2018 Tampa Bay Rays

[treymancini]

The Rays have undergone a highly impressive transformation over the past few years, culminating in a playoff appearance in 2019. But how did they do it? How did they take a roster so dearly lacking in talent and become the powerhouse they are today, in only a few short years? This dynasty will explore that question, in great detail.

Unfortunately, I do not have OOTP 20, so this will be done with OOTP 19. If anyone wants to get me a steam key I'm game

Anyways, here are some of my initial settings:


Players & Facegen

Injury Frequency: High
Suspension Frequency: Normal
Batter Aging: 0.7
Batter Development: 1
Pitcher Aging: 0.7
Pitcher Development: 1
Talent Change Randomness: 140


AI Settings:
Trade Difficulty: Hard (I will likely change this back and forth between hard and very hard whenever I run into situations where the AI is being dumb about trades).
Favors: Favors prospects.
Lineup: Sabermetric
Evaluation:
Ratings: 40
Current Year: 35
1 year ago: 20
2 years ago: 5

I'm giving a lower ratings weight because oftentimes the AI will just completely ignore someone with incredible stats because they are 2.5-star. Adam Haseley is one such example, he usually posts about a .370 OBP in my save with average power but almost always settles for a one year deal less than 2m due to having a low star rating.




Minor Leagues:
Automatically control in game engine, also applied 25-man roster for R-adv through AA and 26 for AAA.

Service Limits:
A+ : 7 years
A: 6 years
A-: 5 years
R-adv and DSL: 4 years
R: 3 years

I may lower these over time as the world builds.


Rules:
Standard 2018 rules with following exceptions:

1. All-star game decides home field in world series because that was amazing.
2. Allow trading of injured players. I don't like the way OOTP handles this and it's a dumb rule period when we can clearly see how long they are out for so I allowed it.


Other leagues: ALL OF THEMMM

This is something I've never done before, I only ever use US Indy leagues. Hopefully my laptop can handle it.

Important settings in the non-MLB leagues:


Australian: Changed player creation modifiers to 0.7 to bring it in line with leagues of similar quality (out of the box, it creates MLB caliber players!)

Cuban: Same as Australian, changed to 0.8 for it though.

US Indy Leagues: Enabled a draft, and changed the player creation modifiers to be very low. Atlantic is at 0.7, and they decrease from there, to the 0.5 for the PECOS.

Japanese Indy Leagues: Enabled drafts, and formed the Japanese Independent Association between the two leagues. The winner of each league will meet in a Minor Japan Series! I plan to do something similar with the US leagues soon.



I will try to update this as often as I can, and as with as much detail as I can. I know it's only OOTP19, but I really hope you guys enjoy this!

My previous three saves were an Orioles one where I was very successful, a Marlins one where I stunk, and an Expos expansion one where I did well.


I plan to get up a roster overview tonight.

[treymancini]

March 9th, 2018


From: Erik Neander, Assistant General Manager
To: Jim Smith, General Manager

Hello Jim,

Welcome to the Tampa Bay organization. I have attached the scouting ratings of the players. If you could prepare a document of your initial thoughts on each player, that would be great.

Erik N.



Jim's Thoughts on the Organization:

Pitchers:
(Stuff/Movement/Control, Pitches, Stamina, Velocity, Tendency)

Starters:

Chris Archer: 65/55/55, 70/75/70, 65, 94-96, Neutral
Archer is unquestionably the ace of this staff right now. His ratings are very nice, and his strikeout numbers are insane, leading to him having a great WAR. But his ERA is trending the wrong way, as is his BABIP. I'm worried that he may not live up to his peripherals. That does happen from time to time, and I'm not a FIP lover like many people.

Jacob Faria: 65/45/40, 70/60/65, 65, 92-94, Ex. Flyball
Faria is an interesting pitcher to me. Three good pitches is a plus, and his control has a 50 potential, but I'm concerned by the lack of movement and the flyball tendency. That's not a great combo. I can't argue with his results thus far though.

Blake Snell: 60/50/45, 70/65/60, 60, 92-94, Neutral
Snell has solid ratings, and some room to grow as well. He's only 25, and had solid numbers. Overall I think he might have the best potential on our staff.

