The 2022 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays - Page 52

Art Deco · 10-03-2025, 11:55 AM

Game 1: 8-3 W. WP-Lennon (13-9, 5 4 2 2 3 5). HR-Cedillos (10), Rutschman (25). Cedillos' 3-run homer in the 5th broke a 2-2 tie and Rutschman drove in 4 with a 2-run homer, RBI single and sac fly.

Game 2: 6-0 W. WP-Fragoso (7-3, 5.1 4 0 0 4 3). HR-Juan (5/17). Fragoso bounced back from some rough starts as he and three relievers combined a 5-hit shutout. It was actually a close game until Juan hit a grand slam in the 9th.

Game 3: 8-9 L (14). LP-Salazar (3-2). Starter-Buckman (3.1 5 4 4 3 4). HR-K.White (45), Lowe (5). A highly annoying loss as the Rays blew leads in the 7th, 10th and 13th before finally succumbing in the 14th. Haro had a 4-hit game while backup catcher Lowe belted a grand slam as the offense wasn't the problem today.

Team record: 86-60. The Yankees are now their closest pursuer after winning 6 straight to move past Toronto in the 2nd at 5 1/2 back, and the magic number is now down to 11. Next up: An off-day then home for 3 against Boston.

Art Deco · 10-06-2025, 04:51 PM

Game 1: 3-2 W. WP-R.Rodriguez (5-6). Starter-Vargas (6 7 2 2 1 4). Rays walked this one off in the 9th after they loaded the bases and pinch-hitter Bell delivered a sac fly.

Game 2: 2-6 L. LP-Najera (11-8, 4.2 10 3 2 0 9). HR-Juan (6/18). The pitching and defense wasn't great as Boston managed to amass 16 hits on the day, including 10 off Najera, who had one of the weirder pitching lines you'll see.

Game 3: 5-1 W. WP-Lennon (14-9, 6 3 0 0 2 8). HR-Pino (42), Rustchman (26). Lennon was brilliant in lowering his ERA to 2.61 (3rd-best in the AL), Pino and Rutschman had solo shots, and Soto even had 3 hits and an RBI.

Team record: 88-61. The Yankees remain scoring hot and have won 9 straight, cutting the division lead to 4 1/2 but the magic number is down to only 9. Next up: A day off then 3 games in San Antonio against the 84-65 Seagulls, cruising atop the NL Central.

Art Deco · 10-09-2025, 10:58 AM

Game 1: 1-0 W. WP-Fragoso (8-3, 6.1 4 0 0 3 5). S-R.Rodriguez (28). HR-K.White (46). Fragoso and the pen made White's 4th-inning solo homer stand up as the game's only run.

Game 2: 6-2 W. WP-Buckman (13-6, 5.1 8 1 1 1 6). S-L.Gonzalez (2). HR-Pino (43). Rays pitchers scattered 12 hits while Gurrola was 3-3 with a double and two walks and W.Perez had a key 2-run single.

Game 3: 11-9 W (11). WP-Salazar (4-2). Starter-Vargas (5 10 5 5 0 6). HR-Gurrola (20), J.Jones (4), K.White (47), Juan (7/19). A wild one which saw both teams collect 18 hits as pitching took a holiday. R-Rod had a particularly ugly blown save, losing a 2-run lead by giving up a leadoff homer, loading the bases with nobody out, fanning the next two, and then walking in the tying run. Haro was 4-5 with a double and RBI, Juan stuffed the box score by going 2-4 with a homer, 2 RBI, 2 walks, 4 runs scored and two steals, and Jones had a big 3-run homer but it was Perez's 2-run single in the 11th that won it and gave the Rays the sweep.

Team record: 91-61. The Rays officially clinched a playoff spot but only reduced their magic number for the division to 6 because the Yankees have decided to never lose again, extending their win streak to 12 and surging into WC1. Next up: Interleague play continues with 3 games at Wrigley against the Cubs.

Art Deco · 10-12-2025, 03:08 PM

Game 1: 7-3 W. WP-Khattak (2-0). Starter-Najera (4.1 5 3 3 4 5). HR-W.Perez (9), Pino (44). Rays overcame a lousy start from Najera and the resulting 3-1 deficit with a 5-run 6th which saw Bell hit a 2-run single and Perez belt a 3-run homer.

Game 2: 8-2 W. WP-Stevenson (4-3). Starter-Lennon (4.2 2 2 2 4 5). HR-Hardy (22), Gurrola (21), C.Williams (12). Rays were up 7-0 by the 4th in this romp with Hardy's early 2-run homer a key hit, although Lennon couldn't get the final out in the 5th to secure a win.

Game 3: 1-4 L. LP-Fragoso (8-4, 5.1 8 2 2 0 2). HR-W.Perez (10). After 15 runs the previous two days the Rays couldn't get anything going with the bats, and Chicago got all of its runs on homers.

Team record: 93-62. The magic number for the division is down to 4 as we head into the season's final week, but the Yankees have now won 15 straight(!) to close the lead to 3 1/2 games. They're gonna lose at some point, aren't they? Next up: 4 games in Toronto.

MLB Playoff Race Update: The Rays have the largest division lead in the AL with the White Sox 2 up on Detroit and Oakland 2 ahead of Seattle. Those two second-place teams along with Boston are tied for WC3 with the Yankees and Jays seemingly locked into WCs 1 & 2. Over in the NL the Phillies and San Antonio have their divisions in hand but in the West it's three teams separated by a game with San Diego 1/2 up on the Giants and 1 up on Colorado. Miami looks good for WC1 followed by the two West teams with the Rockies 2 up on the Cubs.

Art Deco · 10-17-2025, 12:45 PM

Game 1: 2-3 L (10). LP-R.Rodriguez (5-7). Starter-Buckman (5.1 5 2 2 3 4). HR-Soto (8/18). Soto's 2-run homer in the 9th bought the Rays an extra inning but it was Toronto which took advantage.

Game 2: 6-4 W. WP-Khattak (3-0). S-Ogando (6). Starter-Vargas (4 2 2 2 5 6). HR-Gurrola (22), W.Perez (11), Haro (25). Rays moved to the brink of clinching the AL East thanks to a 5-run 6th that provided the win. A 3-run homer from Perez and a 2-run shot by Haro accounted for the scoring.

Game 3: 6-4 W. WP-C.Rodriguez (2-0). S-R.Rodriguez (29). Starter-Najera (4 10 4 4 1 6). HR-Haro (26). The Rays are AL East champs again as they go for a three-peat thanks to a 4-run 9th inning which overturned a 4-2 deficit. Haro was the hero with his three-run shot in the final frame providing the winning margin. C.Rodriguez earned the win thanks to four perfect innings in relief which kept his team in it.

Game 4: 4-3 W (10). WP-Echavarria (1-0). Starter-Lennon (5.1 5 3 2 1 5). HR-Pino (45). Rays gave several regulars a rest after clinching the division but won anyway thanks in large part to one of the ones who didn't as Pino drove in all 3 regulation runs with a 2-run homer and RBI single before they got the winner in the 10th on a wild pitch, giving Echavarria his first MLB victory.

Team record: 96-63. The Rays will close out the regular season with three dead rubber games in Boston with the #1 seed clinched and no shot at 100 wins, although Boston is looking to wrap up a wild card. Not even sure there are any personal milestones to hit as Kevin White reached the 100-RBI mark and broke Carlos Pena's single-season Rays homer record with his 47th a couple series back.

Playoff Race Update: The four days so far this week brought a lot of clarity with the Rays (#1 seed), White Sox and A's all clinching their divisions. Chicago and Oakland are tied on 86 wins so the #2 seed and a bye is still at stake. The Yankees and Jays will be WC1 & WC2 and Boston is two up on Seattle and Detroit for WC3. Over in the NL the Phillies (#1 seed) and San Antonio have clinched their divisions with San Francisco two up on San Diego in the West. Miami is WC1 with the Padres in WC2 a game up on Colorado which in turn is a game up on the Cubs.

Art Deco · 10-22-2025, 01:27 PM

Game 1: 4-5 L (10). LP-Stevenson (4-4). Starter-Fragoso (4.2 1 1 1 1 3). HR-E.Bell (6), Juan (8/20). The game meant nothing to the Rays but unfortunately it had an impact as Fragoso left in the 5th with what turned out to be a ruptured tendon in his finger and his season is over. This assures Buckman of being the 4th starter for the playoffs. As for the game, R-Rod blew a 2-1 lead in the 9th then after Juan's 2-run homer in the 10th Stevenson gave up 3 runs on 5 hits in the bottom of the inning to lose it. The win put Boston on the verge of clinching WC3.

Transaction: Fragoso goes on the IL and Luis Oviedo is activated from his rehab assignment

Game 2: 3-2 W. WP-Echevarria (2-0). S-Ogando (8). Starter-Buckman (4 5 2 2 2 6). HR-W.Perez (12). Rays got some strong pitching in this one and held on to win as the score was 3-2 in the 3rd. Boston still clinched the WC as Detroit lost.

Game 3: 2-7 L. LP-Oviedo (1-2, 4 6 5 5 3 4). HR-Cedillos (11). Oviedo was lit up in his return as the Rays closed out the regular season on a losing note.

Final Regular Season Record: 97-65. Next up: Game 1 of the ALDS at the Trop against either the Blue Jays or Yankees.

Season stats post next.

Art Deco · 10-22-2025, 02:09 PM

Not many Rays among the leaders although Kevin White did end up tied for 3 in the AL for homers with 47 but lost out on the listing above alphabetically. Colorado ended up tied with Cincinnati for WC3 in the NL but won the season series between the teams to take the tiebreaker.

Quite the second-half turnaround as we went 54-27 after starting the year 44-37 and won the division going away. The hitting numbers were good but not great with the HR ball carrying us. The pitching was brilliant once again but let down by a lousy defense.

