Rays News

A very disappointing series in Minnesota. The Rays scored 35 runs over the four games, but still dropped three of the contests, thanks to poor pitching performances. It took a record setting onslaught by the offense for the Rays to take a victory, as they tallied 19 runs on Saturday.

To add to the disappointment, All-Star catcher Wilson Ramos, pulled a hamstring as he was trying to beat out a groundball. He would be removed from the game, and has been removed from the All-Star game roster. Although he was still on the active roster for yesterday’s series finale, Ramos is expected to be placed on the disabled list and according to Marc Topkin, he could be out through the trade deadline.

The Rays lost yesterday after a very poor pitching and defensive showing in the 7th in which walks, errors, and a balk allowed the Twins to take the lead. The benches would soon clear after Brian Dozier did his best Carlos Gomez impersonation as he jubilantly scored the go-ahead run on the balk call. Diego Castillo was a bit wild and the Twins took exception, ultimately leading to three bench clearing incidents within a 10 minute time frame.

Following the game, the Rays optioned Andrew Kittredge to Triple-A, with a corresponding move yet to be announced.

• Last year, Blake Snell was demoted to Triple-A Durham after poor performance. A year later, he is an All-Star.
• The Tampa Bay Times has a feature going where they select the Mount Rushmore of Tampa Bay sports. Topkin provided one for the Rays, as he selected Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria, David Price, and James Shields...feel free to disagree with him.
• John Sickels of MinorLeagueBall shares his thoughts on the Rays most recent addition to the Baseball America top 100, Ronaldo Hernandez.
• The Milwaukee Brewers are after the prize of the American League East, as they are reportedly scouting Nate Eovaldi

Around the League

• The Futures Game took place yesterday with Jesus Sanchez going 0-3, while Nate Lowe collected a basehit in two plate appearances. He would be thrown out trying to stretch his single into a double. Baseball America ranks the best moments, players, and tools showcased during the game.
• Pinstripe Alley identifies the Rays as a potential trade partner for the New York Yankees
• Change is underway in St Louis as the Cardinals parted ways with several members of their coaching staff, including manager, Mike Matheny