Catching Some Rays: 9/4-9/10

There is no rest for the Rays as they play for seven days straight, but they get to do it from the comfort of their own home ballpark. The week starts with a three-game inter-divisional battle with the Boston Red Sox before welcoming the Seattle Mariners for four games in a potential preview for the Wild Card Round. The stakes are high, with Baltimore on a roll and not relinquishing any ground in the division. A strong week sets them up for an epic clash next weekend. 

Monday 9/4

Red Sox 7, Rays 3

WP- Brayan Bello (11-6), LP- Chris Devenski (3-4)

If games were decided in the first inning, the Rays would've won this game. A two-run single by Brandon Lowe and an RBI double by Harold Ramirez got the Rays out to a 3-0 lead. Even after Boston got one back in the fourth inning, things looked like they were looking good for Tampa Bay. All of that changed with one swing of the bat by Triston Casas in the sixth inning. After Aaron Civale exited the game after 5.1 innings and 12 strikeouts, Cases took Chris Devenski deep for a three-run shot to give the Red Sox a 4-3 lead, and Boston never looked back. Casas added an RBI single in the eighth, and Masataka Yoshida hit a two-run home run to put the icing on the cake as Boston convincingly took the opener. 

Player of the Game- Triston Casas (BOS) (2-for-4, 2 runs, 1 home run, 4 RBIs)

Tuesday 9/5

Rays 8, Red Sox 6 (11)

WP- Erasmo Ramirez (3-3), LP- Kenley Jansen (3-6)

This was an ugly baseball game. Neither side deserved to win this game. The Rays won it, so I'm not upset, but they didn't deserve to. The momentum of the game switched a lot. The Rays jumped out to another early 3-0 lead after Jonathan Aranda hit an RBI triple and Rene Pinto drove a two-run home run. Emmanuel Valdez hit a two-run homer in the third inning to pull back within one run, but the Rays pushed two across in the fourth on consecutive bases-loaded HBPs by Brandon Lowe and Isaac Paredes. Justin Turner got one home in the sixth to make it a two-run game. A fielding error by Brandon Lowe would set up the Red Sox to score twice in the seventh inning. Turner hit another RBI single to bring it within one, and a botched pop-up by the Rays' infield would allow Boston to tie the game. The Rays ran themselves out of the lead in the eighth inning and couldn't find a run in the ninth to force extras. They squandered another opportunity in the tenth, failing to score with the bases loaded and one out. Luis Urias dropped a blooper into the outfield in the eleventh to give Boston the lead, needing three outs to close the game. Kenley Jansen came in to close the door, but Lowe busted it wide open. After Yandy Diaz singled to put two runners on, Lowe smashed a three-run walk-off home run to salvage a terrible game and split the series. The Rays finished the night with more runs than hits, using nine walks to get the job done. 

Player of the Game- Jonathan Aranda (TB) (1-for-2, 2 runs, 1 triple, 1 RBI, 3 walks) 

Wednesday 9/6

Rays 3, Red Sox 1

WP- Tyler Glasnow (8-5), LP- Nick Pivetta (9-8), SV- Pete Fairbanks (20)

The Rays got some excellent pitching from Tyler Glasnow and timely home runs to propel themselves to a series victory over the Boston Red Sox. They found themselves behind in the third inning after an RBI triple by Connor Wong but immediately tied the game in the bottom of the inning on a solo home run by Brandon Lowe. Isaac Paredes did the same thing in the fourth to put the Rays ahead, and Harold Ramirez hit an RBI single in the fifth to push the lead to 3-1. From there, Glasnow shined. In six innings, he tied his career-high with 14 strikeouts, falling one shy of tying the team record. The trio of Robert Stephenson, Colin Poche, and Pete Fairbanks closed things down in the final three innings to finish the series with a big win as the staff combined for 17 strikeouts, including four each for Justin Turner and Adam Duvall. 

Player of the Game- Tyler Glasnow (TB) (6.0 innings, 3 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 14 strikeouts)

Series Review

• The Rays beat the Red Sox, 2-1
• The Rays and the Red Sox tied, 14-14
• Tyler Glasnow became the first pitcher in team history with multiple 14+-strikeout games
• Series MVP- Brandon Lowe (3-for-11, 3 runs, 2 home runs, 7 RBIs, 2 walks, 1 hit by pitch)

Thursday 9/7

Mariners 1, Rays 0

WP- Luis Castillo (12-7), LP- Zack Littell (3-5), SV- Andres Munoz (12)

The offense was nowhere to be found for either team as the Rays and Mariners opened the series. The problem is that Seattle had just enough offense to get the job done. In the second inning, Mike Ford singled home a run to open the scoring, and that's all it would take behind a great start from Luis Castillo. The Mariners starter allowed four hits and four walks over six shutout innings while striking out eight batters. Those four hits are all the Rays would muster. It's a shame because Zack Littell was also phenomenal. Littell pitched eight innings, allowing four hits, one walk, and striking out four. He made one mistake to Ford, enough to earn him the loss tonight. It was a sour way to start the series for a team that desperately needs wins. 