Kind of boom or bust offense with the big 5 (Gurrola, Rutschman, White, Pino and Haro) carrying most of the load while we got little from LF, RF, SS and most distressingly, DH. Soto was a complete bust after coming over in trade and never got untracked - I'm almost wondering if I should start Bell in the playoffs over him. Perez did come on in the second half and claimed the LF job but Hardy was a massive disappointment this year after getting a contract extension, almost completely unable to hit righties. As you can see we cycled through quite a few guys in the LF and DH positions and half-solved that.

The trio of Najera, Lennon and Vargas (a revelation after being moved to the rotation early in the season) is the envy of most of baseball and hopefully will pitch us deep into the postseason. Buckman is a respectable 4th starter although it's a shame we lost Acosta (and Fragoso this past weekend). The bullpen was pretty good except at the very end where Rodriguez has pretty much pitched himself out of the closer's role after a very frustrating season. We could live with his walks over the past few season because he was so overpowering but we can't live with the walks combined with allowing a homer every 4-5 innings and a -0.9 WAR bears that out, so Ogando will be the closer for the playoffs. Lee was a godsend after being claimed on waivers, excelling in the 7th-inning role although he be bumped up to the 8th since we can't trust R-Rod with any kind of late inning lead when there's no margin for error.

As we go for our third straight title a victim of success has been the farm system, which is downright dreadful right now. The most likely player to make an impact next season is Arroyo, who was our #1 pick last year and made it to Durham, where he hit 296/366/398 in 110 games and boasted an outstanding 14.7 ZR (16.1 overall counting his short stint with Montgomery) and should take over as our starting SS and help shore up a lousy defensive big league team.

Art Deco · 10-25-2025, 11:24 PM

And the Rays now know their ALDS opponent as the New Yorkers will come to the Trop for the series opener in a couple of days.

The A's will face the White Sox in the other ALDS.

San Diego will do battle with the Phillies in the NLDS.

And finally the Rockies advance to take on the San Antonio Seagulls in the other NLDS.

Art Deco · 10-29-2025, 08:57 PM

A good (but somewhat costly) start...

The Rays kicked off their quest for a World Series threepeat at Tropicana Field and did so in fine fashion with their 6-3 win over the Yankees. It was a strange affair as Juan Soto, who has been absolutely miserable since coming over mid-season in trade, took out months of frustration on the home plate umpire after being called out on strikes in his first at-bat in the 2nd and his animated display cost him a 3-game suspension. You could say it got the Rays going as they put 3 on the board in the next inning on a 2-run Adley Rutschman single and an RBI knock from Soto's replacement at DH, Evan Bell. Hector Gurrola added an RBI triple in the 4th as part of a 3-hit day and they built a 6-0 lead. Unfortunately Rutschman strained his back on that 2-run single and it's a "moderate" injury which will keep him limited for the next week. Meanwhile Hugo Najera was very good but also very inefficient with the walks and was unable to complete the 5th for the win thanks to reaching 100 pitches and putting 2 men on. And although Jaden Stevenson got him out of that mess he made one of his own in the 6th allowing New York to cut the lead in half before the rest of the bullpen shut things down. Jaheim Lennon will get the ball tomorrow to try and send us to New York with a 2-0 series lead.

Meanwhile former Ray Natanael Santana has his current team up 1-0 in the other ALDS:

Art Deco · 10-29-2025, 09:41 PM

Home field advantage lost...

This was always going to be a tough one for the Rays, going up against Ignacio Gonzales who's perhaps the best pitcher in baseball and coming off a 20-6, 2.09 season. And while they put some men on against Gonzales, a subpar outing from both Jaheim Lennon and the defense (two critical errors) meant the Rays are going back to New York all even in the series and will have to win at least one game at Yankee Stadium to advance. Angel Vargas will get the ball for the first of those.z

Elsewhere in DS action the other AL series is also tied at 1 while the Rockies and Phillies got off on the right foot in the NL:

Art Deco · 10-29-2025, 10:05 PM

Advantage Rays...

Tampa Bay rode its bats to a 2-1 ALDS lead in a 7-5 win at Yankee Stadium to move within one game of advancing. Hector Gurrola, who had homered to give the Rays a 5-3 lead they lost, put them back on top in the 7th and Will Perez added an solo insurance homer in the 8th to lead the way. They got an excellent middle relief outing from Randy Rodriguez, who had lost the closer's role after a poor season but picked up the win today, and the Lee/Gonzalez/Ogando triumvirate closed out the game. Benjamin Buckman will take the ball tomorrow looking to clinch.

In the other ALDS:

And in yesterday's NLDS action:

Art Deco · 10-29-2025, 10:22 PM

Moving along...

Benjamin Buckman pitched the game of his life with 8 shutout innings in a tough park against a tough team and Kevin White broke out of a late-season slump which carried over in the postseason with a solo homer to snap a 0-0 deadlock in the 7th and the Rays advanced to the ALCS, winning their eight straight postseason series.

Who will they play? That was answered today as well:

The Rays will face off against the South Siders for a trip to the World Series while the Rockies and Padres pulled within one game of the NLCS.

Art Deco · 10-29-2025, 10:31 PM

October 12:

The Rockies booked passage to the NLCS while the Phillies most emphatically forced a Game 5 in their series with the Padres.

