Tampa Bay Rays News and Links: Rays September Hinges on KC Series

Links:

• Marc Topkin believes this KC series is the make or break series that determines what the Rays will be in September. He has a point: rosters are set to expand, and the Rays need to start gaining some ground if we are to see some exciting call-ups this year.
• The Rays got off to a nice start in this series, with a dominate 12-0 victory (Austin Pruitt especially looked Ginsu knife sharp). Matt Andirese returned from the DL pitching 3 shutout innings. And it was his birthday too! Happy birthday Matt!

• While we wait to see what call-ups happen on Friday when the rosters expand, Brent Honeywell will get some time off due to some unspecified “disrespectful” behavior. Honeywell was suspended by the team for 4 games, and will not miss a start, so it seems more like a message than an actual punishment. Paraphrasing what our own John Ford said in our writer’s room Slack chat today, “this is like suspending somebody from work after 5 pm on a Friday, and reinstating them Monday morning”.
• Tropicana Field is playing host to the Rangers v Astros series starting today. The reason this is happening is because of a terrible storm that is leaving Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast absolutely devastated. Seems like a good time to avoid cheap, low hanging fruit jokes about Trop attendance, but that won’t stop sports writers from picking that inappropriately low hanging fruit.
• I haven’t been paying enough attention, because I really did not realize just how awesome a year Justin Williams is having himself down in Montgomery. Definitely not sleeping on him anymore. He added another dinger last night:

• Speaking of Monty, the Biscuits have clinched a playoff spot: