The 2022 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

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Game 1: 8-7 W. WP-Fairbanks (1-0). S-Diaz (2). Starter-Eldridge (3.2 5 3 3 3 5). Rays squandered a 6-0 lead but still won anyway on Caminero's tiebreaking RBI double in the 9th. Santana had a bases-clearing double earlier to help build the lead, and after it was 7-6 Max Green blew the lead in the 8th.

Game 2: 2-4 L. LP-Orze (0-2, 3.2 4 4 4 3 5). HR-Caminero (3). Despite yesterday's 8 runs the offense has been a struggle all year and today was no exception.

Game 3: 1-2 L. LP-Swanda (0-3, 6.2 5 2 2 1 7). The bats were pitiful again, managing only 4 hits and fanning 13 times. Swanda is 0-3 but has a 3.42 ERA as they never score runs for him.

Game 4: 6-7 L. LP-Diaz (1-2). Starter-G.Rodriguez (6 7 3 3 3 9). HR-Albies 2 (4), Caminero (4), Franco (2). Rays had a 6-3 lead in the 8th before Max Green came up small again, giving up a 2-run homer to Trevor Story and then Edwin Diaz blew it in the 9th. He gave up a leadoff triple but got the next two out with the man held at 3rd only to give up a hit to allow 2 runners to score, giving him two losses and a blown save already this year. They wasted a good game from Albies and dropped below .500.

Team record: 8-9. Next up: They'll try to get right in Houston where they'll play three.

MLB News: Gerrit Cole, who missed much of 2027 due to injury, is done for 2028 as well with a torn UCL. Meanwhile Fernando Tatis Jr. hit his 300th career homer.

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Game 1: 0-6 L. LP-Beeter (1-2, 5.1 7 5 4 2 4). Another pathetic performance from the bats with only 4 hits.

Game 2: 6-0 W. WP-Eldridge (1-1, 7 1 0 0 1 6). HR-Caminero (5). Bryce Eldridge took a no-hitter into the 6th and pitched his best game as a big leaguer, Caminero was 4-4 with the homer and Blaze Jordan had a 2-run single.

Game 3: 4-5 L (10). LP-Diaz (1-3). Starter-Orze (4 8 4 4 1 4). HR-Albies (5). Another rough loss with Edwin Diaz giving up a walk-off homer to Kyle Tucker as he's been a terrible free agent signing so far. Albies had a 2-run homer and Caminero had hits his first three times up to give him seven straight.

Team record: 9-11. Next up: Thankfully we return home after this 2-8 road trip with 3 games against Boston.

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Game 1: 3-1 W. WP-Swanda (1-3, 6 7 1 1 0 2). S-Fairbanks (1). Swanda finally got enough runs to win, thanks largely to Caminero who stayed scorching hot by going 4-4 with 2 RBI while Wood added an RBI triple.

Game 2: 11-2 W. WP-G.Rodriguez (3-0, 6 5 2 2 0 6). HR-Chin (1). Grayson was great and Fu-Chi Chin had his best game as a big leaguer, going 3-5 with a grand slam. Luciano was also 3-4 with a double & 3 RBI.

Game 3: 6-0 W. WP-Beeter (2-2, 5 5 0 0 0 6). HR-B.Jordan (3), Luciano (3), Albies (6). Home cooking continues to suit the Rays as they're 10-3 at the Trop while 2-8 on the road. Beeter was solid and Albies had a 3-run homer as they completed the sweep by an aggregate score of 20-3.

Team record: 12-11, back over .500 and within 1 1/2 of division-leading Baltimore. And that's where we're headed for 3 games in an attempt to shake our early-season road woes.

MLB News: Angels' slugger Keston Hiura will be out 2-3 months with a fractured hand, Houston's Yordan Alvarez is hurt again with a fractured thumb, putting him out 3-4 weeks and former Ray and current Phillie Alex Bregman hit his 300th career homer.

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Game 1: 2-4 L. LP-Eldridge (1-2, 7 5 4 2 0 6). HR-Cartaya (2), Franco (3). The Rays continue to be roadkill as they drop to 2-9 away from the Trop this season. A Wander error in the 1st led to a 3-run inning which was the difference.

Game 2: 9-7 W. WP-Acosta (1-0). S-Diaz (3). Starter-Orze (2.2 6 5 5 2 4). HR-B.Jordan (4), Wood (2), Cartaya (3). A wild and wooly day in Baltimore as a pair of rain delays added nearly two hours to the game. Rays were up 3-0, down 5-3, then ahead to stay 6-5 on James Wood's 3-run blast. They extended the lead to 9-5 before Max Green failed again, allowing two of Pete Fairbanks' runners to score. Edwin Diaz did come through with a 1-2-3 9th.

