The New What Next: Rays vs. Orioles — the Gauntlet Begins

If you subscribe to the idea that the Tampa Bay Rays still have a shot at remaining relevant in the second half of the season, the two upcoming series’ against the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees are incredibly important. After all, no one has run away with things in the AL East — making an 85 win playoff berth seem reasonable — and the Rays have an opportunity to gain some major ground against their direct competition (to the tune of seven games) over the next six days. It all starts Friday, when the good guys head to Baltimore for a four game set against the Orioles, including a double header in the series opener.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Despite Late Rally, Rays Fall to the Pirates, 6-5

Despite a four run, two-inning uprising, the Tampa Bay Rays dropped the second game of the series to Pirates by a score of 6-5. Truth told, this was a pretty odd game, filled with an inconsistent strike zone, awkward hits, and a rare multi-run outing off the most consistent Rays starter, Chris Archer.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: The Hangover; Rays Lose 8-1

The hangover — both literal and figurative. Last night’s losing venture led to drinking… Not a copious amount of alcohol, but enough to make me regret being awake and typing a game recap. I see a nap in my future. The skinny: The BABIP luck dragons took a large chunk out of Alex Cobb’s heels, Ryan Hanigan had a hard time throwing out everyone, and the Rays offense went back into hibernation. The Rays ended the night having been thrashed by the Pirates, 8-1.

The New What Next: Rays vs. Pirates — A Series Preview of Sorts

The Rays are back at it Monday, following a quite successful series against the Astros. They’ll welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates into The Trop for a three-game Interleague Series — their first visit in 11 years. The Pirates, who have won three of their last four games, are 9-4 in their previous 13 road games, while Tampa Bay has won seven of their last 11 contests, averaging 4.4 runs in that span.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Put Up A Shutout of Their Own, 5-0

On the heels of their league leading 11th shutout of the season, and behind a few timely hits and an impressive start from Chris Archer, the Tampa Bay Rays found themselves on the winning track once more, taking down the Astros by a 5-0 margin.