Player of the Game- Luis Castillo (SEA) (6.0 innings, 4 hits, 0 runs, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts)

Friday 9/8

Rays 7, Mariners 4

WP- Chris Devenski (4-4), LP- Isaiah Campbell (4-1), SV- Pete Fairbanks (21)

The offense for the Rays woke up to start the game, scoring twice in the first inning on an Isaac Paredes RBI single and a Josh Lowe sac fly. However, the Mariners struck back quickly, tying the game in the top of the second inning on a Eugenio Suarez solo home run and a Dylan Moore RBI double. Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh added solo homers in the third and the fifth to extend the Seattle lead to 5-2 through five innings. Things were looking bleak for the Rays as the prospect of earning nothing better than a split looked like a real possibility. Their fortunes changed in the seventh inning. Rene Pinto and Harold Ramirez each hit two-run home runs to snatch the lead back, and Paredes slugged a solo home run in the eighth to add an insurance run and extend the lead to 7-4. Pete Fairbanks came in and worked around a hit to strike out the side to get the Rays back into the series with a big win. 

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

Saturday 9/9

Rays 7, Mariners 5

WP- Colin Poche (11-3), LP- Tayler Saucedo (3-2)

The Mariners' offense put the Rays in a tough spot to pay them back for Friday, striking for three runs in the first inning. Even after the Rays got one back in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI double by Isaac Paredes, Julio Rodriguez homered for the second day in a row, re-gaining the three-run lead. The comeback effort for the Rays began in the fifth inning with a two-run double by Brandon Lowe and was completed in the seventh inning on an RBI single by Taylor Walls and a pinch-hit RBI double by Yandy Diaz. The Diaz double gave the Rays a 5-4 lead with six outs left to get. Instead, Seattle worked their way back, kickstarted by a fielding error by Olsevis Basabe and a wild pitch by Robert Stephenson to bring the tying run home. Colin Poche kept the game tied in the ninth inning, and Taylor Walls worked a walk in the bottom half to put the winning run on base for Diaz. With two strikes on him, Diaz lined a ball over the right-field fence to walk it off and earn a sloppy victory. Things didn't need to get this exciting, but it did reaffirm my positive that Diaz deserves serious MVP consideration. 

Player of the Game- Yandy Diaz (TB) (2-for-2, 1 run, 1 double, 1 home run, 3 RBIs off the bench)

Sunday 9/10

Rays 6, Mariners 3

WP- Zach Eflin (14-8), LP- Bryce Miller (8-5), SV- Pete Fairbanks (22)

There was little excitement to this game, much to my delight. The Rays scored early and managed the lead well enough to take the series outright. A two-run double by Harold Ramirez and an RBI double by Josh Lowe got the Rays up 3-0 in the first inning, and Luke Raley drove in two more with a double in the third to push the lead to 5-0. To Seattle's credit, they didn't go down quietly. The Mariners scored twice in the fourth and once in the fifth to make it 5-3, but that's as close as they got. Christian Bethancourt singled home the Rays' sixth run, and they went into shutdown mode. After five innings from Zach Eflin, the bullpen combined to allow just two hits over four shutout innings to close out the series. Eflin earned his 14th win of the season, tying him for the most in the AL. 

Player of the Game- Josh Lowe (TB) (3-for-4, 1 run, 2 doubles, 1 RBI)

Series Review

• The Rays beat the Mariners, 3-1
• The Rays outscored the Mariners, 20-13
• Series MVP- Yandy Diaz (4-for-12, 3 runs, 1 home run, 3 RBIs, 2 walks)

Injury Report & Other News

Isaac Paredes left Saturday's game after being hit in the wrist by a pitch, but his X-rays came back negative, and he'll be day-to-day. 

The Week Ahead

The Rays are on the road to immediately start a three-game set with the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins on Monday. After these three games, the Rays will play their most important series of the season. They'll be in Baltimore for four games over the weekend with the fate of the AL East on the line. A good outcome could set them up to reclaim the division. 

In the Hunt

Baltimore (90-52, +3.0 games in the AL East)

Last week- 3-0 @ LAA & 2-1 @ BOS. This week- 3 games vs. St. Louis & 4 games vs. Tampa Bay. 

Toronto (80-63, 7.5 GB for the 1st Wild Card)

Last week- 2-1 @ OAK & 3-0 vs. KC. This week- 4 games vs. Texas & 3 games vs. Boston. 

Seattle (79-64, 1.0 GB for the 2nd Wild Card)

Last week- 1-2 @ CIN & 1-3 at TB. This week- 3 games vs. Los Angeles (AL) & 3 games vs. Los Angeles (NL)

Texas (78-64, 0.5 GB for the 3rd Wild Card)

Last week- 0-3 vs. HOU & 2-1 vs. OAK. This week- 4 games at Toronto & 3 games at Cleveland.