An old friend awaits Rays in Arizona

June 27, 2023 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. The ballplayer is older now, maybe wiser. His colors are different, as are the adjectives that describe him. He is no longer the kid, no longer the phenom. He has become wealthy at his game, but it has not given up on him yet. He is Evan Longoria. Around here, he is […]

Read the full article →

Glasnow is up to speed against Royals

June 26, 2023 general

Monday, 4 a.m. Well, that was fast. Tyler Glasnow rebounded from a horrible previous start Sunday, dominating Kansas City in a 3-1 Tampa Bay victory. Glasnow, who had been disappointed with his velocity in a start against Baltimore, had given up six runs on six hits . He swore he would try to re-establish himself. […]

Read the full article →

Bad pitcher, bad team clobber Rays

June 25, 2023 general

Sunday, 4 a.m. This is how you lose to the worst pitcher in the world, who happens to be playing for the second-worst team in the American League. You don’t pitch. You don’t hit. You don’t take advantage of quick starts. You don’t slow down a weak opponent. You blow a four-run lead at home. […]

Read the full article →

Bottom of the order leads Rays to win

June 24, 2023 general

Saturday, 4 a.m. When the Tampa Bay Rays are going well, there are plenty of players to grab the headlines. In those days, no one pays much attention to the bottom of the Rays’ batting order. When the road turns rocky, however, they can look like a black hole, the place where rallies go to […]

Read the full article →

Will discipline help Wander Franco?

June 24, 2023 general

Saturday, 3 a.m. Now that the Golden Boy has been tarnished, where do we go from here? Wander Franco has had his hand slapped for “not being a good teammate.” And now comes the fallout, and we will see the direction of the team and the player. Yeah, this is a big deal. To publicly […]

Read the full article →

Rays play down to Royals’ level in defeat

June 23, 2023 general

Friday, 4 a.m. Remember when the Tampa Bay Rays were good? Remember how the cynics pointed out they were beating up on bad teams? This just in: The Rays don’t beat up bad teams anymore. The Rays found a way to play down to another opponent Thursday night, dropping a 6-5 game to a Kansas […]

Read the full article →

Rays’ Arozarena making All-Star push

June 22, 2023 general

Thursday, 4 a.m. His first hit, the home run, was a plea. His second, the double, was a suggestion. By the time he got around to the third hit, it was a demand. Vote for Randy Arozarena to go the All-Star game. Seattle deserves a little Randy Land, too. Content beyond this point is for […]

Read the full article →

Rays’ rally falls short against Orioles

June 21, 2023 general

Wednesday, 4 a.m. You can talk about coming close if you want. You can talk about climbing out of a hole, about making a game of it, about losing close instead of being clobbered. Or you can talk about a team that has lost its stranglehold on the American League. The slumping Tampa Bay Rays […]

Read the full article →

Are Rays getting robbed in all-star voting?

June 20, 2023 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. This, I suppose, is the time you yell at the ballot box. This is the time you slam your fist down and lament larger markets and biased fans. This is the time you voice your outrage at the fan voting. That’s what fans do, of course. They follow one team, usually, and […]

Read the full article →

Rays conclude road trip with another loss

June 19, 2023 general

Monday, 4 a.m. The Tampa Bay Rays, slumping on defense and at the plate, are beginning to look a little frazzled. The Rays lost again Sunday, 5-4 to San Diego, to conclude their California swoon, The Rays lost their last two games on their trip to California, and their first two, to finish 3-4 on […]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →