Wouldn’t we all like to be given 100 acres and a billion dollars? Chutzpah, cojones, nerve — those words come to mind when hearing that the Rays’ new billionaire owners are demanding free prime land on Dale Mabry and a nearly $1 billion gift from the public.
This week, our elected officials, including the Tampa City Council and the Hillsborough County Commission, face a tough decision when voting on the Rays’ proposal to fund a new baseball stadium in Tampa.
Here are just a few reasons why we, the undersigned former elected officials who for a total of more than 50 years in office have “been there and done that,” believe the current elected officials should “Just say no”:
Use taxpayer money for its intended use — Taxpayers expect that public funds should be used for essential services such as police, fire, roads, sewers, affordable housing and hurricane resilience projects. The Rays’ owners are demanding more than $1.5 billion (including interest) of public money to build a private baseball stadium that will drain funds away from these critical services.
Bait and switch —It is immoral, unethical and possibly illegal to useeven one penny Community Investment Tax funds when the tax ballot language in 2024 told voters that this sales tax would be used for transportation,public facilities andpublic infrastructure, not a private stadium. Moreover, when they put the CIT on the recent ballot, the county commissioners debated the issue and expressly rejected including “stadiums” in the ballot language. With inflation pushing housing, insurance, grocery and gas prices to record highs, this is not the time to burden residents with additional financial strain to subsidize billionaires.
Let the voters decide — The Rays new owners are demanding that our elected officials vote on this billion-dollar boondoggle this week. Why? What’s the hurry? Clearly, the owners are afraid of a public vote because it’s easier to persuade eight elected officials (four on the City Council and four on the County Commission) than hundreds of thousands of voters. The owners say they need a quick vote because “they must build and occupy a new stadium by 2029.” This sense of urgency is fictional because the Rays can remain in St. Petersburg’s newly renovated Tropicana Field for several years. Our elected officials must show the courage and backbone to let the voters decide how their Community Investment Tax funds should be spent.
Don’t buy the false promises — In every city where billionaire sports team owners want a new stadium, they hire consultants to spin the pitch and assure the local community that it will make money on the deal. To the contrary, many independent studies on stadium subsidies over the past few decades have shown that the economic benefits produced fall far short of the owners’ projections. For example, in Miami, their new baseball stadium saddled that community with a huge long-term debt and millions lost annually. Similarly, the proposed deal clearly shows that the money generated by this stadium will go to the owners, not to the community.
Call their bluff — We are already a “major league” community with two world championship sports franchises. While most folks would like baseball to stay in the region, there is no compelling reason that taxpayers need to pay one penny of public funds to keep it here. We are a proven sports market and the 11th largest media market in the nation. The owners of the Raysneed to be in the Tampa Bay market much more than we need them to stay. So, elected officials, call their bluff.
Understand that a “no” vote this week doesn’t mean no to the idea of a new stadium; it merely sends a strong message to the owners and Major League Baseball that if one is built here, we will set the terms and we won’t be “played.”
County commissioners, City Council members, Mayor Jane Castor: Stand up for your community and ”Just say no!"
John Dingfelder, Orlando Gudes and Linda Saul Sena are former Tampa City Council members. Mariella Smith and Pat Kemp are former Hillsborough County commissioners.
Not because every question has been answered. It hasn’t. Not because public skepticism is unreasonable. It isn’t. And not because a memorandum of understanding is the final word on a stadium deal. It’s not.
They should vote yes because this is the step that keeps open the possibility of something this region has struggled to secure for decades: a long-term home for Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay, a major private investment in the urban core and a chance to shape growth in a way that reflects both ambition and accountability.
The choice before local leaders is not between this memorandum and a perfect, fully settled agreement. The choice is between moving this process forward or letting it collapse before the real negotiations are finished.
That matters.
The proposed deal is large by any standard: a $2.3 billion ballpark and broader redevelopment anchored at Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus. Public participation remains substantial, but it has been reduced from the original request and capped below $1 billion. The Rays would be responsible for the balance and any cost overruns.
Just as important, a yes vote on the memorandum is not the same thing as signing a blank check.
It is a vote to continue. A vote to test the assumptions, tighten the language, verify the financing and require the protections the public deserves. If city and county leaders believe the project could be transformative — and there is good reason to think it could be — then they should preserve the opportunity to keep negotiating from a position of leverage rather than walk away before the final terms are written.
Still, support for this memorandum should be clear-eyed. The concerns raised so far are not minor. They are legitimate.
First, local officials should insist on greater clarity on the $2.3 billion price tag. The cost to taxpayers cannot remain a broad estimate. It should be publicly substantiated. Before any binding agreement is approved, elected officials should require a fuller accounting of construction assumptions, financing terms and contingency planning.
Second, the funding sources deserve rigorous scrutiny. The use of Community Investment Tax revenue is controversial for a reason. Voters were not sold on the tax extension as a vehicle for stadium construction, and public officials owe residents a clear legal and moral case for why this use is justified now. The same goes for any federal disaster-recovery-related dollars tied to infrastructure improvements. In a community still coping with storm impacts, even the appearance of diverting recovery resources without a clear justification will erode public trust. Yes, proponents say the new ballpark could be used as a disaster shelter. So was the Trop until it went suddenly topless.
Third, the public should demand proof — not assurances — that the Rays can fulfill their end of the bargain. The team says it will fund at least half the project and cover cost overruns. Good. Then the final deal should require meaningful documentation of financial capacity, enforceable guarantees and protections ensuring public money is not exposed if private financing changes, stalls or falls short. If the Rays leave another Tampa Bay city and county at the altar, the team should leave town.
And finally, local leaders should be candid about what economic impact studies can and cannot prove. Stadium advocates often promise catalytic growth. Critics often dismiss all such claims outright. The truth is more complicated. A ballpark alone is not an economic development strategy. But a ballpark integrated into a broader district, in the right location, with the right infrastructure and private follow-through, can be part of one. That is why transportation planning, surrounding development commitments, workforce opportunity and neighborhood impact cannot be afterthoughts. They have to be central to the final agreements.
This is where leadership matters most.
It is easy to say no to an incomplete deal. Sometimes it is even wise. But there are also moments when leadership means keeping a difficult but promising opportunity alive while doing the disciplined work to improve it. That is the moment Tampa and Hillsborough are in now.
A yes vote on the memorandum of understanding does not mean suspending judgment. It means preserving the chance to get to a better final agreement — one that protects taxpayers, answers legitimate questions and gives this region a credible path to keeping the Rays and unlocking broader development around the site.
If local officials vote no now, the opportunity is gone. If they vote yes, the hard part begins.
That is exactly as it should be.
Support the memorandum. Then scrutinize every line that comes next.
The bunts, infield hits and aggressive baserunning are cute, cool and fun to watch, but the major league-leading Rays have insisted during their remarkable start to the season that they aren’t only a small-ball team.
They made that point clear Monday night in a 16-6 battering of the Orioles, posting season highs in runs, hits (18) and extra-base hits (eight) while improving to 31-15, surpassing the Braves for the top record in the majors.
“You’re going to have to find ways to score runs,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Sometimes it’s going to come with contact and putting the ball in play, and then some days you need those big gap shots or home runs with guys on base. And (Monday) we definitely got those. (We’re) totally equipped to do that.”
They showed that Monday with a team-wide effort.
Yandy Diaz led the way with four hits (including two doubles) and four RBIs. Junior Caminero had an RBI single and a three-run homer, his 13th of the season. Taylor Walls had two doubles, extending his hitting steak to a career-high seven games. Ryan Vilade had three hits, including a run-scoring triple, and three RBIs. Jonny DeLuca had two hits and three RBIs.
“Statistically, I think this team is just scratching the surface of what they actually can do in terms of the long ball and the power,” said starter Shane McClanahan. “I think we’re just scratching the surface a little bit, and I think (Monday) was a good glimpse of, if we’re firing, what we can do.
“So hopefully we keep this momentum rolling (Tuesday), the next day and hopefully the rest of the year. If we keep putting up 16 like that, I’m going to have a lot of fun on the mound.”
Ultimately, if the Rays are going to continue their surprising run at the top of the standings, it’s going to take a combination of everything they can do.
“Right now we’re playing baseball,” said Caminero via team interpreter Kevin Vera. “Depending on the situation, we will play small ball. But depending on the situation, we’re going to hit the long ball.
“It just matters the situation that we’re in, and that’s what we’re going to keep doing. Whatever we need to play is the type of baseball that we’re going to play.”
Diaz had a similar take.
“We’re not necessarily a team, like you said, that we’re going to score 16 runs a game or necessarily (be) the ‘power-hitting’ team,” he said, via Vera. “But we have the speed, we have the contact, so of course, we can just stack runs and put on a lot of good offensive games when we need to.”
The Rays were excited to improve to 31-15 in moving to a season-high 16 games over .500. They have won six of their last eight games, 13 of 16, 19 of 23 and 26 of 34. They also have won eight straight series openers.
Among a small Tropicana Field crowd announced at 13,633, a group of fans in the leftfield corner were reciprocally excited with the action, most taking off and waving their shirts during the late innings, and doing assorted chants for the Rays.
It seemed a take on what the Stephen F. Austin baseball team did in the Busch Stadium stands for Cardinals games over the weekend, dubbed “tarps off.” St. Louis manager Oli Marmol enjoyed it so much that he noted the energy in his postgame media session and bought out the section for the next two games, offering free tickets to fans who’d be as loud.
Rays players seemed to enjoy Monday’s scene with Walls the most engaged by waving his hand as if he had a shirt.
“I was focused on the game, but obviously I peeked a little bit,” Caminero said. “They put on a show, and we laughed with them.”
There was a lot to cheer about, as the 16 runs were the most for the Rays in nearly a year (May 31 at Houston), and most in a home game since April 14, 2025.
They also batted around in two innings during a game for the first time since May 29 (at Houston).
McClanahan wasn’t as sharp as previous outings in allowing four runs and throwing 90 pitches over five innings, but picked up his fifth win, having returned to action after missing the previous two-plus seasons with injuries.
The RBI single he allowed Adley Rutschman in the third inning ended his career-best scoreless streak at 23 2/3 innings, though he then recorded his 500th career strikeout by fanning Pete Alonso, the Tampa product.
McClanahan was obviously most appreciative of the overall offensive support.
“Can’t say enough good things about the offense,” he said. “I picked a pretty good night to give up runs for the first time in a while. These guys have my back, and I obviously, wish I selfishly did a little better.
“But my job is to help this team win games, keep us in the ballgame any way I can. It definitely wasn’t sexy, definitely wasn’t the easiest, I think, of any outing I’ve ever had. But we found a way, and huge shoutouts to these guys. Unbelievable to watch.”
The bunts, infield hits and aggressive baserunning are cute, cool and fun to watch, but the major league-leading Rays have insisted during their remarkable start to the season that they aren’t only a small-ball team.
They made that point clear Monday night in a 16-6 battering of the Orioles, posting season highs in runs, hits (18) and extra-base hits (eight) while improving to 31-15, surpassing the Braves for the top record in the majors.
“You’re going to have to find ways to score runs,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Sometimes it’s going to come with contact and putting the ball in play, and then some days you need those big gap shots or home runs with guys on base. And (Monday) we definitely got those. (We’re) totally equipped to do that.”
They showed that Monday with a team-wide effort.
Yandy Diaz led the way with four hits (including two doubles) and four RBIs. Junior Caminero had an RBI single and a three-run homer, his 13th of the season. Taylor Walls had two doubles, extending his hitting steak to a career-high seven games. Ryan Vilade had three hits, including a run-scoring triple, and three RBIs. Jonny DeLuca had two hits and three RBIs.
“Statistically, I think this team is just scratching the surface of what they actually can do in terms of the long ball and the power,” said starter Shane McClanahan. “I think we’re just scratching the surface a little bit, and I think (Monday) was a good glimpse of, if we’re firing, what we can do.
“So hopefully we keep this momentum rolling (Tuesday), the next day and hopefully the rest of the year. If we keep putting up 16 like that, I’m going to have a lot of fun on the mound.”
Ultimately, if the Rays are going to continue their surprising run at the top of the standings, it’s going to take a combination of everything they can do.
“Right now we’re playing baseball,” said Caminero via team interpreter Kevin Vera. “Depending on the situation, we will play small ball. But depending on the situation, we’re going to hit the long ball.
“It just matters the situation that we’re in, and that’s what we’re going to keep doing. Whatever we need to play is the type of baseball that we’re going to play.”
Diaz had a similar take.
“We’re not necessarily a team, like you said, that we’re going to score 16 runs a game or necessarily (be) the ‘power-hitting’ team,” he said, via Vera. “But we have the speed, we have the contact, so of course, we can just stack runs and put on a lot of good offensive games when we need to.”
The Rays were excited to improve to 31-15 in moving to a season-high 16 games over .500. They have won six of their last eight games, 13 of 16, 19 of 23 and 26 of 34. They also have won eight straight series openers.
Among a small Tropicana Field crowd announced at 13,633, a group of fans in the leftfield corner were reciprocally excited with the action, most taking off and waving their shirts during the late innings, and doing assorted chants for the Rays.
It seemed a take on what the Stephen F. Austin baseball team did in the Busch Stadium stands for Cardinals games over the weekend, dubbed “tarps off.” St. Louis manager Oli Marmol enjoyed it so much that he noted the energy in his postgame media session and bought out the section for the next two games, offering free tickets to fans who’d be as loud.
Rays players seemed to enjoy Monday’s scene with Walls the most engaged by waving his hand as if he had a shirt.
“I was focused on the game, but obviously I peeked a little bit,” Caminero said. “They put on a show, and we laughed with them.”
There was a lot to cheer about, as the 16 runs were the most for the Rays in nearly a year (May 31 at Houston), and most in a home game since April 14, 2025.
They also batted around in two innings during a game for the first time since May 29 (at Houston).
McClanahan wasn’t as sharp as previous outings in allowing four runs and throwing 90 pitches over five innings, but picked up his fifth win, having returned to action after missing the previous two-plus seasons with injuries.
The RBI single he allowed Adley Rutschman in the third inning ended his career-best scoreless streak at 23 2/3 innings, though he then recorded his 500th career strikeout by fanning Pete Alonso, the Tampa product.
McClanahan was obviously most appreciative of the overall offensive support.
“Can’t say enough good things about the offense,” he said. “I picked a pretty good night to give up runs for the first time in a while. These guys have my back, and I obviously, wish I selfishly did a little better.
“But my job is to help this team win games, keep us in the ballgame any way I can. It definitely wasn’t sexy, definitely wasn’t the easiest, I think, of any outing I’ve ever had. But we found a way, and huge shoutouts to these guys. Unbelievable to watch.”
Why Carson Williams was making his first major-league appearance at second base in Monday’s game is a bit of a complicated story.
Williams, a right-handed-hitting infielder, was called up Sunday when lefty-hitting outfielder Jake Fraley was placed on the injured list due to a hernia that will require surgery Tuesday and then sideline him six to eight weeks.
Part of the reason Williams was called up was that the two lefty-hitting outfielders the Rays had at Durham and on the 40-man roster, Jacob Melton and Victor Mesa Jr., are both injured.
But there was another reason:
Ben Williamson, the right-handed hitting infielder who has impressed with his defense, versatility and overall high-level play, has been dealing with back tightness.
That explains why he made only one appearance in the weekend series versus Miami, pinch-hitting Friday and playing an inning at second.
Manager Kevin Cash did not rule out a stint on the 10-day injured list for Williamson.
“(We) don’t know yet,” Cash said. “Obviously he’d be in there (Monday versus Orioles lefty starter Trevor Rogers), so it’s pretty tight. He woke up feeling better today, (but) a sneeze, a cough, that can kind of re-aggravate it. So we’ll still continue to go day-to-day.”
Williams at times was considered among the top shortstop prospects in the game after being the Rays’ 2021 first-round pick and played only there during two previous major-league stints, including seven games at the start of this season when Taylor Walls was injured.
But the Rays last year started to expand Williams’ versatility, having him play six games at third base. That process continued this season with four starts at second and another at third.
Williams said he “absolutely” took it as a good move that could increase his opportunity to get back to the majors.
“As long as I’m here and I’m helping the team out, that’s what I want,” he said. “I want to help this team win, and wherever they want to put me to do that, I’m here for.”
Williams, who has struck out in more than 40% of his big-league at-bats, said also he improved his discipline and decision-making on off-speed pitches.
“The swing-and-miss in zone went down a lot, which I was super, super happy with,” he said. “The more I put the ball in play, the better, because when I do put the ball in play, it usually comes off pretty hot. So just making sure I’m swinging at the right pitches and where I want them into my strengths.”
Monday, he struck out and popped out and was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning when the O’s switched to a right-handed reliever.
Pitching shuffle, too
Cole Sulser, among the more pleasant surprises in the Rays bullpen, was placed on the 15-day injured list due to a low back strain, retroactive to Friday.
Cash said Sulser’s back became an issue during Thursday’s off-day after the return from Toronto.
“We were kind of taking it day-to-day-to-day and then it continues to kind of lock up. He went and played catch (Sunday) and felt fine, got off the mound and it kind of locked him up again. So, we felt like, given it was already three or four days since he was down, let’s just see if we can clean it up and not push anything too much.”
Chase Solesky, who spent three days on the active roster earlier this month but didn’t get to make his major-league debut, was recalled.
Also:
• Lefty Steven Matz came through his Sunday bullpen session feeling good and will rejoin the rotation for Wednesday’s series finale vs. the Orioles.
• Right-hander Joe Boyle, sidelined since April 10 with a right elbow strain, was activated off the injured list and optioned to Durham, where he will continue to be stretched out to a starter workload.
Wander Franco trial update
Dominican Republic prosecutors on Monday completed their presentation of more than 100 pieces of evidence in the re-trial of Rays shortstop Wander Franco on charges of sexual abuse of a minor.
Franco was found guilty last June and sentenced to essentially two years of probation. Both sides appealed, and prosecutors have said they are seeking a five-year prison term.
Franco, who has not played for the Rays since August 2023, told the Dominican newspaper Diario Libre: “We are very calm, in the faith of God, waiting for justice. I leave that to the hands of the judges.”
The trial resumes Wednesday with presentation of the defense’s case; a verdict is expected by May 26.
Miscellany
New Orioles manager Craig Albernaz, an Eckerd College product, said it was “awesome” to be at Tropicana Field and managing against the Rays, for whom he spent seven years as a minor-league player and five as a coach/manager. ... Hot-hitting catching prospect Caden Bodine is being promoted from Class-A Charleston (S.C.) to High-A Bowling Green, where he will share time with another highly-rated catching prospect, Nathan Flewelling. ... The Rays were the first American League team to 30 wins for the fourth time in the last seven seasons.
Why Carson Williams made his first major-league appearance at second base in Monday’s game is a bit of a complicated story.
Williams, a right-handed hitting infielder, was called up Sunday when lefty-hitting outfielder Jake Fraley was placed on the injured list due to a hernia that will require surgery Tuesday and then sideline him six to eight weeks.
Part of the reason Williams was called up was that the two lefty-hitting outfielders the Rays had at Durham and on the 40-man roster, Jacob Melton and Victor Mesa Jr., are both injured.
But there was another reason:
Ben Williamson, the right-handed hitting infielder who has impressed with his defense, versatility and overall high-level play, has been dealing with back tightness.
That explains why he made only one appearance in the weekend series versus Miami, pinch-hitting Friday and playing an inning at second.
Manager Kevin Cash did not rule out a stint on the 10-day injured list for Williamson.
“(We) don’t know yet,” Cash said. “Obviously he’d be in there (Monday vs. Orioles lefty starter Trevor Rogers), so it’s pretty tight. He woke up feeling better today, (but) a sneeze, a cough, that can kind of re-aggravate it. So we’ll still continue to go day-to-day.”
Williams at times was considered among the top shortstop prospects in the game after being the Rays’ 2021 first-round pick, and played only there during two previous major-league stints, including seven games at the start of this season when Taylor Walls was injured.
But the Rays last year started to expand Williams’ versatility, having him play six games at third base. That process continued this season with four starts at second and another at third.
Williams said he “absolutely” took it as a good move that could increase his opportunity to get back to the majors.
“As long as I’m here and I’m helping the team out, that’s what I want,” he said. “I want to help this team win, and wherever they want to put me to do that, I’m here for.”
Williams, who has struck out in more than 40% of his big-league at-bats, said also he improved his discipline and decision-making on off-speed pitches.
“The swing-and-miss in zone went down a lot, which I was super, super happy with,” he said. “The more I put the ball in play, the better, because when I do put the ball in play, it usually comes off pretty hot. So just making sure I’m swinging at the right pitches and where I want them into my strengths.”
Pitching shuffle, too
Cole Sulser, among the more pleasant surprises in the Rays bullpen, was placed on the 15-day injured list due to a low back strain, retroactive to Friday.
Cash said Sulser’s back became an issue during Thursday’s off-day after the return from Toronto.
“We were kind of taking it day-to-day-to-day and then it continues to kind of lock up. He went and played catch (Sunday) and felt fine, got off the mound and it kind of locked him up again. So, we felt like, given it was already three or four days since he was down, let’s just see if we can clean it up and not push anything too much.”
Chase Solesky, who spent three days on the active roster earlier this month but didn’t get to make his major-league debut, was recalled.
Also:
• Lefty Steven Matz came through his Sunday bullpen session feeling good and will rejoin the rotation for Wednesday’s series finale vs. the Orioles.
• Right-hander Joe Boyle, sidelined since April 10 with a right elbow strain, was activated off the injured list and optioned to Durham, where he will continue to be stretched out to a starter workload.
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Aaron Rai shifted into high gear Sunday and pulled away from a world-class field with one amazing shot after another until he became the first English-born player in more than a century to capture the PGA Championship.
Rai, who dreamed of being a Formula 1 driver until he turned to golf as a boy, was three shots behind and approaching the turn at Aronimink Golf Club when he delivered a performance worthy of a major champion.
He made a 40-foot eagle putt on the par-5 ninth during a stretch when he one-putted seven straight greens to take the lead.
And on the closing holes when the contenders needed him to stumble, Rai holed a birdie putt of some 70 feet across the 17th green for the clincher.
The 31-year-old Rai, who joins two-time PGA champion Vijay Singh as major champions of Indian heritage, closed with a 5-under 65.
“To be here is outside my wildest imagination,” Rai said.
Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Cameron Smith, Justin Rose, all major champions, all of them in position until they were undone by untimely mistakes or failure to get good looks at birdie.
McIlroy, who closed with a 69, played the par 5s in even for the week and he chopped up the reachable par-4 13th for a bogey. He also glared and softly cursed at a fan who said, “USA,” after McIlroy hit a wedge from the rough to the bunker on the par-5 16th. It was an indication McIlroy knew his hopes were all but gone.
Rai, who finished at 9-under 271, is the first player from England with his name on the Wanamaker Trophy since Jim Barnes in 1919, the second edition of this major and the first after World War I.
He wound up winning by three shots over 54-hole leader Alex Smalley and Rahm, who had his best finish in a major since defecting to LIV Golf at the end of 2023. Rahm was slowed by a pair of bogeys on the front nine, and managed only one birdie on the back nine for a 68.
Smalley lost the lead with a messy double bogey on the sixth hole, and his best golf was too late. Rai already had his eye on the Wanamaker Trophy. Smalley made birdie on the 18th for a 70.
Justin Thomas made a 16-foot par putt on the final hole for a 65 and pulled him within one shot of the lead as the final group was in the second fairway. For the longest time, as Aronimink got tougher and the pressure got tighter, it looked like Thomas might have a chance.
Like everything else on this final day, Rai ended those hopes, too.
So concluded a most remarkable week in the Philadelphia suburbs, where no one could separate themselves on Aronimink. The 22 players within four shots of the lead going into the final round was a PGA Championship record.
From that pack emerged the 31-year-old Rai, with one PGA Tour title, three on the European tour, and no finishes inside the top 15 at any of the majors.
He might not be well known among casual observers, but he is a star in the eyes of his peers for his humility and gracious personality.
“You won’t find one person on property who’s not happy for him,” McIlroy said.
“Super pumped for him and his team,” Schauffele said. “All-world gentleman, no doubt.”
He wears two gloves, a habit he started as a kid in England to battle the cold winters when he was practicing — and he was always practicing. Even more unusual for Rai is the plastic covers on each iron, a reminder of his roots.
He once said his father sacrificed to buy the nicest golf clubs and then would clean the grooves with baby oil after his son was done playing. Rai has left the iron covers on since then “to remember where I cam from and to respect what I have.”
“Anybody that uses head covers in his irons because he coveted his irons when he was a kid so much that he wanted to respect the equipment and to still do it? Yeah, it shows a lot about a person,” Rahm said. “What he did today is nothing short of special.”
Those seven straight one-putts included a short putt for bogey on the par-3 eighth, leaving Rai three behind Matti Schmid, who had three birdies in a five-hole stretch on the front to take the lead.
Rai hit 5-wood into the ninth for his 40-foot eagle putt. He saved par with a 10-foot putt on the 10th. He hit wedge to 4 feet to a dangerous pin on the 11th for birdie. He got up-and-down from behind the 12th green for par.
And on the 292-yard 13th hole, which tripped up McIlroy and Schauffele and Nick Taylor of Canada when they were right in the mix, Rai blasted out of a bunker to 6 feet for a birdie to become the first player all week to reach 7 under. And then he kept right on going.
Thomas wound up in a for fourth at 5-under 275 with Ludvig Aberg (69) and Schmid, whose 5-foot par putt on the 18th hole gets him into his first Masters next year. Smith, who didn’t drop a shot until the 17th hole, had a 68 to join McIlroy and Schauffele (69) another shot back.
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the third hole and twice missed 3-foot par putts on the back nine in his closing round of 69 to tie for 14th, his first time out of the top 10 at a major since the 2024 U.S. Open.
Rai now has a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour, and into the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open. He can play the PGA Championship for life.
“Golf is an amazing game,” Rai said. “It teaches you so many things, and it teaches you so much humility and discipline and absolute hard work because nothing is ever given in this game.”
Nothing was given to him Sunday. Rai simply outplayed the strongest field in golf and won it.
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Aaron Rai shifted into high gear Sunday and pulled away from a world-class field with one amazing shot after another until he became the first English-born player in more than a century to capture the PGA Championship.
Rai, who dreamed of being a Formula 1 driver until he turned to golf as a boy, was three shots behind and approaching the turn at Aronimink Golf Club when he delivered a performance worthy of a major champion.
He made a 40-foot eagle putt on the par-5 ninth during a stretch when he one-putted seven straight greens to take the lead.
And on the closing holes when the contenders needed him to stumble, Rai holed a birdie putt of some 70 feet across the 17th green for the clincher.
The 31-year-old Rai, the first player of Indian heritage to win a major, closed with a 5-under 65.
Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Justin Rose, they all had their chances and until they were undone by untimely mistakes or failure to get good looks at birdie. McIlroy, who closed with a 69, played the par 5s in even for the week and he chopped up the reachable par-4 13th for a bogey.
Rai, who finished at 9-under 271, is the first player from England with his name on the Wanamaker Trophy since Jim Barnes in 1919, the second edition of this major and the first after World War I.
He wound up winning by three shots over 54-hole leader Alex Smalley and Rahm, who had his best finish in a major since defecting to LIV Golf at the end of 2023. Rahm was slowed by a pair of bogeys on the front nine, and managed only one birdie on the back nine for a 68.
Smalley lost the lead with a messy double bogey on the sixth hole, and his best golf was too late. Rai already had his eye on the Wanamaker Trophy.
Justin Thomas made a 16-foot par putt on the final hole for a 65 and pulled him within one shot of the lead as the final group was in the second fairway. For the longest time, as Aronimink got tougher and the pressure got tighter, it looked like Thomas might have a chance.
Like everything else on this final day, Rai ended those hopes, too.
So ended a most remarkable week in the Philadelphia suburbs, where no one could separate themselves on Aronimink. The 22 players within four shots of the lead going into the final round was a PGA Championship record.
From that pack emerged the 31-year-old Rai, with one PGA Tour title, three on the European tour, and no finishes inside the top 15 at any of the majors.
He might not be well known among casual observers, but he is a star in the eyes of his peers for his humility and gracious personality.
“You won’t find one person on property who’s not happy for him,” McIlroy said.
“Super pumped for him and his team,” Schauffele said. “All-world gentleman, no doubt.”
He wears two gloves, a habit he started as a kid in England to battle the cold winters when he was practicing — and he was always practicing. Even more unusual for Rai is the plastic covers on each iron, a reminder of his roots.
He once said his father sacrificed to buy the nicest golf clubs and then would clean the grooves with baby oil after his son was done playing. Rai has left the iron covers on since then “to remember where I cam from and to respect what I have.”
Now he has his name on the Wanamaker Trophy and his place in history.
There are a lot of ways to measure how well the Rays have played this season.
You can look at the rotation’s ERA. (It’s excellent.) You can ponder the effectiveness of small ball. (Outstanding.) You can marvel at the way they excel in one-run games. (Uncanny.)
Or you can simply point to this:
The Rays have won seven consecutive series, which is their longest streak since 2013.
“That’s the goal,” said reliever Ian Seymour, who got his ninth hold after coming in from the bullpen and rescuing the Rays from a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning of Sunday’s 6-3 win against Miami. “The goal is to win every series, and if you do that you’re going to be in a great position to play meaningful baseball.
“That’s what’s preached to us, and it just seems like every day each of us has each other’s backs, which is something to be grateful for. It gives you the freedom to go out there and be your best.”
If you think of the season as a bunch of minichallenges, the Rays have been remarkably consistent. They have won five of seven series at home and five of eight on the road. The last team to leave Tropicana Field with the upper hand was the Reds, who won two of three back on April 20-22.
Fraley on the shelf
The Rays have a bit of a different look to their roster with Jake Fraley going on the injured list due to a hernia problem. While Fraley started 24 of the first 43 games in rightfield, the Rays chose to call up infielder Carson Williams to replace him.
Because Richie Palacios and Ryan Vilade can both play the outfield (along with second base for Palacios and first base for Vilade), the Rays had the flexibility to go with Williams as a replacement. Also, the only other outfielders on the 40-man roster (Jacob Melton and Victor Mesa Jr. ) are both out with injuries at Triple-A Durham.
Fraley began feeling discomfort in Toronto last week but thought he could play through it. He had tests done on Sunday, but there was no word of the results.
“He didn’t mention anything until the other day when we got back home,” manager Kevin Cash said. “He said something didn’t feel right. He was in the lineup (on Friday) and said, ‘I’m good to play.’ But the next day, he was like, ‘I can’t.’”
Carson Williams, Part III
His first two stints in the big leagues were not as smooth as he’d hoped, but Williams is not putting any extra pressure on himself after being called up Sunday.
“It’s not pressure anymore, it’s a will to win and wanting to help the ballclub any way they need me to,” Williams said. “I’ve done a lot of work in Durham, and there’s good, there’s bad. Honestly, it’s just about being consistent. Hopefully, I get a bunch of chances up here and help the team.”
Williams, a natural shortstop, could spell Taylor Walls occasionally and also get time at second base.
Technically still a rookie, Williams has hit .164 with five home runs in 122 career at-bats in Tampa Bay. He was hitting .238 with five homers at Triple-A Durham.
Pepiot on the mend
His season is over, but Ryan Pepiot said he’s at least glad to have his hip surgery behind him.
Pepiot said the injury was not as extensive as feared, and he’ll only need to spend four weeks on crutches instead of the expected eight.
“I tried everything I possibly could,” Pepiot said. “I tried the pills, I tried the anti-inflammatory stuff, that doesn’t work. Next thing, I tried the injection. It worked for a couple of days and then just went back (to the way it was). Then it was just me coming to terms with, OK, this is what we have to do. The worst part was just the buildup.”
Pepiot said he got to the medical facility at 5:30 a.m., went in for surgery at 7 and was pretty loopy the rest of the day.
“I don’t remember anything for like eight hours,” Pepiot said. “I’m about to go talk to (Cash), because he texted me afterward and I texted him back. I woke up the next morning and I was like, ‘Oh, I texted him back? I don’t remember that.’ I was like, ‘Hmm.’ But I looked at it, and it made sense, so that’s all that matters.”
All zeroes
His scoreless inning streak of 21 ⅔ innings is the longest of his career and the third-longest active streak in the majors, but Monday starter Shane McClanahan said he’s paid it no mind.
“I do not care about that. I honestly forgot about it,” McClanahan said. “Obviously, the goal is to put up zeroes. I know I’m going to give up runs eventually, but my ultimate goal is just to keep this team in the game any way I can.”
McClanahan’s streak spans four starts, which means he’s not given up a run since April 19.
Miscellany
Craig Albernaz, a former Rays minor-league manager and player and an Eckerd College product, arrives at Tropicana Field for the first time as the manager of the Baltimore Orioles on Monday … Cedric Mullins continues to climb out of his early season hole. With a hit and a walk on Sunday, Mullins is hitting .310 in his last 13 games … Drew Rasmussen got the win against the Marlins, but it was a bit of a struggle. It was the first time in Rasmussen’s major-league career that he surrendered seven or more hits while striking out less than three hitters.
There are a lot of ways to measure how well the Rays have played this season.
You can look at the rotation’s ERA. (It’s excellent.) You can ponder the effectiveness of small ball. (Outstanding.) You can marvel at the way they excel in one-run games. (Uncanny.)
Or you can simply point to this:
The Rays have won seven consecutive series, which is their longest streak since 2013.
“That’s the goal,” said reliever Ian Seymour, who got his ninth hold after coming in from the bullpen and rescuing the Rays from a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning of Sunday’s 6-3 win against Miami. “The goal is to win every series, and if you do that you’re going to be in a great position to play meaningful baseball.
“That’s what’s preached to us, and it just seems like every day each of us has each other’s backs, which is something to be grateful for. It gives you the freedom to go out there and be your best.”
If you think of the season as a bunch of minichallenges, the Rays have been remarkably consistent. They have won five of seven series at home and five of eight on the road. The last team to leave Tropicana Field with the upper hand was the Reds, who won two of three back on April 20-22.
Fraley on the shelf
The Rays have a bit of a different look to their roster with Jake Fraley going on the injured list due to a hernia problem. While Fraley started 24 of the first 43 games in rightfield, the Rays chose to call up infielder Carson Williams to replace him.
Because Richie Palacios and Ryan Vilade can both play the outfield (along with second base for Palacios and first base for Vilade), the Rays had the flexibility to go with Williams as a replacement. Also, the only other outfielders on the 40-man roster (Jacob Melton and Victor Mesa Jr. ) are both out with injuries at Triple-A Durham.
Fraley began feeling discomfort in Toronto last week but thought he could play through it. He had tests done on Sunday, but there was no word of the results.
“He didn’t mention anything until the other day when we got back home,” manager Kevin Cash said. “He said something didn’t feel right. He was in the lineup (on Friday) and said, ‘I’m good to play.’ But the next day, he was like, ‘I can’t.’”
Carson Williams, Part III
His first two stints in the big leagues were not as smooth as he’d hoped, but Williams is not putting any extra pressure on himself after being called up Sunday.
“It’s not pressure anymore, it’s a will to win and wanting to help the ballclub any way they need me to,” Williams said. “I’ve done a lot of work in Durham, and there’s good, there’s bad. Honestly, it’s just about being consistent. Hopefully, I get a bunch of chances up here and help the team.”
Williams, a natural shortstop, could spell Taylor Walls occasionally and also get time at second base.
Technically still a rookie, Williams has hit .164 with five home runs in 122 career at-bats in Tampa Bay. He was hitting .238 with five homers at Triple-A Durham.
Pepiot on the mend
His season is over, but Ryan Pepiot said he’s at least glad to have his hip surgery behind him.
Pepiot said the injury was not as extensive as feared, and he’ll only need to spend four weeks on crutches instead of the expected eight.
“I tried everything I possibly could,” Pepiot said. “I tried the pills, I tried the anti-inflammatory stuff, that doesn’t work. Next thing, I tried the injection. It worked for a couple of days and then just went back (to the way it was). Then it was just me coming to terms with, OK, this is what we have to do. The worst part was just the buildup.”
Pepiot said he got to the medical facility at 5:30 a.m., went in for surgery at 7 and was pretty loopy the rest of the day.
“I don’t remember anything for like eight hours,” Pepiot said. “I’m about to go talk to (Cash), because he texted me afterward and I texted him back. I woke up the next morning and I was like, ‘Oh, I texted him back? I don’t remember that.’ I was like, ‘Hmm.’ But I looked at it, and it made sense, so that’s all that matters.”
All zeroes
His scoreless inning streak of 21 ⅔ innings is the longest of his career and the third-longest active streak in the majors, but Monday starter Shane McClanahan said he’s paid it no mind.
“I do not care about that. I honestly forgot about it,” McClanahan said. “Obviously, the goal is to put up zeroes. I know I’m going to give up runs eventually, but my ultimate goal is just to keep this team in the game any way I can.”
McClanahan’s streak spans four starts, which means he’s not given up a run since April 19.
Miscellany
Craig Albernaz, a former Rays minor-league manager and player and an Eckerd College product, arrives at Tropicana Field for the first time as the manager of the Baltimore Orioles on Monday … Cedric Mullins continues to climb out of his early season hole. With a hit and a walk on Sunday, Mullins is hitting .310 in his last 13 games … Drew Rasmussen got the win against the Marlins, but it was a bit of a struggle. It was the first time in Rasmussen’s major-league career that he surrendered seven or more hits while striking out less than three hitters.
Bases loaded, trailing by one run, who do you want to see at the plate for the Rays?
Junior Caminero? Sure, that’s the obvious answer. Yandy Diaz? Jonathan Aranda? Can’t go wrong with either of them.
Or, you can blow away your friends at the bar with this answer:
Taylor Walls.
His paychecks may revolve around his elite defense, but put him at the plate in a bases-loaded situation and Walls is as reliable as it gets.
The Rays shortstop came through again on Sunday with a bases-loaded triple in the fourth inning that sent Tampa Bay on the way to a 6-3 win against the Marlins in front of 16,788 at Tropicana Field.
In 43 career plate appearances with the bases loaded, Walls is hitting .387 with 40 RBIs, a .488 on-base percentage and a 1.011 OPS. In every other plate appearance, Walls has a career batting average of .192.
“Go tell (Kevin) Cash to put me in at cleanup,” Walls joked afterward.
The Walls at-bat was the turning point in a game that felt a lot closer than the final score. The Marlins were up 2-1, and Miami pitcher Eury Perez had just gotten Nick Fortes to hit into a force-out after an eight-pitch at-bat. That’s when Walls lined a first-pitch fastball into the gap in right-center to clear the bases.
Walls said he was unaware of his stats with the bases filled and doesn’t change his approach in those situations. At least, not that he’s aware of.
“Maybe subconsciously, I don’t know. There’s no intention to. I try to have the same focus,” Walls said. “If anything, you try to take a little bit of the pressure off of yourself when you go up there. A lot of times it’s easy to try to do too much or overdo things in those situations.
“I feel like most of the time I’m trying to do less. The focus is still there but I’m just trying to stay within myself and focus on the things I need to focus on.”
The Rays worked deep counts against Perez, who threw a career-high 102 pitches while only lasting five innings. And yet, Walls, Diaz and Jonny DeLuca all jumped on first pitches for extra-base hits.
“We had put some pressure on Perez, who is a really talented pitcher, but (for) Wallsy to find a gap to clear the bases was massive,” Cash said. “I know it (ended up) 6-3, but that was a really tight game.”
There would be one more bases-loaded situation that was critical to the game’s outcome. The Rays were up 6-2 in the eighth when reliever Garrett Cleavinger followed a leadoff strikeout by giving up three hits and a walk to close the gap to 6-3 and load the bases.
Ian Seymour came out of the bullpen to strike out Leo Jimenez and then got Heriberto Hernandez to line out to shortstop.
“Took a deep breath, threw strikes in that moment,” Cash said. “Seymour has done some good things for us, but maybe none bigger than that one to quiet their threat.”
Seymour got first-pitch fastballs for strikes on both hitters and then threw nothing but change-ups to record the outs.
“You just try to get ahead,” Seymour said. “When you get ahead, then you have a little bit more freedom to do what you want to do and put the pressure on hitters as opposed to having it be on you.”
What began as a hot streak for the Rays in mid-April is now beginning to look like a new normal. Tampa Bay is 18-4 since April 22, and the Rays joined the Braves as the only teams in the majors with 30 wins.
The offense is supposed to be top-heavy with Caminero, Aranda and Diaz doing all the heavy lifting — and Caminero and Diaz both hit solo homers on Sunday — but Tampa Bay’s bat-to-ball approach is giving the lineup unexpected length.
The last three hitters in the order went 6-for-9 with five RBIs in a 7-2 win against the Marlins in the series opener on Friday, and then the final four hitters went 5-for-14 with three RBIs on Sunday.
“We’re a good team,” Cash said. “I feel we’re representing ourselves very, very well. We’ve got to do the little things right, and I feel like the guys have done that. The combination of the three guys sitting in the middle and all of the traffic that gets created around them allows us to score some runs.”
There are a lot of ways to measure how well the Rays have played this season.
You can look at the rotation’s ERA. (It’s excellent.) You can ponder the effectiveness of small ball. (Outstanding.) You can marvel at the way they excel in one-run games. (Uncanny.)
Or you can simply point to this:
Sunday’s 6-3 victory against the Marlins in front of 16,788 at Tropicana Field was Tampa Bay’s seventh consecutive series win. It is the franchise’s longest streak of series victories in nearly 13 years, and it has kept the Rays atop the American League East for most of May.
Taylor Walls hit a two-out, bases-loaded triple in the fourth inning to erase a 2-1 Miami lead, and the Rays never looked back. Junior Caminero and Yandy Diaz added solo homers, and starter Drew Rasmussen pitched into the sixth inning to boost his record to 4-1.
Things got a little tense in the eighth inning, when reliever Garrett Cleavinger allowed three hits and a walk to the first five batters he faced. But lefthander Ian Seymour came out of the bullpen to strike out Leo Jimenez with the bases loaded and got pinch-hitter Heriberto Hernandez to line out to Walls at shortstop.
If you think of the season as a bunch of minichallenges, the Rays have been remarkably consistent. They have won five of seven series at home and five of eight on the road. The last team to leave Tropicana Field with the upper hand was the Reds, who won two of three back on April 20-22.
There have been times, usually after games when he’s sitting alone in his Miami-area rental home missing his wife and three kids (who are staying in their St. Petersburg house until school is out) that Pete Fairbanks wishes the Rays had picked up his $11 million option and he got to stick around for an eighth season.
“Of course,” Fairbanks said Friday. “Obviously, if that had worked out it would have been great. Or if it works out again at some point down the road, we’d love to explore that. But that’s not where we’re at for this year, so we’re going to make the most of it.”
Though Fairbanks, 32, joked about having to “to pay rent and a mortgage,” he came out fine financially, getting a one-year deal for a guaranteed $13 million ($12 million salary, $1 million signing bonus), plus up to another $1 million in appearance-based incentives, along with a $1 million buyout from the Rays.
So far, it’s been an interesting season in Miami, with five saves (in six chances), two losses and a 10.00 ERA.
It’s a very different situation, and notably without the history he had with the Rays.
“Good memories,” manager Kevin Cash said. “He pitched in huge innings for us, got a lot of big outs. He was a guy that we relied heavily on and brought him into the most tense situations of some of the biggest games that we’ve had, or that since I’ve been around. Appreciate him.”
For good reason, as Fairbanks’ 90 career regular-season saves are third most in team history, behind Roberto Hernandez (101) and Alex Colome (95). Among Fairbanks’ biggest moments was closing out Game 7 of the 2020 American League Championship Series.
Fairbanks said he is “a bad reflector” and would need time to properly context his time with the Rays, among the longest tenures for any pitcher. But given how he raised his family, became a part of the community and was a key “cog” in the team’s success, it has been quite a significant part of his life. The Rays played a tribute video during Friday’s game.
“I love this place, and I’d live here forever,” Fairbanks said. “I don’t know if that’ll end up being the case, but the community, the area, has been a huge blessing for us, and nothing but fondness for that.”
Shortstop Taylor Walls said there was a lot of appreciation for Fairbanks.
“He was a leader in the clubhouse, a leader on the field,” Walls said. “You could always count on him in those late games to come in, especially through tough lineups, and get you outs. And he’s doing the same thing over there for (Miami).
He participated in several charitable causes, including Pete’s Sneaks, providing sneakers for underserved students to start the school year. When he and his wife, Lydia, lost a baby during the 2023-24 offseason at about 20 weeks gestation, they joined forces with the Turner Syndrome Foundation to raise funds and awareness.
He is a heavy reader, collects comic books and Pokemon cards, and loves to build complicated Lego sets.
And around the clubhouse, he was often planning or plotting something; could be sarcastic, witty, caustic and/or funny; was always accountable after tough losses; served as a team rep to the players union; and almost always brought an edge.
Friday, in saying he was looking forward to catching up with the pitchers, he jabbed by adding he also would be “seeing what bright ideas have gone through Taylor Walls’ head in my absence.”
Fairbanks made media sessions, depending on the topic and the interviewer, somewhat must-see, either extremely entertaining or tensely confrontational.
“Definitely miss all that,” Walls said. “There’s definitely not a guy in here that could replace his sense of humor, I guess, is what you would call it. Pete’s Pete. I don’t know how else to describe it.”
Pitching coach Kyle Snyder not only worked closely with Fairbanks since he was acquired in a 2019 trade with Texas but lives in the same St. Petersburg neighborhood.
“He was certainly a presence,” Snyder said. “He became a really steady presence in the bullpen for us and, despite some of the color and nature of his postgame interviews, somebody the guys in the pen looked up to.”
How best would Snyder describe him?
“He’s unapologetically Pete.”
Draft breeze
Baseball America’s latest mock draft still has the Rays using the No. 2 pick on Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson but suggests that whoever the White Sox don’t take at No. 1 from the group of UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey and Miami Gulliver Prep shortstop Jacob Lombard are in play. … ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel has the Sox leaning slightly to Cholowsky to open the July 11-12 event, with the Rays taking Emerson.
Rays rumblings
Who won the January three-way trade between the Rays, Angels and Reds? Gavin Lux hasn’t played for the Rays, Josh Lowe started Saturday with a -0.8 WAR for the Angels (hitting .167 with a .503 OPS) and reliever Brock Burke had a 0.2 WAR for the Reds (posting a 2.61 ERA over 21 relief outings). The Rays also got minor-league pitcher Chris Clark, who had a 4.10 ERA between Double A and Triple A. … Votes are expected this week by the Hillsborough County Commission (Wednesday) and Tampa City Council (Thursday) on the memorandum of understanding for funding the planned new stadium, but the much more important votes to approve the actual deal are likely still weeks away. … MLB Pipeline’s updated top 100 prospects list has outfielder Theo Gillen 43rd, pitcher Brody Hopkins 85th, catcher Nathan Flewelling 90th. … The Rays.TV group is trying something different this homestand, moving the pregame and postgame set to the second floor of the Bay Republic team store near the rotunda entrance. … Jayson Stark’s quarter-season review for The Athletic included a quote from an unnamed AL executive saying the Rays “always find a way to make magic out of beans. I just don’t know how they’re doing it right now, scoring runs with the way they’re built.”
There have been times, usually after games when he’s sitting alone in his Miami-area rental home missing his wife and three kids (who are staying in their St. Petersburg house until school is out) that Pete Fairbanks wishes the Rays had picked up his $11 million option and he got to stick around for an eighth season.
“Of course,” Fairbanks said Friday. “Obviously, if that had worked out it would have been great. Or if it works out again at some point down the road, we’d love to explore that. But that’s not where we’re at for this year, so we’re going to make the most of it.”
Though Fairbanks, 32, joked about having to “to pay rent and a mortgage,” he came out fine financially, getting a one-year deal for a guaranteed $13 million ($12 million salary, $1 million signing bonus), plus up to another $1 million in appearance-based incentives, along with a $1 million buyout from the Rays.
So far, it’s been an interesting season in Miami, with five saves (in six chances), two losses and a 10.00 ERA.
It’s a very different situation, and notably without the history he had with the Rays.
“Good memories,” manager Kevin Cash said. “He pitched in huge innings for us, got a lot of big outs. He was a guy that we relied heavily on and brought him into the most tense situations of some of the biggest games that we’ve had, or that since I’ve been around. Appreciate him.”
For good reason, as Fairbanks’ 90 career regular-season saves are third most in team history, behind Roberto Hernandez (101) and Alex Colome (95). Among Fairbanks’ biggest moments was closing out Game 7 of the 2020 American League Championship Series.
Fairbanks said he is “a bad reflector” and would need time to properly context his time with the Rays, among the longest tenures for any pitcher. But given how he raised his family, became a part of the community and was a key “cog” in the team’s success, it has been quite a significant part of his life. The Rays played a tribute video during Friday’s game.
“I love this place, and I’d live here forever,” Fairbanks said. “I don’t know if that’ll end up being the case, but the community, the area, has been a huge blessing for us, and nothing but fondness for that.”
Shortstop Taylor Walls said there was a lot of appreciation for Fairbanks.
“He was a leader in the clubhouse, a leader on the field,” Walls said. “You could always count on him in those late games to come in, especially through tough lineups, and get you outs. And he’s doing the same thing over there for (Miami).
He participated in several charitable causes, including Pete’s Sneaks, providing sneakers for underserved students to start the school year. When he and his wife, Lydia, lost a baby during the 2023-24 offseason at about 20 weeks gestation, they joined forces with the Turner Syndrome Foundation to raise funds and awareness.
He is a heavy reader, collects comic books and Pokemon cards, and loves to build complicated Lego sets.
And around the clubhouse, he was often planning or plotting something; could be sarcastic, witty, caustic and/or funny; was always accountable after tough losses; served as a team rep to the players union; and almost always brought an edge.
Friday, in saying he was looking forward to catching up with the pitchers, he jabbed by adding he also would be “seeing what bright ideas have gone through Taylor Walls’ head in my absence.”
Fairbanks made media sessions, depending on the topic and the interviewer, somewhat must-see, either extremely entertaining or tensely confrontational.
“Definitely miss all that,” Walls said. “There’s definitely not a guy in here that could replace his sense of humor, I guess, is what you would call it. Pete’s Pete. I don’t know how else to describe it.”
Pitching coach Kyle Snyder not only worked closely with Fairbanks since he was acquired in a 2019 trade with Texas but lives in the same St. Petersburg neighborhood.
“He was certainly a presence,” Snyder said. “He became a really steady presence in the bullpen for us and, despite some of the color and nature of his postgame interviews, somebody the guys in the pen looked up to.”
How best would Snyder describe him?
“He’s unapologetically Pete.”
Draft breeze
Baseball America’s latest mock draft still has the Rays using the No. 2 pick on Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson but suggests that whoever the White Sox don’t take at No. 1 from the group of UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey and Miami Gulliver Prep shortstop Jacob Lombard are in play. … ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel has the Sox leaning slightly to Cholowsky to open the July 11-12 event, with the Rays taking Emerson.
Rays rumblings
Who won the January three-way trade between the Rays, Angels and Reds? Gavin Lux hasn’t played for the Rays, Josh Lowe started Saturday with a -0.8 WAR for the Angels (hitting .167 with a .503 OPS) and reliever Brock Burke had a 0.2 WAR for the Reds (posting a 2.61 ERA over 21 relief outings). The Rays also got minor-league pitcher Chris Clark, who had a 4.10 ERA between Double A and Triple A. … Votes are expected this week by the Hillsborough County Commission (Wednesday) and Tampa City Council (Thursday) on the memorandum of understanding for funding the planned new stadium, but the much more important votes to approve the actual deal are likely still weeks away. … MLB Pipeline’s updated top 100 prospects list has outfielder Theo Gillen 43rd, pitcher Brody Hopkins 85th, catcher Nathan Flewelling 90th. … The Rays.TV group is trying something different this homestand, moving the pregame and postgame set to the second floor of the Bay Republic team store near the rotunda entrance. … Jayson Stark’s quarter-season review for The Athletic included a quote from an unnamed AL executive saying the Rays “always find a way to make magic out of beans. I just don’t know how they’re doing it right now, scoring runs with the way they’re built.”
The Rays should have had some momentum going into extra innings Saturday evening.
After seeing their early one-run lead turn into a one-run deficit by the top of the ninth, they rallied for a run to spoil former closer Pete Fairbanks’ bid for a save against them and sent the game to the 10th inning.
But reliever Hunter Bigge killed the mood, and their chances to extend their sizzling streak, with a rough outing that led to an ugly 10-5 loss.
Bigge faced 10 batters — allowing six hits and two walks — and gave up eight runs (including the runner placed on second). The eight runs were the most the Rays ever allowed in an extra inning.
“Yeah, it’s brutal,” Bigge said. “You’ve got to move on to the next pitch and continue doing that, and it sucks being out there seeing the game slip away like that. I want to pitch better for this team and, yeah, (I), feel pretty bad right now. But got to keep forging ahead.”
The loss was the Rays’ first at Tropicana Field since April 21, snapping an 11-game win streak, three shy of the franchise record.
It also, at least temporarily, slowed their remarkable roll, coming in to play having won 11 of their last 13, 17 of 20 and 24 of 31. At 29-15, they still have the best record in the American League and second best in the majors, behind the Braves.
“It’s going to happen,” said catcher Nick Fortes. “We can’t be perfect every day. You’d like to be, but there’s going to be certain days or even innings where it just kind of slips away. But that’s baseball. It happens, and it’s a long season.
“I think we still played really well (Saturday). We’ll come back (Sunday) and play with the same intensity, and hopefully win a series.”
Bigge’s rough outing was more surprising, as he had been on a tremendous roll, posting six straight scoreless outings, retiring his last 15 batters and 19 of 20.
“I felt pretty good,” he said. “I don’t know if my slider was as good as it has been, but I felt kind of normal out there. I don’t really have an explanation for it.”
Fortes had a slightly different view, though no real answer either.
“He just seemed like he was just a little bit off (Saturday), and with the extra innings starting with a guy on second, I think it just kind of, like, heightened things a little bit,” Fortes said. “We were just not executing certain pitches in the times that we wanted. So, I just think it was just one of those days, honestly. And they were able to capitalize.”
Manager Kevin Cash was kind of in the middle.
“They had really good at-bats, put a lot of pressure on us, and they’ve got some speed over there where, if they move the baseball, it’s challenging to convert outs,” Cash said. “But felt bad for Hunter. He’s done really well for us. (Saturday) was a little bit of a hiccup, but that’s how it happens sometimes.”
The Rays didn’t do much offensively through the first eight innings vs. Miami starter Sandy Alcantara and two relievers, getting a run when Taylor Walls bunted for a hit, went to second on an errant throw and scored on a Chandler Simpson single.
But that was enough for a while, as starter Nick Martinez delivered another stellar performance, scattering five hits and a walk over six shutout innings, lowering his ERA to 1.51, second best in the majors.
“Anytime you can navigate through six innings and give up no runs, you’re doing some special things. And he’s been pretty special for us all season,” Cash said. “Consistent and pretty dominant. He’s been incredible for us.”
Martinez has allowed two runs or fewer in each of his nine starts, joining Pittsburgh’s A.J. Burnett (2015) as the only 35-and-older pitchers in the modern era to do so.
Martinez was lifted with the 1-0 lead after six innings and 77 pitches. “I felt good,” he said. “Hindsight is 20-20.”
Reliever Garrett Cleavinger got two outs in the seventh. then gave up a pinch-hit homer to Heriberto Hernandez, a one-time Rays prospect.
The Marlins took a 2-1 lead in the ninth when Jakob Marsee blooped a two-out single off Bryan Baker and Javier Sanoja followed with a double.
The Rays got even off Fairbanks when Cedric Mullins drew a one-out walk, stole second as Jonny DeLuca struck out and advanced to third on the errant throw from catcher Joe Mack.
Fortes, acquired in July from the Marlins, then laced a 105.2 mph grounder off Sanoja’s glove at third to tie the score.
After the Marlins broke the game open, the Rays took some solace in getting three runs back with a two-run double by Junior Caminero, who earlier made a dazzling diving play at third, and a run-scoring double by Jonathan Aranda on his bobblehead day, extending his AL-leading RBI total to 34.
“We could have walked away from that feeling really frustrated just the way that inning unfolded,” Cash said. “But guys had some big swings, and they’re better for it going into (Sunday’s) game.”
Outfielder Jake Fraley is headed to the injured list due to a hernia, and infielder Carson Williams appears in line to be called up from Triple-A Durham.
Fraley, a lefty hitter, played in Friday’s game, going 0-for-3, and was in the original lineup Saturday but was scratched and replaced by Jonny DeLuca.
The degree and severity of the hernia will determine how long Fraley is out; in most cases, that seems to be at least six weeks.
Fraley, an offseason free-agent addition, hit .232 with two homers, five RBIs and a .690 OPS in 28 games.
The Rays did not announce any roster moves, but Williams was scratched from Durham’s lineup, which in this situation is typically an indication of a pending promotion.
The Rays have two lefty-hitting outfielders on the 40-man roster and assigned to Durham in top-shelf prospect Jacob Melton and Victor Mesa Jr., but both are sidelined by injury.
By summoning Williams, the Rays could be planning to use lefty-swinging utility man Richie Palacios more in the outfield. Williams is primarily a shortstop but this season has played three games at second base (his first ever there) and one at third, so it is possible he could be used in several spots.
Taylor Walls has been the Rays’ primary shortstop. playing his usual top-shelf defense while hitting .212 with a .583 OPS.
Williams made the Rays’ opening-day roster when Walls was sidelined with a right oblique strain late in spring training but hit .130 (3-for-23) with a .341 OPS, striking out nine times and walking once in 23 plate appearances. Walls returned earlier than expected on April 6, and Williams was sent down.
In 32 games at Durham, Williams hit .238 with a .751 OPS, striking out 43 times and walking 17 times in 122 plate appearances.
Outfielder Jake Fraley is headed to the injured list due to a hernia, and infielder Carson Williams appears in line to be called up from Triple-A Durham.
Fraley, a lefty hitter, played in Friday’s game, going 0-for-3, and was in the original lineup Saturday but was scratched and replaced by Jonny DeLuca.
The degree and severity of the hernia will determine how long Fraley is out; in most cases, that seems to be at least six weeks.
Fraley, an offseason free-agent addition, hit .232 with two homers, five RBIs and a .690 OPS in 28 games.
The Rays did not announce any roster moves, but Williams was scratched from Durham’s lineup, which in this situation is typically an indication of a pending promotion.
The Rays have two lefty-hitting outfielders on the 40-man roster and assigned to Durham in top-shelf prospect Jacob Melton and Victor Mesa Jr., but both are sidelined by injury.
By summoning Williams, the Rays could be planning to use lefty-swinging utility man Richie Palacios more in the outfield. Williams is primarily a shortstop but this season has played three games at second base (his first ever there) and one at third, so it is possible he could be used in several spots.
Taylor Walls has been the Rays’ primary shortstop. playing his usual top-shelf defense while hitting .212 with a .583 OPS.
Williams made the Rays’ opening-day roster when Walls was sidelined with a right oblique strain late in spring training but hit .130 (3-for-23) with a .341 OPS, striking out nine times and walking once in 23 plate appearances. Walls returned earlier than expected on April 6, and Williams was sent down.
In 32 games at Durham, Williams hit .238 with a .751 OPS, striking out 43 times and walking 17 times in 122 plate appearances.
LAUREL, Md. — Napoleon Solo reemerged as a colt to watch with a victory in the Preakness Stakes.
Now trainer Chad Summers wants a shot at Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo, whose absence left an underwhelming field at Laurel Park this weekend.
“We wish he was here in the Preakness. We were rooting for them when they were thinking about it,” Summers said. “Unfortunately they didn’t make it here. That’s fine. Hopefully we can see him down the road somewhere.”
Napoleon Solo held off Iron Honor down the stretch on Saturday, rebounding from a pair of fifth-place showings for his first victory of the year. Golden Tempo was held out of the race, leaving a wide-open field of 14 horses to contest the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, which was held at Laurel Park this year because Pimlico in Baltimore is being rebuilt.
Taj Mahal was the top choice at 9-2 — the longest odds for a Preakness favorite since the race moved to its current distance of 1 3/16 miles in 1925. Iron Honor had been the morning line favorite at 9-2, but he was an 8-1 shot by the time the horses entered the starting gate.
Taj Mahal broke to the lead early and covered the first quarter-mile in 22.66 seconds, but the pace quickly slowed and trainer Brittany Russell’s unbeaten colt couldn’t hold on. He was passed by Napoleon Solo (7-1) near the top of the stretch. Iron Honor was a threat late but came up 1 1/4 lengths short.
“He was a bit wide on both turns and it probably took the starch out of him a little bit when it mattered late,” said Chad Brown, Iron Honor’s trainer.
Chip Honcho (11-1) was third.
Previously a rowdy event with throngs of fans and live music on the infield, the Preakness was contested in a subdued atmosphere this year at Laurel, with attendance capped at 4,800. The track’s future is uncertain — it may be converted into a training facility.
“It’s a shame and it’s a tragedy that racetracks like Aqueduct and Laurel are no longer going to be around, because they’re foundation racetracks,” Summers said. “I would just hope that we get the opportunity as an industry to rally and save some of these tracks. We can’t allow this to keep happening, and there’s only going to be three or four tracks left at the end of the day.”
The Preakness has long served multiple purposes: It’s obviously a necessity for a horse to win the Triple Crown, but it’s also a second chance of sorts for those that didn’t make it to the Derby for one reason or another. This time, it was primarily the latter when only three horses that ran in the Derby showed up.
So it came to be that Napoleon Solo and Iron Honor, who hadn’t raced since finishing fifth and seventh in the Wood Memorial in early April, went head to head again for much higher stakes.
Third-place Chip Honcho was coming off its own fifth-place finish in the Louisiana Derby in March.
Napoleon Solo finished in 1 minute, 58.69 seconds and paid $17.80 on a $2 bet. It was the first victory in a Triple Crown race for both Summers and jockey Paco Lopez.
The colt won his first two starts last year by impressive margins, prevailing in the Champagne Stakes by 6 1/2 lengths in October. He couldn’t maintain that form, however, finishing fifth in both the Fountain of Youth and Wood Memorial this year.
“All year long, fifth place, fifth place. Everyone said he wasn’t as good as he was in the Champagne,” Summers said. “This was a win here. People will say it wasn’t against the best of the best. We’ll find out the rest of the year.”
Now Napoleon Solo is being pointed toward the Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park in July.
The three horses who did race in both the Derby and Preakness this year — Ocelli (7-1), Incredibolt (5-1) and Robusta (25-1) — finished fourth, fifth and ninth Saturday.
The race included its maximum of 14 horses, marking its largest field since 14 also ran in the 2011 edition.
Taj Mahal had run all three of his races at Laurel, which likely played a role as bettors made him the slight favorite over Incredibolt. Russell was trying to become the first female trainer to win the Preakness — two weeks after Cherie DeVaux achieved that milestone at the Derby — but Taj Mahal fell back to 10th after leading much of the way.
“He got away good, and they were moving along fine, but the winner also sat right on his flank,” Russell said. “He did what we thought he would do. He just didn’t kick on.”
LAUREL, Md. — Napoleon Solo held off Iron Honor down the stretch to win the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, rebounding from a pair of fifth-place showings for his first victory of the year.
Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo was held out of the race, leaving a wide-open field of 14 horses to contest the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, which was held at Laurel Park this year because Pimlico in Baltimore is being rebuilt.
Taj Mahal was the top choice at 9-2 — the longest odds for a Preakness favorite since the race moved to its current distance of 1 3/16 miles in 1925. Iron Honor had been the morning line favorite at 9-2, but he was an 8-1 shot by the time the horses entered the starting gate.
Taj Mahal broke to the lead early and covered the first quarter-mile in 22.66 seconds, but trainer Brittany Russell’s unbeaten colt couldn’t hold on and was passed by Napoleon Solo (7-1) near the top of the stretch. Iron Honor was a threat late but came up 1 1/4 lengths short.
Chip Honcho (11-1) was third.
Previously a rowdy event with throngs of fans and live music on the infield, the Preakness was contested in a subdued atmosphere this year at Laurel, with attendance capped at 4,800.
It was the first victory in a Triple Crown race for trainer Chad Summers and jockey Paco Lopez. Napoleon Solo paid $17.80 on a $2 bet.
The colt won his first two starts last year by impressive margins, prevailing in the Champagne Stakes by 6 ½ lengths in October. He couldn’t maintain that form, however, finishing fifth in both the Fountain of Youth and Wood Memorial this year.
Also in the Wood Memorial, two spots farther back, was Iron Honor. Their rematch was for much higher stakes, and Napoleon Solo again finished ahead.
“All year long, fifth place, fifth place. Everyone said he wasn’t as good as he was in the Champagne,” Summers said. “This was a win here. People will say it wasn’t against the best of the best. We’ll find out the rest of the year.”
The three horses who did race in both the Derby and Preakness this year — Ocelli (7-1), Incredibolt (5-1) and Robusta (25-1) — finished fourth, fifth and ninth Saturday.
The race included its maximum of 14 horses, marking its largest field since 14 also ran in the 2011 edition.
Taj Mahal had run all three of his races at Laurel, which likely played a role as bettors made him the slight favorite over Incredibolt. Russell was trying to become the first female trainer to win the Preakness — two weeks after Cherie DeVaux achieved that milestone at the Derby — but Taj Mahal fell back to 10th after leading much of the way.
The Rays scrambled in the ninth inning Saturday evening to score the tying run off former closer Pete Fairbanks and force extra innings against the Marlins.
And then Hunter Bigge let it all go to waste.
The right-handed reliever, who hadn’t allowed a run over his previous six appearances, gave up eight in the 10th inning in a brutal performance as the Rays’ 11-game win streak at Tropicana Field ended with an ugly 10-5 loss.
Bigge was in trouble from the start, allowing a single and a walk in addition to the placed runner at second to load the bases.
He then allowed the Marlins to pile on — a two-run single by Liam Hicks, a sacrifice fly by Otto Lopez, an RBI single by Connor Norby, a three-run double by Javier Sanoja and a run-scoring single by Esteury Ruiz.
The Rays did get three back in the bottom of the 10th on a two-run double by Junior Caminero and an RBI double by Jonathan Aranda.
The Marlins took a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth.
Jakob Marsee reached on a two-out bloop single off Bryan Baker, and Sanoja delivered the go-ahead run with a two-out double.
But the Rays came back in the bottom of the inning.
Cedric Mullins drew a one-out walk, stole second as Jonny DeLuca struck out and advanced to third on the errant throw from catcher Joe Mack.
Nick Fortes, acquired in July from the Marlins, then laced a 105.2 mph grounder that went off Sanoja’s glove at third, scoring the tying run.
The loss, the Rays’ first at home since April 21, dropped their American League-leading record to 29-15. They went into the game having won 11 of their last 13, 17 of 20 and 24 of 31.
The Rays took a 1-0 lead in the third with a little help from the Marlins.
Taylor Walls popped a one-out bunt over the mound that second baseman Xavier Edwards tried to make a barehanded play on but instead flipped the ball wide of first.
Walls took a second to realize where the ball was, then raced to second, sliding in headfirst and just ahead of the throw.
That paid off, as Chandler Simpson worked an eight pitch at-bat vs. Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara and slapped a ground ball between shortstop and third base for an RBI single.
The Rays had a prime chance to add on in the sixth with back-to-back, one-out singles by 29th birthday boy Richie Palacios and Mullins.
As Mullins broke for second, Mack faked a throw to second. Palacios took a couple of aggressive steps toward home and got thrown out. It wound up being an inning-ending double play, as DeLuca — who tried bunting earlier in the at-bat — took a called third strike that was confirmed by the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system.
Nick Martinez gave the Rays another strong start, scattering five hits and a walk over six scoreless innings but was lifted after 77 pitches.
Garrett Cleavinger took over in the seventh, and the Rays lost the lead. Cleavinger got two quick outs but allowed a first-pitch homer to Heriberto Hernandez, a one-time Rays prospect.
The Rays turned a couple of key defensive plays to protect the early lead.
Caminero, whose inconsistent play at third has become a point of conversation, made a tremendous play to save a run. Diving to his right to snare Sanoja’s two-out, 103.1 mph grounder he then scrambled to his feet to make the throw to first.
The Marlins had Otto Lopez on third with two outs in the sixth, but Palacios raced back and made the grab on a Connor Norby fly to shallow right-centerfield.
Part of what makes Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen such a good pitcher is that he is never satisfied with his performance.
So even though he has a 3-1 record and the Rays have won five of his eight starts, and his 3.16 ERA would rank among the league’s top 15 pitchers and his .198 opponents’ average and 0.91 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) would be in the top five if he weren’t 1 ⅓ innings shy of qualifying for the leaderboards, he goes into Sunday’s start vs. Miami seeking to get better.
Specifically, in cutting down on home runs, having allowed seven over 42 ⅔ innings.
“There’s satisfaction, I guess, from the standpoint that we’re in games and we have a chance to win,” Rasmussen said. “Beyond that, there’s some things I’d like to clean up, some small tweaks that we’re playing around with, just to try and get off the (hitter’s) barrel a little bit.
“It seems right now the only runs that I’m giving up are via home runs (12 of 17), so I’ve got to figure out a way to limit damage in certain situations. But other than that, like we’ve talked about, every single outing it just seems to be a pitch or two — that’s pretty hard to complain about in the grand scheme of things. But, like, we’ve got to get back to get keeping the ball in the yard a little bit.”
Rasmussen’s self-criticisms are relative — he has gone 46 straight regular-season starts without allowing more than four runs, the longest such active streak in the majors and best in team history.
Manager Kevin Cash said the Rays know how Rasmussen thinks and take his analysis in stride.
“He’s been really good,” Cash said. “That kind of motivates ‘Ras.’ That’s his character and nature, about how he’s going to probably nitpick and pick apart (his performance), because he’s always wanting to find a way to be better, always helping us.”
Matz ready to roll
Lefty Steven Matz is lined up to rejoin the rotation on Wednesday, the day after his 15-day stint on the injured list for left elbow inflammation ends.
Matz said he was confident he just needed some rest, and an extended workout Thursday proved he was good to go. If all goes well in a bullpen session on Sunday, his return should be set.
Though off to a 4-1, 3.86 start, Matz, 34, said he knew it was wise to take a step back.
“It’s tough,” he said. “Especially since I was getting good results, I obviously wanted to stay in there. But sometimes you’ve just got to be smart about stuff like this. Thankfully, it was just as short as we can make it on the IL. They’ve been really communicative with me on the process and kind of seeing everything through, so it’s been good.”
Special day for Arandas
First baseman Jonathan Aranda had a lot to be excited about Saturday. The Rays were doing a bobblehead promotion — his first at any level — and then invited his wife, Milka, and 2-year-old daughter, Regina, to throw out the first pitch.
“I’m really happy, really excited,” Aranda said via team interpreter Kevin Vera. “The first thing that comes to mind is a little Jonathan Aranda just super happy and super grateful to see his major-league bobblehead.”
Aranda said having his family involved made it even better: “My wife and my daughter, on a day-to-day basis, they’re the ones that support me through everything, in the good times, in the bad times. So, to have them be a part of it is obviously really special.”
Aranda’s mother and sister also came in from Mexico for the game. He went 1-for-5, and extended his AL-leading RBI total to 34.
Baseball and bagels
Sunday’s game starts at 12:15, as it was chosen for Peacock/NBC Sports Network’s “MLB Sunday Leadoff” slot and available exclusively on those networks. There will be a familiar face in the booth, with Rays.TV’s Brian Anderson one of the analysts, joined by Miami’s Jeff Nelson. Matt Vasgersian will handle play-by-play duty, with John Fanta the in-game reporter. The Rays have three additional Peacock games: July 5 at Houston, 3:30 p.m.; July 26 vs. Guardians, 12:15; August 16 vs. Orioles, 12:15.
Part of what makes Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen such a good pitcher is that he is never satisfied with his performance.
So even though he has a 3-1 record and the Rays have won five of his eight starts, and his 3.16 ERA would rank among the league’s top 15 pitchers and his .198 opponents’ average and 0.91 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) would be in the top five if he weren’t 1 ⅓ innings shy of qualifying for the leaderboards, he goes into Sunday’s start vs. Miami seeking to get better.
Specifically, in cutting down on home runs, having allowed seven over 42 ⅔ innings.
“There’s satisfaction, I guess, from the standpoint that we’re in games and we have a chance to win,” Rasmussen said. “Beyond that, there’s some things I’d like to clean up, some small tweaks that we’re playing around with, just to try and get off the (hitter’s) barrel a little bit.
“It seems right now the only runs that I’m giving up are via home runs (12 of 17), so I’ve got to figure out a way to limit damage in certain situations. But other than that, like we’ve talked about, every single outing it just seems to be a pitch or two — that’s pretty hard to complain about in the grand scheme of things. But, like, we’ve got to get back to get keeping the ball in the yard a little bit.”
Rasmussen’s self-criticisms are relative — he has gone 46 straight regular-season starts without allowing more than four runs, the longest such active streak in the majors and best in team history.
Manager Kevin Cash said the Rays know how Rasmussen thinks and take his analysis in stride.
“He’s been really good,” Cash said. “That kind of motivates ‘Ras.’ That’s his character and nature, about how he’s going to probably nitpick and pick apart (his performance), because he’s always wanting to find a way to be better, always helping us.”
Matz ready to roll
Lefty Steven Matz is lined up to rejoin the rotation on Wednesday, the day after his 15-day stint on the injured list for left elbow inflammation ends.
Matz said he was confident he just needed some rest, and an extended workout Thursday proved he was good to go. If all goes well in a bullpen session on Sunday, his return should be set.
Though off to a 4-1, 3.86 start, Matz, 34, said he knew it was wise to take a step back.
“It’s tough,” he said. “Especially since I was getting good results, I obviously wanted to stay in there. But sometimes you’ve just got to be smart about stuff like this. Thankfully, it was just as short as we can make it on the IL. They’ve been really communicative with me on the process and kind of seeing everything through, so it’s been good.”
Special day for Arandas
First baseman Jonathan Aranda had a lot to be excited about Saturday. The Rays were doing a bobblehead promotion — his first at any level — and then invited his wife, Milka, and 2-year-old daughter, Regina, to throw out the first pitch.
“I’m really happy, really excited,” Aranda said via team interpreter Kevin Vera. “The first thing that comes to mind is a little Jonathan Aranda just super happy and super grateful to see his major-league bobblehead.”
Aranda said having his family involved made it even better: “My wife and my daughter, on a day-to-day basis, they’re the ones that support me through everything, in the good times, in the bad times. So, to have them be a part of it is obviously really special.”
Aranda’s mother and sister also came in from Mexico for the game.
Baseball and bagels
Sunday’s game starts at 12:15, as it was chosen for Peacock/NBC Sports Network’s “MLB Sunday Leadoff” slot and available exclusively on those networks. There will be a familiar face in the booth, with Rays.TV’s Brian Anderson one of the analysts, joined by Miami’s Jeff Nelson. Matt Vasgersian will handle play-by-play duty, with John Fanta the in-game reporter. The Rays have three additional Peacock games: July 5 at Houston, 3:30 p.m.; July 26 vs. Guardians, 12:15; August 16 vs. Orioles, 12:15.
Tampa Bay has had a stranglehold on flag football in Florida for more than a decade.
No team is more decorated than Robinson, which won its 11th state title and 10th in a row on Saturday afternoon. The top-seeded Knights beat No. 2 Miami Northwestern 42-34 in the Class 2A championship game at the Bucs’ indoor practice facility at AdventHealth Training Center in Tampa. Robinson’s Annie Keith received the Nike MVP Trophy.
No. 3 Lennard upended top-seeded Lake Worth Park Vista 12-6 in the Class 4A title game. The Longhorns’ Hayden Schofield was named MVP.
Tampa Bay has had a stranglehold on flag football in Florida for more than a decade.
No team is more decorated than Robinson, which won its 11th state title and 10th in a row on Saturday afternoon by beating Miami Northwestern in the Class 2A championship game at AdventHealth Training Center in Tampa.
Lennard plays Park Vista this afternoon in the Class 4A title game.
On July 30, 2024, a deal for a $1.3 billion ballpark along with a mixed-used development on the western edge of downtown St. Petersburg was seemingly finalized when the Pinellas County Commission joined the city council in approving $600 million in public funds for construction.
On May 14, 2026, a deal for a $2.3 billion ballpark along with a mixed-used development across the street from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa was reached when the Rays and public officials agreed to a nonbinding memorandum of understanding that included $976 million in public funds.
An oft-told story of hurricanes, an ownership change and a governor’s endorsement goes a long way toward explaining how we got from there (St. Pete) to here (Tampa).
But, now that it’s a step closer to reality, how did we get from there (a $1.3 billion price tag) to here (a $2.3 billion price tag)?
As anyone who has recently cursed at the gas pump or a Starbucks counter can testify, everything seems more expensive in 2026.
But a 77% increase in price? In 22 months?
New economic reality
To say it is complicated would be the safest explanation. Normal inflation is a factor. Increased fuel prices, and thus transportation costs, are a factor. A different stadium design is a factor. And a new trend in building fancier stadiums to attract higher-paying customers is almost certainly a factor.
But if you’re looking for a more philosophical answer, try this:
The B&O Warehouse at Camden Yards.
Or even the reimagined Yawkey Way outside of Fenway Park.
The late Larry Lucchino was a baseball legend, the man who started the craze of retro-style ballparks when he took a historic warehouse in danger of being demolished and incorporated it into the building of Oriole Park in Baltimore. He helped save baseball in San Diego when he got Petco Park, which incorporated the Western Metal Supply Co. warehouse in leftfield, built. And he revamped Fenway Park just years after a previous ownership group suggested it was time to tear down the Boston landmark.
Lucchino was also the mentor of current Rays CEO Ken Babby.
“Larry had this wonderful view that a ballpark must fit the market, the community, that it is in,” Babby said. “When you sit in a ballpark on a Friday night, you want to look out and know that you’re in Boston or Baltimore or San Diego or Tampa. So we spent a lot of time thinking about what that might look like and what that could feel like for us, and we immediately gravitated toward a discussion of bringing the outdoors inside.”
Which brings us to the most iconic — as well as pricey — feature of the proposed stadium at the Hillsborough College campus. After considering, and rejecting, a retractable roof as too costly, Babby, managing partner Patrick Zalupski and co-chair Bill Cosgrove settled on the idea of a translucent roof.
The technology — ethylene tetrafluoroethylene or ETFE — was first incorporated in North America at the Vikings stadium in Minneapolis, and additional variations have since been used for NFL stadiums in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The Rays say the next generation of ETFE-like material provides a more glass-like feel and would be a first-of-its-kind feature in an MLB stadium.
The bulk of the material would be above the outfield playing surface so seats behind home plate and the dugouts would get a view of the horizon, along with glass walls on the lower level behind centerfield and beneath the roof.
“You will be able to sit in the ballpark on a night like this and have this semi-transparent view in front of you,” Babby said from his suite at Tropicana Field before Friday night’s game with the Marlins. “It’s not totally like glass; it’s not perfectly crystal clear. But you’ll see clouds, you’ll see airplanes, you’ll see stars, lightning, rain, everything else. There’s not another ballpark in the country that has done this.”
Comparison pricing
Much of this is still in the conceptual phase. MLB would need to be convinced that the roof would not be a factor when it comes to playing conditions or, for that matter, the comfort of fans. It does, however, partially explain the increased cost from the pavilion-style roof that was proposed for the abandoned St. Pete ballpark.
If you look at other recent stadium proposals in Kansas City and Las Vegas, the basic costs are similar. The estimated price for the Royals is in the $1.9 billion range, and that’s without a roof. The Vegas stadium began with a $1.5 billion price tag, but shortly after groundbreaking the price grew to $2 billion. That Athletics stadium is also trying to mimic the idea of an indoor facility with an outdoor view by using a massive glass wall that provides a view of The Strip in Las Vegas.
The roof, of course, is not the only added expense. One of the reasons the St. Pete stadium deal was pulled by previous owner Stuart Sternberg was because Pinellas County’s delay in purchasing bonds jeopardized the construction timeline and would have likely pushed the stadium’s opening back by one year. Back then, Rays officials said a year’s delay could increase cost by 10%, and when you’re starting with a price tag in the billion-dollar range, that’s not an insignificant price hike.
Which also helps explain new ownership’s insistence on getting approval for the Hillsborough College ballpark done quickly.
“The biggest challenge for any construction project is delays,” said Steve Cona, president of Associated Builders and Contractors’ regional office in Tampa. “Once a green light is established, that’s when contractors start locking in pricing and buying materials in advance. They buy everything they need and start locking in those prices right now, because, obviously, the two biggest escalators in our industry are material cost and cost of labor.”
Luxury seating trends
Another factor is the growing trend of stadiums catering to wealthier fans. The idea is that instead of trying to sell 40,000 tickets a night with fans spending an average of $30, you can double your revenues by selling 25,000 tickets at an average of $90. It’s no coincidence that the Tampa, Las Vegas and Kansas City stadiums would be the three smallest in MLB if they are all built in the next few years.
Texas Rangers executive vice president Rob Matwick was involved in the building of ballparks in both Houston and Arlington, and said increased amenities are now an accepted expense in new facilities.
“Back in the (Astrodome) days, we would get crowds of 35,000, which was a lot of people for a baseball game in the 80s and 90s, but we would still have 20-25,000 empty seats out there,” Matwick said. “That led to a focus on reducing capacity and focusing more on premium spaces.
“The other thing we did while greatly enhancing those premium areas was creating the ability to use them 365 days. We were very intentional making sure we could maximize the use of the stadium year-round.”
Those ideas are also a part of the Rays proposed stadium. Concerts, conventions, Cirque du Soleil, circuses and championship events would all be on the radar, along with the 81 home games for the Rays.
And while some of the stadium’s added expense is creating those luxury areas to attract big spenders, Babby said the team is still committed to providing a variety of price points, including $10 tickets for every game. Babby describes it as having different neighborhoods within the ballpark. Luxury areas, picnic areas, party decks, all-inclusive tickets, standing room only, and whatever other concept they can come up with.
The bottom line is the Rays have been looking for ways to increase their revenues for more than two decades in order to keep up with the big spenders in the American League East. And while a new stadium with all the bells and whistles of 21st century baseball is inordinately expensive — for public coffers as well as an owner’s checkbook — it can help level the playing field for smaller-market teams.
“We’re all interested in value engineering, we’re all interested in cost reduction, but we also want to be real with the community. And when you look at the Kansas City Royals at $1.9 billion for a ballpark without a roof, we don’t see a world that allows us to do it for less than $2.3 billion,” Babby said. “The real cost estimate that we’ve seen is really hundreds of millions of dollars beyond that 2.3.
“But the good news for Tampa Bay is it will not cost the community a penny more. We’ll be responsible for 100% of cost overruns, and that’s an important message to get out.”
On July 30, 2024, a deal for a $1.3 billion ballpark along with a mixed-used development on the western edge of downtown St. Petersburg was seemingly finalized when the Pinellas County Commission joined the city council in approving $600 million in public funds for construction.
On May 14, 2026, a deal for a $2.3 billion ballpark along with a mixed-used development across the street from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa was reached when the Rays and public officials agreed to a nonbinding memorandum of understanding that included $976 million in public funds.
An oft-told story of hurricanes, an ownership change and a governor’s endorsement goes a long way toward explaining how we got from there (St. Pete) to here (Tampa).
But, now that it’s a step closer to reality, how did we get from there (a $1.3 billion price tag) to here (a $2.3 billion price tag)?
As anyone who has recently cursed at the gas pump or a Starbucks counter can testify, everything seems more expensive in 2026.
But a 77% increase in price? In 22 months?
New economic reality
To say it is complicated would be the safest explanation. Normal inflation is a factor. Increased fuel prices, and thus transportation costs, are a factor. A different stadium design is a factor. And a new trend in building fancier stadiums to attract higher-paying customers is almost certainly a factor.
But if you’re looking for a more philosophical answer, try this:
The B&O Warehouse at Camden Yards.
Or even the reimagined Yawkey Way outside of Fenway Park.
The late Larry Lucchino was a baseball legend, the man who started the craze of retro-style ballparks when he took a historic warehouse in danger of being demolished and incorporated it into the building of Oriole Park in Baltimore. He helped save baseball in San Diego when he got Petco Park, which incorporated the Western Metal Supply Co. warehouse in leftfield, built. And he revamped Fenway Park just years after a previous ownership group suggested it was time to tear down the Boston landmark.
Lucchino was also the mentor of current Rays CEO Ken Babby.
“Larry had this wonderful view that a ballpark must fit the market, the community, that it is in,” Babby said. “When you sit in a ballpark on a Friday night, you want to look out and know that you’re in Boston or Baltimore or San Diego or Tampa. So we spent a lot of time thinking about what that might look like and what that could feel like for us, and we immediately gravitated toward a discussion of bringing the outdoors inside.”
Which brings us to the most iconic — as well as pricey — feature of the proposed stadium at the Hillsborough College campus. After considering, and rejecting, a retractable roof as too costly, Babby, managing partner Patrick Zalupski and co-chair Bill Cosgrove settled on the idea of a translucent roof.
The technology — ethylene tetrafluoroethylene or ETFE — was first incorporated in North America at the Vikings stadium in Minneapolis, and additional variations have since been used for NFL stadiums in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The Rays say the next generation of ETFE-like material provides a more glass-like feel and would be a first-of-its-kind feature in an MLB stadium.
The bulk of the material would be above the outfield playing surface so seats behind home plate and the dugouts would get a view of the horizon, along with glass walls on the lower level behind centerfield and beneath the roof.
“You will be able to sit in the ballpark on a night like this and have this semi-transparent view in front of you,” Babby said from his suite at Tropicana Field before Friday night’s game with the Marlins. “It’s not totally like glass; it’s not perfectly crystal clear. But you’ll see clouds, you’ll see airplanes, you’ll see stars, lightning, rain, everything else. There’s not another ballpark in the country that has done this.”
Comparison pricing
Much of this is still in the conceptual phase. MLB would need to be convinced that the roof would not be a factor when it comes to playing conditions or, for that matter, the comfort of fans. It does, however, partially explain the increased cost from the pavilion-style roof that was proposed for the abandoned St. Pete ballpark.
If you look at other recent stadium proposals in Kansas City and Las Vegas, the basic costs are similar. The estimated price for the Royals is in the $1.9 billion range, and that’s without a roof. The Vegas stadium began with a $1.5 billion price tag, but shortly after groundbreaking the price grew to $2 billion. That Athletics stadium is also trying to mimic the idea of an indoor facility with an outdoor view by using a massive glass wall that provides a view of The Strip in Las Vegas.
The roof, of course, is not the only added expense. One of the reasons the St. Pete stadium deal was pulled by previous owner Stuart Sternberg was because Pinellas County’s delay in purchasing bonds jeopardized the construction timeline and would have likely pushed the stadium’s opening back by one year. Back then, Rays officials said a year’s delay could increase cost by 10%, and when you’re starting with a price tag in the billion-dollar range, that’s not an insignificant price hike.
Which also helps explain new ownership’s insistence on getting approval for the Hillsborough College ballpark done quickly.
“The biggest challenge for any construction project is delays,” said Steve Cona, president of Associated Builders and Contractors’ regional office in Tampa. “Once a green light is established, that’s when contractors start locking in pricing and buying materials in advance. They buy everything they need and start locking in those prices right now, because, obviously, the two biggest escalators in our industry are material cost and cost of labor.”
Luxury seating trends
Another factor is the growing trend of stadiums catering to wealthier fans. The idea is that instead of trying to sell 40,000 tickets a night with fans spending an average of $30, you can double your revenues by selling 25,000 tickets at an average of $90. It’s no coincidence that the Tampa, Las Vegas and Kansas City stadiums would be the three smallest in MLB if they are all built in the next few years.
Texas Rangers executive vice president Rob Matwick was involved in the building of ballparks in both Houston and Arlington, and said increased amenities are now an accepted expense in new facilities.
“Back in the (Astrodome) days, we would get crowds of 35,000, which was a lot of people for a baseball game in the 80s and 90s, but we would still have 20-25,000 empty seats out there,” Matwick said. “That led to a focus on reducing capacity and focusing more on premium spaces.
“The other thing we did while greatly enhancing those premium areas was creating the ability to use them 365 days. We were very intentional making sure we could maximize the use of the stadium year-round.”
Those ideas are also a part of the Rays proposed stadium. Concerts, conventions, Cirque du Soleil, circuses and championship events would all be on the radar, along with the 81 home games for the Rays.
And while some of the stadium’s added expense is creating those luxury areas to attract big spenders, Babby said the team is still committed to providing a variety of price points, including $10 tickets for every game. Babby describes it as having different neighborhoods within the ballpark. Luxury areas, picnic areas, party decks, all-inclusive tickets, standing room only, and whatever other concept they can come up with.
The bottom line is the Rays have been looking for ways to increase their revenues for more than two decades in order to keep up with the big spenders in the American League East. And while a new stadium with all the bells and whistles of 21st century baseball is inordinately expensive — for public coffers as well as an owner’s checkbook — it can help level the playing field for smaller-market teams.
“We’re all interested in value engineering, we’re all interested in cost reduction, but we also want to be real with the community. And when you look at the Kansas City Royals at $1.9 billion for a ballpark without a roof, we don’t see a world that allows us to do it for less than $2.3 billion,” Babby said. “The real cost estimate that we’ve seen is really hundreds of millions of dollars beyond that 2.3.
“But the good news for Tampa Bay is it will not cost the community a penny more. We’ll be responsible for 100% of cost overruns, and that’s an important message to get out.”
A new kind of golf has swung into the Tampa Bay area.
Indoor golf simulator facilities — once a luxury reserved for tour pros and the wealthy — are popping up across Florida as membership-based franchises. The newest, Back Nine Carrollwood, opened May 2 under owner and operator Dave Snee. It’s the second Back Nine location in the Tampa Bay area, following one that opened in Oldsmar in 2024.
Back Nine now has more than a dozen Florida locations and a presence in 34 states and Canada.
“It’s kind of like a gym,” Snee said. “The rule of thumb for a franchise like this, or even a gym, is a 15-minute drive or within 7 miles. If it’s not, people just aren’t going to go.”
That gym comparison is central to the pitch. Snee said two business models dominate the indoor simulator space: bar-and-grill operations like X-Golf, where wings and beer share the floor with the bays, and stripped-down membership clubs aimed at serious players.
“Those are great,” he said of the food-and-drink concepts. “But Back Nine is geared toward more of a gym experience for golfers. We don’t have food, we don’t have drinks besides water and coffee. It’s about playing a round, practicing or adjusting your game. Sure, you could host a group event here, but we’re focusing on members who are looking to just golf.”
The Carrollwood facility has three bays running Full Swing simulator software and uses Bridgestone as its exclusive ball. The franchise has marketing partnerships with Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Tiger Woods. Memberships — Snee is capping his location at 120 — include 24/7 access to any Back Nine in the country and entry into Back Nine tournaments. Drop-in public play is also available.
The appeal, Snee said, is straightforward: a way to play in Florida heat, summer storms or before sunrise without booking a tee time.
Franchise owners aren’t specifically targeting golf-heavy communities — though the Tampa Bay area is dense with courses, even after several closures since 2020. Instead, they buy “territories,” small communities within a larger metro area, so locations don’t compete for the same members. Snee said he knows Korey Rogers, who owns the Oldsmar Back Nine, but their member pools don’t overlap.
Snee has already purchased a second territory in Odessa and is scouting a location, likely near State Road 54 and Gunn Highway or the Asturia community. Another franchisee has claimed Wesley Chapel and is looking at space near The Grove shopping plaza.
The Tampa Bay simulator market is filling in fast. X-Golf has a location in Trinity. The Clubhouse, an independent operator, recently opened at the Hub at Lexington in Wesley Chapel, and Good Vibes Golf opened in Lutz on State Road 54 just east of Livingston Avenue.
“We’re a growing brand,” Snee said. “This is the first Back Nine in Hillsborough County, and now two are coming to Pasco County. The territories here are practically all gone. You should have seen the Back Nine table at the PGA Tour trade show — everyone wanted to talk to them about the business model.”
The economics, he said, are not complicated. “It’s not rocket science. They lay out everything for you. The simulators are 50 grand apiece, and the overhead is, well, me. I don’t have any employees, except maybe my kids.”
He doesn’t see the independents or X-Golf as direct competition.
“Back Nine is about the golf and high-end simulators used by serious golfers,” he said. “We’re not coming in to take over anyone. We have a different concept. We’re here for the golfer who wants to play at 5 a.m. but not make a tee time. We’re like Anytime Fitness, but for golf.”
A new kind of golf has swung into the Tampa Bay area.
Indoor golf simulator facilities — once a luxury reserved for tour pros and the wealthy — are popping up across Florida as membership-based franchises. The newest, Back Nine Carrollwood, opened May 2 under owner and operator Dave Snee. It’s the second Back Nine location in the Tampa Bay area, following one that opened in Oldsmar in 2024.
Back Nine now has more than a dozen Florida locations and a presence in 34 states and Canada.
“It’s kind of like a gym,” Snee said. “The rule of thumb for a franchise like this, or even a gym, is a 15-minute drive or within 7 miles. If it’s not, people just aren’t going to go.”
That gym comparison is central to the pitch. Snee said two business models dominate the indoor simulator space: bar-and-grill operations like X-Golf, where wings and beer share the floor with the bays, and stripped-down membership clubs aimed at serious players.
“Those are great,” he said of the food-and-drink concepts. “But Back Nine is geared toward more of a gym experience for golfers. We don’t have food, we don’t have drinks besides water and coffee. It’s about playing a round, practicing or adjusting your game. Sure, you could host a group event here, but we’re focusing on members who are looking to just golf.”
The Carrollwood facility has three bays running Full Swing simulator software and uses Bridgestone as its exclusive ball. The franchise has marketing partnerships with Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Tiger Woods. Memberships — Snee is capping his location at 120 — include 24/7 access to any Back Nine in the country and entry into Back Nine tournaments. Drop-in public play is also available.
The appeal, Snee said, is straightforward: a way to play in Florida heat, summer storms or before sunrise without booking a tee time.
Franchise owners aren’t specifically targeting golf-heavy communities — though the Tampa Bay area is dense with courses, even after several closures since 2020. Instead, they buy “territories,” small communities within a larger metro area, so locations don’t compete for the same members. Snee said he knows Korey Rogers, who owns the Oldsmar Back Nine, but their member pools don’t overlap.
Snee has already purchased a second territory in Odessa and is scouting a location, likely near State Road 54 and Gunn Highway or the Asturia community. Another franchisee has claimed Wesley Chapel and is looking at space near The Grove shopping plaza.
The Tampa Bay simulator market is filling in fast. X-Golf has a location in Trinity. The Clubhouse, an independent operator, recently opened at the Hub at Lexington in Wesley Chapel, and Good Vibes Golf opened in Lutz on State Road 54 just east of Livingston Avenue.
“We’re a growing brand,” Snee said. “This is the first Back Nine in Hillsborough County, and now two are coming to Pasco County. The territories here are practically all gone. You should have seen the Back Nine table at the PGA Tour trade show — everyone wanted to talk to them about the business model.”
The economics, he said, are not complicated. “It’s not rocket science. They lay out everything for you. The simulators are 50 grand apiece, and the overhead is, well, me. I don’t have any employees, except maybe my kids.”
He doesn’t see the independents or X-Golf as direct competition.
“Back Nine is about the golf and high-end simulators used by serious golfers,” he said. “We’re not coming in to take over anyone. We have a different concept. We’re here for the golfer who wants to play at 5 a.m. but not make a tee time. We’re like Anytime Fitness, but for golf.”
Bucky Irving has not yet been cleared to fully participate in the Bucs’ offseason workout program, but when he returns, how much of the rushing load should be carried on his surgically repaired shoulder?
New offensive coordinator Zac Robinson is anxious to work with Irving, who rushed for 1,122 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie but struggled to produce 588 rushing yards last season. His rushing average went from 5.4 yards per carry in 2024 to 3.4 in 2025.
The former Oregon star is likely to enter training camp as RB1. But the Bucs signed free agent Kenneth Gainwell, who was the Steelers’ Most Valuable Player last season. They also inked Sean Tucker to a one-year, $3.52 million tender as a restricted free agent.
All are similar backs that range between 5-foot-9 and 5-10, and weigh between 195 and 210 pounds.
“I think there’s always a sweet spot with the number of carries throughout the course of the season that you’re trying to hit with those guys,” Robinson said. “And then sometimes, sure, he’s running the rock great and he ends up with 25 carries, but he’s got 140 yards and you’re like, ‘Man, we needed every single one.’
“So there is a fine balance with it. But in terms of run concepts, I think Bucky can run everything. You know, he’s got some toughness, so you have to kind of save him from himself sometimes just because he is such a mentally tough, physically tough player. But yeah, I’m excited to see just what Bucky can (do).”
Better yet would be seeing Irving and Gainwell both on the field.
“Obviously, we’re missing (Irving) right now, but once he gets out there, I think it’s going to be great to see him and Kenny go hand in hand,” Robinson said. “Shoot, one guy might get this amount the next week. They might end up balanced, feeling the hot hand, and we’ll see where it goes.”
The Bucs lost Rachaad White to the Commanders in free agency, but Gainwell represents a huge upgrade. White was an exceptional receiver and stout in pass protection, but his career rushing average is 3.9 yards per carry.
Gainwell was a backup running back for four seasons with the Eagles, his last two behind Saquon Barkley. Last season with the Steelers, he was a running mate to Jaylen Warren but still managed to produce 1,023 yards from scrimmage and average 4.7 yards per rushing attempt.
Who’s better? Consider that White signed a one-year, $2 million contract with Washington to be reunited with former Arizona State teammate Jayden Daniels, while Gainwell signed a two-year, $14 million deal with the Bucs.
“The first thing that sticks out with Kenny is just that he’s a true pro. You can tell how intentional he is when he works,” Robinson said. “The tape was outstanding when you watched him in Philly with limited opportunities, and you saw last year what he can do in an extended role.
“You were super excited that that (contract) was able to get done and he was able to be here. But just being around him, he’s a stud guy. A guy you just want to be around, a guy who can ignite his teammates just by his style of play, the way he plays. And then the skill set is pretty cool.”
Gainwell and Irving complement each other well, Robinson said.
“Obviously, you’ve got Bucky, who’s got a unique skills set. Kenny and him kind of can match each other in certain ways with what both of them can do in the pass game,” Robinson said. “It’s been awesome getting to know Kenny and the rest of the guys, but the biggest thing that sticks out is how intentional he is and how great a worker he is and just leads by example, and he’s been awesome so far.”
Tucker morphed into the Bucs’ short-yardage and goal-line specialist a year ago and led the club with seven rushing touchdowns.
Running backs coach Skip Peete has always done a good job of balancing the workload between his backs, and 2026 should be no different under Robinson.
“Kenny brings a lot of versatility to be very competitive in the run game and the pass game,” Peete said. “I think he showcased that those years in Philly as well as in Pittsburgh.
“Right now, Bucky is on track to be ready to go. I think the combination of Kenny and Bucky are very similar as far as the skill set. Weight, size, all that. They’re both capable of running the ball and running routes, catching and all that. They’re not very large people, but they’re willing pass protectors.
“Sean has continued to improve,” Peete continued. “He flashes sometimes, and he does a good job, and I think he will continue to get better.”
A healthy offensive line will help, with the return of guards Cody Mauch and Ben Bredeson. Tackles Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke also missed significant time last season due to injuries.
General manager Jason Licht said Irving will be limited during organized team activities but but should be ready for training camp.
Peete said the emotional struggles also are behind Irving.
“Sometimes, guys have never been in those kinds of situations,” he said. “I think every person kind of handles those things a little bit differently. But what I see in him right now is a guy that I’ve always known.
“He’s back to being the guy working out every single day. He’s doing everything that’s expected of him as far as the training room and (everything) the strength staff has him doing. I think he’s dialed in in the meetings and things like that. So he’s studying just like he always has.
“I think he’s in a good place right now. I think he’s going to be very excited to get an opportunity.”
Bucky Irving has not yet been cleared to fully participate in the Bucs’ offseason workout program, but when he returns, how much of the rushing load should be carried on his surgically repaired shoulder?
New offensive coordinator Zac Robinson is anxious to work with Irving, who rushed for 1,122 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie but struggled to produce 588 rushing yards last season. His rushing average went from 5.4 yards per carry in 2024 to 3.4 in 2025.
The former Oregon star is likely to enter training camp as RB1. But the Bucs signed free agent Kenneth Gainwell, who was the Steelers’ Most Valuable Player last season. They also inked Sean Tucker to a one-year, $3.52 million tender as a restricted free agent.
All are similar backs that range between 5-foot-9 and 5-10, and weigh between 195 and 210 pounds.
“I think there’s always a sweet spot with the number of carries throughout the course of the season that you’re trying to hit with those guys,” Robinson said. “And then sometimes, sure, he’s running the rock great and he ends up with 25 carries, but he’s got 140 yards and you’re like, ‘Man, we needed every single one.’
“So there is a fine balance with it. But in terms of run concepts, I think Bucky can run everything. You know, he’s got some toughness, so you have to kind of save him from himself sometimes just because he is such a mentally tough, physically tough player. But yeah, I’m excited to see just what Bucky can (do).”
Better yet would be seeing Irving and Gainwell both on the field.
“Obviously, we’re missing (Irving) right now, but once he gets out there, I think it’s going to be great to see him and Kenny go hand in hand,” Robinson said. “Shoot, one guy might get this amount the next week. They might end up balanced, feeling the hot hand, and we’ll see where it goes.”
The Bucs lost Rachaad White to the Commanders in free agency, but Gainwell represents a huge upgrade. White was an exceptional receiver and stout in pass protection, but his career rushing average is 3.9 yards per carry.
Gainwell was a backup running back for four seasons with the Eagles, his last two behind Saquon Barkley. Last season with the Steelers, he was a running mate to Jaylen Warren but still managed to produce 1,023 yards from scrimmage and average 4.7 yards per rushing attempt.
Who’s better? Consider that White signed a one-year, $2 million contract with Washington to be reunited with former Arizona State teammate Jayden Daniels, while Gainwell signed a two-year, $14 million deal with the Bucs.
“The first thing that sticks out with Kenny is just that he’s a true pro. You can tell how intentional he is when he works,” Robinson said. “The tape was outstanding when you watched him in Philly with limited opportunities, and you saw last year what he can do in an extended role.
“You were super excited that that (contract) was able to get done and he was able to be here. But just being around him, he’s a stud guy. A guy you just want to be around, a guy who can ignite his teammates just by his style of play, the way he plays. And then the skill set is pretty cool.”
Gainwell and Irving complement each other well, Robinson said.
“Obviously, you’ve got Bucky, who’s got a unique skills set. Kenny and him kind of can match each other in certain ways with what both of them can do in the pass game,” Robinson said. “It’s been awesome getting to know Kenny and the rest of the guys, but the biggest thing that sticks out is how intentional he is and how great a worker he is and just leads by example, and he’s been awesome so far.”
Tucker morphed into the Bucs’ short-yardage and goal-line specialist a year ago and led the club with seven rushing touchdowns.
Running backs coach Skip Peete has always done a good job of balancing the workload between his backs, and 2026 should be no different under Robinson.
“Kenny brings a lot of versatility to be very competitive in the run game and the pass game,” Peete said. “I think he showcased that those years in Philly as well as in Pittsburgh.
“Right now, Bucky is on track to be ready to go. I think the combination of Kenny and Bucky are very similar as far as the skill set. Weight, size, all that. They’re both capable of running the ball and running routes, catching and all that. They’re not very large people, but they’re willing pass protectors.
“Sean has continued to improve,” Peete continued. “He flashes sometimes, and he does a good job, and I think he will continue to get better.”
A healthy offensive line will help, with the return of guards Cody Mauch and Ben Bredeson. Tackles Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke also missed significant time last season due to injuries.
General manager Jason Licht said Irving will be limited during organized team activities but but should be ready for training camp.
Peete said the emotional struggles also are behind Irving.
“Sometimes, guys have never been in those kinds of situations,” he said. “I think every person kind of handles those things a little bit differently. But what I see in him right now is a guy that I’ve always known.
“He’s back to being the guy working out every single day. He’s doing everything that’s expected of him as far as the training room and (everything) the strength staff has him doing. I think he’s dialed in in the meetings and things like that. So he’s studying just like he always has.
“I think he’s in a good place right now. I think he’s going to be very excited to get an opportunity.”
Griffin Jax is now part of the exclusive club, joining Drew Rasmussen, Jeffrey Springs and Zack Littell as proud graduates of the Rays’ School of Starter Resurrection.
Like the three pitchers before him, Jax has successfully transitioned from reliever back to starter, a role he had early in his pro career, with the additional degree of difficulty of doing so on the fly during the major-league season.
There likely won’t be an official announcement and certainly no certificate of accomplishment. But Jax earned his place over just four outings, capped by Wednesday’s game in Toronto — when he increased his workload to five innings and 66 pitches — and, just as importantly, felt good in the days afterward.
So, going forward, beginning Tuesday against Baltimore, he’s pretty much now Griffin Jax, starting pitcher.
“I’m still learning, and who knows what the rest of the buildup is going to look like, but I think getting to five innings over four-ish starts, it’s pretty solid,” Jax said Friday. “I’ve been really happy with how the body’s recovering, how I’m handling the different physical parts of this. …
“I’ve been really pleased with everything. And I’m excited to keep going.”
As importantly, so are the Rays, who are now comfortable with Jax matriculating into a high-end rotation that features Shane McClanahan, Rasmussen and Nick Martinez, and this week will get back Steven Matz, who had been pitching well before a short injured-list stint due to left elbow inflammation.
“Cap and gown, I’m all in,” pitching coach Kyle Snyder said.
The Rays are confident Jax, 31, can be more effective by taking advantage of his six-pitch arsenal over expanded outings than relying on the four-seam fastball and sweeper he primarily featured in short-burst, high-leverage relief appearances.
“The biggest thing, the most encouraging thing that we’ve seen, is his physical ability to handle it,” Snyder said. “I think that was his biggest apprehension.
“Obviously, this isn’t an ideal thing. I know it’s the fourth time we’ve done it midseason rather than some of the conversations we had in the offseason about the potential of it, but I think he’s answered questions for himself about the physical nature of it, holding the velocity through five (innings), getting out to 66 pitches.”
There still will be some workload limits, likely around 75 pitches, and the potential for some bumps and bad days along the way, but the Rays feel good about how Jax (with a 1.29 ERA over the four starts) has handled the shift so far.
“The reason it’s gone well is because he’s bought in and taken to it,” manager Kevin Cash said.
That process has been ongoing.
The Rays initially talked with Jax about the possibility of going back to starting pitching after acquiring him in July (for starter Taj Bradley), but he felt the trade from the Minnesota organization he’d been with for 10 years was enough change at that time. (The Twins similarly had pitched the idea of starting to Jax in 2024 and 2025.)
They again discussed starting during the offseason, and Jax, who started at the Air Force Academy, in the minors and during his 2021 rookie season with the Twins, gave it more thought. But he still felt he wanted to stay in the bullpen, where he was considered a dominant reliever with dynamic stuff.
Two things happened during the early part of this season that changed the landscape.
Jax, whose post-trade struggles were attributed by his bosses to bad pitching luck and circumstance, got off to a rough start, blowing saves and losing games in three of his first four outings.
Also, the Rays lost one primary starter, Ryan Pepiot, to a late-spring injury (right hip impingement), then his replacement, Joe Boyle (right elbow strain), after just three starts.
Though the circumstances seemed dire, Snyder said when he brought the idea back up to Jax on April 18 in Pittsburgh — a day after Jax allowed a sixth-inning, go-ahead homer to Oneil Cruz on a sweeper that typically is his best pitch — it wasn’t as much about what had been going wrong but about whether he wanted to reconsider that this could be the right time, as there was an opening.
“Just the pressure he was putting on himself, I was like, ‘Look, man, this is where I am, this is where I think you are. This is why I think you’re not just capable of it, but I think you’re going to be a very solid starting pitcher,’" Snyder said.
Jax was open to revisiting the idea for several reasons but first wanted to know if the move was being made “out of a place of desperation” and said he “didn’t want to be a placeholder.”
Snyder assured him it wasn’t, and he wouldn’t.
“I felt like now, having seen him pitch in a relief role for two months of last year, and how we got out the gates this year, I felt like his mentality and his arsenal was better prepared to do this,” Snyder said. “It was more about my belief in him being this and trying to instill that belief in himself that he was capable of doing it.”
Jax talked it over with his family, agent, personal trainer and others, seeing the move as a career-defining change.
“Snyder was very adamant about me being able to do this,” Jax said. “He’s the best pitching coach in the major leagues, and just hearing the trust and confidence in my ability, I was like, ‘Let’s give it a shot.’”
The Rays’ history was a factor, Jax said.
“It’s the right organization to do this with. I’ve been pretty adamant about that from the start,” he said. “If there was a place to do it, it was going to be here, just with their knowledge and how they handle things. And they’ve definitely been living up to that.”
There also could be a future payoff. Jax, making $3.565 million in his second year of arbitration eligibility, is a free agent after next season, and even starters who average five-six innings tend to get paid.
“That was the first thought, like, maybe we re-entertain this in free agency as we’re kind of seeing a new market,” Jax said. “I’m not an idiot. Like, I know starting pitchers tend to make more money in this game. It’s been a great opportunity. Now, maybe I walk into free agency with a year and a half starting under my belt."
Though the physical challenge was his primary concern, there also would need to be a mental recalibration. Jax has talked with Rasmussen, as well as Martinez and Matz, who also have spent time as relievers.
Jax has noted differences during the days between outings, as he now watches hitters from the dugout thinking about which of his pitches will be more effective and how best to sequence and set them up over several at-bats. (Also, he noted, working once every five-six days is a pretty good gig: “This is the life.”)
There are obviously more differences on the mound.
“The adrenaline in the bullpen is a drug — it’s fun, it’s exciting, it just gets you to a spot mentally where it’s hard to match,” he said. “Starting is much more that cat-and-mouse game, that chess match, that I’m starting to really kind of try to figure out.
“It’s helpful having these guys here on this team to help me start to uncover that. We have the best pitching coach. I just have these incredible resources here at my fingertips that is making this process much more smooth. So, yeah, I’m happy with it.”
Griffin Jax is now part of the exclusive club, joining Drew Rasmussen, Jeffrey Springs and Zack Littell as proud graduates of the Rays’ School of Starter Resurrection.
Like the three pitchers before him, Jax has successfully transitioned from reliever back to starter, a role he had early in his pro career, with the additional degree of difficulty of doing so on the fly during the major-league season.
There likely won’t be an official announcement and certainly no certificate of accomplishment. But Jax earned his place over just four outings, capped by Wednesday’s game in Toronto — when he increased his workload to five innings and 66 pitches — and, just as importantly, felt good in the days afterward.
So, going forward, beginning Tuesday against Baltimore, he’s pretty much now Griffin Jax, starting pitcher.
“I’m still learning, and who knows what the rest of the buildup is going to look like, but I think getting to five innings over four-ish starts, it’s pretty solid,” Jax said Friday. “I’ve been really happy with how the body’s recovering, how I’m handling the different physical parts of this. …
“I’ve been really pleased with everything. And I’m excited to keep going.”
As importantly, so are the Rays, who are now comfortable with Jax matriculating into a high-end rotation that features Shane McClanahan, Rasmussen and Nick Martinez, and this week will get back Steven Matz, who had been pitching well before a short injured-list stint due to left elbow inflammation.
“Cap and gown, I’m all in,” pitching coach Kyle Snyder said.
The Rays are confident Jax, 31, can be more effective by taking advantage of his six-pitch arsenal over expanded outings than relying on the four-seam fastball and sweeper he primarily featured in short-burst, high-leverage relief appearances.
“The biggest thing, the most encouraging thing that we’ve seen, is his physical ability to handle it,” Snyder said. “I think that was his biggest apprehension.
“Obviously, this isn’t an ideal thing. I know it’s the fourth time we’ve done it midseason rather than some of the conversations we had in the offseason about the potential of it, but I think he’s answered questions for himself about the physical nature of it, holding the velocity through five (innings), getting out to 66 pitches.”
There still will be some workload limits, likely around 75 pitches, and the potential for some bumps and bad days along the way, but the Rays feel good about how Jax (with a 1.29 ERA over the four starts) has handled the shift so far.
“The reason it’s gone well is because he’s bought in and taken to it,” manager Kevin Cash said.
That process has been ongoing.
The Rays initially talked with Jax about the possibility of going back to starting pitching after acquiring him in July (for starter Taj Bradley), but he felt the trade from the Minnesota organization he’d been with for 10 years was enough change at that time. (The Twins similarly had pitched the idea of starting to Jax in 2024 and 2025.)
They again discussed starting during the offseason, and Jax, who started at the Air Force Academy, in the minors and during his 2021 rookie season with the Twins, gave it more thought. But he still felt he wanted to stay in the bullpen, where he was considered a dominant reliever with dynamic stuff.
Two things happened during the early part of this season that changed the landscape.
Jax, whose post-trade struggles were attributed by his bosses to bad pitching luck and circumstance, got off to a rough start, blowing saves and losing games in three of his first four outings.
Also, the Rays lost one primary starter, Ryan Pepiot, to a late-spring injury (right hip impingement), then his replacement, Joe Boyle (right elbow strain), after just three starts.
Though the circumstances seemed dire, Snyder said when he brought the idea back up to Jax on April 18 in Pittsburgh — a day after Jax allowed a sixth-inning, go-ahead homer to Oneil Cruz on a sweeper that typically is his best pitch — it wasn’t as much about what had been going wrong but about whether he wanted to reconsider that this could be the right time, as there was an opening.
“Just the pressure he was putting on himself, I was like, ‘Look, man, this is where I am, this is where I think you are. This is why I think you’re not just capable of it, but I think you’re going to be a very solid starting pitcher,’" Snyder said.
Jax was open to revisiting the idea for several reasons but first wanted to know if the move was being made “out of a place of desperation” and said he “didn’t want to be a placeholder.”
Snyder assured him it wasn’t, and he wouldn’t.
“I felt like now, having seen him pitch in a relief role for two months of last year, and how we got out the gates this year, I felt like his mentality and his arsenal was better prepared to do this,” Snyder said. “It was more about my belief in him being this and trying to instill that belief in himself that he was capable of doing it.”
Jax talked it over with his family, agent, personal trainer and others, seeing the move as a career-defining change.
“Snyder was very adamant about me being able to do this,” Jax said. “He’s the best pitching coach in the major leagues, and just hearing the trust and confidence in my ability, I was like, ‘Let’s give it a shot.’”
The Rays’ history was a factor, Jax said.
“It’s the right organization to do this with. I’ve been pretty adamant about that from the start,” he said. “If there was a place to do it, it was going to be here, just with their knowledge and how they handle things. And they’ve definitely been living up to that.”
There also could be a future payoff. Jax, making $3.565 million in his second year of arbitration eligibility, is a free agent after next season, and even starters who average five-six innings tend to get paid.
“That was the first thought, like, maybe we re-entertain this in free agency as we’re kind of seeing a new market,” Jax said. “I’m not an idiot. Like, I know starting pitchers tend to make more money in this game. It’s been a great opportunity. Now, maybe I walk into free agency with a year and a half starting under my belt."
Though the physical challenge was his primary concern, there also would need to be a mental recalibration. Jax has talked with Rasmussen, as well as Martinez and Matz, who also have spent time as relievers.
Jax has noted differences during the days between outings, as he now watches hitters from the dugout thinking about which of his pitches will be more effective and how best to sequence and set them up over several at-bats. (Also, he noted, working once every five-six days is a pretty good gig: “This is the life.”)
There are obviously more differences on the mound.
“The adrenaline in the bullpen is a drug — it’s fun, it’s exciting, it just gets you to a spot mentally where it’s hard to match,” he said. “Starting is much more that cat-and-mouse game, that chess match, that I’m starting to really kind of try to figure out.
“It’s helpful having these guys here on this team to help me start to uncover that. We have the best pitching coach. I just have these incredible resources here at my fingertips that is making this process much more smooth. So, yeah, I’m happy with it.”
He was, arguably, baseball’s worst hitter over the first month of the season.
Cedric Mullins may have been the most accomplished bat added to Tampa Bay’s lineup in the offseason, but the former All-Star produced more doubts than doubles in his early days in a Rays uniform.
Of the 169 hitters with at least 100 plate appearances through April, Mullins had the lowest batting average (.126) in the majors and had four times as many strikeouts (22) as walks (five). His struggles with the Mets late last season were beginning to look more like a trend than an aberration.
And yet, Mullins never sulked. Never allowed his woes at the plate to affect his defense in centerfield. He spent extra time in the batting cage, including before Friday night’s game when he was on the field with assistant hitting coach Ozzie Timmons more than four hours before the first pitch.
The result?
Mullins had his best offensive day with the Rays, dropping two bunt singles, blasting a home run to right, singling again in the eighth, stealing a base and scoring three runs in a 7-2 victory against the Marlins before an announced crowd of 14,919 at Tropicana Field.
“(Slumps) are more magnified when you start with a zero batting average to start the season,” manager Kevin Cash said. “But he comes to the ballpark very consistent every single day and, I know what his numbers are, but they’re climbing and he’s done a lot of things to help up win a lot of games defensively, with his legs or putting some big bunts down. The home run he hit in Pittsburgh was huge, this one today opened (the lead) a little bit more.
“He’s a pro, and he’s acted like it from Day 1.”
Friday’s game was the most dramatic indication that Mullins might be pulling out of his funk, but it was not the first clue. His four-hit night boosted his batting average in May to .306. And, after posting a strikeout rate of 20.1% early in the season, he has just two punchouts in his last 26 plate appearances.
“We’re just trying to get him right,” Timmons said. “He was constantly battling, you know? We talked a lot about relaxing because it felt like he was tight. We were trying to find a way to just try to get him loose.”
This isn’t the first time Mullins has gone through this. He hit .169 through May/June last season before rebounding with a .290 average and three homers in July.
“I’ve been through a ton of ups and downs in my career,” Mullins said. “I don’t want to say that I’m used to it, but it’s one of those things where you start to mature in the game as a player and you understand there’s a process to getting out of slumps and struggles. So when you start riding that high, you want to stay there as long as you can.”
Mullins was the most obvious factor in Friday’s game, but he was not the only one as the Rays won for the 16th time in 19 games and kept a 2-game lead over the Yankees in the American League East.
Yandy Diaz, who was hitting .184 over his last nine games since missing time earlier this month with an oblique issue, hit a two-run homer in the first inning and the Rays never relinquished the lead. Diaz, whose power is normally to the opposite field, went over the leftfield wall for the first time since a first-inning shot against Milwaukee on March 30.
The offense, as usual, was opportunistic. The Rays scored six runs through the first four innings with an assortment of bunts, sacrifice flies, bloop doubles and fielder’s choices.
And while the offense was doing its thing, Jesse Scholtens continued his late-career surge on the mound. Scholtens, who was picked up on waivers from the White Sox late last season, threw five innings of one-run ball in a bulk role to get the win. Scholtens, 32, is now 4-2 with a 3.06 ERA with the Rays while pitching in Joe Boyle’s spot in the rotation.
“He’s been amazing,” Cash said. “Incredible.”
He doesn’t get a ton of strikeouts, but Scholtens keeps hitters off-balance with a lot of weak contact. Opponents are hitting .220 off Scholtens in 32 innings. All of that for a guy who had a career record of 1-10 with a 5.30 ERA when he was called up April 8.
“Feels good. I feel like I’ve thrown the ball well for the most part,” Scholtens said. “There’s certainly been some hiccups there, but it’s a long season and we’re hardly into it yet. So there’s a long way to go, but definitely happy with how I’ve been able to throw the ball and contribute so far.”
He was, arguably, baseball’s worst hitter over the first month of the season.
Cedric Mullins may have been the most accomplished bat added to Tampa Bay’s lineup in the offseason, but the former All-Star produced more doubts than doubles in his early days in a Rays uniform.
Of the 169 hitters with at least 100 plate appearances through April, Mullins had the lowest batting average (.126) in the majors and had four times as many strikeouts (22) as walks (five). His struggles with the Mets late last season were beginning to look more like a trend than an aberration.
And yet, Mullins never sulked. Never allowed his struggles at the plate to affect his defense in centerfield. He spent extra time in the batting cage, including before Friday night’s game when he was on the field with assistant hitting coach Ozzie Timmons more than four hours before the first pitch.
The result?
Mullins had his best night at the plate with the Rays, dropping two bunt singles, blasting a home run to right, singling again in the eighth, stealing a base and scoring three runs in Friday’s 7-2 victory against the Marlins before an announced crowd of 14,919 at Tropicana Field.
It was the most dramatic indication that Mullins might be pulling out of his funk, but it was not the first clue. His four-hit night boosted his batting average in May to .306. And, after posting a strikeout rate of 20.1% early in the season, he has just two punchouts in his last 26 plate appearances.
Mullins wasn’t the only standout for the Rays on the first night of a six-game homestand. Yandy Diaz hit his sixth homer in the first inning to give the Rays a lead they never relinquished, and bulk pitcher Jesse Scholtens came behind opener Ian Seymour with five innings of one-run ball for his fourth win of the season.
Ryan Pepiot is on crutches after recent hip surgery, Manuel Rodriguez and Edwin Uceta have not thrown a competitive pitch all season, Joe Boyle has been out for a month, and Steven Matz has missed his last two starts with elbow inflammation.
Also, the Rays are second in the American League in ERA.
What Rays pitchers have done through the first quarter of the season despite mounting injuries has been impressive, but also a bit of a highwire act. With Shane McClanahan returning to the mound after missing two seasons and Matz transitioning to the rotation after a couple of seasons in the bullpen, the Rays need to closely manage workloads in the rotation.
And yet, making sure at-risk starters aren’t throwing too many innings, means pitching coach Kyle Snyder and bullpen coach Jorge Moncada need to protect relievers from a heavy workload.
“It’s pretty constant communication. Kyle and Jorge Moncada talk daily to the guys and we’re not going to pitch them if they don’t feel 100% like they can go out and be themselves,” manager Kevin Cash said. “There are extra days off given — we don’t necessarily announce them but there are days that we will make sure that they’re not touching a ball for whatever reason to try to freshen them up.
“We try to be mindful, equally mindful, to the starting rotation and the bullpen. I know the starting rotation probably gets talked about more publicly, but inside the clubhouse it’s pretty equal.”
Being mindful of workload would explain why Aaron Brooks was used in the 10th inning of Wednesday night’s loss to Toronto because Ian Seymour had thrown 34 pitches over the previous two days.
Nick Martinez, who leads the Rays in quality starts and innings pitched, has worked as both a starter and a reliever in his career and said he’s cognizant that there are times during the season when the bullpen needs protection. Even if that means staying on the mound when things aren’t going well.
“Having been in both roles, I always try to keep an eye on what their workload is like,” Martinez said. “There are going to be days where I have to wear it, even when I’m grinding. And I’m perfectly okay with that. It comes down to why we’re playing the game. I’m not playing for stats, I’m playing to help the team and to win. So if that means being the sacrificial lamb sometimes, then so be it.”
For Pete’s sake
Pete Fairbanks was excited to return to Tropicana Field and see his former Rays teammates and bosses. Fairbanks spent seven years with the Rays before signing with Miami when Tampa Bay declined his option.
“It definitely is a little different after spending as long as I did on the home side,” Fairbanks said Friday. “I still talk to a decent chunk of them. I’m looking forward to (Griffin Jax) and (Drew Rasmussen) and all the guys on the pitching side of things.”
Several other former Rays are also with the Marlins: infielder Xavier Edwards, pitcher Calvin Faucher, infielder/outfielder Christopher Morel, as well as baseball operations director Peter Bendix.
Injury update
Matz, who had inflammation in his left elbow, could return to the rotation as early as Wednesday when he’s eligible to come off the 15-day injured list. It does not appear Matz will need to make a rehab start.
Boyle, who has thrown five scoreless innings in two rehab appearances with Triple-A Durham, will make his next start Sunday and is hopeful of throwing four innings. Boyle has been out since April 11 with a right elbow strain. Rodriguez and Uceta are both scheduled to begin throwing off the mound in early June.
Second baseman Gavin Lux got an injection to deal with an issue in the AC joint in his left shoulder and is being kept off the field for now.
Miscellany
The second day of Wander Franco’s retrial in the Dominican Republic featured prosecutors presenting evidence of alleged payments made to the mother of the minor involved in the case. The trial is expected to continue through next week. … Aaron Brooks was designated for assignment and RHP Trevor Martin was called up from Durham. Martin was up earlier this season and gave up three runs in 4 2/3 innings. … First baseman Jonathan Aranda will catch the first pitch on Saturday with his wife Milka and their 2-year-old daughter Regina on the mound. The game features an Aranda bobblehead giveaway. … Yandy Diaz’s home run in the first inning was his 105th as a Ray. That moves him past Carl Crawford on the franchise’s all-time list. Next up is Ben Zobrist with 114.
Times staff writer Marc Topkin contributed to this report.
Ryan Pepiot is on crutches after recent hip surgery, Manuel Rodriguez and Edwin Uceta have not thrown a competitive pitch all season, Joe Boyle has been out for a month, and Steven Matz has missed his last two starts with elbow inflammation.
Also, the Rays are second in the American League in ERA.
What Rays pitchers have done through the first quarter of the season despite mounting injuries has been impressive, but also a bit of a highwire act. With Shane McClanahan returning to the mound after missing two seasons and Matz transitioning to the rotation after a couple of seasons in the bullpen, the Rays need to closely manage workloads in the rotation.
And yet, making sure at-risk starters aren’t throwing too many innings, means pitching coach Kyle Snyder and bullpen coach Jorge Moncada need to protect relievers from a heavy workload.
“It’s pretty constant communication. Kyle and Jorge Moncada talk daily to the guys and we’re not going to pitch them if they don’t feel 100% like they can go out and be themselves,” manager Kevin Cash said. “There are extra days off given — we don’t necessarily announce them but there are days that we will make sure that they’re not touching a ball for whatever reason to try to freshen them up.
“We try to be mindful, equally mindful, to the starting rotation and the bullpen. I know the starting rotation probably gets talked about more publicly, but inside the clubhouse it’s pretty equal.”
Being mindful of workload would explain why Aaron Brooks was used in the 10th inning of Wednesday night’s loss to Toronto because Ian Seymour had thrown 34 pitches over the previous two days.
Nick Martinez, who leads the Rays in quality starts and innings pitched, has worked as both a starter and a reliever in his career and said he’s cognizant that there are times during the season when the bullpen needs protection. Even if that means staying on the mound when things aren’t going well.
“Having been in both roles, I always try to keep an eye on what their workload is like,” Martinez said. “There are going to be days where I have to wear it, even when I’m grinding. And I’m perfectly okay with that. It comes down to why we’re playing the game. I’m not playing for stats, I’m playing to help the team and to win. So if that means being the sacrificial lamb sometimes, then so be it.”
For Pete’s sake
Pete Fairbanks was excited to return to Tropicana Field and see his former Rays teammates and bosses. Fairbanks spent seven years with the Rays before signing with Miami when Tampa Bay declined his option.
“It definitely is a little different after spending as long as I did on the home side,” Fairbanks said Friday. “I still talk to a decent chunk of them. I’m looking forward to (Griffin Jax) and (Drew Rasmussen) and all the guys on the pitching side of things.”
Several other former Rays are also with the Marlins: infielder Xavier Edwards, pitcher Calvin Faucher, infielder/outfielder Christopher Morel, as well as baseball operations director Peter Bendix.
Injury update
Matz, who had inflammation in his left elbow, could return to the rotation as early as Wednesday when he’s eligible to come off the 15-day injured list. It does not appear Matz will need to make a rehab start.
Boyle, who has thrown five scoreless innings in two rehab appearances with Triple-A Durham, will make his next start Sunday and is hopeful of throwing four innings. Boyle has been out since April 11 with a right elbow strain. Rodriguez and Uceta are both scheduled to begin throwing off the mound in early June.
Second baseman Gavin Lux got an injection to deal with an issue in the AC joint in his left shoulder and is being kept off the field for now.
Miscellany
The second day of Wander Franco’s retrial in the Dominican Republic featured prosecutors presenting evidence of alleged payments made to the mother of the minor involved in the case. The trial is expected to continue through next week. … Aaron Brooks was designated for assignment and RHP Trevor Martin was called up from Durham. Martin was up earlier this season and gave up three runs in 4 2/3 innings. … First baseman Jonathan Aranda will catch the first pitch on Saturday with his wife Milka and their 2-year-old daughter Regina on the mound. The game features an Aranda bobblehead giveaway. … Yandy Diaz’s home run in the first inning was his 105th as a Ray. That moves him past Carl Crawford on the franchise’s all-time list. Next up is Ben Zobrist with 114.
Times staff writer Marc Topkin contributed to this report.
No offseason is predictable, and the Lightning have a lot of decisions to make this season.
Will they re-sign Darren Raddysh following his breakout season? Will Nikita Kucherov get an extension? How will the Lightning retool their roster coming off a fourth-straight first-round playoff exit? Who is the next prospect knocking on the door of the NHL roster?
