The 2022 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 9-3 W. WP-Buckman (4-0, 7 4 2 2 3 8). HR-Pino (8). Buckman has gone 4-0 in his four starts this year after coming off the IL with today's excellent outing and the offense came alive, led by C.Williams (2-4, double, 2 RBI), Haro (2-run double) and Pino (2-run homer).

Game 2: 2-6 L. LP-Najera (4-3, 4.2 9 4 4 2 7). HR-Solis (1). Najera suffered his worst outing since joining the Rays (first time over 3 ER allowed) and the bats didn't do much in the loss. The 32-year-old Cuban rookie Solis did bag his first homer.

Game 3: 0-4 L. LP-Lennon (2-3, 7 2 1 1 2 8). Lennon deserved a far better fate than he suffered as he now leads the majors in pitcher WAR at 1.7 but the bats only managed five hits in another limp effort.

Team record: 19-13. Fortunately Toronto cooled off as well, losing 2 of 3 to stay only 1/2 game ahead of the Rays. Next up: 4 games in Baltimore.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 3-6 L. LP-L.Gonzalez (0-1). Starter-Vargas (6.1 4 0 0 1 7). HR-Gurrola (5), K.White (7). A gut-punch of a loss as the Rays took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the 8th only to see the bullpen (Boyle, Gonzalez and Ogando) allow 6 runs to send the team to defeat. Worst yet Boyle tore his UCL and is done until next season. The one bright spot was 6 1/3 more shutout innings from Vargas in his second start and he's now pitched 25 1/3 this year without allowing a run.

Transaction: Joe Boyle goes on the 60-day IL and Christian Rodriguez is up from Durham.

Game 2: 10-4 W. WP-Acosta (3-1, 5.2 2 1 1 2 8). HR-Solis (2), Rutschman (4), J.Jones (2), Haro (5). A 17-hit attack led the Rays to a blowout win with Haro homering and driving in 4 and Rutschman and Solis each going 3-5 with a homer and 3 RBI. Unfortunately the injury big hit again and Josh Jones suffered a bone bruise which will sideline him 2-3 weeks.

Transaction: Jones hits in the IL and IF Elijah Watts is called up from Durham.

Game 3: 4-8 L. LP-Buckman (4-1, 4.1 3 4 4 6 3). HR-Pino (9), Rutschman (5), Hardy (6). After four great starts after coming off the IL Buckman finally had a stinker today, walking 6 as Rays pitching issued a total of 9 free passes on a terrible day.

Transaction: Claimed P Chase Lee on waivers from Philadelphia, optioned P Christian Rodriguez to Durham. This will be Lee's second tour of duty with the Rays as he briefly was with the club in 2024. He's rated 60/70/55 so he should be a good contributor and has a career 2.87 ERA in 135 IP.

Game 4: 8-2 W. WP-Najera (5-3, 6 4 1 1 1 5). HR-Solis (3), C.Williams (5). Najera was excellent again (ERA down to 2.62) and Solis had a big 3-run homer early as the Rays salvaged a split in Baltimore.

Team record: 21-15. Toronto lost 3 of 4 so the Rays edged back into first place by 1/2 game over the Jays. Next up: 3 games just a little bit up I-95 against the Phillies, who sport an identical 21-15 record to Tampa Bay.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 2-3 L (10). LP-R.Rodriguez (0-2). Starter-Lennon (5 4 2 2 3 6). HR-K.White (8). Rays couldn't get much going on offense today and it caught up to them in the 10th when R-Rod loaded the bases with nobody out and gave up a walk-off single.

Game 2: 0-2 L. LP-Vargas (2-1, 5.1 3 2 2 1 5). Vargas' scoreless streak to start the season ended about halfway to Hershiser at 29 innings when he gave up a 2-run homer to Ronald Acuna Jr. and that was all Philly needed as the Rays only squeaked out two hits on another dismal day for the offense. In fact the teams combined for only five hits but good pitching wasn't enough once again for Tampa Bay.

