Slow start can’t stop surging Rays

July 1, 2023 general

Saturday, 4 a.m. Before you can fully appreciate the margin of victory, which was a lot, you have to first consider the depth of the hole they were in, which was deep. The Tampa Bay Rays hammered the Seattle Mariners, 15-4, on Friday night. They pounded out 16 hits, and the game ended with Mariners’ […]

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Rays finally win a lopsided game

June 30, 2023 general

Friday, 4 a.m. Maybe you recognized them by their explosuin in the third inning. Maybe you knew them from the line of zeroes their opponent kept putting up on the scoreboard. By George, those are the Tampa Bay Rays. And that’s the way they are supposed to look. Content beyond this point is for members […]

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Rays come to life in ninth for victory

June 29, 2023 general

Thursday, 4 a.m. The fast start had given way to a sluggish June. No one was talking about history anymore. No one was running away from anyone. That was true of the team. It was true of the player, too. For Josh Lowe, and for his Tampa Bay Rays, life had turned into an uphill […]

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Rays continue to stumble in Arizona

June 28, 2023 general

Wednesday, 4 a.m. When a team is lost, the desert is the last place it wants to be. The back-sliding Tampa Bay Rays lost another game Tuesday night, getting clobbered by the Arizona Diamondbacks, 8-4. Arizona jumped on rookie Taj Bradley for four home runs in four innings, then cruised to the win. Content beyond […]

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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 […]

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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. […]

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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. […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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