We take a look at four of the top offseason items and gauge how likely they are to happen, on a scale of 1 to 10:
Re-signing Darren Raddysh (5)
There was no hiding that Raddysh’s end-of-season interview had a farewell tinge to it. It offered very little optimism that a deal to keep the 22-goal, 70-point defenseman was just a matter of time. It seemed like the sides weren’t close to an agreement, even though general manager Julien BriseBois said he’d been in touch with Raddysh’s agent on parameters.
If the Lightning don’t bring back Raddysh, it would create a significant offensive hole to fill, especially on the power play, where Raddysh’s rocket right-handed shot was a tremendous weapon on the man advantage. Raddysh also jelled well with J.J. Moser. For much of their time together, they were the league’s top two-way duo.
Raddysh’s path to becoming this summer’s top free-agent defenseman has no comps — and to expect him to duplicate this season’s numbers over the long haul might be a reach. But this year’s market is pretty dry, so Raddysh should get his share of attractive offers if he goes to the open market. His offensive production did lessen down the stretch — he had one power-play goal in his last 26 regular-season games and was 1-for-28 in the playoffs for a 3.6 shooting percentage — but that shouldn’t derail his market value or demand.
With the cap going up $8.5 million next season, the Lightning have the space to pay Raddysh, but it’s highly unlikely they’ll be the top bidder for his services. A hometown discount isn’t out of the question though, as Raddysh knows where his offensive bread has been buttered. Nowhere else will he have a Kucherov feeding him the puck on the power play, and he will have a hard time finding a defensive stalwart such as Moser as a partner.
But BriseBois made it sound like there are no intentions on moving forward without Kucherov, saying, “I foresee him staying in our organization for a very long time, hopefully till the end of his career.” BriseBois said he’s been in contact with Kucherov’s agent, and there’s mutual interest in getting an extension done by July 1 to keep Kucherov in a Lightning jersey beyond next year.
BriseBois’ words read a lot differently than the ones he said about Steven Stamkos three summers ago entering the same situation. Kucherov, even as he turns 33 next month, is an irreplaceable player. He’ll likely win the Hart based on a 50-game stretch in which he recorded 104 points, something that hadn’t been seen in three decades, and he has no signs of slowing down. Make no mistake, he needs to recapture his playoff magic of old, but Kucherov is still one of the players the organization’s success is built around.
Currently, the Lightning are getting a discount on Kucherov at a $9.5 million average annual value, and as the salary cap goes up, so does the player market. So if players like Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon are getting $12-13 million now, Kucherov could be in the same range.
A big-splash free-agency signing (3)
As previously mentioned, the free-agency market isn’t big on impact players, and the few who are will likely get overpaid. The top unrestricted free-agent forward, Buffalo right wing Alex Tuch, would be a great fit for the Lightning — a high-scoring, big, physical, right-hand shot who fits age-wise (30) within Tampa Bay’s core group — but not if he’s going to net a deal in the $10 million AAV range.
The Lightning will need to add some right-shot forwards though, as Oliver Bjorkstrand, Corey Perry, Mitchell Chaffee and Scott Sabourin are all unrestricted free agents. BriseBois indicated that prospect centerman Sam O’Reilly, a right-hander, isn’t far from being an NHL option, but this summer, the Lightning should be expected to add a few right-shot forwards to NHL deals.
The Lightning’s signing of right wing Pontus Holmberg last summer was unheralded, but his addition was huge in making the team’s third line work.
The Lightning didn’t think that Holmberg, who was a restricted free agent going into last offseason, would be available. When Toronto didn’t make him a qualifying offer and he went on the market, the Lightning jumped to sign him to a two-year, $1.55 AAV deal. How valuable was Holmberg? They weren’t the same team after he fractured his clavicle on April 6 in Buffalo.
An entry-level contract for Benjamin Rautiainen (7)
From the moment Rautiainen first put on a Lightning jersey during last summer’s development camp, you could tell he was a promising player. Now, the 20-year-old is the buzz of the organization after winning a scoring title and a league championship in his second full season with Tappara of Finland’s top pro league, Liiga.
Rautiainen is signed with Tappara for one more season after a 25-goal, 77-point regular season, so the Lightning would have to buy out his current deal to sign him to an entry-level contract now.
The Lightning never want to rush a prospect, but after a season like the one Rautiainen had, there’s not much more to prove in Finland. Rautiainen is the first Liiga player to score 70 points in a season since Saku Koivu scored 74 in 45 games 31 years ago.
At this point, it might be best for his development to see how his game adjusts to smaller North American rinks where there’s less time and space to create offense. It’s not always a quick transition for players coming from Europe, but it’s something Rautiainen will have to make eventually. Why not now?
No offseason is predictable, and the Lightning have a lot of decisions to make this season.
Will they re-sign Darren Raddysh following his breakout season? Will Nikita Kucherov get an extension? How will the Lightning retool their roster coming off a fourth-straight first-round playoff exit? Who is the next prospect knocking on the door of the NHL roster?
We take a look at four of the top offseason items and gauge how likely they are to happen, on a scale of 1 to 10:
Re-signing Darren Raddysh (5)
There was no hiding that Raddysh’s end-of-season interview had a farewell tinge to it. It offered very little optimism that a deal to keep the 22-goal, 70-point defenseman was just a matter of time. It seemed like the sides weren’t close to an agreement, even though general manager Julien BriseBois said he’d been in touch with Raddysh’s agent on parameters.
If the Lightning don’t bring back Raddysh, it would create a significant offensive hole to fill, especially on the power play, where Raddysh’s rocket right-handed shot was a tremendous weapon on the man advantage. Raddysh also jelled well with J.J. Moser. For much of their time together, they were the league’s top two-way duo.
Raddysh’s path to becoming this summer’s top free-agent defenseman has no comps — and to expect him to duplicate this season’s numbers over the long haul might be a reach. But this year’s market is pretty dry, so Raddysh should get his share of attractive offers if he goes to the open market. His offensive production did lessen down the stretch — he had one power-play goal in his last 26 regular-season games and was 1-for-28 in the playoffs for a 3.6 shooting percentage — but that shouldn’t derail his market value or demand.
With the cap going up $8.5 million next season, the Lightning have the space to pay Raddysh, but it’s highly unlikely they’ll be the top bidder for his services. A hometown discount isn’t out of the question though, as Raddysh knows where his offensive bread has been buttered. Nowhere else will he have a Kucherov feeding him the puck on the power play, and he will have a hard time finding a defensive stalwart such as Moser as a partner.
But BriseBois made it sound like there are no intentions on moving forward without Kucherov, saying, “I foresee him staying in our organization for a very long time, hopefully till the end of his career.” BriseBois said he’s been in contact with Kucherov’s agent, and there’s mutual interest in getting an extension done by July 1 to keep Kucherov in a Lightning jersey beyond next year.
BriseBois’ words read a lot differently than the ones he said about Steven Stamkos three summers ago entering the same situation. Kucherov, even as he turns 33 next month, is an irreplaceable player. He’ll likely win the Hart based on a 50-game stretch in which he recorded 104 points, something that hadn’t been seen in three decades, and he has no signs of slowing down. Make no mistake, he needs to recapture his playoff magic of old, but Kucherov is still one of the players the organization’s success is built around.
Currently, the Lightning are getting a discount on Kucherov at a $9.5 million average annual value, and as the salary cap goes up, so does the player market. So if players like Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon are getting $12-13 million now, Kucherov could be in the same range.
A big-splash free-agency signing (3)
As previously mentioned, the free-agency market isn’t big on impact players, and the few who are will likely get overpaid. The top unrestricted free-agent forward, Buffalo right wing Alex Tuch, would be a great fit for the Lightning — a high-scoring, big, physical, right-hand shot who fits age-wise (30) within Tampa Bay’s core group — but not if he’s going to net a deal in the $10 million AAV range.
The Lightning will need to add some right-shot forwards though, as Oliver Bjorkstrand, Corey Perry, Mitchell Chaffee and Scott Sabourin are all unrestricted free agents. BriseBois indicated that prospect centerman Sam O’Reilly, a right-hander, isn’t far from being an NHL option, but this summer, the Lightning should be expected to add a few right-shot forwards to NHL deals.
The Lightning’s signing of right wing Pontus Holmberg last summer was unheralded, but his addition was huge in making the team’s third line work.
The Lightning didn’t think that Holmberg, who was a restricted free agent going into last offseason, would be available. When Toronto didn’t make him a qualifying offer and he went on the market, the Lightning jumped to sign him to a two-year, $1.55 AAV deal. How valuable was Holmberg? They weren’t the same team after he fractured his clavicle on April 6 in Buffalo.
An entry-level contract for Benjamin Rautiainen (7)
From the moment Rautiainen first put on a Lightning jersey during last summer’s development camp, you could tell he was a promising player. Now, the 20-year-old is the buzz of the organization after winning a scoring title and a league championship in his second full season with Tappara of Finland’s top pro league, Liiga.
Rautiainen is signed with Tappara for one more season after a 25-goal, 77-point regular season, so the Lightning would have to buy out his current deal to sign him to an entry-level contract now.
The Lightning never want to rush a prospect, but after a season like the one Rautiainen had, there’s not much more to prove in Finland. Rautiainen is the first Liiga player to score 70 points in a season since Saku Koivu scored 74 in 45 games 31 years ago.
At this point, it might be best for his development to see how his game adjusts to smaller North American rinks where there’s less time and space to create offense. It’s not always a quick transition for players coming from Europe, but it’s something Rautiainen will have to make eventually. Why not now?
Seven months ago, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan sat front row as the Tampa Bay Rays’ new owners introduced themselves to the region.
“The Rays belong in Tampa Bay,” Castor told a gaggle of TV cameras and reporters at Tampa’s Old City Hall. “Now we have a memorandum of understanding that is the first step, and I would say a gigantic step, to ensuring that that occurs.”
Released on Thursday, the draft document comes a week ahead of nonbinding votes by Hillsborough’s Board of County Commissioners and the Tampa City Council. County officials are set to cast votes Wednesday, with Tampa voting the following day.
Asked if the city and county have the votes, Castor said, “I can’t imagine that any elected official would vote no on this memorandum of understanding.”
Babby, Castor and Hagan all said the document marks a significant step forward for the Rays, who previously set a June 1 deadline for all parties to agree on a deal. The team has said that delaying the decision could jeopardize state funding to redevelop the Dale Mabry campus of Hillsborough College — the site of the proposed stadium.
Hagan, who wore a Rays-branded polo shirt and pin on his lapel, said the agreement is complex, with “many short- and long-term issues that warrant careful consideration.” But, he said, “this is the closest we’ve ever been toward reaching an agreement with the Tampa Bay Rays.”
The memorandum of understanding outlined a $976 million public contribution toward the cost of the stadium, with $796 million from the county and roughly $180 million coming from the city. That’s nearly $100 million less than the Rays’ previous $1.065 billion proposed public subsidy.
While the overall public contribution decreased, the county’s slice rose by tens of millions. In a draft document released last month, the Rays requested $750 million in county funds. County staff, in response, said a $702 million contribution was possible.
How the county will cover that growing gap was not included in the memorandum of understanding. Efforts to reach a higher figure, Hagan said Friday, revolve around a hybrid financing model that would allow the county to issue fewer bonds.
“By not having to bond, that frees up additional monies that (can) go into the project,” Hagan said. “That’s the current framework that we’re modeling and doing our best to get to.”
Hagan added that county staff is “trying to be as creative as possible to identify sources that can be used to prevent us from raising taxes, from raising fees. Unlike previous agreements, we’re not raising taxes or fees.”
The framework is built around a patchwork of funding sources, including bonds from Hillsborough’s Tourist Development Tax and revenue from the county’s half-cent sales tax that pays for roads, public buildings and upgrades to existing professional stadiums. The county would also draw $103 million from a range of “additional county resources from various sources determined by the county in the county’s discretion,” according to the document.
County staff last month identified several pots of rainy day money — reserves set aside as a cushion against hard times that largely come from property tax dollars — that could be tapped to help fill that gap.
Hagan said the use of the largely property-tax funded general revenue sources, which were initially said to not be a part of the deal, did not concern him.
County staff has been careful in identifying robust reserves that can be used in the deal without taking away from “core services,” he said, adding that no final determination has been made on which sources will be included in the deal.
Still, Hagan recognized tapping into reserves wasn’t Hillsborough’s first choice.
“It’s certainly not the preferred option, and staff’s doing everything they can to minimize any potential reserves that we ultimately have to use,” he said. “But at the end of the day, you’re not talking about a significant amount of money when you compare it to the overall ($796 million).”
“We’re taking a little bit from four or five different pots. We’re not in any way significantly impacting any one particular fund.”
If approved, the agreement would build momentum for the Rays.
The Florida Legislature is in a special session to approve the state budget, which could include $150 million for the Dale Mabry campus of Hillsborough College. But state Sen. Ed Hooper, a Republican who leads the Senate budget committee, told reporters earlier this week that he didn’t think the state should assign money to the effort until local governments reach an agreement with the Rays.
On Thursday, Babby said, “As this partnership becomes a reality, we remain confident that the state will be there by our sides. But we need to do our job here to continue to move the project along.”
Castor said the coming days and weeks will be more about hashing out details than resolving persisting points of disagreement.
The memorandum of understanding “is an overarching funding agreement that I feel is of value to all of the parties involved,” she said. “In essence, the (memorandum) is sort of the outline. Now we have to fill in each of those blanks, and that really is where the hard work begins.”
Seven months after their introductory news conference, the Tampa Bay Rays’ ownership group agreed to a non-binding memorandum of understanding Thursday with Hillsborough County and city of Tampa staff.
In a memo released Thursday evening, Ken Babby, the team’s CEO, celebrated the step forward and acknowledged works remains before binding agreements are reached.
“The Tampa Bay Rays are grateful to all who have joined us on this path to our (memorandum of understanding) that will soon be deliberated by elected officials representing Hillsborough County, the City of Tampa, and the CRA,” Babby wrote.
“The parties will continue to work through unresolved issues and agree to work in cooperation with the goal of opening the ballpark for the 2029 MLB season.”
His memo says the team will cover approximately $1.27 billion of the $2.3 billion stadium cost, plus cost overruns. Approximately $120 million in ticket revenue surcharge are included in the team’s contribution.
Thursday’s memorandum of understanding outlines a $976 million public contribution toward the cost of a $2.3 billion stadium, nearly $100 million less than the Rays’ previous $1.065 billion proposed subsidy from the city and county.
The county-city split, however, has changed. The memorandum lists a $796 million contribution from the county and roughly $180 million from the city. Previously, the team asked $750 million from the county and $251 million from the city.
Babby will appear alongside Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan at a news conference at Old Tampa City Hall Friday at 1:30 p.m.
In an interview on WDAE-AM on Thursday afternoon, Hagan said Thursday was “an enormous day for the Rays, for Tampa and Hillsborough County.”
A county vote has officially been scheduled for 10:15 a.m. during next Wednesday’s county commissioners meeting.
“I’m confident it will,” Hagan said when asked if the vote will go the Rays’ way.
“I’m confident there will be enough support to, again, keep the project moving.”
TORONTO — With Cedric Mullins on third base with one out as the go-ahead run in the 10th inning Tuesday night at the rocking Rogers Centre, most anyone who has watched the Rays this season figured slick-fielding, light-hitting shortstop Taylor Walls would drop a squeeze bunt.
Especially Walls.
“I was expecting it, and when I didn’t see it, my eyes lit up,” Walls said. “Honestly, as many bunts as I’ve put down this year, and dating back to late last season, I feel so comfortable doing it. So whether it was a bunt or swing, I feel good in the box, too. Either way, I was prepared.”
Walls swung away, rolled a ball through the infield that was pinched in and scored Mullins.
And the Rays, as they have done unexpectedly often this season, won again.
There have been several reasons for their success, which over the last couple weeks has garnered them national attention.
The rotation, despite losing three pitchers to injury, has been remarkable. The bullpen, also with a shuffled cast, overcame some opening-week struggles to go on a dominant run (at least until the last two games). The defense, also messy early, has mostly returned to its daily dazzling displays.
But if the Rays are going to extrapolate this strong start — an American League-best 28-14 record that is a 108-win pace — into a special season, it would seem to rest in the hands, and on the bats, of the players making up one of the game’s most diverse and dynamic offenses.
In relying on frequent contact and infrequent strikeouts, speed and execution, they’ve challenged not only standard philosophy, but basic math.
Though ranking at or near the bottom of the league in many modern-day measures such as homers, extra-base hits, balls hit on the barrel and average exit velocity, the Rays are fourth in runs per game (4.5) — and first in wins.
Call it small ball. Call it old school. Call it refreshing and even exciting.
Just don’t call it a plan.
Rays officials insist there was no grand design, no code being cracked, no aha moments after a specific offseason acquisition or spring training evaluation.
“That’s more of a byproduct of the roster,” manager Kevin Cash said. “We’ve had teams in the past that hit the ball out of the ballpark, but strikeouts come with that sometimes. This team did show the ability of their individual career paths that they can really put pressure on pitchers and lengthen out at-bats. … There’s just a lot of contact throughout (the group) and so far this year, it has certainly worked for us. The contact and the speed component has helped."
That’s not to say the Rays didn’t see this coming, or that they weren’t acutely aware it could nudge them ahead of other teams in the race for the next advantage on the margins.
“We have an idea of the players that are coming up, the players that were on our roster last year and the players that we acquired, but it takes some time to see. Is that going to back itself up,” Cash said. “But there was not like, ‘All right, we’re going to transition (to) just be heavy contact.’ That was not the thought by anybody.”
While they may not have totally envisioned their new identity, it does seem clear they sought change after missing the playoffs in back to back seasons.
Of the 12 players who had at least 200 plate appearances last season, the Rays, between July deadline deals and offseason moves, shipped out six of the seven who struck out more than 25% of the time, keeping only All-Star Jonathan Aranda (25.4). Gone were Christopher Morel (35.7), Kameron Misner (31.8) Jose Caballero (29.1), Brandon Lowe (26.9), Danny Jansen (26.3) and Josh Lowe (25.1).
Though baseball operations president Erik Neander echoed Cash in saying they didn’t specifically seek to build a small-ball team, it’s somewhat easy to see how they got there given what they were trying to go.
Build their lineup around their three big power hitters (Aranda, Junior Caminero and Yandy Diaz). Add in the potential impact of the blazing fast Chandler Simpson, who makes a lot of contact, bunts well and runs wild. Then surround them with players who can put the ball in play, run, defend and play a team-first game, taking advantage of what opportunities they could in the free-agent and trade markets.
“A group that plays complementary baseball,” Neander said. “And I want that to be taken as a compliment.”
The net result, so far, has been a team that literally does a lot of little things right — also ranking among league leaders in singles, sacrifices, stolen bases, infield hits, bunts, taking extra bases.
“A lot of good things can happen when you move the ball,” Mullins said. “Sometimes it’s not always about the knock. It’s about just putting pressure on the defense, too.”
As the Rays have rolled through their first 42 games, opposing teams have seen what they’re doing, put time and effort into game-planning and still struggled to stop it.
“They play a granular style of baseball,” Boston interim manager Chad Tracy said after losing two of three. “They put it in play. They don’t strike out much. They can bunt. So they find ways to put runs across the board.
“And the few opportunities that those type of situations present themselves, they got it down. They execute.”
Before losing five of six games in a home-and-home series over the last two weeks, Jays manager John Schneider said he had a sense of what they were in for.
“It never surprises me when they’re good because of Kevin, his staff and just the way they play,” Schneider said. “They force you to execute, whether you’re holding runners, whether you’re playing defense. And they’ve got some really, really good hitters. I think that Aranda is one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball. Then you throw in Junior and Yandy, too. And Simpson is a pain in the ass.
“They’ve got good players, but they’ve definitely established kind of how they want to play. And you have to be ready for it.”
Neander, while acknowledging the Rays played a similar style and similarly well at times last year and failed to sustain it, obviously likes what they’re doing and how they do it, from the style of play and team-first approach on the field to closeness and camaraderie in the clubhouse, mixing in offseason additions such as Mullins, Jake Fraley, Ryan Vilade and Ben Williamson.
“The hope was this is a group that could gel, really care about one another, and the whole then could equal something greater than the sum of the parts,” Neander said.
“Personnel-wise, the three bangers (Aranda, Caminero, Diaz), the Chandler effect and a bunch of guys that can play really sound complementary team baseball. And that’s kind of what we’re getting.
“The snowball is certainly picking up some momentum here. It’s been a lot of fun to watch them compete.”
TORONTO — With Cedric Mullins on third base with one out as the go-ahead run in the 10th inning Tuesday night at the rocking Rogers Centre, most anyone who has watched the Rays this season figured slick-fielding, light-hitting shortstop Taylor Walls would drop a squeeze bunt.
Especially Walls.
“I was expecting it, and when I didn’t see it, my eyes lit up,” Walls said. “Honestly, as many bunts as I’ve put down this year, and dating back to late last season, I feel so comfortable doing it. So whether it was a bunt or swing, I feel good in the box, too. Either way, I was prepared.”
Walls swung away, rolled a ball through the infield that was pinched in and scored Mullins.
And the Rays, as they have done unexpectedly often this season, won again.
There have been several reasons for their success, which over the last couple weeks has garnered them national attention.
The rotation, despite losing three pitchers to injury, has been remarkable. The bullpen, also with a shuffled cast, overcame some opening-week struggles to go on a dominant run (at least until the last two games). The defense, also messy early, has mostly returned to its daily dazzling displays.
But if the Rays are going to extrapolate this strong start — an American League-best 28-14 record that is a 108-win pace — into a special season, it would seem to rest in the hands, and on the bats, of the players making up one of the game’s most diverse and dynamic offenses.
In relying on frequent contact and infrequent strikeouts, speed and execution, they’ve challenged not only standard philosophy, but basic math.
Though ranking at or near the bottom of the league in many modern-day measures such as homers, extra-base hits, balls hit on the barrel and average exit velocity, the Rays are fourth in runs per game (4.5) — and first in wins.
Call it small ball. Call it old school. Call it refreshing and even exciting.
Just don’t call it a plan.
Rays officials insist there was no grand design, no code being cracked, no aha moments after a specific offseason acquisition or spring training evaluation.
“That’s more of a byproduct of the roster,” manager Kevin Cash said. “We’ve had teams in the past that hit the ball out of the ballpark, but strikeouts come with that sometimes. This team did show the ability of their individual career paths that they can really put pressure on pitchers and lengthen out at-bats. … There’s just a lot of contact throughout (the group) and so far this year, it has certainly worked for us. The contact and the speed component has helped."
That’s not to say the Rays didn’t see this coming, or that they weren’t acutely aware it could nudge them ahead of other teams in the race for the next advantage on the margins.
“We have an idea of the players that are coming up, the players that were on our roster last year and the players that we acquired, but it takes some time to see. Is that going to back itself up,” Cash said. “But there was not like, ‘All right, we’re going to transition (to) just be heavy contact.’ That was not the thought by anybody.”
While they may not have totally envisioned their new identity, it does seem clear they sought change after missing the playoffs in back to back seasons.
Of the 12 players who had at least 200 plate appearances last season, the Rays, between July deadline deals and offseason moves, shipped out six of the seven who struck out more than 25% of the time, keeping only All-Star Jonathan Aranda (25.4). Gone were Christopher Morel (35.7), Kameron Misner (31.8) Jose Caballero (29.1), Brandon Lowe (26.9), Danny Jansen (26.3) and Josh Lowe (25.1).
Though baseball operations president Erik Neander echoed Cash in saying they didn’t specifically seek to build a small-ball team, it’s somewhat easy to see how they got there given what they were trying to go.
Build their lineup around their three big power hitters (Aranda, Junior Caminero and Yandy Diaz). Add in the potential impact of the blazing fast Chandler Simpson, who makes a lot of contact, bunts well and runs wild. Then surround them with players who can put the ball in play, run, defend and play a team-first game, taking advantage of what opportunities they could in the free-agent and trade markets.
“A group that plays complementary baseball,” Neander said. “And I want that to be taken as a compliment.”
The net result, so far, has been a team that literally does a lot of little things right — also ranking among league leaders in singles, sacrifices, stolen bases, infield hits, bunts, taking extra bases.
“A lot of good things can happen when you move the ball,” Mullins said. “Sometimes it’s not always about the knock. It’s about just putting pressure on the defense, too.”
As the Rays have rolled through their first 42 games, opposing teams have seen what they’re doing, put time and effort into game-planning and still struggled to stop it.
“They play a granular style of baseball,” Boston interim manager Chad Tracy said after losing two of three. “They put it in play. They don’t strike out much. They can bunt. So they find ways to put runs across the board.
“And the few opportunities that those type of situations present themselves, they got it down. They execute.”
Before losing five of six games in a home-and-home series over the last two weeks, Jays manager John Schneider said he had a sense of what they were in for.
“It never surprises me when they’re good because of Kevin, his staff and just the way they play,” Schneider said. “They force you to execute, whether you’re holding runners, whether you’re playing defense. And they’ve got some really, really good hitters. I think that Aranda is one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball. Then you throw in Junior and Yandy, too. And Simpson is a pain in the ass.
“They’ve got good players, but they’ve definitely established kind of how they want to play. And you have to be ready for it.”
Neander, while acknowledging the Rays played a similar style and similarly well at times last year and failed to sustain it, obviously likes what they’re doing and how they do it, from the style of play and team-first approach on the field to closeness and camaraderie in the clubhouse, mixing in offseason additions such as Mullins, Jake Fraley, Ryan Vilade and Ben Williamson.
“The hope was this is a group that could gel, really care about one another, and the whole then could equal something greater than the sum of the parts,” Neander said.
“Personnel-wise, the three bangers (Aranda, Caminero, Diaz), the Chandler effect and a bunch of guys that can play really sound complementary team baseball. And that’s kind of what we’re getting.
“The snowball is certainly picking up some momentum here. It’s been a lot of fun to watch them compete.”
Rays shortstop Wander Franco’s new trial on charges of sexual abuse of a minor began Thursday in the Dominican Republic amid heavy military presence.
Prosecutors again laid out the framework of their case against Franco, which stems from a relationship that started in December 2022 when the girl was 14 and Franco 21. They presented more than 100 pieces of evidence from documents, expert witnesses, audiovisual items and material evidence, per El Nuevo Diario.
Franco was found guilty in June 2025 and sentenced to two years of what essentially was probation. Both sides appealed, with his lawyer questioning the evidence and the prosecutors wanting the now 25-year-old to serve five years in prison.
Wander Franco en un tribunal de Puerto Plata, República Dominicana, en el segundo juicio en su contra por abuso psicológico y sexual contra una menor. 📸@LuisBarettDDpic.twitter.com/qeMNwInKcz
— Enrique Rojas/ESPN (@Enrique_Rojas1) May 14, 2026
A new trial was ordered in December, and after two delays, began Thursday. The girl’s mother, who was found guilty of trafficking charges, initially was sentenced to 10 years and then granted a new trial that is also underway.
District attorney Claudio Cordero told Dominican media last week the prosecutors “anticipate that within a week we will have a verdict, and it will result in a conviction for both individuals.”
When the re-trial was postponed March 30, ESPN reported that Franco was “notably upset” and “reacted poorly” to the decision for another delay, saying he wants the opportunity to return to playing to provide for his family. Franco was escorted out of the courtroom by security personnel, as well as by his family.
The new trial is expected to run a week, with a verdict announced by May 25.
Franco has not played for the Rays since word of the relationship first surfaced in August 2023, nor has he been paid since charges were filed in July 2024. He is still owed more than $160 million by the team under an 11-year, $182 million contract signed in November 2021.
Rays shortstop Wander Franco’s new trial on charges of sexual abuse of a minor began Thursday in the Dominican Republic amid heavy military presence and few details.
Prosecutors again laid out the framework of their case against Franco, which stems from a relationship that started in December 2022 when the girl was 14 and Franco 21.
Franco was found guilty in June 2025 and sentenced to two years of what essentially was probation. Both sides appealed, with his lawyer questioning the evidence and the prosecutors wanting the now 25-year-old to serve five years in prison.
Wander Franco en un tribunal de Puerto Plata, República Dominicana, en el segundo juicio en su contra por abuso psicológico y sexual contra una menor. 📸@LuisBarettDDpic.twitter.com/qeMNwInKcz
— Enrique Rojas/ESPN (@Enrique_Rojas1) May 14, 2026
A new trial was ordered in December, and after two delays, began Thursday. The girl’s mother, who was found guilty of trafficking charges, initially was sentenced to 10 years and then granted a new trial that is also underway.
District attorney Claudio Cordero told Dominican media last week the prosecutors “anticipate that within a week we will have a verdict, and it will result in a conviction for both individuals.”
When the re-trial was postponed March 30, ESPN reported that Franco was “notably upset” and “reacted poorly” to the decision for another delay, saying he wants the opportunity to return to playing to provide for his family. Franco was escorted out of the courtroom by security personnel, as well as by his family.
The new trial is expected to run a week, with a verdict announced by May 25.
Franco has not played for the Rays since word of the relationship first surfaced in August 2023, nor has he been paid since charges were filed in July 2024. He is still owed more than $160 million by the team under an 11-year, $182 million contract signed in November 2021.
Rueben Bain Jr. made a big first impression on the Bucs during their rookie minicamp, demonstrating the kind of speed and power they hoped to see from their first-round pick from Miami.
“He understands tempo, he understands pace, he understands how to play hard,” head coach Todd Bowles said. “He understands to pay homage to the guys who came before him that were down there (at Miami) and he tries to pattern his game like that. So he’s a very smart player, not just a tough player. He understands what he’s walking into and what he wants to be.”
But the welcome mat won’t stay out for long. Bain and the Bucs’ rebuilt defense won’t have time to settle in. Tampa Bay faces a gauntlet of quarterbacks that includes Joe Burrow, Kyler Murray, Jordan Love and Dak Prescott in the first month alone.
After opening at Cincinnati against Burrow and the Bengals on Sept. 13, three of the Bucs’ next four games are at Raymond James Stadium.
The Bengals have been notoriously slow starters the past three seasons, going 1-3, 1-3, and 2-2. Cincinnati also upgraded its defense in the offseason by adding Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and Vikings free agent defensive lineman Jonathan Allen.
It’s the fourth straight year the Bucs begin the regular season on the road, this time because of a Bruno Mars concert scheduled for that weekend at Raymond James Stadium.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield has the most touchdown passes against the Bengals (16) since 2018, which includes a stretch of five games.
Of course, Mayfield is familiar with the Bucs’ opponent in the home opener Week 2 as he will face the Browns organization that made him the No. 1 overall pick. The Browns first-year head coach is former Bucs offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
The Bucs then host the Vikings on Sept. 27 and Packers on Oct. 4 before playing at Dallas just four days later on Thursday Night Football, their first of three primetime games, including one at RayJay on Nov. 30 against the Panthers.
Regardless of how the Bucs fare the first two months of the season, they will have a chance to make up ground in the NFC South.
Tampa Bay does not play a division opponent until Week 7 when the Bucs go to Carolina on Oct. 25.
The bye week comes very late in Week 10 before resuming play with a trip to Detroit to face the Lions, who will be coming off a long voyage to Munich to play the Patriots on Nov. 15.
Starting with the Monday Night Football game against the Panthers at RayJay on Nov. 30, the Bucs play four NFC South games in the final seven weeks of the regular season.
The exception is hosting Justin Herbert and the Chargers on Dec. 6, then traveling to Baltimore the next week to face the Ravens and Lamar Jackson before hosting NFL MVP Matt Stafford and the Rams in Week 17.
As a quirk of the schedule, the Bucs won’t play two road games in consecutive weeks for the first time in 35 years and only the third time in club history.
The Bucs have five games against 2025 playoff teams, and with the exception of the Monday Night Football game against Carolina, most of the home games kick off at 1 p.m. The other exception is the Week 3 visit from the Vikings (4:05).
The Bucs also unveiled their preseason schedule with games against the Jets at MetLife Stadium and at Jacksonville sandwiched around a home game against the Chiefs.
Rueben Bain Jr. made a big first impression on the Bucs during their rookie minicamp, demonstrating the kind of speed and power they hoped to see from their first-round pick from Miami.
“He understands tempo, he understands pace, he understands how to play hard,” head coach Todd Bowles said. “He understands to pay homage to the guys who came before him that were down there (at Miami) and he tries to pattern his game like that. So he’s a very smart player, not just a tough player. He understands what he’s walking into and what he wants to be.”
But the welcome mat won’t stay out for long. Bain and the Bucs’ rebuilt defense won’t have time to settle in. Tampa Bay faces a gauntlet of quarterbacks that includes Joe Burrow, Kyler Murray, Jordan Love and Dak Prescott in the first month alone.
After opening at Cincinnati against Burrow and the Bengals on Sept. 13, three of the Bucs’ next four games are at Raymond James Stadium.
The Bengals have been notoriously slow starters the past three seasons, going 1-3, 1-3, and 2-2. Cincinnati also upgraded its defense in the offseason by adding Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and Vikings free agent defensive lineman Jonathan Allen.
It’s the fourth straight year the Bucs begin the regular season on the road, this time because of a Bruno Mars concert scheduled for that weekend at Raymond James Stadium.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield has the most touchdown passes against the Bengals (16) since 2018, which includes a stretch of five games.
Of course, Mayfield is familiar with the Bucs’ opponent in the home opener Week 2 as he will face the Browns organization that made him the No. 1 overall pick.
The Bucs then host the Vikings on Sept. 27 and Packers on Oct. 4 before playing at Dallas just four days later on Thursday Night Football, their first of three primetime games including one at RayJay on Nov. 30 against the Panthers.
Regardless of how the Bucs fare the first two months of the season, they will have a chance to make up ground in the NFC South.
Tampa Bay does not play a division opponent until Week 7 when the Bucs go to Carolina on Oct. 25..
The bye week comes very late in Week 10 before resuming play with a trip to Detroit to face the Lions, who will be coming off a long voyage to Munich, Germany, to play the Patriots Nov. 15.
Starting with the Monday Night Football game against the Panthers at RayJay on Nov. 30, the Bucs play four NFC South teams in the final seven weeks of the regular season.
The exception is hosting Justin Herbert and the Chargers on Dec. 6, then traveling to Baltimore the next week to face the Ravens and Lamar Jackson before hosting Matt Stafford and the Rams in Week 17.
The Bucs also unveiled their preseason schedule with games against the Jets at MetLife Stadium and at Jacksonville sandwiched around a home game against the Chiefs.
With potential votes on a stadium deal looming and state funding in limbo, Hillsborough County on Thursday released a nonbinding agreement between the Rays, the county and the city of Tampa.
The memorandum of understanding outlines a $976 million public contribution toward the cost of a $2.3 billion stadium.
That’s nearly $100 million less than the Rays’ previous $1.065 billion proposed subsidy from the city and county. If the Rays cover that gap, it would raise their contribution to north of $1.3 billion.
The document comes a week ahead of expected votes by the Tampa City Council and Hillsborough’s Board of County Commissioners — and roughly two weeks before the Rays’ softenedJune 1 deadline for the city and county to approve nonbinding agreements. County officials could vote on May 20, with Tampa voting the following day.
Team leaders have reiterated that they hope to have nonbinding agreements approved by the end of May as they seek state funding to redevelop the Dale Mabry campus of Hillsborough College — the site of the proposed stadium.
“It’s a positive step forward,” County Commissioner Ken Hagan told the Tampa Bay Times on Thursday, noting there are still details left to resolve.
Team CEO Ken Babby said in a statement that the Rays “respectfully but resolutely encourage Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa to approve the MOU and make possible a forever home for our community’s Tampa Bay Rays, breathe new life into the Dale Mabry Campus of Hillsborough College, and create a new privately financed neighborhood that will be an inviting and inclusive destination to work, live, learn, and play.”
In a previous draft memorandum, the team asked for $750 million from the county and $251 million from the city. The county’s initial proposed framework fell $75 million short of that ask.
A statement from Tampa Bay Rays Chief Executive Officer Ken Babby regarding today’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on a new ballpark proposal. pic.twitter.com/Su019PPxTa
Thursday’s draft agreement breaks down an even smaller public contribution of $976 million, with $796 million from the county and roughly $180 million from the city. The Rays have said they will pay for the surrounding mixed-use development, as well as stadium maintenance and any cost overruns.
The Community Investment Tax, Hillsborough’s half-cent sales tax that pays for roads, public buildings and upgrades to existing professional stadiums, makes up a large chunk of the framework.
Under the draft agreement, the county would contribute $360 million and the city would pay $80 million from their respective sales tax revenues. The city’s portion would only go to public improvements such as roads, water and sewers.
In addition to the half-percent sales tax, the Rays are seeking $263 million in bonds from Hillsborough’s Tourist Development Tax, a 6% tax on short-term lodging and $40 million from the tax’s reserves.
The county would also draw $103 million from a range of “additional county resources from various sources determined by the county in the county’s discretion,” according to the document.
County staff last month identified several pots of rainy day money — reserves set aside as a cushion against hard times that largely come from property tax dollars — that could be tapped.
The document lists roughly $100 million from Tampa’s Community Redevelopment Agency, which would be used to pay off bonds issued to fund stadium construction.That would count toward the city’s contribution.
The Hillsborough College campus sits in a corner of the Drew Park Community Redevelopment Area, where local property tax dollars are funneled back into the region to address blight. Money from the redevelopment area relies on tax increment financing, which leverages future tax value increases to pay for current projects.
Hillsborough would use$30 million indisaster recovery funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to pay for“stormwater infrastructure and improvements.”
While the overall public contribution has decreased, the county’s contribution has risen well beyond the Rays’ original $750 million request. And it soars above the $702 million contribution that county staff previously said was possible.
How exactly Hillsborough plans to cover that gap was not included in Thursday’s memorandum. Nor was there an explanation for why the city’s slice is now smaller than the $224 million previously listed as possible by county staff.
County attorney Julia Mandell said in an email to county commissioners that “there are many issues which remain pending to be resolved prior to any definitive documents being brought forward for approval.”
City attorney Scott Steady echoed Mandell in a meeting Thursday, adding that city officials will “retain discretion to approve anything further.”
If approved, the agreement would build momentum for the Rays.
Last month, Babby said failure to approve agreements by June 1 would threaten “critical state funding” dedicated to redeveloping the Dale Mabry campus. Without that money, he said, the deal would be “economically infeasible.”
The Florida Legislature is in a special session to approve the state budget, which could include $150 million for the college. State Sen. Ed Hooper, a Clearwater Republican who leads the Senate budget committee, said earlier this week that he didn’t think the state should assign money to the effort until local governments reach an agreement with the Rays.
“The locals, Hillsborough County and the city, there seems to be some heartburn at the request,” Hooper told reporters Tuesday. “And until they resolve that, I don’t think the state needs to be involved.”
Rays managing partner Patrick Zalupski told the Tampa Bay Times last week that the team hopes to have final agreements with the city and county as soon as possible.
“We recognize it’ll be a challenge to get there by June 1, but we need to be as close to June 1 as possible for all the reasons that we’ve stated,” Zalupski said. “This is not the Rays’ timeline, this is Tampa Bay’s timeline.”
A proposednon-binding memorandum of understanding between the Tampa Bay Rays, the city of Tampa and Hillsborough County is expected to be released this afternoon, city attorney Scott Steady said Thursday.
“This is important,” Steady told the Tampa City Council members, sitting as the Community Redevelopment Agency board. “It should outline a lot of facts, a lot of detail. But it is non-binding.”
Steady said the document will be a final draft outlining the potential commitment from the city and county toward the Rays’ proposed $2.3 billion stadium.
The document would be released a week ahead of expected votes by the City Council and the Hillsborough County Commission — and roughly two weeks before the Rays’ June 1 deadline for the city and county to approve non-binding agreements. County officials could vote on May 20 with Tampa voting the following day.
If approved, the agreement would mark a positive step forward for the Rays’ Tampa stadium hopes. Team leaders have reiterated that they need to have non-binding agreements approved by the end of May as they seek state funding to redevelop the Dale Mabry campus of Hillsborough College — the site of the proposed stadium.
“It’s a positive step forward,” County Commissioner Ken Hagan told the Tampa Bay Times on Thursday, noting there are still details left to resolve.
Last month, the team released a draft memorandum of understanding for a stadium deal that set June 1 as the deadline for all sides to approve definitive agreements. It outlined a $1.065 billion public subsidy, with $750 million from the county and $251 million from the city.
Rays CEO Ken Babby said failure to meet that date would threaten “critical state funding” dedicated to redeveloping the Dale Mabry campus. Without that money, he said, the deal would be “economically infeasible.”
The Florida Legislature is currently in a special session to approve the state budget, which could include $150 million for the college. State Sen. Ed Hooper, a Clearwater Republican who leads the Senate budget committee, said earlier this week that he didn’t think the state should assign money to the effort until local governments reach an agreement with the Rays.
“The locals, Hillsborough County and the city, there seems to be some heartburn at the request,” Hooper told reporters Tuesday. “And until they resolve that, I don’t think the state needs to be involved.”
Rays managing partner Patrick Zalupski told the Tampa Bay Times last week that the team hopes to have final agreements with the city and county as soon as possible.
“We recognize it’ll be a challenge to get there by June 1, but we need to be as close to June 1 as possible for all the reasons that we’ve stated,” Zalupski said. “This is not the Rays’ timeline, this is Tampa Bay’s timeline.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Hillsborough College on Wednesday will vote to approve a ground lease with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Rays are planning to develop a stadium and mixed-use district with restaurants, retail and new college buildings on the Dale Mabry Campus.
The college’s trustees approved a non-binding memorandum with the team in January, which laid out that the college would lease all property other than their campus area to the Rays through a long-term deal, no less than 99 years.
Hillsborough College and the Rays have been negotiating this lease since the memorandum was approved, according to an agenda for a board of trustees special meeting.
The lease will be subject to various contingencies that allow local governments to fund portions of the project. It will also include a development agreement that outlines the construction process and timelines.
The team had previously set June 1 as the date for when “definitive documents must be completed and approved by all parties.”
The team plans to pay for about $1.2 billion of the $2.3 billion ballpark.
The Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners and Tampa City Council are holding regularly scheduled meetings on May 20 and 21, respectively. It’s unclear if non-binding memorandums with the Rays will be on the agendas.
According to the college’s agenda item, the ground lease will not have a monetary cost to the college.
“If funding contingencies are met, the College will obtain significant state funding for the reconstruction of the Dale Mabry Campus,” the agenda states.
State funding might not come during this year’s ongoing special budget session, though. Clearwater Sen. Ed Hooper, who leads the senate budget committee, said this week that the state should not assign any money to the stadium project before local governments come to an agreement with the team.
A Hillsborough College spokesperson did not immediately respond to a phone call requesting comment.
Hillsborough College trustees will meet again on May 27 for a regularly scheduled board meeting.
The Tampa Bay Times Education Hub reports on Florida’s schools and universities and the students they serve. You can contribute to the hub through our journalism fund by clicking here.
Hillsborough College on Wednesday will vote to approve a ground lease with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Rays are planning to develop a stadium and mixed-use district with restaurants, retail and new college buildings on the Dale Mabry Campus.
The college’s trustees approved a non-binding memorandum with the team in January, which laid out that the college would lease all property other than their campus area to the Rays through a long-term deal, no less than 99 years.
Hillsborough College and the Rays have been negotiating this lease since the memorandum was approved, according to an agenda for a board of trustees special meeting.
The lease will be subject to various contingencies that allow local governments to fund portions of the project. It will also include a development agreement that outlines the construction process and timelines.
The team had previously set June 1 as the date for when “definitive documents must be completed and approved by all parties.”
The team plans to pay for about $1.2 billion of the $2.3 billion ballpark.
The Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners and Tampa City Council are holding regularly scheduled meetings on May 20 and 21, respectively. It’s unclear if non-binding memorandums with the Rays will be on the agendas.
According to the college’s agenda item, the ground lease will not have a monetary cost to the college.
“If funding contingencies are met, the College will obtain significant state funding for the reconstruction of the Dale Mabry Campus,” the agenda states.
State funding might not come during this year’s ongoing special budget session, though. Clearwater Sen. Ed Hooper, who leads the senate budget committee, said this week that the state should not assign any money to the stadium project before local governments come to an agreement with the team.
A Hillsborough College spokesperson did not immediately respond to a phone call requesting comment.
Hillsborough College trustees will meet again on May 27 for a regularly scheduled board meeting.
The Tampa Bay Times Education Hub reports on Florida’s schools and universities and the students they serve. You can contribute to the hub through our journalism fund by clicking here.
Nick Pletcher needed the right vibe for his 2021 bachelor party, but he knew his friend group wasn’t the wild, bar-hopping type.
“We’ll do that stuff, but we really just wanted to hang out,” he said. “We’re sportsy.”
He considered flag football, wiffle ball and kickball until he happened across a video from Norway of guys playing hockey on a huge, slippery, soap-covered tarp. This, he thought, is it.
Next to a rental cabin in north Georgia, Pletcher and his friends laid a tarp and played their first game with almost no preparation.
They tripped on branches and rocks beneath the tarp, which they’d simply hammered into the ground with a mallet. They accidentally flung soap into each other’s eyes. With no barrier, the ball flew into the nearby river, forcing them to jump in to get it.
By the end, they were bruised with “insane looking” bloodshot eyes.
“Man, did we have fun,” said Pletcher, 31.
On Saturday, Pletcher will play in and produce the 2026 Big Boy Soap Hockey Tournament at the Gibtown Showmen’s Club in Riverview. Eight teams will compete in rough-and-tumble, 10-minute, 3-on-3 games to see who takes home their championship cup — a large, gold-colored rubber duck with soap-bubble embellishments.
The tournament will air on a national cable network in the summer. The 2025 tournament was broadcast by ESPN as part of its offbeat “ESPN8 The Ocho” programming.
Pletcher describes soap hockey as something akin to the competition show “Wipeout.” It’s rooted in humor, but actual athletic competitiveness is what makes it work. The “Big Boy” is a callback to Pletcher and his friends’ Big Boy Sketch Party comedy group, but also to the idea that they’re basically adult children, or “big boys,” playing a silly game.
There have been refinements since those early days. They’ve dialed in a type of high-quality soap that doesn’t dry up in the sun and found specialized sticks that don’t whip the soap into their faces.
One of the fledgling sports’ unique facets is “power players,” where each team, once per game, gets to bring in a ringer off the bench for two minutes. This year, those ringers will be Canadian hockey influencers from On the Bench. “They’re much better at hockey than us,” Pletcher said.
New this year: power-ups that let the teams to do stuff like make the other team temporarily swap out their sticks for pool noodles.
The players remain mostly Pletcher’s longtime friends who live in Tampa.
“The guys are taking it really seriously,” he said. “People have family flying in from across the country. I’ve got people calling me telling me how they’ve been training, working out, eating right.”
Tom Useglio led the tournament in saves in 2025 and is returning in 2026. The competitiveness is real, he said.
“I was really upset when we didn’t win,” said Useglio, who played college hockey for Division III at the State University of New York Maritime College. “We respect each other, but we definitely want to beat each other. ... I’ll play for as many times as they do it.”
The road to ESPN started with that bachelor party, which created a tradition for Pletcher and his friends. A couple times a year, Pletcher, who lives in Atlanta, would visit his hometown of Tampa. They’d set up the tarp outside his parents home.
In the meantime, ESPN hired Pletcher, who owns a video production company, to shoot college basketball content. They hired his company again to shoot an adult big wheel race for ESPN8 The Ocho.
Originally created as a joke for the movie “Dodgeball,” ESPN8 The Ocho isn’t a full network, but a block of tongue-in-cheek sports programming airing on ESPN’s existing channels.
“We had our foot in the door with ESPN and filmed a couple things with them,” said David Akridge, a player and co-producer of the tournament. “And then we connected the dots, like, wait a second, they have a whole joke sports section, we have a joke sport. This is either a recipe for success or disaster.”
They pitched soap hockey to ESPN. Network officials were cautiously interested but wanted to see footage.
Pletcher found a Tampa park to film in and organized a trip south with friends and crew. A fiasco ensued.
His car broke down near the Florida border. A mechanic told him the engine was totaled. “So here we are,” he said, “loading all this crazy gear into a rental.”
They arrived in Tampa late, got a little sleep and reached the park they’d scouted to learn that the water — essential for soap hockey — had been turned off. They drove around in search of another park and got everything set up, including the camera equipment, just in time for a storm.
The rain stopped with time to film just three games. But when they started editing, it was clear they had something.
“Instantly you could see the humor, but also the competitive part of it,” Pletcher said. “(ESPN) immediately loved it.”
That 2025 tournament has been airing on ESPN News several times a month ever since. Pletcher often hears from people who want to know how they can join the league. He has also heard from TV producers, he said, about investing in and expanding the league.
“Those things take time, but look at the Savannah Bananas,” he said, speaking of the popular exhibition baseball team known for comedic stunts. “I could see us becoming something like that for hockey.”
Akridge said the whole thing is still surreal.
“I’ll be out eating with friends, and you look up at the TV,” he said. “There’s us, sliding around on soap in front of an entire bar full of people. It’s very weird.”
If you go
The 2026 Big Boy Soap Hockey Tournament starts at 10:30 a.m., Saturday at the Gibtown Showmen’s Club at 6915 Riverview Drive, Riverview. There will be food trucks on site. Spectators are encouraged to bring chairs. Admission is free.
Nick Pletcher needed the right vibe for his 2021 bachelor party, but he knew his friend group wasn’t the wild, bar-hopping type.
“We’ll do that stuff, but we really just wanted to hang out,” he said. “We’re sportsy.”
He considered flag football, wiffle ball and kickball until he happened across a video from Norway of guys playing hockey on a huge, slippery, soap-covered tarp. This, he thought, is it.
Next to a rental cabin in north Georgia, Pletcher and his friends laid a tarp and played their first game with almost no preparation.
They tripped on branches and rocks beneath the tarp, which they’d simply hammered into the ground with a mallet. They accidentally flung soap into each other’s eyes. With no barrier, the ball flew into the nearby river, forcing them to jump in to get it.
By the end, they were bruised with “insane looking” bloodshot eyes.
“Man, did we have fun,” said Pletcher, 31.
On Saturday, Pletcher will play in and produce the 2026 Big Boy Soap Hockey Tournament at the Gibtown Showmen’s Club in Riverview. Eight teams will compete in rough-and-tumble, 10-minute, 3-on-3 games to see who takes home their championship cup — a large, gold-colored rubber duck with soap-bubble embellishments.
The tournament will air on a national cable network in the summer. The 2025 tournament was broadcast by ESPN as part of its offbeat “ESPN8 The Ocho” programming.
Pletcher describes soap hockey as something akin to the competition show “Wipeout.” It’s rooted in humor, but actual athletic competitiveness is what makes it work. The “Big Boy” is a callback to Pletcher and his friends’ Big Boy Sketch Party comedy group, but also to the idea that they’re basically adult children, or “big boys,” playing a silly game.
There have been refinements since those early days. They’ve dialed in a type of high-quality soap that doesn’t dry up in the sun and found specialized sticks that don’t whip the soap into their faces.
One of the fledgling sports’ unique facets is “power players,” where each team, once per game, gets to bring in a ringer off the bench for two minutes. This year, those ringers will be Canadian hockey influencers from On the Bench. “They’re much better at hockey than us,” Pletcher said.
New this year: power-ups that let the teams to do stuff like make the other team temporarily swap out their sticks for pool noodles.
The players remain mostly Pletcher’s longtime friends who live in Tampa.
“The guys are taking it really seriously,” he said. “People have family flying in from across the country. I’ve got people calling me telling me how they’ve been training, working out, eating right.”
Tom Useglio led the tournament in saves in 2025 and is returning in 2026. The competitiveness is real, he said.
“I was really upset when we didn’t win,” said Useglio, who played college hockey for Division III at the State University of New York Maritime College. “We respect each other, but we definitely want to beat each other. ... I’ll play for as many times as they do it.”
The road to ESPN started with that bachelor party, which created a tradition for Pletcher and his friends. A couple times a year, Pletcher, who lives in Atlanta, would visit his hometown of Tampa. They’d set up the tarp outside his parents home.
In the meantime, ESPN hired Pletcher, who owns a video production company, to shoot college basketball content. They hired his company again to shoot an adult big wheel race for ESPN8 The Ocho.
Originally created as a joke for the movie “Dodgeball,” ESPN8 The Ocho isn’t a full network, but a block of tongue-in-cheek sports programming airing on ESPN’s existing channels.
“We had our foot in the door with ESPN and filmed a couple things with them,” said David Akridge, a player and co-producer of the tournament. “And then we connected the dots, like, wait a second, they have a whole joke sports section, we have a joke sport. This is either a recipe for success or disaster.”
They pitched soap hockey to ESPN. Network officials were cautiously interested but wanted to see footage.
Pletcher found a Tampa park to film in and organized a trip south with friends and crew. A fiasco ensued.
His car broke down near the Florida border. A mechanic told him the engine was totaled. “So here we are,” he said, “loading all this crazy gear into a rental.”
They arrived in Tampa late, got a little sleep and reached the park they’d scouted to learn that the water — essential for soap hockey — had been turned off. They drove around in search of another park and got everything set up, including the camera equipment, just in time for a storm.
The rain stopped with time to film just three games. But when they started editing, it was clear they had something.
“Instantly you could see the humor, but also the competitive part of it,” Pletcher said. “(ESPN) immediately loved it.”
That 2025 tournament has been airing on ESPN News several times a month ever since. Pletcher often hears from people who want to know how they can join the league. He has also heard from TV producers, he said, about investing in and expanding the league.
“Those things take time, but look at the Savannah Bananas,” he said, speaking of the popular exhibition baseball team known for comedic stunts. “I could see us becoming something like that for hockey.”
Akridge said the whole thing is still surreal.
“I’ll be out eating with friends, and you look up at the TV,” he said. “There’s us, sliding around on soap in front of an entire bar full of people. It’s very weird.”
If you go
The 2026 Big Boy Soap Hockey Tournament starts at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, May 16 at the Gibtown Showmen’s Club at 6915 Riverview Drive, Riverview. There will be food trucks on site. Spectators are encouraged to bring chairs. Admission is free.
TORONTO — During the sizzling streak in which they won 10 of their last 11 games, 16 of 18 and 26 of 34, the Rays — even in some dire circumstances — found a way to make things work out by the end.
They tested that practice again Wednesday night, but this time they faltered, the result a frustrating 5-3, 10-inning walkoff loss to the Blue Jays.
The Rays offense was pretty much shackled by starter Dylan Cease and a parade of Jays relievers, but they scratched out a 1-0 lead in the eighth inning and scored twice in the 10th to go up 3-1.
Though they allowed 14 Jays to reach base over the first nine innings — eight walks (of a season high-matching 10 total), five hits, one hit batter — they used four double plays (one shy of the team record) and timely pitching to allow just one run, albeit by Bryan Baker, their top high-leverage weapon.
And after seeing relievers step up night after night for weeks — at least until Tuesday, when they blew a five-run lead in the seventh before coming back to win — they ran out of good fortune, and proven pitchers, in the 10th inning.
As a result, they had to put the 3-1 lead in the hands of Aaron Brooks, a 36-year-old weekend callup from Triple A who was signed out of the Mexican league a few weeks ago and hadn’t pitched in the majors since June 2024.
“Definitely a tough spot,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said.
Brooks got one out with a first-pitch pop-up, but, with the placed runner at second, walked Vlad Guerrero Jr. on four not-really-close pitches and then Kazuma Okamoto on six to load the bases.
Brooks was up in the zone with everything to lefty Daulton Varsho, going from 0-2 to 2-2 and, after a foul and the walkoff grand slam, to the quiet clubhouse.
“Just didn’t have my best stuff out there today, and that’s part of the game,” Brooks said. “When they call your name and you’re not ready for it, something like that happens. Felt like I was prepared as much as I could have been. It’s just baseball.”
Brooks, obviously working for the first time with catcher Hunter Feduccia, second-guessed some pitch selections.
“I’m traditionally a sinker-ball guy. Probably could have went to that sinker to try to get a ground ball, but I think we were trying to surprise him up a little bit, too, and either get him underneath to pop it up or show him something different than I usually do,” Brooks said. “So, again, could have probably stuck to my strengths and hopefully got a ground ball there, but that’s the name of the game."
Baker had a different issue he said impacted him during the eighth inning when he walked the first three Jays and then allowed the tying run on a sac fly, and issued a fourth free pass later in the inning.
The four walks matched the total from his first 18 appearances, facing 64 batters.
Why?
“Wish I could tell you,” Baker said. “One of those days, is the best way I can put it. Nothing felt right. I felt like I was getting just some absolutely crazy baseballs (that were) slick, and then you get 15 seconds (on the pitch clock), and you get sped up, and you’re trying to find a grip, and you’re trying to find the strike zone. And it gets tough.
“Just one of those days where mistakes compounded and it was hard to get back in the zone. Then they took some really good at-bats as well."
Baker said he couldn’t tell why the balls were slick, mentioning the seams, the leather, the logo as possibilities, and said “a few” other Ray pitchers also noticed it.
“It was significantly worse than two nights ago,” he said. “I don’t know if they ran out and they didn’t get to rub these up (with mud) in time, or what the deal is, but definitely played a part. Just balls coming out really strange, missing really far (to his right) a lot, which I don’t typically do.”
Baker allowed that wasn’t the only issue.
“I was probably off with my mechanics and everything as well, so it was probably more than just a baseball,” he said. “Just one of those ones, you’ve got to learn how to make an adjustment and get back in the zone, and things probably work out better.”
There was some good on the night, as the Rays went 4-2 on the trip and headed home with an American League-best 28-14 record.
Griffin Jax worked five innings and threw 66 pitches (though only 38 strikes) and felt he made the transition from reliever to starter.
Richie Palacios singled in the first run in the eighth. Ben Williamson, a defensive replacement for slugging third baseman Junior Caminero in the eighth, singled in Chandler Simpson to start the 10th, and Yandy Diaz, after earlier snapping an 0-for-15 skid, singled in Williamson to make it 3-1.
But on this night, the bullpen let them down.
“We’re all human,” Palacios said. “We’re just trying to pick them up. That’s what we do as a team, trying to pick (up) each other.”
TORONTO — The Rays have prided themselves during their sizzling start by winning games in different and interesting ways.
Wednesday they lost one that way.
The Rays survived an eighth inning in which their top reliever walked three straight batters en route to giving up the tying run, then rallied for two runs in the 10th.
But it ended badly, with a 5-3 walkoff loss.
Aaron Brooks, a weekend callup after his recent signing from the Mexican league to a minor-league deal, got one out, walked two, and then allowed a grand slam to Daulton Varsho.
It was Brooks’ first big-league appearance since 2024.
Brooks got one out, and walked Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Kazuma Okamoto to load the bases.
The Rays came into the game with an American League-leading 28-13 record and on quite a roll, having won 10 of their last 11, 16 of 18 and 26 of 34.
The Rays took the lead in the top of the 10th when Ben Williamson, who was a defensive replacement for slugging third baseman Junior Caminero in the eighth inning, delivered a leadoff single to score speedy Chandler Simpson, who was the runner placed at second.
High-leverage reliever Bryan Baker, who walked only four of the 64 batters he faced over his first 18 appearances, put the first three Jays on in the eighth. George Springer walked on five pitches, Yohendrick Pinango on four and Guerrero on eight.
Okamoto immediately made Baker pay, lining a ball to left that allowed Springer to tag up and score. Baker got the second out, then walked Myles Straw (on six pitches) to re-load the bases.
Cole Sulser, who had his own issues as the Rays blew a 5-0 seventh-inning lead Tuesday before rallying to win in 10, got Ernie Clement to fly out.
The Rays turned four double plays, one shy of their franchise record for a game, having converted five eight times but not since 2012.
The Rays, who didn’t get their first man on base vs. Toronto starter Dylan Cease until one out into the fourth, scored the game’s first run in the seventh.
Jonathan Aranda drew a leadoff walk and, after Yandy Diaz popped out to extend his slump to 0-for-15, went to second when Jake Fraley walked. Richie Palacios, whose spot on the team is more secure with Gavin Lux’s latest injury issue, then delivered an RBI single.
The Rays had a chance for more, but Cedric Mullins popped out and Hunter Feduccia struck out on an ABS challenge reversal.
They threatened again in the eighth when Taylor Walls led off with a single and, after Simpson and Caminero struck out, Aranda walked. They got a break when Diaz bounced a ball that first baseman Guerrero grabbed but failed to get anyone out, throwing late to third after Walls had rounded the base.
Griffin Jax didn’t pitch exceedingly well, allowing four hits, walking four and throwing barely more than half his pitches for strikes (38 of 66) over five innings.
Despite allowing Blue Jays on base in each inning, Jax was effective in not allowing any runs. He was helped in large part because the Rays infielders turned three double plays behind him.
Wednesday was Jax’s fourth start as he transitions from high-leverage reliever back to traditional starter. The five innings and 66 pitches he threw were both his most of the season, and represented the kind of progressive increases he and the team were seeking.
TORONTO — There was no pre-game work on the field for any Rays position players Wednesday, a concession to the end of a week-long road trip and a rare night game on a travel day.
But Junior Caminero, after making two errors and a couple other misplays in a rough Tuesday game, was out at third base, taking ground balls and working on his throws. That after a long talk with third-base/infield coach Brady Williams.
Caminero, 22, set a goal this season to win a Gold Glove, but has had some tough stretches on defense, making nine errors in 40 games, including five in his first seven.
“He’s made some great plays on this road trip, and he’s made some plays that he needs to convert into outs,” manager Kevin Cash said. “But the work ethic has not changed. He’s working hard every single day, and we’ll continue to work with him. (We) know that we’ve just got to find that consistency.”
Caminero will have to show that. With the Rays leading 1-0 in the eighth Wednesday, Cash replaced him with Ben Williamson, a better defender.
One issue, which surfaced at a costly time Tuesday, is Caminero being too aggressive on balls that slick-fielding shortstop Taylor Walls can, and should, handle.
“Ideally, just don’t do that,” Cash said. “He knows, and we all understand, how special Walls is over there, and he probably covers more ground than the average shortstop.
“But Junior is trying to make a play for his pitcher. It’s tough to fault him for that. But just understand kind of the lanes and how much ground that Wallsy can actually cover.”
Franco re-trial starts Thursday
Wander Franco’s twice-delayed new trial on charges of sexual abuse of a minor is scheduled to start Thursday in the Dominican Republic and last at least a week.
Franco was found guilty in June and sentenced to two years of essentially probation. But both sides appealed (prosecutors wanted a five-year jail term), and a new trial was ordered. Charges stem from a relationship that started in December 2022, when the girl was 14 and Franco 21.
Franco has not played for the Rays since August 2023, but still has more than $160 million remaining on his contract.
Miscellany
Outfielder Chandler Simpson returned to the lineup, having left Monday’s game with a left hamstring cramp and sitting out Tuesday. He was 0-for-4 with a walk and scored a run in the 10th. ... The Rays said Wednesday surgery to address pitcher Ryan Pepiot’s right hip impingement went well, with a full recovery expected before spring training. ... The Rays are deciding whether to have Jesse Scholtens start Friday against Miami or use an opener.
TORONTO — There was no pre-game work on the field for any Rays position players Wednesday, a concession to it being the end of a week-long road trip and a rare night game on a travel day.
But Junior Caminero, after making two errors and a couple other misplays in a rough Tuesday game, was out there, at third base, taking ground balls and working on his throws. That after a long talk in the dugout with third-base/infield coach Brady Williams.
Caminero, 22, set a goal this season to win a Gold Glove, but has had some tough stretches on defense, making nine errors in 40 games, including five in his first seven.
“He’s made some great plays on this road trip, and he’s made some plays that he needs to convert into outs,” manager Kevin Cash said. “But the work ethic has not changed. He’s working hard every single day, and we’ll continue to work with him. (We) know that we’ve just got to find that consistency.”
One issue, which surfaced at a costly time Tuesday, is Caminero being too aggressive on balls that slick-fielding shortstop Taylor Walls can, and should, handle.
“Ideally, just don’t do that,” Cash said. “He knows, and we all understand, how special Walls is over there, and he probably covers more ground than the average shortstop.
“But Junior is trying to make a play for his pitcher. It’s tough to fault him for that. But just understand kind of the lanes and how much ground that Wallsy can actually cover.”
Franco re-trial starts Thursday
Wander Franco’s twice-delayed new trial on charges of sexual abuse of a minor is scheduled to start Thursday in the Dominican Republic and last at least a week.
Franco was found guilty in June and sentenced to two years of essentially probation. But both sides appealed (prosecutors wanted a five-year jail term), and a new trial was ordered. Charges stem from a relationship that started in December 2022, when the girl was 14 and Franco 21.
