The Tampa Bay Rays taketh, the Tampa Bay Rays giveth away as they have now dropped four games in a row, following a sweep at the hands of the Seattle Mariners. Heading into the series, the Rays had won five of six contests, but now with the four consecutive losses, they have a record of 28-30 and are now 7.5 games back in the Wild Card hunt.

Blake Snell was dominant yesterday as he struck out the first seven hitters he faced, tying a franchise record set in 2007 by Andy Sonnanstine for most consecutive strikeouts. He would finish the day with a total of 12 strikeouts, tallying six shutout innings. He left with a 1-0 lead, but unfortunately, Jose Alvarado allowed the tying and go-ahead runs to score — with some assistance from Brad Miller — and the Rays would go on to lose, 2-1.

The Rays are off today, but the front office and scouts will be busy as the draft takes place tonight. The Rays have five selections, with their first pick expected to come around 8:30 p.m.

Rays Links

• Scott put together a thorough preview for the Rays draft, complete with links to scouting reports and mock drafts from myriad baseball experts
• C.J. Cron is day to day after leaving yesterday’s game. He was hit in the wrist by a pitch, but the x-rays came back negative
• Rays pitching coach, Kyle Snyder, was hospitalized prior to yesterday’s game
• Carlos Gomez is adamant that MLB’s drug testing is not randomly done, the league has already refuted his claims
• An interesting look into the relationship between the Rays and the Mariners, who have completed a multitude of deals over the past few years involving 28 players
• Chris Archer made a young fan’s day as he played a little game of catch prior to the game

Around the League

• Jake Arrieta vented to reporters following the Phillies getting swept by the San Francisco Giants
• Michael Wacha was just three outs from a no-hitter yesterday afternoon
• One of the best stories in baseball this year is the recovery of Danny Farquhar, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch, prior to the White Sox game on Friday