WEDNESDAY GAME NOTES

This is my 200th post so far on this site. I would like to take this time to thank everyone whose been reading throughout the season and the editors for helping me along. Hopefully these Game Notes will be back next year and I would like anyone who takes the time to read through them to let me know if I could be doing anything to make these more informative and interesting to read. Just once again, thank you all. - Adam

The Rays managed to pull off a victory last night as Matt Moore survived a shaky first and pitched into the seventh inning, meanwhile the offense laid dormant for the first few innings, then finally broke through in the fifth and sixth to take the lead. Mikie Mahtook provided some much accepted insurance in the eighth and Rays retook fourth place in the division.

TODAY'S STARTING PITCHERS

With the bad outing his last time out, Drew Smyly is due to make a shutout appearance as he has been mixing poor starts with scoreless ones pretty much every other outing since his return from the DL in mid-August. However, despite pitching poorly, Smyly still ended up with a victory after allowing five runs on four hits, while he walked three and struck out six during five plus innings of work.

Rick Porcello Scouting Report:

The Rays faced Porcello two weeks ago n the 12th, where Porcello was able to pick up a victory after seven solid innings, only allowing three runs to score. Porcello has been excellent since his return from the DL in late August, averaging seven innings a start. However, the Blue Jays were able to get to him his last time out on the 18th in Toronto, where he allowed six runs (five earned) in six innings of work, picking up his 13th loss of the season.

His arsenal:

His splits:

September 23rd in Rays History:

• One former Rays player was on this date as Brent Abernathy celebrates his 38th birthday. Abernathy was once a very promising prospect, but he only spent parts of four seasons at the majors league level with the majority of it spent with Tampa Bay. A career .244 hitter, he played professionally until 2009, then retired following that season. You can read more on his career, here.
• They are 11-6 all-time on this date
• 2000 - Fred McGriff smashes his 24th homer of the year, making him just the second player in major league history to have 200 homers in both the American League and National League. Unfortunately, it came in a losing effort for Tampa Bay as they blew a 6-0 lead and allowed seven unanswered runs and the Blue Jays to walk-off after Darrin Fletcher doubled in Tony Batista to win the game in the ninth.
  
• 2001 - Joe Kennedy delivers seven scoreless innings as he and Esteban Yan combine to shutout the Blue Jays on only five hits in a 1-0 victory. The lone run scored in the top of the first when Steve Cox lifted his 11th homer of the season.
• 2006 - J.P. Howell had what may possibly the best start of his career, as he hurls sevens scoreless innings against the Yankees, only giving up three hits as Tampa Bay shutout New York, 8-0. The offense was able to score eight runs off of Randy Johnson, including homers from Ty Wigginton and Melvin Upton Jr.
• 2008 - For the first time in franchise history, the Rays sweep a double-header. The Rays took the first game, 5-2, with James Shields tying a franchise record with his 14th win of the season. In the second game, the Rays were on the verge of losing, trailing 5-1 in the eighth, but then they rallied for six runs and won the game, 7-5.

• 2012 - Jeremy Hellickson and a cavalcade of relievers combine to shutout the Blue Jays, 3-0, with their offensive support provided by a solo homer from Melvin Upton and a RBI double from Evan Longoria.

• 2013 - Locked in a tight battle for the wild card, the Rays took on the Orioles and effectively ended Baltimore's hopes for the postseason as Manny Machado was injured and lost for the rest of the season, then Jame Loney put the final nail in the coffin as he launched 13th homer of the year, a walk-off shot that won the game, 5-4.