The 2021 (and only 2021) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

Congratulations to the Mets, World Series winners for the first time in 35 years thanks to an outstanding effort from Marcus Stroman, who was either brilliant (no-hitter) or horrible (11 runs in 1 2/3 innings) over his last two starts but came through with a 2-hitter through 7 innings to pace New York.

[Art Deco]

My original plan was just to play 2021 (hence the "only 2021" in the thread title) but the OOTP degenerate in me just can't let it go. So I'm going to push ahead, as this Rays save is going to be considerably different from my ongoing one. First, as far as the team goes I'm hanging on to Willy Adames and Brandon Lowe, both of whom I moved in the other save (and the real Rays have already moved Adames as well) with Wander Franco becoming the permanent 3B.

The other interesting thing is that although it's never happened in my main Rays save, at the first time of asking the AI has decided to expand with teams in San Antonio and Memphis. So this will add a cool new wrinkle that I'd like to see play out.

Therefore this save (and thread) is not dead, and will continue on. My main Rays save will remain the priority and this one will be played and updated at a slower pace.

[Art Deco]

First of all, big award news!



Congratulations to Brandon, who is signed to a nice team-friendly contract for several more years. Randy Arozarena finished 7th and Austin Meadows 10th.

Other award winners: Spencer Torkelson (AL) and Cristian Pache (NL) took Rookie of the Year, Lucas Giolito (17-10, 3.40 with 335 Ks) and Freddy Peralta (14-4, 2.84) were the Cy Young winners, and the NL MVP went to Ronald Acuna Jr. for his .339-36-86, 9.2 WAR season.

And of course I've made a few trades:



Adios, Yandy. He had a pretty good season and he's a WYSWYG guy, a high-average, good OBP player with limited power and defensive skills. With Wander taking over third he was relegated to DH last year and I have a DH replacement ready to go (more on that later). In return we get a starter for next season in Peacock, who looks solid with 50 stuff, 65 movement and 55 control. He should be a reliable 3rd-4th starter and with Chris Archer a free agent (I'd like to bring him back but his fine comeback season has probably priced him out of our budget) we have a hole to fill.



The lack of a reliable lefty in the pen was a problem last year as Cody Reed stunk and Colin Poche didn't come back until September. Fletcher gives us one, he was Seattle's closer last year with 26 saves, a 3.16 ERA and 70 whiffs in 57 innings. He was a bit homer-prone with 10 longballs allowed so he should feel right at home in our bullpen. The price was reasonable as Mercado is an okay prospect but a finesse guy so his upside is limited.



Wendle was set to make around $3.2M in arbitration and while he's a nice player to have, Taylor Walls is ready to take over the utility IF role (not to mention we have Vidal Brujan and Xavier Edwards knocking on the door). So we shipped him to the Dodgers for Little, and perhaps this is where my bias from the other save comes into play as Little turned into an excellent pitcher in that. Of course I know it means nothing for this save but Little was still one of the better prospects being offered, even if right now he looks to only have 5th starter upside as it wasn't like I was going to get anything sexy for Wendle.

Also I picked up the $4M option on Mike Zunino's contract. Z is always going to be just shy of the Mendoza Line, but he's still valuable if he hits 21 HR again and continues to provide 70 defense at the catcher position.

Word from the bossman:



$100M would be a team-record payroll I'm pretty sure, which is another reason why I was comfortable picking up Zunino's option.

So these are my state of team thoughts right now.

C: Zunino and Mejia return.
INF: The starting infield all returns, with Ji-Man Choi expected to have a better year, and Lowe, Adames and Franco are fixtures.
OF: Arozarena and Meadows return at the corners, but CF is a mess. I'm hoping Kevin Kiermaier and his $12M albatross of a contract are taken in the Expansion Draft; if not, he might just get DFA'd and we'll eat the contract. I like Manuel Margot, but not as the full-time CF but he'll definitely be on the roster. So that leaves the left-handed side with Josh Lowe a possibility or I move Edwards to CF and make him the leadoff hitter. Vidal Brujan had a disappointing minor league season so he's fallen below Edwards in the pecking order and could be traded for more pitching help.
DH: This is where it gets interesting. Last summer I signed Cuban defector Oscar Colas but didn't bother mentioning it because I thought I was playing 2021 only and he didn't figure into the big club during the season. But he was decent at Durham and I expect him to be at the least the LH side of a platoon at DH, with the right side being someone like Manuel Margot or Mike Brosseau. This is why Yandy was expendable.

Rotation: Glasnow, Yarbrough, Luis Patino, Peacock and Brendan McKay is the rotation right now. Shane McClanahan will be back around mid-season and if he's decently recovered from TJS he has a shot. Another injury returnee is Yonny Chirinos, who has a shot at the rotation as well. Also Joe Ryan is interesting and could make the club as a long reliever. As always we'll bargain shop in free agency and there could be another Archer or Wacha worth picking up.

Bullpen: The big 3 of Anderson, Fairbanks and Castillo returns, joined by Fletcher. Poche, Rafael Dolis and Andrew Kittredge will be back as well to provide quality middle relief. Chaz Roe is a free agent. Cody Reed is shaky to return and we can always fill a spot or two with the usual suspects like Chris Mazza or Josh Fleming or someone like Brett Honeywell. We'll see if we can find an inexpensive free agent to help in this department as well.

EXPANSION DRAFT:

The San Antonio Alamos took Kiermaier!! $12M off the payroll, which now after arbitration sits at $58M. We could sign a pretty decent free agent on a 1 or 2-year deal or make a big salary acquisition now. Here's the full draft, these teams look dreadful:



DONE DEAL!