Game 3: 5-6 L. LP-Ogando (1-2). Starter-Acosta (5 2 4 3 3 10). HR-K.White (9), Haro (6). Figures on a day they finally score more than a couple of runs the pitching lets the Rays down as they were swept by the Phillies. Ogando came on in a 4-4 game to start the 8th and promptly gave up a homer to that man Acuna again (his second of the game) and then another for good measure, which proved significant when Haro homered in the 9th. This was the third outing in the last four Ogando has allowed multiple runs and gave up at least one homer, a bad run for our normal shut-down 8th-inning guy. Haro and White each had 3 hits in the losing effort.

Team record: 21-18. We're now 1 1/2 behind Toronto in 2nd and tied with KC for the first wild card. Next up: A return home for 3 against 22-17 Miami.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 4-0 W. WP-Buckman (5-1, 6.1 5 0 0 4 8). HR-Solis (4). Buckman bounced back from lone his bad outing of the year to improve to 5-1 in 6 starts and they managed enough offense.

Game 2: 2-3 L. LP-R.Rodriguez (0-3). Starter-Najera (6 6 0 0 0 7). HR-Pino (10). A total R-Rod meltdown in the 9th as he blew a 2-0 lead by walking 3 and giving up 3 hits to allow 3 runs to score. Of course if the offense had done more than Pino's 2-run homer it might have not been so dire and a great game from Najera might not have been wasted.

Game 3: 7-2 W. WP-Lennon (3-3, 6.2 4 0 0 1 6). HR-Hardy 2 (8), Rutschman (6). Lennon was the third Rays starter in three games this series to go 6 or more scoreless while Hardy homered twice and drove in 3 while Rutschman had a 2-run single and solo shot as the Rays took the series.

Team record: 23-19. Still 1 1/2 behind Toronto in the East and still tied with KC for the first wild card. Next up: A day off to head to New York where the Mets await us for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 3-6 L. LP-Ogando (1-3). Starter-Vargas (4.1 3 1 1 2 2). HR-Pino (11). Pino's 2-run homer in the 6th put the Rays up 3-1 but once again Ogando melted down (10 runs allowed over his last 5 appearances covering only 2 inning!) and New York scored 4 in the 8th to win it. This is the last Ogando will pitch in high-leverage situations for a while.

Game 2: 5-6 L. LP-Acosta (3-2, 4 9 6 5 1 5). HR-Rutschman (7), K.White (10). Acosta was flat-out terrible and the game really wasn't this close until White hit a 3-run homer in the 9th. They did put a man on right after the homer but hit into a double play, and did leave 11 men on base.

Game 3: 12-4 W. WP-Buckman (6-1, 7 5 1 1 2 8). HR-E.Bell (2), Bell, who was hitting 149/232/243 coming in and whom I was considering DFAing before the game, hit a 3-run homer and a 2-run single to pace an offensive explosion that saw Haro drive in 3 as well. Meanwhile Buckman was excellent once again and has decisions in all 7 starts since coming off the IL, a rarity in this day and age.

Team record: 24-21. They've slipped 2 1/2 behind Toronto and currently sit in WC2. Next up: A return home to play 4 against the other New York team, the Yankees.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 4-0 W. WP-Najera (6-3, 7 4 0 0 0 9). HR-Rutschman (8). Najera was simply brilliant and now leads the league in ERA (2.03) and MLB in pitcher WAR (2.4).

Game 2: 4-3 W. WP-Little (2-1). S-R.Rodriguez (9). Starter-Lennon (5.2 6 3 3 1 8). Rutschman's 2-run single in the 6th overturned a 3-2 Yankee lead and won it for Tampa Bay.