Franco has not played for the Rays since August 2023, but still has more than $160 million remaining on his contract.
Miscellany
Outfielder Chandler Simpson returned to the lineup Wednesday after leaving Mondays’s game with a left hamstring cramp and sitting out Tuesday. ... The Rays said Wednesday surgery to address pitcher Ryan Pepiot’s right hip impingement went well, with a full recovery expected before spring training. ... The Rays are deciding whether to have Jesse Scholtens start Friday against Miami or use an opener.
If the Rays fail to get approval to build their planned new stadium in Tampa, personal injury attorney John Morgan said the team will relocate to Orlando.
Morgan, in a recent interview with WFTV in Orlando, said he is “very close” with Rays managing partner co-chair Patrick Zalupski (though didn’t seem to know his last name) and plans to have lunch with him soon to discuss the situation (though no meeting is set).
Morgan said he doesn’t think the Rays will be able to strike a deal with Tampa and Hillsborough County to provide funding for the $2.3 billion ballpark on the Hillsborough College campus. The team plans to contribute $1.235 billion, plus cover insurance, repairs and cost overruns.
“They don’t have the votes over there, and the Lightning wants stuff, and the Bucs want stuff,” Morgan said. “This is where it could still be.”
Morgan, who said he turned down an invite from Zalupski to join the ownership group that bought the team in September, does not think a new stadium on the other side of the Tampa Bay area will work any better.
“Just because you’re moving across the bridge I don’t think it’s going to make a big difference,” Morgan said. “It didn’t work in Tampa (St. Petersburg). It’s not going to work in Tampa again. It’s a mistake.”
But Morgan is confident the team would succeed in Orlando.
“The reason Orlando is the place is we have 80 million visitors,” Morgan said. “The (NBA) Orlando Magic is probably the sorriest franchise in the history of sports, but yet they fill arenas all the time. Why? 80 million tourists? … That’s why it should be here."
Morgan last year committed a reported $250 million to the Orlando Dreamers group seeking to get a franchise, but withdrew when it became apparent Zalupski’s group was going to buy the Rays. Morgan said he would get back involved if the Rays are willing to relocate.
Asked by TV host Greg Warmoth if the team will come to Orlando, Morgan said, “If they don’t get the votes in Tampa … Yes."
The Rays have said they are talking exclusively with Tampa-area leaders, but if the deal isn’t approved they “would have no choice but to evaluate alternatives.”
Zalupski told the Tampa Bay Times they would spend this week working feverishly to complete a memorandum of understanding with the city and county before the end of the month, then target getting votes done and definitive documents finalized by or “as close to June 1 as possible.”
On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has spoken in support of the Rays’ Tampa plans, said if the deal doesn’t happen he expects Orlando to make a strong pitch, as would other cities.
“I know Orlando wants it,” DeSantis said, per floridapolictics.com. “They would plow a lot of money into this. There’s no question Orange County would. And Charlotte (North Carolina) would, too. Nashville would. I mean, there’s a lot of places around the country who would like to have a MLB franchise.”
If the Rays fail to get approval to build their planned new stadium in Tampa, personal injury attorney John Morgan said the team will relocate to Orlando.
Morgan, in a recent interview with WFTV in Orlando, said he is “very close” with Rays managing partner co-chair Patrick Zalupski (though didn’t seem to know his last name) and plans to have lunch with him soon to discuss the situation.
Morgan said he doesn’t think the Rays will be able to strike a deal with Tampa and Hillsborough County to provide funding for the $2.3 billion ballpark on the Hillsborough College campus. The team plans to contribute $1.235 billion, plus cover insurance, repairs and cost overruns.
“They don’t have the votes over there, and the Lightning wants stuff, and the Bucs want stuff,” Morgan said. “This is where it could still be.”
Morgan, who said he turned down an invite from Zalupski to join the ownership group that bought the team in September, does not think a new stadium on the other side of the Tampa Bay area will work any better.
“Just because you’re moving across the bridge I don’t think it’s going to make a big difference,” Morgan said. “It didn’t work in Tampa (St. Petersburg). It’s not going to work in Tampa again. It’s a mistake.”
But Morgan is confident the team would succeed in Orlando.
“The reason Orlando is the place is we have 80 million visitors,” Morgan said. “The (NBA) Orlando Magic is probably the sorriest franchise in the history of sports, but yet they fill arenas all the time. Why? 80 million tourists? … That’s why it should be here."
Morgan last year committed a reported $250 million to the Orlando Dreamers group seeking to get a franchise, but withdrew when it became apparent Zalupski’s group was going to buy the Rays. Morgan said he would get back involved if the Rays are willing to relocate.
Asked by TV host Greg Warmoth if the team will come to Orlando, Morgan said, “If they don’t get the votes in Tampa … Yes."
The Rays have said they are talking exclusively with Tampa-area leaders, but if the deal isn’t approved they “would have no choice but to evaluate alternatives.”
Zalupski told the Tampa Bay Times last week that they were focused on completing a memorandum of understanding with the city and county sometime this month, and getting votes done and definitive documents finalized “as close to June 1 as possible.”
On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has spoken in support of the Rays’ Tampa plans, said if the deal doesn’t happen he expects Orlando to make a strong pitch, as would other cities.
“I know Orlando wants it,” DeSantis said, per floridapolictics.com. “They would plow a lot of money into this. There’s no question Orange County would. And Charlotte (North Carolina) would, too. Nashville would. I mean, there’s a lot of places around the country who would like to have a MLB franchise.”
James Uthmeier, Florida’s attorney general, has intensified his scrutiny of the National Football League’s diversity and inclusion policies by issuing a subpoena.
This escalation comes after Uthmeier penned a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in March asking the league to stop enforcing the “Rooney Rule,” which requires teams to interview minority candidates for open coaching and front office roles, in Florida.
In a letter Wednesday to Ted Ullyot, the league’s executive vice president and general counsel, Uthmeier thanked the NFL for saying that it no longer requires the consideration of race or sex in the hiring of at least one offensive assistant coach, and for updating its website in response to his initial letter.
But, Uthmeier wrote, it wasn’t enough to quell his concerns.
“All in all, the Rooney Rule and the NFL’s related ‘inclusive hiring’ policies — and the NFL’s representation about those policies — continue to raise significant concerns under Florida law,” he wrote.
In March, Uthmeier asked the league to comply with his request to stop enforcing the Rooney Rule and any similar polices by May 1. He specifically also objected to the NFL’s Coach and Front Office Accelerator Program and the Mackie Development Program, both of which promote diversity.
On Wednesday, Uthmeier took aim at two additional policies: Resolution JC-2A, which rewards teams who develop minority talent that go on to become general managers or head coaches with draft picks; and the aforementioned offensive assistant coach mandate, which the NFL has told Uthmeier it is no longer enforcing.
“Given the NFL’s history of open discrimination, however, we are skeptical that the mandate is no longer in place,” Uthmeier said of the offensive assistant policy. “And like the Rooney Rule, it violates Florida law.”
The Rooney Rule was adopted in 2003 to address the low number of minority head coaches across the league at the time. In 2009, the policy was amended to include executive positions. In 2022, women were added to the minority candidate definition.
Now, NFL teams currently must interview at least two minority candidates for vacant head coach, general manager and coordinator roles.
In March, Uthmeier called the policy “blatant race and sex discrimination,” and said “it is illegal under Florida law,” citing the Florida Civil Rights Act, a 1992 anti-discrimination law.
Uthmeier’s inquiry emerges in the aftermath of a federal and state push against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
Last year, President Donald Trump issued a spate of executive orders targeting programs that promote diversity, including an order that threatened to withhold federal funding from local governments that did not terminate such policies and programs. And last summer, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Department of Governmental Efficiency audited cities and counties across Florida in search of “waste, fraud and abuse” with a focus on “DEI-related spending inconsistent with state law.”
James Uthmeier, Florida’s attorney general, has intensified his scrutiny of the National Football League’s diversity and inclusion policies by issuing a subpoena.
This escalation comes after Uthmeier penned a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in March asking the league to stop enforcing the “Rooney Rule,” which requires teams to interview minority candidates for open coaching and front office roles, in Florida.
In a letter Wednesday to Ted Ullyot, the league’s executive vice president and general counsel, Uthmeier thanked the NFL for saying that it no longer requires the consideration of race or sex in the hiring of at least one offensive assistant coach, and for updating its website in response to his initial letter.
But, Uthmeier wrote, it wasn’t enough to quell his concerns.
“All in all, the Rooney Rule and the NFL’s related ‘inclusive hiring’ policies — and the NFL’s representation about those policies — continue to raise significant concerns under Florida law,” he wrote.
In March, Uthmeier asked the league to comply with his request to stop enforcing the Rooney Rule and any similar polices by May 1. He specifically also objected to the NFL’s Coach and Front Office Accelerator Program and the Mackie Development Program, both of which promote diversity.
On Wednesday, Uthmeier took aim at two additional policies: Resolution JC-2A, which rewards teams who develop minority talent that go on to become general managers or head coaches with draft picks; and the aforementioned offensive assistant coach mandate, which the NFL has told Uthmeier it is no longer enforcing.
“Given the NFL’s history of open discrimination, however, we are skeptical that the mandate is no longer in place,” Uthmeier said of the offensive assistant policy. “And like the Rooney Rule, it violates Florida law.”
The Rooney Rule was adopted in 2003 to address the low number of minority head coaches across the league at the time. In 2009, the policy was amended to include executive positions. In 2022, women were added to the minority candidate definition.
Now, NFL teams currently must interview at least two minority candidates for vacant head coach, general manager and coordinator roles.
In March, Uthmeier called the policy “blatant race and sex discrimination,” and said “it is illegal under Florida law,” citing the Florida Civil Rights Act, a 1992 anti-discrimination law.
Uthmeier’s inquiry emerges in the aftermath of a federal and state push against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
Last year, President Donald Trump issued a spate of executive orders targeting programs that promote diversity, including an order that threatened to withhold federal funding from local governments that did not terminate such policies and programs. And last summer, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Department of Governmental Efficiency audited cities and counties across Florida in search of “waste, fraud and abuse” with a focus on “DEI-related spending inconsistent with state law.”
Baker Mayfield may not want to relive the Bucs’ 2025 season, from the peak of a 6-2 start to spiraling out of the playoffs with losses in seven of the last nine games.
But thanks to Netflix, you can.
Mayfield is one of the four NFL players profiled in the third season of “Quarterback,” a documentary series that provides a behind-the-scenes look at the 2025 season.
Also featured are Cam Ward of the Titans, Jayden Daniels of the Commanders and Joe Flacco, who played for both the Browns and rival Bengals in 2025.
Mayfield continued to play despite an array of injuries to his throwing shoulder, elbow, knee and oblique.
He passed for 3,693 yards and 26 touchdowns in his third season with the Bucs but failed to win a third straight NFC South title, losing out to the Panthers on a tiebreaker despite owning an identical 8-9 record.
Off the field, there was plenty of pain but also joy when Mayfield and his wife, Emily, learned they were expecting their second child, a boy named Maverick.
In the end, the Bucs walked off the field as winners in their final game over Carolina Jan. 3 at Raymond James Stadium. But their streak of four straight division titles ended the next day, when Atlanta beat New Orleans.
The colorful and authentic personality of Mayfield should come through in the series, which in the past has featured quarterbacks such as Kirk Cousins, Patrick Mahomes, Marcus Mariota, Joe Burrow and Jared Goff.
The first episode will stream on July 14.
It should be entertaining, if you have the stomach for it.
Baker Mayfield may not want to relive the Bucs’ 2025 season, from the peak of a 6-2 start to spiraling out of the playoffs with losses in seven of the last nine games.
But thanks to Netflix, you can.
Mayfield is one of the four NFL players profiled in the third season of “Quarterback,” a documentary series that provides a behind-the-scenes look at the 2025 season.
Also featured are Cam Ward of the Titans, Jayden Daniels of the Commanders and Joe Flacco, who played for both the Browns and rival Bengals in 2025.
Mayfield continued to play despite an array of injuries to his throwing shoulder, elbow, knee and oblique.
He passed for 3,693 yards and 26 touchdowns in his third season with the Bucs but failed to win a third straight NFC South title, losing out to the Panthers on a tiebreaker despite owning an identical 8-9 record.
Off the field, there was plenty of pain but also joy when Mayfield and his wife, Emily, learned they were expecting their second child, a boy named Maverick.
In the end, the Bucs walked off the field as winners in their final game over Carolina Jan. 3 at Raymond James Stadium. But their streak of four straight division titles ended the next day, when Atlanta beat New Orleans.
The colorful and authentic personality of Mayfield should come through in the series, which in the past has featured quarterbacks such as Kirk Cousins, Patrick Mahomes, Marcus Mariota, Joe Burrow and Jared Goff.
The first episode will stream on July 14.
It should be entertaining, if you have the stomach for it.
It’s a statistic so absurd it appears to be a mistake. Cade Otton had 59 receptions last season, second most on the team.
The Bucs’ other tight ends, Payne Durham and Devin Culp, had one catch each. That’s as many as left tackle Tristan Wirfs, who, like Culp, made his only reception in the end zone.
That doesn’t include Ko Kieft, who broke a leg in a Week 3 win against the Jets and did not record a catch.
Otton signed a three-year contract extension worth $30 million in March. For the past two seasons, he’s been the Bucs’ iron man, rarely coming off the field. And it hasn’t really been a problem, because Otton has embraced the dirty work — serving as an in-line blocker, an extra pass protector and a dependable underneath target while playing nearly 93% of the offensive snaps.
So what are the Bucs expected to do with their tight ends this season under new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson? Furthermore, did it make sense to use a sixth-round pick on LSU tight end Bauer Sharp, a converted quarterback?
With Robinson taking over, Otton’s workload could potentially change.
Robinson leaned heavily on two tight end personnel in Atlanta, deploying 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) on 38% of the Falcons’ offensive snaps last season, one of the highest rates in the NFL. The question is whether that approach is realistic in Tampa Bay, when you consider its stockpile of wide receivers and desire to keep playmakers on the field.
“Starting with Cade, he does a lot for us,” tight ends coach Justin Peelle said. “And yeah, maybe the numbers aren’t up there amongst the top ones, but he does a lot of things for us that I think a lot of people don’t realize. He’s good in the run game, obviously. We’ve had some injuries at the tackle position, so we had to do some different things with him to protect those edges. And, you know, he’s an unselfish player, a team leader. Does a lot for this team that goes unrecognized. He doesn’t say anything about it, either. That’s just the way he is.”
As for the other tight ends?
“It was just the way it went last year, you know?” Peelle said. “Right, wrong or indifferent, those opportunities didn’t come our way. But that’s what I do love about this room. They’re a very unselfish group. They’ll do whatever they’re asked to do. They don’t say anything. They don’t complain. They’re just trying to help win ballgames, and that’s what those guys did last year.”
Robinson knows he has lots of options if he decides to call a tight end package. It’s more likely that two will get to line up on the same play, and he would like to give Otton a breather.
“You love the tight end packages you can have with both those guys,” Robinson said of Otton and Durham. “Payne has been a guy that, when you throw on the tape, you see the physicality as a blocker and everything that’s thrown to him, he’s making plays as well. He hasn’t had many opportunities.
“Bauer was somebody our personnel guys kind of raised up sometime around February, and you start watching him and you see his journey and knowing the quarterback position, and he’s transitioning into that tight end role. You love the tenacity he plays with. He plays with an edge. He can run. He has some athleticism, and he’s got some toughness at the line of scrimmage.”
Sharp had a combined 66 receptions for 576 yards and four touchdowns over the past two seasons while playing at Oklahoma and LSU. He has a good understanding of coverage as a former quarterback.
“Football is football,” Sharp said. “You know, you’ve got to put your head down. It’s kill or be killed out there. That’s what it is. My ultimate (goal) is to earn the respect of teammates, but we’re going to play ball.”
The problem is that the Bucs are so stacked at receiver, with Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, Tez Johnson and rookie Ted Hurst, that they may opt to play one tight end and three receivers most of the year.
Nonetheless, Robinson has more options in the tight end room, and he may not be as hesitant to use them, given his success in Atlanta.
“Cade and Payne, they’ve had real good careers to this point, and they’ll just continue to progress," he said. “And then Bauer is a guy who brings a unique skill set with some versatility. He lined up everywhere at LSU. He lined up in the backfield. He was a tight end out wide ... so there’s some good versatility within that room.”
It’s a statistic so absurd it appears to be a mistake. Cade Otton had 59 receptions last season, second most on the team.
The Bucs’ other tight ends, Payne Durham and Devin Culp, had one catch each. That’s as many as left tackle Tristan Wirfs, who, like Culp, made his only reception in the end zone.
That doesn’t include Ko Kieft, who broke a leg in a Week 3 win against the Jets and did not record a catch.
Otton signed a three-year contract extension worth $30 million in March. For the past two seasons, he’s been the Bucs’ iron man, rarely coming off the field. And it hasn’t really been a problem, because Otton has embraced the dirty work — serving as an in-line blocker, an extra pass protector and a dependable underneath target while playing nearly 93% of the offensive snaps.
So what are the Bucs expected to do with their tight ends this season under new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson? Furthermore, did it make sense to use a sixth-round pick on LSU tight end Bauer Sharp, a converted quarterback?
With Robinson taking over, Otton’s workload could potentially change.
Robinson leaned heavily on two tight end personnel in Atlanta, deploying 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) on 38% of the Falcons’ offensive snaps last season, one of the highest rates in the NFL. The question is whether that approach is realistic in Tampa Bay, when you consider its stockpile of wide receivers and desire to keep playmakers on the field.
“Starting with Cade, he does a lot for us,” tight ends coach Justin Peelle said. “And yeah, maybe the numbers aren’t up there amongst the top ones, but he does a lot of things for us that I think a lot of people don’t realize. He’s good in the run game, obviously. We’ve had some injuries at the tackle position, so we had to do some different things with him to protect those edges. And, you know, he’s an unselfish player, a team leader. Does a lot for this team that goes unrecognized. He doesn’t say anything about it, either. That’s just the way he is.”
As for the other tight ends?
“It was just the way it went last year, you know?” Peelle said. “Right, wrong or indifferent, those opportunities didn’t come our way. But that’s what I do love about this room. They’re a very unselfish group. They’ll do whatever they’re asked to do. They don’t say anything. They don’t complain. They’re just trying to help win ballgames, and that’s what those guys did last year.”
Robinson knows he has lots of options if he decides to call a tight end package. It’s more likely that two will get to line up on the same play, and he would like to give Otton a breather.
“You love the tight end packages you can have with both those guys,” Robinson said of Otton and Durham. “Payne has been a guy that, when you throw on the tape, you see the physicality as a blocker and everything that’s thrown to him, he’s making plays as well. He hasn’t had many opportunities.
“Bauer was somebody our personnel guys kind of raised up sometime around February, and you start watching him and you see his journey and knowing the quarterback position, and he’s transitioning into that tight end role. You love the tenacity he plays with. He plays with an edge. He can run. He has some athleticism, and he’s got some toughness at the line of scrimmage.”
Sharp had a combined 66 receptions for 576 yards and four touchdowns over the past two seasons while playing at Oklahoma and LSU. He has a good understanding of coverage as a former quarterback.
“Football is football,” Sharp said. “You know, you’ve got to put your head down. It’s kill or be killed out there. That’s what it is. My ultimate (goal) is to earn the respect of teammates, but we’re going to play ball.”
The problem is that the Bucs are so stacked at receiver, with Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, Tez Johnson and rookie Ted Hurst, that they may opt to play one tight end and three receivers most of the year.
Nonetheless, Robinson has more options in the tight end room, and he may not be as hesitant to use them, given his success in Atlanta.
“Cade and Payne, they’ve had real good careers to this point, and they’ll just continue to progress," he said. “And then Bauer is a guy who brings a unique skill set with some versatility. He lined up everywhere at LSU. He lined up in the backfield. He was a tight end out wide ... so there’s some good versatility within that room.”
Retirement just didn’t suit Tom Moore. At 87, the longtime NFL assistant is heading back to work and back to the school where it all began.
Moore, whose coaching and playing roots trace back to the University of Iowa, is returning to the program decades after first launching a football career that would span generations, multiple Super Bowl runs and some of the game’s greatest quarterbacks.
Moore will serve as senior consultant to head coach Kirk Ferentz and offensive adviser at Iowa, where he played quarterback from 1958-60 before beginning his coaching career there as a graduate assistant from 1961-62.
“I’m back where I started 65 years ago,” Moore said by telephone Wednesday. “That was my first job. I’m very grateful to Kirk Ferentz.He’s been very, very good to me. I create my own schedule. I come and go when I want and when I can."
Moore officially retired after the 2025 NFL season after spending the past seven years with the Bucs as senior offensive consultant. At the time, his wife, Willie, was recovering from a stroke.
Since retiring, Moore said, he flew to Iowa to talk to the Hawkeyes’ coaching staff and made an appearance at the state high school football coaches convention.
”I told (Ferentz) I wanted to keep busy," Moore said. “He said, ‘Great, maybe we can work something out.’”
Moore is one of the most accomplished assistant coaches in NFL history, having won four Super Bowl rings: two with the Steelers (1978-79), one with the Colts (2006) and another with the Bucs (2020).
He and Peyton Manning arrived with the Colts in 1998, and he was Manning’s offensive coordinator for his first 11 years in Indianapolis. Moore also coached the Steelers’ Terry Bradshaw and finished his career on the Bucs’ staff supporting Tom Brady.
Before launching his NFL career, Moore spent his formative coaching years in college football. From Iowa, he coached at Dayton, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Minnesota, in addition to the New York Stars of the World Football League.
“I’m very appreciative of all the college situations. I have nothing but great respect and admiration for Kirk Ferentz and the job he’s done,” Moore said. “He’s been there 28 years. He does a great job coaching and taking two- and three-star players and turning them into players like (Bucs tackle) Tristan Wirfs and (former Colts tight end) Dallas Clark.
“(Ferentz) is as class as you can possibly be. It’s an honor and a privilege to be at Iowa, and I get to wave to those kids (at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital) between the first and second quarter.”
Moore said he will return to Iowa in June for the first three weeks of seasonal planning and be back when the Hawkeyes begin training camp.
Retirement just didn’t suit Tom Moore. At 87, the longtime NFL assistant is heading back to work and back to the school where it all began.
Moore, whose coaching and playing roots trace back to the University of Iowa, is returning to the program decades after first launching a football career that would span generations, multiple Super Bowl runs and some of the game’s greatest quarterbacks.
Moore will serve as senior consultant to head coach Kirk Ferentz and offensive adviser at Iowa, where he played quarterback from 1958-60 before beginning his coaching career there as a graduate assistant from 1961-62.
“I’m back where I started 65 years ago,” Moore said by telephone Wednesday. “That was my first job. I’m very grateful to Kirk Ferentz.He’s been very, very good to me. I create my own schedule. I come and go when I want and when I can."
Moore officially retired after the 2025 NFL season after spending the past seven years with the Bucs as senior offensive consultant. At the time, his wife, Willie, was recovering from a stroke.
Since retiring, Moore said, he flew to Iowa to talk to the Hawkeyes’ coaching staff and made an appearance at the state high school football coaches convention.
”I told (Ferentz) I wanted to keep busy," Moore said. “He said, ‘Great, maybe we can work something out.’”
Moore is one of the most accomplished assistant coaches in NFL history, having won four Super Bowl rings: two with the Steelers (1978-79), one with the Colts (2006) and another with the Bucs (2020).
He and Peyton Manning arrived with the Colts in 1998, and he was Manning’s offensive coordinator for his first 11 years in Indianapolis. Moore also coached the Steelers’ Terry Bradshaw and finished his career on the Bucs’ staff supporting Tom Brady.
Before launching his NFL career, Moore spent his formative coaching years in college football. From Iowa, he coached at Dayton, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Minnesota, in addition to the New York Stars of the World Football League.
“I’m very appreciative of all the college situations. I have nothing but great respect and admiration for Kirk Ferentz and the job he’s done,” Moore said. “He’s been there 28 years. He does a great job coaching and taking two- and three-star players and turning them into players like (Bucs tackle) Tristan Wirfs and (former Colts tight end) Dallas Clark.
“(Ferentz) is as class as you can possibly be. It’s an honor and a privilege to be at Iowa, and I get to wave to those kids (at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital) between the first and second quarter.”
Moore said he will return to Iowa in June for the first three weeks of seasonal planning and be back when the Hawkeyes begin training camp.
TORONTO — For a good part of Tuesday night, the most intriguing question was whether starter Shane McClanahan, after another dominant outing, could actually be better than he was before missing two-plus seasons with arm injuries.
But by the end, the pressing issue was, how did the Rays have to work so hard for this win?
With a five-run lead in the seventh inning, the Rays seemed positioned to easily extend their torrid run and improve their American League-leading record to 28-13.
Instead, it turned into an anxious but eventually celebratory evening, as they blew that lead then rallied for two runs in the 10th and hung on for a 7-6 win.
“We won. That was really fun. That was a great atmosphere (with a Rogers Centre crowd of 41,265),” McClanahan said. “This team doesn’t quit. So, kind of hit that reset button after that whatever inning happened, and these guys fought all game long. It’s really cool to see.”
The Rays have now won 10 of their last 11, 16 of 18 (matching their best 18-game streak in franchise history) and 26 of 34 in climbing to a season-high 15 games over .500. They have won six straight series for the first since August 2023.
They started the 10th with Cedric Mullins the runner on second, then moving up on a fly out. Taylor Walls, expecting a bunt sign and joking his “eyes lit up” when he didn’t get it, slapped a first-pitch single to right for a 6-5 lead.
The Rays added the important second run, as Walls advanced on a walk then alertly on a wild pitch. Jonathan Aranda pushed his American League-leading RBI total to 33 with a sacrifice fly.
“I’ve said it before, you’ve always got to keep fighting. You’ve always got to try to keep winning the game,” Aranda said via team interpreter Kevin Vera. “Obviously, Toronto ultimately tied it up at 5-5, but we were back to square one, so we had to regroup and then do our job.
“And that’s what we did. ... We got the win. Obviously, very happy with the fight that we showed.”
They needed to rally because of a rare collapse from a bullpen that had been the majors’ best over the last three weeks and had allowed five runs over its last 47 ⅓ innings.
Tuesday, Casey Legumina and Cole Sulser — with an error by third baseman Junior Caminero factoring in — gave up five in a seven-batter span in the seventh.
“They’ve been really good,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Maybe it was our turn as an offense to pick them up a little bit.”
Legumina allowed a one-out single and a two-out double for a run, then was replaced by Sulser, who had made 10 straight scoreless appearances. Sulser walked No. 9 hitter Brandon Valenzuela — “the at-bat you’d like to have back,” Cash said — then allowed a one-run single to George Springer and a two-run double to Yohendrick Pinango to cut the lead to 5-4.
Cash next brought in Kevin Kelly, who also has been throwing well, to face Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Kelly got the ground ball he wanted. But Caminero, who had a rough day overall, tried to make the play in front of Walls, the more sure-handed shortstop, and the ball glanced off his glove for his second error, allowing the tying run to score.
Cash had a succinct take on the play — “let Walls catch the ball” — and then took Caminero out for defense in the 10th.
McClanahan was dazzling, allowing only a walk (on an Automated Ball-Strike challenge reversal) through the first four innings and just one single in the fifth, striking out a season-high-matching seven.
In doing so, he extended his career-best streaks of scoreless starts (of five or more innings) to four, tying Drew Rasmussen for the team record, and innings to 21 ⅔.
McClanahan lowered his ERA to 2.27, his opponents’ batting average to .168 and his WHIP (walk and hits per innings pitched) to 0.98, while slightly increasing his fastball velocity to 95.7 mph and clocking as high as 97.8.
“He had everything going again,” Cash said. “He just faced a lot of those guys and still, one hit. Just not a lot of hard contact, filled up the strike zone for the most part. He was nasty.”
And tracking to keep getting better.
“I think that’s kind of what a lot of us thought was, it’s just going to take a little bit of time,” Cash said. “We’re a month and a half in, pushing two months, and he’s definitely (going) in the right direction.”
McClanahan, as usual, wasn’t overly pleased, saying he felt like it was “a little bit more of a grind,” perhaps from being sick for a few days, and took a lot of battling.
“It’s called competing my butt off, and that’s just what it is. When big moments get big, just got to compete,” he said, noting he didn’t feel he did well the first month of the season.
“I’m actually really enjoying competing. I’m starting to feel like myself out there in terms of that edge, I guess.”
And looking like his old self, or even better, in a lot of ways.
TORONTO — For a good part of Tuesday night, the most pressing question was whether Shane McClanahan, after another dominant outing, could actually be better than he was before missing two-plus seasons with arm injuries.
But by the end, the issue was how did they have to sweat this win so much?
With a five-run lead going into the seventh inning, the Rays seemed positioned to easily extend their torrid run and further improve their American League-leading record to 28-13.
Instead, it turned into an anxious evening as they blew that lead then had to rally in the 10th for a 7-6 win.
Taylor Walls singled in Cedric Mullins, the runner placed on second, for the first run. Then Walls, who moved up on a walk and a wild pitch, scored on a sacrifice fly by AL RBI leader Jonathan Aranda.
The Rays have now won 10 of their last 11, 16 of 18 (matching their best 18-game streak in franchise history) and 26 of 34 in climbing to a season-high 15 games over .500. They won six straight series for the sixth time and first since August 2023.
With McClanahan holding the Blue Jays hitless for four innings and allowing just one single over five while striking out seven, he extended his career-best streaks of scoreless starts to four and innings to 21 ⅔.
The Rays provided plenty of support, building an early 3-0 lead and expanding it to 5-0 by the seventh.
But relievers Casey Legumina and Cole Sulser — with an error by third baseman Junior Caminero factoring in — let it all get away.
Legumina allowed a one-out single and a two-out double in the seventh, then was replaced by Sulser, who had been pitching extremely well, retiring his last 13 batters and posting 10 straight scoreless appearances.
But that wasn’t the case Tuesday. He walked No. 9 hitter Brandon Valenzuela, then allowed a one-run single to George Springer and a two-run double to Yohendrick Pinango.
Rays manager Kevin Cash went to Kevin Kelly, who also has been throwing well, to face Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Kelly got the ground ball he wanted, but Caminero, moving toward first, tried to make the play in front of Walls, the more sure-handed shortstop.
The ball glanced off Caminero’s glove for his second error of the night and went past Walls, allowing Pinango to score the tying run.
McClanahan retired the first seven Blue Jays before an Automated Ball-Strike challenge reversal led to a Davis Schneider walk in the third, and took a no-hitter into the fifth. Lenyn Sosa reached on an error to start the fifth, then McClanahan allowed his only hit, a single to left by Ernie Clement.
He struck out a season-high-matching seven and didn’t walk anyone.
McClanahan tied Drew Rasmussen for the franchise record with his fourth straight scoreless start of at least five innings, never having done more than two before.
The 21 ⅔ scoreless innings are by far his career best. He lowered his opponents’ batting average to .168 and his WHIP (walk and hits per innings pitched) to 0.98.
The Rays again jumped out to an early lead off Blue Jays lefty starter Patrick Corbin.
Aranda, extending his latest hot streak, singled with one out in the first, went to second on Caminero’s single and scored when Jonny DeLuca blooped a ball behind first and just fair for a double.
The Rays made it 3-0 in the third. Caminero led off with a single and Ben Williamson laced a two-out double. Cedric Mullins worked an impressive nine-pitch at-bat, fouling off four two-strike pitches, then singled to center.
Walls created a run in the sixth. He started with a walk, then stole second, went to third on a ground out and scored on a wild pitch. Ryan Vilade homered in the seventh.
TORONTO — The Rays got good medical news Tuesday on speedy outfielder Chandler Simpson but not so much on second baseman Gavin Lux.
Simpson left Monday’s game after his eighth-inning at-bat with a left hamstring issue that the Rays initially hoped was just cramping. Simpson said Tuesday that was the case, based on “a small history” with the issue, and he is expected to return to action soon, possibly by Wednesday.
Lux, a veteran expected to play a key role after being acquired in the three-way trade that sent Josh Lowe to the Angels in January, is now dealing with a third different injury and will be shut down for an indefinite amount of time.
Lux, 28, has been sidelined all season, first with a right shoulder impingement, then 10 days into his initial rehab turning his left ankle and missing nearly two more weeks before returning to action with Triple-A Durham on April 24. His 20-day rehab window was to expire Wednesday.
Rays manager Kevin Cash said Lux now has a left shoulder issue and will return to St. Petersburg with plans to undergo imaging later this week.
“He’s going to spend some time off the field for the foreseeable future,” Cash said. “I feel for him. I know he’s worked hard to try to get back, but so far, his body, it’s been a challenge to keep him healthy.”
In 21 rehab games, Lux hit .200 (14-for-70) with one homer, 10 RBIs and a .678 OPS with 23 strikeouts in 90 plate appearances. In 17 starts at second base, he made six errors.
Simpson, who had more cramping through the night, said hydration and treatment addressed the issue.
Simpson had a dominant performance on Monday, reaching base four times, including three infield hits, and scoring three runs.
Most notable was a fourth-inning sequence when he created a run almost entirely with his legs.
He bounced a ball toward first and beat the throw, went to second when Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman committed a disengagement violation, stole third and scored on an errant throw.
“I’ve seen a lot of solo home runs,” Simpson said. “I feel like that was my version of a solo home run.”
Pepiot set for hip surgery
Starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot also thought he wasn’t going to be out long.
When he was first sidelined the last week of spring training by right hip inflammation he thought, as the Rays said after diagnosis by the team athletic training and medical staff, that he would miss only a couple weeks.
But his hip didn’t improve with any of the conservative methods of treatment such as rest, treatment, anti-inflammatories and a cortisone shot.
As a result, he will have surgery on Wednesday that will sideline him for the rest of the season, with the expectation he will be fully healthy for the start of spring training.
“It was just frustrating,” Pepiot said earlier this month. “I came in every day and I’m just like, ‘Why is this not getting any better? Why am I still feeling this?’
“I tried to throw, came in the next day, and it’s back to worse. I would do an hour’s worth of stuff before I’d even go and throw, just to try to make sure my hip was all right to throw. Then I’d go throw, then I come back in and everything was back to what it was before I threw. That’s not very sustainable to try to go do that for 30 starts. You’re just begging for something else to be hurt.”
Specifically, and most concerningly, his arm.
“Not being able to be mechanically how I want to be, it’s just going to lead to something else and something worse arm-wise — shoulder, elbow, or something like that,” Pepiot said. “So it was disappointing, frustrating, but we gave it everything we could.
“It was one thing where I didn’t think was anything too crazy but ended up being something I just have to get fixed.”
Technically, Pepiot has a femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), which is the result of bone growth on the hip, causing friction that can impact the cartilage and labrum.
He said the extent of the repair won’t be known until Dr. Thomas Byrd, the specialist who will do the procedure in Nashville, can assess the specific issue.
Pepiot expects to be on crutches for a few weeks and should be fully recovered in about six months.
Still, after his solid 2025 season, the disappointment and frustration has been real.
“Obviously, you never want to miss a whole season, especially with the way the guys are playing,” he said. “You know how much fun we were having in spring training, and just feeling like I was part of everything.
“Just taking that next step of having a good year last year, making 31 starts, trying to go do it all over again this year and do it in air conditioning back (at Tropicana Field), and to have that fully taken away, I think it’s going to take a little time.”
TORONTO — The Rays got good medical news Tuesday on speedy outfielder Chandler Simpson but not so much on second baseman Gavin Lux.
Simpson left Monday’s game after his eighth-inning at-bat with a left hamstring issue that the Rays initially hoped was just cramping. Simpson said Tuesday that was the case, based on “a small history” with the issue, and he is expected to return to action soon, possibly by Wednesday.
Lux, a veteran expected to play a key role after being acquired in the three-way trade that sent Josh Lowe to the Angels in January, is now dealing with a third different injury and will be shut down for an indefinite amount of time.
Lux, 28, has been sidelined all season, first with a right shoulder impingement, then 10 days into his initial rehab turning his left ankle and missing nearly two more weeks before returning to action with Triple-A Durham on April 24. His 20-day rehab window was to expire Wednesday.
Rays manager Kevin Cash said Lux now has a left shoulder issue and will return to St. Petersburg with plans to undergo imaging later this week.
“He’s going to spend some time off the field for the foreseeable future,” Cash said. “I feel for him. I know he’s worked hard to try to get back, but so far, his body, it’s been a challenge to keep him healthy.”
In 21 rehab games, Lux hit .200 (14-for-70) with one homer, 10 RBIs and a .678 OPS with 23 strikeouts in 90 plate appearances. In 17 starts at second base, he made six errors.
Simpson, who had more cramping through the night, said hydration and treatment addressed the issue.
Simpson had a dominant performance on Monday, reaching base four times, including three infield hits, and scoring three runs.
Most notable was a fourth-inning sequence when he created a run almost entirely with his legs.
He bounced a ball toward first and beat the throw, went to second when Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman committed a disengagement violation, stole third and scored on an errant throw.
“I’ve seen a lot of solo home runs,” Simpson said. “I feel like that was my version of a solo home run.”
Pepiot set for hip surgery
Starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot also thought he wasn’t going to be out long.
When he was first sidelined the last week of spring training by right hip inflammation he thought, as the Rays said after diagnosis by the team athletic training and medical staff, that he would miss only a couple weeks.
But his hip didn’t improve with any of the conservative methods of treatment such as rest, treatment, anti-inflammatories and a cortisone shot.
As a result, he will have surgery on Wednesday that will sideline him for the rest of the season, with the expectation he will be fully healthy for the start of spring training.
“It was just frustrating,” Pepiot said earlier this month. “I came in every day and I’m just like, ‘Why is this not getting any better? Why am I still feeling this?’
“I tried to throw, came in the next day, and it’s back to worse. I would do an hour’s worth of stuff before I’d even go and throw, just to try to make sure my hip was all right to throw. Then I’d go throw, then I come back in and everything was back to what it was before I threw. That’s not very sustainable to try to go do that for 30 starts. You’re just begging for something else to be hurt.”
Specifically, and most concerningly, his arm.
“Not being able to be mechanically how I want to be, it’s just going to lead to something else and something worse arm-wise — shoulder, elbow, or something like that,” Pepiot said. “So it was disappointing, frustrating, but we gave it everything we could.
“It was one thing where I didn’t think was anything too crazy but ended up being something I just have to get fixed.”
Technically, Pepiot has a femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), which is the result of bone growth on the hip, causing friction that can impact the cartilage and labrum.
He said the extent of the repair won’t be known until Dr. Thomas Byrd, the specialist who will do the procedure in Nashville, can assess the specific issue.
Pepiot expects to be on crutches for a few weeks and should be fully recovered in about six months.
Still, after his solid 2025 season, the disappointment and frustration has been real.
“Obviously, you never want to miss a whole season, especially with the way the guys are playing,” he said. “You know how much fun we were having in spring training, and just feeling like I was part of everything.
“Just taking that next step of having a good year last year, making 31 starts, trying to go do it all over again this year and do it in air conditioning back (at Tropicana Field), and to have that fully taken away, I think it’s going to take a little time.”
TALLAHASSEE — A key Republican senator on Tuesday threw cold water on the Legislature assigning $150 million to help the Tampa Bay Rays build a new stadium in Hillsborough County.
Sen. Ed Hooper, a Clearwater Republican wholeads the Senate budget committee, told reporters that he didn’t think the state should be assigning any money to the effort until local governments reach agreements with the Rays.
“The locals, Hillsborough County and the city, there seems to be some heartburn at the request,” Hooper said Tuesday. “And until they resolve that, I don’t think the state needs to be involved.”
The statements, on the opening day of the Legislature’s budget negotiations, add additional pressure on the Rays to reach non-binding agreements with Tampa and Hillsborough County to assign $1 billion in public funding for a new stadium.
Earlier this month, Rays CEO Ken Babby told the Tampa Bay Times that the team’s priority is securing the commitments by the end of May.
“The state needs to know that the county, the city and the Rays are committed to this partnership,” Babby said.
Hillsborough County has said it’s unlikely to meet the team’s June 1 deadline.
The Rays want to build a $2.3 billion stadium on Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus. To help the college rebuild, the Senate assigned $50 million in its proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The House assigned nothing.
But since then, the Rays have said they need $100 million more from the state to rebuild the college and another $30 million for transportation projects.
Hooper’s statements doesn’t mean the funding is dead. The Legislature’s budget negotiations are expected to wrap up by the end of this month.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has come out in strong support for the Rays’ relocation. The team’s new owner, Patrick Zalupski, gave $250,000 to DeSantis’ failed presidential campaign.
TALLAHASSEE — A key Republican senator on Tuesday threw cold water on the Legislature assigning $150 million to help the Tampa Bay Rays build a new stadium in Hillsborough County.
Sen. Ed Hooper, a Clearwater Republican wholeads the Senate budget committee, told reporters that he didn’t think the state should be assigning any money to the effort until local governments reach agreements with the Rays.
“The locals, Hillsborough County and the city, there seems to be some heartburn at the request,” Hooper said Tuesday. “And until they resolve that, I don’t think the state needs to be involved.”
The statements, on the opening day of the Legislature’s budget negotiations, add additional pressure on the Rays to reach non-binding agreements with Tampa and Hillsborough County to assign $1 billion in public funding for a new stadium.
Earlier this month, Rays CEO Ken Babby told the Tampa Bay Times that the team’s priority is securing the commitments by the end of May.
“The state needs to know that the county, the city and the Rays are committed to this partnership,” Babby said.
Hillsborough County has said it’s unlikely to meet the team’s June 1 deadline.
The Rays want to build a $2.3 billion stadium on Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus. To help the college rebuild, the Senate assigned $50 million in its proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The House assigned nothing.
But since then, the Rays have said they need $100 million more from the state to rebuild the college and another $30 million for transportation projects.
Hooper’s statements doesn’t mean the funding is dead. The Legislature’s budget negotiations are expected to wrap up by the end of this month.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has come out in strong support for the Rays’ relocation. The team’s new owner, Patrick Zalupski, gave $250,000 to DeSantis’ failed presidential campaign.
At 34, new Bucs quarterbacks coach Chandler Whitmer is only three years older than quarterback Baker Mayfield. But the youthful assistant already has proven he can elevate play at the game’s most important position.
This past season, Whitmer helped guide Fernando Mendoza through an undefeated campaign at Indiana that culminated in a national championship and Heisman Trophy award.
“He’s fantastic,” Whitmer said of Mayfield. “The guy has got a hunger that you would think would be from a rookie. He’s fired up. He loves football. As everybody knows, he’s competitive. His moxie is what makes him special. Obviously, he’s super talented. But that’s what sets him apart. You can really see it in the building, and you can see it with the guys around him. They love playing for him.”
In fact, Baker’s men could have a profound impact on his game this season.
They include offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, a former Rams assistant who worked with Mayfield for five weeks when he was claimed off waivers from Carolina in 2022; Ken Zampese, the senior offensive assistant/pass game specialist who was Mayfield’s quarterbacks coach his rookie year in Cleveland; and passing game coordinator T.J. Yates.
“Baker is kind of one of the last in a dying breed of those competitive alpha quarterbacks,” Yates said. “There’s a lot of guys across the league who are just a little more softly mannered. A little more mildly mannered. It’s just the way of social media and the sensitivity that goes with that younger generation.
“Baker is just different compared to the rest of the guys that I’ve been around. ... The dudes, you know, really know how to play the position and just earn that respect from teammates by the way they carry themselves, and the leader and the competitor they are. That’s really what Baker does to stand out from other guys across the league.”
For all the success Mayfield has had during his three seasons in Tampa Bay, his performance took a step back last year. He finished with 3,693 yards passing with 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
But after a 6-2 start, the Bucs lost seven of their final nine games to miss the postseason for the first time in six years, including back-to-back NFC South titles with Mayfield at the helm.
That led to a house-cleaning on the offensive staff by head coach Todd Bowles, who fired offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard after one season, as well as quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis.
Robinson, the Falcons offensive coordinator the past two seasons, worked with Whitmer in Atlanta in 2024, when Whitmer served as passing game specialist before moving to Indiana.
But their history goes back further than that. Robinson was a quarterback at Oklahoma State working as a counselor at an Elite 11 quarterback camp that Whitmer attended while in high school.
“We’ve had a long relationship since then,“ Whitmer said. “For some reason, he took a liking and kind of kept in touch. When I was with the Chargers, he was with the Rams and we both were out there on the West Coast and had a good relationship throughout that time.”
It would be hard for Whitmer to have a better experience in coaching than he did last season at Indiana.
Not only did he help lead the Hoosiers to a national championship, Mendoza played well enough to join Mayfield as a Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick, selected by the Raiders.
“Obviously, it was an awesome experience,” Whitmer said. “The results kind of spoke for themselves. But I can’t say enough good things about (Mendoza). The way he works. Obviously, he’s very talented, but just how much he loves football. That was the thing that jumped out to me early on, and obviously he’s in the NFL now, so I wish him luck. I still have a relationship. There’s still the human element to all of this, so I’m really excited about his future.”
Whitmer also got to witness firsthand how disruptive Rueben Bain Jr. could be in the national championship game, long before the Miami edge rusher became the Bucs’ No. 1 pick.
“Both those guys on the edge (Bain and Akheem Mesidor), we had trouble,“ Whitmer said. ”I remember saying on the microphone, ‘Guys, we can’t block these guys.’ I’m assuming we’re going to see a lot of the same here. We got to see a brief snippet of it in minicamp.
“I think what we liked the most was just how determined and focused he is. I think that’s been made very public, and you can see that in his demeanor and the way he operates. It’s a cliché saying, but the guy is a pro already the way he carries himself.”
Zampese is reunited with Mayfield for the first time since the quarterback was a rookie with the Browns.
“We were just breathing through a firehose back then so we could just play the play,” Zampese said. “And now, he’s knowing who’s where, the strengths of this player, the coverage, the looks, the timing, when the ball needs to come out, spots in the pocket.
“He’s really taken all that experience and rolled it into a more mature-looking player when you watch him play. He’s still the same player. Fiery as ever. Goofy as hell, just like we like him. Just like we’ve hoped to have him. He’s perfect.”
Well, maybe not perfect. Mayfield still has a lot of room for improvement. In addition to staying healthy — he hasn’t missed a game since joining the Bucs but was on the injury report more than a half-dozen times last year — Mayfield is working to improve his footwork.
“The biggest thing has been ... just making sure that’s been consistent,” Whitmer said. “Obviously, you know the timing and system on offense. That really has to translate. So, just making sure we’re being as detailed as possible through that, and if that’s not right not just letting him slide but make sure we communicate throughout that, ‘Hey, this is what we’re looking for.’
“He’s been very open to it. Obviously, the age gap is small, but he wants to be coached no matter who it is, and if we can help him get better, that’s what matters.”
At 34, new Bucs quarterbacks coach Chandler Whitmer is only three years older than quarterback Baker Mayfield. But the youthful assistant already has proven he can elevate play at the game’s most important position.
This past season, Whitmer helped guide Fernando Mendoza through an undefeated campaign at Indiana that culminated in a national championship and Heisman Trophy award.
“He’s fantastic,” Whitmer said of Mayfield. “The guy has got a hunger that you would think would be from a rookie. He’s fired up. He loves football. As everybody knows, he’s competitive. His moxie is what makes him special. Obviously, he’s super talented. But that’s what sets him apart. You can really see it in the building, and you can see it with the guys around him. They love playing for him.”
In fact, Baker’s men could have a profound impact on his game this season.
They include offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, a former Rams assistant who worked with Mayfield for five weeks when he was claimed off waivers from Carolina in 2022; Ken Zampese, the senior offensive assistant/pass game specialist who was Mayfield’s quarterbacks coach his rookie year in Cleveland; and passing game coordinator T.J. Yates.
“Baker is kind of one of the last in a dying breed of those competitive alpha quarterbacks,” Yates said. “There’s a lot of guys across the league who are just a little more softly mannered. A little more mildly mannered. It’s just the way of social media and the sensitivity that goes with that younger generation.
“Baker is just different compared to the rest of the guys that I’ve been around. ... The dudes, you know, really know how to play the position and just earn that respect from teammates by the way they carry themselves, and the leader and the competitor they are. That’s really what Baker does to stand out from other guys across the league.”
For all the success Mayfield has had during his three seasons in Tampa Bay, his performance took a step back last year. He finished with 3,693 yards passing with 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
But after a 6-2 start, the Bucs lost seven of their final nine games to miss the postseason for the first time in six years, including back-to-back NFC South titles with Mayfield at the helm.
That led to a house-cleaning on the offensive staff by head coach Todd Bowles, who fired offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard after one season, as well as quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis.
Robinson, the Falcons offensive coordinator the past two seasons, worked with Whitmer in Atlanta in 2024, when Whitmer served as passing game specialist before moving to Indiana.
But their history goes back further than that. Robinson was a quarterback at Oklahoma State working as a counselor at an Elite 11 quarterback camp that Whitmer attended while in high school.
“We’ve had a long relationship since then,“ Whitmer said. “For some reason, he took a liking and kind of kept in touch. When I was with the Chargers, he was with the Rams and we both were out there on the West Coast and had a good relationship throughout that time.”
It would be hard for Whitmer to have a better experience in coaching than he did last season at Indiana.
Not only did he help lead the Hoosiers to a national championship, Mendoza played well enough to join Mayfield as a Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick, selected by the Raiders.
“Obviously, it was an awesome experience,” Whitmer said. “The results kind of spoke for themselves. But I can’t say enough good things about (Mendoza). The way he works. Obviously, he’s very talented, but just how much he loves football. That was the thing that jumped out to me early on, and obviously he’s in the NFL now, so I wish him luck. I still have a relationship. There’s still the human element to all of this, so I’m really excited about his future.”
Whitmer also got to witness firsthand how disruptive Rueben Bain Jr. could be in the national championship game, long before the Miami edge rusher became the Bucs’ No. 1 pick.
“Both those guys on the edge (Bain and Akheem Mesidor), we had trouble,“ Whitmer said. ”I remember saying on the microphone, ‘Guys, we can’t block these guys.’ I’m assuming we’re going to see a lot of the same here. We got to see a brief snippet of it in minicamp.
“I think what we liked the most was just how determined and focused he is. I think that’s been made very public, and you can see that in his demeanor and the way he operates. It’s a cliché saying, but the guy is a pro already the way he carries himself.”
Zampese is reunited with Mayfield for the first time since the quarterback was a rookie with the Browns.
“We were just breathing through a firehose back then so we could just play the play,” Zampese said. “And now, he’s knowing who’s where, the strengths of this player, the coverage, the looks, the timing, when the ball needs to come out, spots in the pocket.
“He’s really taken all that experience and rolled it into a more mature-looking player when you watch him play. He’s still the same player. Fiery as ever. Goofy as hell, just like we like him. Just like we’ve hoped to have him. He’s perfect.”
Well, maybe not perfect. Mayfield still has a lot of room for improvement. In addition to staying healthy — he hasn’t missed a game since joining the Bucs but was on the injury report more than a half-dozen times last year — Mayfield is working to improve his footwork.
“The biggest thing has been ... just making sure that’s been consistent,” Whitmer said. “Obviously, you know the timing and system on offense. That really has to translate. So, just making sure we’re being as detailed as possible through that, and if that’s not right not just letting him slide but make sure we communicate throughout that, ‘Hey, this is what we’re looking for.’
“He’s been very open to it. Obviously, the age gap is small, but he wants to be coached no matter who it is, and if we can help him get better, that’s what matters.”
The pass rush is always fierce in May. Linebackers are all Pro Bowl-bound in April.
That’s just the way it works in the NFL, where hope springs eternal while the scoreboard is unplugged.
And so it is around One Buc Place, where the defense has gotten an infusion of draft picks and out-of-warranty free agents in the past couple of months.
The front-office types see potential. They see passion. They see size, versatility and a dash of nastiness.
And what should you see?
A fresh start.
For now, that’s enough.
There may be a half-dozen familiar faces in the huddle come September, but, make no mistake, this is a new defense. New linemen, new linebackers, new defensive backs. All three levels of the defense will have a fresh look, and that’s an excellent start considering the way 2025 ended.
It wasn’t the most woeful defense we’ve ever seen in Tampa Bay, but it was the worst in quite some time. The Bucs gave up nearly 26 points per game in the final two months of the season while stumbling to a 2-7 finish.
Specifically, the Bucs had one of the worst pass defenses in the league. They couldn’t get pressure from the edge, and the linebackers couldn’t cover tight ends or slot receivers. Worst of all, none of that was surprising.
Since 2023, no NFL defense has given up more passing yards than Tampa Bay. If you’re the optimistic type, you could also point out that no defense has given up fewer yards on the ground than the Bucs during that time. But is that because the Bucs are great run-stoppers or because teams just know it’s easier to attack them through the air?
Considering how much revamping has gone on this offseason, the Bucs may have answered that question for you.
Essentially, they wanted to make opponents less comfortable — less confident — in passing situations.
With that in mind, they drafted Rueben Bain Jr. to be the edge rusher this team has lacked since Shaquil Barrett was in his prime. They signed linebacker Alex Anzalone to provide better pass coverage over the middle. They drafted Keionte Scott for the all-important nickel position.
Throw in interior linemen like free agent A’Shawn Robinson and fifth-round pick DeMonte Capehart, along with rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter and veteran linebackers Christian Rozeboom and Al-Quadin Muhammad, and you have the potential for a lot of new faces on Sunday afternoons.
Or, here’s another way of looking at it:
Of the 20 players with the most snaps on defense last season, 40% are no longer here, including Lavonte David, Jamel Dean, Logan Hall, Christian Izien and Haason Reddick. And SirVocea Dennis, who started 16 games at linebacker, will be hard-pressed to find regular playing time.
What the Bucs were looking for in the draft was production over potential. They cared more about what game tapes looked like instead of what the measurables suggested at the combine. For instance, neither Bain nor Trotter have elite 40 times, but both are exceptionally quick in short bursts, and that shows up on film.
And while Scott is undersized and older than the typical rookie — he’ll be 25 by the season opener — he excelled in almost every way imaginable at Miami. He had two interceptions, five sacks, 13 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.
Does any of that guarantee a return to the glory days of defense in Tampa Bay?
Of course not.
The Bucs have drafted edge rushers (Chris Braswell and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka) who didn’t work out. They signed free agents (Reddick and Akiem Hicks) who turned out to be expensive busts. They’ve had a revolving door in the secondary with eight players chosen in the second or third round in the seven drafts from 2018-24.
At one point or another, all of those players had similar expectations to Bain, Trotter and Scott.
But there is one basic difference:
This offseason feels like an acknowledgment that something drastic was necessary. This is more like remodeling instead of adding a few accent pillows.
With 2025 draft picks Jacob Parrish and Benjamin Morrison expected to compete for Dean’s outside corner position and Calijah Kancey hopeful of staying on the field after missing most of last season with a torn pectoral, the Bucs could look dramatically different.
Now, it’s true that new doesn’t automatically mean better.
But considering Tampa Bay’s pass defense the past few years, it’s hard to imagine it being any worse.
The pass rush is always fierce in May. Linebackers are all Pro Bowl-bound in April.
That’s just the way it works in the NFL, where hope springs eternal while the scoreboard is unplugged.
And so it is around One Buc Place, where the defense has gotten an infusion of draft picks and out-of-warranty free agents in the past couple of months.
The front-office types see potential. They see passion. They see size, versatility and a dash of nastiness.
And what should you see?
A fresh start.
For now, that’s enough.
There may be a half-dozen familiar faces in the huddle come September, but, make no mistake, this is a new defense. New linemen, new linebackers, new defensive backs. All three levels of the defense will have a fresh look, and that’s an excellent start considering the way 2025 ended.
It wasn’t the most woeful defense we’ve ever seen in Tampa Bay, but it was the worst in quite some time. The Bucs gave up nearly 26 points per game in the final two months of the season while stumbling to a 2-7 finish.
Specifically, the Bucs had one of the worst pass defenses in the league. They couldn’t get pressure from the edge, and the linebackers couldn’t cover tight ends or slot receivers. Worst of all, none of that was surprising.
Since 2023, no NFL defense has given up more passing yards than Tampa Bay. If you’re the optimistic type, you could also point out that no defense has given up fewer yards on the ground than the Bucs during that time. But is that because the Bucs are great run-stoppers or because teams just know it’s easier to attack them through the air?
Considering how much revamping has gone on this offseason, the Bucs may have answered that question for you.
Essentially, they wanted to make opponents less comfortable — less confident — in passing situations.
With that in mind, they drafted Rueben Bain Jr. to be the edge rusher this team has lacked since Shaquil Barrett was in his prime. They signed linebacker Alex Anzalone to provide better pass coverage over the middle. They drafted Keionte Scott for the all-important nickel position.
Throw in interior linemen like free agent A’Shawn Robinson and fifth-round pick DeMonte Capehart, along with rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter and veteran linebackers Christian Rozeboom and Al-Quadin Muhammad, and you have the potential for a lot of new faces on Sunday afternoons.
Or, here’s another way of looking at it:
Of the 20 players with the most snaps on defense last season, 40% are no longer here, including Lavonte David, Jamel Dean, Logan Hall, Christian Izien and Haason Reddick. And SirVocea Dennis, who started 16 games at linebacker, will be hard-pressed to find regular playing time.
What the Bucs were looking for in the draft was production over potential. They cared more about what game tapes looked like instead of what the measurables suggested at the combine. For instance, neither Bain nor Trotter have elite 40 times, but both are exceptionally quick in short bursts, and that shows up on film.
And while Scott is undersized and older than the typical rookie — he’ll be 25 by the season opener — he excelled in almost every way imaginable at Miami. He had two interceptions, five sacks, 13 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.
Does any of that guarantee a return to the glory days of defense in Tampa Bay?
Of course not.
The Bucs have drafted edge rushers (Chris Braswell and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka) who didn’t work out. They signed free agents (Reddick and Akiem Hicks) who turned out to be expensive busts. They’ve had a revolving door in the secondary with eight players chosen in the second or third round in the seven drafts from 2018-24.
At one point or another, all of those players had similar expectations to Bain, Trotter and Scott.
But there is one basic difference:
This offseason feels like an acknowledgment that something drastic was necessary. This is more like remodeling instead of adding a few accent pillows.
With 2025 draft picks Jacob Parrish and Benjamin Morrison expected to compete for Dean’s outside corner position and Calijah Kancey hopeful of staying on the field after missing most of last season with a torn pectoral, the Bucs could look dramatically different.
Now, it’s true that new doesn’t automatically mean better.
But considering Tampa Bay’s pass defense the past few years, it’s hard to imagine it being any worse.
The Rays have been talking a lot lately about love.
How the respect, appreciation, admiration and, yes, love they have for each other as teammates and as friends has been a significant part of their success, as they completed the first quarter of the season with an American League-best 27-13 record.
“It’s just a group of really good dudes,” veteran starter Shane McClanahan said. “There’s no egos. There’s no selfishness. It’s just good people playing baseball hard. … We’re doing everything together, and it’s translating on the field. I really firmly believe that if we actually enjoy each other, we play for each other, good things are going to follow.
“This is probably my favorite team that I’ve ever been a part of. It’s special, man. And I’m really excited to be with these guys, day in and day out.”
You hear it a lot throughout the clubhouse: There is a thicker bond and higher degree of camaraderie among these players than is typical at this level and more than on recent Rays teams. To be fair, it also helps the narrative that they’re winning.
“It probably the closest group we’ve had since ’19,” said bench coach Rodney Linares. “These guys really do care for each other.”
There are ample examples, from small circles of pregame and postgame conversations to a five-player fishing expedition on a recent off day to impromptu gatherings in a hotel hospitality suite during road trips to group outings such as a recent Lightning playoff game, the F1 Arcade in Boston (for virtual car races) and several dinners including nearly the full squad.
There was enough interest in going out as a group Sunday night in Toronto that McClanahan had to text his agent during the flight from Boston to help find a restaurant that, on Mother’s Day night, could accommodate 20-plus people.
“It’s a great group of guys. We have fun on and off the field,” said infielder Ben Williamson, an offseason addition. “To be able to have a group where you want to spend more time with them on off days and during down time, rather than just, ‘I see them at the field 24/7,’ it’s special. It really is.”
Having a positive work environment and strong clubhouse culture has long been a priority for the Rays and still is under baseball operations president Erik Neander and manager Kevin Cash.
But what makes this team, and this season so far, different is that players and staff say the closeness among the players actually helps them win games.
“When you feel like you’re doing it for 26 (players) as opposed to for one, it definitely makes every pitch, every at-bat, every play defensively bigger than just for yourself,” said veteran pitcher Drew Rasmussen, citing a “stronger” bond than in past seasons.
“When you have a tight-knit group, it’s one of those things where you don’t want to let the other guys down. Just as much as you want to go out, you want to succeed and you want to do things individually, you know you are truly doing it for everyone else in the clubhouse as well.”
Even, McClanahan said, in how hard a player tries.
“Us caring about each other is resulting in us playing a little bit harder, maybe a little bit more of team baseball rather than just, we call it, ‘showcase baseball,’ where somebody will go out there and just try and hit a home run and maybe not get a job done,” he said.
“The bunting, it’s so selfless. It’s moving the guy over, getting a guy in, allowing the next guy to maybe shine. So I think when anyone says it translates, it’s in terms of that we’re playing for each other. If it’s not me, I want the next guy to have success. So it’s really, really cool, really special.”
That attitude and approach can take different forms.
Outfielder Cedric Mullins, a nine-year veteran new to the Rays this season, said a big benefit of the closeness is the ability to have open and frank conversations when necessary.
“There’s certain things that you don’t see behind the scenes, especially in a game where communication is key. So that camaraderie, understanding each other’s personalities and things of that nature definitely helps translate on the field,” Mullins said. “Just understanding guys and how you might need to talk to them in certain situations to just get through a certain scenario. So, I think it’s huge.”
Another is allowing players to realize they don’t have to put pressure on themselves to deliver the key hit, pitch or play but just do their part, and their best, knowing going into the game their teammates will understand if they fail.
“This game becomes very tough personally for individual guys, and then obviously that kind of transcends into the team aspect when guys are trying to just do too much,” said outfielder Jake Fraley, another veteran newcomer. “When you have guys that are collectively just staying within themselves, not trying to do more, they bring value to the table. …
“And when you have that collectively with a bunch of guys, this is what happens — you play winning baseball.”
Even more impressive, Linares said, is to have those bonds as some teammates are competing for playing time and, by extension, their careers and potentially millions of dollars.
“It really helps when you know that people are pulling for you, when you walk in and you feel confident,” Linares said. “This is a hard game. If you realize that the guys have your back, you’re going to go out there and give your best.”
There also is a benefit in greater inclusiveness throughout the clubhouse rather than the cliques common elsewhere, which Linares attributes to the addition of lead-by-example veterans Steven Matz, Nick Martinez, Fraley and Mullins.
“Not saying anything about the guys that we had last year, but it’s a different group, and these guys, it’s more like they’re vested in knowing the players,” Linares said.
“Like, everybody goes out and tries to talk to Yandy (Diaz, the designated hitter in his eighth season with the team). Yandy’s always been the quiet guy. He’s been here for the longest, but he’s really quiet, really reserved, keeps to himself. They may make it a point to go to him and talk to him, and he’s opened up.
“It happens with everybody, even Chandler (Simpson, the second-year outfielder). Chandler’s a guy that for a year didn’t even say a word. They go to Chandler, they talk to Chandler, try to hang out with him.”
Diaz said he has noticed the difference.
“When I think back on the years that I’ve been here, I think it’s one of the most, if not the most, energetic groups that I’ve been around,” he said via team interpreter Kevin Vera. “We’re just all very united.”
McClanahan, who debuted in the 2020 postseason, said this group is “refreshing in terms of some stuff we’ve had in the past.”
He is certain the closeness and friendship among these players is part of the reason for their success on the field.
“I’ve been joking around and even calling it the power of friendship,” he said. “Obviously, there is more to it than just that. Everybody here does what they do so well, and everybody’s allowed to be who they are as a competitor, as a person. It definitely translates.”
The Rays have been talking a lot lately about love.
How the respect, appreciation, admiration and, yes, love they have for each other as teammates and as friends has been a significant part of their success, as they completed the first quarter of the season with an American League-best 27-13 record.
“It’s just a group of really good dudes,” veteran starter Shane McClanahan said. “There’s no egos. There’s no selfishness. It’s just good people playing baseball hard. … We’re doing everything together, and it’s translating on the field. I really firmly believe that if we actually enjoy each other, we play for each other, good things are going to follow.
“This is probably my favorite team that I’ve ever been a part of. It’s special, man. And I’m really excited to be with these guys, day in and day out.”
