Rays miss chances in another loss to Orioles

by Gary Shelton on August 16, 2026

in general

Aranda had three hits./KIM HUKARI

Sunday, 4 a.m.

Remember this one as a squandered opportunity.

The reason, of course, were several other smaller squandered opportunities.

The Tampa Bay Rays lost their second straight game Saturday evening, falling 4-3 in 10 innings to the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field.

The Rays wasted several chances throughout the game. They left 12 men on base, and they had only three hits in 13 opportunities with runners in scoring position. After rallying to tie the game in the ninth, they remained in a tie for two pitches until closer Bryan Baker gave up the winning single to Tyler O'Neill.

In the third inning, it seemed the Rays would have runnrs on second and third with no one out. But replay showed that the Orioles had tagged Taylor Walls as he slid into second base. The Rays scored only when Baltimore catcher Carlos Narvaez overthrew third base on a pickoff attempt.

Caminero's hit tied the game in the 9th./KIM HUKARI

In the fourth, Liam Hicks walked and Chandler Simpson singled with no one out. But Jonny DeLuca popped up a bunt, Cedric Mullins struck out and Rich Palacios flied out.

In the sixth, the Rays scored a run when Mullins tripled, but he was left on third base as the inning ended.

The Rays did score in the ninth when Yandy Diaz singled, Jonathan Aranda singled and Junior Caminero hit a soft single to third to score the tying run.

The Rays had three hits from Aranda and two each from Diaz and Simpson.

Ian Seymour went six innings without a decision. He gave up a pair of home runs in the no-decision.

Rays’ pitchers struck out 15 Baltimore hitters.

The Rays and Orioles play again today at 12:15 at Tropicana. Freddy Peralta (5-9) will start for the Rays against Trever Rogers (7-8).

Bucs beat Jets in preseason opener

by Gary Shelton on August 15, 2026

in general

Bowles won his opener./TIM WIRT

Saturday, 4 a.m.

It won't be remembered for long, if at all. The good moments, and the bad, will be overtaken by more significant moments.

On the other hand, there are two lessons to be taken away from the Bucs' 24-16 victory in their preseason opener Friday night.

One: winning is better than losing.

Two: everyone has to start someplace.

Rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels had a nice debut in the victory, hitting 10 of 15 passes for 111 yards. He also ran for a touchdown.

Oh, that's a long way from the 53-man roster, let alone to stardom. But Daniels looked comfortable in the pocket. Certainly, he had a better night than incumbent No. 3 quarterback Connor Bazelak.

Oh, there were other flashes, too. Cornerback Ayden Garnes had a 47-yard interception return for a touchdown. Dean Patterson had five receptions and both Garrett Greene and Bauer Sharp each had four. Damarion Williams had 12 tackles. Jack Pyburn had two sacks.

But no, most of the mainstays did not play.

If you keep a checklist by position unit, you may have these grades:

Rushing game: Not good. The Bucs had just 69 yards on 25 carries, less than three yards per attempt. Grade: D.

Receivers: Pretty good. Not much deep, but nine receivers caught passes. Grade: B.

Quarterbacks: More than raw numbers, Daniels looked at home in the pocket. Grade: B+.

Offensive line: Only backups played. They didn't establish a strong running game, but they allowed just one sack. Grade: C.

Defensive line: The Bucs had four sacks, a scrutinized part of their game. Grade: B+.

Linebacker: The main guys didn't get much time, as planned. Grade: B.

Secondary: They had two picks. Another key position. Grade:B.

The Bucs are home at Raymond James Saturday night against Kansas City at 7:30 p.m.

Rays have winning streak snapped

by Gary Shelton on August 15, 2026

in general

Palacios had two hits for the Rays./KIM HUKARI

Saturday, 3 a.m.

Maybe the Tampa Bay Rays have fallen in love with room service.

How else do you explain a team winning nine straight games on the road then tripping as soon as they return home?

The Rays saw their winning streak end Friday night, as a late rally couldn't overcome the Baltimore Orioles in a 6-5 loss at Tropicana Field. The Rays scored three times in the ninth inning, but fell a run short in their defeat.

Baltimore, the last-place team in the AL East, was led by Gunnar Henderson's four hits. He had a two-run homer in the eighth.

Both the Yankees and Red Sox lost, keeping the Rays' lead at 6.5 games over New York and 9.5 over Boston.

Jonathan Aranda singled in two runs in the ninth to make the final margin closer.

The Rays tried their opener strategy again, but Jesse Scholtens gave up two runs early. Garrett Cleavinger gave up two more in the seventh and Chris Roycroft gave up two more in the eighth.

Richie Palacios had two hits for the Rays.

The teams play again tonight at 6:10 p.m. at Tropicana. Ian Seymour (9-3) will start for the Rays against Kyle Bradish (7-11).

Kings of the road: Rays finish trip 9-0

by Gary Shelton on August 13, 2026

in general

Deluca had three hits./TIM WIRT

Thursday, 4 a.m.

Marco Polo had a good road trip. Dorothy had a good road trip. Lewis and Clark had a good road trip.

The Tampa Bay Rays had a great road trip.

For the first time, the Tampa Bay Rays have recorded a 9-0 road trip. They beat the Athletics again Wednesday, 8-4, for their third series sweep on the trip. They now have the best record in the major leagues.

In their series against the A's, the Rays scored 30 runs and had 38 hits.

It was their 13th sweep of the season, which leads the major leagues.

Rasmussen won his 12th game./KIM HUKARI

Newly acquired catcher Liam Hicks led the offense Wednesday, getting three hits including a three-run homer. Jonny Deluca also had three hits. Yandy Diaz, Junior Caminero and Cedric Mullins all had two hits.

Drew Rasmussen lasted only five innings, but he ran his record to 12-5. He gave up just four hits.

Ninth-inning homers by Zack Gelof and Lawrence Butler off of Michael Grove made the score closer.

The Rays are off today. Theyare home against the Orioles on Friday night at 7:10 p.m. The Rays have not announced a starter. Baltimore will start Kyle Bradish (7-11).

Martinez, Walls lead Rays to another win

August 12, 2026 general

Wednesday, 4 a.m. Don’t look now, Junior, but Taylor Walls is gaining on you. As of today, he’s only 33 home runs behind. Walls, the Rays’ slick fielding (and weak hitting) shortstop, hit two home runs in Tuesday night’s 12-4 victory over the Athletics. Walls, who hadn’t homered in more than a year, hit oen […]

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Huge Rays’ comeback overcomes A’s

August 11, 2026 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. For much of the night, they didn’t pitch particularly well. Also, they didn’t hit. Even their fielding was a little splotchy. And then, just before they let a game slip away, the Rays turned into the best team in the American League again. Trailing by four runs, the Rays exploded for eight […]

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Rays rule on the road once again

August 10, 2026 general

Monday, 4 a.m. The Golden Road Trip continues. Suddenly, it doesn’t matter who is pitching — they’re in control. It doesn’t matter who is at the plate — they come up big in the big moments. The Rays ran their record to 6-0 on their current road trip. They completed their second straight sweep with […]

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Rays slide past Mariners again

August 9, 2026 general

Sunday, 4 a.m. Evidently, there isn’t a ninth inning that Bryan Baker cannot save. Baker played rescue-ranger again Saturday night, retiring a tough part of Seattle’s lineup to preserve a 3-2 victory. Baker gave up a hit to Julio Rodriguez, then retired Josh Naylor (who had two home runs on the night) and coaxed Brendan […]

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Rasmussen, Baker stop Mariners

August 8, 2026 general

Saturday, 4 a.m. Take care of the start. Take care of the finish. Usually, the middle will take care of itself. The Tampa Bay Rays rode a familiar game plan Friday night in a 2-1 win over Seattle at T-Mobile Park. The Rays got a strong starting performance from Drew Rasmussen, who improved his record […]

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Rays’ pitching smothers Rockies attack

August 6, 2026 general

Thursday, 4 a.m. They don’t win a lot. They don’t shut opponents down a lot. But say one thing for the Colorado Rockies. Those guys can score. That was the impressive thing about the Rays’ 4-0 win over the Rockies at Coors Field Wednesday. Even while losing the first two games of their series with […]

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