The Tampa Bay Rays are back at it Friday following their 7-0 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Out of sight, out of mind. They’ll welcome the San Francisco Giants into the Trop for the first time since 2004 — only the second time in the Rays 15 year history. It’s a homecoming of sorts: The Giants were slated to call The Trop home 21 years ago this month. I still have my St. Pete Giants shirt somewhere, but that’s neither here or now.
Tag Archives: Ryan Roberts
The New What Next: Rays Start Symbolic Second Half in Toronto, A Series Preview of Sorts
The Blue Jays were the hottest team in baseball the last time Tampa Bay faced Toronto. Tampa Bay snapped their 11 game winning streak in that series, effectively relegating the Blue Jays to the cellar of the AL East, and consequently harkening the start of a 20 game stretch where the Rays went 16-4, leading up to the All-Star Break. The Rays will try to continue their toasty ways with a deadly trio of hurlers on the mound — David Price, Jeremy Hellickson, and Chris Archer. The Rays are 7-1 when Price, Hellickson, or Archer has taken the mound since Price’s return from the DL, at the beginning of July.
Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Throttle Astros, 12-0
The Rays absolutely throttled the Astros Monday night in a 12-0 routing at Minute Maid Park. I know what you’re saying, “But it was against the Astros, the second worst team in baseball.” I’d remind you that the Astros have played .500 ball over the last 40 games or so, while their starting rotation has the second lowest ERA in the American League during that stretch. The Rays’ no questions asked 12-0 win came courtesy of strong pitching and an offensive outburst from the seven-eight-nine trio of hitters, as Tampa Bay plated more two-out runs in one game than they had in the series prior. It’s time for another episode of The Good, The Bad, and The Argyle: A Bulleted Game Summary.
Per Jim Bowden, Rays Will Call Up Myers In A Little More Than A Week
A quick, applicable, story. I was at Fergs last Wednesday night, along with — what seemed to be — every other Pinellas County Schools employee. Rays beat writer Marc Topkin was also there along with his wife, taking in the night’s end of the school year festivities. While watching Alex Cobb dominate the Tigers on one of the various televisions broadcasting the game, Topkin was peppered with a common question by many a few strangers, “When is Wil Myers expected to be called up from Triple-A?” His answer: Not in the near future.
Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Sweep the A’s, Bring On the Evil Empire
The Oakland Athletics were 12-4 when they walked into the Trop on Friday, while the Rays were 5-10 following an atrocious 2-7 road trip. The insanely hot Athletics were largely considered to be one of the best teams in baseball, while the Rays were a sub .500 team struggling to keep their collective heads above water. The Athletics had the best run differential (at 33+) in the AL, and though the Rays offense showed a spark of life on the tail end of their 10-game road trip, the Tampa Bay clubhouse was in shambles by all accounts. What a difference a week makes.