Matt Andriese: 50/45/65, 60/50/65/55, 55, 91-93, Neutral
Andriese isn't lighting the world on fire, but he's been an average starter for awhile, and I think that four pitch mix could probably out-perform his stated stuff rating. 65 control has played well in the past.

Ryan Yarbrough: 45/40/55, 60/55/65, 55, 91-93, Neutral
A rookie with fairly mediocre stats but an excellent track record in the minors. I hope he sticks around, but I could see him getting bumped to the pen.

Important Relievers:

Jose Alvarado: 75/65/30, 75/70/45, 30, 97-99, Neutral
Alvarado still has room to grow, but he's already looking like a decent weapon out of the pen. I like his velocity and he's got two elite pitches. It's a shame he doesn't have higher stamina, or he could start. I might have him start on a low pitch count anyways, just to see.

Diego Castillo: 65/45/50, 70/70/50, 35, 95-97, Flyball
Castillo is another young rookie with talent, although not as promising as Alvarado. Unlike Alvarado, he has very little room to grow, so what we see is likely all we will get out of him.

Yonny Chirinos: 50/45/75, 55/60/65, 60, 90-92, Neutral
Yonny had a monster year in AAA in 2017, posting 4.0 WAR. I'm in love with his pitch location abilities, and his three pitch mix is definitely good enough to start with. He could supplant Andriese or Yarbrough very easily in the rotation.

Chaz Roe: 70/55/45, 60/75, 30, 89-91, Groundball
Roe is odd to me. He has great stuff, but terrible velocity, and is a good groundballer. He's bounced around a bit but honestly looks like he could be just fine as a middle reliever, I'm not sure why so many teams waived him.

Alex Colome: 55/60/65, 65/65/55, 30, 94-96, Neutral
Colome is likely due for the lion's share of high leverage opportunities. He is by far the best reliever of the team, and is worth his 5.3m salary.

Sergio Romo: 70/35/65, 50/70/60, 30, 86-88, Extreme Flyball
Romo continues to defy all conventional wisdom. An extreme flyball pitcher whose slider tops out at 88 mph and has a 35 movement should be a recipe for disaster in today's MLB. But he continues to perform. He was disastrous for the Dodgers, but was traded to the Rays for cash, where he excelled. He then re-signed for 2.5 million.

Andrew Kittredge: 60/50/50, 65/70, 35, 93-95, Neutral
Kittredge is very much the last man in the pen, and will likely be replaced over the course of the season as we shuffle guys around. He's 27 and unmotivated, not a great combo for our team. That said, we may be able to build a little bit of value for him and trade him.

A few minors guys of note:

Ryne Stanek: 70/40/45, 75/65/40, 30, 97-99, Neutral
Stanek is a strong-armed reliever with control problems in the upper minors. He could be a candidate to take a spot.

Nathan Eovaldi: 45/55/50, 60/50/50/50, 65, 95-97, Groundball
Eovalid is starting the season the DL, but should be ready by late May. On his third team, Eovalid has bounced around, but he still has a shot at a rotation or swingman role. His ratings are nothing special though.



Those are my thoughts on the pitchers. Batters and prospects coming soon.

[treymancini]

Batters:
(Contact/Gap Power/HR Power/Eye/Avoid K, Speed, Defense, Batted Ball Profile)

C Wilson Ramos: 55/35/60/35/55, 30, 65, Flyball
Ramos is the highest paid player on the team, but that contract did not work out for Tampa. His hitting stats last year were abysmal, in large part due to poor plate discipline. He's looking to rebound this year, but we'll want to be rid of him as soon as possible.

C Jesus Sucre: 45/40/45/30/55, 35, 65, Groundball
"Sugar Jesus" is my favorite nickname in all of professional sports. That said, the sweet savior is not going to be saving our catcher position. He's an acceptable backup but nothing more.

1B CJ Cron: 45/55/60/40/45, 40, 55, Flyball
Cron is a nice hitter, but he really needs to take the next step. I wouldn't wed ourselves to him as a long term starter.