Welcome to Tampa Bay, Christian Vazquez! It will only be for this year, but he could be the best catcher in Rays history as this position has been a struggle to fill ever since Tim Beckham was drafted instead of Buster Posey in 2008. Vazquez is a free agent at years' end, but so was Mike Zunino, who went the other way in the deal. And while Vazquez and Zunino have equivalent power (Z may have a little more), Vazquez is a .280 hitter instead of a .180 hitter. And as great as Z is defensively (70), Vazquez is even better (80). Of course I had to put Pedro Martinez in the deal as the Red Sox can't resist a player by that name. He's an OK infield prospect but not a top-notch one and Dishmey is even lower. The Sox save $3M in the deal although I think that would be a rounding error for them.

[Art Deco]

BIG FREE AGENT SIGNINGS:

In this parallel universe, World Series MVP and superstar Francisco Lindor did not sign a big extension with the Mets so instead he signed a 4/152.5 deal with Houston, who had Carlos Correa go free.

The Cardinals couldn't keep Nolan Arenado from opting out of his big deal, so he signed with Washington on a massive 6/224.5 pact. Guess they're not convinced Carter Kieboom is the future at 3B.

The Mets replaced Lindor with defensive wizard Andrelton Simmons, who defected from their World Series opponent the Twins. Simmons signs for 5/124. Simmons isn't going to hit .340 and earn 7.5 WAR again, but he's a fine replacement.

37-year-old Max Scherzer still has it, and he's taking it to Houston on a 3/88.2 deal.

Jimmy Nelson, who helped lead Arizona to a surprise NL West title with a 13-10, 3.02 season, inked a 2/31.8 pact with the Phillies.

Former Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez, who pitched great for Houston as a rental last year, went for 7/121.8 to Cincinnati, a bold move for them.

The aforementioned Carlos Correa found a new home too, headed to the Windy City to play for the Cubs on a 7/149.8 deal.

The Blue Jays, who had already made deals for veteran pitchers Mike Foltyniewicz and Will Harris, signed the big prize among international free agents, Cuban lefty Ernie Severino. The mammoth 6'7, 240-lb Severino projects as a #2-3 starter and went for 5/78.

A couple of veteran middle infielders who had huge seasons in 2021 cashed in. 36-year-old Asdrubal Cabrera, who had a stunning .305-30-106 season with Arizona, signed a 3/44.4 deal with Seattle while 2B Jonathan Schoop, who bounced back to hit .308-27-71 with a bad Detroit team, will join Nolan Arenado on the Washington infield with a 5/85 pact.

More reliever deals: Veteran closer Kirby Yates to the Yankees for 2/18.6, Brad Hand to the Dodgers for 3/27, Ryan Pressly back to the Twins for 3/28.

Starters on the move: Trevor Bauer takes his winning personality to Toronto for 6/96, Vince Velazquez surfaces in Pittsburgh for 3/24.4, and Kevin Gausman to the Mets for 4/60.8.

In a trade, the Dodgers acquired Cardinals closer Giovanny Gallegos for a couple of prospects.

Good thing we got Jack Little for him:



December 18: Added 1B Tristan Gray, RP Drew Strotman, SP Brett Honeywell and OF Moises Gomez to the 40-man roster.

The Rule 5 draft is tomorrow, and we may lose someone like Paul Campbell or Garrett Whitley. There were a bunch of guys I rated about the same so I ended up leaving an open spot in case there's someone I want to take in the draft.

December 19: The Rule 5 draft was kind of a bust, only 3 players were taken, two by the expansion Memphis Spirit and none from us.

[Art Deco]

January Free Agent Signings:

The Angels bagged a couple of starting pitchers, James Paxton at 5/107 and Mets playoff hero Marcus Stroman at 5/71.

The Giants re-signed Brandon Crawford to a 4/46 deal and then added former Cub Kris Bryant to play alongside him to the tune of 4/85.6.

In reliever signings, former Ray Alex Colome joined the Dodgers for 3/25.8, as did Roberto Osuna at 2/10. Seattle inked Corey Knebel to a 1/4.2 deal. Speaking of the Dodgers, their former OF AJ Pollock joined the Cubs on a 3/38.4 deal.

Jalen Beeks, whom we non-tendered after missing all of 2021, signed a 1-year, $2.4M contract with Atlanta.

The Orioles have done their "sign an overrated veteran" thing and just went 7/135 for Javier Baez.

Chris Archer parlayed his 1-year comeback deal with us from last year to get a 2/26.4 deal with the Phillies. More than I would have wanted to pay him.

Oakland's closer last year, Trevor Rosenthal, signed a 1/4 deal with the Yankees.

After a year with the Cubs, Joc Pederson has gone back to the Dodgers on a 5/113 contract.

Lance Lynn, who bounced around with the White Sox and Twins last year, inked a 4/34 deal with Boston.

Ultimate utility guy Chris Taylor, who had 21 HR for the Dodgers last year, signed a massive 6/130.8 deal with Boston, while veteran starter Michael Pineda went for 4/26 with Houston.

Dylan Bundy signed for 5/69.5 with the Rockies, where he will see his ERA rise.

Former Royals slugger Jorge Soler signed a 4/62 deal with the Angels.

Zack Greinke is staying in Texas, as the 38-year-old who gets by on guile now signed a 1/7 deal with the expansion San Antonio Alamos.

Greg Holland, whom I was eyeing as a possible free agent signing, went to Atlanta for 2/15.

Raisel Iglesias is staying in the Los Angeles area, this time going to LA proper as he joins the Dodgers on a 3/38.7 deal.