Game 3: 5-4 W. WP-Swanda (2-3, 5 3 1 1 4 5). S-Diaz (4). HR-Wood (3), Franco (4), Santana 2 (3). Natanael Santana broke out of a season-long slump to homer twice and drive in 3 to lead the Rays to their first road series win of 2028. The bullpen made things way too interesting again as a 5-1 lead shrunk to 5-4 with Chris Gau today's culprit. Diaz again nailed down the save though so at least he seems to be back on track.

Team record: 14-12. The Rays are third, but only a game behind the division-leading Yankees with the Orioles in the middle 1/2 back. Next up: A return home for 3 against Seattle after an off-day.

MLB News: Vlad Guerrero Jr is on a 26-game hit streak and was named AL Player of the Month for April, hitting .412-11-30 on the season.

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Game 1: 6-1 W. WP-G.Rodriguez (4-0, 7 5 1 1 1 8). HR-Cartaya (4). Grayson was dominant again and Cartaya's 3-run homer capped a 5-run 5th which broke a 1-1 tie. James Wood had a 2-run single earlier in the inning.

Game 2: 4-1 W. WP-Beeter (3-2, 5 3 1 0 1 4). S-Diaz (5). HR-Albies (7). Another well-pitched game (3 hits allowed in total) and just like yesterday the 5th inning was decisive as Caminero's 2-run single snapped a 1-1 deadlock.

Game 3: 1-0 W. WP-Moran (2-0). S-Green (1). Starter-Eldridge (5.1 5 0 0 3 5). HR-Cartaya (5). Cartaya's homer in the 6th was the game's only run as Rays pitching completed a dominant series in which they only allowed one run and 13 hits in total. Max Green, who had struggled mightily in his debut Rays season, came through with a 2-inning save today, allowing only a walk and fanning 3.

Team record: 17-12. They've now won 9 of 11 including 5 straight, and have regained the top spot in the AL East, 1 up on the Yankees. Next up: The homestand continues with 3 against the Angels.

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Game 1: 9-0 W. WP-Orze (1-2, 6 4 0 0 1 6). Eric Orze, whose rotation spot was in jeopardy, pitching himself a reprieve today with his best outing of the season while Wander was 3-5 with 2 RBI and Wood added a 2-run double to help rout LA.

Game 2: 3-8 L. LP-Swanda (2-4, 4 8 6 6 3 7). Swanda's record is misleading as most of his losses have come due to a lack of support but today he was just bad despite all the Ks. Wander had a 2-run double on which he injured himself, suffering back spasms.

Transaction: As Wander's back spasms are moderate for a week, he was ILed and Brooks Lee called up from Durham to back up Jeremiah Jackson who'll take over at short in the interim.

Game 3: 6-0 W. WP-G.Rodriguez (5-0, 7 1 0 0 0 10). HR-Albies (8), Cartaya (6). Grayson was utterly dominant again today and now leads MLB in pitcher WAR with 1.7 while Albies (was 3-5 with 3 RBI) and Cartaya slugged 2-run homers in a 4-run 3rd which broke the game open.

Team record: 19-13, first by a game over the Yankees. Next up: The lengthy homestand continues with 4 against Boston.

MLB News: A couple of pitchers received bad injury news as the Cubs' Devin Williams tore his UCL and Seattle's Sixto Sanchez broke a bone in his elbow (against us in the previous series) and will be out 4 months.

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Game 1: 7-4 W. WP-Beeter (4-2, 6.2 5 3 3 0 4). HR-Santana (4), Caminero (6), Albies (9). Caminero's 3-run shot in the 6th turned around a 3-1 deficit and Albies' 3-run shot put the game away in the 8th.

Game 2: 2-9 L. LP-Eldridge (1-3, 2.1 7 6 6 2 5). Rays had the bases loaded and nobody out in the 1st, couldn't score, and Boston got 4 in the 2nd and things went downhill from there.

Game 3: 3-2 W (10). WP-Fairbanks (2-0). Starter-Orze (6 6 1 1 1 3). HR-Santana (5), Cartaya (7). Cartaya's mammoth blast in the 10th walked it off for the Rays after Orze turned in his second straight excellent start.