You hear it a lot throughout the clubhouse: There is a thicker bond and higher degree of camaraderie among these players than is typical at this level and more than on recent Rays teams. To be fair, it also helps the narrative that they’re winning.
“It probably the closest group we’ve had since ’19,” said bench coach Rodney Linares. “These guys really do care for each other.”
There are ample examples, from small circles of pregame and postgame conversations to a five-player fishing expedition on a recent off day to impromptu gatherings in a hotel hospitality suite during road trips to group outings such as a recent Lightning playoff game, the F1 Arcade in Boston (for virtual car races) and several dinners including nearly the full squad.
There was enough interest in going out as a group Sunday night in Toronto that McClanahan had to text his agent during the flight from Boston to help find a restaurant that, on Mother’s Day night, could accommodate 20-plus people.
“It’s a great group of guys. We have fun on and off the field,” said infielder Ben Williamson, an offseason addition. “To be able to have a group where you want to spend more time with them on off days and during down time, rather than just, ‘I see them at the field 24/7,’ it’s special. It really is.”
Having a positive work environment and strong clubhouse culture has long been a priority for the Rays and still is under baseball operations president Erik Neander and manager Kevin Cash.
But what makes this team, and this season so far, different is that players and staff say the closeness among the players actually helps them win games.
“When you feel like you’re doing it for 26 (players) as opposed to for one, it definitely makes every pitch, every at-bat, every play defensively bigger than just for yourself,” said veteran pitcher Drew Rasmussen, citing a “stronger” bond than in past seasons.
“When you have a tight-knit group, it’s one of those things where you don’t want to let the other guys down. Just as much as you want to go out, you want to succeed and you want to do things individually, you know you are truly doing it for everyone else in the clubhouse as well.”
Even, McClanahan said, in how hard a player tries.
“Us caring about each other is resulting in us playing a little bit harder, maybe a little bit more of team baseball rather than just, we call it, ‘showcase baseball,’ where somebody will go out there and just try and hit a home run and maybe not get a job done,” he said.
“The bunting, it’s so selfless. It’s moving the guy over, getting a guy in, allowing the next guy to maybe shine. So I think when anyone says it translates, it’s in terms of that we’re playing for each other. If it’s not me, I want the next guy to have success. So it’s really, really cool, really special."
That attitude and approach can take different forms.
Outfielder Cedric Mullins, a nine-year veteran new to the Rays this season, said a big benefit of the closeness is the ability to have open and frank conversations when necessary.
“There’s certain things that you don’t see behind the scenes, especially in a game where communication is key. So that camaraderie, understanding each other’s personalities and things of that nature definitely helps translate on the field,” Mullins said. “Just understanding guys and how you might need to talk to them in certain situations to just get through a certain scenario. So, I think it’s huge.”
Another is allowing players to realize they don’t have to put pressure on themselves to deliver the key hit, pitch or play but just do their part, and their best, knowing going into the game their teammates will understand if they fail.
“This game becomes very tough personally for individual guys, and then obviously that kind of transcends into the team aspect when guys are trying to just do too much,” said outfielder Jake Fraley, another veteran newcomer. “When you have guys that are collectively just staying within themselves, not trying to do more, they bring value to the table. …
“And when you have that collectively with a bunch of guys, this is what happens — you play winning baseball.”
Even more impressive, Linares said, is to have those bonds as some teammates are competing for playing time and, by extension, their careers and potentially millions of dollars.
“It really helps when you know that people are pulling for you, when you walk in and you feel confident,” Linares said. “This is a hard game. If you realize that the guys have your back, you’re going to go out there and give your best.”
There also is a benefit in greater inclusiveness throughout the clubhouse rather than the cliques common elsewhere, which Linares attributes to the addition of lead-by-example veterans Steven Matz, Nick Martinez, Fraley and Mullins.
“Not saying anything about the guys that we had last year, but it’s a different group, and these guys, it’s more like they’re vested in knowing the players,” Linares said.
“Like, everybody goes out and tries to talk to Yandy (Diaz, the designated hitter in his eighth season with the team). Yandy’s always been the quiet guy. He’s been here for the longest, but he’s really quiet, really reserved, keeps to himself. They may make it a point to go to him and talk to him, and he’s opened up.
“It happens with everybody, even Chandler (Simpson, the second-year outfielder). Chandler’s a guy that for a year didn’t even say a word. They go to Chandler, they talk to Chandler, try to hang out with him.”
Diaz said he has noticed the difference.
“When I think back on the years that I’ve been here, I think it’s one of the most, if not the most, energetic groups that I’ve been around,” he said via team interpreter Kevin Vera. “We’re just all very united.”
McClanahan, who debuted in the 2020 postseason, said this group is “refreshing in terms of some stuff we’ve had in the past.”
He is certain the closeness and friendship among these players is part of the reason for their success on the field.
“I’ve been joking around and even calling it the power of friendship,” he said. “Obviously, there is more to it than just that. Everybody here does what they do so well, and everybody’s allowed to be who they are as a competitor, as a person. It definitely translates.”
TORONTO — Speedy Chandler Simpson did so much good for the Rays in his first four trips to the plate during Monday’s 8-5 win over the Blue Jays. He reached base four times, rapped three infield hits, stole two bases and scored three runs.
Now the Rays have to hope what happened in Simpson’s last time up doesn’t become the most notable event of the night.
After grounding a ball toward second base, Simpson strode awkwardly and slowly out of the box as he headed toward first base.
Replays made it look like his left leg slipped, but the Rays said after the game they think the issue was likely a cramp and thus not a major concern.
“I think it might have just been a cramp more than anything,” manager Kevin Cash said. ”Right now, (his) strength is really good."
Simpson made the final out of the eighth and was removed from the game, with Jonny DeLuca taking his place in leftfield.
Cash said he was likely going to give Simpson Tuesday off anyway against Jays lefty Patrick Corbin.
“Then we’ll go from there,” Cash said. ”But from all the reports, (it) sounds really good."
Simpson was still in the trainers’ room well after the game and not available for comment.
Shane McClanahan a changed man
Shane McClanahan doesn’t want to talk much about how well he’s done so far in his impressive comeback after missing 2 ½ seasons with injuries.
But as he takes the mound Tuesday at the Rogers Centre seeking a career-best fourth straight scoreless start, he explained in detail why he is doing things differently, most notably throwing fewer fastballs, especially at max effort, while using more sliders and changeups.
Between being sidelined all that time and his acknowledged maturation, McClanahan, who turned 29 last month, said he felt it was time for his approach to change.
“I think I was ready for that next development in myself as a starter, reading swings and maybe understanding I’m not that 23-year-old that wakes up every morning to go throw 100 mph every pitch on command,” he said. “Just taking the next step forward and understanding that changing speeds and locations and trusting the guys behind you — that’s the beauty of pitching."
McClanahan said he also made the change to extend his career, having had his second Tommy John elbow surgery in August 2023 and a decompression procedure in August 2025 to address a nerve issue.
“I want to pitch for a really long time,” he said Monday. “I really don’t know any pitchers, especially starters, that can go out there and throw it as hard as they can every single pitch, and do it for more than kind of a couple years. I think those last 2 1/2 years on the shelf it just gives you a perspective. It’s like you want to go out there, find a way to get it done and stick around and throw a lot of innings for these guys.
“Because what good is it if I’m throwing 100 (mph) every pitch, but I’m out of the game in the fourth inning, or if I’m 100 innings in and done for the year because I’m tired, or my shoulder or my elbow (has) something. I look at the big picture and understood that I cherish and value being out there, being able to compete with these guys.”
Though McClanahan averaged better than 96.5 mph with his fastball from 2021-23 and hit triple digits 25 times (of 6,240 pitches), he said he knew it would be wise to not go all out all the time.
“I’m not Nolan Ryan, I’m not Randy Johnson. The good lord hasn’t blessed me with those type of arm talents. And those guys were so much more, in my opinion, than just arm talent, too. Those guys were pitchers,” McClanahan said. “So it was exciting for me to understand that I’m not going to stand still and watch the game pass me by. I’m going to try and evolve with it and make that next step and become who I am or who I want to be.”
Gavin Lux update coming
The Rays are expected to have an update Tuesday on the status of second baseman Gavin Lux, whose 20-day rehab assignment window with Triple-A Durham ends Wednesday.
Lux, acquired in a January trade (and making $5.525 million, fifth most on the team), has been sidelined all season, first with a right shoulder impingement then, 10 days into his initial rehab, turning his left ankle, missing nearly two more weeks.
In 21 rehab games, he hit .200 (14-for-70) with one homer, 10 RBIs and a .678 OPS with 23 strikeouts in 90 plate appearances. In 17 starts at second, he made six errors.
Miscellany
Catcher Hunter Feduccia became the 2,000th batter struck out by Jays starter Kevin Gausman, sixth most among active pitchers. ... Outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy, designated for assignment on Saturday to create a 40-man roster spot for reliever Aaron Brooks, will stay in the organization as he cleared waivers and was outrighted to Durham. … Charleston (S.C.) right-hander Aidan Cremarosa was named Class-A Carolina League pitcher of the week after throwing a no-hittter on Friday. That was the seventh nine-inning no-hitter by a Rays minor-leaguer, the first since Justin Marks in 2016.
TORONTO — Speedy Chandler Simpson did so much good for the Rays in his first four trips to the plate during Monday’s 8-5 win over the Blue Jays. He reached base four times, rapped three infield hits, stole two bases and scored three runs.
Now the Rays have to hope what happened in Simpson’s last time up doesn’t become the most notable event of the night.
After grounding a ball toward second base, Simpson strode awkwardly and slowly out of the box as he headed toward first base.
Replays made it look like his left leg slipped, but the Rays said after the game they think the issue was likely a cramp and thus not a major concern.
“I think it might have just been a cramp more than anything,” manager Kevin Cash said. ”Right now, (his) strength is really good."
Simpson made the final out of the eighth and was removed from the game, with Jonny DeLuca taking his place in leftfield.
Cash said he was likely going to give Simpson Tuesday off anyway against Jays lefty Patrick Corbin.
“Then we’ll go from there,” Cash said. ”But from all the reports, (it) sounds really good."
Simpson was still in the trainers’ room well after the game and not available for comment.
Shane McClanahan a changed man
Shane McClanahan doesn’t want to talk much about how well he’s done so far in his impressive comeback after missing 2 ½ seasons with injuries.
But as he takes the mound Tuesday at the Rogers Centre seeking a career-best fourth straight scoreless start, he explained in detail why he is doing things differently, most notably throwing fewer fastballs, especially at max effort, while using more sliders and changeups.
Between being sidelined all that time and his acknowledged maturation, McClanahan, who turned 29 last month, said he felt it was time for his approach to change.
“I think I was ready for that next development in myself as a starter, reading swings and maybe understanding I’m not that 23-year-old that wakes up every morning to go throw 100 mph every pitch on command,” he said. “Just taking the next step forward and understanding that changing speeds and locations and trusting the guys behind you — that’s the beauty of pitching."
McClanahan said he also made the change to extend his career, having had his second Tommy John elbow surgery in August 2023 and a decompression procedure in August 2025 to address a nerve issue.
“I want to pitch for a really long time,” he said Monday. “I really don’t know any pitchers, especially starters, that can go out there and throw it as hard as they can every single pitch, and do it for more than kind of a couple years. I think those last 2 1/2 years on the shelf it just gives you a perspective. It’s like you want to go out there, find a way to get it done and stick around and throw a lot of innings for these guys.
“Because what good is it if I’m throwing 100 (mph) every pitch, but I’m out of the game in the fourth inning, or if I’m 100 innings in and done for the year because I’m tired, or my shoulder or my elbow (has) something. I look at the big picture and understood that I cherish and value being out there, being able to compete with these guys.”
Though McClanahan averaged better than 96.5 mph with his fastball from 2021-23 and hit triple digits 25 times (of 6,240 pitches), he said he knew it would be wise to not go all out all the time.
“I’m not Nolan Ryan, I’m not Randy Johnson. The good lord hasn’t blessed me with those type of arm talents. And those guys were so much more, in my opinion, than just arm talent, too. Those guys were pitchers,” McClanahan said. “So it was exciting for me to understand that I’m not going to stand still and watch the game pass me by. I’m going to try and evolve with it and make that next step and become who I am or who I want to be.”
Gavin Lux update coming
The Rays are expected to have an update Tuesday on the status of second baseman Gavin Lux, whose 20-day rehab assignment window with Triple-A Durham ends Wednesday.
Lux, acquired in a January trade (and making $5.525 million, fifth most on the team), has been sidelined all season, first with a right shoulder impingement then, 10 days into his initial rehab, turning his left ankle, missing nearly two more weeks.
In 21 rehab games, he hit .200 (14-for-70) with one homer, 10 RBIs and a .678 OPS with 23 strikeouts in 90 plate appearances. In 17 starts at second, he made six errors.
Miscellany
Catcher Hunter Feduccia became the 2,000th batter struck out by Jays starter Kevin Gausman, sixth most among active pitchers. ... Outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy, designated for assignment on Saturday to create a 40-man roster spot for reliever Aaron Brooks, will stay in the organization as he cleared waivers and was outrighted to Durham. … Charleston (S.C.) right-hander Aidan Cremarosa was named Class-A Carolina League pitcher of the week after throwing a no-hittter on Friday. That was the seventh nine-inning no-hitter by a Rays minor-leaguer, the first since Justin Marks in 2016.
TORONTO — The Rays were doing all their Rays things on Monday.
They played small ball to take an early lead, with Chandler Simpson leading the way, hustling his way on base four times and creating three runs, though later leaving the game with a left leg issue.
They flexed some muscle when American League RBI leader Jonathan Aranda hit a fifth-inning homer.
They got a solid six-inning start from Drew Rasmussen. The usual quality relief work to preserve the lead. And the daily dose of defense, with centerfielder Cedric Mullins running down a deep drive in the ninth.
As a result, they also got another win similar to many of their others in beating the Blue Jays 8-5.
“Yeah, it definitely felt like that,“ manager Kevin Cash said. ”Just happy with the guys the way they continue to come out and focus really hard and have success doing their job."
In doing so, the Rays reached the quarter point of their season at 27-13, the best record in the American League, and just a win behind the Braves overall.
“I’d like to keep this pace going,” Rasmussen said. “I think we’re going to be in a really good spot if we can do that, we can win two games out of every three.
“We’re playing really well. We’re having a lot of fun as a group, which I really think helps. And we’re doing it in different ways. We scored eight runs (Monday). That’s awesome to see. The run the bullpen’s been on has been incredible. It really helps out the starting staff, that’s for sure. If we can just stay competitive as a starting staff, turn the ball over to those guys, we would really like our chances of winning.”
The Rays have been on quite a roll, winning for the ninth time in their last 10 games, 15th in 17 and 25th in 33. Their 27-13 record matches their third best through 40 games; the other came in the 2020 season when limited to 60 games due to COVID. They were better in 2023 (30-10) and 2010 (29-11).
“I think it’s just kind of how united we are and the different types of ways that we can play, all the combinations that we have — playing small ball, playing with power,” said Aranda, via team interpreter Kevin Vera. “I think that’s the biggest thing. That’s the best thing about this team. You look back at it, and everyone’s doing their part. Everyone’s really united, and that’s what’s worked for us so far.”
They took care of things Monday from the start, scoring three in the first inning.
Simpson got them started by hitting a slow grounder toward the mound and racing to first for an infield single. A Junior Caminero single and an Aranda sac fly produced one run, and after a two-out double by Jake Fraley, a first-pitch single by Richie Palacios, in his first at-bat since Tuesday, made it 3-0.
“Probably the biggest hit of the game,” Cash said.
With the Rays facing a run of lefty starters, neither Palacios nor Fraley had gotten much opportunity so they were glad to contribute.
“I’ve been swinging a bat in the cage, but not in the game,” Palacios said. “So I was excited to get a hit there.”
The Rays pushed the lead to 5-0 in the second. Hunter Feduccia singled and Taylor Walls tripled in one run. Simpson reached on a fielder’s choice grounder (as Walls was thrown out at home), stole second, went to third on an infield out and scored on Aranda’s single.
The run Simpson created in the fourth was even more impressive.
He bounced a ball toward first that was fielded by Vlad Guerrero Jr and flipped to starter Kevin Gausman, but Simpson simply outraced him to the base.
The threat of him stealing lead Gausman to commit a disengagement violation, creating a free pass to second. Simpson then stole third, and the rushed throw from catcher Brandon Valenzuela sailed into leftfield, allowing Simpson to score.
“We all got a chuckle when he got the first base, like just how fast he gets down the line,” Cash said. “I think both teams were sitting there saying, ‘Wow.’ He gets to second base, and they were with two outs positioned off of him, not holding him on. He took advantage of it, and that’s a lot for a catcher to throw down there when it’s bang-bang and (we) picked up that run.”
Aranda homered in the fifth for his 32nd RBI. Of 32 career homers, he has hit 10 against the Jays and six at the Rogers Centre. Palacios singled in another run in the seventh.
Rasmussen basically made one mistake in reaching the 100-pitch mark for the first time since his August 2024 return from a third major elbow surgery, allowing a three-run homer in the second to Andres Gimenez, the typically light-hitting Jays shortstop.
Gimenez also hit a two-run homer in the seventh off reliever Ian Seymour for his first career multi-homer game.
“We’ve had a lot of fun on the baseball field,” Tuesday starter Shane McClanahan said before the game. “Obviously playoffs are the goal. We are a quarter of the way through the season. We’re not worried about that. We’re worried about today and tomorrow, and you focus on that stuff and it’ll all take care of itself.”
TORONTO — The Rays reached the quarter point of their season on Monday with a performance that reflected why they have an American League-best 27-13 record.
They played small ball to take an early lead, with speedster Chandler Simpson leading the way. There was a home run by American League RBI leader Jonathan Aranda. A solid six-inning start from Drew Rasmussen. Three innings of relief work. An impressive running catch in the ninth by centerfielder Cedric Mullins.
And they got their ninth win in the last 10 games, 15th in 17 and 25th in 33 by beating the Blue Jays 8-5.
The Rays have the second-best record in the majors, a half game behind the Braves, and a two-game lead over the Yankees in the American League East.
“We’ve had a lot of fun on the baseball field,” Tuesday starter Shane McClanahan said before the game. “Obviously playoffs are the goal. We are a quarter of the way through the season. We’re not worried about that. We’re worried about today and tomorrow, and you focus on that stuff and it’ll all take care of itself.”
They took care of things Monday from the start, scoring three in the first inning. Simpson got them started by hitting a slow grounder toward the mound and racing to first for an infield single. A Junior Caminero single and an Aranda sac fly produced one run, and after a two-out double by Jake Fraley, a Richie Palacios single made it 3-0.
The Rays extended the lead to 5-0 in the second. Hunter Feduccia singled and Taylor Walls tripled in one run. Simpson reached on a fielder’s choice grounder (as Walls was thrown out at home), stole second, went to third on an infield out and scored on Aranda’s single.
Rasmussen basically made one mistake in reaching the 100-pitch mark for the first time since his August 2024 return from a third major elbow surgery, allowing a three-run homer in the second to Andres Gimenez, the typically light-hitting Jays shortstop.
Gimenez single-handedly kept the Jays in the game, hitting a two-run blast in the seventh off reliever Ian Seymour for his first career multi-homer game.
Simpson created another run in the fourth when he reached on an infield single, went to second on a disengagement violation, stole third and scored on an errant throw.
The Rays added on in the fifth when Aranda led off with a blast over the centerfield wall — his sixth homer at the Rogers Centre and 10th against the Jays of the 32 he has hit total. That also pushed his RBI total to 32.
Aranda got them another run in the seventh when he was hit by a pitch, moved up a base on two groundouts and scored on a Palacios single.
The 27-13 record matches the Rays’ third best through 40 games; the other came in the 2020 season when limited to 60 games due to COVID. They were better in 2023 (30-10) and 2010 (29-11).
Also of note, the Rays are 9-1 against AL East teams.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour figures the NHL has the best officials in the world. He still thinks they could use some help in sorting through the chaos — both before and after the whistle — that comes with the NHL playoffs.
Brind’Amour has backed the idea of using more replay reviews to look not just at penalty calls but everything going on in those testier-with-every-round scrums. Not everyone agrees with Brind’Amour when it comes to reviewing penalty calls, though his larger point stands about getting the right call with the stakes involved in chasing the Stanley Cup.
“You can’t get better officials. We have the best — I want to make sure everybody understands that — I know no one else could do a better job,” said Brind’Amour, whose team swept Philadelphia in a second-round series. “But man, it’s just hard to see some of the penalties that are getting called, that if you just took a quick peek, you’d go, ‘Oh wait a minute, that’s not what happened.’
“We’ll get to it at some point, but I think they could use a little hand.”
Playoff games this year were averaging 10.6 penalties and 25.1 penalty minutes through May 5, according to SportRadar. That is the highest average number of penalties since 2009 (10.9), while this is just the second time since 2012 that the average of penalty minutes has exceeded 25 per game (it was 28 PIMs per game in 2023).
NHL officials can review calls for non-fighting major and match penalties, then either confirm it or reduce it to a two-minute minor. They can also review double-minor high-sticking penalties to determine whether the stick involved actually belonged to the player being penalized.
“I don’t think there’s a harder job to officiate, and our guys don’t get the credit they deserve,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“I mean, they are moving with the flow of the game. They’ve got to skate like the players, it’s physical, they’ve got to stay out of the way. There’s a lot going on really fast. And it is remarkable how good a job they do and how much they get right. And video replay for us has really vindicated their performance even more.”
‘Just get it right’
Brind’Amour, whose Hurricanes are the top seed in the Eastern Conference, first raised the topic after a first-round sweep of Ottawa. That came after Senators forward Ridly Greig delivered two sucker punches to Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker — the second an uppercut to the face — while Walker was engaged with Senators forward Warren Foegele.
Greig wasn’t penalized in that 4-2 series-closing loss, though the NHL later suspended Greig for two regular-season games. Compounding matters, Brind’Amour said, was the fact the Hurricanes emerged from that sequence shorthanded. He suggested having someone work solely to monitor replays and assist on-ice officials.
“The only reason (Greig) did that was because he looked, no one’s watching, doesn’t get called for it, and we somehow ended up short on that,” Brind’Amour said. “That’s wrong. That’s not right. Just get it right.”
Watching for embellishment
The issue is how best to accomplish that if expanded replay usage is one day adopted by the league.
“That’s a good question, because, like, a lot of times guys get away with stuff in there,” Buffalo Sabres forward Josh Dunne said about more replay reviews of scrums in particular.
“Some guy starts, another guy gets the penalty for it,” he said. ”It’s hard, it’s a hard line. It’s why it’s so much on the judgment of the refs where it’s like they can only see what they see, where it’s like you never really know how these things get going.”
His coach, meanwhile, chuckled that he’s “not a huge fan of another video review.”
“I don’t mind Rod’s thinking at all,” said Lindy Ruff, whose Sabres trail Montreal 2-1 in Round 2. “I just think, boy, if now we’re going to review something, we start reviewing scrums, I just think players will start taking acting lessons.”
Then again, some of that is already built into the game. Brind’Amour proved prophetic in pointing that out before Game 1 against the Flyers.
“It is impossible to referee our sport live, it really is — it’s just everything’s happpening so fast, now you’re getting embellishment everywhere,” Brind’Amour said then. “Sticks aren’t even coming close to you, they’re doing this (leans his head back) because why? Because if this goes like this (raises arm), you’re getting a call. But if you’ve got a guy on the review that said, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, that’s embellishment,’ it would be out of the game.”
Days later, Hurricanes forward Jordan Martinook was penalized for high-sticking while replays showed Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler grabbing Martinook’s stick and essentially hitting himself in the face to sell the call.
Dunne said he worried about the idea of slowing the game too much with more replay reviews, while Colorado Avalanche forward Brock Nelson said he largely “liked where the game is at.”
“I don’t want to make too many adjustments or critiques to the game,” Nelson said before the Avalanche opened its series against Minnesota, which it leads 2-1.
“I’m a traditionalist. The more rules you make, the more you have,” said Anaheim Ducks coach Joel Quenneville, whose team’s series against the Vegas Golden Knights is tied 2-2. ”There’s always some extenuating consequences off of things like that. We got a lot of rules, so either way, I like to just get it right and move on. Either way it is, we’ll move on.”
AP Hockey Writer John Wawrow in Buffalo, New York, and AP Sports Writers Mark Anderson in Las Vegas and Pat Graham in Denver contributed to this report.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour figures the NHL has the best officials in the world. He still thinks they could use some help in sorting through the chaos — both before and after the whistle — that comes with the NHL playoffs.
Brind’Amour has backed the idea of using more replay reviews to look not just at penalty calls but everything going on in those testier-with-every-round scrums. Not everyone agrees with Brind’Amour when it comes to reviewing penalty calls, though his larger point stands about getting the right call with the stakes involved in chasing the Stanley Cup.
“You can’t get better officials. We have the best — I want to make sure everybody understands that — I know no one else could do a better job,” said Brind’Amour, whose team swept Philadelphia in a second-round series. “But man, it’s just hard to see some of the penalties that are getting called, that if you just took a quick peek, you’d go, ‘Oh wait a minute, that’s not what happened.’
“We’ll get to it at some point, but I think they could use a little hand.”
Playoff games this year were averaging 10.6 penalties and 25.1 penalty minutes through May 5, according to SportRadar. That is the highest average number of penalties since 2009 (10.9), while this is just the second time since 2012 that the average of penalty minutes has exceeded 25 per game (it was 28 PIMs per game in 2023).
NHL officials can review calls for non-fighting major and match penalties, then either confirm it or reduce it to a two-minute minor. They can also review double-minor high-sticking penalties to determine whether the stick involved actually belonged to the player being penalized.
“I don’t think there’s a harder job to officiate, and our guys don’t get the credit they deserve,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“I mean, they are moving with the flow of the game. They’ve got to skate like the players, it’s physical, they’ve got to stay out of the way. There’s a lot going on really fast. And it is remarkable how good a job they do and how much they get right. And video replay for us has really vindicated their performance even more.”
‘Just get it right’
Brind’Amour, whose Hurricanes are the top seed in the Eastern Conference, first raised the topic after a first-round sweep of Ottawa. That came after Senators forward Ridly Greig delivered two sucker punches to Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker — the second an uppercut to the face — while Walker was engaged with Senators forward Warren Foegele.
Greig wasn’t penalized in that 4-2 series-closing loss, though the NHL later suspended Greig for two regular-season games. Compounding matters, Brind’Amour said, was the fact the Hurricanes emerged from that sequence shorthanded. He suggested having someone work solely to monitor replays and assist on-ice officials.
“The only reason (Greig) did that was because he looked, no one’s watching, doesn’t get called for it, and we somehow ended up short on that,” Brind’Amour said. “That’s wrong. That’s not right. Just get it right.”
Watching for embellishment
The issue is how best to accomplish that if expanded replay usage is one day adopted by the league.
“That’s a good question, because, like, a lot of times guys get away with stuff in there,” Buffalo Sabres forward Josh Dunne said about more replay reviews of scrums in particular.
“Some guy starts, another guy gets the penalty for it,” he said. ”It’s hard, it’s a hard line. It’s why it’s so much on the judgment of the refs where it’s like they can only see what they see, where it’s like you never really know how these things get going.”
His coach, meanwhile, chuckled that he’s “not a huge fan of another video review.”
“I don’t mind Rod’s thinking at all,” said Lindy Ruff, whose Sabres trail Montreal 2-1 in Round 2. “I just think, boy, if now we’re going to review something, we start reviewing scrums, I just think players will start taking acting lessons.”
Then again, some of that is already built into the game. Brind’Amour proved prophetic in pointing that out before Game 1 against the Flyers.
“It is impossible to referee our sport live, it really is — it’s just everything’s happpening so fast, now you’re getting embellishment everywhere,” Brind’Amour said then. “Sticks aren’t even coming close to you, they’re doing this (leans his head back) because why? Because if this goes like this (raises arm), you’re getting a call. But if you’ve got a guy on the review that said, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, that’s embellishment,’ it would be out of the game.”
Days later, Hurricanes forward Jordan Martinook was penalized for high-sticking while replays showed Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler grabbing Martinook’s stick and essentially hitting himself in the face to sell the call.
Dunne said he worried about the idea of slowing the game too much with more replay reviews, while Colorado Avalanche forward Brock Nelson said he largely “liked where the game is at.”
“I don’t want to make too many adjustments or critiques to the game,” Nelson said before the Avalanche opened its series against Minnesota, which it leads 2-1.
“I’m a traditionalist. The more rules you make, the more you have,” said Anaheim Ducks coach Joel Quenneville, whose team’s series against the Vegas Golden Knights is tied 2-2. ”There’s always some extenuating consequences off of things like that. We got a lot of rules, so either way, I like to just get it right and move on. Either way it is, we’ll move on.”
AP Hockey Writer John Wawrow in Buffalo, New York, and AP Sports Writers Mark Anderson in Las Vegas and Pat Graham in Denver contributed to this report.
The SEC received six of the top eight seeds in the 64-team field of the NCAA Division I Softball Championship, including Alabama at No. 1 and defending champion Texas at No. 2.
In all, the SEC got 12 of its 15 teams into the field. Regional play starts Friday, with the top 16 seeds hosting. The eight teams that get through super regionals the next week will play in the Women’s College World Series, which is May 28 in Oklahoma City.
USF (42-15) heads to the Fayetteville Regional. The Bulls will be joined by Washington, Fordham and host Arkansas.
Florida (48-10) is the No. 6 overall seed and hosts a regional that includes Florida A&M, Georgia Tech and Texas State.
Florida State (49-8) is the No. 9 overall seed and hosts a regional that includes UCF, Stetson and Jacksonville State.
Alabama (49-7) didn’t catch a break in the seeding — the Crimson Tide could face Belmont superstar pitcher Maya Johnson in regional play. Johnson leads the nation with a 0.66 earned run average and was the No. 3 overall pick in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League draft.
Texas (42-10) returns pitcher Teagan Kavan, who was the Most Outstanding Player of the Women’s College World Series last year and led the Longhorns to the SEC Tournament title this season. The Longhorns beat Alabama in the SEC championship game.
Oklahoma (48-8) is the No. 3 overall seed, despite losing in its opening game at the SEC Tournament. The Sooners have won four of the past five national titles and reached the semifinals last year. Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso, also the USA national coach, has won eight national championships.
Nebraska is seeded fourth. The Cornhuskers (46-6) beat UCLA to win the Big Ten tournament title on Saturday. Nebraska’s Jordy Frahm led Oklahoma to a national title in 2023 as Jordy Bahl before transferring, then later getting married and changing her name.
The SEC has Arkansas (42-11) as the No. 5 seed, Florida at No. 6 and Tennessee (42-10) at No. 7.
UCLA (47-8) is the No. 8 seed. Megan Grant just set the single-season record with 38 home runs. Jordan Woolery, who bats behind her at third in the lineup, has 107 RBIs and was the Big Ten Player of the Year.
Texas Tech fell all the way to No. 11 overall, despite a 52-6 record. Star pitcher NiJaree Canady led the Red Raiders to the championship series last year. She has more help this year, including pitcher Kaitlyn Terry.
The other top 16 seeds that will host include No. 10 Georgia (38-18), No. 12 Duke (39-14), No. 13 Oklahoma State (38-15), No. 14 Oregon (40-12), No. 15 Texas A&M (36-17) and No. 16 LSU (37-17).
The SEC received six of the top eight seeds in the 64-team field of the NCAA Division I Softball Championship, including Alabama at No. 1 and defending champion Texas at No. 2.
In all, the SEC got 12 of its 15 teams into the field. Regional play starts Friday, with the top 16 seeds hosting. The eight teams that get through super regionals the next week will play in the Women’s College World Series, which is May 28 in Oklahoma City.
USF (42-15) heads to the Fayetteville Regional. The Bulls will be joined by Washington, Fordham and host Arkansas.
Florida (48-10) is the No. 6 overall seed and hosts a regional that includes Florida A&M, Georgia Tech and Texas State.
Florida State (49-8) is the No. 9 overall seed and hosts a regional that includes UCF, Stetson and Jacksonville State.
Alabama (49-7) didn’t catch a break in the seeding — the Crimson Tide could face Belmont superstar pitcher Maya Johnson in regional play. Johnson leads the nation with a 0.66 earned run average and was the No. 3 overall pick in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League draft.
Texas (42-10) returns pitcher Teagan Kavan, who was the Most Outstanding Player of the Women’s College World Series last year and led the Longhorns to the SEC Tournament title this season. The Longhorns beat Alabama in the SEC championship game.
Oklahoma (48-8) is the No. 3 overall seed, despite losing in its opening game at the SEC Tournament. The Sooners have won four of the past five national titles and reached the semifinals last year. Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso, also the USA national coach, has won eight national championships.
Nebraska is seeded fourth. The Cornhuskers (46-6) beat UCLA to win the Big Ten tournament title on Saturday. Nebraska’s Jordy Frahm led Oklahoma to a national title in 2023 as Jordy Bahl before transferring, then later getting married and changing her name.
The SEC has Arkansas (42-11) as the No. 5 seed, Florida at No. 6 and Tennessee (42-10) at No. 7.
UCLA (47-8) is the No. 8 seed. Megan Grant just set the single-season record with 38 home runs. Jordan Woolery, who bats behind her at third in the lineup, has 107 RBIs and was the Big Ten Player of the Year.
Texas Tech fell all the way to No. 11 overall, despite a 52-6 record. Star pitcher NiJaree Canady led the Red Raiders to the championship series last year. She has more help this year, including pitcher Kaitlyn Terry.
The other top 16 seeds that will host include No. 10 Georgia (38-18), No. 12 Duke (39-14), No. 13 Oklahoma State (38-15), No. 14 Oregon (40-12), No. 15 Texas A&M (36-17) and No. 16 LSU (37-17).
BOSTON — In addition to improving his record to 4-1, lowering his ERA to 1.70 and becoming just the third Rays traditional (non-opener) starter to allow two or fewer runs in his first eight starts of a season, Nick Martinez is accomplishing some old-man things.
At 35 years and 278 days, he on Sunday became the oldest pitcher in franchise history to win four straight starts, surpassing Charlie Morton, who did so in 2019 at 35 years, 210 days.
Martinez also became just the third pitcher 35 or older in baseball’s modern era (since 1901) to post eight season-opening starts with two runs or fewer, joining A.J. Burnett (Pittsburgh, 2015) and ex-Ray Rolando Arrojo (Boston, 2001).
“I don’t know if that’s a good thing,” Martinez joked. “I’m just fortunate I’m able to still play.”
The Rays are certainly grateful to have him, signing the veteran somewhat unexpectedly the week spring camp opened to a one-year deal for a guaranteed $13 million.
Martinez has proved, as heralded, to be the great clubhouse presence who provides guidance and leadership. But what the Rays are most excited about is the extraordinary high level of performance he has delivered.
Sunday was the latest example, as he scatted seven hits over 5 ⅔ innings but allowed the Red Sox only one run. He didn’t walk a batter (though he hit two) and struck out three, throwing 55 of his 80 pitches for strikes.
“Just what he’s done all season — stays consistent, just fills up the strike zone, trust any pitch in any count,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “He’s got the ability to just change eye levels, change speeds. You see some guys (hit) a lot of ground balls (because they’re) out in front on pitches.
“I think everybody knows at some point they’re probably going to get a change-up, but it’s moving and the action to it is so good that he just continues to throw it.”
The consistency is arguably what’s most impressive.
“It’s pretty hard,” Cash said. “Even the (starters) that do it for the course of a half a season, a full season, it’s really impressive. His body of work through all (eight) starts, we’re incredibly pleased with it, and he should be proud of himself.”
Martinez is proud and said his solid results shouldn’t be considered a surprise.
“It’s something I’ve worked toward, just having the right mindset, being aggressive, communicating with (catcher Nick Fortes),” he said. “‘Forty’ has done a heck of a job back there for me in reading swings and adjusting when we have to and doubling up when we have to, and trusting the defense behind me.”
A ‘big day’ for Cedric Mullins
Veteran free-agent addition Cedric Mullins has been off to a brutal start, coming into play Sunday with a .143 average that was the lowest of the 176 major-leaguers with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title.
But he played a key role in the 4-1 win over Boston, dropping a squeeze bunt to score a run in the sixth, plus earlier running down a line drive in centerfield and rapping a single (though he got caught in a rundown trying to steal second).
“He had a big day,” Cash said. “He got a hit, made a play where he covered some ground and then got that bunt down. He’s very impressive the way he hangs in there against tough left-handed matchups. … And he’s such a good bunter."
Mullins said he’s doing whatever he can to help, such as anticipating Cash to put on the squeeze play with runners on first and third and one out, and executing.
“It was perfectly lined up for me,” Mullins said. “I work on my bunting every day. “I’ve just been working diligently to get everything clicking and running at the same time, and I was able to come through with the bunt.”
Miscellany
The Rays are a season-high-matching 13 games over .500 and have won five straight series, their first over the Red Sox since September 2024. … They also are a majors-best 10-2 vs. lefty starters and extended their franchise-record streak of games allowing three or fewer earned runs to 16. … Player rep Drew Rasmussen, who starts the series opener Monday in Toronto, said there wasn’t much discussion about playing a doubleheader on Sunday to make up Saturday’s rainout. The plan seemed pretty set to do so when the Rays return to Boston after the All-Star break, with the game now scheduled for July 17 as the opener of a day-night twinbill. “I think it’s probably a little bit easier to gamble on what the weather will be like in the middle of July here would be my best guess,” he said. ... Lefty reliever Garrett Cleavinger had what Cash called his best inning of the season, striking out the side in a 1-2-3 eighth. ... Second baseman Gavin Lux continued his latest rehab assignment (right shoulder, left ankle) with Triple-A Durham on Sunday, with a decision on his status expected soon.
BOSTON — In addition to improving his record to 4-1, lowering his ERA to 1.70 and becoming just the third Rays traditional (non-opener) starter to allow two or fewer runs in his first eight starts of a season, Nick Martinez is accomplishing some old-man things.
At 35 years and 278 days, he on Sunday became the oldest pitcher in franchise history to win four straight starts, surpassing Charlie Morton, who did so in 2019 at 35 years, 210 days.
Martinez also became just the third pitcher 35 or older in baseball’s modern era (since 1901) to post eight season-opening starts with two runs or fewer, joining A.J. Burnett (Pittsburgh, 2015) and ex-Ray Rolando Arrojo (Boston, 2001).
“I don’t know if that’s a good thing,” Martinez joked. “I’m just fortunate I’m able to still play.”
The Rays are certainly grateful to have him, signing the veteran somewhat unexpectedly the week spring camp opened to a one-year deal for a guaranteed $13 million.
Martinez has proved, as heralded, to be the great clubhouse presence who provides guidance and leadership. But what the Rays are most excited about is the extraordinary high level of performance he has delivered.
Sunday was the latest example, as he scatted seven hits over 5 ⅔ innings but allowed the Red Sox only one run. He didn’t walk a batter (though he hit two) and struck out three, throwing 55 of his 80 pitches for strikes.
“Just what he’s done all season — stays consistent, just fills up the strike zone, trust any pitch in any count,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “He’s got the ability to just change eye levels, change speeds. You see some guys (hit) a lot of ground balls (because they’re) out in front on pitches.
“I think everybody knows at some point they’re probably going to get a change-up, but it’s moving and the action to it is so good that he just continues to throw it.”
The consistency is arguably what’s most impressive.
“It’s pretty hard,” Cash said. “Even the (starters) that do it for the course of a half a season, a full season, it’s really impressive. His body of work through all (eight) starts, we’re incredibly pleased with it, and he should be proud of himself.”
Martinez is proud and said his solid results shouldn’t be considered a surprise.
“It’s something I’ve worked toward, just having the right mindset, being aggressive, communicating with (catcher Nick Fortes),” he said. “‘Forty’ has done a heck of a job back there for me in reading swings and adjusting when we have to and doubling up when we have to, and trusting the defense behind me.”
A ‘big day’ for Cedric Mullins
Veteran free-agent addition Cedric Mullins has been off to a brutal start, coming into play Sunday with a .143 average that was the lowest of the 176 major-leaguers with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title.
But he played a key role in the 4-1 win over Boston, dropping a squeeze bunt to score a run in the sixth, plus earlier running down a line drive in centerfield and rapping a single (though he got caught in a rundown trying to steal second).
“He had a big day,” Cash said. “He got a hit, made a play where he covered some ground and then got that bunt down. He’s very impressive the way he hangs in there against tough left-handed matchups. … And he’s such a good bunter."
Mullins said he’s doing whatever he can to help, such as anticipating Cash to put on the squeeze play with runners on first and third and one out, and executing.
“It was perfectly lined up for me,” Mullins said. “I work on my bunting every day. “I’ve just been working diligently to get everything clicking and running at the same time, and I was able to come through with the bunt.”
Miscellany
The Rays are a season-high-matching 13 games over .500 and have won five straight series, their first over the Red Sox since September 2024. … They also are a majors-best 10-2 vs. lefty starters and extended their franchise-record streak of games allowing three or fewer earned runs to 16. … Player rep Drew Rasmussen, who starts the series opener Monday in Toronto, said there wasn’t much discussion about playing a doubleheader on Sunday to make up Saturday’s rainout. The plan seemed pretty set to do so when the Rays return to Boston after the All-Star break, with the game now scheduled for July 17 as the opener of a day-night twinbill. “I think it’s probably a little bit easier to gamble on what the weather will be like in the middle of July here would be my best guess,” he said. ... Lefty reliever Garrett Cleavinger had what Cash called his best inning of the season, striking out the side in a 1-2-3 eighth. ... Second baseman Gavin Lux continued his latest rehab assignment (right shoulder, left ankle) with Triple-A Durham on Sunday, with a decision on his status expected soon.
BOSTON — Last month, Junior Caminero made a promise to his mother, Yeudy, that he’d hit a homer on her birthday, and he did, helping the Rays beat the White Sox.
Sunday, wearing a pink belt, pink socks, batting gloves and sweatbands, and swinging a pink Victus bat to mark Mother’s Day, he delivered a homer that was twice as meaningful — for his mom and for his wife, Francesca, who gave birth in November to their first child, Valentina.
After running through the congratulatory dugout tunnel, Caminero looked at a camera and said, “Happy Mother’s Day,” with plans to talk soon with both.
“That’s pretty special for me,” Caminero said. “A great day.”
It was for all the Rays, as Caminero’s first-inning homer and slick ninth-inning play at third base were key factors in their 4-1 win over the Red Sox, along with another strong Nick Martinez start (one run over 5 ⅔ innings), solid relief work and more of their small-ball offense.
In winning for the eighth time in nine games, 14th in 16 and 24th in 32 since a 2-5 start, the Rays improved to 26-13, the best record in the American League and second overall behind the Braves.
“I enjoy the sound of that,” said closer Bryan Baker, who earned his 10th save. “We’re not going to think too much about it; we’re going to keep pressing. But I think if you would have told me that going into the year, I would take it immediately.”
And while the Rays are just approaching the one-fourth mark of the season, sitting atop the standings (with a one-game lead over the Yankees in the East) still means something.
“I realize that it’s May as well, but you always like to be in first place,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Good for the guys, man. They’ve played well.”
Caminero staked them to the 1-0 lead in the first with his 11th homer of the season, a blast clocked off his bat at 105.2 mph and measured at 404 feet as it went over the seats atop the wall and either onto Lansdowne Street or an adjacent building.
“That fires you up, man,” Martinez said. “That’s exciting. Talk about a little jolt of adrenaline before I take the mound.”
Most impressive was how Caminero went down to get the 0-2 breaking ball from lefty Payton Tolle, making contact at just 1.15 feet (13.8 inches) off the ground. Only one of his previous 62 homers was hit on a lower pitch, 1.04 feet (12.48 inches) on April 5.
“I was looking for a fastball with that pitch, and they throw me a slider — it was just reaction,” Caminero said. “Like Vladimir Guerrero (the Hall of Famer known for his ability to crush pitches out of the strike zone).”
Cash said it’s just another example of how Caminero is “a special hitter” in hitting low pitches so hard and far.
“We’ve seen him do it in the past, so I’m not surprised by it, just the way he catches it, clips it out front and then carries it well over the wall,” Cash said.
The Rays built the lead to 4-0. They added two in the third on a single, a sacrifice bunt and run-scoring singles by Chandler Simpson and Ben Williamson. They got another in the sixth on a walk, a pinch-hit single by Jonathan Aranda and a squeeze bunt by Cedric Mullins.
The Sox got one back in their half of the sixth, but the Rays went, seemingly comfortably, to the ninth with a three-run lead and Baker — who had retired his last 12 batters, converted five straight save opportunities and posted seven consecutive scoreless outings — on the mound.
But things looked tenuous when Mickey Gaspar led off with a double and Marcelo Mayer walked. Pitching coach Kyle Snyder came to the mound to help Baker reset, which he did by striking out Ceddanne Rafaela.
What helped even more was the barehanded play by Caminero on a slow roller by Chad Durbin to potentially save the game.
Caminero charged in and threw across his body to first, with Aranda making a good stretch and catch, and the out call surviving a replay challenge review.
“Just an excellent play,” Cash said. “He’s playing with some confidence out there. That was huge, because you could feel like (the Red Sox) were starting to get some momentum.”
Caminero, who earlier made an impressive snare of a line drive, has been working on the slow roller play during daily pregame drills, and that paid off on Sunday.
“A pretty good job,” Caminero said. “That runner is fast. I tried to make a good throw, and I did it, and we’re winning.”
One out later, they indeed were. Given most preseason predictions, the Rays having one of the majors’ best records approaching the 40-game mark is somewhat of a surprise.
“They can keep counting us out,” Martinez said. “We’re going to do what we do. We’re going to play our style. We’re going to play gritty and do whatever we can to get to get runs across. And let you (media) guys worry about whoever you guys want to worry about.”
Caminero said he isn’t too wrapped up in the record since the Rays have more than 100 games and 4 ½ months to play, but he is obviously pleased.
“It’s good for us now,” he said. “We’re going to continue to play, continue to have fun and continue (our) great jobs. ... Keep winning and everything’s good.”
The only pressure he might feel is May 31, which is Mother’s Day in his native Dominican Republic, as Yeudy and Francesca may be understandably expecting another homer.
BOSTON — Last month, Junior Caminero made a promise to his mother, Yeudy, that he’d hit a homer on her birthday, and he did, helping the Rays beat the White Sox.
Sunday, wearing a pink belt, pink socks, batting gloves and sweatbands, and swinging a pink Victus bat to mark Mother’s Day, he delivered a homer that was twice as meaningful — for his mom and for his wife, Francesca, who gave birth in November to their first child, Valentina.
After running through the congratulatory dugout tunnel, Caminero looked at a camera and said, “Happy Mother’s Day,” with plans to talk soon with both.
“That’s pretty special for me,” Caminero said. “A great day.”
It was for all the Rays, as Caminero’s first-inning homer and slick ninth-inning play at third base were key factors in their 4-1 win over the Red Sox, along with another strong Nick Martinez start (one run over 5 ⅔ innings), solid relief work and more of their small-ball offense.
In winning for the eighth time in nine games, 14th in 16 and 24th in 32 since a 2-5 start, the Rays improved to 26-13, the best record in the American League and second overall behind the Braves.
“I enjoy the sound of that,” said closer Bryan Baker, who earned his 10th save. “We’re not going to think too much about it; we’re going to keep pressing. But I think if you would have told me that going into the year, I would take it immediately.”
And while the Rays are just approaching the one-fourth mark of the season, sitting atop the standings (with a one-game lead over the Yankees in the East) still means something.
“I realize that it’s May as well, but you always like to be in first place,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Good for the guys, man. They’ve played well.”
Caminero staked them to the 1-0 lead in the first with his 11th homer of the season, a blast clocked off his bat at 105.2 mph and measured at 404 feet as it went over the seats atop the wall and either onto Lansdowne Street or an adjacent building.
“That fires you up, man,” Martinez said. “That’s exciting. Talk about a little jolt of adrenaline before I take the mound.”
Most impressive was how Caminero went down to get the 0-2 breaking ball from lefty Payton Tolle, making contact at just 1.15 feet (13.8 inches) off the ground. Only one of his previous 62 homers was hit on a lower pitch, 1.04 feet (12.48 inches) on April 5.
“I was looking for a fastball with that pitch, and they throw me a slider — it was just reaction,” Caminero said. “Like Vladimir Guerrero (the Hall of Famer known for his ability to crush pitches out of the strike zone).”
Cash said it’s just another example of how Caminero is “a special hitter” in hitting low pitches so hard and far.
“We’ve seen him do it in the past, so I’m not surprised by it, just the way he catches it, clips it out front and then carries it well over the wall,” Cash said.
The Rays built the lead to 4-0. They added two in the third on a single, a sacrifice bunt and run-scoring singles by Chandler Simpson and Ben Williamson. They got another in the sixth on a walk, a pinch-hit single by Jonathan Aranda and a squeeze bunt by Cedric Mullins.
The Sox got one back in their half of the sixth, but the Rays went, seemingly comfortably, to the ninth with a three-run lead and Baker — who had retired his last 12 batters, converted five straight save opportunities and posted seven consecutive scoreless outings — on the mound.
But things looked tenuous when Mickey Gaspar led off with a double and Marcelo Mayer walked. Pitching coach Kyle Snyder came to the mound to help Baker reset, which he did by striking out Ceddanne Rafaela.
What helped even more was the barehanded play by Caminero on a slow roller by Chad Durbin to potentially save the game.
Caminero charged in and threw across his body to first, with Aranda making a good stretch and catch, and the out call surviving a replay challenge review.
“Just an excellent play,” Cash said. “He’s playing with some confidence out there. That was huge, because you could feel like (the Red Sox) were starting to get some momentum.”
Caminero, who earlier made an impressive snare of a line drive, has been working on the slow roller play during daily pregame drills, and that paid off on Sunday.
“A pretty good job,” Caminero said. “That runner is fast. I tried to make a good throw, and I did it, and we’re winning.”
One out later, they indeed were. Given most preseason predictions, the Rays having one of the majors’ best records approaching the 40-game mark is somewhat of a surprise.
“They can keep counting us out,” Martinez said. “We’re going to do what we do. We’re going to play our style. We’re going to play gritty and do whatever we can to get to get runs across. And let you (media) guys worry about whoever you guys want to worry about.”
Caminero said he isn’t too wrapped up in the record since the Rays have more than 100 games and 4 ½ months to play, but he is obviously pleased.
“It’s good for us now,” he said. “We’re going to continue to play, continue to have fun and continue (our) great jobs. ... Keep winning and everything’s good.”
The only pressure he might feel is May 31, which is Mother’s Day in his native Dominican Republic, as Yeudy and Francesca may be understandably expecting another homer.
Ted Hurst owned the Bucs’ first rookie minicamp, drawing the most targets and making the most catches over two days of practice.
But the toughest thing facing the third-round pick may not be adjusting to the Florida heat. It’s the searing expectations that come with being asked to fill the cleats of Mike Evans, who signed with the 49ers as a free agent after starring for 12 seasons in Tampa Bay.
“(He has) great size, very good athlete, obviously,” coach Todd Bowles said of the 21-year-old Hurst. “He’s got to get used to the heat a little bit himself. Even though he’s from Georgia, he’s got to get used to the heat a little bit.
“You can see the athleticism and the size, and what you liked about him coming out from the draft. He’s just going to get better and better as he learns the system and gets more comfortable, but he looks good on the hoof and he moves very smoothly.”
Hurst has the kind of size (6 feet 4, 210 pounds) and speed (4.42 in the 40-yard dash) to be a true X receiver like Evans, who can stretch a defense both vertically and horizontally.
Hurst had nearly 2,000 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns over his final two seasons at Georgia State, where he transferred after spending two years at Valdosta State.
He said his brother Darrell Myers Jr. is the reason he made it to the NFL. Myers played at Valdosta State and was a receiver on the Blazers’ 2018 Division II national championship team.
“My brother is kind of my backbone, my right-hand man,” said Hurst, who was born in Augusta and grew up in Savannah. “At the same time, he graduated college in chemistry. He’s a nerd. He played football for four years at Valdosta State. Got injured twice and he came back from those, and I know that can be pretty challenging mentally and physically. He won a championship in high school, he won a championship in college. He went to play arena ball and won a championship there.”
Myers provided more than an example for Hurst. He also helped him find a purpose.
“(He) is really hard on me about, ‘What’s my why?’” Hurst said. “When you get tired and fatigued, think about that why and the reason you’re out here. That should motivate you to go hard when you’re tired at times. My why is I have a niece. My older brother had a daughter, and he kind of paved the way for me in my profession and where I’m today. And I’ve got a younger brother, and I feel like he can use my name to open the door for him.”
What Hurst has going for him besides his obvious physical traits is that the Bucs have gotten plenty of production from rookie receivers.
Two years ago, Jalen McMillan produced 37 catches for 461 yards. Seven of his eight touchdown receptions came in the final five games, most in the NFL during that stretch. Last year, Emeka Egbuka burst onto the scene by leading the Bucs with 63 receptions for 938 yards and six touchdowns, five in the first five games.
Of course, both of those pale in comparison to Evans’ rookie season in 2014, when he caught 68 passes for 1,051 yards (15.5-yard average) and 12 touchdowns. But the Bucs had only Evans and Vincent Jackson to distribute the football to.
“We’re never going to replace Mike, but you do try to replace his size and speed, which Mike had,” Bucs assistant general manager Rob McCartney said. “I think Ted has that, too. So Ted, he’s a small school guy who started at Valdosta, transferred to Georgia State and played a couple years. He had opportunities to go to bigger schools with all the (name, image and likeness) stuff and stayed loyal to Georgia State, which is kind of refreshing in this day and age that guys choose to stay sometimes.
“You can look at it the other way and say he’s not choosing to play against the best competition and stuff like that. But then a guy like Ted goes to the Senior Bowl and then proves he can do that as well. So, he’s just kind of checked the boxes every step of the way. At the same time, he still has a lot to improve on. The route running. He’s just kind of a raw player, but he’s a big, fast, athletic guy that’s willing to learn, and we’re all excited.”
Hurst doesn’t lack for motivation or direction. He begins each day reading “One Minute with God,” a book of daily devotionals.
“God is a big part of my life, so I use that to start my day, and that’s confidence,” he said.
“I definitely feel like I’ve got something to prove. There’s a lot of doubters on my potential and where I can go in this profession. But I had that talk with myself, and it’s a little fuel to my fire.”
Evans had Jackson to help him learn how to become a pro, and both Egbuka and McMillan benefitted from Evans’ tutelage. Hurst can still lean on veteran Chris Godwin, who is entering his 10th NFL season.
“I’d just say, overall, I’ve got a pretty good feel for the game, but I think it’s just becoming a pro,” Hurst said. “How to go about things, the small things, like the resources outside. Your nutrition, the weight room, recovery — all those small things.
“I’m a true big-body X receiver, but I also can play anywhere on the field. And I’m dynamic. I’m a team player at the same time. If you’re asking me to do any role, play any position, I’m going to step in and do my part.”
Will Hurst ever become Evans? Not likely. Evans is the greatest offensive player in Tampa Bay history, tying Jerry Rice with 11 consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons until a hamstring injury and broken collarbone stopped that streak.
But because of his blend of size and speed, Hurst is going to take over that position opposite the tight end and make big plays downfield and in the red zone.
“We’re not expecting for him to just come in and just take over and be a big part of our offense,” McCartney said. “Now, that being said, there’s nothing that says he can’t if he comes in and proves himself, no matter what role he’s in. It’s going to be what he’s ready for and how he works and improves himself.
“But yes, he is a big guy that’s 6-4, 210 who runs in the 4.4s, so that’s intriguing to us. And again, the downfield stuff — he’s got really good ball skills, too. So not only can he get over the top and beat guys deep, but if it is congested, he has the ability to make those catches.
“He’s got a lot of traits we look for at his position,” McCartney continued, “which is what Mike played, and we’ll just see here.”
Ted Hurst owned the Bucs’ first rookie minicamp, drawing the most targets and making the most catches over two days of practice.
But the toughest thing facing the third-round pick may not be adjusting to the Florida heat. It’s the searing expectations that come with being asked to fill the cleats of Mike Evans, who signed with the 49ers as a free agent after starring for 12 seasons in Tampa Bay.
“(He has) great size, very good athlete, obviously,” coach Todd Bowles said of the 21-year-old Hurst. “He’s got to get used to the heat a little bit himself. Even though he’s from Georgia, he’s got to get used to the heat a little bit.
“You can see the athleticism and the size, and what you liked about him coming out from the draft. He’s just going to get better and better as he learns the system and gets more comfortable, but he looks good on the hoof and he moves very smoothly.”
Hurst has the kind of size (6 feet 4, 210 pounds) and speed (4.42 in the 40-yard dash) to be a true X receiver like Evans, who can stretch a defense both vertically and horizontally.
Hurst had nearly 2,000 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns over his final two seasons at Georgia State, where he transferred after spending two years at Valdosta State.
He said his brother Darrell Myers Jr. is the reason he made it to the NFL. Myers played at Valdosta State and was a receiver on the Blazers’ 2018 Division II national championship team.
“My brother is kind of my backbone, my right-hand man,” said Hurst, who was born in Augusta and grew up in Savannah. “At the same time, he graduated college in chemistry. He’s a nerd. He played football for four years at Valdosta State. Got injured twice and he came back from those, and I know that can be pretty challenging mentally and physically. He won a championship in high school, he won a championship in college. He went to play arena ball and won a championship there.”
Myers provided more than an example for Hurst. He also helped him find a purpose.
“(He) is really hard on me about, ‘What’s my why?’” Hurst said. “When you get tired and fatigued, think about that why and the reason you’re out here. That should motivate you to go hard when you’re tired at times. My why is I have a niece. My older brother had a daughter, and he kind of paved the way for me in my profession and where I’m today. And I’ve got a younger brother, and I feel like he can use my name to open the door for him.”
What Hurst has going for him besides his obvious physical traits is that the Bucs have gotten plenty of production from rookie receivers.
Two years ago, Jalen McMillan produced 37 catches for 461 yards. Seven of his eight touchdown receptions came in the final five games, most in the NFL during that stretch. Last year, Emeka Egbuka burst onto the scene by leading the Bucs with 63 receptions for 938 yards and six touchdowns, five in the first five games.
Of course, both of those pale in comparison to Evans’ rookie season in 2014, when he caught 68 passes for 1,051 yards (15.5-yard average) and 12 touchdowns. But the Bucs had only Evans and Vincent Jackson to distribute the football to.
“We’re never going to replace Mike, but you do try to replace his size and speed, which Mike had,” Bucs assistant general manager Rob McCartney said. “I think Ted has that, too. So Ted, he’s a small school guy who started at Valdosta, transferred to Georgia State and played a couple years. He had opportunities to go to bigger schools with all the (name, image and likeness) stuff and stayed loyal to Georgia State, which is kind of refreshing in this day and age that guys choose to stay sometimes.
“You can look at it the other way and say he’s not choosing to play against the best competition and stuff like that. But then a guy like Ted goes to the Senior Bowl and then proves he can do that as well. So, he’s just kind of checked the boxes every step of the way. At the same time, he still has a lot to improve on. The route running. He’s just kind of a raw player, but he’s a big, fast, athletic guy that’s willing to learn, and we’re all excited.”
Hurst doesn’t lack for motivation or direction. He begins each day reading “One Minute with God,” a book of daily devotionals.
“God is a big part of my life, so I use that to start my day, and that’s confidence,” he said.
“I definitely feel like I’ve got something to prove. There’s a lot of doubters on my potential and where I can go in this profession. But I had that talk with myself, and it’s a little fuel to my fire.”
Evans had Jackson to help him learn how to become a pro, and both Egbuka and McMillan benefitted from Evans’ tutelage. Hurst can still lean on veteran Chris Godwin, who is entering his 10th NFL season.
“I’d just say, overall, I’ve got a pretty good feel for the game, but I think it’s just becoming a pro,” Hurst said. “How to go about things, the small things, like the resources outside. Your nutrition, the weight room, recovery — all those small things.
“I’m a true big-body X receiver, but I also can play anywhere on the field. And I’m dynamic. I’m a team player at the same time. If you’re asking me to do any role, play any position, I’m going to step in and do my part.”
Will Hurst ever become Evans? Not likely. Evans is the greatest offensive player in Tampa Bay history, tying Jerry Rice with 11 consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons until a hamstring injury and broken collarbone stopped that streak.
But because of his blend of size and speed, Hurst is going to take over that position opposite the tight end and make big plays downfield and in the red zone.
“We’re not expecting for him to just come in and just take over and be a big part of our offense,” McCartney said. “Now, that being said, there’s nothing that says he can’t if he comes in and proves himself, no matter what role he’s in. It’s going to be what he’s ready for and how he works and improves himself.
“But yes, he is a big guy that’s 6-4, 210 who runs in the 4.4s, so that’s intriguing to us. And again, the downfield stuff — he’s got really good ball skills, too. So not only can he get over the top and beat guys deep, but if it is congested, he has the ability to make those catches.
“He’s got a lot of traits we look for at his position,” McCartney continued, “which is what Mike played, and we’ll just see here.”
The Lightning have had to be creative in developing their next wave of NHL players. As an organization that focused on chasing a Stanley Cup year in and year out, Tampa Bay has traded a lot of its top draft equity.
But the franchise still has found NHL players in other ways, like this past season with center Dominic James and defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous, a pair of free-agent signings who earned regular roles quickly and are now a part of the team’s future.
Who’s up next? Here are two players to keep an eye on for the not-too-distant future:
Sam O’Reilly, center
Ten months ago, the Lightning traded disgruntled top prospect Isaac Howard to Edmonton for former Oilers first-round pick Sam O’Reilly. While Howard played 29 NHL games in Edmonton and put together a 50-point season in 47 AHL games, O’Reilly could make that trade a win for the Lightning.
He came to Tampa Bay with a winning pedigree after claiming two Ontario Hockey League titles and a Memorial Cup with a loaded London Knights team. A midseason trade to the Kitchener Rangers set O’Reilly up for a 17-goal, 43-point, plus-31 stretch in 28 regular-season games with Kitchener.
Overall, O’Reilly scored 29 goals and 71 points in 56 games between the two teams and received the Red Tilson Trophy given to the OHL’s MVP, as selected by the league’s media members. Equally as impressive, OHL coaches named O’Reilly the league’s smartest player, best defensive forward and top faceoff man.
O’Reilly is playing for a third straight OHL championship and has 15 goals and 23 points in 15 playoff games in Kitchener.
He made a strong first impression in the Lightning’s preseason prospect camp and in a brief training camp stint. He could be a player who doesn’t take long in the AHL before becoming an option for the Lightning.
“The way he plays the game already, even a small sample we got in training camp, tells me he probably won’t need that much time in order to be able to come here and contribute, because he already plays a pro-style game,” Lightning GM Julien BriseBois said.
O’Reilly just turned 20 in March, but already is ahead of the curve as a defensive-minded, right-shot center. And he fits a pair of the Lightning’s needs. Tampa Bay has been short on right-handed shots and will likely lose a pair this summer in Oliver Bjorkstrand and Corey Perry. Also, O’Reily won 58% of his faceoffs this season. For a team that ranked 28th in the league in the dot, that could help fast track O’Reilly if he duplicates the success in the AHL.
“If he can adjust to the pace and the physicality, as soon as he’s got that figured out, I think his game is already so textbook in how he plays. He’s got a really mature game that he carries in every night for his junior team or even the national team,” BriseBois said.
Benjamin Rautiainen, left wing
The Lightning historically have done a tremendous job plucking NHL talent from the middle rounds of the draft. They could have another steal with Finnish left-shot winger Benjamin Rautiainen, selected in the fourth round last year.
They saw a player on the verge of breaking out, and that’s what the 20-year-old did playing his second full season in Liiga, the top pro league in Finland. Playing for Tappara, Rautiainen led the league in scoring with 77 points (25 goals, 52 assists) in 59 games with a plus-24.
Rautiainen not only became the first player to break the 70-point mark in Liiga in 18 years, but his 77 points were the most by a player 24 or younger. Three decades earlier, a 20-year-old Saku Koivu scored 74.
After being passed over twice in the draft before the Lightning selected him 108th overall, Rautiainen won Liiga’s Golden Helmet award, going to the league’s MVP and voted on by his peers. NHL stars like Teemu Selanne and Koivu previously won it.
“Really amazing what he’s done this year,” BriseBois sad. “It’s historical, really. If you look at all the records he’s beaten, who he compares to in that league, they’re all-time greats that ended up being NHL players. Teemu Selanne, his name comes up a lot. So we’re really excited about having him in our pipeline.”
