A Tampa Bay Rays Blog: Ball on a Budget
Coming off a run of 10 losses in 13 games — the first difficult stretch for the AL East leaders — we asked if now was the time to panic for Rays fans, and the overwhelming majority said NO! Good job! The Rays went on to sweep the Red Sox, starving the children of Boston […]
It feels like Lars Nootbaar has been someone that could fit well on the Rays’ roster over the last few years. I think the timing could be right to acquire him this season if the Cardinals are willing to part ways with him. Nootbaar combines above-average on-base ability, defensive versatility, and multiple years of team […]
It was a fine afternoon for baseball, because the weather is always great when you’ve got a dome. The Rays were looking to sweep their series against the Red Sox, and to get the job done, they had Drew Rasmussen on the mound. He was up against Jake Bennett for the Sox. Rasmussen got things […]
Go Rays!
The Rays were the kings of the two-out rally on Tuesday night in a 4-3 win over the Red Sox. Tampa Bay put Payton Tolle to the test early when Yandy Díaz lined a single to right, Junior Caminero followed by smoking a ball to the wall in center, and suddenly Tampa Bay had runners […]
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Rays fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys. Please take our survey
Go Rays!
Is Junior Caminero getting pitched around because neither Jonathan Aranda nor Yandy Diaz are hitting behind him in the lineup to “protect” him? How much influence does Caminero have on the number of pitches the batter ahead of him sees in the zone? Inspired by an article examining the statistical significance of lineup protection, I […]
This game was unnecessarily close for the entire game because the runners in scoring position issues continued, but thankfully, Boston struggled to get anyone into scoring position all night allowing the Rays to score just enough to hold on with a 3-1 victory to open the series at Tropicana Field. The Rays started off with […]
Go Rays!
While the Rays’ rotation has performed pretty well so far this season, they could benefit from some reinforcements. They have several pitchers with relatively strict workload limits (Shane McClanahan, Griffin Jax, and Steven Matz) and will be without Ryan Pepiot this season. Even Drew Rasmussen will have his workload carefully managed given his injury history. […]
This was the 9th week of full minor league play (stats are entering play on Sunday, June 7th). According to FanGraphs (which factors in age and proximity to the big leagues), 22-year old Caden Bodine remains the top hitter spot in the Rays system. The backstop was recently added to Baseball America’s top 100 prospect […]
Today, the Marlins played a sort of game that felt familiar. Their pitching, from starter to bullpen, was outstanding. Their defense possibly robbed Cedric Mullins of a home run and was sharp across the board. They ran the bases well, making just one mistake (Heriberto Hernandez was thrown out at second trying to stretch a […]
Go Rays!
For ‘tis the sport of baseball to have the engineer of infield hits and great defense hoist with his own petard. The Marlins stole the Rays’ playbook and beat them at their own game with infield hits, excellent defense mixed around some timely extra base hits while employing a Jonny Bullpen plan to stifle the […]
Go Rays!
With the uncertainty surrounding Gavin Lux’s health, the Rays are relatively thin in the middle infield. Richie Palacios (103 wRC+ vs righties) and Ben Williamson (92 wRC+ vs lefties) have done their best to platoon the second base position into close to league average production, but the Rays would be wise to consider some external […]
The Rays are in Miami to open their annual Citrus Series against the Marlins. Drew Rasmussen is on the bump against Marlins starter Ryan Gusto. Junior Caminero got things going in the top of the first with a one-out double to right, and Jonathan Aranda drew a walk to put two runners on for Yandy […]
Go Rays!
While there’s no guarantee that the Tigers will trade ace Tarik Skubal, they would be wise to entertain offers for him heading into the trade deadline. Set to become a free agent in 2027 with a potential lockout on the horizon, Skubal is a tantalizing trade chip — despite an injury* — thanks to Detroit […]
After so much time spent winning to start the season, defying expectations and climbing to the top of the American League, it’s safe to say no one had “lose a whole series to the worst team in the league” on their June bingo card. Yet the Rays have struggled consistently against the Tigers in this […]
Go Rays!
I think it’s safe to say most Rays fans took one look at the Detroit Tigers current record for the season and their brutal slump since losing their ace Tarik Skubal, and thought this was going to be an easy series. However, recent history has proven that series that should be easy wins have been […]
Go Rays!
Which is more painful, losing a blowout? Or climbing back into a blowout and then losing by just one run? From the Rays standpoint, this game felt like one of those punishments imposed by the gods in Greek myth. Like Sisyphus, on several occasions the Rays seemed poised to roll that boulder back up the […]