I must confess; between celebrating my brother’s birthday and writing a piece on the Rays infield moving forward, I didn’t get a chance to write about the 7-4 loss at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays. Let’s be honest, Chris Archer yielding six runs and a power outage — both literal and proverbial — don’t really make for a compelling game of baseball. The short and narrow, Tampa Bay dropped its first home series to Toronto for the first time since April 2007 — a span lasting 21 series. Ouch.
Category Archives: The New What Next
The New What Next: The Blue Jays Are In For a Three-Game Set
A day after they closed out the series with a split against those dastardly Red Sox, the Tampa Bay Rays will welcome the Toronto Blue Jays into The Trop for a three game set. For the Rays, they’ll attempt to use their Labor Day win as a springboard for a run in the final month of play. With all reasonable expectations of a postseason berth off the table, there is the running hope they can end the season on a high note.
Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Red Sox Rip Rays, 8-4
It didn’t feel like a Rays/Red Sox game Friday night. It also didn’t feel like a contest that was relevant or important — and let’s be honest, it wasn’t. From the half empty stands to the hushed crowd, the atmosphere at The Trop felt stale. And despite what Joe Maddon said, about the Rays still having a shot at the playoffs, the good guys are playing as though they’ve resigned themselves to mediocrity. The first and second innings epitomized that feeling to a T. If only the Rays could be credited with a win based on their play in segments, not as a whole — they easily would have won the game from the third through ninth innings.
The New What Next: Enter the Prima Donna and the Red Sox — A Series Preview of Sorts
If you subscribe to the idea that the Tampa Bay Rays still have a shot of a postseason berth — albeit it an incredible small shot — then it is safe to assume that the upcoming 10 game home stand is incredibly important. To put it bluntly, if they don’t walk away with three series wins against their AL East foes, they’re toast.
Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Drop Another to the Orioles, 4-2
It’s late’ish, I’ve had a few to drink, and I just watched the Tampa Bay Rays drop their second consecutive game to the Baltimore Orioles — this time by a score of 4-2. I’m tired, and since I have to be up early in the morning, I’m putting a challenge on myself — summarize the game in a paragraph or less.