2B Brad Miller: 45/60/50/55/40, 45, 50, Normal
Everyone's favorite utility man is back. He might not play any one position well, but he plays all of them good enough. He had a bad year at the plate though, and is hoping to bounce back. Right now, he will be the 2B versus righties.

2B Rob Refsnyder: 45/60/45/55/45, 45, 50, Groundball
Another uninspiring candidate for the second base job, Refsnyder is also looking to bounce back and maybe not stink as bad as he did last year. He will likely start versus lefties.

2B Joey Wendle: 45/60/45/30/50, 50, 55, Normal
The best defender of the bunch at 2B, Wendle is just as uninspiring as the other two choices. He's a prime cut candidate at age 27.

3B Matt Duffy: 50/50/35/60/55, 55, 70, Groundball
Duffy is an elite defender at third, and a decent hitter with a good eye. He's coming off an injury but has the fast track for the job at third base. I really think he's a valuable player to have.

Adeiny Hecchavaria: 55/50/30/40/60, 40, 65, Groundball
Hecchavaria is a good enough starter at shortstop. That said, he costs over 5 million dollars for "good enough". I could see him either being traded or allowed to go in free agency next year, depending on how much service time he accrues.

3B Daniel Robertson: 50/50/45/50/45, 50, 50, Groundball
Robertson has good potential, and can play multiple positions with ease. He will start off in a utility role but could take the 2B job potentially. He's a solid defender with an average bat, and that's worth something.

LF Denard Span: 55/50/40/45/65, 55, 45, Normal
Span had a nice season last year with the Giants, but I question whether it was a good idea to take on that much salary for a player that's ultimately kind of meh. That said, he was a part of the Evan Longoria salary dump, so I suppose it's to be expected that he'd be a little overpaid.

CF Kevin Kiermaier: 45/60/55/45/45, 65, 80, Line Drive
Kiermaier is signed long-term, and is an incredible defender. I really like him, he's a fan favorite, and is a huge asset to us. I hope he holds up. He's a plus runner as well.

CF Mallex Smith: 40/50/30/50/45, 80, 60, Normal
Smith is a crazy fast baserunner, a good defender, and he's ready to make his mark on the scene. That said, he's blocked by Kiermaier, so he's going to be a 4th outfielder. I want to try to involve him in the bench game though.

RF Carlos Gomez: 45/50/55/45/35, 60, 60, Normal
Gomez is a solid choice to start at right field, but we could do better. He's only signed for one year as a stopgap, so let's see how he performs. We could have a trade chip at the deadline if he's okay.

[treymancini]

A few prospects of note:


(Overall/Potential), Age, Level, MLB-wide Rank


SP Brent Honeywell: 2.0/3.0, 22, Injured (AAA), #13
Honeywell looks like a fully-baked major league pitcher, with good stuff and control. Unfortunately, he's having Tommy John, and will miss this year.

SP/1B Brendan McKay: 0.5/2.5, 22, A+, #16
McKay doesn't look like he'll excel in either role of his two-way status, but he can provide some value at least as a decent starter in both roles.

SS Willy Adames: 1.5/4.0, 22, AAA, #19
I kind of like Adames the best of these three. He's a pretty solid hitter with a good glove and good intangibles.

CF Jesus Armando Sanchez: 0.5/4.5, 20, A+, #41
Sanchez looks to have the ability to be the best pure hitter out of any prospect, and can play an average centerfield. The question has more to do with age and lack of experience than anything.

3B Christian Arroyo: 1.0/2.5, 22, AAA, #112
Great minors hitter, unsure about his overall potential but he looks like he might have the ability to be a 2-3 WAR player if all goes right.

SP/RP Yonny Chirinos: 2.5/3.0, 24, MLB, #114
Chirinos was covered earlier. He has the chance to start this year.

RF Josh Lowe: 1.0/4.0, 20, A, #116
Lowe looks to be a bat-first corner outfielder with the ability to hit cleanup. He's got a ways to go, and needs to impress in the minors more.

