The 2022 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

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Game 1: 2-0 W. WP-McClanahan (14-4, 6.2 3 0 0 2 6). S-Taylor (6/13). It was billed as the pitching matchup of the year (Mac vs. Jacob deGrom) and it lived up to billing with the Rays coming out on top. Lorenzo Cain's RBI single off deGrom in the 2nd stood up before a Wander RBI double in the 8th gave us insurance.

Game 2: 5-1 W. WP-Scott (4-1). Starter-Patino (4.2 3 1 1 5 7). HR-J.Jackson (7), Cain (1/6), Vaughn (9). Tanner Scott got Patino out of a bases-loaded jam in the 5th in a 1-1 game before Bregman's RBI double broke the tie and Cain and Jackson went back-to-back off Gerrit Cole to break it open. Juan Soto left with knee inflammation; it's "minimal" but supposed to last 3 weeks. With a now 7.5-game lead we'll baby him (and possibly put him on the IL).

Game 3: 4-2 W. WP-Springs (5-2). S-Feyereisen (8). Starter-Rasmussen (5 5 2 2 1 6). HR-Meadows (6/16), J.Jackson (8), Bregman (23). Bregman's 2-run homer in the 6th broke a 2-2 tie in a game which also saw Meadows hit one of (if not the) longest homers in Rays history, a 482-foot shot off Zac Eflin. While the Rays completed the sweep and have pretty much put away the division with an 8 1/2-game lead, it wasn't all fun and games as Ryan Pressly left in the 9th with shoulder inflammation and is done for the year, only a couple of weeks after we acquired him from Boston. Fortunately Pete Fairbanks has regained his form of late and he and Josh Taylor should serve as closers depending whether lefties or righties are due up.

Team record: 74-38. Next up: We're off to Philly for 3 games against Philadelphia, which is 67-46 and running away with the NL East.

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Transaction: Ryan Pressly went on the 60-day IL and he'll go to free agency, so adios to him. Colby White, who pitched well in a previous stint with the big club, comes up from Durham.

Game 1: 4-5 L. LP-Scott (4-2). Starter-Baz (5 6 3 3 1 5). HR-Arozarena (18). Arozarena's 2-run shot in the 4th gave them a 4-0 lead which they then proceeded to squander thanks at the end to a rare ineffective outing from Tanner Scott.

Game 2: 8-6 W. WP-Scott (5-2). S-Taylor (7/14). Starter-Swanda (4 6 5 5 5 3). This time the Rays were the comeback kids, scoring 4 times in the 9th with 2 out to pull out the win. Mead's infield single tied it and Vaughn's 2-run double won it. Fairbanks got the first crack at the save but loaded the bases and needed Taylor to bail him out so as good as he looked in the 7th & 8th innings lately he still has his problems in the 9th.

Game 3: 8-7 W. WP-Feyereisen (3-3). S-Taylor (8/15). Starter-McClanahan (4 7 6 6 3 3). HR-DeLoach 2 (4), Vazquez (4), Vaughn (10). They did it again in the 9th with DeLoach's 2nd homer of the game, a 2-run shot, winning it and completing a comeback from 6-1 down after another lousy start. Greg Jones had a big 2-run single to get them back within one, and Feyereisen earned the win with 3 perfect 4-whiff innings of relief on only 28 pitches.

Team record: 76-39, now 9 1/2 up on New York. Next up: An off-day traveling cross-country to play 3 in Seattle.

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Game 1: 2-3 L (11). LP-Gau (1-2). Starter-Patino (6 4 1 1 2 10). A brilliant outing from Patino was wasted by the offense and the bullpen, which blew a 2-1 lead in the 10th and then allowed the winner in the 11th.

Game 2: 2-1 W. WP-Rasmussen (8-3, 6 3 0 0 2 7). S-Fairbanks (14). HR-Soto (25). Rasmussen was excellent in his home Pacific Northwest and Soto's 2-run homer in the 1st held up for the win.

Game 3: 0-3 L. LP-Baz (5-5, 5.1 5 2 2 0 9). The Rays had numerous chances, loading the bases 3 times and all 3 times Alex Bregman left them loaded as he had 10 LOB on the day.

Team record: 77-41. Next up: An off-day then finally back home for 3 vs Boston.

MLB News: The Giants lost OF Mike Yastrzemski for the season with a broken bone in his elbow and the Angels lost 2B Gavin Lux for 5 weeks with a broken finger.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 7-4 W. WP-Gau (2-2). S-Fairbanks (15). Starter-McClanahan (2.2 4 4 4 4 6). HR-W.Franco (15). They overcame an early 4-2 deficit after Mac struggled with Mead delivering the big hit, a 2-run double to put them up 5-4 as he had 3 hits on the night.

Game 2: 9-3 W. WP-Whitley (3-1). S-Springs (4). Starter-Swanda (0.1 1 0 0 0 0). HR-Bregman (24), Vaughn 2 (12). As you might have guessed Swanda left early with an injury, in this case wrist soreness with won't keep him from his next start. Whitley put them behind 3-0 but a 7-run 3rd turned it around featuring a 2-run single from Mead and 2-run Bregman homer. Springs went 3 perfect innings with 4 whiffs to earn a save.

Game 3: 5-4 W. WP-Taylor (3-1). Starter-Patino (5 2 1 1 5 7). Rays led 4-1 before Colby White gave up 3 in the 7th but they won it in the 9th when Albies, who had already driven in 3 with 2 hits, led off with a single and scored on Lorenzo Cain's walk-off hit.

Team record: 80-41. Next up: A 3-game weekend series in Toronto.

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Game 1: 7-6 W. WP-Springs (6-2). S-Fairbanks (16). Starter-Rasmussen (4.2 6 5 5 4 3). HR-Soto (26), Arozarena (19), Franco (16), Albies (14). Rays had 4 homers but it was Mead's RBI single in the 9th that won it as they overcame a poor start from Rasmussen.

Game 2: 4-5 L. LP-Baz (5-6, 4 8 5 5 2 1). Rays trailed 5-1, scored 3 times in the 5th to cut the lead to 5-4 and had the bases loaded and nobody out but couldn't take further advantage and didn't score again. Wander drove in a pair with two hits.

Game 3: 8-5 W. WP-Gau (3-2). S-Fairbanks (17). Starter-McClanahan (4.2 7 4 4 3 4). HR-Soto (27), Arozarena (20). Arozarena's 6th-inning homer broke a 4-4 tie and the Rays took 2 out of 3 despite receiving lousy starts in each game. Jeremiah Jackson was 2-3 with a double and 2 RBI as well.

Team record: 82-42. We're 10 up on the Yankees and the magic # for clinching the division is 28. Next up: An off-day then we return home to the Trop to play 3 against Oakland.

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Game 1: 1-2 L (12). LP-Whitley (3-2). Starter-Swanda (6 6 1 1 0 7). The offense had its chances (especially Curtis Mead, 0-5 with 7 LOB) but couldn't get the hits when needed and eventually succumbed in extras.

Game 2: 2-4 L. LP-Rasmussen (8-4, 4.1 7 4 4 2 6). HR-Franco (17). More struggles for the offense although Bregman was 3-4 with an RBI double.

Game 3: 5-1 W. WP-Patino (11-5, 6.1 3 1 1 2 6). HR-Franco (18). It looked like more of the same for the bats until Franco broke a 0-0 tie in the 5th with a 3-run shot while Patino has really turned his season around.

Team record: 83-44, magic # down to 25. Next up: Texas visits for 3 games.

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Game 1: 3-9 L. LP-Baz (5-7, 5 7 5 5 1 9). Baz gave up all his runs in the 2nd and was good otherwise but the damage was done. Soto was 2-3 with a walk and an RBI.

Game 2: 5-4 W. WP-Scott (6-2). S-Fairbanks (18). Starter-McClanahan (4.2 7 4 4 2 3). HR-Mead (13). Mead's 2-run homer in the bottom of the 8th won it for the Rays and Vaughn had a 2-run single. The poor start was the 4th straight for Mac, who's allowed 18 runs in 16 IP in that span with his ERA rising from 3.39 to 4.12.

Game 3: 9-0 W. WP-Swanda (12-5, 7 2 0 0 4 11). A laugher with a dominant outing from Swanda (whose ERA sits at 3.50). Wander and Mead had 3 hits while Soto and Bregman each drove in a pair.

Team record: 85-45. Magic number: 23. Next up: Toronto comes to the Trop for 4 games.

MLB News: The Dodgers, in the thick of the NL wild card race, will have to fight for a spot without star SS Trea Turner, who tore his groin and will miss the rest of the regular season and at least the wild card round should LA make it.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 7-9 L. LP-Rasmussen (8-5, 4 6 6 6 2 6). HR-Soto (28), Pinto (5). Ras put them in a 6-0 hole, the offense kept fighting back, but unfortunately the pen gave up 3 more runs which were the difference. Vaughn had a 2-run single to go with the two 2-run homers.

Game 2: 1-3 L. LP-Fairbanks (1-5). Starter-Patino (6 6 0 0 1 7). HR-Vaughn (13). Rays took a 1-0 lead into the 9th behind a great Patino outing but Fairbanks reverted to his save-blowing form of midseason by giving up an RBI double and a 2-run homer in the 9th to blow his 6th save.

Game 3: 4-8 L. LP-Baz (5-8, 0.1 2 3 3 0 0). HR-J.Jackson (9). Baz's star-crossed, injury-plagued, inconsistent year continued with giving up a 2-run homer in the 1st, and then plunking Orelvis Martinez, setting off a brawl and getting a 6-game suspension. It didn't get much better from there for the Rays as they dropped their third straight in the series.

Transaction: Baz went on the restricted list and we purchased the contract of veteran reliever Lou Trivino from Durham. Trivino had a 1.33 ERA in 16 innings with Milwaukee earlier this year (albeit with a shaky 12/17 BB/K ratio) and we'll see if he can help.

Game 4: 3-1 W. WP-McClanahan (15-4, 7 1 1 1 0 6). S-Fairbanks (19). After 4 straight lousy starts Mac bounced back in a big way, with Vlad Jr the only Jay to reach with a solo homer, his 3rd of the series. Rene Pinto was the unlikely offensive hero, tripling (!) and scoring on an Albies single and then hitting a 2-run double in the 6th to win it as the Rays salvaged a game from the series.

Team record: 86-48. The Yankees split four in Boston so the magic number is down to 20. Next up: A weekend in Detroit where we'll play 3.

MLB News: The Padres, 2 back of the Giants and in the first NL wild card spot, will be without superstar Fernando Tatis Jr for the rest of the regular season with a fractured foot.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 6-8 L. LP-Swanda (12-6, 3.2 9 6 6 1 3). HR-Vazquez (5), Soto (29). Swanda put them behind 6-2 before they made it a game. Vazquez drove in 4 with the homer and a triple(!). Lou Trivino was lousy in his Rays debut, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks in an inning.

Game 2: 13-7 W. WP-Rasmussen (9-5, 6 5 2 2 4 4). HR-Bregman (25), Vaughn (14). Juan Soto drove in 5 with 3 of the team's 18 hits, Albies was 3-5 with 2 RBI and Vazquez stayed hot with 4 hits and an RBI.

Transactions: September roster expansion time and we called CF Josh Lowe back up after he was Player of the Month at Durham (.306-9-24) as well as Jovani Moran, who was brilliant as Durham's closer (16 saves, 80 whiffs in 44.1 IP) but struggled with his control in previous stints with the big club.

Game 3: 1-6 L. LP-Patino (11-6, 5 6 5 5 3 7). HR-Albies (15). It was a 0-0 game until the 5th when Patino imploded, allowing 5 runs. Five was also the number of hits the offense managed today.

Team record: 87-50. Magic number: 17. Next up: An off-day then we start a homestand with 3 vs Seattle.

MLB News: Yankees 2B Jazz Chisholm is done for the year after suffering a concussion when he fell off a stage at an awards show.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 9-2 W. WP-McClanahan (16-4, 6 5 2 2 1 8). HR-Cain (2/7), Arozarena (21). LoCain's slam highlighted a 5-run 1st and the Rays cruised to victory.