Game 4: 5-1 W. WP-German (2-0). Starter-Swanda (5 3 1 1 3 3). HR-L.White (1), Cartaya (8). Lonnie White's 3-run homer in the 6th broke a 1-1 tie to win it for the Rays. Luis German got the win with 2 perfect innings and 4 Ks and has this unbelievable line for the year: 23 14 0 0 2 34, already good for 1.3 WAR.

Team record: 22-14, now 2 1/2 up on Baltimore who supplanted the Yankees in 2nd by sweeping a series with them. Next up: A marathon 13-game homestand concludes with 3 against Miami. After that series concludes we'll have played 26 of our first 39 games at home so we'll need to improve on that 4-9 road record.

MLB News: Angels lost their closer Ryne Nelson for the year with a stretched elbow ligament, Houston will be without reigning AL MVP Kyle Tucker for 5 weeks with shoulder tendinitis, and Atlanta's Matt Olson will be out 2-3 weeks with a hamstring strain.

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Game 1: 3-1 W. WP-G.Rodriguez (6-0, 6 2 1 1 2 5). S-Diaz (6). HR-Caminero (7). Caminero's 3-run homer in the first stood up for the entire game thanks to another Grayson gem and fine bullpen work.

Game 2: 1-4 L. LP-Beeter (4-3, 3.1 5 4 4 3 5). Beeter got beat and the bats only scratched out four hits in a rough night at the Trop.

Game 3: 5-0 W. WP-Eldridge (2-3, 5 3 0 0 2 6). HR-Caminero 2 (9). Bryce was nice and Caminero repeated his feat from Friday night with a 3-run homer in the 1st and this time added an insurance shot in the 8th. Luis German had two more scoreless innings to run his season-starting streak to 26.

Team record: 24-15, 3 games up on Baltimore through the off-day. Next up: We start making up some of the series home-road imbalance in our schedule with 3 games at Citi Field against the Mets after that off-day.

MLB News: Congrats to LA's Mike Trout, who hit his 500th homer.

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Game 1: 5-2 W. WP-Orze (2-2, 5.1 6 2 2 1 1). S-Diaz (7). HR-Albies (10), Luciano (4), Santana (6). A fine effort from the pitching staff and three big homers led the Rays to a rare road win for 2028. Edwin Diaz got the save in his old ballpark but they didn't play "Narco" for him.

Transaction: Wander Franco is welcomed back off the IL and Brooks Lee is optioned to Durham.

Game 2: 3-1 W. WP-Swanda (3-4, 5 3 1 1 0 7). S-Diaz (8). HR-Santana (7), DeLoach (1). It was a miserable night in New York for everyone but the Rays as they used the same recipe as the night before to win on a cold, rainy night at Citi Field that featured a 44-minute delay in the 4th. Swanda and the pen were great as Diaz this time struck out the side in the 9th and Santana homered again with his 2-run shot the difference in the game.

Game 3: 4-0 W. WP-G.Rodriguez (7-0, 6 3 0 0 0 8). HR-Franco (5), Santana (8). It was a matchup of two young pitchers at the top of their games with the 6-0 Grayson Rodriguez facing off against 7-0 Kumar Rocker. And G-Rod got the better of things as he normally does despite another lousy weather night (47 degrees with a 55-minute delay) and Natanael Santana homered for the third straight game to give the Rays a sweep of a Mets team which came in 25-13, actually making them 5-1 in their last two road series after starting the year away from home 2-8.

Team record: 27-15. With the sweep and an Oriole loss the division lead is up to 4 1/2 games. Next up: We head south on I-95 to the nation's capital to play 3 against Washington.

MLB News: The big news of the last few days came out of New York as well, but from the Bronx as slugging legend Giancarlo Stanton announced his retirement at the end of the season as age and injuries have caught up to him. Last winter New York voided the final year of his contract before coming back to them on a minor-league deal but has been limited to 14 AB so far this year. Meanwhile still going strong (and several years younger than Stanton) is Mookie Betts who picked up career hit #2000.

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*we were supposed to play three but Sunday's game was rained out and will be made up on Monday the 29th, the rare Memorial Day makeup game

Game 1: 1-2 L (11). LP-Ruegger (0-1). Starter-Beeter (6 5 1 1 1 4). The offense continues to have some struggles scoring, and it cost them tonight with some excellent pitching wasted. Charlie Ruegger was greeted by a leadoff Wilmer Flores homer in the 11th to allow the Nats to walk it off.

