR, 10 RBI

Players of the Month (June):

AL Batter: Nolan Schanuel (LA), .370-7-20
NL Batter: Michael Harris II (ATL), 333-8-20
AL Pitcher: Parker Coil (SEA), 3-0, 1.78, 48 K in 35 IP
NL Pitcher: Connor Phillips (CIN), 4-0, 1.95, 41 K in 32 IP
AL Rookie: Him:



NL Rookie: Tai Peete (PIT), .300-8-26

Also we had one of our top prospects honored:



Parquet had gotten off to a very slow start after an impressive half-season debut following his being drafted last year but seems to be back on track as our 1B of the future.

MLB News: Former Ray Curtis Mead, traded last winter in the deal that brought back Emmett Sheehan, now has a 20-game hitting streak for the Dodgers and is a solid .287-11-51 for them this season.

[Art Deco]

July 2: vs Texas 5-6 L (10). LP-McMillon (5-3). Starter-Bradley (5.2 5 1 1 1 8). HR-Kjerstad (9), Montes (18). Rays took a 3-1 lead into the 9th before Klein blew the save, with all the runs unearned on an Irish passed ball on strike three. Montes tied it in the bottom of the 9th with a solo shot to send it to extras, but the pen continued to struggle from there.

July 3: vs Texas 9-3 W. WP-McGee (9-3, 7 5 2 2 0 10). HR-Irish (9). Irish made up for his critical passed ball last night going 2-3 with 3 RBI including a 2-run homer and McGee was dominant in an easy Tampa Bay win.

July 4: vs Texas 2-3 L (12). LP-Klein (1-3). Starter-Sheehan (7 2 0 0 2 9). Nobody scored in this game until the 11th when both teams put a pair on the board and Texas got the edge in the 12th as Klein had another rough outing and Sheehan's best start of the season went for naught.

July 5: vs Texas 5-2 W. WP-H.Smith (8-3, 6 4 0 0 2 8). S-Yan (1). Rays picked up a split of the series thanks to another dominating outing from Smith They were up 5-0 going into the 9th before the pen made a mess and Yan had to get the final out, picking up his first Rays save.

July 6: at Oakland. This was one strange game so I'm going to give you the box:



First off as you can Mis took a no-hitter into the 7th before having to depart. But Yan continued the no-no until the 9th when with two out he gave up a Creed Willems double, spoiling the combined no-hitter. Meanwhile on offense the Rays only had two hits themselves but scored seven runs, which has to be some kind of record for fewest hits to score that number of runs. Oakland pitching was wild with 7 walks and 2 hit batsmen, and the Rays made their two hits count with Isaac's RBI double and Doughty's 3-run homer. The other runs came on a sac fly and a wild pitch.

July 7: at Oakland 1-3 L. LP-Bradley (8-5, 7 7 2 2 0 7). The Rays tripled their hit total from the previous night but scored one-seventh of the runs as they took the loss.

July 8: at Oakland 2-1 W. WP-McGee (10-3, 7 5 0 0 0 7). S-Klein (23). HR-Caminero 2 (16). McGee remains on a roll and Caminero, who had a miserable first half, continued his resurgence with a pair of solo homers to supply the necessary offense for Tampa Bay to take the win and the series.

Team record: 58-34, 7 up on the Orioles who have regained second place. Next week: We stay out west with 3 in San Diego after a day off and then head north to LA to play 3 against the Dodgers before the All-Star break. We also have the amateur draft mid-week so there will be a post on that first.

Players of the Week:

AL: Loidel Chappeli (CHI), 10-23, 2 HR, 12 RBI
NL: Jacob Berry (MIA), 12-27, 3 HR, 8 RBI

[Art Deco]

The first 3 picks were all college players.

Epler:



The Pepperdine lefty hopefully won't need too long in the minors to contribute.

Wojnarowski:



From Arkansas, Woj projects as a solid corner OF who can also play 1B.

DesLauriers:



The Alabama product is listed as a 2B but is only a 45 defender there. However he is rated 70 currently for LF, has 60 potential in CF and 70 potential in RF so the OF seems to be his future. He's the most advanced draftee in our class, he could probably hit .250 with 10-15 HR if he stepped into the lineup right now but is capable of much more.

Lamon:



Lamon's a prep 2B who was mocked to us in the first round, so when he was still around in the 4th we grabbed him. The bat is loud, but quite a ways away. Also he's not a great fielder so that could be an issue.

Byrum:



Of course high school catchers aren't the greatest draft demographic but when you have one that can potentially develop 70 power and be a 55 behind the plate you have to take him.

[Art Deco]

July 9: Off-Day.

July 10: at San Diego 8-5 W. WP-Sheehan (7-5, 5 4 3 3 2 4). S-Klein (24). HR-Cermak (19). Rays jumped out to a 6-1 lead and saw the Padres get within 6-5 before Cermak's 2-run homer in the 9th put it away. Hays had his best day as a Ray, 3-5 with 4 RBI including a bases-clearing double.

July 11: at San Diego 1-4 L. LP-H.Smith (8-4, 6 6 3 3 2 5). HR-C.Williams (14). Only five hits tonight as the offense took a holiday and the Rays fell to the Padres.

July 12: at San Diego 4-11 L. LP-Misiorowski (4-6, 2 6 8 8 4 2). HR-Hays (1). After throwing 7+ no-hit innings last time out, Mis was as terrible as he was great in his previous start, giving up 3 more homers as the Rays lost the series.

July 13: at LA Dodgers 0-6 L. LP-Bradley (8-6, 5.1 5 3 3 0 7). Three straight losses for the Rays as they let a 1-0 game get out of hand with 5 in the 6th by the Dodgers including a Bryan Reynolds grand slam. Only 4 hits for the bats, who have scuffled of late.

July 14: at LA Dodgers 1-4 L. LP-McGee (10-4, 5.1 4 2 2 2 8). HR-Kjerstad (10). A 1-1 game got away when LA scored 3 in the 6th and runs continue scarce for the stumbling Rays.

July 15: at LA Dodgers 5-10 L. LP-Mercedes (2-2). Starter-Sheehan (3.2 8 2 2 0 6). HR-Montes (19). A disastrous west coast trip concluded with the Rays' fifth straight loss as they are glad to see the All-Star break. They actually got some runs today and led this one 4-2 in the 6th before the bottom fell out, especially when LA scored 5 in the 8th to snap a 5-5 tie. Montes broke out of a slump going 3-4 with a HR and 3 RBI but the pitching was bad today and didn't get good news when setup man McMillon had to leave with a strained shoulder which will shelve him 5-6 weeks.

Team record: 59-39. And to make matters worse the Orioles kept winning all week (except for Sunday at least) and have cut the Rays' division lead to a 3 games and a mere 2 in the loss column. Next week: The break, after which we play 3 at home against Cleveland. Expect some roster changes when play resumes.

Players of the Week:

AL: Nolan Schanuel (LA), 7-20, 4 HR, 12 RBI
NL: Ronald Acuna Jr (ATL), 13-25, 4 HR, 10 RBI