While his skill and playmaking ability have been extraordinary, Rautiainen is listed at 6 foot, 180 pounds, so he’ll have to show he can handle the physicality and speed that comes with the smaller ice of the North American game. He’s currently playing in the Liiga final and is signed for one more season with Tappara.
“We’re in constant talk with his agent as to what the best course of action is for his development,” BriseBois said. “He’s still a young player, still in development, still physically in development, but very curious to see what comes next for him.”
The Lightning have had to be creative in developing their next wave of NHL players. As an organization that focused on chasing a Stanley Cup year in and year out, Tampa Bay has traded a lot of its top draft equity.
But the franchise still has found NHL players in other ways, like this past season with center Dominic James and defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous, a pair of free-agent signings who earned regular roles quickly and are now a part of the team’s future.
Who’s up next? Here are two players to keep an eye on for the not-too-distant future:
Sam O’Reilly, center
Ten months ago, the Lightning traded disgruntled top prospect Isaac Howard to Edmonton for former Oilers first-round pick Sam O’Reilly. While Howard played 29 NHL games in Edmonton and put together a 50-point season in 47 AHL games, O’Reilly could make that trade a win for the Lightning.
He came to Tampa Bay with a winning pedigree after claiming two Ontario Hockey League titles and a Memorial Cup with a loaded London Knights team. A midseason trade to the Kitchener Rangers set O’Reilly up for a 17-goal, 43-point, plus-31 stretch in 28 regular-season games with Kitchener.
Overall, O’Reilly scored 29 goals and 71 points in 56 games between the two teams and received the Red Tilson Trophy given to the OHL’s MVP, as selected by the league’s media members. Equally as impressive, OHL coaches named O’Reilly the league’s smartest player, best defensive forward and top faceoff man.
O’Reilly is playing for a third straight OHL championship and has 15 goals and 23 points in 15 playoff games in Kitchener.
He made a strong first impression in the Lightning’s preseason prospect camp and in a brief training camp stint. He could be a player who doesn’t take long in the AHL before becoming an option for the Lightning.
“The way he plays the game already, even a small sample we got in training camp, tells me he probably won’t need that much time in order to be able to come here and contribute, because he already plays a pro-style game,” Lightning GM Julien BriseBois said.
O’Reilly just turned 20 in March, but already is ahead of the curve as a defensive-minded, right-shot center. And he fits a pair of the Lightning’s needs. Tampa Bay has been short on right-handed shots and will likely lose a pair this summer in Oliver Bjorkstrand and Corey Perry. Also, O’Reily won 58% of his faceoffs this season. For a team that ranked 28th in the league in the dot, that could help fast track O’Reilly if he duplicates the success in the AHL.
“If he can adjust to the pace and the physicality, as soon as he’s got that figured out, I think his game is already so textbook in how he plays. He’s got a really mature game that he carries in every night for his junior team or even the national team,” BriseBois said.
Benjamin Rautiainen, left wing
The Lightning historically have done a tremendous job plucking NHL talent from the middle rounds of the draft. They could have another steal with Finnish left-shot winger Benjamin Rautiainen, selected in the fourth round last year.
They saw a player on the verge of breaking out, and that’s what the 20-year-old did playing his second full season in Liiga, the top pro league in Finland. Playing for Tappara, Rautiainen led the league in scoring with 77 points (25 goals, 52 assists) in 59 games with a plus-24.
Rautiainen not only became the first player to break the 70-point mark in Liiga in 18 years, but his 77 points were the most by a player 24 or younger. Three decades earlier, a 20-year-old Saku Koivu scored 74.
After being passed over twice in the draft before the Lightning selected him 108th overall, Rautiainen won Liiga’s Golden Helmet award, going to the league’s MVP and voted on by his peers. NHL stars like Teemu Selanne and Koivu previously won it.
“Really amazing what he’s done this year,” BriseBois sad. “It’s historical, really. If you look at all the records he’s beaten, who he compares to in that league, they’re all-time greats that ended up being NHL players. Teemu Selanne, his name comes up a lot. So we’re really excited about having him in our pipeline.”
While his skill and playmaking ability have been extraordinary, Rautiainen is listed at 6 foot, 180 pounds, so he’ll have to show he can handle the physicality and speed that comes with the smaller ice of the North American game. He’s currently playing in the Liiga final and is signed for one more season with Tappara.
“We’re in constant talk with his agent as to what the best course of action is for his development,” BriseBois said. “He’s still a young player, still in development, still physically in development, but very curious to see what comes next for him.”
BOSTON — Wade Boggs still has, and may always have, the biggest personal milestone hit by a player in a Rays uniform, capping his Cooperstown-worthy career with his 3,000th hit — a home run, at that – in an August 1999 game at Tropicana Field.
Fred McGriff, another Tampa-produced Hall of Famer, logged his 400th homer and 2,000th hit with the Rays. Jose Canseco also hit his 400th homer. Other round-number homers include Evan Longoria hitting Nos. 100, 200 and 250 with Tampa Bay; and Carlos Pena 100 and 200.
Numbers-wise, what Yandy Diaz did Thursday night, rapping his 1,000th career hit, may not seem that significant. According to baseball-reference.com, he became the 1,413th player in major-league history to join that club.
Others that did so wearing Rays jerseys include Carl Crawford, Ben Zobrist, James Loney, Pena and Longoria.
But in context, what Diaz accomplished Thursday was very significant, as he became just the 20th Cuban-born player to do so.
Among those he joined are Hall of Famers Tony Perez, Minnie Minoso and Tony Oliva. Rafael Palmeiro, atop the list with 3,020 hits, would be a fourth if not for issues with performance-enhancing drugs.
Typically, Diaz doesn’t like to talk much about his accomplishments, but on Friday he acknowledged this one was different.
“It’s something that makes me feel a lot more special considering the names that are on that list,” he said via team interpreter Kevin Vera. “When you look at the 20 and I look at myself right now, I can consider myself as one of the best hitters to come out of Cuba. Just because everyone on that list is super talented.”
Especially given the circumstances.
Diaz, who was caught and jailed the first four times before escaping Cuba, was close to 26 when he made his big-league debut in April 2017 with Cleveland. He was traded to Tampa Bay in December 2018 and didn’t play 80 games in a season until 2021.
He also had to adjust to a different style of play than in Cuba and to navigate suggestions to change his swing to launch the ball more in attempts to show more power and hit more homers.
He laughed Friday when he was reminded of a spring training drill early in his Rays tenure when screens were placed on the infield to try to get him to hit the ball over them.
For the most part, Diaz has done it his way, making contact often, hitting the ball hard, using the whole field. Some years that led to more homers — 22 in 2023 when he hit an American League-best .330, a career-high 25 in 2025 (18 at cozy Steinbrenner Field) — but he said it’s not by design.
“I’m the same type of contact hitter like I’ve always been,” he said. “I’m a guy that looks for contact and line drives, and that’s what I’ve been doing.”
Diaz’s style is unique. When asked, Rays manager Kevin Cash said “there’s some Manny Ramirez in there” without the homers, noting the “consistency of the approach and the simpleness and knowing what a pitcher is trying to do, and then him being able to go up there and stay within himself and execute his game plan.”
Boggs, who was at Fenway Park on Friday, thought and suggested “maybe” a younger version of Miguel Cabrera in how Diaz uses the whole field: “(Diaz) is a dynamic player.”
Whither Wander
Wander Franco’s twice-delayed new trial on charges of sexual abuse of a minor is scheduled to start Thursday in the Dominican Republic.
Franco was found guilty in June and sentenced to two years of essentially probation. But both sides appealed (prosecutors wanted a five-year jail term), and a new trial was ordered. The girl’s mother was found guilty of sexually trafficking her daughter and sentenced to 10 years in jail. Charges stem from a relationship that started in December 2022, when the girl was 14 and Franco 21.
District attorney Claudio Cordero told Dominican media last week prosecutors “anticipate that within a week we will have a verdict, and it will result in a conviction for both individuals.”
Franco has not played for the Rays since August 2023, but they still owe him more than $160 million from his 11-year, $182 million contract.
Draft breeze
MLB.com’s first mock draft has the Rays using the No. 2 pick on Texas prep shortstop Grady Emerson over Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey on July 11. … The Athletic’s Keith Law has the White Sox taking Emerson No. 1, with the Rays then grabbing consensus top pick Roch Cholowsky, the UCLA shortstop, over Lackey.
Rays rumblings
Though “really pleased” with the strong start, baseball operations president Erik Neander did his part to temper expectations, telling WDAE’s Tom Krasniqi on Friday “the only thing we’re guaranteed is a record of 25-137, so we have a long way to go.” Neander also said the Rays, as usual, will be more aggressive in trade talks if they have a chance to win the AL East. … Going into Saturday’s games, fangraphs.com gave the Rays a 74.7% chance to make the playoffs. … Floyd’s 99 Barbershop, located near the Trop, is offering Rays-inspired game-day styles: The Ray-Hawk, the Ray-Zor and Show Me Your Colors (with blue hair spray). … Per MLB.com data, Junior Caminero so far this season has the majors’ fastest and flattest swing. … In a deal that ends Sunday, Rays.TV subscriptions for home territory fans are discounted to $49.99; the full-season price was $99.99. … ESPN’s David Schoenfield gave the Rays an A-minus for their first five weeks, noting that with the Blue Jays, Orioles and Red Sox struggling “this might turn into one of those scrappy, overachieving seasons for the Rays.” … Always entertaining ex-Ray Ji-Man Choi has started a YouTube channel (@major_jiman), albeit in his native Korean. … Fox’s Dontrelle Willis tabbed the Rays as the season’s biggest surprise and said “Kevin Cash continues to do an awesome job with that club.” … ESPN had fun Thursday in the Rays’ first regular-season national appearance since 2021, dropping in some historical references: 9=8, Feel the Heat, burst logos. Also, broadcaster Eduardo Perez measuring Diaz’s biceps at 18 inches — which, somehow, seemed small. “I didn’t hit biceps (in my workout), so they weren’t as big as normal,” Diaz explained. … Three Rays were added to Baseball America’s top 100 prospects list: catchers Nathan Flewelling (No. 91) and Caden Bodine (No. 95), infielder Cooper Flemming (No. 97). Pitcher Michael Forret, previously 96th, was dropped.
BOSTON — Wade Boggs still has, and may always have, the biggest personal milestone hit by a player in a Rays uniform, capping his Cooperstown-worthy career with his 3,000th hit — a home run, at that – in an August 1999 game at Tropicana Field.
Fred McGriff, another Tampa-produced Hall of Famer, logged his 400th homer and 2,000th hit with the Rays. Jose Canseco also hit his 400th homer. Other round-number homers include Evan Longoria hitting Nos. 100, 200 and 250 with Tampa Bay; and Carlos Pena 100 and 200.
Numbers-wise, what Yandy Diaz did Thursday night, rapping his 1,000th career hit, may not seem that significant. According to baseball-reference.com, he became the 1,413th player in major-league history to join that club.
Others that did so wearing Rays jerseys include Carl Crawford, Ben Zobrist, James Loney, Pena and Longoria.
But in context, what Diaz accomplished Thursday was very significant, as he became just the 20th Cuban-born player to do so.
Among those he joined are Hall of Famers Tony Perez, Minnie Minoso and Tony Oliva. Rafael Palmeiro, atop the list with 3,020 hits, would be a fourth if not for issues with performance-enhancing drugs.
Typically, Diaz doesn’t like to talk much about his accomplishments, but on Friday he acknowledged this one was different.
“It’s something that makes me feel a lot more special considering the names that are on that list,” he said via team interpreter Kevin Vera. “When you look at the 20 and I look at myself right now, I can consider myself as one of the best hitters to come out of Cuba. Just because everyone on that list is super talented.”
Especially given the circumstances.
Diaz, who was caught and jailed the first four times before escaping Cuba, was close to 26 when he made his big-league debut in April 2017 with Cleveland. He was traded to Tampa Bay in December 2018 and didn’t play 80 games in a season until 2021.
He also had to adjust to a different style of play than in Cuba and to navigate suggestions to change his swing to launch the ball more in attempts to show more power and hit more homers.
He laughed Friday when he was reminded of a spring training drill early in his Rays tenure when screens were placed on the infield to try to get him to hit the ball over them.
For the most part, Diaz has done it his way, making contact often, hitting the ball hard, using the whole field. Some years that led to more homers — 22 in 2023 when he hit an American League-best .330, a career-high 25 in 2025 (18 at cozy Steinbrenner Field) — but he said it’s not by design.
“I’m the same type of contact hitter like I’ve always been,” he said. “I’m a guy that looks for contact and line drives, and that’s what I’ve been doing.”
Diaz’s style is unique. When asked, Rays manager Kevin Cash said “there’s some Manny Ramirez in there” without the homers, noting the “consistency of the approach and the simpleness and knowing what a pitcher is trying to do, and then him being able to go up there and stay within himself and execute his game plan.”
Boggs, who was at Fenway Park on Friday, thought and suggested “maybe” a younger version of Miguel Cabrera in how Diaz uses the whole field: “(Diaz) is a dynamic player.”
Whither Wander
Wander Franco’s twice-delayed new trial on charges of sexual abuse of a minor is scheduled to start Thursday in the Dominican Republic.
Franco was found guilty in June and sentenced to two years of essentially probation. But both sides appealed (prosecutors wanted a five-year jail term), and a new trial was ordered. The girl’s mother was found guilty of sexually trafficking her daughter and sentenced to 10 years in jail. Charges stem from a relationship that started in December 2022, when the girl was 14 and Franco 21.
District attorney Claudio Cordero told Dominican media last week prosecutors “anticipate that within a week we will have a verdict, and it will result in a conviction for both individuals.”
Franco has not played for the Rays since August 2023, but they still owe him more than $160 million from his 11-year, $182 million contract.
Draft breeze
MLB.com’s first mock draft has the Rays using the No. 2 pick on Texas prep shortstop Grady Emerson over Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey on July 11. … The Athletic’s Keith Law has the White Sox taking Emerson No. 1, with the Rays then grabbing consensus top pick Roch Cholowsky, the UCLA shortstop, over Lackey.
Rays rumblings
Though “really pleased” with the strong start, baseball operations president Erik Neander did his part to temper expectations, telling WDAE’s Tom Krasniqi on Friday “the only thing we’re guaranteed is a record of 25-137, so we have a long way to go.” Neander also said the Rays, as usual, will be more aggressive in trade talks if they have a chance to win the AL East. … Going into Saturday’s games, fangraphs.com gave the Rays a 74.7% chance to make the playoffs. … Floyd’s 99 Barbershop, located near the Trop, is offering Rays-inspired game-day styles: The Ray-Hawk, the Ray-Zor and Show Me Your Colors (with blue hair spray). … Per MLB.com data, Junior Caminero so far this season has the majors’ fastest and flattest swing. … In a deal that ends Sunday, Rays.TV subscriptions for home territory fans are discounted to $49.99; the full-season price was $99.99. … ESPN’s David Schoenfield gave the Rays an A-minus for their first five weeks, noting that with the Blue Jays, Orioles and Red Sox struggling “this might turn into one of those scrappy, overachieving seasons for the Rays.” … Always entertaining ex-Ray Ji-Man Choi has started a YouTube channel (@major_jiman), albeit in his native Korean. … Fox’s Dontrelle Willis tabbed the Rays as the season’s biggest surprise and said “Kevin Cash continues to do an awesome job with that club.” … ESPN had fun Thursday in the Rays’ first regular-season national appearance since 2021, dropping in some historical references: 9=8, Feel the Heat, burst logos. Also, broadcaster Eduardo Perez measuring Diaz’s biceps at 18 inches — which, somehow, seemed small. “I didn’t hit biceps (in my workout), so they weren’t as big as normal,” Diaz explained. … Three Rays were added to Baseball America’s top 100 prospects list: catchers Nathan Flewelling (No. 91) and Caden Bodine (No. 95), infielder Cooper Flemming (No. 97). Pitcher Michael Forret, previously 96th, was dropped.
For the second straight season, Dallas’ playoff aspirations ran directly through Tampa Bay.
The Trinity entered Saturday’s match at Suncoast Credit Union Field needing a win to keep their postseason hopes alive, while the Sun hoped to end their home season on a high note.
Less than two minutes into the match, Trinity forward Samar Guidry beat Sun goalkeeper Liz Beardsley with a right-footed shot from outside the box into the bottom left corner of the net.
Camryn Lancaster, who assisted on the goal, doubled Dallas’ lead in the 27th minute with a right-footed shot from the center of the box into the top right corner.
“I thought our team was flat (Saturday),” said Sun coach Denise Schilte-Brown, whose squad dropped to 5-13-9 in its second season.
“We came out in the beginning of the game just kind of tentative. We were trying to feel our way into the game, and those couple moments of just being cautious cost us.”
Sun defender Brooke Hendrix agreed.
“We came out flat, and we were way too patient on our block,” she said. “So, I think we should have picked that moment (when Dallas scored its second goal) to go and get the ball back.”
The Sun had more scoring chances than Dallas but failed to convert on any of them.
“Our expected goal was higher,” Schilte-Brown said, “but a little bit of our story this season is that the ball didn’t actually go over the net.”
The Sun had a stronger showing in the second half, Schilte-Brown said, but playing from behind made things more difficult for them.
“They do respond well, with that tough-love moment at the half,” the coach said. “But when you’re chasing the games, you’re taking more risks.”
Dallas (10-10-7) had a chance to clinch a playoff spot with a DC win over Spokane late Saturday night.
Though her team fell well short of the high bar it set for itself with last season’s league championship, the Sun’s support has been unflagging, Schilte-Brown said.
“I think it means way more,” the coach said. “Fans support you when you’re winning, you kind of expect that they’re having a good time and enjoying your ride. But for these fans that have supported us during this turbulent season, it’s been second to none.
“Tampa Bay has showed up for us, and we’re really grateful and just kind of proud to be associated with a group of people that really have our backs.”
Still, Schilte-Brown noted, it will take more than culture and support to put the team back on a path toward another championship.
“It’ll be a remodeled team, because that’s what we need to do at this point,” the coach said. “It’s not going to be easy, because it’s probably the nicest team I’ve ever coached. There’ll be a lot of change.”
For the second straight season, Dallas’ playoff aspirations ran directly through Tampa Bay.
The Trinity entered Saturday’s match at Suncoast Credit Union Field needing a win to keep their postseason hopes alive, while the Sun hoped to end their home season on a high note.
Less than two minutes into the match, Trinity forward Samar Guidry beat Sun goalkeeper Liz Beardsley with a right-footed shot from outside the box into the bottom left corner of the net.
Camryn Lancaster, who assisted on the goal, doubled Dallas’ lead in the 27th minute with a right-footed shot from the center of the box into the top right corner.
“I thought our team was flat (Saturday),” said Sun coach Denise Schilte-Brown, whose squad dropped to 5-13-9 in its second season.
“We came out in the beginning of the game just kind of tentative. We were trying to feel our way into the game, and those couple moments of just being cautious cost us.”
Sun defender Brooke Hendrix agreed.
“We came out flat, and we were way too patient on our block,” she said. “So, I think we should have picked that moment (when Dallas scored its second goal) to go and get the ball back.”
The Sun had more scoring chances than Dallas but failed to convert on any of them.
“Our expected goal was higher,” Schilte-Brown said, “but a little bit of our story this season is that the ball didn’t actually go over the net.”
The Sun had a stronger showing in the second half, Schilte-Brown said, but playing from behind made things more difficult for them.
“They do respond well, with that tough-love moment at the half,” the coach said. “But when you’re chasing the games, you’re taking more risks.”
Dallas (10-10-7) had a chance to clinch a playoff spot with a DC win over Spokane late Saturday night.
Though her team fell well short of the high bar it set for itself with last season’s league championship, the Sun’s support has been unflagging, Schilte-Brown said.
“I think it means way more,” the coach said. “Fans support you when you’re winning, you kind of expect that they’re having a good time and enjoying your ride. But for these fans that have supported us during this turbulent season, it’s been second to none.
“Tampa Bay has showed up for us, and we’re really grateful and just kind of proud to be associated with a group of people that really have our backs.”
Still, Schilte-Brown noted, it will take more than culture and support to put the team back on a path toward another championship.
“It’ll be a remodeled team, because that’s what we need to do at this point,” the coach said. “It’s not going to be easy, because it’s probably the nicest team I’ve ever coached. There’ll be a lot of change.”
BOSTON — Through an ominous forecast for heavy rains throughout the afternoon and evening, the Red Sox planned for Saturday’s game against the Rays to start on time at 4:10 p.m.
But about 15 minutes before first pitch, with a steady rain falling at Fenway Park, they acknowledged what seemed inevitable — the game would not be played.
Rather than making up the game on Sunday, the teams will do so when the Rays return to Boston in the first series following the mid-July All-Star break.
Saturday’s game will be played on July 17 at 1:35 p.m. as the first game of a split doubleheader. The teams were set to resume play that night with a 7:10 game.
The Rays will keep their pitching rotation in order, with Nick Martinez sliding to Sunday’s matinee series finale facing Sox lefty Payton Tolle.
Drew Rasmussen, who was to pitch Sunday, will now pitch Monday when the Rays open a series in Toronto.
The unexpected day off will provide some additional rest for the Rays bullpen, which has been used heavily of late.
BOSTON — Through an ominous forecast for heavy rains throughout the afternoon and evening, the Red Sox planned for Saturday’s game against the Rays to start on time at 4:10 p.m.
But about 15 minutes before first pitch, with a steady rain falling at Fenway Park, they acknowledged what seemed inevitable — the game would not be played.
Rather than making up the game on Sunday, the teams will do so when the Rays return to Boston in the first series following the mid-July All-Star break.
Saturday’s game will be played on July 17 at 1:35 p.m. as the first game of a split doubleheader. The teams were set to resume play that night with a 7:10 game.
The Rays will keep their pitching rotation in order, with Nick Martinez sliding to Sunday’s matinee series finale facing Sox lefty Payton Tolle.
Drew Rasmussen, who was to pitch Sunday, will now pitch Monday when the Rays open a series in Toronto.
The unexpected day off will provide some additional rest for the Rays bullpen, which has been used heavily of late.
BOSTON — Needing help a few weeks ago to cover innings at Triple-A Durham, Rays scouts took a look at options available in the Mexican league.
They were familiar with veteran Aaron Brooks from his work over parts of six major-league seasons and liked what they saw in his one start for Caliente de Durango enough to sign him to a minor-league deal on April 25.
The 36-year-old right-hander pitched twice for the Bulls (3 ⅔ innings on April 28, five innings on May 3) and got word late Friday he was heading back to the majors for the first time since June 2024.
“You go from Mexico three weeks ago, now you’re sitting in Fenway Park,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “Pretty cool.”
Brooks, as most call-ups do, said he was “happy to be here.” But, given where he was, it seemed he meant it.
“It’s unreal,” he said. “It’s a blessing each and every day.”
To make room on the active roster, the Rays sent right-hander Mason Englert, who worked 3 ⅓ innings on Friday, to Durham, with plans to build him up to a starter workload.
“The thought with him is, let’s get him stretched out and continue down that path,” Cash said.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Rays designated for assignment outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy, who was acquired from Detroit in a January cash trade and was hitting .128 through 34 games at Durham.
Cash said Brooks is available to work in a variety of roles.
“He’s had a unique couple weeks,” he said. “Happy for him, and we’ll put him in the bullpen and use him as needed.”
Brooks has pitched parts of six seasons in the majors, starting with Kansas City in 2014. He also has pitched for the A’s, Orioles and Cardinals. In 57 big-league games, he has a 9-15 record and 6.36 ERA.
He spent 2020-21 pitching in Korea, and parts of 2025 and this season pitching in Mexico.
Englert had been on the injured list for two weeks with forearm tightness and assigned to start rehab at Durham on Wednesday. But the Rays changed plans after starter Steven Matz was sidelined on Monday and had Englert come to Boston.
“Appreciate Mason Englert’s work (Friday),“ Cash said. ”That helped keep some other guys from pitching, which is what we needed."
Remembering Bobby Cox
Cash and third-base coach Brady Williams reflected on longtime Braves manager Bobby Cox, who died Saturday.
Cash, a Tampa native, said he watched the Braves a lot growing up and had a strong appreciation for what Cox did.
“Just the impact that he’s had on the game — probably every manager in this business can look to some of his experiences and realize how special he was at his job, Cash said. ”Then you hear his former players talk about how special he was behind the scenes as a person."
Williams’ connection was through his father, Jimy, a coach for Cox with the Blue Jays and Braves.
Brady said learned what a “master” Cox was at managing a clubhouse as well as the game. He also got a sense of how competitive Cox and his dad were when Jimy got hired to manage the Red Sox and they faced the Braves.
“They set dinner up for after the game,” Brady said, “and whoever lost didn’t want to go.”
Miscellany
Jonathan Aranda was scheduled to have Saturday off with Ryan Vilade starting at first. ... The Rays have allowed three or fewer earned runs in a team-record 15 straight games, the first team to do so since the 2022 Astros ... Players on Sunday will have a full complement of pink gear to go along with pink socks, small ribbons on their jerseys and other accents to celebrate Mother’s Day.
BOSTON — Needing help a few weeks ago to cover innings at Triple-A Durham, Rays scouts took a look at options available in the Mexican league.
They were familiar with veteran Aaron Brooks from his work over parts of six major-league seasons and liked what they saw in his one start for Caliente de Durango enough to sign him to a minor-league deal on April 25.
The 36-year-old right-hander pitched twice for the Bulls (3 ⅔ innings on April 28, five innings on May 3) and got word late Friday he was heading back to the majors for the first time since June 2024.
“You go from Mexico three weeks ago, now you’re sitting in Fenway Park,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “Pretty cool.”
Brooks, as most call-ups do, said he was “happy to be here.” But, given where he was, it seemed he meant it.
“It’s unreal,” he said. “It’s a blessing each and every day.”
To make room on the active roster, the Rays sent right-hander Mason Englert, who worked 3 ⅓ innings on Friday, to Durham, with plans to build him up to a starter workload.
“The thought with him is, let’s get him stretched out and continue down that path,” Cash said.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Rays designated for assignment outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy, who was acquired from Detroit in a January cash trade and was hitting .128 through 34 games at Durham.
Cash said Brooks is available to work in a variety of roles.
“He’s had a unique couple weeks,” he said. “Happy for him, and we’ll put him in the bullpen and use him as needed.”
Brooks has pitched parts of six seasons in the majors, starting with Kansas City in 2014. He also has pitched for the A’s, Orioles and Cardinals. In 57 big-league games, he has a 9-15 record and 6.36 ERA.
He spent 2020-21 pitching in Korea, and parts of 2025 and this season pitching in Mexico.
Englert had been on the injured list for two weeks with forearm tightness and assigned to start rehab at Durham on Wednesday. But the Rays changed plans after starter Steven Matz was sidelined on Monday and had Englert come to Boston.
“Appreciate Mason Englert’s work (Friday),“ Cash said. ”That helped keep some other guys from pitching, which is what we needed."
Remembering Bobby Cox
Cash and third-base coach Brady Williams reflected on longtime Braves manager Bobby Cox, who died Saturday.
Cash, a Tampa native, said he watched the Braves a lot growing up and had a strong appreciation for what Cox did.
“Just the impact that he’s had on the game — probably every manager in this business can look to some of his experiences and realize how special he was at his job, Cash said. ”Then you hear his former players talk about how special he was behind the scenes as a person."
Williams’ connection was through his father, Jimy, a coach for Cox with the Blue Jays and Braves.
Brady said learned what a “master” Cox was at managing a clubhouse as well as the game. He also got a sense of how competitive Cox and his dad were when Jimy got hired to manage the Red Sox and they faced the Braves.
“They set dinner up for after the game,” Brady said, “and whoever lost didn’t want to go.”
Miscellany
Jonathan Aranda was scheduled to have Saturday off with Ryan Vilade starting at first. ... The Rays have allowed three or fewer earned runs in a team-record 15 straight games, the first team to do so since the 2022 Astros ... Players on Sunday will have a full complement of pink gear to go along with pink socks, small ribbons on their jerseys and other accents to celebrate Mother’s Day.
Keionte Scott arrived at rookie minicamp Friday with a cast wrapped around his left hand, a reminder of the wrist injury the defensive back gutted through last season at Miami. But the Bucs don’t expect the limitation to last long.
The cast is scheduled to come off in about 10 days. Once it does, expect Scott to have both hands in just about everything Todd Bowles asks of his defensive backs: blitzing off the edge, locking down receivers in coverage and sticking his nose into the run game.
“We’re going to start Keionte out as a nickel, and we’ll see if he evolves, whether he becomes a safety or a corner from that standpoint and go from there,” Bowles said. “But he’s really a guy who can play all over the place and allow us to play with six DBs some, and keep him and (Jacob) Parrish inside. So, he gives us a lot of options.”
While much of the attention surrounding the Bucs’ draft has been on edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. — and rightfully so — his former Miami teammate eventually may be considered the biggest steal in the 2026 rookie class.
Scott’s versatility lifted the Hurricanes defense to another level. He had five sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions last season, both returned for touchdowns.
He and Bain were two of the biggest reasons for the Hurricanes’ run through the College Football Playoff bracket, beating Texas A&M, Ohio State and Ole Miss before losing to Indiana in the national championship game.
For Scott to last until the fourth round was a bit of a surprise. But his football journey has been anything but linear. He’s from San Diego, spent two years at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, and three at Auburn before exploding last season at Miami.
Scott is 24, which is 2 ½ years older than Parrish, who is entering his second NFL season.
“Ultimately, it’s the ups and downs. Everything that made me who I am today,” Scott said. “I feel like I’ve handled adversity well, even situations like I’m in now. I feel like, at the end of the day it’s time to answer that call again. I feel like I’m super confident in my ability, so I’m really comfortable here.”
Scott credits his breakout year at Miami to playing behind Bain. The two grew very close, and the Bucs’ first-round pick was there when Scott signed his rookie contract earlier this week.
“I’m very excited, man,” Bain said. “I think everybody has seen the video when he signed. I was already there with him, so I feel like that speaks (volumes) about the relationship we have. We’re going to turn it up. We were talking about it at the walk-through, how we’re going to turn it up. We’re going to do it the right way, gracefully and trust our teammates first.
“During the season, it was 0 and 4 (their numbers at Miami). Now, it’s 3 and 22. Once Keionte is out there with me and I’m out there with him, everybody is going to see the same connection and chemistry.”
It’s no secret that the Bucs defense struggled in two critical areas last season: rushing the passer and covering the middle of the field.
Much of the blame fell on the inside linebackers. Lavonte David retired after 14 seasons. SirVocea Dennis struggled as a starter.
Scott provides Bowles with more versatility. The coach can take a linebacker off the field on passing downs and play both Parrish and Scott inside at nickel cornerback or even at a hybrid linebacker position.
“That’s kind of the beauty of (Scott) as a player,” said Mike Biehl, the Bucs’ vice president of player personnel. “That we see him being able to fill multiple roles whenever and wherever we need him.
“You can look at our draft picks over the last four or five years, especially at the DB position, and we’ve done a lot that where versatility is a big key for those guys. I’d say nickel is probably his first position and best position, but we see him being able to potentially play safety or even outside corner if that’s where he fits best.
“It’s just the versatility, the toughness, the coverage ability,” Biehl continued. “He’s a physical player, and he has the ability to get the ball back, too.”
Bowles still is tinkering with ideas of how to get Parrish, an All-Rookie player with 76 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions last season, and Scott on the field at the same time.
“He, probably — even with his size — he plays more like a linebacker, and Parrish plays a great nickel, and Parrish is a cover guy, and Parrish is tough and he can tackle," Bowles said.
“He’s one of the few guys that runs a 4.3 (40-yard dash), talking about Keionte , that plays a 4.3. You can really see it in his play and his explosion. He’s very instinctive, and Parrish was All-Rookie and he’s still going to play in there as well, but we’re going to get him some more outside reps.”
If you need an endorsement, consider this from Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Ronde Barber.
“I mean, this dude was ‘Agent Zero’ at Miami,” Barber said on his podcast. ”The guy did everything — blitz, tackle for loss, he was a cover guy of sorts. I don’t know that we could’ve found a better player to kind of do everything for us in the draft."
Keionte Scott arrived at rookie minicamp Friday with a cast wrapped around his left hand, a reminder of the wrist injury the defensive back gutted through last season at Miami. But the Bucs don’t expect the limitation to last long.
The cast is scheduled to come off in about 10 days. Once it does, expect Scott to have both hands in just about everything Todd Bowles asks of his defensive backs: blitzing off the edge, locking down receivers in coverage and sticking his nose into the run game.
“We’re going to start Keionte out as a nickel, and we’ll see if he evolves, whether he becomes a safety or a corner from that standpoint and go from there,” Bowles said. “But he’s really a guy who can play all over the place and allow us to play with six DBs some, and keep him and (Jacob) Parrish inside. So, he gives us a lot of options.”
While much of the attention surrounding the Bucs’ draft has been on edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. — and rightfully so — his former Miami teammate eventually may be considered the biggest steal in the 2026 rookie class.
Scott’s versatility lifted the Hurricanes defense to another level. He had five sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions last season, both returned for touchdowns.
He and Bain were two of the biggest reasons for the Hurricanes’ run through the College Football Playoff bracket, beating Texas A&M, Ohio State and Ole Miss before losing to Indiana in the national championship game.
For Scott to last until the fourth round was a bit of a surprise. But his football journey has been anything but linear. He’s from San Diego, spent two years at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, and three at Auburn before exploding last season at Miami.
Scott is 24, which is 2 ½ years older than Parrish, who is entering his second NFL season.
“Ultimately, it’s the ups and downs. Everything that made me who I am today,” Scott said. “I feel like I’ve handled adversity well, even situations like I’m in now. I feel like, at the end of the day it’s time to answer that call again. I feel like I’m super confident in my ability, so I’m really comfortable here.”
Scott credits his breakout year at Miami to playing behind Bain. The two grew very close, and the Bucs’ first-round pick was there when Scott signed his rookie contract earlier this week.
“I’m very excited, man,” Bain said. “I think everybody has seen the video when he signed. I was already there with him, so I feel like that speaks (volumes) about the relationship we have. We’re going to turn it up. We were talking about it at the walk-through, how we’re going to turn it up. We’re going to do it the right way, gracefully and trust our teammates first.
“During the season, it was 0 and 4 (their numbers at Miami). Now, it’s 3 and 22. Once Keionte is out there with me and I’m out there with him, everybody is going to see the same connection and chemistry.”
It’s no secret that the Bucs defense struggled in two critical areas last season: rushing the passer and covering the middle of the field.
Much of the blame fell on the inside linebackers. Lavonte David retired after 14 seasons. SirVocea Dennis struggled as a starter.
Scott provides Bowles with more versatility. The coach can take a linebacker off the field on passing downs and play both Parrish and Scott inside at nickel cornerback or even at a hybrid linebacker position.
“That’s kind of the beauty of (Scott) as a player,” said Mike Biehl, the Bucs’ vice president of player personnel. “That we see him being able to fill multiple roles whenever and wherever we need him.
“You can look at our draft picks over the last four or five years, especially at the DB position, and we’ve done a lot that where versatility is a big key for those guys. I’d say nickel is probably his first position and best position, but we see him being able to potentially play safety or even outside corner if that’s where he fits best.
“It’s just the versatility, the toughness, the coverage ability,” Biehl continued. “He’s a physical player, and he has the ability to get the ball back, too.”
Bowles still is tinkering with ideas of how to get Parrish, an All-Rookie player with 76 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions last season, and Scott on the field at the same time.
“He, probably — even with his size — he plays more like a linebacker, and Parrish plays a great nickel, and Parrish is a cover guy, and Parrish is tough and he can tackle," Bowles said.
“He’s one of the few guys that runs a 4.3 (40-yard dash), talking about Keionte , that plays a 4.3. You can really see it in his play and his explosion. He’s very instinctive, and Parrish was All-Rookie and he’s still going to play in there as well, but we’re going to get him some more outside reps.”
If you need an endorsement, consider this from Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Ronde Barber.
“I mean, this dude was ‘Agent Zero’ at Miami,” Barber said on his podcast. ”The guy did everything — blitz, tackle for loss, he was a cover guy of sorts. I don’t know that we could’ve found a better player to kind of do everything for us in the draft."
It didn’t take long for Lightning center Dominic James to burst onto the NHL scene and show that he could be an impact player.
This time a year ago, he had just completed his final college season at Minnesota-Duluth. Now, he’s a major part of the Lightning’s future, the latest example of how the organization continues to develop young talent without having much draft capital.
James was one of the Lightning’s best players in their first-round playoff series against Montreal, making his NHL postseason debut while coming off an ankle injury that had sidelined him for seven weeks.
“I thought he did great in this series, especially coming off that injury, not really having any time to kind of get reps before,” Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois said. “He was out for multiple weeks, and his first game back is Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs. He did really, really well, and only got better as the series went on.”
James, 23, now goes into the offseason with confidence that he can play at the NHL level while also knowing that there’s still a lot of room to grow. As a rookie, he was able to play in a variety of roles, and by the end of the year he not only carved a niche for himself in the lineup, he showed he could fit into a top-six role.
“In the NHL, there’s a lot of strong players, and I’ve got to get stronger,” the 6-foot, 190-pound James said. “And you can say that every summer, but it feels like it means more of the summer, coming back to the NHL and getting that first taste. The National Hockey League was great for me. And I think it’s going to be one of the biggest summers of my life.”
James was able to show he can utilize his speed in different ways, from forcing pressure on the forecheck to carrying the puck in space. The more he played, the more he was able to use his speed to find scoring opportunities in big moments.
Not even BriseBois anticipated James, who was signed as a free agent two days into training camp after his draft rights with the Blackhawks expired, would have made such a quick impact.
“My expectations are usually low for everyone coming in,” BriseBois said. “That way, I’m not disappointed. It’s a great surprise when they overshoot my expectations. We saw Dominic James as an NHL prospect, someone that certainly had the wheels and had the compete, played with pace.
“And then how quickly would he adjust to the pro game? How quickly would he adjust the physicality of the pro game, the 82 games, the grind? But he adjusted great. He came in and was a breath of fresh air, I think, for the locker room, for our environment. We missed it when he was out of the lineup.”
James was promoted to the Lightning after just four games at AHL Syracuse, compiling three goals and five points with the Crunch. At the time, the Lightning needed a spark, having lost five of their first six games. The infusion of new blood with James and defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous did just that.
James had seven goals and 15 points in 43 games before his regular season was cut short by an ankle injury Feb. 28 against Buffalo. He was really starting to find his NHL game, having scored in back-to-back games for the first time and recording points in three of his previous four.
“As a young guy to come in and play for the Lightning, there’s so many guys to learn from and so many experiences, starting from the first game of preseason,” James said. “There’s the whole battle of Florida, and to kind of be thrown in the fire that way, it was unreal. And with the Stadium Series, the experiences this year, they were second to none. I couldn’t be more thankful for all the guys and the staff, for sure.”
When James went to the ice awkwardly after getting entangled with Sabres defenseman Michael Kesselring, it looked like his season might be over. But James was focused on returning in time for the playoffs, and he came back ahead of schedule, drawing in for Game 1 against the Canadiens.
On James’ first playoff shift, he reinjured his ankle in a collision with Montreal defenseman Arber Xhekaj. But he returned to the game, and coach Jon Cooper said that the scare might have been the best thing for James, because he got better as the game went on.
James would score two big goals in the series, a tying goal in the second period of Game 5 and the Lightning’s only goal in Game 7, on the power play. He also had the primary assist on Tampa Bay’s most important goal, finding Gage Goncalves at the back post for the overtime winner in Game 6 in Montreal.
“Those are huge games to grow from, and I’ll be a better man because of it,” James said. “If we didn’t make the playoffs, I wouldn’t get that experience of seven straight games of war, basically. It was great to get under my belt, great to make an impact in any way that I could have in the series. And it just makes you never want to feel that way again, and it pushes you for the summer.”
It didn’t take long for Lightning center Dominic James to burst onto the NHL scene and show that he could be an impact player.
This time a year ago, he had just completed his final college season at Minnesota-Duluth. Now, he’s a major part of the Lightning’s future, the latest example of how the organization continues to develop young talent without having much draft capital.
James was one of the Lightning’s best players in their first-round playoff series against Montreal, making his NHL postseason debut while coming off an ankle injury that had sidelined him for seven weeks.
“I thought he did great in this series, especially coming off that injury, not really having any time to kind of get reps before,” Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois said. “He was out for multiple weeks, and his first game back is Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs. He did really, really well, and only got better as the series went on.”
James, 23, now goes into the offseason with confidence that he can play at the NHL level while also knowing that there’s still a lot of room to grow. As a rookie, he was able to play in a variety of roles, and by the end of the year he not only carved a niche for himself in the lineup, he showed he could fit into a top-six role.
“In the NHL, there’s a lot of strong players, and I’ve got to get stronger,” the 6-foot, 190-pound James said. “And you can say that every summer, but it feels like it means more of the summer, coming back to the NHL and getting that first taste. The National Hockey League was great for me. And I think it’s going to be one of the biggest summers of my life.”
James was able to show he can utilize his speed in different ways, from forcing pressure on the forecheck to carrying the puck in space. The more he played, the more he was able to use his speed to find scoring opportunities in big moments.
Not even BriseBois anticipated James, who was signed as a free agent two days into training camp after his draft rights with the Blackhawks expired, would have made such a quick impact.
“My expectations are usually low for everyone coming in,” BriseBois said. “That way, I’m not disappointed. It’s a great surprise when they overshoot my expectations. We saw Dominic James as an NHL prospect, someone that certainly had the wheels and had the compete, played with pace.
“And then how quickly would he adjust to the pro game? How quickly would he adjust the physicality of the pro game, the 82 games, the grind? But he adjusted great. He came in and was a breath of fresh air, I think, for the locker room, for our environment. We missed it when he was out of the lineup.”
James was promoted to the Lightning after just four games at AHL Syracuse, compiling three goals and five points with the Crunch. At the time, the Lightning needed a spark, having lost five of their first six games. The infusion of new blood with James and defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous did just that.
James had seven goals and 15 points in 43 games before his regular season was cut short by an ankle injury Feb. 28 against Buffalo. He was really starting to find his NHL game, having scored in back-to-back games for the first time and recording points in three of his previous four.
“As a young guy to come in and play for the Lightning, there’s so many guys to learn from and so many experiences, starting from the first game of preseason,” James said. “There’s the whole battle of Florida, and to kind of be thrown in the fire that way, it was unreal. And with the Stadium Series, the experiences this year, they were second to none. I couldn’t be more thankful for all the guys and the staff, for sure.”
When James went to the ice awkwardly after getting entangled with Sabres defenseman Michael Kesselring, it looked like his season might be over. But James was focused on returning in time for the playoffs, and he came back ahead of schedule, drawing in for Game 1 against the Canadiens.
On James’ first playoff shift, he reinjured his ankle in a collision with Montreal defenseman Arber Xhekaj. But he returned to the game, and coach Jon Cooper said that the scare might have been the best thing for James, because he got better as the game went on.
James would score two big goals in the series, a tying goal in the second period of Game 5 and the Lightning’s only goal in Game 7, on the power play. He also had the primary assist on Tampa Bay’s most important goal, finding Gage Goncalves at the back post for the overtime winner in Game 6 in Montreal.
“Those are huge games to grow from, and I’ll be a better man because of it,” James said. “If we didn’t make the playoffs, I wouldn’t get that experience of seven straight games of war, basically. It was great to get under my belt, great to make an impact in any way that I could have in the series. And it just makes you never want to feel that way again, and it pushes you for the summer.”
This is what happens when you keep stacking wins on top of one another.
You can see all the way to October.
You’re able to look beyond the slumps and injuries, the regression and the pursuers. You see things the computers missed and the critics overlooked. You see a version of your ballclub that may not endure but continues to outrun disappointment in the rearview mirror.
No, the Rays are not as dominant as their record currently suggests.
Which makes this hot streak equally impressive and important.
In season previews, ESPN, FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus had all predicted a last-place finish in the American League East and somewhere between 79 and 82 wins. Yet, as of Friday morning, the Rays were on pace for 109 wins.
So, what are they doing right?
“We are constantly putting pressure on pitchers with the ability to make contact. That can wear some pitchers down, and it has,” manager Kevin Cash said. “We’ve played pretty elite defense, outside of the corners, and I think our bullpen has been lights-out. Take away eight games, that all came at the same time, and they’ve been incredible.
“The rotation has been everything we could have asked for.”
They say you can’t win a pennant in April, but the Rays aren’t listening. With 25 wins in their first 37 games, they already tilted the odds in their favor. In the wild-card era, there have been 37 teams that have started at 25-12 or better in a season not interrupted by a work stoppage or pandemic. Of those teams, 89.2% went on to win 90 games or more.
That’s not a guarantee of success, but it’s a suggestion that the Rays have more than just good mojo.
Even if they play .500 the rest of the season, they’ll be in contention for a wild card.
So, our job this morning is to figure out what’s the truth and what’s random? What’s sustainable, and what’s unlikely.
What’s real, and what’s a lie?
Rotation is the bomb
Yeah, not really. Don’t get me wrong, the rotation is still the strongest part of the roster. And the 3.13 ERA compiled by the starters has been well earned.
But there are some indicators that darker days are around the corner. Health, for example. Ryan Pepiot is out for the season, Joe Boyle has been out for nearly a month and Steven Matz went on the injured list this week to get out ahead of some elbow inflammation. Shane McClanahan’s return has been nothing short of amazing, but he’ll likely need some down time this summer after not pitching competitively for more than two years.
And while Matz and Nick Martinez have been two of the best free-agent acquisitions of the year (the Rays are 12-2 in their starts), there are some worrisome signs. Neither pitcher is getting a lot of strikeouts and both currently have career bests in batting average on balls in play. That suggests some good fortune, thus far.
Small-ball nirvana
You better believe it. After a years-long flirtation with exit velocity, the Rays have gone another direction in 2026.
This is a lineup built around speed and contact. The Rays have the second lowest strikeout rate in the majors, and they went into the weekend with more stolen bases than anyone. Those are qualities that do not typically disappear. By embracing bunting, running and fewer fly balls, the offense is not as explosive, but it should be slump-resistant.
Also, the Yandy Diaz/Jonathan Aranda/Junior Caminero triumvirate would be the envy of most GMs.
Best of all, there is no one having a career year through the season’s first six weeks. In fact, the offense could get stronger when Gavin Lux finally comes off his injury rehab and the Rays start getting more out of centerfield.
Uncommonly good bullpen
This one is a little harder to figure because of the volatility of relief pitchers.
On the plus side, the Rays have a versatile assortment of relievers who can provide different arm angles and styles from inning to inning. The collective ERA is not impressive (4.11), but that’s mostly due to a disastrous first week.
On the down side, there’s not a lot of history here. Ian Seymour is in his first full season as a reliever, and Hunter Bigge had 32 innings in the majors coming into this season. Cole Sulser is flirting with career-best numbers at age 36, while several high-leverage pitchers (Garrett Cleavinger, Griffin Jax and Edwin Uceta) have struggled with injuries and performance issues.
Bryan Baker and Kevin Kelly have stepped up in a big way, and the Rays do have an AL-high six relievers with saves. Still, a lot of this has the feel of smoke-and-mirrors.
Close games and comebacks
This is probably the most worrisome part of the first six weeks.
The Rays have had an uncommon number of comebacks already, and they have the best record (8-1) in one-run games in the majors. Records in one-run games often fluctuate wildly from season to season (Rays went from 30-22 in 2024 to 22-29 in 2025), which gives them more of a random feel. And that means, at some point, the law of averages will likely catch up to the Rays in games decided in the final innings.
Yet, having said all of that, the bottom line is the Rays went into the weekend with a 7 ½-game lead in the AL wild-card race. That’s a huge gap for early May.
Perhaps the Rays have already used a sizable portion of their good fortune allotment, but the important thing is they didn’t waste it.
You stack wins in April and May, and the mountain is a little easier to scale in October.
This is what happens when you keep stacking wins on top of one another.
You can see all the way to October.
You’re able to look beyond the slumps and injuries, the regression and the pursuers. You see things the computers missed and the critics overlooked. You see a version of your ballclub that may not endure but continues to outrun disappointment in the rearview mirror.
No, the Rays are not as dominant as their record currently suggests.
Which makes this hot streak equally impressive and important.
In season previews, ESPN, FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus had all predicted a last-place finish in the American League East and somewhere between 79 and 82 wins. Yet, as of Friday morning, the Rays were on pace for 109 wins.
So, what are they doing right?
“We are constantly putting pressure on pitchers with the ability to make contact. That can wear some pitchers down, and it has,” manager Kevin Cash said. “We’ve played pretty elite defense, outside of the corners, and I think our bullpen has been lights-out. Take away eight games, that all came at the same time, and they’ve been incredible.
“The rotation has been everything we could have asked for.”
They say you can’t win a pennant in April, but the Rays aren’t listening. With 25 wins in their first 37 games, they already tilted the odds in their favor. In the wild-card era, there have been 37 teams that have started at 25-12 or better in a season not interrupted by a work stoppage or pandemic. Of those teams, 89.2% went on to win 90 games or more.
That’s not a guarantee of success, but it’s a suggestion that the Rays have more than just good mojo.
Even if they play .500 the rest of the season, they’ll be in contention for a wild card.
So, our job this morning is to figure out what’s the truth and what’s random? What’s sustainable, and what’s unlikely.
What’s real, and what’s a lie?
Rotation is the bomb
Yeah, not really. Don’t get me wrong, the rotation is still the strongest part of the roster. And the 3.13 ERA compiled by the starters has been well earned.
But there are some indicators that darker days are around the corner. Health, for example. Ryan Pepiot is out for the season, Joe Boyle has been out for nearly a month and Steven Matz went on the injured list this week to get out ahead of some elbow inflammation. Shane McClanahan’s return has been nothing short of amazing, but he’ll likely need some down time this summer after not pitching competitively for more than two years.
And while Matz and Nick Martinez have been two of the best free-agent acquisitions of the year (the Rays are 12-2 in their starts), there are some worrisome signs. Neither pitcher is getting a lot of strikeouts and both currently have career bests in batting average on balls in play. That suggests some good fortune, thus far.
Small-ball nirvana
You better believe it. After a years-long flirtation with exit velocity, the Rays have gone another direction in 2026.
This is a lineup built around speed and contact. The Rays have the second lowest strikeout rate in the majors, and they went into the weekend with more stolen bases than anyone. Those are qualities that do not typically disappear. By embracing bunting, running and fewer fly balls, the offense is not as explosive, but it should be slump-resistant.
Also, the Yandy Diaz/Jonathan Aranda/Junior Caminero triumvirate would be the envy of most GMs.
Best of all, there is no one having a career year through the season’s first six weeks. In fact, the offense could get stronger when Gavin Lux finally comes off his injury rehab and the Rays start getting more out of centerfield.
Uncommonly good bullpen
This one is a little harder to figure because of the volatility of relief pitchers.
On the plus side, the Rays have a versatile assortment of relievers who can provide different arm angles and styles from inning to inning. The collective ERA is not impressive (4.11), but that’s mostly due to a disastrous first week.
On the down side, there’s not a lot of history here. Ian Seymour is in his first full season as a reliever, and Hunter Bigge had 32 innings in the majors coming into this season. Cole Sulser is flirting with career-best numbers at age 36, while several high-leverage pitchers (Garrett Cleavinger, Griffin Jax and Edwin Uceta) have struggled with injuries and performance issues.
Bryan Baker and Kevin Kelly have stepped up in a big way, and the Rays do have an AL-high six relievers with saves. Still, a lot of this has the feel of smoke-and-mirrors.
Close games and comebacks
This is probably the most worrisome part of the first six weeks.
The Rays have had an uncommon number of comebacks already, and they have the best record (8-1) in one-run games in the majors. Records in one-run games often fluctuate wildly from season to season (Rays went from 30-22 in 2024 to 22-29 in 2025), which gives them more of a random feel. And that means, at some point, the law of averages will likely catch up to the Rays in games decided in the final innings.
Yet, having said all of that, the bottom line is the Rays went into the weekend with a 7 ½-game lead in the AL wild-card race. That’s a huge gap for early May.
Perhaps the Rays have already used a sizable portion of their good fortune allotment, but the important thing is they didn’t waste it.
You stack wins in April and May, and the mountain is a little easier to scale in October.
That Ben Williamson has shown to be good at so many things for the Rays — adroitly playing three positions, providing quality at-bats and clutch hits, making good decisions on the bases, being a good teammate — should not come as a surprise.
Multitasking has been his thing since his childhood days in northern Virginia.
“Growing up, I dreamed of becoming a professional hockey player, professional baseball player and a professional soccer player,” said Williamson, 25. “Obviously, not all three of those are possible, but as a kid growing up I was super ambitious.”
He shed his hockey goal for a few reasons, one being that the closest ice rink from his family home was nearly an hour drive and practices were at crazy hours.
Soccer was fun through his junior year at Freedom High in South Riding, Virginia, but Williamson didn’t like all the running and decided to make baseball his sole sport.
Though undrafted out of high school, Williamson had offers to play collegiately, signing with mid-major William & Mary. He did well his first three seasons with the Tribe, playing shortstop and third base with a slick glove and a light bat, earning several Colonial Athletic Association honors.
But he faced kind of a big decision heading into his senior year.
“That summer,” Williamson recalled, “I was like, ‘I don’t really know what I want to do.’”
Stick with his major of business analytics and data science, immersed in things like R code and Python programming language while crunching numbers?
Or dedicate himself to getting better enough at baseball to play in the majors and crush home runs?
Eventually, he had clarity.
Playing on the field sounded better than working in an office.
“I was like, ‘I want to be a baseball player,’” Willamson said. “I don’t want to go work at wherever I was lined coming out of the (business) school to work at. I was like, ‘Baseball is what I need to pour in to.’
“Luckily, I always worked super hard without really a purpose. So, once I was given that purpose, I kind of just took off.”
There was physical growth also, as Williamson took the coaching staff’s advice to put on 20 pounds of muscle, pumping iron and pounding creatine (a natural strength-building supplement) to add more power to his game.
The same guy who hit .294 with seven homers and 40 RBIs, and didn’t have a slugging percentage over .436 during his first three seasons flexed that additional strength as a senior, hitting .390 with 12 homers, 49 RBIs and a .662 slugging percentage.
And playing in the majors indeed became a reality.
The Mariners drafted him 57th overall in 2023, had him playing third base regularly in 2025 until acquiring veteran Eugenio Suarez at the July trade deadline, then dealt him to the Rays just before spring training in a three-way deal to get Brendan Donovan from St. Louis.
Former William & Mary coach Brian Murphy, who recruited Williamson out of high school, said there is no reason to be surprised.
“Basically from Day 1, you could tell you had the right kind of kid and the right kind of worker and the right kind of personality,” Murphy said. “Then, each successive year, he kind of grew. That’s what you’re looking for. Those are the guys that make it, the guys that keep getting better and don’t plateau.”
As well as Williamson played in games, Murphy and other Tribe coaches said what stood out more was how he practiced.
“I’ve been doing this 25 years or something, and he’s in the top 1 or 2%,” said Murphy, now at Merrimack College. “He had a gear that is just uncommon in his preparation and how serious he took things. He’s on a very short list of guys that could really push a practice to raise other people’s levels.”
Williamson — admittedly laid-back and “very much go with the flow” in other aspects of his life, enjoying fishing and chillin’ in his free time — said he has always been intense on the field, doing more than most others.
“It’s weird, because even as a kid, we’d take (batting practice) and I’d be laying out for balls, full-flight,” he said. “I don’t know, I always found a lot of joy in just playing as hard as I could. So when it came to practice, I just practiced how I played, and it was just came kind of naturally.”
As if there wasn’t enough upheaval for Williamson being traded a week before spring camp opened — he had recently gotten engaged (to Sara) and was already in Arizona with the Mariners — the Rays also wanted him to learn second base.
As you’d expect, Williamson has handled it well.
“Very impressive,” Rays third-base/infield coach Brady Williams said. “It’s a testament to his ability and his work ethic.”
And there’s something else.
“He’s a baseball rat,” Williams said. “He loves the game. Some guys wake up and want to hit homers. He wakes up and wants to make a great play.”
Ask around the clubhouse about Williamson, and you hear all kinds of kind words.
Starting pitcher Shane McClanahan is impressed with his attitude: “I love Ben. I think Ben is a dawg. He is a gamer. … If any team had Ben Williamson, they would consider themselves lucky. I don’t think we can say enough good things about how he’s come in and just handled himself — and the results are showing that.”
Third baseman Junior Caminero called him “a good guy” and a great defender: “When somebody hits the ball over there, I close my eyes and say, ‘Out.’”
Starter Drew Rasmussen raved about his “baseball IQ” on the field: “When you see someone who’s just constantly in the right place at the right time, it’s not by luck, it’s not by chance, it’s because they have an idea of what they’re doing out there, and they have an understanding of how the game is played.”
Some of that high praise comes from beyond his teammates.
Reliever Casey Legumina, who played with Williamson last season in Seattle and is roommates with him now, was recently asked to pass on a compliment.
“My family mentions him all the time,” Legumina said. “My mom just told me to tell him how much she loves watching him play.”
That Ben Williamson has shown to be good at so many things for the Rays — adroitly playing three positions, providing quality at-bats and clutch hits, making good decisions on the bases, being a good teammate — should not come as a surprise.
Multitasking has been his thing since his childhood days in northern Virginia.
“Growing up, I dreamed of becoming a professional hockey player, professional baseball player and a professional soccer player,” said Williamson, 25. “Obviously, not all three of those are possible, but as a kid growing up I was super ambitious.”
He shed his hockey goal for a few reasons, one being that the closest ice rink from his family home was nearly an hour drive and practices were at crazy hours.
Soccer was fun through his junior year at Freedom High in South Riding, Virginia, but Williamson didn’t like all the running and decided to make baseball his sole sport.
Though undrafted out of high school, Williamson had offers to play collegiately, signing with mid-major William & Mary. He did well his first three seasons with the Tribe, playing shortstop and third base with a slick glove and a light bat, earning several Colonial Athletic Association honors.
But he faced kind of a big decision heading into his senior year.
“That summer,” Williamson recalled, “I was like, ‘I don’t really know what I want to do.’”
Stick with his major of business analytics and data science, immersed in things like R code and Python programming language while crunching numbers?
Or dedicate himself to getting better enough at baseball to play in the majors and crush home runs?
Eventually, he had clarity.
Playing on the field sounded better than working in an office.
“I was like, ‘I want to be a baseball player,’” Willamson said. “I don’t want to go work at wherever I was lined coming out of the (business) school to work at. I was like, ‘Baseball is what I need to pour in to.’
“Luckily, I always worked super hard without really a purpose. So, once I was given that purpose, I kind of just took off.”
There was physical growth also, as Williamson took the coaching staff’s advice to put on 20 pounds of muscle, pumping iron and pounding creatine (a natural strength-building supplement) to add more power to his game.
The same guy who hit .294 with seven homers and 40 RBIs, and didn’t have a slugging percentage over .436 during his first three seasons flexed that additional strength as a senior, hitting .390 with 12 homers, 49 RBIs and a .662 slugging percentage.
And playing in the majors indeed became a reality.
The Mariners drafted him 57th overall in 2023, had him playing third base regularly in 2025 until acquiring veteran Eugenio Suarez at the July trade deadline, then dealt him to the Rays just before spring training in a three-way deal to get Brendan Donovan from St. Louis.
Former William & Mary coach Brian Murphy, who recruited Williamson out of high school, said there is no reason to be surprised.
“Basically from Day 1, you could tell you had the right kind of kid and the right kind of worker and the right kind of personality,” Murphy said. “Then, each successive year, he kind of grew. That’s what you’re looking for. Those are the guys that make it, the guys that keep getting better and don’t plateau.”
As well as Williamson played in games, Murphy and other Tribe coaches said what stood out more was how he practiced.
“I’ve been doing this 25 years or something, and he’s in the top 1 or 2%,” said Murphy, now at Merrimack College. “He had a gear that is just uncommon in his preparation and how serious he took things. He’s on a very short list of guys that could really push a practice to raise other people’s levels.”
Williamson — admittedly laid-back and “very much go with the flow” in other aspects of his life, enjoying fishing and chillin’ in his free time — said he has always been intense on the field, doing more than most others.
“It’s weird, because even as a kid, we’d take (batting practice) and I’d be laying out for balls, full-flight,” he said. “I don’t know, I always found a lot of joy in just playing as hard as I could. So when it came to practice, I just practiced how I played, and it was just came kind of naturally.”
As if there wasn’t enough upheaval for Williamson being traded a week before spring camp opened — he had recently gotten engaged (to Sara) and was already in Arizona with the Mariners — the Rays also wanted him to learn second base.
As you’d expect, Williamson has handled it well.
“Very impressive,” Rays third-base/infield coach Brady Williams said. “It’s a testament to his ability and his work ethic.”
And there’s something else.
“He’s a baseball rat,” Williams said. “He loves the game. Some guys wake up and want to hit homers. He wakes up and wants to make a great play.”
Ask around the clubhouse about Williamson, and you hear all kinds of kind words.
Starting pitcher Shane McClanahan is impressed with his attitude: “I love Ben. I think Ben is a dawg. He is a gamer. … If any team had Ben Williamson, they would consider themselves lucky. I don’t think we can say enough good things about how he’s come in and just handled himself — and the results are showing that.”
Third baseman Junior Caminero called him “a good guy” and a great defender: “When somebody hits the ball over there, I close my eyes and say, ‘Out.’”
Starter Drew Rasmussen raved about his “baseball IQ” on the field: “When you see someone who’s just constantly in the right place at the right time, it’s not by luck, it’s not by chance, it’s because they have an idea of what they’re doing out there, and they have an understanding of how the game is played.”
Some of that high praise comes from beyond his teammates.
Reliever Casey Legumina, who played with Williamson last season in Seattle and is roommates with him now, was recently asked to pass on a compliment.
“My family mentions him all the time,” Legumina said. “My mom just told me to tell him how much she loves watching him play.”
BOSTON — As well as the Rays were doing in winning seven straight games, 13 of 14 and 23 of 30 since their 2-5 start, there were a number of those days when their offense did just enough to get by.
In 15 of those wins, they scored five or fewer runs, including five with one, two or three. In the other eight, they never really broke out, scoring no more than eight runs.
Plus, many of those wins were tight, with 15 by a margin of three or fewer runs, including seven by just one.
All of which is to say that nights like Friday were due to happen, when the Rays were shut down by Sox starter Connelly Early and two relievers and shut out in a 2-0 loss to Boston at Fenway Park.
“He did a great job,” said Rays slugger Junior Caminero, via team interpreter Kevin Vera. “He took the bat out of our hands.”
It was first time in 38 games the Rays (25-13) have been held scoreless.
Jesse Scholtens took the loss and much of the blame for not being as sharp as usual, but he didn’t really do much wrong, allowing solo home runs to Wilyer Abreu (with two outs in the third) and Ceddanne Rafaela (one out in the fourth) and little else.
The issue was the Rays offense, which couldn’t muster much of anything, getting only six men on (four singles, a walk, a hit batter).
They had one prime opportunity to score, loading the bases to open the third inning when Nick Fortes and Taylor Walls singled, and Yandy Diaz was hit by a pitch, but got nothing.
“We’ve got to find a way to capitalize. I know that. The guys know that,” manager Kevin Cash said. “But you’ve got to give credit to Connelly Early. He threw a heck of a ball game and that inning made some big pitches.”
Ryan Vilade got down quickly 0-2, took two balls, then swung and missed at a fastball that looked to above the strike zone.
“Yeah, it sucks for sure,” Vilade said. “Bases loaded, no outs, want to come through for the boys. I think that’s a huge turning point for us there if f I come through, and sucks I didn’t. That’s baseball. ...
“If we execute, if I execute, we’re probably talking about something different.”
Caminero was next, and he swung at what Cash called “a filthy” changeup, grounding into a threat-ending double play.
“I tried to put the ball in play,” Caminero said. “I tried to get at least one run in and but unfortunately, I’ve just been on top of the ball a little bit lately, and they’ve just been going into the ground, And that’s what happened.”
The Rays had only two more baserunners after that: Fortes singling with one out in the fifth, and Jonathan Aranda walking with two outs in the sixth.
Scholtens, starting in place of the injured Steven Matz, worked into the fifth, allowing just those two hits, but he was disappointed by his performance,
“I think pretty much from the get-go control wasn’t there, command was off,” he said. “I think that’s part of what led to those two home runs ultimately. Fortunately, that was all they were able to get.
“But that was enough (Friday), and it was just unfortunate to kind of start us off battling from the first inning.”
Scholtens said those struggles were the result of his body not doing what it normally is “timed up to do,” and were evident as he walked a season-high four, hit a batter and threw only 53 of his 91 pitches for strikes.
