Sunday, 4 a.m.

The fall continues. Suddenly, they are a rock in water. They are a detached piece of a UFO falling to earth. They are a diver plummeting toward the pool surface.

They are the second-place Tampa Bay Rays, and they cannot stop the plunge.

The Rays fell behind the New York Yankees in the AL East after 34 days in the lead. They were manhandled Saturday night in Anaheim, losing 8-0 to the Los Angeles Angels.

Get this: In five games against the Rays, the Angels have won three times. Against the rest of the league, the Angels are 26-40.

Saturday night was an embarrassment. The hitters were handcuffed by Jose Soriano, who gave up just three hits in five inning. The pitchers were clobbered, giving up 15 hits..

Griffin Jax started for the Rays. He gave up five hits in five innings, but the only run he gave up was unearned (scoring on a Taylor Walls error).

But Garrett Cleavinger gave up two runs in one-third of an inning. Craig Kimbrell gave up a run in two-thirds of an inning. Cole Susler gave up four runs in two-thirds of an inning and Cam Booser gave up one in an inning and a third.

The offense was just as bad. They managed just five hits, all singles. In the last two nights, the Rays have gone 3-for-19 with runners in scoring position.

Jo Adell of the Angels had four hits himself. Donovan Walton had three.

The Rays try to salvage a game out of the series today at 4:07 p.m. at Angel Stadium. The Rays have not announced a starter to go against the Angels' Grayson Rodriguez.

Saturday, 4 a.m.

Could someone please get a message to the Tampa Bay Rays?

Maybe remind them that, technically, the Los Angeles Angels are an awful baseball team.

Oh, you wouldn't know by their head to head meetings. Counting Friday night's 4-3 loss, the Rays have lost three of four to the Angels. They've given up 25 runs in their four games.

Otherwise, the Angels have struggled. They're in last place in the AL West and in a tie for last in the American League.

Against the Rays, however, the Angels are juggernauts. They jumped Rays' starter Shane McClanahan early, scoring all four runs on eight hits in only four innings.

The Rays climbed back into the game thanks to Jonathan Aranda, who drove in all three runs with singles in the fifth and ninth. But the Rays left the bases loaded in the first and the ninth.

In all, Tampa Bay left 10 runners on base (six walks) and, aside from Aranda, were one-for-eight with runners in scoring position.

The Rays and Angels play again tonight at 10:07 p.m. at Angels' Stadium. Griffin Jax will start for the Rays against Jose Soriano for the Angels.

Thursday, 4 a.m.

In the race for ace of the Tampa Bay Rays, enter Drew Rasmussen's name to the list.

Rasmussen was overpowering Wednesday afternoon in a 7-5 victory over the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field. The win completed the sweep of Boston,

For the second straight game, Rasmusen (6-2) was impressive. He went seven innings and allowed just two hits and no runs. He struck out 13 batters, and struck out the top four in the Sox lineup all 11 times he faced them.

Coupled with his recent start over the Florida Marlins, Rasmussen has given up just three hits and has struck out 22 batters.

Rasmussen left with a 5-0 lead, and it looked like the win would be easy. The bullpen was shaky, however, giving up five runs in two innings.

The Rays' offense was led by Nick Fortes, who had four hits and scored four runs, and Yandy Diaz, who had three hits and drove in two. Tyler Walls had two hits.

Cedric Mullins had a two-run homer in the eighth to lengthen a one-run lead to three runs.

The Rays are off today. They travel to Los Angeles to play the Angels in Anaheim's Angels' Stadium. On Friday. Shane McClanahan will start for the Rays against a yet-to-be named starter for the Angels.