Better is Earned.

[Soapy]

Grand Slama Jama! Brandon Lowe Goes Yard With the Bases Loaded as the Rays Rout The Guardians
‣ July 14, 2024 - Game 3 of 3 - Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
(60-37) Cleveland Guardians at Tampa Bay Rays (48-48)

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CLE | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 || 1 | 7 | 1
TB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | x || 8 | 15 | 1

---

Zach Eflin (W, 9-5): 5 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 5 K
Brandon Lowe: 3-4, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 2 R
Isaac Paredes: 2-3, 2B, RBI, 2 R
Yandy Diaz: 2-5, 2 R

Shane Bieber (L, 7-7): 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, BB, K
Steven Kwan: 2-4, SO
Deyvison De Los Santos: 1-3, R
Andres Gimenez: 1-3, SO

---

NYY | 3 | 8 | 1
TB | 4 | 7 | 0

NYY 3B D.J. LeMahieu: 1-4, HR, 2 RBI
TB 3B Isaac Paredes: 1-4, RBI, SO

--



NYY | 5 | 7 | 1
TB | 3 | 9 | 1

NYY 3B D.J. LeMahieu: 1-4, HR, RBI, SO
TB 2B Brandon Lowe: 2-4, HR, RBI

--



NYY | 4 | 9 | 0
TB | 2 | 11 | 1

NYY RF Juan Soto: 1-4, HR, RBI, BB, 2 SO
TB C Rene Pinto: 3-3, 2 RBI

--



CLE | 4 | 10 | 1
TB | | 8 | 0

CLE 2B Andres Gimenez: 3-5, 3B, HR, 3 RBI
TB SS Isaac Parades: 1-4, HR, 3 RBI

--



CLE | 3 | 9 | 0
TB | 7 | 11 | 0

CLE HR: SS Gabriel Arias, C Ronaldo Hernandez
TB DH Harold Ramirez: 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, BB, SO

--
Current Record
48-48, 4th AL East, 6th AL Wild Card (3.5 GB)

Injury List
SP Jeffrey Springs: Elbow Surgery (1-2 weeks)
OF Jonny Deluca: Fractured Hand (1-2 weeks)
SP Drew Rasmussen: Elbow Surgery (2-3 months)

Prospect Watch
SS Junior Caminero (#2 MLB, #1 Rays, AAA): .307 AVG, .356 OBP, .553 SLG, .908 OPS, 16 HR, 56 RBI
1B Xavier Isaac (#12 MLB, #2 Rays, AAA): .289 AVG, .369 OBP, .528 SLG, .897 OPS, 9 HR, 34 RBI, AL Future All-Star
SS Carson Williams (#17 MLB, #3 Rays, AA): .269 AVG, .339 OBP, .433 SLG, .772 OPS, 10 HR, 46 RBI, AL Future All-Star

Upcoming Schedule
All-Star Break

[Soapy]

Joc Pederson homers off Tampa Bay's Aaron Civale to lead NL past AL
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Aaron Civale was the only Tampa Bay player to make the AL roster and he didn't have the greatest outing, allowing a two-run home run in the sixth to Joc Pederson and then a solo home run to Adam Duvall as the NL won 6-5.

The Phillies won the night with J.T. Realmuto winning All-Star Game MVP with a two-run home run in the 8th to help hold off the AL All-Stars comeback efforts which included a four-run eight inning which turned out to be too little to late.

For the AL, Byron Buxton drove in two runs while Yordan Alvarez, winner of the Home Run Derby, drove in a run off his double in the eight inning.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
NL All-Star Starting Lineup
SP Zac Gallen
C J.T. Realmuto
1B Matt Olson
2B Ketel Marte
3B Austin Riley
SS Trea Turner
LF Joc Pederson
CF Cody Bellinger
RF Ronald Acuna Jr.
DH Shohei Ohtani


AL All-Star Roster
SP Gavin Williams
C Adley Rutschman
1B Nathaniel Towe
2B Marcus Semien
3B Alex Bregman
SS Corey Seager
LF Yordan Alvarez
CF Aaron Judge
RF Kyle Tucker
DH Justin Turner

SP Aaron Civale
SP Luis Castillo
SP Nestor Cortes Jr.
SP Shane Bieber
RP Garrett Whitlock
CP Jordan Romano
CP Kenley Jansen
CP Jhoan Duran
CP Andres Munoz
CP Clay Holmes
CP Emmanuel Clase
3B Jose Ramirez
DH Mike Trout
C Logan O'Hoppe
C Ryan Jeffers
1B Spencer Torkelson
2B Zack Gelof
S Bobby Witt Jr.
3B Yoan Moncada
RF Juan Soto
CF Julio Rodriguez
CF Byron Buxton

