Catching Some Rays- 8/7-8/13

This could be a very big week with two teams currently sitting outside of the postseason. With St. Louis sitting in the basement of the NL Central, Cleveland below .500, and the Rays chasing the Orioles for the division lead, this is the week to make up some ground. Injuries at an inopportune time could hurt the team, meaning we'll need some pitchers to step up and steal some games. 

Tuesday 8/8
Rays 4, Cardinals 2
WP- Jason Adam (3-2), LP- Miles Mikolas (6-8), SV- Pete Fairbanks (15)

While the Rays didn't struggle to get on base in this game, the offense didn't show up until late in the game. Through six innings, the only run on the board came from a Nolan Arenado solo home run in the second inning. Otherwise, Miles Mikolas and Zach Eflin were engaged in a tight pitcher's duel. Eflin would complete seven innings, allowing four hits and striking out eight Cardinals. In the bottom of the seventh, Isaac Paredes got the Rays on the board with a solo home run. In the eighth, the Rays broke it open with Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe, and Randy Arozarena each notching RBI singles to make it 4-1 heading into the ninth. Pete Fairbanks would allow a solo home run to Wilson Contreras to add some suspense, but he would get the job done, closing out a victory for the Rays. 
Player of the Game- Yandy Diaz (TB) (4-for-4, 1 run, Go-ahead RBI 1B on his birthday)

Wednesday 8/9
Cardinals 6, Rays 4
WP- Dakota Hudson (3-0), LP- Kevin Kelly (4-2), SV- Giovanny Gallegos (9)

It was a bullpen day for the Rays as they tried to win the series early. Unfortunately, St. Louis scored early and didn't look back. After the Cardinals scored first, Jose Siri drove a two-run home run in the second inning to put the Rays ahead momentarily. St. Louis responded with two-run innings in the third and the fourth to move ahead 5-2. Siri tried to spark a rally by hitting his second homer of the game in the fourth, but it wouldn't be enough. The Cardinals added one more run and even though Wander Franco knocked the Rays' third home run of the game late, St. Louis evened the series with a 6-4 victory. 
Player of the Game- Jose Siri (TB) (2-for-4, 2 runs, 2 home runs, 3 RBIs)

Thursday 8/10
Cardinals 5, Rays 2
WP- Matthew Liberatore (2-4), LP- Zack Littell (2-3)

While he never pitched for the big league club, Matthew Liberatore returned to Tropicana Field to get the best of the team that drafted him. He did get some help from his offense to create a suitable lead. Andrew Knizner hit a two-run shot to put St. Louis ahead on the fourth. They added runs in the sixth and pad the lead as Liberatore pitched eight shutout innings, allowing two hits and striking out seven, to stifle the Rays. Tommy Edman added a home run in the ninth to make it 5-0. Wander Franco broke the shutout with an RBI triple and he scored on a wild pitch, but the Rays would drop the series as the offense went cold. 
Player of the Game- Matthew Liberatore (STL) (8.0 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 7 strikeouts)

Series Review
  • The Cardinals beat the Rays, 2-1
  • The Cardinals outscored the Rays, 13-10
  • Series MVP- Wander Franco (4=for-11, 3 runs, 1 triple, 1 home run, 2 RBIs, 1 walk)
Friday 8/11
Rays 9, Guardians 8
WP- Robert Stephenson (2-4), LP- Nick Sandlin (5-5)

The positive result is going to undermine just how disastrous of a ninth inning we saw from Pete Fairbanks and Robert Stephenson. It was an overall sloppy game by the Rays. It was back and forth the entire night. After Cleveland scored in the third, the Rays responded with three runs on an RBI double by Yandy Diaz and a two-run single by Wander Franco. Cleveland pushed back ahead with three runs to take a 4-3 lead, but it was short-lived when Isaac Paredes hit a two-run homer in the sixth to regain the lead. The Rays pushed three more runs across in the seventh inning to carry an 8-4 lead with six outs left. A solo home run by Myles Straw in the eighth got the Guardians back within three with Fairbanks coming on in the ninth. Fairbanks walked the first two batters and hit the next before recording a strikeout. Then, his first wild pitch of the inning made it a two-run game. He'd strike out the next batter but would throw another wild pitch, making it a one-run game. After another walk, Fairbanks was lifted for Stephenson. He'd throw the Rays' third wild pitch of the inning, allowing the tying run to cross. He'd get the Rays out of the inning before Franco stepped up to lead off the inning and smack a walk-off home run to win their 70th game of the season, though they should've ended it much sooner. 
Player of the Game- Wander Franco (TB) (2-for-4, 2 runs, 1 home run, 3 RBIs, 1 walk, 1 stolen base)