October 14:

And it will be all-Western Division NLCS as the Padres shook off being blown out at home in Game 4 to return the favor in Philadelphia. Former Ray Eljiah Green was instrumental today.

Art Deco · 11-02-2025, 08:09 PM

Out of the gates...

The Rays romped in the ALCS lid-lifter, dominating the White Sox behind Hugo Najera and getting a big 3-run homer from Kevin White to put them into cruise control. Also getting his first MLB postseason homer was Evan Bell, who has put Juan Soto even farther in the back of our minds. Jaheim Lennon will go tomorrow in Game 2.

Art Deco · 11-02-2025, 08:39 PM

Romping halfway to the Series...

The Rays routed the White Sox yet again to take a 2-0 lead in the ALCS, and for a second straight day it was Kevin White with the big homer as he gave the Rays a 2-0 lead in the 4th after Jaheim Lennon put two men on in each of the first three innings before getting out of the jam each time. That opened the floodgates and White went deep again along with two of his teammates as the lead kept expanding. Angel Vargas will take the ball in Chicago in 48 hours to try to put this one out of reach for the White Sox.

Meanwhile in the NLCS, Colson Montgomery's 3-run homer in the 9th gave the Rockies a leg up:

Art Deco · 11-02-2025, 08:55 PM

Turnabout, etc...

The White Sox returned the favor of two routs at the Trop by destroying the Rays in the first game back in Chicago to climb back into the ALCS. It was pretty much over quickly and Stevenson and Vargas were left in to take beatings to preserve the rest of the staff. Kevin White did homer for a third straight game. Benjamin Buckman will try to right the ship tomorrow in Game 4.

Meanwhile San Diego evened things up yesterday in the NLCS:

Art Deco · 11-02-2025, 09:50 PM

On the verge...

We weren't sure what to expect from Benjamin Buckman in his first postseason as a starter, but he has exceeded expectations first with a brilliant outing in the ALDS and then today's gem, in which he and three relievers combined on a one-hitter in a 3-1 win over the White Sox to put the Rays ahead in the series by the same margin. The only hit he allowed was an RBI single in the 4th to briefly put Chicago ahead, but Hector Gurrola doubled in the tying run in the 5th and then in the 6th Kevin White continued his unconscious ALCS run by homering for the fifth straight game and giving the Rays a 2-1 lead which they held onto. Now Hugo Najera, who was excellent in Game 1, will try to finish off the White Sox and give the Rays a berth in their third straight World Series, having won the previous two.

Meanwhile the Rockies have taken the series lead in the NLCS:

Art Deco · 11-02-2025, 10:28 PM

Series-bound...

The Rays are heading back to the World Series where they'll try to be the first three-peaters since the 1998-2000 Yankees after walloping the White Sox again to win the ALCS in 5 games. It really wasn't a rout until the end and Chicago looked for 5 innings like they'd bring the series back to Tropicana Field having taken a 3-0 lead over a much-less sharp Hugo Najera. But after getting on the board in the 6th and loading the bases, Will Perez came through with a bases-clearing double to put the Rays ahead for good, and he later scored to make it 5-3. The bullpen, especially Chase Lee, was stellar again to keep it there and then the bats blew it open in the 9th against Chicago's all-star closer Darwin Cruz, crushing him for 8 runs on 3 homers, including yet another one from Kevin White, who tied the MLB record set by the Mets' Daniel Murphy in 2015 by homering in his sixth straight postseason game including all five in this series. He was named MVP in the biggest no-brainer of them all.

So who will the Rays face? It's anybody's guess as the Padres evened up the NLCS at two games apiece:

Whoever it ends up being the Rays will have a decided rest advantage and a chance to set up their rotation.

Art Deco · 11-02-2025, 10:36 PM

Game 5:

Game 6:

And it will be the Rays and Padres in the World Series. Tampa Bay will be going for its third straight title and sixth in the past eleven years. Game 1 will be at Tropicana Field on October 26.

Art Deco · 11-06-2025, 04:48 PM

A tough opener...

Runs were at a premium at Tropicana Field in the World Series opener, and the Padres got the odd one in five in the 10th inning to take a 1-0 lead. Gerald Ogando put a couple on in his second inning of work and was running out of gas, so he gave way to Luke Little who lost the lefty-on-lefty battle with Josh Naylor, who delivered the game-winning single. Tampa Bay put a couple on in the bottom of the 10th with a chance to tie but Evan Bell whiffed to end it, fitting on a night when 17 Rays struck out. Jaheim Lennon will try to keep us from heading west in a big hole tomorrow.