Game 3: 1-8 L (11). LP-R.Rodriguez (0-4). Starter-Vargas (5 5 1 1 1 6). HR-K.White (11). White homered in the bottom of the 9th to send us to extras, where R-Rod melted down allowing 5 runs (unearned thanks to White's error but still) in the 11th. Ogando then came in for some work and he walked 3 guys and 2 more runs scored, so just a bang-up job from the bullpen.

Game 4: 4-3 W. WP-Salazar (1-0). Starter-Acosta (7 3 3 3 2 9). Gurrola singled in the winner, breaking a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the 9th to give Tampa Bay a walk-off win.

Team record: 27-22. Despite a successful series taking 3 of 4 the Rays fell farther behind Toronto, which swept theirs and has won 5 straight, and are now 3 1/2 back. We're a game up on Kansas City in WC1 and it's the Royals we face next with 3 on the road there.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 3-7 L. LP-Buckman (6-2, 4.2 6 7 7 5 3). HR-Gurrola (6). Buckman had been very good since coming off the IL but today he was most assuredly not, lit up for 7 runs as the Rays were down 7-0 before scoring.

Game 2: 4-6 L. LP-R.Rodriguez (0-5). Starter-Najera (4.2 8 3 3 3 6). HR-Rutschman (9). Not you too, R-Rod? It was bad enough that our lockdown setup guy of the last few years Ogando suddenly can't get anyone out but now whatever ailed him has seeped into Rodriguez, who gave up a 3-run walk-off homer in the 9th to blow another save and makes three meltdowns (3 or more runs allowed) in his four appearances.

Game 3: 1-3 L. LP-Lennon (3-4, 5 9 3 3 1 3). A miserable weekend in KC ended with today's game as the offense continues to struggle to rub two sticks together and this team looks nothing like a 2-time defending World Series champion.

Team record: 27-25. Now a distant 6 behind Toronto in the AL East and clinging to WC2, 1 1/2 up on Seattle and the Yankees. Next up: Somehow we get Memorial Day off before returning home for 3 against a bad 17-34 Texas team. If we don't get right against these guys I don't know what we're doing.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 3-2 W. WP-L.Gonzalez (1-1). Starter-Vargas (6 5 2 1 1 7). HR-Solis (5). Solis' solo shot in the 8th tied it and then White's pinch-single walked it off in the 9th as the Rays eked one out over the lowly Rangers.

Game 2: 2-1 W. WP-Acosta (4-2, 5.1 2 1 1 1 8). S-R.Rodriguez (10). HR-Hardy (9). Great pitching enabled the Rays to squeeze out another close one against Texas with Hardy's solo homer the difference.

Game 3: 3-6 L. LP-Buckman (6-3, 3.1 8 4 4 1 4). HR-White (12). Buckman continues his unusual for modern baseball pattern of getting a decision in every start he makes although this was the bad kind of decision as he was hit hard for the second straight start. The offense continues to be ugly.

Team record: 29-26. 5 1/2 back of Toronto in the division and WC2, a game behind Seattle and a game ahead of the Yankees. Next up: Oakland visits for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 8-3 W. WP-Najera (7-3, 6 5 3 3 2 10). HR-Gurrola (7), Pino 2 (13), V.Munoz (2). Munoz finally contributed to the Rays' cause, doubling in a pair to put them ahead in the 6th and adding a solo homer later while Pino broke out of a homer drought to go yard twice as they finally got some offense going tonight to back Najera.

Game 2: 9-1 W. WP-Lennon (4-4, 7 1 0 0 1 10). HR-Hardy (10). It doesn't get much better than Lennon's outing today and he was amply backed with Hardy's slam capping a 5-run 3rd to start the party. The Rays have now blown out a very good Oakland team (35-20 coming in) on consecutive days.

Game 3: 2-6 L. LP-Vargas (2-2, 5.2 7 3 3 2 4). HR-Pino (14), Cedillos (3). Rays couldn't complete the sweep as Vargas and the pen weren't the sharpest and the offense consisted only of a pair of solo homers.