Also owners are dropping like flies in the mid-Atlantic area as Baltimore's Peter Angelos and Washington's Ted Lerner have both shuffled off this mortal coil in the last week.

D'oh!



Well this is certainly disappointing, no McClanahan for 2022 and with this setback you really have to wonder about his future effectiveness.

The Hall of Fame voting is in:



The controversial Bonds, Clemens and Schilling fall off the ballot while a couple of 1st timers not without controversy themselves, A-Rod and David Ortiz, sail in.

DONE DEAL:



This finally gives us the closer I wanted, as Nick Anderson was a bit too homer-prone in the role. He'll slip back to setup. Seattle wanted to move his $5M salary and we have plenty of room, so the price was quantity than quality. Stevenson might make it as a scrappy 4th OF type while Dodson has decent stuff but control issues. And Williams can't hit, for average or power.

Just wonderful:



I hate Spring Training. To replace Glasnow, I have made an offer to FA Justin Verlander. He's not what he used to be but still would be a decent replacement. Otherwise we're looking at Yonny Chirinos (who knows how long he would hold up) or rookie Joe Ryan.

OK....



Who among us hasn't suffered an intercostal strain when our car was hit by train? Sheesh.

Justin Verlander Negotiation Update: The hell with him. I've upped my offer at least 3 (4?) times and he keeps saying Washington is topping it. We're already up to $7.7M. I'm done.

[Art Deco]

We head into the season with a good team but the rotation is a bit of a question mark with Tyler Glasnow and Shane McClanahan out long-term. Here's the Opening Day roster:

C-Vazquez, Mejia
1B-Choi
2B-B.Lowe
SS-Adames
3B-Franco
IF-Walls, Brosseau
OF-Arozarena, J.Lowe, Meadows, Margot
DH-Colas
SP-Chirinos, Peacock, Patino, Yarbrough, McKay
MR-Dolis, Kittredge, Fletcher, Fairbanks, Poche
SU-D.Castillo, Anderson
CL-Giles

Josh Lowe has been given the starting CF job against RHP, despite a mediocre spring. Brosseau/Walls could DH some against LHP.

Chirinos is a big question mark in the rotation, he'll starting Opening Day due to his team seniority. I'm more than prepared to go with Joe Ryan should he struggle.

This roster is good enough to win the division, per the Preseason Predictions:

[Art Deco]

Going to do shorter recaps and post the entire series at once (but not this one), in a bit of a change from what I had been doing and what I do with the other Rays save.

Here's Opening Day:



A tough loss after we had come back to take the lead twice on 2-run homers from Oscar Colas and Manuel Margot. The only reason Margot was in the game is because Josh Lowe broke his thumb on an infield single, I guess on a Kiermaier-style dive into the bag. It was his first MLB hit and he'll be sitting on a 1.000 BA for awhile since he's out 6 weeks. Yonny Chirinos wasn't that good but he'll get a few more starts before I make any judgments.

April 8: Placed OF Josh Lowe on the 10-day IL with a broken thumb, recalled IF/OF Vidal Brujan from AAA Durham.

Time to see what we have in Brujan and how passably he can play CF.

Game 2: Another walk-off win for Kansas City as they beat the Rays 4-3 in 12 innings after Andrew Kittredge gave up a triple to lead off the 12th, which scored on a sac fly. Randy Arozarena had a 2-run double in the 8th to tie it as the offense struggled with 7 hits in 12 innings. Matt Peacock was 5 6 3 3 1 3 in his Rays debut but probably shouldn't have come out for the 6th on 89 pitches as he put two on which Pete Fairbanks allowed to score. Wander was 2-5 with 2 steals.

April 9: Signed OF Khris Davis to a minor league contract.

Davis hit 26 HR for Texas last year so there's still some gas left in the tank and he could maybe platoon with Colas if Colas has trouble with lefties (his ratings aren't that bad against them). We'll let him play at Durham and see how it goes; if we bring him up we owe him $3.2M.

Game 3: The Rays took out 2 games and 8 innings' worth of frustration as they scored 9 times in the 9th to beat the Royals 9-1 and take their first win of the season. They had numerous chances to score throughout the game with several RISP (including men on 3rd) with less than two out but couldn't score and it looked like they'd lose another heartbreaker. But Austin Meadows' RBI double, a bases-loaded HBP to Randy Arozarena, a bases-loaded walk to Willy Adames and then a grand slam from Oscar Colas (#2) blew it open. Vidal Brujan made his MLB debut as a pinch-runner in the 9th and stole second before later getting to bat in the inning and beating out an infield single. Ryan Yarbrough deserved the win, going 7.1 7 1 1 2 3 but Diego Castillo got it going the final 1 2/3.

Team record: 1-2. Next up: The Twins, who vanquished us in the ALDS, visit the Trop for our home opening series.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays' home opener was a disaster as the Twins picked up where they left off in the ALDS with a 10-3 win. All the runs came in the first three innings as Luis Patino was shelled to the tune of 2.2 8 8 8 1 6 (at least he got the Ks). Brandon Lowe was 3-4 with an RBI.

Game 2: When Brendan McKay gave up a 2-run homer to Josh Donaldson in the 2nd it was "here we go again" but he settled in and the Rays came back to take a 4-3 win. Austin Meadows tied it with a 2-run shot in the 3rd, Christian Vazquez singled in a run after Minnesota went ahead 3-2, and Meadows' sac fly after Manuel Margot's triple leading off the 7th brought home the winning run. McKay was 5 5 2 2 1 4 in a no-decision, Aaron Fletcher got the win in relief, Nick Anderson held the 8th despite loading the bases and Ken Giles got his first Rays save.