SS Wander Franco: 0.5/4.5, 17, INT, #124
Franco has the most upside of anyone in the system with the caveat that most of these international guys don't pan out. There is high variance when you sign someone at 16.

Other guys of note:

#121 RF Lucius Fox is a potential plus defender with an average bat at the corner....#126 RP Austin Franklin is likely not as good as the press says he is...#128 1B Jake Bauers has an MLB-ready bat and could step in to try and impact this season....there are five other prospects in the MLB top 200....The Rays system is ranked 3rd out of 30.

[treymancini]

March News: (OOTP does not do Spring Training during this period, so I'm just going to collect all the happenings here):


March 11:
Trade:
Cleveland receives: 2B Ian Kinsler, $4.8m cash
Los Angeles (A) receives: C Roberto Perez, RF Johnathon Rodriguez

Rodriguez is according to our scout a 4.5 star, 18 year old prospect. While OSA is not so high on him, that's a big win for the Angels. They did have to take on the rough contract of Roberto Perez though, and they paid down Ian Kinsler with the cash so that his salary is a bargain for the production he likely gives. The Angels clearly played for the future, and the Indians for the present.

Grades:
CLE, C+
LAA, A-

March 18:
Trade:
Boston receives: C Kurt Suzuki
Atlanta receives: IF Eduardo Nunez

Boston and Atlanta swap spare parts. Both players had solid years last year, and Boston will now fix the hole they had at catcher while giving up infield flexibility. Atlanta has Tyler Flowers step in at catcher, but Boston only has Brock Holt to replace Nunez, and Suzuki and Vazquez will likely split time.

Grades:
BOS, B
ATL, A


Preseason Update:
McKay is now #13, Honeywell #15, Adames #17, Franco #24, and Sanchez #80, giving us the 2nd best farm system in baseball.

The Rays are projected to go 81-81 and finish 3rd.

[treymancini]

RAMOS WALKS IT OFF IN EXTRAS

ST. PETERSBURG, FL--The Rays opened their season in stunning fashion yesterday, downing the Boston Red Sox 8-7 in an epic 13-inning showdown filled with intense moments throughout. The rays jumped to an early lead of 4-2 with homers by Wilson Ramos and CJ Cron, but a sixth inning meltdown by Chris Archer saw the Red Sox take a 5-4 lead. Cron, who was named player of the game, immediately answered with a solo shot, his second homerun of the day, to even the score.
The game stayed tied until the eighth inning, when a rough outing by Sergio Romo was followed up by a terrible performance by an erratic Jose Alvarado, who walked three batters, recording a single out before being relieved by Diego Castillo. But the Rays fought back once again, as Adeiny Hecchavaria launched a 2-RBI triple off of ace closer Craig Kimbrel to once again even the score.
The game remained tied at 7 until the bottom of the 13th inning, when Wilson Ramos led off the inning with a monster blast off of Matt Barnes. Barnes had been stellar through four innings up to that point, but finally gave up only his second hit in heartbreaking fashion. Chaz Roe picked up the win for the Rays with his two perfect innings to finish the game.
The Rays take on the Sox once again at Tropicana tonight, as left-hander Blake Snell duels Boston's other ace in David Price.

[treymancini]

Series Log: April

(I will update this as games are played):

vs. Boston
W, 8-7 (13) --- Ramos walks off to win the opener for the Rays. Cron wins player of the game for his two homeruns and two singles. Adeiny Hecchavaria hits a clutch triple to bring it to extras.

W, 5-1 --- Blake Snell was erratic, surrendering 5 walks and 5 hits over only 4.0 IP, but he managed to only allow the one run. Brad Miller hit two homers off of left-hander David Price, Daniel Robertson also went long, and Yonny Chirinos fired three solid innings in relief to garner his first win.

L, 0-4 --- Jake Faria fanned 8 over 7.1 IP, but ultimately two homeruns were his demise. The Rays offense went quiet, and was held to only two hits and three walks all game. Sergio Romo bounced back to give 1.2 IP of solid relief.

L, 3-5 --- A similar story to the previous game, Andriese was solid for most of the game, striking out ten and only allowing 9 to reach base in 7.1 IP, but he gave up a 3-run shot to Betts, a solo homer to Moreland, and an RBI double to Betts again in a two-inning span.