Team record: 31-27. Despite taking 2 of 3 the Rays couldn't gain any ground on Toronto which did likewise, so they remain 5 1/2 back and in a tie for WC1 but barely ahead of WC3 and the fourth-place squad.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 6-8 L. LP-Ogando (1-4). Starter-Acosta (4.1 7 6 6 2 4, 4 HR). HR-Cedillos (4). Rays kept coming back to tie this and the pitching kept letting them down. Acosta gave up a ridiculous 4 homers including one to put them down 6-3 after they came back from 3-0 to tie, and then after they tied it in the 8th on Cedillos' 2-run shot Ogando gave up 2 runs in the 8th just when it appeared safe to use him in high-leverage situations again.

Game 2: 1-4 L. LP-Buckman (6-4, 4 9 4 4 0 5). HR-Rutschman (10). Buckman's trying to pitch himself out of the rotation, having allowed 15 runs in 12 innings over his last three starts including today's debacle. Meanwhile the offense could only manage five hits.

Transactions: As you can tell by my tone I've really become disgusted with this club and so we once again made moves at 1B and LF where Evan Bell (185/264/257) and Victor Munoz (133/189/217) literally weren't hitting their weight. Bell was DFA'd and Munoz optioned to Durham. Taking their place are rookie 1B Omar Pico, our 2nd round pick all the way back in 2027, who saw a huge upgrade to his ratings (60 contact/55 power/60 eye) and LF Javy Jasso, making his return after hitting a respectable 269/345/510 at Durham following his earlier demotion.

Game 3: 11-9 W. WP-Salazar (2-0). S-R.Rodriguez (14). Starter-Najera (3 5 5 5 5 3). HR-C.Williams (6), Haro (7). This score may look to you like a back-and-forth slugfest but it was actually nearly a disaster for the Rays as they went up 11-0 by 4th inning and had to hold on by the skin of their teeth. The good news is that the guys called up yesterday, Pico and Jasso, were instrumental in the offensive explosion with the former going 3-5 with a double and 2 RBI while the latter was 3-3 with 3 doubles, a walk and 4 RBI. Handed an 11-0 lead one of our best pitchers in Najera completely fell apart in the 4th, not getting an out and allowing 5 runs and then the bullpen kept letting Chicago chip away including 2 more off Ogando (back to low-leverage for you buddy), necessitating a 5-out save from R-Rod, who hadn't had much work lately and with an off-day tomorrow.

Team record: 32-29. 5 behind Toronto in the division, and tied with Seattle for WC2, 1/2 up on the Yankees. Next up: That day off followed by 3 at home against San Francisco.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 3-4 L. LP-Lennon (4-5, 5 4 2 2 3 8). HR-Solis (6). The 2-run homer allowed by Stevenson in the 8th turned out to be the difference in a game the Rays only led briefly.

Game 2: 5-7 L. LP-C.Lee (0-1). Starter-Vargas (6 4 1 1 1 4). HR-Pino (15), Gurrola (8), Jasso (2). Another bullpen disaster as they took a 4-1 lead into the 7th only for Ogando (again, why do I ever bring him in with a lead anymore?) and Lee (who hadn't allowed a run in 13 IP since being acquired) each giving up 3 runs to lose the game, wasting a good outing from Vargas and some decent offense.

Game 3: 3-5 L. LP-Acosta (4-3, 3.2 9 5 5 1 6). HR-C.Williams (7), Gurrola (9), Pino (16). Another disaster start from Acosta with 2 more homers allowed consigned the Rays to a sweep at home and a .500 record.

Team record: 32-32. They're really circling the drain now, down to 4th in the division 7 out and 5th in the wild card race, a game out of 3rd. Next up: San Diego visits for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 10-1 W. WP-Buckman (7-4, 5.1 3 1 1 2 5). HR-Hardy (11), K.White 2 (14), Gurrola (10), Cedillos (5). The final score made it look like a romp and it was in the end, but this was a 2-1 game in the 6th before the Rays poured it on with the longball, hitting five homers in total led by White who drove in 5 with a pair including an 8th-inning slam that was the cherry on top.

