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.
Tag Archives: Tampa Bay Rays
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.
Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays fall 3-2, Take series
There really isn’t much to recap today — besides, I’m in the midst of writing the Rays/ChiSox series preview. Brandon McCarthy pitched to his ERA and bested Alex Cobb and the Rays. Hey, at least Tampa Bay took the series, while also walking away with an 11-8 record against the Yankees this season. Another bright side: we don’t have to hear Girardi ruminate about the Rays “lackluster pitching staff” until Spring Training 2015. Below are a few odds and ends, and I’ll have the series preview up and ready to go by this evening.
Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Win 6-1 Amidst Flared Tempers
If Monday night’s three hour and 28 minute 1-0 walk-off victory was odd, Tuesday night’s contest must have been drafted by David Lynch. On a night when the Rays organization celebrated the career of Derek Jeter, Tampa Bay handed the Yankees a 6-1 loss, complete with a bench clearing almost brawl, and a pair of big hits by Nick Franklin who made his debut with the Rays. Jake Odorizzi was spotty, yet he held the Yankees to one run in six innings of work, while Franklin went 2-4 with a double, a stolen base that almost wasn’t, a run and an RBI. The game had everything anyone could ever want: the first time in Rays history two runs were scored on a sac-fly, three Yankee ejections, and a customized kayak.
Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Walk-Off For the Second Consecutive Day
Alex Colome got himself into seven full counts, although he only walked one Yankee. Meanwhile the Rays only had two hits from the first through eighth innings, yet they ended the night by slapping three singles and taking a walk in the ninth — good for their sixth walk-off win of the season. And as if things weren’t odd enough, the double shutout, which lasted two outs into the ninth, took three hours and 28 minutes.