“I’m a guy that usually throw strikes,” he said. “(Friday) I wasn’t even on at-bats that didn’t end in walks. I was still throwing seven, eight pitches, getting the deep counts, getting full counts. It’s hard to pitch like that, giving up four walks, hit batters, getting into those deep counts.
“It’s hard to win games like that.”
With Scholtens getting through 4 2/3 the Rays were able to have Mason Englert finish, allowing them to rest, and refresh, all other relievers, who had been used heavily during their winning streak.
Englert, activated earlier Friday from the injured list (right forearm tightness) after the Rays summoned him from a planned rehab outing, allowed just two hits over 3 1/3 innings.
“It was a big deal,” Cash said. “Mason Englert did a heck of a job for us. Appreciate his efforts. Kind of unique with him coming off the IL in that circumstance, but his efficiency and strike throwing allowed him to be able to do that and to where we were able to freshen up the rest of the guys in the bullpen.”
The Rays had planned before the injury to stretch Englert out to a starter workload, and based on several teammates seemingly wishing him well in the clubhouse, it appears he could be headed back to Triple-A Durham start on that. If so, the Rays could add another fresh bullpen arm.
BOSTON — As well as the Rays were doing in winning seven straight games, 13 of 14 and 23 of 30 since their 2-5 start, there were a number of those days when their offense did just enough to get by.
In 15 of those wins, they scored five or fewer runs, including five with one, two or three. In the other eight, they never really broke out, scoring no more than eight runs.
Plus, many of those wins were tight, with 15 by a margin of three or fewer runs, including seven by just one.
All of which is to say that nights like Friday were due to happen, when the Rays were shut down by Sox starter Connelly Early and two relievers and shut out in a 2-0 loss to Boston at Fenway Park.
“He did a great job,” said Rays slugger Junior Caminero, via team interpreter Kevin Vera. “He took the bat out of our hands.”
It was first time in 38 games the Rays (25-13) have been held scoreless.
Jesse Scholtens took the loss and much of the blame for not being as sharp as usual, but he didn’t really do much wrong, allowing solo home runs to Wilyer Abreu (with two outs in the third) and Ceddanne Rafaela (one out in the fourth) and little else.
The issue was the Rays offense, which couldn’t muster much of anything, getting only six men on (four singles, a walk, a hit batter).
They had one prime opportunity to score, loading the bases to open the third inning when Nick Fortes and Taylor Walls singled, and Yandy Diaz was hit by a pitch, but got nothing.
“We’ve got to find a way to capitalize. I know that. The guys know that,” manager Kevin Cash said. “But you’ve got to give credit to Connelly Early. He threw a heck of a ball game and that inning made some big pitches.”
Ryan Vilade got down quickly 0-2, took two balls, then swung and missed at a fastball that looked to above the strike zone.
“Yeah, it sucks for sure,” Vilade said. “Bases loaded, no outs, want to come through for the boys. I think that’s a huge turning point for us there if f I come through, and sucks I didn’t. That’s baseball. ...
“If we execute, if I execute, we’re probably talking about something different.”
Caminero was next, and he swung at what Cash called “a filthy” changeup, grounding into a threat-ending double play.
“I tried to put the ball in play,” Caminero said. “I tried to get at least one run in and but unfortunately, I’ve just been on top of the ball a little bit lately, and they’ve just been going into the ground, And that’s what happened.”
The Rays had only two more baserunners after that: Fortes singling with one out in the fifth, and Jonathan Aranda walking with two outs in the sixth.
Scholtens, starting in place of the injured Steven Matz, worked into the fifth, allowing just those two hits, but he was disappointed by his performance,
“I think pretty much from the get-go control wasn’t there, command was off,” he said. “I think that’s part of what led to those two home runs ultimately. Fortunately, that was all they were able to get.
“But that was enough (Friday), and it was just unfortunate to kind of start us off battling from the first inning.”
Scholtens said those struggles were the result of his body not doing what it normally is “timed up to do,” and were evident as he walked a season-high four, hit a batter and threw only 53 of his 91 pitches for strikes.
“I’m a guy that usually throw strikes,” he said. “(Friday) I wasn’t even on at-bats that didn’t end in walks. I was still throwing seven, eight pitches, getting the deep counts, getting full counts. It’s hard to pitch like that, giving up four walks, hit batters, getting into those deep counts.
“It’s hard to win games like that.”
With Scholtens getting through 4 2/3 the Rays were able to have Mason Englert finish, allowing them to rest, and refresh, all other relievers, who had been used heavily during their winning streak.
Englert, activated earlier Friday from the injured list (right forearm tightness) after the Rays summoned him from a planned rehab outing, allowed just two hits over 3 1/3 innings.
“It was a big deal,” Cash said. “Mason Englert did a heck of a job for us. Appreciate his efforts. Kind of unique with him coming off the IL in that circumstance, but his efficiency and strike throwing allowed him to be able to do that and to where we were able to freshen up the rest of the guys in the bullpen.”
The Rays had planned before the injury to stretch Englert out to a starter workload, and based on several teammates seemingly wishing him well in the clubhouse, it appears he could be headed back to Triple-A Durham start on that. If so, the Rays could add another fresh bullpen arm.
BOSTON — Hall of Famer Wade Boggs was representing Tampa Bay baseball well before the Rays were around.
The Plant High product appreciated the opportunity to finish a career that started with the Red Sox in 1982 by coming home to play for the expansion Devil Rays in 1998-99.
And he highlighted the homecoming with one of his most memorable moments, rapping his 3,000th hit at Tropicana Field on Aug 7, 1999.
Friday, Boggs, 67, said he is in favor of the Rays’ plans to move to a new stadium in Tampa, where he has lived for more than 50 years.
“I love it,” Boggs said at Fenway Park. “I’m a Tampa guy. I’ve always been an advocate of having baseball in Tampa, and I’ll be behind any movement that they have to get it to Tampa.
“Not that I’m against St Petersburg. I love St Petersburg. It’s a wonderful city and they have wonderful beaches and everything. But I think that the dynamics of baseball need to be in Tampa.”
The Rays are in negotiations with Tampa and Hillsborough County officials to build a $2.3 billion domed ballpark on the Hillsborough College across Dale Mabry Highway from Raymond James Stadium, hoping to get a deal done by or shortly after June 1.
Though Boggs said he’d prefer a retractable roof facility like in Houston, he said having the team play in Tampa would increase interest and excitement, similar to how the Lightning became more popular under Jeff Vinik’s leadership.
“I think that would just light Tampa up,” Boggs said. “Vinik, with the Lightning, rearranged how hockey fans treat (the team). I think that with a new (Rays) stadium, it would just energize Tampa so much. It really would.”
Boggs was at Fenway throwing out a first pitch with other Sox Hall of Famers to mark the quasquicentennial (125th) anniversary of the franchise’s first home game. He is also a member of the Rays’ Hall of Fame, which was launched in 2023.
Noting that Evan Longoria is set to join him in July in the Rays’ Hall, Boggs said he has enjoyed seeing their latest star third baseman, Junior Caminero.
“He’s a dude,” Boggs said. “He’s following in the lines of me and Evan. If he keeps this up, he’ll have his (retired) number up there, too.”
Boggs also offered some advice for the new Rays owners: sign the 22-year-old Caminero to a long-term deal. “You’ve got to keep him. You’ve got to sign him. Lock him up.”
Boggs, who announced in September 2024 that he was being treated for prostate cancer, said Friday he won that battle.
“I’m a cancer survivor now,” he said. “Prostate cancer is null and void, thank God.”
Saturday game in question
Rain is forecast for most of Saturday, which could either make for a long day at Fenway Park if there is an attempt to play through and around it, or a short day if the game is postponed. While a Sunday doubleheader is possible, a more likely option could be to make it up when the Rays return to Boston in July to re-open play after the All-Star break.
Miscellany
AIDAN CREMAROSA HAS THROWN THE FIRST RIVERDOGS NO-HITTER SINCE 2018 - AND HE'S DONE IT ALL BY HIMSELF! pic.twitter.com/ZYfr0f7QgB
— Charleston RiverDogs (@ChasRiverDogs) May 9, 2026
Class-A Charleston (S.C.) right-hander Aidan Cremarosa threw a nine-inning no-hitter Friday against Augusta, allowing one walk and striking out 11 while throwing 101 pitches. Cremarosa, 22, was a 2025 eighth-round pick from Fresno State. ... Friday’s loss was the Rays’ first in more than a week, since April 29 in Cleveland. It also was their first to an American League East team (having won seven against the Yankees, Blue Jays and Red Sox) and snapped their nine-game winning streak against lefty starters. ... The Rays extended their streak of allowing three or fewer earned runs to a franchise-record 15 games.
BOSTON — Hall of Famer Wade Boggs was representing Tampa Bay baseball well before the Rays were around.
The Plant High product appreciated the opportunity to finish a career that started with the Red Sox in 1982 by coming home to play for the expansion Devil Rays in 1998-99.
And he highlighted the homecoming with one of his most memorable moments, rapping his 3,000th hit at Tropicana Field on Aug 7, 1999.
Friday, Boggs, 67, said he is in favor of the Rays’ plans to move to a new stadium in Tampa, where he has lived for more than 50 years.
“I love it,” Boggs said at Fenway Park. “I’m a Tampa guy. I’ve always been an advocate of having baseball in Tampa, and I’ll be behind any movement that they have to get it to Tampa.
“Not that I’m against St Petersburg. I love St Petersburg. It’s a wonderful city and they have wonderful beaches and everything. But I think that the dynamics of baseball need to be in Tampa.”
The Rays are in negotiations with Tampa and Hillsborough County officials to build a $2.3 billion domed ballpark on the Hillsborough College across Dale Mabry Highway from Raymond James Stadium, hoping to get a deal done by or shortly after June 1.
Though Boggs said he’d prefer a retractable roof facility like in Houston, he said having the team play in Tampa would increase interest and excitement, similar to how the Lightning became more popular under Jeff Vinik’s leadership.
“I think that would just light Tampa up,” Boggs said. “Vinik, with the Lightning, rearranged how hockey fans treat (the team). I think that with a new (Rays) stadium, it would just energize Tampa so much. It really would.”
Boggs was at Fenway throwing out a first pitch with other Sox Hall of Famers to mark the quasquicentennial (125th) anniversary of the franchise’s first home game. He is also a member of the Rays’ Hall of Fame, which was launched in 2023.
Noting that Evan Longoria is set to join him in July in the Rays’ Hall, Boggs said he has enjoyed seeing their latest star third baseman, Junior Caminero.
“He’s a dude,” Boggs said. “He’s following in the lines of me and Evan. If he keeps this up, he’ll have his (retired) number up there, too.”
Boggs also offered some advice for the new Rays owners: sign the 22-year-old Caminero to a long-term deal. “You’ve got to keep him. You’ve got to sign him. Lock him up.”
Boggs, who announced in September 2024 that he was being treated for prostate cancer, said Friday he won that battle.
“I’m a cancer survivor now,” he said. “Prostate cancer is null and void, thank God.”
Saturday game in question
Rain is forecast for most of Saturday, which could either make for a long day at Fenway Park if there is an attempt to play through and around it, or a short day if the game is postponed. While a Sunday doubleheader is possible, a more likely option could be to make it up when the Rays return to Boston in July to re-open play after the All-Star break.
Miscellany
AIDAN CREMAROSA HAS THROWN THE FIRST RIVERDOGS NO-HITTER SINCE 2018 - AND HE'S DONE IT ALL BY HIMSELF! pic.twitter.com/ZYfr0f7QgB
— Charleston RiverDogs (@ChasRiverDogs) May 9, 2026
Class-A Charleston (S.C.) right-hander Aidan Cremarosa threw a nine-inning no-hitter Friday against Augusta, allowing one walk and striking out 11 while throwing 101 pitches. Cremarosa, 22, was a 2025 eighth-round pick from Fresno State. ... Friday’s loss was the Rays’ first in more than a week, since April 29 in Cleveland. It also was their first to an American League East team (having won seven against the Yankees, Blue Jays and Red Sox) and snapped their nine-game winning streak against lefty starters. ... The Rays extended their streak of allowing three or fewer earned runs to a franchise-record 15 games.
Rueben Bain Jr. stepped off the bus first at the AdventHealth Training Center on Thursday wearing a No. 99 Bucs jersey backward so one word hit first: SAPP.
The message was impossible to miss.
Bain and Warren Sapp both came out of Miami. Both arrived in Tampa Bay as first-round picks charged with bringing violence, swagger and disruption to the defensive line. So before Bain even took a rep at rookie minicamp, he made sure everyone knew whose path he was chasing.
“It was a sense of pride,” Bain said. “Everybody can see the Sapp and see the No. 99 for the Bucs. It speaks to the brotherhood we have at the University of Miami. … This is home for me.”
Then the first rookie minicamp workout came Friday and Bain backed up the statement. He didn’t look like a rookie edge rusher. He looked like a tone-setter.
“He looked like he was in midseason form,” head coach Todd Bowles said.
Rueben Bain Jr.'s first practice did not disappoint 😱
Bain led the Bucs outside linebackers through a series of drills on the blocking sled. His ability to bend low to the ground was on display during the hoop drill. He was so explosive getting off the snap that he routinely beat blockers around the edge for would-be sacks.
To put it mildly, Bain didn’t perform like a rookie. It became clear during the 90-minute practice that he wasn’t taking a single rep at anything less than full speed.
“No, he’s not, and he brings a certain attitude to your defense, obviously,” Bowles said. “We tried to get a couple of those guys in here this year, obviously with Bain, A’Shawn (Robinson’s) attitude. You’re talking about the newcomers, (Josiah) Trotter and Keionte (Scott) as well along with (Calijah) Kancey and all the guys we already have on defense. It just brings them closer together and makes them push each other to work harder.”
Bain said he had some modest goals entering rookie minicamp. “Establishing (trust with) my coaches,” he said. “Trusting my teammates. Showing why they picked me. Being the player they had expectations for when they took me in the draft.”
Bucs HC Todd Bowles on how Miami DL Rueben Bain Jr. was dominant during the first rookie minicamp practice. “He looked like he was in midseason form.” pic.twitter.com/0JtQX3h5Ev
As he has done for much of his coaching career, Bowles played quarterback during the defensive install period at practice.
“I can see defensively who has a vein in their head and may need to see it again,” Bowles said. “Or if they do the wrong thing, I can put it into a formation to where they learn from it and correct mistakes better that way. I can see everybody’s eyes and I can see everybody’s face and it’s more for me — not to play quarterback — but for me to see the entire picture and know who needs it again and who may miss something.
“When a coach is telling them something and they still got a vein in their head, they didn’t comprehend, so I’ll probably need to run that play again so they can get that. It’s a good view for me to see whether they’re getting it or not.”
Clearly, Bain picked things up quickly. The Bucs may have been surprised that he was still available with the No. 15 overall pick, but what he demonstrated during his first NFL practice did not shock them.
“Obviously, he’s from Miami so he’s going to be practicing in the heat where a lot of the other guys are going to struggle adjusting to this weather,” Bowles said. “It didn’t bother him at all. He came in in great shape, and he ran around well, and he’s kind of picked up some things very well.”
Let’s be clear about one thing. Bain isn’t trying to compare himself to Sapp, a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer. But he also isn’t afraid to continue to try and meet the standard set by him at Miami and now Tampa Bay.
“He’s got an old soul, so to speak,” Bowles said of Bain. “He understands his lineage. He understands the guys that came before him. They’ve got a lot of great players down at the University of Miami, as well as the high schools down there, as well as he grew up around all those guys. He grew up around Teddy Bridgewater and Lavonte (David) and Kancey and all those guys himself.
“He understands tempo, he understands pace, he understands how to play hard. He understands to pay homage to the guys that come before him and were down there and he patterns his game like that.”
For Bain, there is the work he will have to put in as a rookie on the defensive line. Then there is his lineage. He takes pride in both.
Rueben Bain Jr. stepped off the bus first at the AdventHealth Training Center on Thursday wearing a No. 99 Bucs jersey backward so one word hit first: SAPP.
The message was impossible to miss.
Bain and Warren Sapp both came out of Miami. Both arrived in Tampa Bay as first-round picks charged with bringing violence, swagger and disruption to the defensive line. So before Bain even took a rep at rookie minicamp, he made sure everyone knew whose path he was chasing.
“It was a sense of pride,” Bain said. “Everybody can see the Sapp and see the No. 99 for the Bucs. It speaks to the brotherhood we have at the University of Miami. … This is home for me.”
Then the first rookie minicamp workout came Friday and Bain backed up the statement. He didn’t look like a rookie edge rusher. He looked like a tone-setter.
“He looked like he was in midseason form,” head coach Todd Bowles said.
Rueben Bain Jr.'s first practice did not disappoint 😱
Bain led the Bucs outside linebackers through a series of drills on the blocking sled. His ability to bend low to the ground was on display during the hoop drill. He was so explosive getting off the snap that he routinely beat blockers around the edge for would-be sacks.
To put it mildly, Bain didn’t perform like a rookie. It became clear during the 90-minute practice that he wasn’t taking a single rep at anything less than full speed.
“No, he’s not, and he brings a certain attitude to your defense, obviously,” Bowles said. “We tried to get a couple of those guys in here this year, obviously with Bain, A’Shawn (Robinson’s) attitude. You’re talking about the newcomers, (Josiah) Trotter and Keionte (Scott) as well along with (Calijah) Kancey and all the guys we already have on defense. It just brings them closer together and makes them push each other to work harder.”
Bain said he had some modest goals entering rookie minicamp. “Establishing (trust with) my coaches,” he said. “Trusting my teammates. Showing why they picked me. Being the player they had expectations for when they took me in the draft.”
Bucs HC Todd Bowles on how Miami DL Rueben Bain Jr. was dominant during the first rookie minicamp practice. “He looked like he was in midseason form.” pic.twitter.com/0JtQX3h5Ev
As he has done for much of his coaching career, Bowles played quarterback during the defensive install period at practice.
“I can see defensively who has a vein in their head and may need to see it again,” Bowles said. “Or if they do the wrong thing, I can put it into a formation to where they learn from it and correct mistakes better that way. I can see everybody’s eyes and I can see everybody’s face and it’s more for me — not to play quarterback — but for me to see the entire picture and know who needs it again and who may miss something.
“When a coach is telling them something and they still got a vein in their head, they didn’t comprehend, so I’ll probably need to run that play again so they can get that. It’s a good view for me to see whether they’re getting it or not.”
Clearly, Bain picked things up quickly. The Bucs may have been surprised that he was still available with the No. 15 overall pick, but what he demonstrated during his first NFL practice did not shock them.
“Obviously, he’s from Miami so he’s going to be practicing in the heat where a lot of the other guys are going to struggle adjusting to this weather,” Bowles said. “It didn’t bother him at all. He came in in great shape, and he ran around well, and he’s kind of picked up some things very well.”
Let’s be clear about one thing. Bain isn’t trying to compare himself to Sapp, a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer. But he also isn’t afraid to continue to try and meet the standard set by him at Miami and now Tampa Bay.
“He’s got an old soul, so to speak,” Bowles said of Bain. “He understands his lineage. He understands the guys that came before him. They’ve got a lot of great players down at the University of Miami, as well as the high schools down there, as well as he grew up around all those guys. He grew up around Teddy Bridgewater and Lavonte (David) and Kancey and all those guys himself.
“He understands tempo, he understands pace, he understands how to play hard. He understands to pay homage to the guys that come before him and were down there and he patterns his game like that.”
For Bain, there is the work he will have to put in as a rookie on the defensive line. Then there is his lineage. He takes pride in both.
For the third straight season, Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov is a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy, the award recognized as the league MVP.
Kucherov was a finalist the past two seasons after leading the league in scoring, but didn’t win either year, finishing third last season to Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl. Two seasons ago, Kucherov was the runnerup to Colorado center Nathan MacKinnon.
Despite not leading the league in scoring this season — Kucherov’s 130 pointswere second most, trailing Edmonton’s ConnorMcDavid by eight points — Kucherov is perceived to be the favorite to win the Hart. His run of 104 points in 50 games from Nov. 18 to March 24 was the most points by any player over such a stretch in 30 years; Mario Lemieux was the last to accomplish that in the 1995-96 season.
Kucherov’s 50-game stretch, which included 32 goals and 72 assists, also coincided with a 20-1-1 run by the Lightning in which they jumped to the top of the Atlantic Division standings.
Kucherov did lead the league in points per game (1.71 points), as well as even-strength assists (57) and multi-assist games (25).
His point total also was 42 more than his closest teammate — Jake Guentzel had 88 points — which was the second-largest gap between any team’s top two scorers. San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini’s 115 points were 56 more than Will Smith’s 69 points.
Kucherov’s 44 goals this season tied his career high (also in 2023-24), and his plus-43 ratio is the best over his 12-year NHL career.
The other Hart finalists are McDavid and MacKinnon. The winner is picked by select members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
Kucherov won the Hart Trophy in 2019 after leading the league in scoring with 128 points.
He is also a finalist to win his second straight Ted Lindsay Award, which goes the league’s most valuable player as selected by the players.
J.J. Moser to play in world championships
Lightning defenseman J.J. Moser will play in this month’s IIHF World Championships, representing his native Switzerland, which is also the host country for the tournament.
Moser, 25, played for Swiss team in February’s Winter Olympics in Milan, recording a goal and three assists in five games for a Swiss team that lost to bronze-medal winner Finland in the quarterfinals.
This will be the sixth world championship tournament for Moser. He’s played in 35 games, recording three goals and 11 assists with a plus-19 ratio.
This year’s worlds will be from May 15-31 in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland.
For the third straight season, Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov is a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy, the award recognized as the league MVP.
Kucherov was a finalist the past two seasons after leading the league in scoring, but didn’t win either year, finishing third last season to Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl. Two seasons ago, Kucherov was the runnerup to Colorado center Nathan MacKinnon.
Despite not leading the league in scoring this season — Kucherov’s 130 pointswere second most, trailing Edmonton’s ConnorMcDavid by eight points — Kucherov is perceived to be the favorite to win the Hart. His run of 104 points in 50 games from Nov. 18 to March 24 was the most points by any player over such a stretch in 30 years; Mario Lemieux was the last to accomplish that in the 1995-96 season.
Kucherov’s 50-game stretch, which included 32 goals and 72 assists, also coincided with a 20-1-1 run by the Lightning in which they jumped to the top of the Atlantic Division standings.
Kucherov did lead the league in points per game (1.71 points), as well as even-strength assists (57) and multi-assist games (25).
His point total also was 42 more than his closest teammate — Jake Guentzel had 88 points — which was the second-largest gap between any team’s top two scorers. San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini’s 115 points were 56 more than Will Smith’s 69 points.
Kucherov’s 44 goals this season tied his career high (also in 2023-24), and his plus-43 ratio is the best over his 12-year NHL career.
The other Hart finalists are McDavid and MacKinnon. The winner is picked by select members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
Kucherov won the Hart Trophy in 2019 after leading the league in scoring with 128 points.
He is also a finalist to win his second straight Ted Lindsay Award, which goes the league’s most valuable player as selected by the players.
J.J. Moser to play in world championships
Lightning defenseman J.J. Moser will play in this month’s IIHF World Championships, representing his native Switzerland, which is also the host country for the tournament.
Moser, 25, played for Swiss team in February’s Winter Olympics in Milan, recording a goal and three assists in five games for a Swiss team that lost to bronze-medal winner Finland in the quarterfinals.
This will be the sixth world championship tournament for Moser. He’s played in 35 games, recording three goals and 11 assists with a plus-19 ratio.
This year’s worlds will be from May 15-31 in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland.
Shea Connors had been on Denise Schilte-Brown’s radar since the forward’s college days at St. John’s University.
While Connors’ career path eventually took her abroad to Iceland and Australia, the 30-year-old’s stateside return seemed inevitable.
Schilite-Brown, who coached the USF women’s soccer team for 17 seasons, said Connors was one of the first players she scouted when she became coach of the Tampa Bay Sun in November 2023.
“She’s always been a tremendous player. … She was like the first one on the board,” Schilite-Brown said. “There was a feeling that this was eventually gonna work out.”
Two years later it did.
When Connors talks about joining the Sun in April, she describes it as feeling like everything clicked into place for her rather than a calculated career move. She had been adrift for months after her last stint with Sydney FC in Australia.
Connors had spent almost a year recovering from a pelvic fracture that forced her to take a step back from the game. She returned home to Connecticut to reconnect with family and friends, and even her love of the game.
Then something shifted upon her arrival in Tampa.
“I’m just starting to find my love for (soccer) again and get my spark back,” she said with a smile. “... I feel happy again,” she said.
And the Sun are hoping she’s the spark that can help them rebound from a challenging season.
After winning the inaugural USL Super League championship in 2024-25, the Sun didn’t necessarily need an entire rebuild. They just needed a few key pieces to make an impact. Connors fits that role for them.
Schilte-Brown has noted that the team needs someone who can take over in the final third, where Connors says she excels. “I definitely want to get back to my scoring ways.”
She did that in her April 25 debut against Carolina, scoring in the 87th minute. And if history is any indication, there’s more to come.
“Usually once I get one, the floodgates open,” she said.
During her time at St. John’s, Connors led the Red Storm in points during her junior year and was named to the Big East All-Rookie Team her freshman year. Her best scoring stretch professionally came while playing in Australia from 2018-2021, when she tallied 78 goals in the Women’s National Premier Leagues.
Connors’ debut goal with the Sun also validated Schilte-Brown’s initial scouting. “She has that right-away impact,” the coach said.
And her presence on the field also hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“She’s so lively. I feel her energy emanating from her throughout the group,” Schilte-Brown said. “She is truly a spark (of) life on the field.”
This shortened season isn’t just about results for Connors. It’s about rediscovery.
And for Tampa Bay, her late-season arrival signals endless possibilities for the future.
“It’s literally only up from here,” Connors said.
Up next
Home finale, vs. Dallas, 7:30, Suncoast Credit Union Field Streaming: Peacock
Shea Connors had been on Denise Schilte-Brown’s radar since the forward’s college days at St. John’s University.
While Connors’ career path eventually took her abroad to Iceland and Australia, the 30-year-old’s stateside return seemed inevitable.
Schilite-Brown, who coached the USF women’s soccer team for 17 seasons, said Connors was one of the first players she scouted when she became coach of the Tampa Bay Sun in November 2023.
“She’s always been a tremendous player. … She was like the first one on the board,” Schilite-Brown said. “There was a feeling that this was eventually gonna work out.”
Two years later it did.
When Connors talks about joining the Sun in April, she describes it as feeling like everything clicked into place for her rather than a calculated career move. She had been adrift for months after her last stint with Sydney FC in Australia.
Connors had spent almost a year recovering from a pelvic fracture that forced her to take a step back from the game. She returned home to Connecticut to reconnect with family and friends, and even her love of the game.
Then something shifted upon her arrival in Tampa.
“I’m just starting to find my love for (soccer) again and get my spark back,” she said with a smile. “... I feel happy again,” she said.
And the Sun are hoping she’s the spark that can help them rebound from a challenging season.
After winning the inaugural USL Super League championship in 2024-25, the Sun didn’t necessarily need an entire rebuild. They just needed a few key pieces to make an impact. Connors fits that role for them.
Schilte-Brown has noted that the team needs someone who can take over in the final third, where Connors says she excels. “I definitely want to get back to my scoring ways.”
She did that in her April 25 debut against Carolina, scoring in the 87th minute. And if history is any indication, there’s more to come.
“Usually once I get one, the floodgates open,” she said.
During her time at St. John’s, Connors led the Red Storm in points during her junior year and was named to the Big East All-Rookie Team her freshman year. Her best scoring stretch professionally came while playing in Australia from 2018-2021, when she tallied 78 goals in the Women’s National Premier Leagues.
Connors’ debut goal with the Sun also validated Schilte-Brown’s initial scouting. “She has that right-away impact,” the coach said.
And her presence on the field also hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“She’s so lively. I feel her energy emanating from her throughout the group,” Schilte-Brown said. “She is truly a spark (of) life on the field.”
This shortened season isn’t just about results for Connors. It’s about rediscovery.
And for Tampa Bay, her late-season arrival signals endless possibilities for the future.
“It’s literally only up from here,” Connors said.
Up next
Home finale, vs. Dallas, 7:30, Suncoast Credit Union Field Streaming: Peacock
BOSTON — Just getting to the major leagues was an accomplishment for Yandy Diaz, who was caught and jailed four times trying to escape his native Cuba before reaching the Dominican Republic on a raft.
He signed with Cleveland in 2013 for $300,000 and made the majors in 2017, but his first two seasons weren’t much. A December 2018 trade to the Rays provided an appreciation for his innate ability to make hard contact and an opportunity to play on a regular basis that he welcomed.
That all led to an unexpected milestone, as Diaz on Thursday logged his 999th and then 1,000th hit.
Though more than 1,000 big-league players have reached that mark, Diaz is only the 20th Cuban-born player to do so. He joined a list that includes Hall of Famers Tony Perez (whose son, Eduardo, called Thursday’s game for ESPN), Minnie Minoso and Tony Oliva, plus other notables such as Rafael Palmeiro and former Rays Jose Canseco, Yunel Escobar and Alexei Ramirez.
“Very happy. Obviously, very, very happy. Thank God that I was able to get here,” said Diaz via team interpreter Kevin Vera. “I really didn’t think I was going to get to this point. So just to be in that list of guys, and obviously the Cuban names as well, is such a great honor. I’m very happy about everything.”
Diaz, 34, said he had no way to know how his career would turn out. “Baseball is hard. You can have injuries. Sometimes you’re not going to make the team,” he said. ”So it’s just a matter of being in the big leagues. Thankfully, I’ve been able to succeed. And again, (I’m) very happy."
The milestone hit was a double into the Tampa Bay bullpen, so his teammates were able to retrieve the ball. Even better, they cheered him loudly during the postgame victory celebration.
“That was awesome,” manager Kevin Cash said. “The guys erupted in (the clubhouse) after the game. We were pretty excited.
“We knew that was the hit, and the dugout knew it, but when the (players) came in, there was a lot of celebration for the win, and especially for Yandy. He put together just a really impressive career.”
Pitching plans
With four relievers covering five innings in Thursday’s 8-4 win, the Rays will be hoping Jesse Scholtens can work at least four-five innings Friday, starting in place of injured Steven Matz.
They will have a fresh arm to use when Scholtens is done, as Mason Englert is set to be activated from the injured list (right forearm tightness) and will join the bullpen in a multi-inning role. Rookie Chase Solesky, who was called up Tuesday, seems likely to be sent down to make room.
Living history
During an onfield ceremony prior to Thursday’s game, the Red Sox honored the four new members of their team hall of fame: outfielder Johnny Damon, starter Jon Lester, reliever Mike Timlin and longtime PA announcer Sherm Feller. Damon spent the 2011 season with the Rays and is now a spokesman for the effort to bring a major-league team to Orlando, where he grew up and still lives.
The Red Sox will increase the star power Friday as they commemorate the 125th anniversary of their first home game played May 8, 1901, at the Huntington Avenue Grounds.
To mark the occasion, six Red Sox Hall of Famers whose numbers have been retired will throw out first pitches: Tampa product Wade Boggs, Carlton Fisk, Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz, Jim Rice and Carl Yastrzemski.
Miscellany
Cash had no update on the status of second baseman Gavin Lux, who is a candidate to join the team this weekend from Triple-A Durham, where he has been rehabbing shoulder and ankle injuries. ... Reliever Hunter Bigge earned his first career win. ... Though their streak of games of giving up three or fewer runs ended at 13, the 21 runs the Rays have allowed over the last 14 games is a franchise record. ... The Rays are 7-0 versus AL East opponents.
BOSTON — Just getting to the major leagues was an accomplishment for Yandy Diaz, who was caught and jailed four times trying to escape his native Cuba before reaching the Dominican Republic on a raft.
He signed with Cleveland in 2013 for $300,000 and made the majors in 2017, but his first two seasons weren’t much. A December 2018 trade to the Rays provided an appreciation for his innate ability to make hard contact and an opportunity to play on a regular basis that he welcomed.
That all led to an unexpected milestone, as Diaz on Thursday logged his 999th and then 1,000th hit.
Though more than 1,000 big-league players have reached that mark, Diaz is only the 20th Cuban-born player to do so. He joined a list that includes Hall of Famers Tony Perez (whose son, Eduardo, called Thursday’s game for ESPN), Minnie Minoso and Tony Oliva, plus other notables such as Rafael Palmeiro and former Rays Jose Canseco, Yunel Escobar and Alexei Ramirez.
“Very happy. Obviously, very, very happy. Thank God that I was able to get here,” said Diaz via team interpreter Kevin Vera. “I really didn’t think I was going to get to this point. So just to be in that list of guys, and obviously the Cuban names as well, is such a great honor. I’m very happy about everything.”
Diaz, 34, said he had no way to know how his career would turn out. “Baseball is hard. You can have injuries. Sometimes you’re not going to make the team,” he said. ”So it’s just a matter of being in the big leagues. Thankfully, I’ve been able to succeed. And again, (I’m) very happy."
The milestone hit was a double into the Tampa Bay bullpen, so his teammates were able to retrieve the ball. Even better, they cheered him loudly during the postgame victory celebration.
“That was awesome,” manager Kevin Cash said. “The guys erupted in (the clubhouse) after the game. We were pretty excited.
“We knew that was the hit, and the dugout knew it, but when the (players) came in, there was a lot of celebration for the win, and especially for Yandy. He put together just a really impressive career.”
Pitching plans
With four relievers covering five innings in Thursday’s 8-4 win, the Rays will be hoping Jesse Scholtens can work at least four-five innings Friday, starting in place of injured Steven Matz.
They will have a fresh arm to use when Scholtens is done, as Mason Englert is set to be activated from the injured list (right forearm tightness) and will join the bullpen in a multi-inning role. Rookie Chase Solesky, who was called up Tuesday, seems likely to be sent down to make room.
Living history
During an onfield ceremony prior to Thursday’s game, the Red Sox honored the four new members of their team hall of fame: outfielder Johnny Damon, starter Jon Lester, reliever Mike Timlin and longtime PA announcer Sherm Feller. Damon spent the 2011 season with the Rays and is now a spokesman for the effort to bring a major-league team to Orlando, where he grew up and still lives.
The Red Sox will increase the star power Friday as they commemorate the 125th anniversary of their first home game played May 8, 1901, at the Huntington Avenue Grounds.
To mark the occasion, six Red Sox Hall of Famers whose numbers have been retired will throw out first pitches: Tampa product Wade Boggs, Carlton Fisk, Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz, Jim Rice and Carl Yastrzemski.
Miscellany
Cash had no update on the status of second baseman Gavin Lux, who is a candidate to join the team this weekend from Triple-A Durham, where he has been rehabbing shoulder and ankle injuries. ... Reliever Hunter Bigge earned his first career win. ... Though their streak of games of giving up three or fewer runs ended at 13, the 21 runs the Rays have allowed over the last 14 games is a franchise record. ... The Rays are 7-0 versus AL East opponents.
BOSTON — Facing an unusual run of left-handed starters, potentially six over a seven-game stretch, Kevin Cash told the Rays’ lefty hitters they would be getting more days off than they were used to but he would manage the workloads as best he could.
Thursday, speedy leftfielder Chandler Simpson was the odd man out of the lineup, much to the disappointment of the ESPN crew that was giving the red-hot Rays rare TV exposure on the national stage.
But that decision worked out quite well for the Rays based on another one Cash made in the sixth inning, using Simpson as a pinch-hitter with the bases loaded.
Simpson delivered a tiebreaking, two-run single that led the Rays to an 8-4 victory over the Red Sox, extending their torrid streak to 13 wins in their last 14 games, including seven straight.
They also improved to 25-12 and a half game behind the American League East-leading Yankees, finding new ways to win and having different players lead the way.
“We get to lean on each other. It’s not just one person,” Simpson said. “We know we have Junior (Caminero) that can be Superman. Yandy (Diaz) can be Superman.
“But we’ve got other people that can just do their part — do the dirty work, bunt, steal, take an extra 90 feet, play defense and come up with big hits."
The Rays had something else to celebrate Thursday night, as Diaz got two hits to reach 1,000 for his career, becoming the 20th Cuban-born player in that club.
The Rays had already blown an early 3-0 lead in a rough second inning with Griffin Jax on the mound in the third outing of his transition back to starting. So there was some urgency to take advantage of the opportunity in the sixth with a 3-3 tie.
Caminero, who in the ninth inning would hit his 10th homer, got them started with a leadoff single. After Jonathan Aranda had a walk turned into a strikeout by an ABS challenge and reversal, the Sox replaced lefty starter Jake Bennett with right-handed reliever Greg Weissert, who is brutally tough on righty hitters.
With a couple other lefties on the bench in Jake Fraley and Richie Palacios, Cash stuck with the first two right-handed hitters. That worked as Jonny DeLuca singled and Ben Williamson battled through seven pitches for a walk that loaded the bases with one out.
Given Simpson’s proclivity for making contact, Cash felt that was likely to be their best chance to take the lead, and he deployed his best option.
“It was basically how many more times are we going to get bases loaded less than two outs,” he said. “I don’t know the answer to that, but probably unlikely.”
Simpson hit for catcher Nick Fortes, slapping the second pitch through the middle for a 5-3 lead.
“It just worked out in our favor,” Cash said. “Anytime we have Chandler sitting on the bench — we know he’s such a good player when he’s starting — he’s such a weapon to come in there. ...
“Ben’s at-bat to get the walk right there was as big as Chandler coming off the bench and (being) ready to hit. But probably a better match up for Chandler, just because Weissert is so tough on righties.”
Simpson had pinch-hit only four times previously over his short big-league career, but he knew it was a possibility and was prepared physically and mentally.
“Just ready,” he said. “Just making sure I’m ready for any particular spot where he needs me. He always preaches that it can be at any time, it can be (for) anybody. Just make sure you’re ready with the bat or with the legs. So that time, it was a bat. I’m just glad I was able to come through for the team.”
Simpson stayed in the game and delivered again in the eighth. After Williamson, who had a strong all-around game, bunted his way on, Simpson laced a ball into the rightfield corner for an RBI triple.
Jax was pleased to get through four innings and 59 pitches, especially given the stress of the second when the combination of Red Sox hits and a lack of plays by a usually sharp Tampa Bay defense led to three Boston runs.
“It felt good,” Jax said. “Getting through the second was huge. Some stuff that (you) just got to chalk it up to whatever. Then being able to go back out and throw two more scoreless after that was huge. So we’ll take that.”
The Rays bullpen took it from there, though the run Garrett Cleavinger allowed in the eighth did snap the Rays’ franchise-record streak of 13 straight games allowing three or fewer.
Still, it was another night that ended well.
“It’s been great,” Simpson said. “We’re winning, everybody’s in a good mood. It’s good vibes.”
BOSTON — Facing an unusual run of left-handed starters, potentially six over a seven-game stretch, Kevin Cash told the Rays’ lefty hitters they would be getting more days off than they were used to but he would manage the workloads as best he could.
Thursday, speedy leftfielder Chandler Simpson was the odd man out of the lineup, much to the disappointment of the ESPN crew that was giving the red-hot Rays rare TV exposure on the national stage.
But that decision worked out quite well for the Rays based on another one Cash made in the sixth inning, using Simpson as a pinch-hitter with the bases loaded.
Simpson delivered a tiebreaking, two-run single that led the Rays to an 8-4 victory over the Red Sox, extending their torrid streak to 13 wins in their last 14 games, including seven straight.
They also improved to 25-12 and a half game behind the American League East-leading Yankees, finding new ways to win and having different players lead the way.
“We get to lean on each other. It’s not just one person,” Simpson said. “We know we have Junior (Caminero) that can be Superman. Yandy (Diaz) can be Superman.
“But we’ve got other people that can just do their part — do the dirty work, bunt, steal, take an extra 90 feet, play defense and come up with big hits."
The Rays had something else to celebrate Thursday night, as Diaz got two hits to reach 1,000 for his career, becoming the 20th Cuban-born player in that club.
The Rays had already blown an early 3-0 lead in a rough second inning with Griffin Jax on the mound in the third outing of his transition back to starting. So there was some urgency to take advantage of the opportunity in the sixth with a 3-3 tie.
Caminero, who in the ninth inning would hit his 10th homer, got them started with a leadoff single. After Jonathan Aranda had a walk turned into a strikeout by an ABS challenge and reversal, the Sox replaced lefty starter Jake Bennett with right-handed reliever Greg Weissert, who is brutally tough on righty hitters.
With a couple other lefties on the bench in Jake Fraley and Richie Palacios, Cash stuck with the first two right-handed hitters. That worked as Jonny DeLuca singled and Ben Williamson battled through seven pitches for a walk that loaded the bases with one out.
Given Simpson’s proclivity for making contact, Cash felt that was likely to be their best chance to take the lead, and he deployed his best option.
“It was basically how many more times are we going to get bases loaded less than two outs,” he said. “I don’t know the answer to that, but probably unlikely.”
Simpson hit for catcher Nick Fortes, slapping the second pitch through the middle for a 5-3 lead.
“It just worked out in our favor,” Cash said. “Anytime we have Chandler sitting on the bench — we know he’s such a good player when he’s starting — he’s such a weapon to come in there. ...
“Ben’s at-bat to get the walk right there was as big as Chandler coming off the bench and (being) ready to hit. But probably a better match up for Chandler, just because Weissert is so tough on righties.”
Simpson had pinch-hit only four times previously over his short big-league career, but he knew it was a possibility and was prepared physically and mentally.
“Just ready,” he said. “Just making sure I’m ready for any particular spot where he needs me. He always preaches that it can be at any time, it can be (for) anybody. Just make sure you’re ready with the bat or with the legs. So that time, it was a bat. I’m just glad I was able to come through for the team.”
Simpson stayed in the game and delivered again in the eighth. After Williamson, who had a strong all-around game, bunted his way on, Simpson laced a ball into the rightfield corner for an RBI triple.
Jax was pleased to get through four innings and 59 pitches, especially given the stress of the second when the combination of Red Sox hits and a lack of plays by a usually sharp Tampa Bay defense led to three Boston runs.
“It felt good,” Jax said. “Getting through the second was huge. Some stuff that (you) just got to chalk it up to whatever. Then being able to go back out and throw two more scoreless after that was huge. So we’ll take that.”
The Rays bullpen took it from there, though the run Garrett Cleavinger allowed in the eighth did snap the Rays’ franchise-record streak of 13 straight games allowing three or fewer.
Still, it was another night that ended well.
“It’s been great,” Simpson said. “We’re winning, everybody’s in a good mood. It’s good vibes.”
Former Jefferson High and South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia announced on social media that he has been diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer.
“Wasn’t overly excited to share this news but it is what it is,” Garcia wrote on his Facebook page. “We have a great team of doctors and staff that’s confident we can beat this! It’s the only option.”
Garcia, 38, shared the news to raise awareness about the cancer.
“If there’s one lesson to be learned, get checked and don’t be afraid to visit the doctors’ office when you don’t feel 100%,” Garcia wrote. “We got this and I appreciate all yall!”
As of Thursday, Garcia had surpassed $160,000 through a GoFundMe page created by his wife Maria Garcia.
She wrote that her husband was starting chemotherapy on Wednesday.
“They are taking the most aggressive treatment path available to fight this,” she wrote on the page. “Following these initial rounds, he will be meeting with specialized liver and colon surgeons to determine the next steps in his treatment plan. Stephen’s entire focus is now dedicated to one thing: fighting this disease with everything he has.”
Garcia served as the Gamecocks’ starting quarterback from 2008-2011 and finished as one of only six players to throw for at least 3,000 yards in a season. He finished his collegiate career with 7,597 passing yards and 47 touchdowns in 40 games. He did not play in the NFL.
Former Jefferson High and South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia announced on social media that he has been diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer.
“Wasn’t overly excited to share this news but it is what it is,” Garcia wrote on his Facebook page. “We have a great team of doctors and staff that’s confident we can beat this! It’s the only option.”
Garcia, 38, shared the news to raise awareness about the cancer.
“If there’s one lesson to be learned, get checked and don’t be afraid to visit the doctors’ office when you don’t feel 100%,” Garcia wrote. “We got this and I appreciate all yall!”
As of Thursday, Garcia had surpassed $160,000 through a GoFundMe page created by his wife Maria Garcia.
She wrote that her husband was starting chemotherapy on Wednesday.
“They are taking the most aggressive treatment path available to fight this,” she wrote on the page. “Following these initial rounds, he will be meeting with specialized liver and colon surgeons to determine the next steps in his treatment plan. Stephen’s entire focus is now dedicated to one thing: fighting this disease with everything he has.”
Garcia served as the Gamecocks’ starting quarterback from 2008-2011 and finished as one of only six players to throw for at least 3,000 yards in a season. He finished his collegiate career with 7,597 passing yards and 47 touchdowns in 40 games. He did not play in the NFL.
BOSTON — Rays managing partner/co-chair Patrick Zalupski and CEO Ken Babby spent part of Thursday afternoon exploring history at Fenway Park, including a visit inside the famed Green Monster where they partook in the tradition of signing the wall, adding pro-Rays adornments to their signatures.
Then they talked for a few minutes with the Tampa Bay Times about the future — specifically the Rays’ future in a new Tampa ballpark.
Zalupski said, as Babby has previously stated, that their focus now is on completing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) sometime this month with Tampa and Hillsborough County for financing the stadium, which is projected to cost at least $2.3 billion. The team has said it will contribute $1.235 billion, plus cover insurance, repairs and cost overruns.
While acknowledging the previously stated June 1 deadline for a completed deal may not be a hard cutoff, Zalupski made clear they would need resolution “real soon” after to stay on track to have the stadium open by 2029.
“The next step in the process is let’s get the MOU signed. I think it’s symbolic. It’s purely symbolic, but it’s important,” Zalupski said. “What’s critical is getting to definitive documents and having certainty. It has to be as close to June 1 as possible.”
County officials have said it could take 60-90 days after the MOU is signed to work through many complicated details to be able to complete and present formal contracts.
The Rays, for several reasons, are banking on it not taking that long.
That seems to include access to state funding to cover the cost of rebuilding the Hillsborough College campus, construction costs, financial projections based on the stadium opening in 2029 and the plans for the surrounding live/work/learn/play development that will be privately financed and built in phases.
“We recognize it’ll be a challenge to get there by June 1, but we need to be as close to June 1 as possible for all the reasons that we’ve stated,” Zalupski said. “This is not the Rays’ timeline, this is Tampa Bay’s timeline.
“Every day beyond June 1 makes it less comfortable for us on hitting our timeline.”
Getting the MOU signed soon is important to ensure the projected $150 million to build a new college campus as part of surrounding development is included in this year’s budget, which will be set in the next few weeks.
“That state money is real, and the budget is going to be set in May,” Zalupski said.
Even without a formal agreement on the the stadium, Babby said, “the truth is the state needs to know that the county, the city and the Rays are committed, and that’s important.”
Clearly, the Rays are hoping for resolution sooner than later.
“Everyone’s working hard,” Zalupski said. “We’ll know real soon.”
BOSTON — Rays managing partner/co-chair Patrick Zalupski and CEO Ken Babby spent part of Thursday afternoon exploring history at Fenway Park, including a visit inside the famed Green Monster where they partook in the tradition of signing the wall, adding pro-Rays adornments to their signatures.
Then they talked for a few minutes with the Tampa Bay Times about the future — specifically the Rays’ future in a new Tampa ballpark.
Zalupski said, as Babby has previously stated, that their focus now is on completing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) sometime this month with Tampa and Hillsborough County for financing the stadium, which is projected to cost at least $2.3 billion. The team has said it will contribute $1.235 billion, plus cover insurance, repairs and cost overruns.
While acknowledging the previously stated June 1 deadline for a completed deal may not be a hard cutoff, Zalupski made clear they would need resolution “real soon” after to stay on track to have the stadium open by 2029.
“The next step in the process is let’s get the MOU signed. I think it’s symbolic. It’s purely symbolic, but it’s important,” Zalupski said. “What’s critical is getting to definitive documents and having certainty. It has to be as close to June 1 as possible.”
County officials have said it could take 60-90 days after the MOU is signed to work through many complicated details to be able to complete and present formal contracts.
The Rays, for several reasons, are banking on it not taking that long.
That seems to include access to state funding to cover the cost of rebuilding the Hillsborough College campus, construction costs, financial projections based on the stadium opening in 2029 and the plans for the surrounding live/work/learn/play development that will be privately financed and built in phases.
“We recognize it’ll be a challenge to get there by June 1, but we need to be as close to June 1 as possible for all the reasons that we’ve stated,” Zalupski said. “This is not the Rays’ timeline, this is Tampa Bay’s timeline.
“Every day beyond June 1 makes it less comfortable for us on hitting our timeline.”
Getting the MOU signed soon is important to ensure the projected $150 million to build a new college campus as part of surrounding development is included in this year’s budget, which will be set in the next few weeks.
“That state money is real, and the budget is going to be set in May,” Zalupski said.
Even without a formal agreement on the the stadium, Babby said, “the truth is the state needs to know that the county, the city and the Rays are committed, and that’s important.”
Clearly, the Rays are hoping for resolution sooner than later.
“Everyone’s working hard,” Zalupski said. “We’ll know real soon.”
There also are 16 undrafted free agents and legions of tryout players who only have a couple days to confirm why they are worthy of a spot on the 90-man training camp roster.
Players such as running back Sean Tucker, receiver Kameron Johnson, and defensive backs Christian Izien and JJ Roberts all made the 53-man roster as undrafted free agents.
The attention will be on the Bucs’ draft class and rightfully so. Bain was never expected to last until the No. 15 overall pick as one of the nation’s best edge rushers. Trotter could fill an immediate need at inside linebacker after the retirement of Lavonte David.
How do the Bucs see their other draft picks fitting into their plans for 2026? And which undrafted free agents or tryout players may open some eyes this weekend? Let’s take a look.
WR Ted Hurst, Georgia State
At 6-foot-3, 206 pounds, this third-round draft pick isn’t quite as big as Mike Evans. But he provides a true X receiver for the Bucs after losing their future Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver to the 49ers.
Although he rebuffed offers to move on from tiny Georgia State to larger Division I programs, Hurst’s size, speed and leaping ability provide an immediate downfield and red-zone threat.
“That’s more of playing multiple sports, playing basketball,” Hurst said. “I’m a big fan of basketball and just being a guy who can go up and get the ball as a rebound.”
Hurst patterns his game after Tee Higgins (Bengals), Justin Jefferson (Vikings) and George Pickens (Cowboys).
“I want to come in and have immediate success,” he said. “I’m a big body, X receiver but I can also play anywhere on the field.”
DB Keionte Scott, Miami
Scott (5-11, 193) may have been the most underrated player in the NFL draft. A playmaker behind Bain with the Hurricanes, he has an innate ability to blitz and likely will begin playing at nickel back. However, inside linebacker on passing downs, cornerback and safety are possible.
“Keionte Scott is a really good blitzer, he’s a really good cover player, too,” assistant general manager Rob McCartney said.
Scott was probably a steal in the fourth round, and a chess piece head coach Todd Bowles can move around the board, especially since Jacob Parrish may move outside to replace Jamel Dean, who signed with the Steelers.
“I try to pride myself on being an old-school cat,” Scott said. “Not being afraid to stick my nose in anything and playing fast.”
DT DeMonte Capehart, Clemson
Logan Hall is gone, having signed as a free agent with the Texans. Capehart (6-4, 313) is another big body who can help anchor the defensive line with guys such as Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey.
Capehart, a fifth-rounder, was disruptive for Clemson and coach Dabo Swinney but had only three sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss.
“I think Capehart is probably going to be a better rusher at this level,” McCartney said. “I’m not saying that’s the reason we drafted him but I think we can unleash him a little bit more.”
OG Billy Schrauth, Notre Dame
GM Jason Licht is uncanny in his drafting of offensive linemen on the second or third day. He may have found a good one in Notre Dame’s Billy Schrauth (6-4, 310), another fifth-rounder.
“It was like, ‘Oh, yeah. This guy fits the room,’” McCartney said. “Character aside, the way he plays is what we aspire to be. And the character backs it up as the captain at Notre Dame.”
Both Cody Mauch and Ben Bredeson return, but the Bucs are going to want to find depth and some younger players at offensive guard. Schrauth has a nasty streak and played hurt in a rivalry game versus Southern Cal.
“There’s not many sports you can express yourself like that and get after people,” Schrauth said. “I never feel more like myself then when I’m playing football.”
TE Bauer Sharp, LSU
Sharp (6-4, 249) is a converted quarterback who can do a multitude of things at tight end as a blocker or receiver. A former converted high school quarterback, he processes things quickly.
“Just conceptually, knowing the game, seeing the picture, just kind of knowing everything helped me out … it’s kind of slowed it down for me, I’d say," said Sharp, who the Bucs took in Round 6.
Cade Otton signed a three-year, $30 million extension and rarely comes off the field. But new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson used two tight ends about 38% of the time in Atlanta. He’ll fight for playing time with Ko Kieft, Payne Durham and Devin Culp.
3 undrafted free agents to watch
QB Jalon Daniels, Kansas
The strong-armed passer with 49 games played at Kansas has demonstrated elite arm talent and mobility. He passed for 9,282 yards with 67 TDs and 31 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,445 yards and 23 scores. He would battle for the No. 3 spot with Connor Bazelak.
G Henry Lutovsky, Nebraska
This is another offensive linemen who may be a Licht find. Lutovsky did 34 reps of 225 pounds and started 28 games for the Cornhuskers.
WR Eric Rivers, Georgia Tech
After a 1,172 receiving yard season at Florida International, Rivers transferred to Tech and caught 46 for 658 yards.
There also are 16 undrafted free agents and legions of tryout players who only have a couple days to confirm why they are worthy of a spot on the 90-man training camp roster.
Players such as running back Sean Tucker, receiver Kameron Johnson, and defensive backs Christian Izien and JJ Roberts all made the 53-man roster as undrafted free agents.
The attention will be on the Bucs’ draft class and rightfully so. Bain was never expected to last until the No. 15 overall pick as one of the nation’s best edge rushers. Trotter could fill an immediate need at inside linebacker after the retirement of Lavonte David.
How do the Bucs see their other draft picks fitting into their plans for 2026? And which undrafted free agents or tryout players may open some eyes this weekend? Let’s take a look.
WR Ted Hurst, Georgia State
At 6-foot-3, 206 pounds, this third-round draft pick isn’t quite as big as Mike Evans. But he provides a true X receiver for the Bucs after losing their future Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver to the 49ers.
Although he rebuffed offers to move on from tiny Georgia State to larger Division I programs, Hurst’s size, speed and leaping ability provide an immediate downfield and red-zone threat.
“That’s more of playing multiple sports, playing basketball,” Hurst said. “I’m a big fan of basketball and just being a guy who can go up and get the ball as a rebound.”
Hurst patterns his game after Tee Higgins (Bengals), Justin Jefferson (Vikings) and George Pickens (Cowboys).
“I want to come in and have immediate success,” he said. “I’m a big body, X receiver but I can also play anywhere on the field.”
DB Keionte Scott, Miami
Scott (5-11, 193) may have been the most underrated player in the NFL draft. A playmaker behind Bain with the Hurricanes, he has an innate ability to blitz and likely will begin playing at nickel back. However, inside linebacker on passing downs, cornerback and safety are possible.
“Keionte Scott is a really good blitzer, he’s a really good cover player, too,” assistant general manager Rob McCartney said.
Scott was probably a steal in the fourth round, and a chess piece head coach Todd Bowles can move around the board, especially since Jacob Parrish may move outside to replace Jamel Dean, who signed with the Steelers.
“I try to pride myself on being an old-school cat,” Scott said. “Not being afraid to stick my nose in anything and playing fast.”
DT DeMonte Capehart, Clemson
Logan Hall is gone, having signed as a free agent with the Texans. Capehart (6-4, 313) is another big body who can help anchor the defensive line with guys such as Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey.
Capehart, a fifth-rounder, was disruptive for Clemson and coach Dabo Swinney but had only three sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss.
“I think Capehart is probably going to be a better rusher at this level,” McCartney said. “I’m not saying that’s the reason we drafted him but I think we can unleash him a little bit more.”
OG Billy Schrauth, Notre Dame
GM Jason Licht is uncanny in his drafting of offensive linemen on the second or third day. He may have found a good one in Notre Dame’s Billy Schrauth (6-4, 310), another fifth-rounder.
“It was like, ‘Oh, yeah. This guy fits the room,’” McCartney said. “Character aside, the way he plays is what we aspire to be. And the character backs it up as the captain at Notre Dame.”
Both Cody Mauch and Ben Bredeson return, but the Bucs are going to want to find depth and some younger players at offensive guard. Schrauth has a nasty streak and played hurt in a rivalry game versus Southern Cal.
“There’s not many sports you can express yourself like that and get after people,” Schrauth said. “I never feel more like myself then when I’m playing football.”
TE Bauer Sharp, LSU
Sharp (6-4, 249) is a converted quarterback who can do a multitude of things at tight end as a blocker or receiver. A former converted high school quarterback, he processes things quickly.
“Just conceptually, knowing the game, seeing the picture, just kind of knowing everything helped me out … it’s kind of slowed it down for me, I’d say," said Sharp, who the Bucs took in Round 6.
Cade Otton signed a three-year, $30 million extension and rarely comes off the field. But new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson used two tight ends about 38% of the time in Atlanta. He’ll fight for playing time with Ko Kieft, Payne Durham and Devin Culp.
3 undrafted free agents to watch
QB Jalon Daniels, Kansas
The strong-armed passer with 49 games played at Kansas has demonstrated elite arm talent and mobility. He passed for 9,282 yards with 67 TDs and 31 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,445 yards and 23 scores. He would battle for the No. 3 spot with Connor Bazelak.
G Henry Lutovsky, Nebraska
This is another offensive linemen who may be a Licht find. Lutovsky did 34 reps of 225 pounds and started 28 games for the Cornhuskers.
WR Eric Rivers, Georgia Tech
After a 1,172 receiving yard season at Florida International, Rivers transferred to Tech and caught 46 for 658 yards.
Rueben Bain Jr. has been all business since being drafted by the Bucs with the No. 15 overall pick, and he proved it again Thursday by putting pen to paper and signing a four-year contract.
The rookie value for the No. 15 overall pick is slotted for approximately $22.785 million over four years. The deal is fully guaranteed and includes a fifth-year club option.
The only other draft picks who have yet to sign with the Bucs are second-rounder Josiah Trotter and third-rounder Ted Hurst. Hurst, however, has agreed to terms and is expected to sign when he arrives in Tampa Thursday night.
Bain’s selection by the Bucs went viral when he snatched a hat without pausing to look into a two-way mirror and stormed to the stage at the NFL draft in Pittsburgh.
Bain arrived at One Buc Place with the team’s other rookies Thursday in advance of rookie minicamp, which begins Friday.
The Bucs’ biggest need heading into the draft was for an edge rusher after the team recorded only 27 sacks last season, the fewest since head coach Todd Bowles arrived as the team’s defensive coordinator in 2019.
But they never expected Bain, arguably the best pass rusher in the draft, to fall to No. 15.
“We pick out a few guys that we don’t think are going to make it to (No.) 15. There were about eight or nine of them that regardless of position, we said, ‘If these guys end up falling, we’re taking them without a doubt,’” Bowles said. “We had our minds made up on another player just because we figured the top eight or nine guys would be gone. We knew Rueben was a top-10 pick and he started falling a little bit and he got to 15 and we knew he wasn’t going any further.
“We couldn’t be happier because of the mindset we’re trying to change this year with the type of players we signed in free agency and the type of play that he does and the attitude that he plays with and the force he plays with, it was really a no-brainer.”
Bain signed two days earlier than Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka, who was drafted No. 19 overall by the Bucs a year ago.
Bain got off the bus with the other rookies at One Buc Place on Thursday wearing a No. 99 Bucs jersey of Warren Sapp, the former Hurricanes national champion and Tampa Bay first-round pick in the 1995 NFL draft.
Sapp contacted Bain shorty after he was drafted by the Bucs.
“He was just telling me, ‘This is his city,’” Bain said. ”He told me ‘good luck’ and there’s a standard to live up to."
Rueben Bain Jr. has been all business since being drafted by the Bucs with the No. 15 overall pick, and he proved it again Thursday by putting pen to paper and signing a four-year contract.
The rookie value for the No. 15 overall pick is slotted for approximately $22.785 million over four years. The deal is fully guaranteed and includes a fifth-year club option.
The only other draft picks who have yet to sign with the Bucs are second-rounder Josiah Trotter and third-rounder Ted Hurst. Hurst, however, has agreed to terms and is expected to sign when he arrives in Tampa Thursday night.
Bain’s selection by the Bucs went viral when he snatched a hat without pausing to look into a two-way mirror and stormed to the stage at the NFL draft in Pittsburgh.
Bain arrived at One Buc Place with the team’s other rookies Thursday in advance of rookie minicamp, which begins Friday.
The Bucs’ biggest need heading into the draft was for an edge rusher after the team recorded only 27 sacks last season, the fewest since head coach Todd Bowles arrived as the team’s defensive coordinator in 2019.
But they never expected Bain, arguably the best pass rusher in the draft, to fall to No. 15.
“We pick out a few guys that we don’t think are going to make it to (No.) 15. There were about eight or nine of them that regardless of position, we said, ‘If these guys end up falling, we’re taking them without a doubt,’” Bowles said. “We had our minds made up on another player just because we figured the top eight or nine guys would be gone. We knew Rueben was a top-10 pick and he started falling a little bit and he got to 15 and we knew he wasn’t going any further.
“We couldn’t be happier because of the mindset we’re trying to change this year with the type of players we signed in free agency and the type of play that he does and the attitude that he plays with and the force he plays with, it was really a no-brainer.”
Bain signed two days earlier than Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka, who was drafted No. 19 overall by the Bucs a year ago.
Bain got off the bus with the other rookies at One Buc Place on Thursday wearing a No. 99 Bucs jersey of Warren Sapp, the former Hurricanes national champion and Tampa Bay first-round pick in the 1995 NFL draft.
Sapp contacted Bain shorty after he was drafted by the Bucs.
“He was just telling me, ‘This is his city,’” Bain said. ”He told me ‘good luck’ and there’s a standard to live up to."
Brayden Point knows he wasn’t the same player this season that the Lightning are used to seeing.
After three straight 40-plus-goal seasons, Point scored only 18 this season — fewest since his rookie year nearly a decade ago — and netted just one (none at 5-on-5) in the seven-game playoff loss to the Canadiens.
There are plenty of places to place blame for the Lightning’s fourth straight first-round exit, but Point bore his share of the responsibility during the team’s end-of-season media availability Tuesday at Benchmark International Arena.
“Especially in a series that’s so tight, a couple of goals would have went a long way,” Point said. “So, that’s a lot of that on me. You’ve got to find a way to produce, and you need guys from all lines to score in the playoffs. I wasn’t a part of that.
“It’s tough, but you’ve got to look yourself in the mirror and see why and you’ve got to work on those things in the summer now to hopefully not let it happen again.”
Point pinpointed the reason for his struggles this season: He scores a lot — especially from the bumper spot on the power play — in tight areas, and this season he struggled to gather pucks in traffic and put them in the back of the net. Even on the rush, he had trouble finding space as defenses collapsed on him.
So this summer, he is focused on improving his shooting.
“I’ve got to get better at it,” Point said. “Got to try to increase the scoring zone for myself.”
A shooting slump
Two seasons ago, Point led the league in shooting percentage at 22.2%. He scored 42 goals that season, including 16 on the power play. It closed a three-season stretch in he averaged 46 goals and a 21.4% shooting percentage.
This season, Point’s shooting percentage went down to 14%, which is just above the average shooting percentage for NHL forwards (13%).
The number of Point shot attempts that reached the net and the number that were blocked aren’t dramatically different over the past four years. But the number of scoring chances he created for himself dipped incrementally, from 4.14 a game in 2022-23, when he scored a career-high 51 goals, to 2.98 this season, according to Natural Stat Trick.
When it comes to Point’s dip in shooting percentage, the glaring difference is in his ability to convert shots from high-danger areas in front of the net between and below the circle dots. That’s where he receives a majority of his looks, and his production there took a tumble in 2025-26, according to NHL Edge stats.
While the number of Point’s shots on goal from high-danger areas decreased from the 98th percentile among NHL forwards to the 90th percentile, it was his shooting percentage from those areas that took a major hit. Point’s shooting percentage from the high-danger area in 2024-25 was 30.2% (in the 91st percentile), but this year it dropped to 18.8, below the league average of 19.6.