Game 2: 6-7 L. LP-R.Rodriguez (0-6). Starter-Najera (4.1 3 1 1 5 9). HR-J.Lowe (1), Hardy (12). Rays led this one 4-1 on Lowe's 3-run homer and 4-3 going into the 9th before R-Rod imploded again (never a good look when your closer is 0-6), giving up 4 runs in the 9th. Hardy's 2-run homer in the bottom of the inning got them close again but that was all they'd get in a brutal loss.

Game 3: 5-0 W. WP-Lennon (5-5, 9 4 0 0 1 4). The Rays avoided dropping below .500 thanks to Lennon's near-Maddux (100 pitches on the dot) and some very late offense as they scored all their runs in the bottom of the 8th with the big hits a 2-run single from Pino and a 2-run double by White. Lennon lowered his ERA to 2.11, 2nd-best in the AL and 3rd-best in the majors.

Team record: 34-33. 1/2 game out of a wild card although in 5th position. Next up: A day off then 3 games in Minnesota.

MLB News: St. Louis star Jordan Walker hit career homer #400 while Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. sprained his knee in this series and will be lost for 5 weeks.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 3-4 L. LP-Vargas (2-3, 6 4 4 4 1 7). HR-Gurrola (11). Gurrola led off the game with a homer but Vargas had a bad sequence in the 4th where he gave up all 4 runs and while Haro's 2-run single got them back in it, it wasn't enough to keep the Rays from dropping to .500.

Time for a big trade:



Yep, that's the one and only Juan Soto, returning for another rental run with us after winning the AL MVP and leading us to a Series win in 2024. This time around Soto was in the final year of his $45M/year contract with Cleveland and with the Guardians at the bottom of the AL Central they were anxious to deal him. Anxious enough to eat 60% of his salary and take a couple of C prospects in Joyner and Jimenez. Juanjo is pretty much a DH these days so Nelson Haro will move to 1B and Omar Pico is going back to Durham despite looking decent in the short time he's been up.

Game 2: 5-6 L. LP-L.Gonzalez (1-2). Starter-Acosta (5 7 4 3 1 6, 2 HR). HR-Pino (17), Jasso (3). The return of Juan Soto was not enough to keep the Rays from slipping below .500 for the first time this season as Gonzalez put two men on in the 8th and Ogando once again gave up the key hit as they blew a late 5-4 lead. That lead came after Jasso's 2-run homer tied it in the 7th and Haro doubled home a run. Earlier Pino hit perhaps the longest homer any of my Rays have hit in all the saves, a 493-foot behemoth blast to center. Soto was 2-5 with 2 runs scored.

Game 3: 5-1 W. WP-Buckman (8-4, 5 4 1 1 2 6). HR-K.White (15). They finally won one to get back to even on the season. Buckman was excellent and pen got the job done for a change with 4 innings of 2-hit ball. Meanwhile on offense a 4-run 6th broke a 1-1 tie with Soto's RBI single breaking the deadlock and Haro's 2-run double putting it away. White homered to tie in the 5th and added a sac fly.

Team record: 35-35. 4th in the East and a whopping 8 games behind Toronto but somehow only 1/2 game back of the third wild card as part of an 5-team logjam no worse than 1 1/2 back.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 3-1 W. WP-Najera (8-3, 6 4 0 0 3 5). S-R.Rodriguez (12). HR-K.White (16), Deckard (1). Rays only managed three hits but two of them were homers including the first MLB clout for Deckard, a pinch-hit shot in his 51st game. That was enough for Najera who was brilliant as usual.

Game 2: 1-3 L. LP-Lennon (5-6, 7.1 7 3 3 2 7). HR-K.White (17). This time the low-scoring game went Boston's way as Lennon continues to be poorly supported with a losing record now despite a 2.23 ERA. White's homer came with two out in the 9th to keep them from being shut out.