Apr. 2 Power Rank: #19

Yankees Sign Trevor Rosenthal: 1y/3.8m
Terrible deal for the Yankees, as he likely won't pitch this season, and it's a one year deal.
Grade: F

[treymancini]

April 2, 2018:

Carlos Gomez sustained an injury a few days ago. Reports now indicate he has a rotator cuff strain and will be out for two weeks. Former Giant Angel Pagan has been called up to play right field. This activates his 1y/1.1m split deal.

@ New York Yankees

L, 1-11---Ryan Yarbrough pitched well, but Diego Castillo and Jose Alvarado had a complete meltdown, surrendering 8 runs in the 8th inning. The bats were disturbingly quiet once again, although Hecchavaria has been impressing in the early going.

L, 2-5 --- Another bad start from Chris Archer is worrisome. The pen pitched fine, but the offense continues to be anemic. CJ Cron and Adeiny Hecchavaria are having great seasons so far, but Matt Duffy only is 1 for 25. Ouch. The only bright spot here was the Rays debut of 36-year old Angel Pagan, who was 1/3 with a BB and run scored, and made an incredible throw from the outfield to double up a Yankee at the plate.

Some Injury Updates from around the league:

Twins SP Kyle Gibson and Angels RP Blake Wood are out for the season. Cubs 3B Kris Bryant was suspended for three games. Yankees RP Dellin Betances will miss 4 months.

[treymancini]

@ Boston

W, 7-1---Blake Snell was excellent, and the Rays offense once again battered David Price of the Red Sox. Matt Duffy was 3/5 with a double and a homer, and CJ Cron hit three singles as well. Chaz Roe got his first save of the season in relief.

Brewers SP Wade Miley and Rangers SP Cole Hamels are out for the season.

L, 5-13---Chirinos was terrible in relief, giving up 5 runs in only 0.1 IP. Faria was bad as well, and that's how we get here. Cron hit his fourth homerun though.

W, 4-3---Andriese had a great start today. The game was tied 1-1 until the 8th, when CJ Cron hit his 5th homerun on the year to give us the lead. Alvarado nearly blew the save but escape with a one-run lead remaining.

[treymancini]

Apr 9, 2018

#15 in Power Rankings.

@ Chicago White Sox

L, 3-7---Yarbrough didn't have the best of days, and the bullpen struggled in this loss. Angel Pagan has continued to rake though, although it's mostly singles.

Astros RP Brad Peacock and Jays RP Roberto Osuna are out for the season with injuries. I can't say I'm unhappy about the Osuna news to be honest.

W, 5-2---It wasn't pretty, but Chris Archer finally got his first quality start. Kiermaier hit his first homerun of the season, and Pagan and Cron continued to hit well. Chaz Roe got his second save.

L, 6-7 (10)---This is going to haunt us. The Rays had a 6-1 lead in the 5th, but Snell was forced to exit the game due to an injury, and the bullpen was hammered. Chirinos was bad, and then Colome, Romo, and Kittredge each allowed a run. Game over. White Sox walk it off in the 10th.

[treymancini]

We are 5-7 now.

Cubs 3B Kris Bryant racked up his second suspension of the year, for fighting Pirates SP Tyler Glasnow. Bryant received 4 games and Glasnow 6 games. Indians SP Corey Kluber is out for five weeks. Rays SP Blake Snell is out for the rest of the season.

[treymancini]

MLB TRADE WHISPERS
If it's rumored, we hear it...

RAYS PLACE BLAKE SNELL ON 60-DAY DL, PROMOTE CHIH WEI HU

Blake Snell's promising season has come to an end. The Tampa organization confirmed yesterday that Snell will not pitch again this season due to a ruptured tendon in his triceps. Snell had a 2.08 ERA over 13 IP in his three starts.

