Catching Some Rays- 5/22-5/28

The homestand continued for the Rays following their weekend win over the Milwaukee Brewers. The week begins with a four-game set against the Toronto Blue Jays, the team that handed the Rays their first two losses in April and their first series loss of the season. They would then head into the holiday weekend for a three-game battle with the Los Angeles Dodgers. This marks the first time since the 2020 World Series that the two sides would meet as they each lead their respective divisions. 

Monday 5/22

Rays 6, Blue Jays 4

WP- Josh Fleming (1-0), LP- Chris Bassitt (5-3), SV- Pete Fairbanks (5)

The Rays welcomed the Blue Jays to The Trop for the first time this season to start a four-game set. The team jumped out to an early lead with three runs in the second inning. The avalanche began when Vladimir Guerrero Jr dropped a ball at first base to allow the first run across before Jose Siri hit a two-run home run immediately after. Isaac Paredes extended the lead in the third inning with an RBI single. Whit Merrifield ruined the fun with a two-run shot in the fourth, but the Rays hit two more solo shots with Randy Arozarena going deep in the seventh and Luke Raley doing the same in the eighth. The Blue Jays made it very interesting in the ninth inning with Daulton Varsho hitting a solo home run and Brandon Belt singling home a run but Pete Fairbanks got out of a bases-loaded jam as the Rays held on for the 6-4 victory. Josh Fleming pitched the bulk of the innings for the Rays, going six strong while allowing just five hits and two runs to earn his first win of the season. 

Player of the Game- Randy Arozarena (TB) (2-for-4, 2 runs, 1 double, 1 home run, 1 RBI,)

Tuesday 5/23

Blue Jays 20, Rays 1

WP- Jose Berrios (4-4), LP- Taj Bradley (3-1)

There's no easy way to put this. The Rays were murdered in this one. Things started slow enough with the Jays scoring once in the first, once in the third, and twice in the fourth to own a 4-0 lead through four innings but Toronto scored six runs in the fifth with some major blunders from the Rays' pitchers to help dig a deeper hole. Isaac Paredes would hit a solo home run in the fifth inning to ensure the Rays wouldn't be shut out. The score stayed 10-1 for the next few innings until Toronto scored once in the eighth and nine times in the ninth, highlighted by a grand slam from Vladimir Guerrero Jr off Luke Raley. Toronto became the first team to score 20 runs this season and handed the Rays the most lopsided loss in franchise history. 

Player of the Game- George Springer (TOR) (4-for-5, 3 runs, 1 triple, 1 home run, 2 RBIs)

Wednesday 5/24

Rays 7, Blue Jays 3

WP- Shane McClanahan (8-0), LP- Yusei Kikuchi (5-2)

After such a bug loss on Tuesday night, the Rays needed to make a huge response. Fortunately, they had their ace on the mound. It also didn't hurt that the offense started early. Isaac Paredes drove in a run once again, singling home one in the bottom of the first. Luke Raley and Jose Siri each added solo home runs in the second inning to push the lead to 3-0. Toronto got one back in their half of the fourth but Manuel Margot hit an RBI triple and was then brought home by Wander Franco to extend the Rays' lead. Cavan Biggio put one over the fence as part of a two-run eighth inning for Toronto but the Rays got both back in their half on singles by Siri and Franco. The offense complimented another great start from Shane McClanahan, who went seven strong innings. He allowed just one run and four hits while striking out seven to win his league-leading eighth game. 

Player of the Game- Wander Franco (TB) (3-for-4, 1 run, 2 RBIs, 1 walk, 1 stolen base)

Thursday 5/25

Rays 6, Blue Jays 3

WP- Zach Eflin (7-1), LP- Alek Manoah (1-5)

The Rays clearly took Tuesday's loss personally because they responded well for the second straight game. Brandon Belt drove in the game's first run with a single in the first inning but it was pretty much all Tampa Bay from there. Randy Arozarena singled home a run and scored on a groundout by Harold Ramirez to put the Rays ahead in their half of the first. Josh Lowe added to the lead with an RBI double in the second before the Rays scored two more in the third on a throwing error by Alejandro Kirk and an RBI groundout by Manuel Margot. Arozarena drove in another run in the eighth and despite two runs in the ninth from the Blue Jays, the Rays held on once again for the win as they took the series. Zach Eflin put in another strong start, going seven innings with just one run and six hits allowed. The Rays ran all over Kirk and Alek Manoah, stealing seven bases as a team with two each from Wander Franco, Taylor Walls, and Luke Raley. 