April 12: Optioned P Andrew Kittredge to AAA Durham, recalled P Josh Fleming from AAA Durham.

The bullpen is exhausted with only Pete Fairbanks not showing in yellow, so a fresh arm was needed and Fleming can pitch multiple innings.

Game 3: The second time around Yonny Chirinos was brilliant, going 7 2 0 0 3 6 to pick up his first win since 2019 in a 5-0 shutout of Minnesota which evened the Rays record at 3-3. Brandon Lowe hit HR #1 in 1st off Jose Berrios, which would be the only run they'd need, but a 3-run 4th featuring RBI singles from Willy Adames and Francisco Mejia broke it open. Oscar Colas added HR #3 later. Pete Fairbanks and Josh Fleming each had a scoreless inning to finish it off.

Team record: 3-3. Next up: 3 games in Texas.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays routed Texas 11-3 with a 5-run 4th breaking it open. Manuel Margot was 3-6 with a homer (#2) leading off the game and 2 RBI, with Brandon Lowe (#2) and Willy Adames (#1) going yard as well. Christian Vazquez and Adames each had 3 hits as the team totaled 17. Matt Peacock was brilliant in his first Rays win, going 6.2 3 1 1 4 9.

Game 2: Ryan Yarbrough pitched well but didn't get the win once again as Texas scored 4 times in the 7th to take a 5-2 win, ending their hideous 0-7 start. Joey Gallo homered twice off Yarbs, who went 6.1 4 3 3 0 3 but Aaron Fletcher was the one who imploded in the Texas rally. Brandon Lowe homered again (#3) for one of the Tampa Bay runs.

Game 3: The 4th inning was big again for the Rays as they scored 6 times on their way to an 8-3 win over Texas. Francisco Mejia had a 2-run single and Vidal Brujan a 2-run double in the inning while Luis Patino shook off a bad first inning (2 runs allowed) after a bad first start to even his record at 1-1, going 5 6 2 2 2 3 with Rafael Dolis and Josh Fleming each pitching 2 innings. Brandon Lowe suffered a mild ab strain and will miss a couple of games.

Team record: 5-4. Next up: Boston comes to the Trop for 3 games.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Brendan McKay did this:



A dominant performance from the young lefty who's justified his rotation spot in the 6-0 win. A 3-run 1st inning helped him out thanks to the first Rays HR from Christian Vazquez, a 2-run shot against his old team. Our other catcher also homered as Francisco Mejia was the DH thanks to some players needing rests and he launched a 2-run shot with Ji-Man Choi driving in the other 2.

Game 2: A great pitchers' duel between a couple of wily vets, Chris Sale and Yonny Chirinos, went the Rays' way as they prevailed 3-1. Chirinos was excellent going 7 5 1 1 0 3 and had his sinker working to perfection, getting 3 double plays. Mike Brosseau supplied the offense, hitting a 2-run HR in the 5th (#1) to break a scoreless tie, and later doubling and scoring on Manuel Margot's sac fly. Nick Anderson and Ken Giles (with save #2) each had a scoreless inning in relief.

Game 3: Rafael Devers' 2-run homer off Matt Peacock in the 1st inning was more runs than Boston had scored in the first two games of the series combined but it wasn't enough as the Rays took an 8-3 win to sweep. Peacock also gave up a homer to old friend Mike Zunino but not much else as he went 6 3 3 3 3 4 to improve to 2-0. Randy Arozarena swung the big bat, going 3-3 with a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 1st (#1) to answer the one from Devers, and Austin Meadows had a 2-run shot (#2) with Ji-Man knocking in two more. Diego Castillo struck out 5 Red Sox over the final 1 2/3 to secure the win.

Team record: 8-4. Next up: An off-day then we visit the expansion San Antonio Alamos for 3 where we reunite with Kevin Kiermaier.

Around MLB: The Yankees lead the AL East at 9-3, 1 up on the Rays after they swept the Alamos. Matt Olson and Giancarlo Stanton lead MLB with 8 homers through the season's first 12 games and the Tigers are MLB's surprise team, leading the AL Central by 2 games at 9-3. Also Vidal Brujan is tied with Baltimore's Ryan McKenna for MLB stolen base lead with 7.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays made their first visit to San Antonio to take on the Alamos, and lost a very tough one in 10 innings 2-1. Ryan Yarbrough hit the leadoff man in the 1st, wild pitched him to 2nd, wild pitched him to 3rd and he scored on a sac fly and that was all he allowed going 8 2 1 1 0 5 in another brilliant outing. The Rays tied it in the 9th on a Christian Vazquez sac fly but Nick Anderson put two on in the 10th, Diego Castillo walked a man to load them with nobody out and who else but Kevin Kiermaier came through with the game-winning RBI single.

Game 2: Luis Patino's grip on a rotation spot might be slipping as he had his second disastrous outing in three starts, allowing 3 homers and 7 runs (5 earned) in 3 1/3 as the Rays fell again in San Antonio 11-8. The score was misleading as they put 6 on the board in the last 2 innings. Randy Arozarena homered (#2) and he and Christian Vazquez each drove in a pair.

Game 3: Brendan McKay, fresh off his 1-hit Maddux, was dominant again holding the Alamos to 7 5 1 1 1 8 and Brandon Lowe's 2-run first inning homer (#4) held up to give the Rays a 2-1 victory salvaging a game from the series. McKay is now 2-0, 1.29 with a 3/19 BB/K ratio in 21 innings so far this year. Nick Anderson held in the 8th with 2 whiffs and Ken Giles had a 1-2-3 9th for save #3.