10-03-2025, 11:55 AM	#1021
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,550	September 11-13, 2034: at Cleveland (3) Game 1: 8-3 W. WP-Lennon (13-9, 5 4 2 2 3 5). HR-Cedillos (10), Rutschman (25). Cedillos' 3-run homer in the 5th broke a 2-2 tie and Rutschman drove in 4 with a 2-run homer, RBI single and sac fly. Game 2: 6-0 W. WP-Fragoso (7-3, 5.1 4 0 0 4 3). HR-Juan (5/17). Fragoso bounced back from some rough starts as he and three relievers combined a 5-hit shutout. It was actually a close game until Juan hit a grand slam in the 9th. Game 3: 8-9 L (14). LP-Salazar (3-2). Starter-Buckman (3.1 5 4 4 3 4). HR-K.White (45), Lowe (5). A highly annoying loss as the Rays blew leads in the 7th, 10th and 13th before finally succumbing in the 14th. Haro had a 4-hit game while backup catcher Lowe belted a grand slam as the offense wasn't the problem today. Team record: 86-60. The Yankees are now their closest pursuer after winning 6 straight to move past Toronto in the 2nd at 5 1/2 back, and the magic number is now down to 11. Next up: An off-day then home for 3 against Boston.

10-06-2025, 04:51 PM	#1022
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,550	September 15-17, 2034: vs Boston (3) Game 1: 3-2 W. WP-R.Rodriguez (5-6). Starter-Vargas (6 7 2 2 1 4). Rays walked this one off in the 9th after they loaded the bases and pinch-hitter Bell delivered a sac fly. Game 2: 2-6 L. LP-Najera (11-8, 4.2 10 3 2 0 9). HR-Juan (6/18). The pitching and defense wasn't great as Boston managed to amass 16 hits on the day, including 10 off Najera, who had one of the weirder pitching lines you'll see. Game 3: 5-1 W. WP-Lennon (14-9, 6 3 0 0 2 8). HR-Pino (42), Rustchman (26). Lennon was brilliant in lowering his ERA to 2.61 (3rd-best in the AL), Pino and Rutschman had solo shots, and Soto even had 3 hits and an RBI. Team record: 88-61. The Yankees remain scoring hot and have won 9 straight, cutting the division lead to 4 1/2 but the magic number is down to only 9. Next up: A day off then 3 games in San Antonio against the 84-65 Seagulls, cruising atop the NL Central.

10-09-2025, 10:58 AM	#1023
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,550	September 19-21, 2034: at San Antonio (3) Game 1: 1-0 W. WP-Fragoso (8-3, 6.1 4 0 0 3 5). S-R.Rodriguez (28). HR-K.White (46). Fragoso and the pen made White's 4th-inning solo homer stand up as the game's only run. Game 2: 6-2 W. WP-Buckman (13-6, 5.1 8 1 1 1 6). S-L.Gonzalez (2). HR-Pino (43). Rays pitchers scattered 12 hits while Gurrola was 3-3 with a double and two walks and W.Perez had a key 2-run single. Game 3: 11-9 W (11). WP-Salazar (4-2). Starter-Vargas (5 10 5 5 0 6). HR-Gurrola (20), J.Jones (4), K.White (47), Juan (7/19). A wild one which saw both teams collect 18 hits as pitching took a holiday. R-Rod had a particularly ugly blown save, losing a 2-run lead by giving up a leadoff homer, loading the bases with nobody out, fanning the next two, and then walking in the tying run. Haro was 4-5 with a double and RBI, Juan stuffed the box score by going 2-4 with a homer, 2 RBI, 2 walks, 4 runs scored and two steals, and Jones had a big 3-run homer but it was Perez's 2-run single in the 11th that won it and gave the Rays the sweep. Team record: 91-61. The Rays officially clinched a playoff spot but only reduced their magic number for the division to 6 because the Yankees have decided to never lose again, extending their win streak to 12 and surging into WC1. Next up: Interleague play continues with 3 games at Wrigley against the Cubs.

10-12-2025, 03:08 PM	#1024
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,550	September 22-24, 2034: at Chicago Cubs (3) Game 1: 7-3 W. WP-Khattak (2-0). Starter-Najera (4.1 5 3 3 4 5). HR-W.Perez (9), Pino (44). Rays overcame a lousy start from Najera and the resulting 3-1 deficit with a 5-run 6th which saw Bell hit a 2-run single and Perez belt a 3-run homer. Game 2: 8-2 W. WP-Stevenson (4-3). Starter-Lennon (4.2 2 2 2 4 5). HR-Hardy (22), Gurrola (21), C.Williams (12). Rays were up 7-0 by the 4th in this romp with Hardy's early 2-run homer a key hit, although Lennon couldn't get the final out in the 5th to secure a win. Game 3: 1-4 L. LP-Fragoso (8-4, 5.1 8 2 2 0 2). HR-W.Perez (10). After 15 runs the previous two days the Rays couldn't get anything going with the bats, and Chicago got all of its runs on homers. Team record: 93-62. The magic number for the division is down to 4 as we head into the season's final week, but the Yankees have now won 15 straight(!) to close the lead to 3 1/2 games. They're gonna lose at some point, aren't they? Next up: 4 games in Toronto. MLB Playoff Race Update: The Rays have the largest division lead in the AL with the White Sox 2 up on Detroit and Oakland 2 ahead of Seattle. Those two second-place teams along with Boston are tied for WC3 with the Yankees and Jays seemingly locked into WCs 1 & 2. Over in the NL the Phillies and San Antonio have their divisions in hand but in the West it's three teams separated by a game with San Diego 1/2 up on the Giants and 1 up on Colorado. Miami looks good for WC1 followed by the two West teams with the Rockies 2 up on the Cubs.