Game 3: 3-2 W. WP-Vargas (3-3, 5.2 6 0 0 1 4). S-R.Rodriguez (13). HR-Rutschman (11). Rays hung on with a 5-out save from R-Rod, who walked in two men in the 8th but rebounded in the 9th. Vargas lowered his ERA to 1.69 and Rutschman had a key 2-run homer.

Game 4: 4-6 L. LP-Salazar (2-1). Starter-Acosta (5 4 2 2 4 6). HR-Rutschman (12). Rutschman's 3-run homer gave them a 4-1 lead in the 4th but the bullpen couldn't hold it with Stevenson allowing a pair in the 6th and Salazar 2 in the 8th after being thrust into a high-leverage situation as the Rays cannot escape the gravitational pull of .500.

Team record: 37-37, 1/2 game out of the third wild card. Next up: A return home for 3 against the Dodgers, struggling themselves at 35-39.

Transaction: Made an intriguing waiver claim, adding IF Jon Ransom from Cincinnati. The 23-year-old was the Reds' top pick in 2032 and ranked as high as the #48 prospect overall but for some reason ended up on waivers. He's rated 55/45 as a hitter with 60/50 potential and flashes a 65 glove at 2B. Pino is entrenched as our 2B and we have two backup IFs on the roster already so Ransom was sent to Durham as he still has options. We had an open spot on the 40-man so nobody had to be waived.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 7-0 W. WP-Buckman (9-4, 6.2 6 0 0 0 9). HR-Gurrola (12). The Rays moved back above .500 with a convincing win over the Dodgers led by Buckman, who has decisions in all 13 starts this year. Cedillos' 2-run double was the big hit early.

Game 2: 5-0 W. WP-Najera (9-3, 6.1 2 0 0 3 8). HR-K.White (18). Rays got their second straight shutout win as Najera and two relievers combined on a 4-hitter. Five different players knocked in a run.

Transaction: It wasn't all good news though as Adley Rutschman goes on the IL with back spasms. Although the injury was day-to-day, it was also moderate for 1-2 weeks so no chancing it. Veteran backup Cade Arrambide is up from Durham and Jalen Lowe will be the everyday guy for now.

Game 3: 12-1 W. WP-Lennon (6-6, 6 3 1 1 4 5). S-Salazar (1). HR-Hardy 2 (14), C.Williams (8), Haro (8). Who knew a visit from the Dodgers would be the cure for the Rays' ills as they swept LA by a combined score of 24-1. Lennon finally got some run support as he lowered his ERA to 2.19, and Haro was 3-5 with a double, homer and 4 RBI while Hardy had 3 hits including a pair of solo shots.

Team record: 40-37. The bad news is that all the teams in direct competition with the Rays in the wild card chase also swept their series so they're still 1/2 game out of WC3. Next up: Colorado visits for 3 games.

MLB News: Seattle's Julio Rodriguez hit career homer #400.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 13-4 W. WP-Vargas (4-3, 5.1 4 3 3 1 10). HR-K.White 3 (21), Haro (9). The moribund Tampa Bay offense exploded for 13 runs tonight and 25 over their last two games, led by White's massive 3-HR, 5-RBI performance as part of a 4-hit night. He homered his first three times up before singling his fourth time. Haro was also huge going 3-5 with a double, homer and 3 RBI to back a 10-whiff outing from Vargas.

Game 2: 4-0 W. WP-Acosta (5-3, 7 2 0 0 0 10). Acosta pitched his best game of the season, retiring the first 16 batters of the game while Cedillos was 3-4 with a big 2-run single.

Game 3: 5-4 W. WP-Stevenson (1-1). S-Ogando (3). Starter-Buckman (4 5 2 2 4 5). Rays scored 4 in the 8th to erase a 3-1 deficit and win this one with Hardy's bases-clearing double the decisive blow as they completed their second straight series sweep. R-Rod came on for the save but gave up a homer and put two more men on so fellow bullpen struggler Ogando, who's been better lately, came on to get the final two outs. The game also marked the first no-decision of the season for Buckman in his 14th start.

