I’m not certain if the headline to ESPN’s piece on the Rays 4-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox is funny, ironic, or a combination of the two. It reads, “White Sox eliminate Rays from playoff contention,” and while the four runs put up by Chicago nailed the coffin shut, the Rays sealed their own fate a long time ago. But fine, I’ll take the bait and argue that if we’re looking at Tampa Bay’s elimination from the postseason on the micro level, then it was the lackluster performance by Jeremy Hellickson that sealed the teams fate, not the White Sox. After all, he’s the one who delivered the very hittable pitches.
Category Archives: The New What Next
The New What Next: Rays vs. White Sox — the Final Home Stand
Tampa Bay is set to start its final home series of the 2014 season, a three game set against the Chicago White Sox, starting Friday. The Rays’ meager three-game winning streak was snapped in the 3-2 loss against the Yankees, Wednesday. And while they won’t play the role of spoilers against Chicago, the Rays still need to win at least eight games to end the season with a plus .500 record.
The New What Next: Rays vs. Yankees — Part Six
The Tampa Bay Rays made their way home on the heels of series win against the Toronto Blue Jays. They are set to welcome the New York Yankees into Tropicana Field, for the final series of the 2014 season. The Rays dropped two of three against the Yankees in the three-game set that directly preceded their excursion north of the border. Tampa Bay held a 4-0 lead into the eighth inning in the finale of that series, when the bullpen collapsed — the relievers allowed five runs in 1-2/3 innings for a 5-4 loss.
The New What Next: Rays vs. Blue Jays — Part Six
While the Rays are officially out of AL East postseason contention, they’re raison d’être over the next three days is two-fold; play strongly and play the role of spoilers — ahem…despite what the outcome of the previous series might suggest. Toronto is coming off four consecutive wins, including a three-game sweep against the Chicago Cubs. The Blue Jays outscored the Cubs 28-3, for a run differential of 25 runs. Yeesh.
Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Set Milestones Amidst 8-5 Loss
There isn’t much to say about the Rays — as a whole — in their 8 – 5 loss to the Yankees. The swarm was in full effect in the first inning when Tampa Bay started the game in fevered fashion by scoring four runs and going 3-3 wRISP – quickly knocking the Yankees’ starter Chris Capuano out of the game after 1/3 of an inning, and 36 pitches. Capuano was charged with all four runs.