The Rays Tank: Win in OAK, off to CHI

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"I didn't know what was going on,' Kiermaier said. "Once I got around second base Jose was right there. I wasn't about to stop and let him get some distance before I got going again, so I did the slowest trot ever the whole way home. So it was unique. ... I couldn't do anything but laugh," Kiermaier said. "I try not to create any attention toward myself, but I was like, is this really happening right now. We're barely moving. It was pretty bizarre how everything worked out, but I'll take it."

A three hour tour...of the infield.

My favorite part of the Jose Molina-Kevin Kiermaier home run trot-off?

Molina admitting that he slowed his pace the last 90 feet home.

It wasn't enough to slow down the game, as the Rays won over the A's 7-3 against Sonny Gray, who had allowed seven runs total in his past six starts prior to yesterday. Jeremy Hellickson most certainly had his best game of the season, going seven innings and only allowing two hits and one run; retiring the first nine Athletics he faced. Fingers crossed the Hellboy of old is making a comeback, or at least showing some face.

***

Wil Myers will join Durham today for two days of workouts, and the plan is for him to begin a rehab assignment starting Saturday.

Links:

- Ken Rosenthal chatted about the Rays-Tigers David Price trade on Jonah Keri's weekly podcast, discussing how the Tigers were the only viable option for a trade with the A's not wanting to spend $20 million on his salary, the Cardinals going another direction the Dodgers unwilling to move prospects and the Mariners not even in the loop. Interesting insight on the whole "Why didn't we get more in return?" question and reiterating the "You can't really know about the value of a trade until a few years post" sentiment.

- The Dodgers were told to turn off their bubble machine, because apparently there's no fun in baseball, either.

- A breakdown of WAR and the true value of some players throughout the years, from The Hardball Times.