Team record: 43-37. They've finally improved their position, now third in the AL East and down to five back while taking over WC2 a game up on Seattle. Next up: A day off then they travel to St. Louis for 3 games.

The midseason review will be posted next.

[Art Deco]

It's been a rough first half for the two-time defending World Series Champions with the primary problem being a fairly anemic offense. Yordan Alvarez left as a free agent last winter and was never adequately replaced, leading to us finally giving up on the in-house replacements and trade for another aging star hitter in Juan Soto, who's been awful in the couple of weeks since acquiring him. The team got off to an okay start but struggled after that, spending much of June within a game or two of .500 before winning their last six games against NL West opposition to move six games over. Whether it's a dead cat bounce or the start of a surge remains to be seen.

How things look around MLB:



The Jays raced to a huge start but have tailed off some lately, so combined the very recent Rays resurgence the division isn't being written off like it might have been when they were 8 1/2 back. There's a lot of parity in the AL right now so fortunately they haven't dug themselves a big hole.



And there in a nutshell is the issue, as alluded to at the outset. The bats have been anemic for the most part while the pitching has been its usual brilliant self. The team defense is mediocre as we don't really have any standout defenders. Also the back end of the bullpen has developed into a real problem of late. The Ogando-Rodriguez combo in the 8th and 9th was one of the best in baseball the previous three seasons and has a couple of rings to show for it but both have struggled big-time this year (especially with the home run ball) and that's a key reason why we're four games below our Pythagorean record.



We've given 625 at-bats over the first-season to a variety of players who have all been below sub-replacement value, which gives you an idea of how things have gone. We've cycled through various OF and 1B trying to fill the lineup holes from Alvarez and the traded Rodolfo Solano and it's been a nightmare. And it also isn't helping when some of the bigger names are underachieving, such as Hardy, Williams and even Pino, who despite leading us in WAR hasn't been the force he was last year. Only Rutschman has been an unqualified success at the plate this year. Haro and White have heated up of late and are big reasons why we had those last two nice series. I'm hoping for positive regression from this crew and hopefully Soto starts doing something instead of looking like the guy(s) he replaced.



A much more pleasant stats summary to look at is the pitching, where Najera and Lennon are two of the top starters in baseball and the converted Vargas is not far behind. The middle and setup men have been quite solid, but it's not good as mentioned above that the two late-inning guys are at the very bottom of the stats above with ERAs that could be Boeing jet lines. The home run ball has been their bane with 12 allowed in only 45 innings between them as well as 31 walks, a deadly (to them) combination. As mentioned Ogando has been a bit better of late but something will have to change here or we'll have to try and trade for a closer in the next month.



This is a pretty gruesome farm system with no real high-end prospects, although there is a fair amount of depth. Last year's #1 pick Arroyo has made a meteoric rise through the system and has been hitting well at Durham - with Cedillos and Williams not exactly setting the world afire at SS Arroyo could make the final rung before the season is out. Otherwise there's no immediate help coming this way from this group, although Omar Pico (not listed here) hit well in his brief callup before making way for Soto and could get the call again.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 4-6 L. LP-Najera (9-4, 4.1 8 5 5 1 4). HR-K.White (22). Najera faced his old team for the first time since last winter's trade, and the Cards got the best of him in a rare poor start for the lefty. Rodolfo Solano, whom we traded for Najera, was 2-4 with an RBI single.

Game 2: 6-4 W. WP-Lennon (7-6, 5.2 6 4 3 2 4). S-R.Rodriguez (14). HR-Haro (10). Rays reversed yesterday's score as the normally poorly-supported Lennon had the bats pick him up for a change after a mediocre outing. Haro had a 2-run single and a solo homer to lead the offense, and it was good to see R-Rod come out of his funk and deliver a dominant 9th with 3 whiffs.