Game 2: 6-3 W. WP-Swanda (13-6, 6 6 3 3 0 7). S-Fairbanks (20). HR-Cain (3/8). Rene Pinto's 2-run double putting Tampa Bay up 4-0 was the game's big hit and he was pressed into action when Christian Vazquez pulled a hammy.

Transactions: Vazquez goes in the IL with the hamstring but should be back when his 10 days are up, Anthony Siegler is called up from AA as he was the only other catcher on the 40-man. Also Shane Baz comes off the restricted list and Jovani Moran is sent back to Durham without getting into a game.

Game 3: 3-5 L. LP-Scott (6-3). Starter-Baz (5 5 3 3 4 4). HR-Vaughn (15). Vaughn's 3-run homer tied it in the 5th but Scott gave up an unearned run in the 6th and the offense couldn't get anything else going.

Team record: 89-51. Magic Number: 12. Next up: Houston visits for 3 games.

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Game 1: 7-3 W. WP-Gau (4-2). Starter-Rasmussen (6 5 3 3 1 6). HR-Bregman (26). Rays overcame an early 3-0 deficit, and won it on a 2-run Albies single followed by A-Breg's 2-run shot.

Game 2: 3-2 W. WP-Taylor (4-1). S-Fairbanks (21). Starter-Patino (5 2 1 1 1 9). The pen blew a 2-1 lead for Patino, who was brilliant, but Wander's RBI double in the 8th got them the win.

Game 3: 4-5 L. LP-White (0-2). Starter-McClanahan (5 5 4 4 2 8, 3 HR). Rays rallied from 4-1 down to tie it up in the 5th, but Colby White's wild pitch on strike three to former Ray Mike Zunino allowed the winner to score.

Team record: 91-52. Magic number: 9. Next up: An off-day then we travel to Yankee Stadium for 3 where we can really put a dent into the magic number.

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Game 1: 5-1 W. WP-Swanda (14-6, 6.1 7 1 1 1 8). Rays scored single runs in each inning from the 5th through the 9th to win with five different players knocking them in.

Game 2: 1-3 L. LP-Baz (5-9, 6 4 2 2 3 7). Jacob deGrom dominated for the Yankees; he along with Cole makes them a daunting opponent in a short playoff series. Baz pitched well but homers continue to plague him as he gave up a 2-run shot to Austin Nola, the catcher's first in 320 AB this season.

Game 3: 4-0 W (11). WP-Fairbanks (2-5). Starter-Rasmussen (5 1 0 0 3 7). Rasmussen started the game by walking the bases loaded with nobody out, escaped that jam and Rays pitching held New York to only 2 hits through 11. LoCain's RBI single broke the scoreless tie in the 11th and Wander followed with a 2-run single.

Team record: 93-53. Magic number: 5. Next up: Back home for 3 vs Cleveland, which holds the first wild card.

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Game 1: 1-5 L. LP-Patino (11-7, 5.1 1 3 2 3 7). Patino had a no-hitter going into the 6th but loaded the bases and left with one out. Tanner Scott came in to face the lefty Anthony Rizzo, who greeted Scott with a grand slam and that was the game.

Game 2: 7-3 W. WP-McClanahan (17-4, 6.2 7 3 1 0 3). S-Taylor (10/17). HR-Soto (30), Cain (4/9). Soto's 2-run shot and Cain's solo blast in the first two innings got them an early 4-1 lead and after Cleveland got within 4-3 a 3-run 8th highlighted by a 2-run Mead single iced the game.

Game 3: 5-7 L. LP-Swanda (14-7, 4 8 6 6 2 5). Swanda was terrible but the Rays had numerous chances to win this one, leaving 11 on base and putting 19 men on in total. They loaded the bases with one out in the 9th and to sum up the game, Cain (who left 8 on base) grounded into a game-ending double play, the third they hit into. Arozarena was 4-4.

Team record: 94-55. Magic number: 4. Next up: A day-off then 3 games in St. Louis including one scheduled against former Rays ace Blake Snell.

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Transaction: Christian Vazquez was activated and Anthony Siegler optioned back to Montgomery.