Player of the Game- Randy Arozarena (TB) (2-for-3, 1 run, 2 RBIs, 1 walk, 1 stolen base)

Series Review

• The Rays beat the Blue Jays, 3-1
• The Blue Jays outscored the Rays, 30-20
• The Rays outscored the Blue Jays 19-10 in their three wins
• The 20 runs allowed on Tuesday were the third-most allowed in franchise history
• Series MVP- Wander Franco (6-for-14, 3 runs, 2 triples, 3 walks, 2 RBIs, 3 stolen bases)

Friday 5/26

Rays 9, Dodgers 3

WP- Cooper Criswell (1-1), LP- Noah Syndergaard (1-4)

For the first time since the 2020 World Series, the Rays and the Dodgers squared off as two division leaders came together. The Dodgers drew first blood with an RBI single by Will Smith but just as they did against Toronto, the Rays responded quickly. The two Lowes provided the scoring as Brandon drove in a run with a groundout and Josh singled one home. The Rays scored twice more in the second with another RBI groundout by Yandy Diaz and a sac fly by Wander Franco. JD Martinez cut the Rays' lead in half with an RBI single in the third before Christian Bethancourt got it back in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI single. Diaz hit his 12th home run of the season in the fourth as the Rays held a 5-2 lead for a few innings. B. Lowe drove home another run with an RBI single in the seventh. Chris Taylor cut the deficit in half once again with an RBI double by Chris Taylor. Jose Siri put the nail in the coffin with a solo shot in the eighth with a no-doubter to left field as the Rays took the first game 7-3. 

Player of the Game- Yandy Diaz (3-for-4, 2 runs, 2 doubles, 1 home run, 2 RBIs, 1 walk)

Saturday 5/27

Dodgers 6, Rays 5

WP- Yency Almonte (3-0), LP- Colin Poche (3-1), SV- Caleb Ferguson (2)

For the first time this season, Tyler Glasnow would grace an MLB mound after the long road back from his injuries. He'd looked very good during his recent rehab starts in Durham but the Los Angeles Dodgers are a completely different animal. All things considered, it wasn't a terrible return for Glasnow. While he only pitched 4.1 innings, he allowed three runs and five hits while striking out eight on 83 pitches. Glasnow only made a few mistakes, allowing a solo home run in the second and an RBI double in the fourth to Max Muncy before a wild pitch allowed him to score. Otherwise, this loss really falls on the bullpen. The Rays' offense gave them the lead with a two-run single in the fourth by Manuel Margot and a two-run home run by Harold Ramirez in the fifth. The Dodgers scored twice in the seventh and once in the eighth to take a 6-4 lead. Wander Franco brought the team within one run with an RBI single in the ninth but the Rays were unable to bring across the tying run as they dropped the second game. 

Player of the Game- Max Muncy (LAD) (2-for-4, 2 runs, 1 double, 1 home run, 2 RBIs)

Sunday 5/28

Rays 11, Dodgers 10

WP- Jalen Beeks (2-2), LP- Victor Gonzalez (1-2), SV- Jason Adam (7)

We should've known with the early start time that this game was going to be absolutely insane. At least one team scored in each of the first seven innings of this one. The Rays struck first as Isaac Paredes hit an RBI single in the first inning. Chris Taylor and Max Muncy went back-to-back and Trayce Thompson added an RBI single to push the Dodgers ahead 3-1 in the second. The Rays responded in their half with six runs, highlighted by a two-run double by Paredes. With the Rays ahead 7-3, the Dodgers tied it up with four runs in the third inning. Yandy Diaz singled home a run in the third before Paredes drove one over the fence and Luke Raley added a run on a groundout as the Rays reached ten runs by the fourth inning. The Dodgers clawed their way back with Thompson hitting a solo shot in the fifth and JD Martinez going back-to-back with Taylor in the sixth. Knotted up at 10-10, Raley would find his way home on a groundout by Wander Franco to give the Rays the lead once again in the seventh. The Rays would call on Jason Adam to finish things off, getting the two-inning save to earn a tough series win and earn a measure of revenge over the Dodgers. 

Player of the Game- Isaac Paredes (TB)- (3-for-5, 2 runs, 1 double, 1 home run, 4 RBIs)

Series Review

• The Rays beat the Dodgers, 2-1
• The Rays outscored the Dodgers, 25-19
• The Rays finished their homestand 7-3 (2-1 v. MIL, 3-1 v. TOR, 2-1 v. LAD)
• Series MVP- Wander Franco (6-for-13, 5 runs, 4 RBIs, 1 walk, 1 stolen base)

Injury Report & Other News

The injury news was more on the positive side for the Rays this week with Glasnow finally making his return to the roster. They did have one pitcher join the list as Zach Littell was added to the 15-Day IL on Wednesday with right shoulder fatigue. 

The Week Ahead

The Rays will hit the road to finish the month of May as they begin a three-game set with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Monday. The Rays took two of three from the Cubs last season in Chicago. They'll have a day off on Thursday before heading to another historic site as they face the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park over the weekend.