Transaction: It was finally time to pull the plug on the Blaze Jordan era at 1B. Despite some good ratings (55 contact/65 power), Jordan was only hitting 176/244/303 with 4 homers even though he pretty much played everyday. Coming up from Durham to replace him on the roster and in the lineup is 2B Max Viera, who was hitting 347/369/663 with 8 HR in 98 AB for the Bulls after hitting .269 with 21 HR last season. The switch-hitting Viera is a better defensive 2B than Ozzie Albies, who will slide over to first.

Game 2: 9-4 W. WP-Eldridge (3-3, 6 6 3 3 1 3). HR-Caminero (10), Cartaya 2 (10), Luciano (5). The bats came to life today with Caminero hitting his patented 1st-inning 3-run homer (the third time this month he's done so) and Cartaya drilling a pair including a back-to-back jack with Caminero in the first that landed in nearly the identical spot just inside the LF foul pole. Both drove in 3 on the day and Luciano was 3-5 with a 2-run homer as they banged out 17 hits. Not invited to the hit parade was Max Viera in his MLB debut, going 0-5 with a couple of strikeouts. Also Luis German was finally proven mortal today, giving up a solo homer to Luis Garcia which was the first run he'd allowed 31 innings this year.

Team record: 28-16. Baltimore was swept, so with our split and the rainout the division lead is up to 6 games as we're the only team now above .500 in the AL East. Next up: Back home for a pair against Atlanta before heading up there for two more.

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Game 1: 5-1 W. WP-Orze (3-2, 5 2 1 1 1 5). HR-Viera (1), DeLoach (2), Franco (6). Orze was dealing, the pen was great and Max Viera endeared himself to the Rays' fan base by hitting his first MLB homer to dead center at the Trop which broke a 1-1 tie in the 5th. DeLoach went back-to-back with him and Wander's 2-run shot was the icing on the cake.

Game 2: 9-1 W. WP-Swanda (4-4, 6.1 4 1 1 1 8). HR-DeLoach (3), Franco (8). DeLoach was 4-4, missing the cycle by a triple and homering as part of a back-to-back again, this time with Wander as the Rays routed Atlanta and swept the 2-game mini-series. Caminero, Santana, and Fu-Chi Chin each knocked in a pair to support a brilliant Swanda.

Team record: 30-16, still 6 up on Baltimore. Next up: The away leg of this series as we head to Truist Park for a pair.

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Game 1: 7-0 W. WP-G.Rodriguez (8-0, 7 3 0 0 1 9). HR-Viera (2), Wood (4). Grayson Rodriguez's Cy Young-caliber season rolled on, as he's now first in the pitching triple crown (Wins, Ks, ERA) and first in pitcher WAR with 2.5. Viera's 3-run homer made it 4-0 and Wood was 3-3 with a double, homer and the other 4 driven in.

Game 2: 6-7 L. LP-Diaz (1-4). Starter-Beeter (4.1 3 3 2 3 2). HR-Caminero 2 (12). Looked early like another Rays rout as a pair of 2-run homers from Caminero helped make it 5-0 and Beeter didn't allow a hit through 4, but Atlanta crept back within 5-4 after 8. Luciano's RBI single gave them insurance in the top of the 9th but not enough as Edwin Diaz loaded the bases with a hit and two walks and then let Ronald Acuna Jr. clear them with a double to walk it off for Atlanta as the Rays suffered a gut-punch loss.

Team record: 31-17, still 6 up on Baltimore. Next up: Off to Detroit for 3 games.

MLB News: It was all Marte news as free agent Starling signed for his third go-round with the Mets at age 39 on a 1-year, $14.6M pro-rated deal while Arizona star Ketel will miss a month with a knee sprain.

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Game 1: 7-3 W. WP-Eldridge (4-3, 6.1 4 3 3 0 7). HR-DeLoach (4), Santana (9), Viera (3), Franco (8). Four solo homers although each of those who homered except Viera drove in a second run, backing Eldridge who was perfect through 4 1/3.

Game 2: 3-2 W. WP-Sears (2-0). S-Diaz (9). Starter-Orze (4 3 0 0 3 4). All three runs came in the 6th with a Wander RBI double the big hit, and they hung on after going to the bottom of the 9th up 3-0 when Edwin Diaz gave up a 2-run homer and put another man on but still eked out the save.

Game 3: 6-5 W. WP-Green (1-0). S-Fairbanks (2). HR-Caminero (13). Starter-Swanda (5.2 6 5 2 1 5). Rays went up 1-0, 4-1 and 5-4 with Detroit coming back to tie each time until DeLoach singled in a run in the 8th to win it. He was 3-5 with 2 RBI and Caminero drove in 3 including a 2-run homer as the Rays completed the sweep in Motown.