10-17-2025, 12:45 PM	#1025
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,550	September 25-28, 2034: at Toronto (4) Game 1: 2-3 L (10). LP-R.Rodriguez (5-7). Starter-Buckman (5.1 5 2 2 3 4). HR-Soto (8/18). Soto's 2-run homer in the 9th bought the Rays an extra inning but it was Toronto which took advantage. Game 2: 6-4 W. WP-Khattak (3-0). S-Ogando (6). Starter-Vargas (4 2 2 2 5 6). HR-Gurrola (22), W.Perez (11), Haro (25). Rays moved to the brink of clinching the AL East thanks to a 5-run 6th that provided the win. A 3-run homer from Perez and a 2-run shot by Haro accounted for the scoring. Game 3: 6-4 W. WP-C.Rodriguez (2-0). S-R.Rodriguez (29). Starter-Najera (4 10 4 4 1 6). HR-Haro (26). The Rays are AL East champs again as they go for a three-peat thanks to a 4-run 9th inning which overturned a 4-2 deficit. Haro was the hero with his three-run shot in the final frame providing the winning margin. C.Rodriguez earned the win thanks to four perfect innings in relief which kept his team in it. Game 4: 4-3 W (10). WP-Echavarria (1-0). Starter-Lennon (5.1 5 3 2 1 5). HR-Pino (45). Rays gave several regulars a rest after clinching the division but won anyway thanks in large part to one of the ones who didn't as Pino drove in all 3 regulation runs with a 2-run homer and RBI single before they got the winner in the 10th on a wild pitch, giving Echavarria his first MLB victory. Team record: 96-63. The Rays will close out the regular season with three dead rubber games in Boston with the #1 seed clinched and no shot at 100 wins, although Boston is looking to wrap up a wild card. Not even sure there are any personal milestones to hit as Kevin White reached the 100-RBI mark and broke Carlos Pena's single-season Rays homer record with his 47th a couple series back. Playoff Race Update: The four days so far this week brought a lot of clarity with the Rays (#1 seed), White Sox and A's all clinching their divisions. Chicago and Oakland are tied on 86 wins so the #2 seed and a bye is still at stake. The Yankees and Jays will be WC1 & WC2 and Boston is two up on Seattle and Detroit for WC3. Over in the NL the Phillies (#1 seed) and San Antonio have clinched their divisions with San Francisco two up on San Diego in the West. Miami is WC1 with the Padres in WC2 a game up on Colorado which in turn is a game up on the Cubs.

10-22-2025, 01:27 PM	#1026
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,550	September 29-October 1, 2034: at Boston (3) Game 1: 4-5 L (10). LP-Stevenson (4-4). Starter-Fragoso (4.2 1 1 1 1 3). HR-E.Bell (6), Juan (8/20). The game meant nothing to the Rays but unfortunately it had an impact as Fragoso left in the 5th with what turned out to be a ruptured tendon in his finger and his season is over. This assures Buckman of being the 4th starter for the playoffs. As for the game, R-Rod blew a 2-1 lead in the 9th then after Juan's 2-run homer in the 10th Stevenson gave up 3 runs on 5 hits in the bottom of the inning to lose it. The win put Boston on the verge of clinching WC3. Transaction: Fragoso goes on the IL and Luis Oviedo is activated from his rehab assignment Game 2: 3-2 W. WP-Echevarria (2-0). S-Ogando (8). Starter-Buckman (4 5 2 2 2 6). HR-W.Perez (12). Rays got some strong pitching in this one and held on to win as the score was 3-2 in the 3rd. Boston still clinched the WC as Detroit lost. Game 3: 2-7 L. LP-Oviedo (1-2, 4 6 5 5 3 4). HR-Cedillos (11). Oviedo was lit up in his return as the Rays closed out the regular season on a losing note. Final Regular Season Record: 97-65. Next up: Game 1 of the ALDS at the Trop against either the Blue Jays or Yankees. Season stats post next.