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024 Home Run Derby
Aaron Judge ‣ 18 HR
Shohei Ohtani ‣ 19 HR

Yordan Alvarez ‣ 22 HR
Juan Soto ‣ 18 HR

Corey Seager ‣ 15 HR
Matt Olson ‣ 14 HR

Adam Duvall ‣ 22 HR
Austin Riley ‣ 20 HR
----------------------------------
Shohei Ohtani ‣ 16 HR
Yordan Alvarez ‣ 17 HR

Corey Seager ‣ 17 HR
Adam Duvall ‣ 16 HR
----------------------------------
Yordan Alvarez ‣ 20 HR (Champion)
Corey Seager ‣ 19 HR

[Soapy]

Rays prioritize pitching in 2024 MLB Draft Haul
Victor Williams -- Baseball America Draft Analyst

After taking power-over-hit profiles early in the 2022 draft, the Rays inverted that approach in 2023. The team targeted hitting early in the draft and each of their first five picks are position players who stand out for their hit tools, contact ability and batting eye first and foremost and who project for average or worse power. When you dissect the pitchers, a number of them stand out for the impressive induced vertical break numbers on their fastballs.

After targeting hitting in the last two drafts, the Rays went with pitching in 2024 with their first pick being Canada's Albert Duffy and drafting a total of four pitchers with their seven draft picks.

Duffy, 18, is a slightly built, left-handed pitcher with plenty of velocity on his fastball and cutter with a decent slider and curveball in his repertoire. Duffy projects to be a potential starting arm down the line and could quickly become the Rays' top pitching prospect with proper development.

The most intriguing prospect might be second round pick Benito Negron who despite his short and stocky frame, posses unbelievable power and might be the most MLB-ready out of the draft picks. Negron is an impressive athlete who might never be more than a platoon player but could soon be a fan favorite with his style of play as a power hitter, prolific base stealer and a stud in the outfield.

Tampa Bay Rays 2024 Draft Selections
Round 1, Pick 18 » SP Albert Duffy [MLB #33]: 5'10", 176lbs | Canada | 56-68 overall, 78-93 potential
Round 2, Pick 57 » OF Benito Negron [MLB #43]: 5'7", 193lbs | Venezuela | 63-75 overall, 73-85 potential
Round 2, Pick 65 » RP Hank MacBeth [MLB #85]: 6'3", 186lbs | New York | 52-62 overall, 82-92 potential
Round 3, Pick 98 » OF Gordon Dominguez [MLB #112]: 6'2", 225lbs | Pennsylvania | 54-59 overall, 86-91 potential
Round 4, Pick 128 » SP Jose Sandoval [NR]: 6'5", 243lbs | Panama | 39-55 overall, 82-98 potential
Round 5, Pick 158 » SP Alex Caruso [NR]: 6'1", 207lbs | Dominican Republic | 43-59 overall, 77-93 potential
Round 6, Pick 188 » C Phillip Swiggum [MLB #184]: 5'11", 205lbs | Australia | 49-62 overall, 69-82 potential

[Soapy]

Tampa Bay Rays acquire Dalton Rushing from Dodgers in exchange for shortstop Jose Caballero
Adam Berry -- MLB.com Beat Reporter

In a surprising move, the Los Angeles Dodgers bolstered their infield mix by acquiring infielder José Caballero from the Tampa Bay Rays. The deal sent catcher Dalton Rushing to the Rays, giving the Rays' one of the top prospects at the position.

Caballero, a 27-year-old shortstop, brings superior glovework to the Dodgers. Despite his modest offensive numbers through two seasons, his defensive prowess makes him the likely backup at shortstop to Mookie Betts, replacing the aging Miguel Rojas. This is the second time this calendar year that Caballero has been traded as the Rays acquired him in a trade with the Mariners back in January.

Rushing is a former second round pick that is batting .286 for the Tulsa Drillers, the Dodgers Double-A affiliate. He's homered four times in 23 games, driving in eleven RBIs with a slugging percentage of .476 and an OPS of .834. Rushing will likely stay at the Double-A level and join other top prospect Carson Williams in Montgomery. Similar to Williams, he'll be competing for a spot on the Major League roster come next year with Francisco Mejia set to be a free agent next year.

According to MLB.com, Rushing is the 5th ranked catcher prospect and ranked #59 in their top prospect list, making him the Rays' fourth prospect within the top 100.

The move also opens the door for shortstop Junior Caminero to play for Tampa at some point this season. The Rays' top prospect is the second ranked prospect in MLB.com's Top 100 Prospect List and has been phenomenal this season for Durham.

[supahotfire]

making room for junior

[Soapy]

Shane McClanahan Gets Black Eye Off Bounced Ball As Rays Record 19 Hits In 11-3 Win Over Yankees
‣ July 22, 2024 - Game 4 of 4 - Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York
(50-49) Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees (52-49)

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TB | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 || 11 | 19 | 0
NYY | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 || 3 | 5 | 0

---

Shane Baz (W, 7-8): 3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB, 3 K
Brandon Lowe: 2-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R
Jose Siri: 2-5, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R
Isaac Paredes: 2-5, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

Marcus Stroman (L, 10-5): 3.2 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, BB, K
Kevin Smith: 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, R
Juan Soto: 2-4, 2B, R
Jose Trevino: 1-2, RBI

---

TB | 6 | 9 | 0
NYY | 1 | 5 | 0

TB SP Aaron Civale (W, 11-2): 9 IP, 5 H, ER, 2 BB, 6 K
NYY CF Aaron Judge: 1-4, 2B, RBI, SO

--



TB | 1 | 3 | 1
NYY | 4 | 9 | 0

TB SP Jeffrey Spring (L, 0-1): 4 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 5 K (season debut)
NYY DH Giancarlo Stanton: 2-4, HR, RB, 3 RBI, 2 SO

--



TB | 4 | 9 | 1
NYY | 3 | 8 | 0

TB 3B Yandy Diaz: 1-5, 3B, 2 RBI, SO
NYY DH Giancarlo Stanton: 1-5, 2B, RBI, 2 SO

--



TB | 4 | 9 | 1
TOR | 2 | 5 | 1

TB DH Harold Ramirez: 2-5, HR, 2 RBI, SO
TOR 2B Luis Rengifo: 2-3, HR, 2 RBI

--



TB | 2 | 9 | 2
TOR | 3 | 11 | 0

TB 1B Evan Longoria: 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB
TOR HR: CF Kevin Kiermaier, 3B Justin Turner, 2B Luis Rengifo

--
Current Record
52-50, 4th AL East, 5th AL Wild Card (2.5 GB)

MLB Transactions
SP Shane McClanahan activated from Injured List, SP Ryan Pepiot optioned to Triple-A Durham
Brewers trade 1B Rhys Hoskins and RP Joel Payamps to the Cardinals for 1B Paul Goldschmidt

Injury List
SP Drew Rasmussen: Elbow Surgery (1-2 months)

Prospect Watch
SS Junior Caminero (#2 MLB, #1 Rays, AAA): .304 AVG, .355 OBP, .551 SLG, .906 OPS, 17 HR, 57 RBI
1B Xavier Isaac (#12 MLB, #2 Rays, AAA): .281 AVG, .357 OBP, .511 SLG, .868 OPS, 9 HR, 34 RBI
SS Carson Williams (#17 MLB, #3 Rays, AA): .270 AVG, .341 OBP, .429 SLG, .770 OPS, 10 HR, 46 RBI
C Dalton Rushing (#59 MLB, #4 Rays, AA): .284 AVG, .354 OBP, .466 SLG, .819 OPS, 4 HR, 11 RBI

Upcoming Schedule
at Toronto Blue Jays (55-48) -- Chris Bassitt (8-8, 84 K, 4.23 ERA)
vs. Cincinnati Reds (51-53) -- Graham Ashcraft (0-0, 4 K, 2.57 ERA)
vs. Cincinnati Reds (51-53) -- Hunter Greene (8-5, 138 K, 4.69 ERA)
vs. Cincinnati Reds (51-53) -- Nick Lodolo (9-5, 119 K, 4.57 ERA)
vs. Miami Marlins (44-58) -- Sandy Alcantara (1-1, 14 K, 1.71 ERA)
vs. Miami Marlins (44-58) -- TBD

[Soapy]

making room for junior

is he ready though? i don't know jiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimmmmmmmmmmm

[Captain Canada]

No fucking way that happened to McClanahan

[Soapy]

No fucking way that happened to McClanahan

boy got knocked the fuck out

[Caesar]

It will forever be funny to me that if the pitcher gets murked by the ball and an out is recorded immediately after, it goes down as a 1-X out.