Franco shines, but Rays continue their slide

June 23, 2021 general

Wednesday, 4 a.m. The kid was bigger than the hype, more magical than the expectations, more powerful than the adjectives. Still, Wander Franco wasn’t enough. So maybe the Tampa Bay Rays need to call up another player or two. Maybe three of four. Despite the smashing debut of Franco, the No. 1 prospect in baseball’s […]

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Bolts blast Islanders in another rebound game

June 22, 2021 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. It comes down to this. If the New York Islanders are going to advance to the Stanley Cup finals, they will have to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning twice in a row. Good luck with that. This Lightning team doesn’t lose two games in a row. At least, the Bolts haven’t lost […]

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Rays fall a little farther as Mariners sweep

June 21, 2021 general

Monday, 4 a.m. By now, you know how the game ends. The Rays trudge off the field as the other team celebrates. The pitcher of the moment has his shoulders slumped. The faces of the players are drawn, pained. Yeah, the Tampa Bay Rays lost again Sunday. Once again, it was because of a walk-off […]

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Isles even series after ‘desperation’ save

June 20, 2021 general

Sunday, 4 a.m. There in the dying seconds, there at the doorstep of the goal, there after all the turnovers and all the mistakes, it came down to a memory. It was a crucial moment, and a clutch play, and a finish that the players will talk about for years. In the end, the moment […]

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Rays continue to suffer through horrid week

June 20, 2021 general

Sunday, 4 a.m. If the week had been any worse for the Tampa Bay Rays, it would have involved stomach flu and lost paychecks. As it was, the Rays spent the week falling down a staircase. — They have lost five games in a row. — They have lost three games (out of the last […]

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Rays lose 4th straight as pitching slips

June 19, 2021 general

Saturday, 4 a.m. They won’t refer to Rays’ manager Kevin Cash as Captain Hook any more. Cash, who has developed a reputation for getting his starters out of the game before trouble arrives, especially in last year’ s World Series, seems to be trending the other way. These days, he’s stuck with his starting pitchers […]

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Bolts are road warriors once again in victory

June 18, 2021 general

Friday. 4 a.m. By now, they have won enough, and along the way, the Tampa Bay Lightning have shown the world who they are. And so, if you’re paying attention, there a few universal trusts about this team: — They aren’t afraid of hotel rooms. The Bolts ran their road record to 6-1 Thursday night […]

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Rays lose late again as Fairbanks falls

June 18, 2021 general

Friday, 3 a.m. Pete Fairbanks must be tired of watching teams walk off. For the second straight night, Fairbanks — who had been having a solid season — looked on as an opposing team celebrated a game-ending victory at his expense. This time, Kyle Seager singled in the winning run in the bottom of the […]

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Rays lose despite comeback against Chicago

June 17, 2021 general

Thursday, 4 a.m. Statistically, it isn’t any better to lose close than to lose by a big margin. It just feels that way. So give some credit to the Tampa Bay Rays for making Wednesday feel a little bit better. They came back from five runs down to tie the game before losing to the […]

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Rays’ offense snuffed by the White Sox, Keuchel

June 16, 2021 general

Wednesday, 3 a.m. For a team that has owned the early part of the baseball season, Tuesday qualifies as a bad day all around. The Tampa Bay Rays, with baseball’s best record, were hit with bad news-worse news afternoon. First, they found out that ace pitcher Tyler Glasnow will be out for a significant amount […]

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