Game 3: 7-2 W. WP-Vargas (5-3, 6 4 1 1 2 4). The Raynaissance continues as Tampa Bay took the series made it 8 wins in their last 9 games. It was scoreless until the Rays exploded for all 7 runs in the top of the 6th keyed by Haro's 2-run double and Jasso's bases-clearing two-bagger, getting Vargas the win he deserved.

Team record: 45-38. The Rays have moved into a tie for 2nd in the AL East (5 back of Toronto) and for WC1 (both with Boston). Next up: A chance to make a dent in the division deficit as they host Toronto for four games.

Some love from the league office for a Ray this week:

[Art Deco]

Game 1: 0-8 L. LP-Acosta (5-4, 5 4 3 3 2 4). The only thing I can say for the Rays is that this game was scoreless until the 5th before the Jays finally got to Acosta and then really got to the bullpen.

Game 2: 1-5 L. LP-Buckman (9-5, 3.2 8 5 5 2 0). Just a brutal outing from Buckman, who had been a roll of late, and the offense was limp once again with only two hits on the day, both off the bat of White.

Game 3: 4-3 W. WP-Ogando (2-4). Starter-Najera (6.1 9 3 1 1 8). HR-Soto (1/11), W.Perez (1). Soto finally came through with a longball and Perez's first MLB homer tied the game in the 6th before White's walk-off RBI single in the 9th, his third hit of the game, won it.

Transaction: Adley Rutschman was activated off the IL and Cade Arrambide was returned to Durham.

Game 4: 4-3 W. WP-Lennon (8-6, 6.1 3 0 0 2 6). S-R.Rodriguez (15). HR-Hardy (15), Pino (18). While the scoreline was the same as yesterday it was quite a different game as the Rays led 4-0 after 7 and had to hold on, especially in the 9th when up 4-1 R-Rod had a near-meltdown, allowing 2 runs while walking three in the 9th before escaping. 2-run homers from Hardy and Pino supplied the offense as Lennon was brilliant, no-hitting Toronto through 5 1/3 as the Rays salvaged a split.

Team record: 47-40. The split pretty much leaves the Rays where they were when the series started, 5 behind Toronto in the division and a half-game up in WC2. Next up: Arizona visits for 3 games.

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Game 1: 6-4 W. WP-Vargas (6-3, 6.1 3 1 1 3 5). S-C.Lee (1). HR-Haro (11), C.Williams (9). Williams' 3-run homer in the 6th was the difference as the Rays survived 3 late runs allowed by Stevenson to hold on and win 6-4. Vargas was excellent, lowering his ERA to 1.86 and is just a couple of innings of qualifying for the league lead.

Game 2: 4-0 W. WP-Acosta (6-4, 6 3 0 0 1 6). HR-K.White (23). Acosta and a trio of relievers combined on a 3-hitter as the Rays took their 4th straight win. White's 2-run homer was the game's big hit.

Transaction: Well he's hurt again. In only his third game back from the IL Adley Rutschman strained his oblique and goes back on it. This time we're purchasing the contract of Korean winter signee Sung-Ho Kim from Durham. The 27-year-old catcher wasn't tearing it up with the Bulls but has 60 MLB power and a 55 eye in addition to being a 65 receiver so it'll be interesting to see what he can do.

Game 3: 1-3 L. LP-Buckman (9-6, 5 6 3 2 2 7). Arizona's Leo Peralta came into the game with a 1.69 ERA and showed why, allowing only 2 hits and one run over 5 1/3 and the Diamondback bullpen followed suit as the Rays only managed five hits in their final game before the All-Star break. Rays pitching did accumulate 16 strikeouts but it didn't matter.

Team record: 49-41. Still tied with Boston 4 back of Toronto and for WC1. Next up: The All-Star break with 4 games at Yankee Stadium awaiting after it's over.