Team record: 34-17, now 9 games up on Baltimore which was swept in Houston. Next up: Back to the nation's capital for Memorial Day where we'll make up a rained-out game from last week. The lucky Nats get to face Grayson Rodriguez.

MLB News: Starling Marte, just picked up off the street by the Mets, rapped his 2000th career hit. Also, this:

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The makeup game from last week's rainout.

3-4 L. LP-G.Rodriguez (8-1, 6 6 3 3 1 4). HR-Santana (10). Grayson Rodriguez tasted defeat for the first time, pitching decently but allowing a couple of solo homers.

Team record: 34-18. Next up: After our quick jaunt to Washington the regular schedule resumes with 3 in Texas.

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Game 1: 2-10 L. LP-Beeter (4-4, 2.2 7 5 5 2 2). HR-Cartaya (11). An ugly affair as Beeter was hit hard and then Taj Bradley gave up 5 more to put them well out of it early.

Game 2: 2-0 W. WP-Moran (3-0). S-Diaz (10). HR-J.Jackson (1). Starter-Eldridge (5 6 0 0 1 6). Eldridge and four relievers combined on the shutout and Jeremiah Jackson's 2-run homer in the 7th was all the scoring as the Rays' staff bounced back from the previous night's debacle.

Game 3: 7-3 W. WP-Fairbanks (3-0). Starter-Orze (4 3 0 0 1 3, 82 pitches). HR-Albies (11), Franco (9). The Albies & Franco homers gave them a 3-0 which Fairbanks lost in the 6th giving up a 3-run homer to the first man he faced, but he vultured the win when Max Viera doubled in a run to restore the lead and they tacked on three more from there.

Team record: 36-19, 9 up on the now second-place Yankees. Next up: Back home for some interleague action as 30-22 St. Louis visits the Trop for three.

Some transactions: First, we claimed reliever Trey Riley on waivers from Atlanta. Riley has 60 stuff, 65 movement and 70 control and I see him as an upgrade over free-agent-to-be Chris Gau. But Eldridge, Swanda and German are the only pitchers with options meaning I'd have to deal or waive somebody to make room for Riley. They're all too good to waive so I shopped Gau and while I didn't find a deal that impressed me for him I did notice the Giants were offering Elijah Green and it turns out they were just looking to get rid of him. So this swap was made:



Jimenez is more suspect than prospect with major control problems and won't be missed. Green meanwhile has a questionable hit tool but is an elite (70-rated) CF who in this universe was the #1 overall pick in 2022, didn't sign with Baltimore, went to college and was taken 18th overall in 2025 by the Giants. The hit tool has never developed (40 current/45 potential) but he does sport 55/60 power and 70 speed. He'll report to Durham for now as he was in AAA this season after hitting 243/299/402 for the Giants in 70 games last year.

Meanwhile I'm going to hold off activating Riley for now until I can either make room or room is made with an injury as I have 7 days to figure it out.

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Game 1: 4-1 W. WP-Swanda (5-4, 6.1 4 0 0 2 5). Swanda was dealing and Cartaya had a big 2-run single as the Rays took another tidy victory.

Game 2: 4-5 L (11). LP-Green (1-1). Starter-G.Rodriguez (4 4 3 2 5 8). HR-Franco (10), Luciano (6), Cartaya (12). Caminero's RBI single in the bottom of the 9th dramatically tied it at 3 but Max Green gave up a couple of homers in the 11th. Cartaya got one back but it wasn't enough.

Game 3: 1-7 L. LP-Beeter (4-5, 5.1 7 5 5 3 7). Beeter was hit hard for the second straight start and now has an ERA over 5; Taj Bradley might be replacing him in the rotation.

Team record: 37-21. With the two losses the division lead was trimmed to 7 1/2 games. Next up: Baltimore visits for 4 games.

MLB News: Carlos Rodon, currently with the Phillies, suffered a torn UCL and this time his injury-riddled career is over. Rodon was briefly a Ray although he never pitched for the club; he was signed while rehabbing an injury in late 2024 and helped us land Kyle Tucker for the 2025 season when we dealt him to Houston. Also the Royals will be without star infielder Bobby Witt Jr. for six weeks with back spasms.

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Game 1: 8-2 W. WP-Eldridge (5-3, 5 3 2 1 2 6). HR-Franco (11), J.Jackson (2). Albies was 3-4 with a double and an RBI while Wander and Jeremiah Jackson each blasted 2-run homers to lead the way.

