Exclusive Rays coverage by Gary Shelton Sports

Ramirez, Souza give Rays a reason to smile

April 21, 2017 general

Friday, 2 a.m. Most of the time, Erasmo Ramirez is smiling. Sometimes, he makes other people smile, too. Ramirez was terrific in his first start of the year Thursday, taming the Detroit Tigers in an 8-1 victory that completed a series sweep, their first since San Diego in mid-August of last season, allowing only two […]

Read the full article →

Ask Gary: How badly do the Bucs need OL help?

April 15, 2017 general

(Each week, the readers take over GarySheltonsports.com and play Ask Gary. They send in a question, or a couple, on Thursday night or Friday morning and we all talk about the world of sports.  Think of it as a radio show where you don’t have to be on hold. Join us and ask a question, make a comment […]

Read the full article →

Rays take out their frustrations on Red Sox

April 15, 2017 general

Saturday, 3 a.m. After spending the week getting beaten up in New York, any place else would have felt fine for the Tampa Bay Rays. Even Boston. The Rays, fresh off being swept by the Yankees, took their frustrations out on the Red Sox Friday night in a 10-5 victory. Four different Rays hit home […]

Read the full article →

Tampa Bay Rays strike out (again) against Yankees

April 14, 2017 general

Friday, 2 a.m. The Tampa Bay Rays found an old nemesis in New York. Once again, they are swinging and missing. The Rays struck out 15 times Thursday night in a 3-2 loss to the New York Yankees, including a crucial sequence in the top of the eighth inning. With runners on first and third […]

Read the full article →

Who will be the pet player of Rays’ fans in 2017?

April 12, 2017 general

Wednesday, 4 a.m. You never see him coming. You rarely suspect success. The bond doesn’t always last. But every now and then, a player worms his way into your consciousness. Every now and then, he becomes more than his average, more than his games played, more than your logic says that he should matter. He […]

Read the full article →

Souza leads Rays with another three-run home run

April 10, 2017 general

Monday, 2  a.m. Finally, he is the players the Rays traded for. Finally, he is the player the Rays have waited for. Finally, he is worth Wil Meyers and worth the strikeouts and worth the low average. Finally, he is Steven Souza, and if the rest of the baseball season works out like the first […]

Read the full article →

Rays led to victory by speedy Mallex Smith in 11 innings

April 9, 2017 general

Sunday, 2 a.m. The reason he is here is that he runs so fast. Late in the evening, however, Mallex Smith could take his time coming home. It was in the bottom of the 11th inning, and Smith could walk home after teammate Brad Miller had worked a bases-loaded walk following an unusual strategy from […]

Read the full article →

Ask Gary: Should Rays sign Alex Cobb to extension?

April 8, 2017 general

(Each week, the readers take over GarySheltonsports.com and play Ask Gary. They send in a question, or a couple, on Thursday night or Friday morning and we all talk about the world of sports.  Think of it as a radio show where you don’t have to be on hold. Join us and ask a question, make a comment […]

Read the full article →

Rays blow lead, then come from behind to beat Jays

April 8, 2017 general

Saturday, 4 a.m. They fell behind early. They rallied. They took a big lead. They lost it. They made a nice comeback. They held it. When it was all done, the Tampa Bay Rays had won a wild one against the Toronto Blue Jays Friday night, winning by a score of 10-8 after losing a […]

Read the full article →

Witnessing the rebirth of Rays’ pitcher Alex Cobb

April 6, 2017 general

Thursday, 4 a.m. Finally, he was a pitcher again. At last, he was a member of his team again. After an eternal wait in the shadows watching others, Alex Cobb rejoined the Tampa Bay Rays. Once again, he was a part, a cog, someone who mattered. After 957 days, Cobb became essential again in a […]

Read the full article →