Game 1: 8-6 W (12). WP-C.White (1-2). Starter-Baz (5.1 6 3 3 2 5). HR-DeLoach (5), Bregman 2 (28), Albies (16). The Rays blew three leads in this game before the fourth one finally stuck when Albies (who had a 3-hit game and 2 RBI) and Bregman hit solo homers in the 12th.

Game 2: 3-2 W. WP-Rasmussen (10-5, 6 3 2 2 1 4). S-Taylor (11/18). This time the bullpen held the lead as Soto and Arozarena were each 2-3 with a double and RBI.

Game 3: 6-2 W. WP-McClanahan (18-4, 5.1 5 1 1 2 6). HR-Arozarena (22). Mac probably gets only one more start so he won't win 20, but he'll come close. DeLoach's 2-run triple keyed a 5-run 2nd which sent the Rays on their way. With the win the Rays officially clinched the AL East, winning it for the 6th time in team history.

Team record: 97-55. Next up: Our interleague road trip continues with 3 in Milwaukee, where the Brewers hold the first wild card in the NL relatively securely.

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Game 1: 12-3 W. WP-Patino (12-7, 7 3 3 3 0 8). HR-J.Lowe (11), Bregman (29), Soto (31), W.Franco (19). A 5-run 3rd featuring a solo Lowe homer and a 3-run Bregman shot overcame an early deficit and they never looked back. Bregman drove in 5 on the day while Soto plated 3.

Game 2: 5-1 W. WP-Swanda (15-7, 5.2 6 1 1 1 6). HR-Soto (32). Swanda was excellent, Soto had a 2-run shot in the 3rd and they scored twice off Freddy Peralta in the 4th on a wild pickoff throw and a balk. The defense also shone with three outfield assists.

Game 3: 0-2 L. LP-Baz (5-10, 5.1 2 2 2 3 8). The Rays fielded a makeshift Sunday lineup featuring several bench players and Corbin Burnes took advantage, fanning 11 in 6 1/3 shutout innings with Rays hitters whiffing 17 times in all. This was their final road game of the regular season and they were an impressive 47-34 away from the Trop.

Team record: 99-56. Next up: Back home for the season's final week starting with 4 against Baltimore.

Playoff race update: As we enter the final week here's where things stand: The AL playoff field is pretty set as the Rays and Royals ran away with their divisions and the Yankees, Cleveland and Seattle should have wild cards wrapped up although the precise order is subject to change. The only modicum of suspense is in the West where the Angels lead Seattle by 3 games, a tough lift for the Mariners.

In the NL the divisions are set with the Phillies, Cardinals and Padres either having clinched or on the verge of clinching. The wild card race however is another matter:



Not shown here are the Cubs and Dodgers, both mathematically in it but 3 1/2 back.

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Game 1: 0-3 L. LP-Rasmussen (10-6, 6 8 2 2 0 2). Rays were shut down by Baltimore's Grayson Rodriguez and managed only 3 hits on the night.

Game 2: 10-9 W. WP-McClanahan (19-4, 6 4 4 4 2 2). S-Taylor (12/19). HR-Vaughn (16), Soto (33), Albies (17). The Rays won their 100th game of the season and Soto went over 100 RBI with 3 tonight including his homer, joining Bregman on the team lead with 102. It was a 10-4 game going into the 9th before Whitley and Taylor nearly blew it, allowing 5 runs.

Game 3: 1-3 L. LP-Patino (12-8, 5.2 9 3 3 4 5). Feast or famine for the Rays offense in this series. DeLoach had two doubles and the lone RBI.

Game 4: 6-5 W (11). WP-Gau (5-2). HR-Mead (14), DeLoach (6). Rays came from 5-2 down after 7 1/2, getting homers from Mead in the 8th and the tying shot from DeLoach in the 9th before Vazquez singled in the winner in the 11th.

Team record: 101-58. Next up: We close out the regular season with 3 at the Trop against Minnesota.

Playoff race update: Seattle took 3 of 4 from the Angels to pull within one game of the AL West lead in the only remaining Junior Circuit suspense. Over in the NL the wild card race remains wild:



Milwaukee is sitting fairly pretty but the other four are fighting over the final two spots. At one point during the last few days all four were tied. The only teams going head-to-head are Pittsburgh and Milwaukee, and the Pirates probably need to sweep. If they do then they'll drag the Brewers into the morass.