Saturday 8/12
Rays 6, Guardians 5
WP- Josh Fleming (2-0), LP- Emmanuel Clase (1-7)

The Rays certainly have a flair for the dramatic this weekend. This time, it took a massive rally in the ninth inning to get the job done. It was another bullpen day for the Rays and things were going smoothly. Through five innings, only a Cleveland sac fly and a solo home run by Luke Raley showed on the scoreboard. Another sac fly and a fielder's choice put Cleveland ahead 3-1 in the sixth. Harold Ramirez got one back in the seventh with an RBI single, but Cleveland struck for two more in the eighth on RBI singles from Kole Calhoun and Cam Gallagher. Raley's RBI double made it 5-3 as the Rays entered the ninth inning down two with three outs to go. On this day, it was simply meant to be. A one-out RBI double from Yandy Diaz brought them back within one. Diaz would move over to third on a passed ball and Brandon Lowe would knock him home with an infield single. Lowe would steal second to put the winning run 180 feet away and Randy Arozarena would complete the comeback with an RBI single to steal a win and take the series. 
Player of the Game- Luke Raley (TB) (2-for-3, 1 run, 1 double, 1 home run, 2 RBIs, 1 walk)

Sunday 8/12
Guardians 9, Rays 2
WP- Tanner Bibee (9-2), LP- Zach Eflin (12-7)

It got ugly early for the Rays as they dropped the final game of the series to Cleveland. The Guardians scored at least one run in each of the first five innings, chasing Zach Eflin from the game after six runs over three innings. Down 6-0 in the third, Yandy Diaz drove home Osleivis Basabe after he doubled for his first big league hit in his MLB debut. With the lead up to eight runs, Harold Ramirez hit a sac fly to get the Rays their second run of the game. By that point, it wasn't even close. Cleveland managed to salvage a game in the series as the Rays dropped back a game in the division. 
Player of the Game- Andres Gimenez (CLE) (4-for-5, 2 runs, 1 home run, 2 RBIs, 1 stolen base)

Series Review
  • The Rays beat the Guardians, 2-1
  • The Guardians outscored the Rays, 22-17
  • The Rays are the third team to reach 70 wins this season (Atlanta, Baltimore)
  • Series MVP- Yandy Diaz (6-for-12, 2 runs, 3 doubles, 3 RBIs, 1 walk, 1 hit by pitch)
Injury Report & Other News
After leaving a start early last week, Shane McClanahan will miss the rest of the season with a forearm injury. He was being placed on the 60-day IL, meaning he's officially done. The team did welcome back Josh Fleming from the 60-day IL to help get an arm back in the mix. 

In much more shocking news, Wander Franco missed Sunday's game for what was initially considered a day off. It turns out, Franco is under investigation by MLB after social media posts alleged he was in an inappropriate relationship. He's been placed on the restricted list, keeping him out for the road trip until the matter is resolved. 

The Week Ahead
It's time to head west again, meaning some late games for us on the east coast. They'll start the week with a three-game set with the San Francisco Giants. Tyler Glasnow is expected to make the start on Monday after dealing with an injury. The weekend series will be three games against the favorite for AL MVP, Shohei Ohtani, and the Los Angeles Angels. 

In The Hunt
Baltimore (73-45, +3.0 games ahead in the AL East)
Last week- 1-2 vs. HOU, 2-1 @ SEA. This week- 3 games at San Diego, 3 games at Oakland. 

Houston (68-51, 2.5 GB for the 1st Wild Card)
Last week- 2-1 @ BAL, 2-1 vs. LAA. This week- 3 games at Miami, 3 games vs. Seattle. 

Toronto (66-54, 5.0 GB for the 1st Wild Card and 2nd in the division)
Last week- 2-2 @ CLE, 1-2 v. CHC. This week- 2 games vs. Philadelphia, 3 games at Cincinnati. 

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