10-22-2025, 02:09 PM	#1027
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,550	Final 2034 Regular Season Standings and Rays Stats Not many Rays among the leaders although Kevin White did end up tied for 3 in the AL for homers with 47 but lost out on the listing above alphabetically. Colorado ended up tied with Cincinnati for WC3 in the NL but won the season series between the teams to take the tiebreaker. Quite the second-half turnaround as we went 54-27 after starting the year 44-37 and won the division going away. The hitting numbers were good but not great with the HR ball carrying us. The pitching was brilliant once again but let down by a lousy defense. Kind of boom or bust offense with the big 5 (Gurrola, Rutschman, White, Pino and Haro) carrying most of the load while we got little from LF, RF, SS and most distressingly, DH. Soto was a complete bust after coming over in trade and never got untracked - I'm almost wondering if I should start Bell in the playoffs over him. Perez did come on in the second half and claimed the LF job but Hardy was a massive disappointment this year after getting a contract extension, almost completely unable to hit righties. As you can see we cycled through quite a few guys in the LF and DH positions and half-solved that. The trio of Najera, Lennon and Vargas (a revelation after being moved to the rotation early in the season) is the envy of most of baseball and hopefully will pitch us deep into the postseason. Buckman is a respectable 4th starter although it's a shame we lost Acosta (and Fragoso this past weekend). The bullpen was pretty good except at the very end where Rodriguez has pretty much pitched himself out of the closer's role after a very frustrating season. We could live with his walks over the past few season because he was so overpowering but we can't live with the walks combined with allowing a homer every 4-5 innings and a -0.9 WAR bears that out, so Ogando will be the closer for the playoffs. Lee was a godsend after being claimed on waivers, excelling in the 7th-inning role although he be bumped up to the 8th since we can't trust R-Rod with any kind of late inning lead when there's no margin for error. As we go for our third straight title a victim of success has been the farm system, which is downright dreadful right now. The most likely player to make an impact next season is Arroyo, who was our #1 pick last year and made it to Durham, where he hit 296/366/398 in 110 games and boasted an outstanding 14.7 ZR (16.1 overall counting his short stint with Montgomery) and should take over as our starting SS and help shore up a lousy defensive big league team.

10-25-2025, 11:24 PM	#1028
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,550	The 2034 Wild Card Round And the Rays now know their ALDS opponent as the New Yorkers will come to the Trop for the series opener in a couple of days. The A's will face the White Sox in the other ALDS. San Diego will do battle with the Phillies in the NLDS. And finally the Rockies advance to take on the San Antonio Seagulls in the other NLDS.

10-29-2025, 08:57 PM	#1029
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,550	October 7, 2034: ALDS Game 1 A good (but somewhat costly) start... The Rays kicked off their quest for a World Series threepeat at Tropicana Field and did so in fine fashion with their 6-3 win over the Yankees. It was a strange affair as Juan Soto, who has been absolutely miserable since coming over mid-season in trade, took out months of frustration on the home plate umpire after being called out on strikes in his first at-bat in the 2nd and his animated display cost him a 3-game suspension. You could say it got the Rays going as they put 3 on the board in the next inning on a 2-run Adley Rutschman single and an RBI knock from Soto's replacement at DH, Evan Bell. Hector Gurrola added an RBI triple in the 4th as part of a 3-hit day and they built a 6-0 lead. Unfortunately Rutschman strained his back on that 2-run single and it's a "moderate" injury which will keep him limited for the next week. Meanwhile Hugo Najera was very good but also very inefficient with the walks and was unable to complete the 5th for the win thanks to reaching 100 pitches and putting 2 men on. And although Jaden Stevenson got him out of that mess he made one of his own in the 6th allowing New York to cut the lead in half before the rest of the bullpen shut things down. Jaheim Lennon will get the ball tomorrow to try and send us to New York with a 2-0 series lead. Meanwhile former Ray Natanael Santana has his current team up 1-0 in the other ALDS:

10-29-2025, 09:41 PM	#1030
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,550	October 8, 2034: ALDS Game 2 & NLDS Game 1 Home field advantage lost... This was always going to be a tough one for the Rays, going up against Ignacio Gonzales who's perhaps the best pitcher in baseball and coming off a 20-6, 2.09 season. And while they put some men on against Gonzales, a subpar outing from both Jaheim Lennon and the defense (two critical errors) meant the Rays are going back to New York all even in the series and will have to win at least one game at Yankee Stadium to advance. Angel Vargas will get the ball for the first of those.z Elsewhere in DS action the other AL series is also tied at 1 while the Rockies and Phillies got off on the right foot in the NL:

10-29-2025, 10:05 PM	#1031
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,550	October 9-10, 2034: ALDS Game 3 & NLDS Game 2 Advantage Rays... Tampa Bay rode its bats to a 2-1 ALDS lead in a 7-5 win at Yankee Stadium to move within one game of advancing. Hector Gurrola, who had homered to give the Rays a 5-3 lead they lost, put them back on top in the 7th and Will Perez added an solo insurance homer in the 8th to lead the way. They got an excellent middle relief outing from Randy Rodriguez, who had lost the closer's role after a poor season but picked up the win today, and the Lee/Gonzalez/Ogando triumvirate closed out the game. Benjamin Buckman will take the ball tomorrow looking to clinch. In the other ALDS: And in yesterday's NLDS action:

10-29-2025, 10:22 PM	#1032
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,550	October 11, 2034: ALDS Game 4 & NLDS Game 3 Moving along... Benjamin Buckman pitched the game of his life with 8 shutout innings in a tough park against a tough team and Kevin White broke out of a late-season slump which carried over in the postseason with a solo homer to snap a 0-0 deadlock in the 7th and the Rays advanced to the ALCS, winning their eight straight postseason series. Who will they play? That was answered today as well: The Rays will face off against the South Siders for a trip to the World Series while the Rockies and Padres pulled within one game of the NLCS.

