The New What Next: From One Dome to Another — A Rays Vs. Blue Jays Series Preview of Sorts

Two surging AL East ball clubs — Tampa Bay and Toronto — will start a three-game set Monday, when the Rays head to the Rogers Centre to battle the Blue Jays. The Rays are coming off a huge three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox, which culminated in a bench clearing scrum Sunday, and four consecutive wins overall (5-5 over their last 10). Meanwhile, the Blue Jays are on a six game winning streak (9-1 over their last 10), thanks to a pair of series’ sweeps against the Red Sox and Athletics.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Two Walk Offs in Two Days!

Prior to Thursday afternoon, the 2014 Rays lacked the game ending heroics that only a walk off hit could provide. Sean Rodriguez put an end to that nasty streak with his game ending, three-run shot to left. Apparently walk off wins are akin to a spreading infection now, and we’re all better for it! Low the Rays put together their second consecutive walk off win last night, and all it took was a big pinch hit RBI double to right center off the bat of rookie infielder Cole Figueroa, plating Desmond Jennings from second. The good guys walked out of the Trop after handing those dastardly Red Sox their eighth consecutive loss.

The New What Next: Rays vs Red Sox — The Battle For Last

The Tampa Bay Rays are coming off a huge 5-2 win, by way of a series loss, against the Oakland Athletics. And though the Rays dropped the first two games to the red hot Athletics, two very important things happened; the good guys were able to beat a team with its undisputed ace on the mound, and they were able to limit the league’s highest scoring team to eight runs total. That is, the pitching may have finally stabilized. Moving forward, the wayward Red Sox make their way into the Trop Friday for a three-game set.

The New What Next: Enter The A’s — A Series Preview of Sorts

The Tampa Bay Rays return home to face a very hot Oakland Athletics, on the heels of a disappointing 3-4 West Coast jaunt. Had the Rays gone 4-3, the tenor may be different. However they didn’t. At this point, their only real glimmers of hope are the possibilities that the pitching will stabilize with the return of Alex Cobb, and — at five games back — no one has put together a massive run in the AL East. It’s a very different story of the 28-16 Oakland Athletics. The A’s are 9-1 over a their last 10 games, entering the Trop on a three-game winning streak. Furthermore, at 16-6 on the road, Oakland has been pretty damn dominant in other team’s facilities.