In his place, Yonny Chirinos will be starting. He is the #187 prospect in all of MLB and #13 in the Rays system, according to BNN. Chirinos had an ERA over 10 in his limited time in the big leagues, but the team hopes those few bad outings were an aberration as he looks to fill the role of Snell. Hu (#14 Rays prospect) will join the bullpen in place of Chirinos. Hu had a 3.06 ERA with 57 strikeouts last year in the International League, and has experience in the bigs, pitching 10 solid innings last year for the Rays.

[treymancini]

vs. Philadelphia Phillies

W, 10-0---Everything that could possible go well, did. Faria pitched 7.1 innings to two-hit baseball. Rob Refsnyder finally woke up his bat with three doubles. Denard Span hit his first homer, and the Rays scored 10.

Angel Pagan sprained his ankle and is out for two weeks. However, Carlos Gomez came back immediately after.

W, 3-1---Matt Andriese continued his awesome season with another 6 solid innings. Mallex Smith hit a 1st pitch homerun in the bottom of the 1st, and Refsnyder hit a triple and scored a run in the 7th. Colome (4) and Alvarado (3) each got holds, and Chaz Roe got his third save.


Texas SP Matt Moore will miss 4-5 months with a sore shoulder.

L, 7-8---Another rough loss for the rays. Yarbrough was roughed up and did not make it through the 5th, and Colome and Alvarado combined to allow 5 runs of their own. CJ Cron almost led a comeback with a 3 RBI triple with two outs in the 9th, but Ramos was unable to bring him home.

The Rays are now 7-8.

RP Sergio Romo of the Rays is out for 5-6 weeks with a sore shoulder. A decision on his replacement will be made shortly.

[treymancini]

The Rays have promoted RHP Ryne Stanek from Durham and placed Sergio Romo on the 10-day disabled list.

vs. Texas

W, 6-5 (11)---Going into extras, the game was 3-3. In the top of the 10th, Tommy Joseph of Texas hit a two-run homerun, and it looked grim for the Rays. But Wilson Ramos answered with his own two-run blast, and it went to 5-5 in the 11th. In the bottom of the 11th, Carlos Gomez singled, and then Kiermaier hit a walk-off double to win it. Hecchavaria was 4-5 with a triple, double, and two singles. Archer pitched well, and Hu got his first win.

[treymancini]

MLB TRADE WHISPERS
If it's rumored, we hear it...

RAYS ACQUIRE TIM HILL

The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired left-handed reliever Tim Hill from the Royals this morning. IF Rob Refsnyder will be heading to Kansas City in return. This move comes on the heals of the injuries to Blake Snell and Sergio Romo sustained by the Tampa Bay squad, and Hill adds another lefty arm to a pen that only sports a single other southpaw, Jose Alvarado.

The 28-year old Hill has struck out 7 over 6.2 innings this season, pitching to a 2.70 ERA in four appearances for the Royals. The submariner is known for being very strong against lefties, but he struggles against right-handed hitters. He has strong groundball tendencies, and is considered a positive clubhouse presence. Hill was not necessarily redundant in Kansas City, but the team clearly felt that their infield depth was a more pressing concern, or they did not see Hill as having as much long-term value as Refsnyder.

As for the return, Refsnyder is past the days of being a prospect, but the 27-year old infielder may have some untapped potential. The infielder hit .216/.231/.432 in 10 games (mostly as a designated hitter) in Tampa, but it was becoming increasingly clear that he didn't have a place in the crowded infield mix in Tampa. By dealing Refsnyder, this will allow CJ Cron to move to DH and Brad Miller back to his natural position at 1B. Refsnyder will likely become a depth piece for the Royals to ensure against injury, although he could supplant Chelsor Cuthbert.

Reliever Ryne Stanek has been optioned back to AAA Durham by the Rays. 1B/2B/3B/LF/RF Grant Kay has been promoted from AAA Durham. No corresponding move has been announced by the Royals.

[treymancini]

vs. Texas (continued)

W, 10-0---The Rays annihilated the Rangers. Yonny Chirinos shut them down for 7 innings despite surrendering five walks, but the real story was the offense. Daniel Robertson had four hits (two doubles), Jesus Sucre and Kevin Kiermaier each homered in a 7-run 6th inning, and Grant Kay got his first major league hit and his first run scored. Denard Span also turned back the clock and stole two bases.