Game 2: 5-2 W. WP-Green (2-1). S-Diaz (11). Starter-Orze (5 3 0 0 1 2). HR-DeLoach (5), Wood (5), Cartaya (13). Cartaya's 3-run homer in the 8th broke a 2-2 tie and won it for Tampa Bay.

Game 3: 6-8 L (10). LP-Moran (3-1). Starter-Swanda (7 6 2 2 0 6). HR-Wood 2 (7). An epic bullpen meltdown. Rays led 6-0 after 7 thanks to Wood's two homers and 3 RBI along with a great start from Swanda. But he put two on to start the 8th, JP Sears loaded the bases and gave up a slam, and then Fairbanks put two men on, wild pitched them both into scoring position, and gave up a 2-run single. And to complete the fiasco in the 10th Moran gave up a 2-run homer for the second straight day to lose it.

Game 3: 2-4 L. LP-Green (2-2). Starter-G.Rodriguez (5 3 2 2 4 9). HR-Luciano (7). The pen let them down again as after Luciano's solo homer in the 7th brought them back from down 2-0, Max Green gave up 2 runs in the 8th to lose the game.

Team record: 39-23. The Jays have been hot and have cut the division lead to 6 1/2 games. Next up: Out west for some interleague action as we visit San Francisco for 3.

MLB News: Looks we dodged a bullet by not signing Luis Castillo to a long-term contract as the Cleveland starter tore his flexor tendon and is done for the year.

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Game 1: 4-5 L. LP-Acosta (1-1). Starter-Bradley (5 3 2 2 3 8). James Wood's dropped fly ball in the 7th brought home the winner for the Giants. Cartaya and Viera each drove in a pair for Tampa Bay.

Game 2: 4-3 W. WP-Moran (4-1). S-Diaz (12). Starter-Eldridge (6 7 3 3 1 3). DeLoach doubled to lead off the 9th and Wander singled him home for the winner.

Game 3: 2-1 W (10). WP-Green (3-2). S-Fairbanks (3). Starter-Orze (4.2 7 1 1 2 3). Albies doubled in Wander in the 10th to win it as the Rays took 2 of 3 in the series without hitting a single homer.

Team record: 41-24, still 6 1/2 up on Toronto. Next up: A 3-game date in the desert with the Diamondbacks in a rematch of last year's World Series won by Tampa Bay.

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Game 1: 3-5 L. LP-Swanda (5-5, 4.2 10 5 5 0 1). Rays had a 3-1 lead into the 5th before Swanda was hit for 4 runs and lost. Max Viera and Lonnie White were each 2-3 with an RBI.

Game 2: 3-2 W. WP-G.Rodriguez (9-1, 7 2 0 0 1 6). S-Diaz (13). HR-Caminero (14), Albies (12). Grayson returned to brilliant form and they survived bullpen runs allowed in the 8th and the 9th to hang on for the win.

Game 3: 3-1 W. WP-Bradley (1-0, 7.1 4 1 1 0 6). S-Moran (1). HR-L.White (1). Taj won his first decision and was incredibly efficient (64 pitches!) while Lonnie White came through again off the bench, going 2-4 with a walk, steal and solo homer.

Team record: 43-25. The Blue Jays remained red-hot and swept Colorado to pull within 5 1/2 games. Next up: An off-day then we're back home for 3 against Detroit.

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Game 1: 0-5 L. LP-Eldridge (5-4, 6 7 2 2 0 8). Eldridge deserved a better fate but the bats weren't going to give it to him, held to four hits with three of them coming from Junior Caminero.

Game 2: 3-1 W. WP-Sears (3-0). S-Diaz (14). Starter-Orze (4 5 1 1 2 3). HR-DeLoach (6). Santana's 2-run triple in the 6th broke a 1-1 tie and the Rays eked out enough runs to win.

Game 3: 8-1 W. WP-Swanda (6-5, 6 3 0 0 1 9). HR-Franco (12), DeLoach (7), Cartaya (14), Caminero (15). The offense finally came to life with a 5-run 5th keyed by Cartaya's 3-run shot breaking open a 2-0 game and supporting Swanda who was dealing.

Team record: 45-26. The Jays finally cooled off and lost 2 of 3 in KC so the lead is back up to 6 1/2. Next up: 4 games at Yankee Stadium.

MLB News: Angels 2-way superstar Shohei Ohtani hit his 300th homer.