MLB News: Several playoff-bound teams lost key contributors for the season over the past few days. The Royals will have do without star C MJ Melendez, the Yankees lost their closer Yerry De Los Santos, and the Angels lost former Ray Ryan Yarbrough, who had a very good 15-11, 3.95 season.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 3-8 L. LP-Baz (5-11, 6 5 4 4 1 9). HR-Mead (15), Soto (34). Was a close one until Scott and Feyereisen allowed 4 runs in the 9th, albeit unearned.

Game 2: 9-4 W. WP-Springs (7-2). Starter-Rasmussen (6 6 2 2 0 4). HR-Pinto (6). 5 runs in the 7th & 8th broke a 4-4 tie. Bregman and Pinto each plated 3 runs.

Transaction: Colby White was sent to AAA on a paper move (he'll be on the playoff roster) and JP Sears was called up to start the regular season finale and skip McClanahan.

Game 3: 2-5 L. LP-Sears (0-1, 6 7 2 2 1 4). HR-Cain (5/10). A makeshift lineup struggled to score runs as numerous regulars rested for the playoffs, with Cain's 2-run homer in the 9th averting a shutout. We still ended up getting a couple of players hurt with Forrest Whitley (who will be missed) straining his elbow and putting him out for the playoffs while Josh Lowe (who was iffy to make the playoff roster) strained his oblique and is also done for the year.

Final Regular Season Record: 102-60. Next up: The ALDS against either the Guardians or the Yankees. All I can say is "Go Cleveland" because I'd rather not face deGrom and Cole in a short series.

Playoff race update: The Mariners truly blew the AL West, finishing a game behind the Angels thanks to blowing a 7-1 lead in the 8th inning in Saturday's game against Oakland. Seattle had the tiebreaker on LA otherwise. Those two teams will meet in the ALDS now with Seattle visiting Anaheim.

In the NL the crazy wild card race saw Milwaukee sweeping Pittsburgh to secure the 1st wild card and eliminate the Pirates; the Mets took 2 of 3 to finish 82-80 and take the second, and Atlanta and San Francisco ended up tying for the third wild card with the Braves winning on the second tiebreaker (intradivision record) as the teams split their 6 games this year. So this is the playoff tree:

[Art Deco]

When have I ever had a team with really good defense in any of my saves?



Speaking of defense Randy Arozarena had a higher WAR than Wander Franco despite an 80-point OPS deficit thanks to his outfield play and Wander's iffy defense at short. Also how about those 155 walks from Soto? Somehow he only scored 93 runs in the process. Meanwhile Austin Meadows was dreadful and had pretty much lost his job against RHP anyway so he's off the playoff roster, and with Josh Lowe hurt LF against RHP is going to go to Zach DeLoach, who played well in September.



Despite McClanahan's gaudy W/L record WAR says John Swanda was our ace this year. Mac will start Game 1, Swanda Game 2, and Patino Game 3 of the playoffs. I like Baz's stuff better than Rasmussen's for the 4th starter but I'm still undecided whether that's enough. Our secret weapons were Gau and Whitley in multi-inning relief and we'll miss Whitley. To replace him on the playoff roster we're going to call up a rookie with no previous MLB experience a la McClanahan in 2020, Sandy Gaston. The flame-throwing righty fanned 136 in 86 IP at Durham (albeit with 47 walks). He pitched mostly in relief but made 7 starts and with 55 stamina he can go multiple innings.

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Cleveland took it to Gerrit Cole to surprise the Yankees and the Angels took advantage of home cooking to open their best-of-3 wild card series.

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The Angels are through to the ALDS where they'll play Kansas City while the Rays will have to wait another day to learn their opponent as the Yankees evened things up behind a dominant Jacob deGrom start.

Over in the NL Brandon Woodruff went 7 2/3 scoreless backed by a pair of Christian Yelich homers while former Ray Jonathan Loaisiga helped pitch Atlanta to a win in San Diego to open up their series.