Team record: 9-6, 2 games behind the Yankees. Next up: A trip to Detroit for 3 games. The young Tigers are off to a hot start at 10-5.

MLB News: Jack Leiter made his major league debut with Houston in relief and was pounded for 4 runs on 5 hits in 1 1/3 innings in a 16-5 Boston rout.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Yonny Chirinos spun 7 shutout innings and Brandon Lowe went 3-3 with a homer (#5), a double and 2 RBI as the Rays blasted Detroit and Matt Manning 7-0 in the series opener. Vidal Brujan had an RBI triple, Randy Arozarena was 2-3 with an RBI and Willy Adames drove in a pair as well. Chirinos went 7 3 0 0 2 7 and is now 3-0, 1.75.

Game 2: A 4-run first paced the Rays to a 6-4 win over the Tigers and they received another excellent start from Matt Peacock, who went 6 6 2 2 3 5 to improve to 3-0, 3.42. Randy Arozarena and Willy Adames had RBI singles in the 1st and then Brendan McKay got to do it with the bat as well as his arm, drilling a 2-run double to cap the opening rally. They later added a couple to make it 6-2 which proved important when Ken Giles coughed up a couple of runs in the 9th, including a homer to pinch-hitting Tiger prospect Riley Greene, his first MLB hit.

Game 3: The Rays used an opportunistic offense and another great start from Ryan Yarbrough to edge Detroit 3-2 and sweep the series. The bats only managed 4 hits for the day but pushed across 3 runs in the 3rd on a sac fly, wild pitch, and bases-loaded walk. That was enough for Yarbrough, who finally now has a win to show for his excellent pitching to date (1.93 ERA, 2 walks in 28 IP) after a 6.1 5 1 1 0 5 performance. Aaron Fletcher made it interesting allowing Detroit a run, but Diego Castillo got through the 8th and Nick Anderson had a 1-2-3 9th for his first save of the year with Giles tired from the day before.

Team record: 12-6, 1 game behind the Yankees, who just lost Giancarlo Stanton and his 11 homers to an oblique strain for a month. Next up: Back home for 3 vs the Jays.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: This game was so ridiculous I'm going to post the box score. But I will note that Manuel Margot had his cycle by the fifth inning.



Not sure the Rays have ever had two players with at least 7 RBI in the same game, but today they did. All of Colas' production came in garbage time, though, while Margot was crucial in turning the game around. Luis Patino had a very rough first inning and I was already penciling Joe Ryan into the rotation in my head before he settled down nicely after the game was in hand.

Game 2: The Rays wished they could have saved some of those runs from last night for tonight as they dropped a 4-3 heartbreaker in 11 innings to Toronto. Randy Arozarena's 1st-inning 2-run homer (#4) gave them the lead but Brendan McKay finally proved mortal in the 4th as the Jays strung together several hits to score 3 times. Willy Adames singled home Mike Brosseau in the 6th to tie it up and the Rays had two runners thrown out at the plate who could have given them the lead before Toronto broke through with a run against Ken Giles in the 11th. McKay was 6 7 3 3 1 4 in a decent outing, and Ji-Man Choi was ejected for charging the mound after being hit immediately following Arozarena's homer, earning a 4-game suspension.

Game 3: Yonny Chirinos continued his scorching-hot start to the season going 8 4 0 0 1 5 to win an epic 1-0 battle. Chirinos is now 4-0, 1.34 in 5 starts and has allowed one run in 29 innings since his rough Opening Day start. Diego Castillo closed it out for save #1 after pitching around a Willy Adames error. The lone run came in the 6th when Austin Meadows singled with two out, stole second, and scored on Brandon Lowe's single. With the win and a Yankees loss to Oakland the Rays are now tied for the division lead.

Team record: 14-7. Next up: Leavin' on a jet plane to Oakland for 3 games over the weekend.

MLB News: The Brewers won again today to make it 14 straight as they're off an MLB-best 18-3 start to the season.

Durham news: Joe Ryan went 7 3 0 0 3 10 and now has a 1.66 ERA with 30 whiffs in 21.2 innings. Luis Patino: watch your back is all I'm saying.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays were forced into a makeshift lineup due to tired players and Ji-Man Choi’s suspension, but they still generated enough offense to take a 7-6 win in 10 after blowing a 6-2 lead in the 8th. Vidal Brujan had the biggest game of his young career, doubling in Willy Adames in the 10th for the game-winner, his second of the game to go with his first MLB homer, a 445-ft shot. Tampa Bay had 9 doubles in total, with Brendan McKay driving in two with one of them and Oscar Colas added HR #6. Matt Peacock started (7 7 3 3 0 4) and was in line for the win before Aaron Fletcher gave up a grand slam in the 8th to Matt Olson, the A’s slugger’s 2nd homer of the game and 12th in 21 games (he drove in all 6 Oakland runs). Fletcher then hit Mark Canha, who charged the mound and now Fletcher is also suspended for 3 games, which might be a blessing considering how poorly he’s pitched. Rafael Dolis got the win and Nick Anderson whiffed 3 straight A’s including Olson to get his 2nd save. The Yankees lost to Cleveland, moving the Rays into first place.

MLB News: The Phillies snapped Milwaukee’s 13-game win streak.

Game 2: Another 6-6 game went to extra innings but this time the Rays were the team that came from behind, and they pulled off the win 8-6 in 14 innings. Wander Franco’s 4th hit of the game drove in Taylor Walls and Randy Arozarena’s RBI single provided insurance. Rafael Dolis, the 5th Rays reliever of the game, all of whom combined for 11 innings without allowing an earned run, got his 2nd win in as many nights with 2 perfect innings. Earlier, Ryan Yarbrough had his first really bad outing going 3 9 5 5 0 1 but the Rays fought back including a 2-run Brandon Lowe homer (#6) in the 6th which tied it at 6 and five stolen bases, a couple of which set up runs.