Injury/Suspension Updates:

Mets RP Jason Vargas will miss 4-5 months with a torn back muscle. Atlanta SP Luiz Gohara is out for the season with a torn flexor tendon. Jays LF Randal Grichuk was suspended 3 games and Royals SP Jason Hammel 6 games for fighting. Baltimore SP Andrew Cashner is out for the season after undergoing a procedure to remove bone chips in his elbow. Brewers 1B Jesus Aguilar will miss the rest of the season with a torn posterior cruciate ligament. Milwaukee also loses the services of LF Christian Yelich to a sprained ankle for 4-5 weeks.

All of these injuries and suspensions occured within a 48-hour span. Wow.


W, 1-0---Jacob Faria led a second straight shutout of the Rangers, allowing only 2 hits over 6.1 shutout innings. Tim Hill and Jose Alvarado both ran into trouble, but they were bailed out by Alex Colome and Chaz Roe, respectively. Roe picked up his 4th save, throwing only 4 pitches. CJ Cron had a double and a triple but never scored, the lone run was scored by Hechavarria on a Denard Span single in the 4th.

After the sweep of the Rangers, the Rays are now 10-8, 1 GB of the Wild Card and 3.5 GB in the AL East.

[treymancini]

vs. Minnesota

L, 2-11---Matt Andriese gave up 9 runs in the first and it was over just like that. For what it's worth, Hu pitched 3 perfect innings in relief.

L, 2-6---Chris Archer continues his struggles, and the offense hit some bad luck, but this was overall just a really bad game.

L, 0-5---The offensive struggles are becoming very difficult to overcome, even in a game where the bullpen performed well. Yarbrough falls to 0-3.

After this sweep, the Rays are 10-11.

Twins 1B Joe Mauer reached 2000 hits in this series!

[treymancini]

@ Baltimore

L, 0-2---The Rays got owned by Chris Tillman, arguably the worst starting pitcher in baseball. Tillman threw 8 innings of 4-hit ball, and denied the Rays any runs. The bullpen allowed some of Chirinos's inherited runners to score in the 7th, and that made the difference.

L, 8-9 (11)---This was a horrendous game. The Rays had win probabilities over 90% at two different points in the game and blew both. A six-run sixth nearly cost them the game, and then in extras, with an 8-7 lead, Kittredge blew the save. This was a disaster of a bullpen.

W, 8-4---Finally, the Rays salvage a game. Matt Andriese was bad, but CJ Cron paced a strong game for the offense with his two homers. Overall the team had 14 hits and 3 walks. Only the first baseman, Brad Miller, managed to not get a hit.

[treymancini]

Injuries and other news:

Blue Jays SP JA Happ and SP Joe Biagini will likely miss the season. Rockies CF Charlie Blackmon is out for 4-5 months.

Yankees CP Aroldis Chapman reportedly had an altercation with LF Melky Cabrera in the Yankees clubhouse yesterday. In a press conference, Chapman went so far as to say it was "Cabrera's fault we're losing". The Yankees are 4.5 games ahead of the second place Rays in the AL East.

[treymancini]

@ Boston

The 1st game was postponed, a double-header will occur the next day.

W, 6-5 (11)---An extra inning game in game 1 of a double header isn't good, but the Rays got the win. Chaz Roe blew a second save, and Tim Hill made it scary with a 6-4 lead in the 11th, but the Rays escaped alive, in part thanks to a great throw made by Denard Span to cut down the tying run in the 11th.

Prior to Game 2, RP Tim Hill was optioned to AAA-Durham. 26-year old RP Chris Kirsch was promoted to Tampa.

L, 1-8---Yarbrough was hit hard this game, and Hu gave up his first runs of the season, as the offense also struggled. Just a rough game on the end of the doubleheader.

L, 8-9---This one will haunt us. Up 8-4 in the 9th, Andrew Kittredge started to struggle, bringing in Jose Alvarado. Alvarado walked in a run, and then allowed a bases loaded grand slam to walk it off. Hanley Ramirez has still got it.