10-29-2025, 10:31 PM	#1033
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,550	Rest of the 2034 NLCS October 12: The Rockies booked passage to the NLCS while the Phillies most emphatically forced a Game 5 in their series with the Padres. October 14: And it will be all-Western Division NLCS as the Padres shook off being blown out at home in Game 4 to return the favor in Philadelphia. Former Ray Eljiah Green was instrumental today.

11-02-2025, 08:09 PM	#1034
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,550	October 15, 2034: ALCS Game 1 Out of the gates... The Rays romped in the ALCS lid-lifter, dominating the White Sox behind Hugo Najera and getting a big 3-run homer from Kevin White to put them into cruise control. Also getting his first MLB postseason homer was Evan Bell, who has put Juan Soto even farther in the back of our minds. Jaheim Lennon will go tomorrow in Game 2.

11-02-2025, 08:39 PM	#1035
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,550	October 16, 2034: ALCS Game 2 & NLCS Game 1 Romping halfway to the Series... The Rays routed the White Sox yet again to take a 2-0 lead in the ALCS, and for a second straight day it was Kevin White with the big homer as he gave the Rays a 2-0 lead in the 4th after Jaheim Lennon put two men on in each of the first three innings before getting out of the jam each time. That opened the floodgates and White went deep again along with two of his teammates as the lead kept expanding. Angel Vargas will take the ball in Chicago in 48 hours to try to put this one out of reach for the White Sox. Meanwhile in the NLCS, Colson Montgomery's 3-run homer in the 9th gave the Rockies a leg up:

11-02-2025, 08:55 PM	#1036
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,550	October 17-18, 2034: ALCS Game 3 & NLCS Game 2 Turnabout, etc... The White Sox returned the favor of two routs at the Trop by destroying the Rays in the first game back in Chicago to climb back into the ALCS. It was pretty much over quickly and Stevenson and Vargas were left in to take beatings to preserve the rest of the staff. Kevin White did homer for a third straight game. Benjamin Buckman will try to right the ship tomorrow in Game 4. Meanwhile San Diego evened things up yesterday in the NLCS:

11-02-2025, 09:50 PM	#1037
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,550	October 19, 2034: ALCS Game 4 & NLCS Game 3 On the verge... We weren't sure what to expect from Benjamin Buckman in his first postseason as a starter, but he has exceeded expectations first with a brilliant outing in the ALDS and then today's gem, in which he and three relievers combined on a one-hitter in a 3-1 win over the White Sox to put the Rays ahead in the series by the same margin. The only hit he allowed was an RBI single in the 4th to briefly put Chicago ahead, but Hector Gurrola doubled in the tying run in the 5th and then in the 6th Kevin White continued his unconscious ALCS run by homering for the fifth straight game and giving the Rays a 2-1 lead which they held onto. Now Hugo Najera, who was excellent in Game 1, will try to finish off the White Sox and give the Rays a berth in their third straight World Series, having won the previous two. Meanwhile the Rockies have taken the series lead in the NLCS:

11-02-2025, 10:28 PM	#1038
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,550	October 20, 2034: ALCS Game 5 & NLCS Game 4 Series-bound... The Rays are heading back to the World Series where they'll try to be the first three-peaters since the 1998-2000 Yankees after walloping the White Sox again to win the ALCS in 5 games. It really wasn't a rout until the end and Chicago looked for 5 innings like they'd bring the series back to Tropicana Field having taken a 3-0 lead over a much-less sharp Hugo Najera. But after getting on the board in the 6th and loading the bases, Will Perez came through with a bases-clearing double to put the Rays ahead for good, and he later scored to make it 5-3. The bullpen, especially Chase Lee, was stellar again to keep it there and then the bats blew it open in the 9th against Chicago's all-star closer Darwin Cruz, crushing him for 8 runs on 3 homers, including yet another one from Kevin White, who tied the MLB record set by the Mets' Daniel Murphy in 2015 by homering in his sixth straight postseason game including all five in this series. He was named MVP in the biggest no-brainer of them all. So who will the Rays face? It's anybody's guess as the Padres evened up the NLCS at two games apiece: Whoever it ends up being the Rays will have a decided rest advantage and a chance to set up their rotation.

11-02-2025, 10:36 PM	#1039
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,550	Rest of the 2034 NLCS Game 5: Game 6: And it will be the Rays and Padres in the World Series. Tampa Bay will be going for its third straight title and sixth in the past eleven years. Game 1 will be at Tropicana Field on October 26.

11-06-2025, 04:48 PM	#1040
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,550	October 26, 2034: World Series Game 1 A tough opener... Runs were at a premium at Tropicana Field in the World Series opener, and the Padres got the odd one in five in the 10th inning to take a 1-0 lead. Gerald Ogando put a couple on in his second inning of work and was running out of gas, so he gave way to Luke Little who lost the lefty-on-lefty battle with Josh Naylor, who delivered the game-winning single. Tampa Bay put a couple on in the bottom of the 10th with a chance to tie but Evan Bell whiffed to end it, fitting on a night when 17 Rays struck out. Jaheim Lennon will try to keep us from heading west in a big hole tomorrow.