May 1: Optioned P Josh Fleming to AAA Durham, recalled P Andrew Kittredge from AAA Durham.

Needed a fresh arm after back-to-back extra-inning affairs, Fleming pitched 2 1/3 scoreless yesterday.

Game 3: For the third time in three games in this series, the game was 6-6 in the 9th and for the third time in three games the Rays came away with the win, 8-6. Trailing 6-5 going into the 9th the Rays got consecutive doubles from Francisco Mejia, Manuel Margot and Wander Franco to take the lead, and Austin Meadows' sac fly brought home Franco. Pete Fairbanks got win #1 going the final 2 1/3, whiffing 5 including the side in the bottom of the 9th. The A's were ahead because Luis Patino squandered leads of 4-0 and 5-2 after the Rays had gotten 2-run homers from Franco (#1) and Brandon Lowe (#7, part of a 4-5 day) off A.J. Puk. Patino finished 4 3 6 5 5 3 and is finished in the rotation after 5 starts with a 9.00 ERA in 21 innings. Joe Ryan will be called up with the question remaining whether Patino goes down or moves to long relief.

Team record: 17-7, now 3 games up on the Yankees after they were swept in Cleveland this weekend. Next up: A much-needed off-day then back home for 3 against that same Cleveland team.

MLB News: Miguel Cabrera picked up hit #3000 today for Detroit, although they fell to Baltimore 7-6.

A couple of much-deserved monthly awards:

[Art Deco]

Game 1: Second-year sensation Wander Franco had been hitting for average this season but had been fairly quiet to date. That changed tonight as his big game along with one from Mike Brosseau led the Rays to a 14-7 win over Cleveland. Franco had a 3rd-inning RBI double to tie it up at 2 and then added a 2-run homer, his 2nd, to cap an 8-run 5th inning which broke it open. Brosseau was 3-3 with 4 RBI as well, including a bases-clearing double in that 5th, Willy Adames was 3-4 with 2 RBI and Manuel Margot had a 3-run HR (#4) in the 7th. Brendan McKay wasn't as sharp tonight but he didn't have to be, going 6 9 3 3 0 4 to improve to 3-0.

May 4: Optioned P Andrew Kittredge to AAA Durham, recalled P Cody Reed from AAA Durham.

Game 2: The Rays saw their 5-game winning streak snapped by Cleveland tonight in a 5-3 loss. Yonny Chirinos didn't have it tonight, going 3.1 8 5 5 1 2 and while the Rays got to Cleveland ace Shane Bieber for 3 runs in the first 4 innings, they couldn't get anything going against Cleveland's bullpen as all the scoring took place in the first 4 innings. They did get solo homers from Wander Franco (#3) and Christian Vazquez (#2).

May 5: Optioned P Cody Reed to AAA Durham, recalled P Joe Ryan from AAA Durham.

Time for the Joe Ryan era to begin as he'll get the start in today's matinee.

Game 3: The Rays bounced back for a 6-2 win over Cleveland in Joe Ryan's debut, which was successful if not smooth. The rookie righty put numerous runners on, but got 3 double plays turned behind him as well as a runner thrown out at the plate but made it through 6 innings to get the win (6 7 2 1 4 2). Pete Fairbanks and Nick Anderson pitched the final 3 to secure the win, which saw Wander Franco homer for the third straight game (#4), a 3-run shot in a 5-run 2nd inning that put the Rays in command of the game. Willy Adames had an RBI single and Austin Meadows later hit a solo shot (#3) in the 7th.

Team record: 19-8. The Yankees lost the first two games of their series against Seattle to extend their losing streak to 7 before winning today, so the Rays' division lead is now 4 games. Next up: The Seattle Mariners come to town for a 3-game weekend set.

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Game 1: Matt Peacock continues to be an inspired acquisition as he turned in a 6.1 4 1 1 2 6 line to go to 4-0, 3.16 in a 4-1 Rays win. And our long national nightmare is over as Ji-Man Choi finally hit his 1st homer of the year and it was a big one, breaking a 1-1 tie in the 4th. Austin Meadows hit #4 with a man on in the 5th to provide some separation, and the bullpen came through with Ken Giles nabbing save #4.

Game 2: Ryan Yarbrough has always pitched well against his old organization and today was no exception as the Rays broke open a 2-1 game late with a 3-run 8th to take a 5-2 win. Yarbs was a solid 6 5 1 1 1 6 and is 2-1, 2.92 with a nifty 3/23 BB/K ratio in 37 innings. Wander Franco's RBI double broke a 1-1 tie in the 3rd and Francisco Mejia had a big 2-run single in that 8th inning. Giles got the save again (#5) after Diego Castillo coughed up a run in the 8th. Christian Vazquez tried to score on that Franco double in the 3rd and suffered a hip flexor strain. It's "minimal" for 6 days so we'll play Mejia a lot and nurse him along.

Game 3: The Rays completed the sweep, but just barely after hanging on to a 6-5 win which saw Nick Anderson give up a late 3-run HR to Taylor Trammell to make things dicey. Before that Brendan McKay was blowing the M's away to the tune of 5.2 3 2 2 3 9, a season-high in Ks. Oscar Colas supplied the offense early with a pair of homers (#7 and 8) to account for the first 3 runs and Brandon Lowe's 3-run shot in the 8th (#8) proved to be huge given the Seattle rally. Anderson still got his 3rd save and two of the runners belonged to Aaron Fletcher, so it wasn't all him. Good to see Colas snap back after a lengthy slump as I was considering alternatives.

Team record: 22-8, now 6 up on the Yankees as New York dropped two out of three in Anaheim. Next up: Instead of shuttling down the coast to face those Angels, both teams will take a cross-country flight to play at the Trop for 3 starting tomorrow. Schedule makers, man.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays got 2 big 3-run homers and another great outing from Yonny Chirinos to stay hot and beat LA 7-2 in the series opener. Oscar Colas stayed sparkly by drilling a 3-run homer in the 2nd off last year's playoff hero for the Mets Marcus Stroman, his 9th, and then with the game in the balance in the 7th at 3-1 pinch-hitter Mike Brosseau stepped up and blasted one out with two aboard (#2) to put the game out of reach. Chirinos went 6.1 6 1 1 2 8 with the whiffs a season-high as he goes to 5-1, 2.28. Luis Patino was electric in relief, whiffing 5 Angels over the final 2 2/3 to pick up his first save.

Game 2: Joe Ryan's MLB debut against Cleveland last week was successful if not overpowering (2 whiffs) but the rookie righty showed what he was all about today fanning 9 Angels in 5 innings in yet another Rays rout 9-1. Ryan was 5 2 0 0 3 9 on 88 pitches. Willy Adames took Andrew Heaney deep in the 1st to get Tampa Bay on the board, Ji-Man Choi drove in 3 and Oscar Colas and Vidal Brujan each brought home a pair. The lone Angel run came against Rafael Dolis, the first time he's been scored upon this season.

Game 3: The Rays made it 7 straight and 17 of 19 by handling the Angels again 5-1. It was a tight 1-1 pitchers' duel between Matt Peacock and James Paxton, but Paxton blinked first when Christian Vazquez took him yard in the 6th with HR #3 to make it 2-1. Randy Arozarena's 2-run double in the 7th gave the Rays a cushion and Peacock went to 5-0, 2.91 with a 6.1 4 1 1 3 6 outing. Diego Castillo got a couple of big outs in the 7th to snuff out a budding LA rally while Austin Meadows went 3-4 with an RBI.

Team record: 25-8. As hot as the Rays are the Yankees are just as cold; after starting 14-5 they've now lost 12 of 14 including a sweep at the hands of White Sox while the Rays were taking care of the Angels. They're now 9 up on the Bronx Bummers (and Boston, who's now caught New York at 16-17) and head to Yankee Stadium for 3 games.

MLB News: Young Marlins phenom JJ Bleday had a 5-hit game which included a homer and 4 RBI; The Dodgers lost Clayton Kershaw to a torn meniscus for 4 months; and San Antonio catcher Rene Pinto, who was in the Rays' system last year but became a minor league FA, hit for the cycle albeit in a losing cause as Boston beat the Alamos 10-8.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: With the Yankees in a deep slump while the Rays have been red-hot, this series didn't look to be the one we had circled on the calendar a couple of weeks ago. Still it was good to make a statement and the Rays made one tonight in a 7-1 win, their 8th straight. Ryan Yarbrough continues to mesmerize AL hitters as he went 6.1 2 1 1 3 6 to improve to 3-1, 2.70. The 3 walks equaled his season total coming in so you could call him wild tonight. A 3-run rally in the 2nd was all they needed with Christian Vazquez and Mike Brosseau getting key RBI singles, and Vazquez added a homer (#4) later while Brosseau had an RBI double. Taylor Walls drove in a pair with fielder's choices.

May 13: Placed P Pete Fairbanks on the 10-day IL with a sore elbow, recalled P Ryan Thompson from AAA Durham, signed P Shane Greene to a minor league contract and assigned him to AAA Durham.

Fairbanks had to leave last night's game with a sore elbow. It's a 5-day injury but described as "moderate" so off to the IL he goes. The big news is the signing of Greene, a quality veteran reliever who will be coming up soon. Houston waived him and he cleared, so we get him for the minimum plus a $180K bonus. He's 55 stuff, 50 movement, 60 control and looked good with the Astros with a 2/14 BB/K ratio in 10 innings and was a closer as recently as 2019.

Game 2: All good things and all that as the Yankees snapped the Rays' 8-game win streak with a 4-2 win. Luis Severino and the Yankee bullpen were tough today while Brendan McKay walked 3 guys in the first two innings including the leadoff man in both, and all 3 of them came around to score. McKay did get the whiffs in a 5.1 5 4 4 4 8 outing, his first loss of the season. Oscar Colas (an RBI double) and Wander Franco drove in the Rays' runs.

Game 3: The Rays snapped back from yesterday's loss and beat the Yankees by the same 4-2 score they lost to them, thanks to some solid pitching and a big day at the plate from Christian Vazquez. After the Yankees scored their runs in the 1st on a Gleyber Torres homer off Yonny Chirinos, Vazquez got them on the board with a solo homer in the 2nd and added an important RBI single in the 6th. Manuel Margot had an RBI single and Brandon Lowe a fielder's choice RBI in the 3rd to put them ahead. Chirinos settled down after his shaky 1st to go 5 7 2 2 2 5 and improve to 6-1, 2.42 but kudos to Rafael Dolis, who came in after Chirinos gave up 2 infield singles to lead off the 6th. He got a fly ball and induced Aaron Hicks to ground into his 3rd double play of the day to end the threat, then added a perfect 7th. Nick Anderson got the 8th and Ken Giles finished for save #6.

Team record: 27-9. Winning three times as many as you lose is good, right? The new second place team is Boston, one up on New York and 9 back of the Rays. Boston won today when Detroit closer Alex Lange walked three straight Sox with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th. Meanwhile with Milwaukee losing today the Rays now have the best record in baseball. Next up: An off-day then we head to Chicago to play the White Sox for 3.

MLB News: Seattle's Justus Sheffield pitched a no-hitter against Baltimore at home, walking 3 and whiffing 8 in a 107-pitch outing. Here's a look at the current MLB standings and leaders:

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A "minor" trade:



Bishop was the Giants' 1st-round pick in 2019 and can hit for power, here are his ratings:



Obviously he's a swing-and-miss guy but when he connects the ball goes far. I traded for him in my main Rays save and he was really good for a few years. While I know that has no bearing on this save, he should still be useful. Barragan was a 1.5-star DSL guy whom I'm not going to miss.

Game 1: Joe Ryan keeps getting better with each start and was excellent today. Unfortunately so was Dylan Cease and the Rays dropped a tough 1-0 decision. Ryan went 6 6 1 1 1 9 but gave up a Blake Rutherford homer in the 5th which proved to be the game's only run. Cease and the White Sox pen held Rays hitters to 5 hits and struck out 15 of them so it was that kind of night.

May 17: Sent OF Josh Lowe to AAA Durham for a rehab assignment.

Lowe is over his injury but probably is out of a job as Vidal Brujan and Manuel Margot have done a pretty good job of locking down CF.

Game 2: After being blanked last night the Rays had already scored by their third batter when Brandon Lowe tripled home Wander Franco, and two batters later Oscar Colas took Reynaldo Lopez deep for a 2-run shot (#10) and the Rays were on their way to a 6-4 win. Willy Adames' RBI double in the 6th and Austin Meadows' 2-run shot in the 7th (#5) built a 6-1 lead for Matt Peacock, who was terrific again. The rookie righty turned in a 6 5 2 2 1 3 line to improve to 6-0, 2.92. Ryan Thompson surrendered a homer in the 8th and Ken Giles one in the 9th but still got his 7th save.

May 18: Optioned P Ryan Thompson to AAA Durham, purchased the contract of P Shane Greene from AAA Durham.

Time to bring Greene up and see if he still has something left, while Thompson pitched the last two nights.

Game 3: The ball was flying out of Guaranteed Rate Field but unfortunately it was mostly off White Sox bats as they out-homered the Rays 5-3 and outscored them 8-3. Ryan Yarbrough was due for a stinker and stink he did, yielding 4 homers after having only allowed 3 in 43 innings coming in. He gave up 31 last year so this was some unwanted regression. They scored 5 against him as most of them were solo, and then in relief Luis Patino allowed a 3-run shot by Jose Abreu, his 2nd of the game. The Rays got solo shots from Austin Meadows (#6) and Brandon Lowe (#9) back-to-back in the 6th to pull within 5-2, and Manuel Margot hit #5 in the 9th. Shane Greene made his Rays debut with a scoreless 8th. This marked the first series they've lost since dropping 2 of 3 in San Antonio in mid-April.

Team record: 28-11, 8 up on Boston which took 2 of 3 in their series against Toronto. Next up: Back to the Trop for 3 games against Houston.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: It was a pitchers' duel until it wasn't, and that was when the Rays exploded for 8 runs in the 7th to take an 8-1 win. Brendan McKay gave up a Jose Altuve homer in the 1st and that stood up for Houston behind the pitching of Francis Martes, who 2-hit the Rays through 6. But Martes walked the bases loaded to start the 7th and with one out, reliever Luis Garcia walked Willy Adames to force in the tying run. Ji-Man Choi, dropped to 8th in the lineup hitting a buck-eighty, then cleared the bases with a double, Austin Meadows and Wander Franco singled in runs, and Brandon Lowe greeted rookie Jack Leiter with a 2-run HR (#10) to cap the rally. McKay went 6 6 1 1 2 5 and lowered his ERA to 2.88 while Colin Poche got the win in relief.

Game 2: A wild back-and-forth game culminated in a 3-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the 9th by Wander Franco (#5) and the Rays bested Houston 8-5. Yonny Chirinos started and gave up 3 homers in a 6 7 5 4 0 5 outing including a leadoff Willians Astudillo blast in the 7th which put Houston ahead 5-4 after the Rays came from behind to go ahead 4-3. But Randy Arozarena hit HR #5 in the bottom of the 8th to tie it, and young Houston phenom Forrest Whitley put two on in the 9th ahead of Franco for the winner. Arozarena and Franco were each 4-4 on the night with the former knocking in 4 and the latter 3. Colin Poche picked up the win in relief for the second straight day after a 2-whiff perfect 9th.

Game 3: It was another back-and-forth game today but the Rays went back while the Astros went forth and prevailed 6-5 on Kyle Tucker's RBI double off Aaron Fletcher (who's really stunk this year) in the 7th. The Rays got 2 in the 1st off Max Scherzer with Wander Franco's double the key hit, but Joe Ryan struggled for the first time since being called up, getting hit for 4 runs in the 4th including a Tucker homer to put the Rays behind 5-2. But they chased Scherzer in the 5th with 3 runs to tie it, including another Wander double to knock in 1 and a 2-run 2-bagger from Brandon Lowe. But Fletcher gave up the back-to-back doubles in the 7th to put Houston back in front and the Astros' pen retired the final 10 Rays, including 2 perfect innings with 4 whiffs from Jack Leiter who looked much better today.

Team record: 30-12, 9 games up on Boston which dropped 2 of 3 to Oakland. Next up: We head to Baltimore for 3.