“I think I’ve definitely learned some things in my game that I just need to get better at,” Point said. “And now it’s about putting in the work. And the summer is gonna be a great opportunity for me to work on those things that I identified. Sometimes the way you played in the past doesn’t always work when you get older and the game kind of changes. So, now it’s about just putting in the work so you can produce at a level that is going to help the team win.”
An inconsistent season
Point said injuries didn’t affect him this season — he clearly didn’t want it to be seen as an excuse for his production drop. But general manager Julien BriseBois said they could have played a factor.
“That, obviously, I’m sure was weighing on him,” BriseBois said.
Point started off slow, scoring just three goals in 22 games before an undisclosed injury forced him to miss seven games. When he returned, he looked refreshed, scoring eight goals and 19 points in 16 games before a right knee injury in mid-January shelved him again and forced him to miss the Olympics.
Point returned when play resumed in late February and put together another strong stretch — six goals and 16 points in 15 games — but then scored just once in his last 11 games.
Those struggles carried into the postseason. Point’s one goal was his fewest in the playoffs since 2018-19, and his 8.3% shooting percentage was the lowest of his career.
BriseBois points to a stretch of 30 games from Dec. 9-March 24 that saw Point’s best play — 14 goals and 35 points, to go along with a plus-22.
“That’s a pace of 38 goals and 96 points,” BriseBois said. “We’ll take that all day long from him. I think it was plus-27 at 5-on-5 over 30 games. He was playing amazing, and then for whatever reason it just stopped going in for him.”
Because of those numbers — and others that show Point still is one of the fastest skaters in the league (he has been in the 99th percentile for number of bursts over 22 mph for all five seasons NHL Edge has computed skating speed data) — BriseBois is expecting him to rebound next season.
“The other team is focusing on him,” BriseBois said. “They’re trying to shut him down. Over the course of your career, you’re gonna have ebbs and flows. ... I have every reason to think he’s going to bounce back. If you look at his metrics, his bursts are still there. He’s fast, He’s ambitious, he’s driven, he’s competitive, he’s still young. I expect him to have a really good season and be a key contributor for us going forward.”
Brayden Point knows he wasn’t the same player this season that the Lightning are used to seeing.
After three straight 40-plus-goal seasons, Point scored only 18 this season — fewest since his rookie year nearly a decade ago — and netted just one (none at 5-on-5) in the seven-game playoff loss to the Canadiens.
There are plenty of places to place blame for the Lightning’s fourth straight first-round exit, but Point bore his share of the responsibility during the team’s end-of-season media availability Tuesday at Benchmark International Arena.
“Especially in a series that’s so tight, a couple of goals would have went a long way,” Point said. “So, that’s a lot of that on me. You’ve got to find a way to produce, and you need guys from all lines to score in the playoffs. I wasn’t a part of that.
“It’s tough, but you’ve got to look yourself in the mirror and see why and you’ve got to work on those things in the summer now to hopefully not let it happen again.”
Point pinpointed the reason for his struggles this season: He scores a lot — especially from the bumper spot on the power play — in tight areas, and this season he struggled to gather pucks in traffic and put them in the back of the net. Even on the rush, he had trouble finding space as defenses collapsed on him.
So this summer, he is focused on improving his shooting.
“I’ve got to get better at it,” Point said. “Got to try to increase the scoring zone for myself.”
A shooting slump
Two seasons ago, Point led the league in shooting percentage at 22.2%. He scored 42 goals that season, including 16 on the power play. It closed a three-season stretch in he averaged 46 goals and a 21.4% shooting percentage.
This season, Point’s shooting percentage went down to 14%, which is just above the average shooting percentage for NHL forwards (13%).
The number of Point shot attempts that reached the net and the number that were blocked aren’t dramatically different over the past four years. But the number of scoring chances he created for himself dipped incrementally, from 4.14 a game in 2022-23, when he scored a career-high 51 goals, to 2.98 this season, according to Natural Stat Trick.
When it comes to Point’s dip in shooting percentage, the glaring difference is in his ability to convert shots from high-danger areas in front of the net between and below the circle dots. That’s where he receives a majority of his looks, and his production there took a tumble in 2025-26, according to NHL Edge stats.
While the number of Point’s shots on goal from high-danger areas decreased from the 98th percentile among NHL forwards to the 90th percentile, it was his shooting percentage from those areas that took a major hit. Point’s shooting percentage from the high-danger area in 2024-25 was 30.2% (in the 91st percentile), but this year it dropped to 18.8, below the league average of 19.6.
“I think I’ve definitely learned some things in my game that I just need to get better at,” Point said. “And now it’s about putting in the work. And the summer is gonna be a great opportunity for me to work on those things that I identified. Sometimes the way you played in the past doesn’t always work when you get older and the game kind of changes. So, now it’s about just putting in the work so you can produce at a level that is going to help the team win.”
An inconsistent season
Point said injuries didn’t affect him this season — he clearly didn’t want it to be seen as an excuse for his production drop. But general manager Julien BriseBois said they could have played a factor.
“That, obviously, I’m sure was weighing on him,” BriseBois said.
Point started off slow, scoring just three goals in 22 games before an undisclosed injury forced him to miss seven games. When he returned, he looked refreshed, scoring eight goals and 19 points in 16 games before a right knee injury in mid-January shelved him again and forced him to miss the Olympics.
Point returned when play resumed in late February and put together another strong stretch — six goals and 16 points in 15 games — but then scored just once in his last 11 games.
Those struggles carried into the postseason. Point’s one goal was his fewest in the playoffs since 2018-19, and his 8.3% shooting percentage was the lowest of his career.
BriseBois points to a stretch of 30 games from Dec. 9-March 24 that saw Point’s best play — 14 goals and 35 points, to go along with a plus-22.
“That’s a pace of 38 goals and 96 points,” BriseBois said. “We’ll take that all day long from him. I think it was plus-27 at 5-on-5 over 30 games. He was playing amazing, and then for whatever reason it just stopped going in for him.”
Because of those numbers — and others that show Point still is one of the fastest skaters in the league (he has been in the 99th percentile for number of bursts over 22 mph for all five seasons NHL Edge has computed skating speed data) — BriseBois is expecting him to rebound next season.
“The other team is focusing on him,” BriseBois said. “They’re trying to shut him down. Over the course of your career, you’re gonna have ebbs and flows. ... I have every reason to think he’s going to bounce back. If you look at his metrics, his bursts are still there. He’s fast, He’s ambitious, he’s driven, he’s competitive, he’s still young. I expect him to have a really good season and be a key contributor for us going forward.”
Much of ESPN’s national coverage of Major League Baseball often seems to focus on the biggest-market teams and the best-known stars.
Thursday night, for the first time since the 2021 season, the Rays will be featured on the worldwide leader in sports in a regular-season game, taking on the Red Sox at 7:10 p.m.
“It’s kind of like the ‘first time, long time’ caller on a talk radio station,” said lead broadcaster Karl Ravech. “It’s the first time, long time for the Rays on a national game for us.”
Ravech and analyst Eduardo Perez — a Devil Ray during the 2004-05 season — are eager for the opportunity to showcase one of the game’s hottest, and most interesting, teams.
“Tampa Bay is a fun team,” Perez said. “I love how they play. It’s a different way that they win ballgames.”
Ravech raved how the Rays play “an exciting brand of baseball.”
He added: “If you’re going to broadcast a game, you want a team that puts the ball in play, there’s action on the bases, they catch the baseball and they pitch the baseball.
“And the Rays check every one of those boxes.”
Both said they are planning to tell the stories of key Rays players who may not be familiar to the national audience.
“People already saw a glimpse of (All-Star third baseman) Junior Caminero during the (World Baseball Classic),” Perez said. “They saw highlights of him from winter ball (in 2025) when it took him like five minutes, maybe six minutes, to run the bases during that home run celebration.
“But this is his ESPN debut. This is Chandler Simpson’s ESPN debut as well. This is Jonathan Aranda’s ESPN debut. These are guys that can hit. These are guys that can play.
“And with Yandy Diaz, we’re probably going to showcase the biggest biceps in the game as well.”
Ravech was going over rankings of the game’s top players and cited several examples where a Rays player is listed among the game’s superstars, such as Diaz on several top hitter lists, like the leaders in OPS+ over 2022-25.
He knows casual fans may be surprised to hear Diaz mentioned with Mookie Betts, Rafael Devers, Freddie Freeman, Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Jose Ramirez and Juan Soto.
“Are you saying to yourself, should Yandy Diaz be on that list? And he happens to be in the middle of it,” Ravech said. “I think it’s somewhat inherent to being a Ray. You get overshadowed, you get overlooked, you tend to be ignored. And yet they continue to win, because they’re on a lot of these lists that the superstars are on, and they don’t get the attention.
“They will get a ton of attention Thursday night. You will see the lists with the Rays players on it. And it would probably lead you to not wonder so much why do they have one of the best records in baseball.”
Ravech said he is most surprised with the incredible run of pitching — despite injuries to several key hurlers — the Rays have been on, Wednesday posting their 13th straight game of allowing three or fewer runs, matching the second-longest such streak in the wild-card era (since 1995).
But he also sees that as an opportunity to discuss the Rays’ rich history and long track record of acquiring pitchers and making them better, such as Steven Matz (currently injured) and Nick Martinez this year.
“It’s like people who would go to different parts of the world to get a procedure done they couldn’t otherwise get in the United States,” Ravech said. “When you go to Tampa Bay, you’re going for a pitching transformation — I’m getting a tune-up on my pitching skills, and it generally works. There is that feeling of I’m going to check into the Tampa Bay Rays pitching hotel, and when I come out, I’m a new man, I’ve got a new way of doing things, and it works."
Perez and Ravech also give credit to baseball operations president Erik Neander and manager Kevin Cash for their steady hands in leading the squad.
“That whole formula of consistency and stability leads to those of us on the national side having the same conversation every year,” Ravech said. “It’s like, you kind of don’t talk much about the Rays, and then you realize you probably should talk about the Rays. They’re always seemingly consistently competitive, and that’s a hard thing to do.”
Much of ESPN’s national coverage of Major League Baseball often seems to focus on the biggest-market teams and the best-known stars.
Thursday night, for the first time since the 2021 season, the Rays will be featured on the worldwide leader in sports in a regular-season game, taking on the Red Sox at 7:10 p.m.
“It’s kind of like the ‘first time, long time’ caller on a talk radio station,” said lead broadcaster Karl Ravech. “It’s the first time, long time for the Rays on a national game for us.”
Ravech and analyst Eduardo Perez — a Devil Ray during the 2004-05 season — are eager for the opportunity to showcase one of the game’s hottest, and most interesting, teams.
“Tampa Bay is a fun team,” Perez said. “I love how they play. It’s a different way that they win ballgames.”
Ravech raved how the Rays play “an exciting brand of baseball.”
He added: “If you’re going to broadcast a game, you want a team that puts the ball in play, there’s action on the bases, they catch the baseball and they pitch the baseball.
“And the Rays check every one of those boxes.”
Both said they are planning to tell the stories of key Rays players who may not be familiar to the national audience.
“People already saw a glimpse of (All-Star third baseman) Junior Caminero during the (World Baseball Classic),” Perez said. “They saw highlights of him from winter ball (in 2025) when it took him like five minutes, maybe six minutes, to run the bases during that home run celebration.
“But this is his ESPN debut. This is Chandler Simpson’s ESPN debut as well. This is Jonathan Aranda’s ESPN debut. These are guys that can hit. These are guys that can play.
“And with Yandy Diaz, we’re probably going to showcase the biggest biceps in the game as well.”
Ravech was going over rankings of the game’s top players and cited several examples where a Rays player is listed among the game’s superstars, such as Diaz on several top hitter lists, like the leaders in OPS+ over 2022-25.
He knows casual fans may be surprised to hear Diaz mentioned with Mookie Betts, Rafael Devers, Freddie Freeman, Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Jose Ramirez and Juan Soto.
“Are you saying to yourself, should Yandy Diaz be on that list? And he happens to be in the middle of it,” Ravech said. “I think it’s somewhat inherent to being a Ray. You get overshadowed, you get overlooked, you tend to be ignored. And yet they continue to win, because they’re on a lot of these lists that the superstars are on, and they don’t get the attention.
“They will get a ton of attention Thursday night. You will see the lists with the Rays players on it. And it would probably lead you to not wonder so much why do they have one of the best records in baseball.”
Ravech said he is most surprised with the incredible run of pitching — despite injuries to several key hurlers — the Rays have been on, Wednesday posting their 13th straight game of allowing three or fewer runs, matching the second-longest such streak in the wild-card era (since 1995).
But he also sees that as an opportunity to discuss the Rays’ rich history and long track record of acquiring pitchers and making them better, such as Steven Matz (currently injured) and Nick Martinez this year.
“It’s like people who would go to different parts of the world to get a procedure done they couldn’t otherwise get in the United States,” Ravech said. “When you go to Tampa Bay, you’re going for a pitching transformation — I’m getting a tune-up on my pitching skills, and it generally works. There is that feeling of I’m going to check into the Tampa Bay Rays pitching hotel, and when I come out, I’m a new man, I’ve got a new way of doing things, and it works."
Perez and Ravech also give credit to baseball operations president Erik Neander and manager Kevin Cash for their steady hands in leading the squad.
“That whole formula of consistency and stability leads to those of us on the national side having the same conversation every year,” Ravech said. “It’s like, you kind of don’t talk much about the Rays, and then you realize you probably should talk about the Rays. They’re always seemingly consistently competitive, and that’s a hard thing to do.”
Mason Englert had just landed at the Raleigh/Durham airport on Monday night and was waiting for his bags when he got word from his Rays bosses to plan on heading back to Florida.
Rather than start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham on Wednesday after being sidelined for two weeks due to right forearm tightness, Englert was summoned to rejoin the Rays.
What changed was that starter Steven Matz came out of Sunday’s start with inflammation in his left elbow that, after a Monday evaluation, landed him on the injured list.
And the Rays decided Englert, who had been confident he just needed some rest for his arm issue, was their best option. So after a Tuesday workout with the Bulls, Englert hopped flight back to Tampa that night.
Though manager Kevin Cash said plans were not finalized, the Rays seem to be leaning toward activating Englert on Thursday to work multiple innings in Boston behind Griffin Jax, who will make his third “start” as he transitions to the rotation.
Ideally, each could work about three innings, and then the Rays could turn to the usual bullpen crew.
If they handle Thursday that way, it would seem Jesse Scholtens, who has been working as a spot starter/bulk-inning reliever, would shoulder much of the workload on Friday in place of Matz. Whether Scholtens starts or follows as an opener is still to be determined.
“We’re scrambling a little bit, trying to put our heads together on what we do with Matz’s spot,” Cash said. “But I think with Englert coming back, we’ll probably look to activate him.”
The Rays are also likely to add second baseman Gavin Lux, sidelined since spring training with right shoulder and then left ankle injuries, sometime this weekend in Boston.
Lux was in the lineup for Durham on Wednesday for his 18th and potentially final rehab game.
Griffin Jax ready to go
Jax is excited by the opportunity to return to starting, which he last did regularly in his 2021 rookie season with the Twins.
The Rays are following the successful script they used in converting Drew Rasmussen, Jeffrey Springs and Zack Littell, basically using Jax as a multi-inning opener.
He worked 2 1/3 innings and threw 31 pitches on April 26, then 2 2/3 and 45 on Saturday. Cash said there is no set number of innings or pitches to determine Jax’s workload, that it will be more a product of in-game evaluation and discussions between Jax and pitching coach Kyle Snyder.
“It’s kind of a feel thing outing to outing,” Cash said.
Now closing, Ian Seymour
As a starting pitcher at Virginia Tech and through five seasons in the Rays’ minor-league system, Ian Seymour never had the opportunity to close out a game.
Since debuting in the majors last season, he has two save chances, one in his June 9, 2025, debut and the other March 30 at Milwaukee, but wasn’t able to convert either.
All of which made Wednesday a notable occasion, as regular closer Bryan Baker was used in the eighth inning, leaving the 27-year-old lefty to strike out dangerous Vlad Guerrero Jr., then retire Daulton Varsho and Ernie Clement to finish the Rays’ 3-0 win over Toronto and record his first-ever save.
“It was cool to be in that situation and finish it off with a win,” Seymour said.
Seymour is from the Boston area, so the Rays’ schedule made for easy safekeeping of the ball from the final out. “I’ll give it to my mom,” he said.
Seymour is the sixth Ray to record a save, most of any American League team.
Miscellany
There is no Rays.TV coverage on Thursday, as the Rays-Red Sox game was selected for an exclusive national broadcast by ESPN. … Long reliever Yoendrys Gomez, an offseason acquisition from the White Sox who was designated for assignment Saturday, was traded to the Twins for cash. … DH Yandy Diaz’s first-inning single was his 998th career hit, as he closes in on becoming the 20th Cuban-born player to reach 1,000. … Since the start of the 2015 season, the Jays are 32-58 at the Trop and were swept in a two-game 2020 AL wild-card series.
Mason Englert had just landed at the Raleigh/Durham airport on Monday night and was waiting for his bags when he got word from his Rays bosses to plan on heading back to Florida.
Rather than start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham on Wednesday after being sidelined for two weeks due to right forearm tightness, Englert was summoned to rejoin the Rays.
What changed was that starter Steven Matz came out of Sunday’s start with inflammation in his left elbow that, after a Monday evaluation, landed him on the injured list.
And the Rays decided Englert, who had been confident he just needed some rest for his arm issue, was their best option. So after a Tuesday workout with the Bulls, Englert hopped flight back to Tampa that night.
Though manager Kevin Cash said plans were not finalized, the Rays seem to be leaning toward activating Englert on Thursday to work multiple innings in Boston behind Griffin Jax, who will make his third “start” as he transitions to the rotation.
Ideally, each could work about three innings, and then the Rays could turn to the usual bullpen crew.
If they handle Thursday that way, it would seem Jesse Scholtens, who has been working as a spot starter/bulk-inning reliever, would shoulder much of the workload on Friday in place of Matz. Whether Scholtens starts or follows as an opener is still to be determined.
“We’re scrambling a little bit, trying to put our heads together on what we do with Matz’s spot,” Cash said. “But I think with Englert coming back, we’ll probably look to activate him.”
The Rays are also likely to add second baseman Gavin Lux, sidelined since spring training with right shoulder and then left ankle injuries, sometime this weekend in Boston.
Lux was in the lineup for Durham on Wednesday for his 18th and potentially final rehab game.
Griffin Jax ready to go
Jax is excited by the opportunity to return to starting, which he last did regularly in his 2021 rookie season with the Twins.
The Rays are following the successful script they used in converting Drew Rasmussen, Jeffrey Springs and Zack Littell, basically using Jax as a multi-inning opener.
He worked 2 1/3 innings and threw 31 pitches on April 26, then 2 2/3 and 45 on Saturday. Cash said there is no set number of innings or pitches to determine Jax’s workload, that it will be more a product of in-game evaluation and discussions between Jax and pitching coach Kyle Snyder.
“It’s kind of a feel thing outing to outing,” Cash said.
Now closing, Ian Seymour
As a starting pitcher at Virginia Tech and through five seasons in the Rays’ minor-league system, Ian Seymour never had the opportunity to close out a game.
Since debuting in the majors last season, he has two save chances, one in his June 9, 2025, debut and the other March 30 at Milwaukee, but wasn’t able to convert either.
All of which made Wednesday a notable occasion, as regular closer Bryan Baker was used in the eighth inning, leaving the 27-year-old lefty to strike out dangerous Vlad Guerrero Jr., then retire Daulton Varsho and Ernie Clement to finish the Rays’ 3-0 win over Toronto and record his first-ever save.
“It was cool to be in that situation and finish it off with a win,” Seymour said.
Seymour is from the Boston area, so the Rays’ schedule made for easy safekeeping of the ball from the final out. “I’ll give it to my mom,” he said.
Seymour is the sixth Ray to record a save, most of any American League team.
Miscellany
There is no Rays.TV coverage on Thursday, as the Rays-Red Sox game was selected for an exclusive national broadcast by ESPN. … Long reliever Yoendrys Gomez, an offseason acquisition from the White Sox who was designated for assignment Saturday, was traded to the Twins for cash. … DH Yandy Diaz’s first-inning single was his 998th career hit, as he closes in on becoming the 20th Cuban-born player to reach 1,000. … Since the start of the 2015 season, the Jays are 32-58 at the Trop and were swept in a two-game 2020 AL wild-card series.
Shane McClanahan really didn’t want to hear any details from the litany of accomplishments that accompanied the Rays’ 3-0 win over the Blue Jays Wednesday for their 12th victory in their last 13 games, improving them to 24-12.
“I’ll tell you the truth. We really don’t care about that stuff in here,” he said. “We care about going out there, competing our butts off and being a good teammate. I firmly believe that it shows. Everybody here has everybody’s back. ... We’re not going out there trying to put up — ‘I want to do this. I want to do that.’ It’s, ‘What can I do today to help the team win?’ And I really think that it’s translated, man. It’s cool. It’s a really fun place to work right now."
Nor — well, apart from the dazzling play he made on an infield bouncer and his aspirations to win a Gold Glove — did McClanahan want to engage in evaluations of his own performance, with a third straight scoreless outing or comparing his form to before the 2 ½-year injury absence.
“I don’t really know or care (about) differences in terms of what I’m doing pre-injuries or whatever. My only focus today is what can I do today to help the (25) other guys in this room win a baseball game,” he said.
“I think that’s kind of been the mindset in terms of, if you simplify it, if you just want to win, you’re going to go out there and find ways to win. You keep it super simple, you get out of your own way, it’s what can I do to help this guy to my left, to my right. Let’s just get those guys hitting, let’s help those guys make those plays behind me, and let’s keep the ball moving.”
The Rays have done all of that during their remarkable run, riding extraordinary pitching, playing tidy defense and showing off the versatility and athleticism of their offense.
“I think we know who we are,” manager Kevin Cash said. “I mean, we’ve gotten to that point where we’re comfortable with understanding how we can win games. I’m just really pleased. We should all be, (and) they should be pleased with themselves, the way they have gone about it and found different ways to win games.”
Wednesday afternoon, that included McClanahan working 5 ⅔ shutout innings, run-scoring hits by Jonny DeLuca and Chandler Simpson in a fourth-inning rally, several highlight plays in the field (including McClanahan) and clutch work by four relievers, with Ian Seymour getting his first pro save.
“The camaraderie of everybody, just in all facets of the game — pitching, defense, hitting, power, small ball, on the basepaths, it’s all coming together right now,” Simpson said.
With Wednesday’s win, the Rays:
• Extended their streak of games allowing three or fewer runs to a franchise-record 13, matching the second longest in the majors over a single season in the wild-card era (since 1995). They allowed only 17 runs over the 13 games, six in the last six.
• Completed just the third undefeated multi-series homestand in franchise history (2018, 2023) by posting their majors-leading fifth series sweep.
• Ran their Tropicana Field winning streak to 10.
• Moved to 12 games over .500 for the first time since finishing the 2023 season 99-63 en route to the playoffs.
The pitching has stood out most during the stretch of success, both the starters (despite losing Ryan Pepiot, Joe Boyle and Steven Matz to injury) and Edwin Uceta-less relievers (who have worked 17 ⅓ scoreless innings and allowed one run in the last 32 ⅔).
“They’re on a good run, no doubt,” Cash said. “When we can throw up zeroes or one-run, two-run ballgames, we’re in every one of them. But, I mean, they’re setting the bar really high for themselves, and they should all be feeling pretty good about how individually they’re contributing.”
McClanahan set the tone Wednesday, allowing only two doubles and a walk through the first 5 ⅔ innings, with shortstop Taylor Walls and third baseman Junior Caminero making good plays behind him, extending his personal scoreless steak to 16 ⅔ innings.
“He pitched and mixed really, really well‚” Cash said. “They threw a pretty tough right-handed lineup against him, but he got in rhythm and never came out of it. The strike-throwing was pretty elite. Letting the defense work behind him was pretty elite. So, everything looked really good for Shane.”
Each of the four relievers — Kevin Kelly, Garrett Cleavinger, Bryan Baker and Seymour — did their part.
The Rays created a two-run rally in the fourth combining a walk, DeLuca’s RBI double, an infield out and Simpson’s two-out RBI single. They added another in the eighth with help from a Jays error.
And then they got on the plane headed to Boston, with plans for a team-bonding outing driving virtual reality Formula One race cars.
“It’s cool,” McClanahan said. “It’s pretty cool that these guys in here are like, actually, really good friends.”
Shane McClanahan really didn’t want to hear any details from the litany of accomplishments that accompanied the Rays’ 3-0 win over the Blue Jays Wednesday for their 12th victory in their last 13 games, improving them to 24-12.
“I’ll tell you the truth. We really don’t care about that stuff in here,” he said. “We care about going out there, competing our butts off and being a good teammate. I firmly believe that it shows. Everybody here has everybody’s back. ... We’re not going out there trying to put up — ‘I want to do this. I want to do that.’ It’s, ‘What can I do today to help the team win?’ And I really think that it’s translated, man. It’s cool. It’s a really fun place to work right now."
Nor — well, apart from the dazzling play he made on an infield bouncer and his aspirations to win a Gold Glove — did McClanahan want to engage in evaluations of his own performance, with a third straight scoreless outing or comparing his form to before the 2 ½-year injury absence.
“I don’t really know or care (about) differences in terms of what I’m doing pre-injuries or whatever. My only focus today is what can I do today to help the (25) other guys in this room win a baseball game,” he said.
“I think that’s kind of been the mindset in terms of, if you simplify it, if you just want to win, you’re going to go out there and find ways to win. You keep it super simple, you get out of your own way, it’s what can I do to help this guy to my left, to my right. Let’s just get those guys hitting, let’s help those guys make those plays behind me, and let’s keep the ball moving.”
The Rays have done all of that during their remarkable run, riding extraordinary pitching, playing tidy defense and showing off the versatility and athleticism of their offense.
“I think we know who we are,” manager Kevin Cash said. “I mean, we’ve gotten to that point where we’re comfortable with understanding how we can win games. I’m just really pleased. We should all be, (and) they should be pleased with themselves, the way they have gone about it and found different ways to win games.”
Wednesday afternoon, that included McClanahan working 5 ⅔ shutout innings, run-scoring hits by Jonny DeLuca and Chandler Simpson in a fourth-inning rally, several highlight plays in the field (including McClanahan) and clutch work by four relievers, with Ian Seymour getting his first pro save.
“The camaraderie of everybody, just in all facets of the game — pitching, defense, hitting, power, small ball, on the basepaths, it’s all coming together right now,” Simpson said.
With Wednesday’s win, the Rays:
• Extended their streak of games allowing three or fewer runs to a franchise-record 13, matching the second longest in the majors over a single season in the wild-card era (since 1995). They allowed only 17 runs over the 13 games, six in the last six.
• Completed just the third undefeated multi-series homestand in franchise history (2018, 2023) by posting their majors-leading fifth series sweep.
• Ran their Tropicana Field winning streak to 10.
• Moved to 12 games over .500 for the first time since finishing the 2023 season 99-63 en route to the playoffs.
The pitching has stood out most during the stretch of success, both the starters (despite losing Ryan Pepiot, Joe Boyle and Steven Matz to injury) and Edwin Uceta-less relievers (who have worked 17 ⅓ scoreless innings and allowed one run in the last 32 ⅔).
“They’re on a good run, no doubt,” Cash said. “When we can throw up zeroes or one-run, two-run ballgames, we’re in every one of them. But, I mean, they’re setting the bar really high for themselves, and they should all be feeling pretty good about how individually they’re contributing.”
McClanahan set the tone Wednesday, allowing only two doubles and a walk through the first 5 ⅔ innings, with shortstop Taylor Walls and third baseman Junior Caminero making good plays behind him, extending his personal scoreless steak to 16 ⅔ innings.
“He pitched and mixed really, really well‚” Cash said. “They threw a pretty tough right-handed lineup against him, but he got in rhythm and never came out of it. The strike-throwing was pretty elite. Letting the defense work behind him was pretty elite. So, everything looked really good for Shane.”
Each of the four relievers — Kevin Kelly, Garrett Cleavinger, Bryan Baker and Seymour — did their part.
The Rays created a two-run rally in the fourth combining a walk, DeLuca’s RBI double, an infield out and Simpson’s two-out RBI single. They added another in the eighth with help from a Jays error.
And then they got on the plane headed to Boston, with plans for a team-bonding outing driving virtual reality Formula One race cars.
“It’s cool,” McClanahan said. “It’s pretty cool that these guys in here are like, actually, really good friends.”
It detailed the team’s request for a billion dollar public contribution and set June 1 as the deadline for all sides to approve definitive agreements.
But Rays CEO Ken Babby told the Tampa Bay Times Tuesday night the team’s priority is securing a non-binding commitment by the end of the month.
“We’re focused on a May MOU,” Babby told the Times. “It will be non-binding.”
In a letter to county commissioners last month, Babby described the team’s deadline as “driven by practical constraints, not pressure tactics.” Losing “critical state funding” for the college, he wrote, would make “the deal economically infeasible.”
The Florida Legislature has a special session scheduled to start May 12 to approve the state budget. The budget could include $150 million to help rebuild Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry’s campus, where the team is looking to build its $2.3 billion stadium.
It is unclear if a non-binding memorandum of understanding would be enough for the state to approve funding for Hillsborough College, but it would at minimum signal a step in a positive direction for the stadium proposal.
“The state needs to know that the county, the city and the Rays are committed to this partnership,” Babby said Wednesday.
A timeline, a county memo from last month reads, “cannot be reasonably considered” until all involved parties reach an agreement on the terms. After a preliminary agreement is reached, “it would likely take at least 60-90 days” to negotiate the deal’s development and funding obligations.
In response, the team said it would like to continue working toward a May memorandum of understanding “with the shared goal of completing the definitive agreements as soon as reasonably possible thereafter.”
“We remain confident that the project schedule can be maintained if the parties are able to finalize the definitive agreements as soon as possible in order to meet the 2029 season,” it read.
“It’s an intermediary step,” Babby said Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Tampa held a workshop on the deal, which gave City Council and staff the opportunity to delve into its potential details, and members of the public the chance to opine. Tuesday’s workshop, Babby said, was “extremely positive.”
It detailed the team’s request for a billion dollar public contribution and set June 1 as the deadline for all sides to approve definitive agreements.
But Rays CEO Ken Babby told the Tampa Bay Times Tuesday night the team’s priority is securing a non-binding commitment by the end of the month.
“We’re focused on a May MOU,” Babby told the Times. “It will be non-binding.”
In a letter to county commissioners last month, Babby described the team’s deadline as “driven by practical constraints, not pressure tactics.” Losing “critical state funding” for the college, he wrote, would make “the deal economically infeasible.”
The Florida Legislature has a special session scheduled to start May 12 to approve the state budget. The budget could include $150 million to help rebuild Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry’s campus, where the team is looking to build its $2.3 billion stadium.
It is unclear if a non-binding memorandum of understanding would be enough for the state to approve funding for Hillsborough College, but it would at minimum signal a step in a positive direction for the stadium proposal.
“The state needs to know that the county, the city and the Rays are committed to this partnership,” Babby said Wednesday.
A timeline, a county memo from last month reads, “cannot be reasonably considered” until all involved parties reach an agreement on the terms. After a preliminary agreement is reached, “it would likely take at least 60-90 days” to negotiate the deal’s development and funding obligations.
In response, the team said it would like to continue working toward a May memorandum of understanding “with the shared goal of completing the definitive agreements as soon as reasonably possible thereafter.”
“We remain confident that the project schedule can be maintained if the parties are able to finalize the definitive agreements as soon as possible in order to meet the 2029 season,” it read.
“It’s an intermediary step,” Babby said Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Tampa held a workshop on the deal, which gave City Council and staff the opportunity to delve into its potential details, and members of the public the chance to opine. Tuesday’s workshop, Babby said, was “extremely positive.”
For the second straight season, Lightning center Anthony Cirelli is a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy, awarded annually to the league’s top defensive forward.
Montreal’s Nick Suzuki and Colorado’s Brock Nelson are the other finalists.
The award is decided by a vote of select members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
Cirelli, who has long been one of the league’s top two-way centers, was an important part of the Lightning leading the Eastern Conference in goal differential (plus-59) and fewest goals allowed (231) this season.
He was a career-high plus-38, to go along with 23 goals and 52 points in 71 games. He paired with Brandon Hagel to form one of the league’s top penalty-killing forward duos on a Lightning squad that had the third-best penalty-killing unit in the league with an 82.6% success rate.
Cirelli’s two shorthanded goals tied Jake Guentzel for the team lead.
Cirelli finished third in Selke voting following the 2024-25 season. This is the fourth time in his nine-year career he has finished in the top 10.
Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov is a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award, which is the players’ choice for the league’s most valuable player.
Andrei Vasilevskiy is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, which goes to the top goaltender by a vote of the league’s general managers.
Jon Cooper is a finalist for his first Jack Adams Award, which goes to the league’s top coach as decided by a vote of members of the NHL broadcasters association.
For the second straight season, Lightning center Anthony Cirelli is a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy, awarded annually to the league’s top defensive forward.
Montreal’s Nick Suzuki and Colorado’s Brock Nelson are the other finalists.
The award is decided by a vote of select members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
Cirelli, who has long been one of the league’s top two-way centers, was an important part of the Lightning leading the Eastern Conference in goal differential (plus-59) and fewest goals allowed (231) this season.
He was a career-high plus-38, to go along with 23 goals and 52 points in 71 games. He paired with Brandon Hagel to form one of the league’s top penalty-killing forward duos on a Lightning squad that had the third-best penalty-killing unit in the league with an 82.6% success rate.
Cirelli’s two shorthanded goals tied Jake Guentzel for the team lead.
Cirelli finished third in Selke voting following the 2024-25 season. This is the fourth time in his nine-year career he has finished in the top 10.
Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov is a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award, which is the players’ choice for the league’s most valuable player.
Andrei Vasilevskiy is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, which goes to the top goaltender by a vote of the league’s general managers.
Jon Cooper is a finalist for his first Jack Adams Award, which goes to the league’s top coach as decided by a vote of members of the NHL broadcasters association.
“People in Tampa are baseball fanatics,” declared Christopher Palermo from the podium of Tampa’s Old City Hall. “If you say people in Tampa don’t like baseball, I’m going to question if you’re a true Tampanian.”
Wearing a Tampa Bay Rays hat and a jersey over his suit, Palermo was one in a string of attendees to share his thoughts on the Rays’ proposed $2.3 billion Tampa stadium at a City Council workshop on Tuesday night. Dozens packed the room for the four-hour meeting.
“We need to invest in these projects,” Palermo said. Rays fans in the back of the room, barred from clapping per council rules, shook their raised hands in support.
The meeting, which came weeks after a workshop with the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners, marked the first opportunity for city staff to publicly share updates, questions or sticking points on the fast-forming stadium deal. And it gave members of the public and a range of local stakeholders — from police and fire unions to the tax collector’s office — a platform to state their positions.
The workshop revealed few new details on the finer points of the stadium deal, including how Tampa and Hillsborough County could fund the Rays’ $1.065 billion proposed public subsidy with a mishmash of taxes and other pots of money. The team is seeking $750 million from the county and $251 million from the city, according to a draft memorandum of understanding released last month.
Council members peppered Rays chief executive Ken Babby and Dennis Rogero, Tampa’s chief financial officer, with questions about funding.
“Ultimately, when you take everything out, this is a revenue discussion,” said council member Lynn Hurtak, who is running for mayor next year. “This is a discussion about money and how we spend it.”
The city’s slice of the deal could include $160 million from the Drew Park Community Redevelopment Area, where local property tax dollars are funneled back into the region to address blight, according to an April documentfrom the county. At the meeting Tuesday, Rogero said the Redevelopment Area contribution could range from $100 million to $160 million.
The city could also draw $64 million from thecity’s estimated share of the Community Investment Tax, Hillsborough’s half-cent sales which pays for roads, public buildings and upgrades to existing professional stadiums, the document said.
Money from both pots would be used to pay off bonds issued to pay for stadium construction. Who would pay the interest on those bonds is still the subject of negotiations, Rogero said.
Babby said questions about funding would be answered in future financial agreements between the Rays, the city and the county. The same is true of a community benefits agreement, or a legally binding pledge by the developers, he said.
“Once there’s an MOU, those exact questions should be answered,” Babby said. “So please don’t take my lack of response ... as a disagreement. It’s simply that there’s no framework to discuss here tonight, yet.”
In an interview after the meeting, Babby said the team is working toward a nonbinding memorandum of understanding with the city and county in May. Failure to meet that timeline could jeopardize state funding, he said.
Tuesday’s workshop, Babby said, was “extremely positive.”
A range of local stakeholders presented to the council, including a citizen’s budget advisory committee, police and fire unions, the Westshore Alliance, the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency, the tax collector’s office and the state Department of Transportation.
“Our position is straightforward,” said Brandon Barclay, president of the Tampa Police Benevolent Association. “Any memorandum of understanding must include firm guardrails that protect public safety resources.”
Jennifer Castro, Hillsborough’s chief deputy tax collector, said the county’s busiest tax collector office sits in a corner of the Rays’ proposed new site, just north of the Dale Mabry campus of Hillsborough College. She asked that her office have a seat at the table during negotiations.
“We are committed to being good partners in Tampa’s future, but we cannot stand by while our busiest office is in jeopardy without a funding replacement plan,” Castro said.
Council members also heard hours of public comment. Some speakers told stories about growing up as baseball fans in Tampa and encouraged their representatives to approve a deal before it’s too late.
Others urged caution.
“This is going to have an incredible impact on my neighborhood,” said Jaime Jones, president of the West Tampa Heights Neighborhood Association. “We find the continual discussion about redeveloping our pocket of the city, without a plan beyond the ballpark boundaries, extremely egregious.”
“People in Tampa are baseball fanatics,” declared Christopher Palermo from the podium of Tampa’s Old City Hall. “If you say people in Tampa don’t like baseball, I’m going to question if you’re a true Tampanian.”
Wearing a Tampa Bay Rays hat and a jersey over his suit, Palermo was one in a string of attendees to share his thoughts on the Rays’ proposed $2.3 billion Tampa stadium at a City Council workshop on Tuesday night. Dozens packed the room for the four-hour meeting.
“We need to invest in these projects,” Palermo said. Rays fans in the back of the room, barred from clapping per council rules, shook their raised hands in support.
The meeting, which came weeks after a workshop with the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners, marked the first opportunity for city staff to publicly share updates, questions or sticking points on the fast-forming stadium deal. And it gave members of the public and a range of local stakeholders — from police and fire unions to the tax collector’s office — a platform to state their positions.
The workshop revealed few new details on the finer points of the stadium deal, including how Tampa and Hillsborough County could fund the Rays’ $1.065 billion proposed public subsidy with a mishmash of taxes and other pots of money. The team is seeking $750 million from the county and $251 million from the city, according to a draft memorandum of understanding released last month.
Council members peppered Rays chief executive Ken Babby and Dennis Rogero, Tampa’s chief financial officer, with questions about funding.
“Ultimately, when you take everything out, this is a revenue discussion,” said council member Lynn Hurtak, who is running for mayor next year. “This is a discussion about money and how we spend it.”
The city’s slice of the deal could include $160 million from the Drew Park Community Redevelopment Area, where local property tax dollars are funneled back into the region to address blight, according to an April documentfrom the county. At the meeting Tuesday, Rogero said the Redevelopment Area contribution could range from $100 million to $160 million.
The city could also draw $64 million from thecity’s estimated share of the Community Investment Tax, Hillsborough’s half-cent sales which pays for roads, public buildings and upgrades to existing professional stadiums, the document said.
Money from both pots would be used to pay off bonds issued to pay for stadium construction. Who would pay the interest on those bonds is still the subject of negotiations, Rogero said.
Babby said questions about funding would be answered in future financial agreements between the Rays, the city and the county. The same is true of a community benefits agreement, or a legally binding pledge by the developers, he said.
“Once there’s an MOU, those exact questions should be answered,” Babby said. “So please don’t take my lack of response ... as a disagreement. It’s simply that there’s no framework to discuss here tonight, yet.”
In an interview after the meeting, Babby said the team is working toward a nonbinding memorandum of understanding with the city and county in May. Failure to meet that timeline could jeopardize state funding, he said.
Tuesday’s workshop, Babby said, was “extremely positive.”
A range of local stakeholders presented to the council, including a citizen’s budget advisory committee, police and fire unions, the Westshore Alliance, the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency, the tax collector’s office and the state Department of Transportation.
“Our position is straightforward,” said Brandon Barclay, president of the Tampa Police Benevolent Association. “Any memorandum of understanding must include firm guardrails that protect public safety resources.”
Jennifer Castro, Hillsborough’s chief deputy tax collector, said the county’s busiest tax collector office sits in a corner of the Rays’ proposed new site, just north of the Dale Mabry campus of Hillsborough College. She asked that her office have a seat at the table during negotiations.
“We are committed to being good partners in Tampa’s future, but we cannot stand by while our busiest office is in jeopardy without a funding replacement plan,” Castro said.
Council members also heard hours of public comment. Some speakers told stories about growing up as baseball fans in Tampa and encouraged their representatives to approve a deal before it’s too late.
Others urged caution.
“This is going to have an incredible impact on my neighborhood,” said Jaime Jones, president of the West Tampa Heights Neighborhood Association. “We find the continual discussion about redeveloping our pocket of the city, without a plan beyond the ballpark boundaries, extremely egregious.”
When you’re pitching as well as the Rays have been, going a franchise-record-tying 12 games — two full weeks! — without giving up more than three runs, you’re going to keep any deficit small.
And when you have the confidence and diverse offensive weapons the Rays do, you’re going to find a way to come back and win a lot of those games.
Which was exactly what they did again on Tuesday, trailing by a slim margin into the eighth inning, then rallying for two runs and a 4-3 victory over the Blue Jays.
“I think that’s the thing we’ve shown the most so far is that we’re not going to give up,” first baseman Jonathan Aranda said via team interpreter Kevin Vera.
“Regardless of the situation, regardless of the rhythm of the game, whatever is going on, we’re never going to give up. And that’s just the type of baseball that we play.”
It was the Rays’ 10th come-from-behind victory, matching the most in the American League. Even more impressive, it was their fifth when trailing in the eighth inning or later.
“We just, we really don’t give in, don’t give up,” infielder Ben Williamson said. “We were down for, I think, all that game until the eighth, and I don’t feel like anybody in the dugout felt like we were ever out of that.”
The Rays improved to 23-12, winning for the 11th time in their last 12 games.
In another measure of their resolve, it was their franchise-record-tying eighth straight win in a one-run game, something they did in 2003 and 2008.
“It’s a credit to (the players),” manager Kevin Cash said. “They do a good job of staying in the game, staying focused. Things are going our way right now, pretty obviously, but I’m happy that we just continue to find ways to take advantage of it.”
Down 2-0 early, the Rays tied it with single runs in the third and fourth. The Blue Jays went back ahead in the fifth with another run off Drew Rasmussen, and it stayed that way until Aranda rapped the first of their four straight hits in the eighth off Jays reliever Tyler Rogers.
After earlier rapping a hit for his AL-leading 29th RBI, Aranda continued his recent torrid streak (9-for-17 over four games) by slicing a ball down the leftfield line and hustling for a double.
“I was going to second no matter what,” he said.
Diaz, hitless in his first seven at-bats after returning Monday from left oblique tightness, singled up the middle (his 997th career hit) to score pinch-runner Taylor Walls.
Jake Fraley followed with a single to center that sent Diaz to second. Williamson then bounced a single through the middle that scored Diaz with the go-ahead run.
“I wasn’t surprised at all,” Diaz said via Vera. “We did our job against the pitcher. They weren’t necessarily hard hits, but we were able to string those four hits together. Everybody was just prepared, and we did our job.”
Cole Sulser, getting the call with Bryan Baker off after working three of the last four days, worked a 1-2-3 ninth to seal the latest comeback win.
“It’s obviously a good thing,” Diaz said. “I’m the first one to say it, that it’s not over until you get out number 27. It’s very inspiring, and it’s a really good thing for this ballclub to just keep doing this thing and keep putting up good wins. ...
“When I think back on the years that I’ve been here, I think it’s one of the most, if not the most, energetic groups that I’ve been around. We’re just all very united. If we keep doing our job, we’re just going to keep playing good baseball.”
Though Rasmussen gave up a season-high seven hits over his six innings — questioning the pitch selection more than execution — and a walk, he posted his team-record 45th straight start allowing four or fewer runs.
It was his work, and the three relievers that followed, that put the Rays in position to win, as has been the case for much of their recent run. The only other time the Rays went 12 games without allowing more than three runs was Aug. 4-16, 2014.
“I think that the lineup certainly appreciates the pitching effort and knows that they’re keeping us in every ballgame,” Cash said. “We’re winning games, but when we’re down, they’re keeping it right there (so that) with a baserunner and a swing of the bat and it’s tied or (we) take the lead.”
Rasmussen wanted to make sure the defense also gets credit and said there are some specific reasons why they have been pitching so well.
“I think we worry about the things we can control, and I think right now we’re executing at a pretty high level,” he said. “We’re throwing strike one at an incredibly high clip. ... I really think that gives you the best chance to limit hard contact, for starters, and then on top of it limit runs as we start to look at the game as a whole.
“I think we’re doing a really good job of getting ahead and then executing with two strikes once we get there.”
When you’re pitching as well as the Rays have been, going a franchise-record-tying 12 games — two full weeks! — without giving up more than three runs, you’re going to keep any deficit small.
And when you have the confidence and diverse offensive weapons the Rays do, you’re going to find a way to come back and win a lot of those games.
Which was exactly what they did again on Tuesday, trailing by a slim margin into the eighth inning, then rallying for two runs and a 4-3 victory over the Blue Jays.
“I think that’s the thing we’ve shown the most so far is that we’re not going to give up,” first baseman Jonathan Aranda said via team interpreter Kevin Vera.
“Regardless of the situation, regardless of the rhythm of the game, whatever is going on, we’re never going to give up. And that’s just the type of baseball that we play.”
It was the Rays’ 10th come-from-behind victory, matching the most in the American League. Even more impressive, it was their fifth when trailing in the eighth inning or later.
“We just, we really don’t give in, don’t give up,” infielder Ben Williamson said. “We were down for, I think, all that game until the eighth, and I don’t feel like anybody in the dugout felt like we were ever out of that.”
The Rays improved to 23-12, winning for the 11th time in their last 12 games.
In another measure of their resolve, it was their franchise-record-tying eighth straight win in a one-run game, something they did in 2003 and 2008.
“It’s a credit to (the players),” manager Kevin Cash said. “They do a good job of staying in the game, staying focused. Things are going our way right now, pretty obviously, but I’m happy that we just continue to find ways to take advantage of it.”
Down 2-0 early, the Rays tied it with single runs in the third and fourth. The Blue Jays went back ahead in the fifth with another run off Drew Rasmussen, and it stayed that way until Aranda rapped the first of their four straight hits in the eighth off Jays reliever Tyler Rogers.
After earlier rapping a hit for his AL-leading 29th RBI, Aranda continued his recent torrid streak (9-for-17 over four games) by slicing a ball down the leftfield line and hustling for a double.
“I was going to second no matter what,” he said.
Diaz, hitless in his first seven at-bats after returning Monday from left oblique tightness, singled up the middle (his 997th career hit) to score pinch-runner Taylor Walls.
Jake Fraley followed with a single to center that sent Diaz to second. Williamson then bounced a single through the middle that scored Diaz with the go-ahead run.
“I wasn’t surprised at all,” Diaz said via Vera. “We did our job against the pitcher. They weren’t necessarily hard hits, but we were able to string those four hits together. Everybody was just prepared, and we did our job.”
Cole Sulser, getting the call with Bryan Baker off after working three of the last four days, worked a 1-2-3 ninth to seal the latest comeback win.
“It’s obviously a good thing,” Diaz said. “I’m the first one to say it, that it’s not over until you get out number 27. It’s very inspiring, and it’s a really good thing for this ballclub to just keep doing this thing and keep putting up good wins. ...
“When I think back on the years that I’ve been here, I think it’s one of the most, if not the most, energetic groups that I’ve been around. We’re just all very united. If we keep doing our job, we’re just going to keep playing good baseball.”
Though Rasmussen gave up a season-high seven hits over his six innings — questioning the pitch selection more than execution — and a walk, he posted his team-record 45th straight start allowing four or fewer runs.
It was his work, and the three relievers that followed, that put the Rays in position to win, as has been the case for much of their recent run. The only other time the Rays went 12 games without allowing more than three runs was Aug. 4-16, 2014.
“I think that the lineup certainly appreciates the pitching effort and knows that they’re keeping us in every ballgame,” Cash said. “We’re winning games, but when we’re down, they’re keeping it right there (so that) with a baserunner and a swing of the bat and it’s tied or (we) take the lead.”
Rasmussen wanted to make sure the defense also gets credit and said there are some specific reasons why they have been pitching so well.
“I think we worry about the things we can control, and I think right now we’re executing at a pretty high level,” he said. “We’re throwing strike one at an incredibly high clip. ... I really think that gives you the best chance to limit hard contact, for starters, and then on top of it limit runs as we start to look at the game as a whole.
“I think we’re doing a really good job of getting ahead and then executing with two strikes once we get there.”
The smile has returned to Victor Hedman’s face. After some dark days stuck in his own head, the Lightning captain can look toward the clean slate of next season with a fresh mind.
“I’m just looking forward to what’s ahead,” he said.
Make no mistake, Hedman would much rather the Lightning were still playing so he could potentially help the team on the ice.
But on Tuesday morning, the Lightning’s season wrap-up interviews began with Hedman explaining his month-long leave of absence from the team while detailing his own mental health struggle.
“It’s obviously a thing that’s been going on for a long time, and trying to work through it and find ways to get around it,” Hedman said. “I’ve always been able to do that. That’s where the decision came that I needed to take some time and find myself again.”
When Hedman pulled himself from a game March 19 in Vancouver during the first intermission after playing just six shifts, he called it the “last straw.” So much had built up inside his head, he needed to remove himself from the team and the pressure he felt.
“It was a combination of a lot of things,” Hedman said. “That’s when I said, for my sake and the team’s sake, it’s better for me now to step away and focus on myself.”
Hedman has spent his entire 17-year NHL career in a Lightning sweater. His No. 77 one day will hang from the rafters of Benchmark International Arena, and he’ll eventually have an enshrinement day in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He’s won the Norris and Conn Smythe trophies. He was awarded the captain’s “C” two summers ago, but his commitment and dedication to his teammates, organization and community has been going on for years.
“You just try to be there to support him, because he’s done that his whole life for us in different fashions and sacrificed so much for this team, this city, this organization,” Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. “Everybody that was on the team, in the room, with him this year was there for him and just wanted to be there and wishing that he was back as soon as possible.”
Part of Hedman’s recovery was getting away from the game. He said his therapist, who he’s seen for four years, knows very little about hockey.
“She’s learning, but that’s kind of nice, too,” Hedman said. “She’s not focused on me as a hockey player. She’s focused on me as a person. So that’s been great, and she’s been a tremendous help. She’s one of the big reasons that I’m standing here today and feeling the way I feel. It’s been great. ... I just didn’t start therapy now. I’ve been doing it for a long time, because you kind of want to get ahead of the curve. It just helps to have someone to talk to.”
Hedman’s season was a struggle on the ice. He broke his foot during the playoff series against Florida last year, which affected the way he could prepare for this season. He suffered a hip injury in the preseason that limited him to one period of game time to prepare for the regular season. Then, 15 games into the season, he injured his elbow. He missed the next 12, hoping rest would be the solution. But after a three-game return, he realized he would need surgery, especially in order to play for his native Sweden in his first Winter Olympics.
“I only played 33 games,” Hedman said. “It’s not ideal, obviously, but at the end of the day it was just physically and mentally draining. But now I feel fresh, my body feels great. I’m ready to get back to work throughout the summer and be even more prepared next year.”
Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois applauded Hedman, saying he was “very proud” of how the defenseman handled the situation. He said the way Hedman addressed his mental health battle publicly Tuesday and previously with the team in March was courageous.
“He put the team first, he put his family first, he put everyone else first and kind of came back, came in second,” BriseBois said. “When I look at our players ... (you think), you guys are all winning. You’re healthy, you’re good-looking, you’re strong, you’ve got the world by the balls, but in the world they live in is a world where — name your superstar — they’re comparing themselves to those guys all the time, and it’s a lot of pressure to live up to those expectations.
“I’m glad he’s in a good spot, and I’m glad that he’s gonna be on our team next year, and I expect him to have a good season.”
Hedman has long been a mental-health awareness advocate. He is an ambassador for NOSOLO, an apparel brand that helps fund initiatives that improve mental health support and access around the world. He frequently wears a NOSOLO cap during interviews and did so again Tuesday.
“Just being around pretty much every day here recently, he seems like he’s his old self again and feeling better about himself, and that’s all we can ask for,” McDonagh said. “So, he’s obviously a huge piece to our team, and we missed him.”
In January, fellow Swede Linus Ullmark, a former Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender for the Ottawa Senators, said Hedman helped him through his mental health struggle, which included anxiety and panic attacks. Hedman said Tuesday that Ullmark helped him during his own battle, as did his best friend, former Lightning teammate Steven Stamkos.
Asked what advice he’d give others who might be going through mental health struggles, Hedman said, “Reach out for help. It’s important.”
“Obviously, this game has given me a lot in life, but at the end of the day there’s gonna be a life after hockey, too,” he said. “Just don’t sit with your thoughts. You know there’s a lot of people out there that can help you, and that’s what I found out. And it’s never too late, either. The mental part is just as important as the physical part. This game has given me everything, but it takes a toll on you as well. So don’t sit around with your thoughts by yourself. Just reach out and get the help you need.”
The smile has returned to Victor Hedman’s face. After some dark days stuck in his own head, the Lightning captain can look toward the clean slate of next season with a fresh mind.
“I’m just looking forward to what’s ahead,” he said.
Make no mistake, Hedman would much rather the Lightning were still playing so he could potentially help the team on the ice.
But on Tuesday morning, the Lightning’s season wrap-up interviews began with Hedman explaining his month-long leave of absence from the team while detailing his own mental health struggle.
“It’s obviously a thing that’s been going on for a long time, and trying to work through it and find ways to get around it,” Hedman said. “I’ve always been able to do that. That’s where the decision came that I needed to take some time and find myself again.”
When Hedman pulled himself from a game March 19 in Vancouver during the first intermission after playing just six shifts, he called it the “last straw.” So much had built up inside his head, he needed to remove himself from the team and the pressure he felt.
“It was a combination of a lot of things,” Hedman said. “That’s when I said, for my sake and the team’s sake, it’s better for me now to step away and focus on myself.”
Hedman has spent his entire 17-year NHL career in a Lightning sweater. His No. 77 one day will hang from the rafters of Benchmark International Arena, and he’ll eventually have an enshrinement day in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He’s won the Norris and Conn Smythe trophies. He was awarded the captain’s “C” two summers ago, but his commitment and dedication to his teammates, organization and community has been going on for years.
“You just try to be there to support him, because he’s done that his whole life for us in different fashions and sacrificed so much for this team, this city, this organization,” Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. “Everybody that was on the team, in the room, with him this year was there for him and just wanted to be there and wishing that he was back as soon as possible.”
Part of Hedman’s recovery was getting away from the game. He said his therapist, who he’s seen for four years, knows very little about hockey.
“She’s learning, but that’s kind of nice, too,” Hedman said. “She’s not focused on me as a hockey player. She’s focused on me as a person. So that’s been great, and she’s been a tremendous help. She’s one of the big reasons that I’m standing here today and feeling the way I feel. It’s been great. ... I just didn’t start therapy now. I’ve been doing it for a long time, because you kind of want to get ahead of the curve. It just helps to have someone to talk to.”
Hedman’s season was a struggle on the ice. He broke his foot during the playoff series against Florida last year, which affected the way he could prepare for this season. He suffered a hip injury in the preseason that limited him to one period of game time to prepare for the regular season. Then, 15 games into the season, he injured his elbow. He missed the next 12, hoping rest would be the solution. But after a three-game return, he realized he would need surgery, especially in order to play for his native Sweden in his first Winter Olympics.
“I only played 33 games,” Hedman said. “It’s not ideal, obviously, but at the end of the day it was just physically and mentally draining. But now I feel fresh, my body feels great. I’m ready to get back to work throughout the summer and be even more prepared next year.”
Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois applauded Hedman, saying he was “very proud” of how the defenseman handled the situation. He said the way Hedman addressed his mental health battle publicly Tuesday and previously with the team in March was courageous.
“He put the team first, he put his family first, he put everyone else first and kind of came back, came in second,” BriseBois said. “When I look at our players ... (you think), you guys are all winning. You’re healthy, you’re good-looking, you’re strong, you’ve got the world by the balls, but in the world they live in is a world where — name your superstar — they’re comparing themselves to those guys all the time, and it’s a lot of pressure to live up to those expectations.
“I’m glad he’s in a good spot, and I’m glad that he’s gonna be on our team next year, and I expect him to have a good season.”
Hedman has long been a mental-health awareness advocate. He is an ambassador for NOSOLO, an apparel brand that helps fund initiatives that improve mental health support and access around the world. He frequently wears a NOSOLO cap during interviews and did so again Tuesday.
“Just being around pretty much every day here recently, he seems like he’s his old self again and feeling better about himself, and that’s all we can ask for,” McDonagh said. “So, he’s obviously a huge piece to our team, and we missed him.”
In January, fellow Swede Linus Ullmark, a former Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender for the Ottawa Senators, said Hedman helped him through his mental health struggle, which included anxiety and panic attacks. Hedman said Tuesday that Ullmark helped him during his own battle, as did his best friend, former Lightning teammate Steven Stamkos.
Asked what advice he’d give others who might be going through mental health struggles, Hedman said, “Reach out for help. It’s important.”
“Obviously, this game has given me a lot in life, but at the end of the day there’s gonna be a life after hockey, too,” he said. “Just don’t sit with your thoughts. You know there’s a lot of people out there that can help you, and that’s what I found out. And it’s never too late, either. The mental part is just as important as the physical part. This game has given me everything, but it takes a toll on you as well. So don’t sit around with your thoughts by yourself. Just reach out and get the help you need.”
Six starts into his comeback after missing 2 ½ seasons due to arm injuries, Shane McClanahan knows there is still much to improve on, and he has plenty of lofty goals in his sights, mentioning an All-Star selection and Cy Young Awards, plural.
But the Rays left-hander is also well aware that getting to this point was an accomplishment — one that wasn’t guaranteed.
Even if McClanahan had the same doggedness and determination in doing all of the physical work and the same mental fortitude to withstand the cruel setbacks — the hard-to-define nerve issue in March 2025 that wiped out another full season after he was rehabbed and ready to go from August 2023 Tommy John surgery — he was going to need help, guidance, understanding and patience from his bosses.
The time away matured, and maybe even softened, McClanahan, who at times was cocky and brusque.
But in discussing his last start, McClanahan, who turned 29 last week, poured out his appreciation for how the Rays organization, which drafted him 31st overall out of USF in 2018, and specifically pitching coach Kyle Snyder and manager Kevin Cash, have stood by and supported him through the travails.
“It could have been easy just to be like, ‘Yeah, he’s done.’ And not allow me to go out there and learn to compete again, learn to fight — honestly, learn to pitch and feel the emotions that I’ve been feeling,“ McClanahan said. ”And I’m pretty proud of that in terms of the person, because when you’re away from it for so long, it’s hard. It sucks. You’ve got to learn how to fight. You’ve got to learn how to compete. You’ve got to learn how to take a punch again.
“You just kind of get tired of feeling bad for yourself, and these guys allowed me to feel how I feel, and it’s cool to feel that way again in terms of just competing and going after guys. So very, very much appreciative of everything those guys have done behind the scenes with me, and (I) couldn’t be in a better spot.”
Especially, McClanahan acknowledged, given the twists along the way.
“I know it hasn’t been probably the easiest or the straightest line in terms of my development and growth and, kind of, I guess, history over the last 2 ½ years,” he said.
“To have those guys in my corner is huge. It’s huge. I can’t say enough good things about this organization and kind of that development and that faith that they continue to instill in me.”
Heading into Wednesday’s start against the Blue Jays, McClanahan is 3-2 with a 3.10 ERA and trending upwards, having worked five scoreless innings against the Twins on April 25 and a season-high six more Friday against the Giants.
How he’s doing it is also important.
Both from the data and pitch metrics, most notably a tick up in fastball velocity (averaging 95.3 mph and reaching 96.9 last outing) and how he reacts and responds to game situations, such as making adjustments during an at-bat.
“He’s going to get better and better and better,” Snyder said. “His stuff continues to improve. His execution continues to get better. The adjustment from pitch-to-pitch is improving. He falls behind 3-0 now, he gets back in the count and he closes out the at-bat.
“Those are things that as much as anything are really encouraging to see, because it’s happening within the at-bat, not from outing to outing or inning to inning. And that’s the mark of a true major-league pitcher who has the capability within the delivery to make those adjustments.”
Snyder has been consistently confident, through both recovery and rehab processes, that McClanahan could return to his dominant form. He seems even more encouraged now.
“It’s just a matter of him continuing to remain fluid, continuous in his delivery, and understanding the feel that he needs to feel,” Snyder said. “It’s not what he needs to think that needs to change. It’s a matter of not getting into too much conscious thought and just being out there and being an athlete and being the pitcher he’s always been, getting back out there and getting those reps underneath him.”
McClanahan was frustrated after his first two starts and said he expected his return to be easier, “like riding a bike.”
Now he has a better understanding of the assignment.
“Oh, was I wrong,” he said. “Those first couple outings, it’s experiencing emotions and adrenaline that you just unfortunately cannot recreate.”
Since spring training, McClanahan’s mantra has been that what he wants most is to help the Rays win, which they have in four of his six starts. He was excited Friday that Snyder and Cash loosened his leash, allowing him to work six innings. (He also got to the 90-pitch mark April 19.)
“It’s good to see our guy getting his swagger back a little bit,” said rotation mate and close friend Drew Rasmussen. “When he gets rolling, it makes life so easy on the other starters in the rotation, because you can just chalk up one win right there. … It’s great to see. He’s getting closer and closer with every single day and single outing."
Over his first three seasons, McClanahan was 33-16 with a 3.02 ERA. After the unusual path of debuting in the 2020 postseason, he finished seventh in the 2021 AL Rookie of the Year voting, was sixth in the 2022 Cy Young race, and made the All-Star teams in 2022 and 2023, making his last start of that season on Aug. 2 prior to Tommy John surgery.
What’s next?
“I think I’m still scratching the surface of what I want to do. My dad (who died in January) always told me, he’s like, ‘If you’re gonna find out how good you’re gonna be, you might as well just do it.’ And I’m not a one-foot-in type of guy. I’m going to jump in.” McClanahan said. “If I win a couple Cy Youngs, that’d be awesome. If I don’t, I can live with it. If I’m never an All-Star again, if I never win another major-league game — it’s all about if I give it my best effort.
“And I’m pretty proud of that in terms of just the day-to-day work and understanding that it is what it is. You can’t control what happens after you put your best day of work in.
“So, I’m grateful for that work ethic in terms of just keeping it simple and one day at a time, and however good I can be, I’m going to do my damnedest to do it. And whether that’s, like I said, a Cy Young or not, whatever it is, it is. I can go to bed knowing that I’m giving it my all every single day.”
Six starts into his comeback after missing 2 ½ seasons due to arm injuries, Shane McClanahan knows there is still much to improve on, and he has plenty of lofty goals in his sights, mentioning an All-Star selection and Cy Young Awards, plural.
But the Rays left-hander is also well aware that getting to this point was an accomplishment — one that wasn’t guaranteed.
Even if McClanahan had the same doggedness and determination in doing all of the physical work and the same mental fortitude to withstand the cruel setbacks — the hard-to-define nerve issue in March 2025 that wiped out another full season after he was rehabbed and ready to go from August 2023 Tommy John surgery — he was going to need help, guidance, understanding and patience from his bosses.
The time away matured, and maybe even softened, McClanahan, who at times was cocky and brusque.
But in discussing his last start, McClanahan, who turned 29 last week, poured out his appreciation for how the Rays organization, which drafted him 31st overall out of USF in 2018, and specifically pitching coach Kyle Snyder and manager Kevin Cash, have stood by and supported him through the travails.
“It could have been easy just to be like, ‘Yeah, he’s done.’ And not allow me to go out there and learn to compete again, learn to fight — honestly, learn to pitch and feel the emotions that I’ve been feeling,“ McClanahan said. ”And I’m pretty proud of that in terms of the person, because when you’re away from it for so long, it’s hard. It sucks. You’ve got to learn how to fight. You’ve got to learn how to compete. You’ve got to learn how to take a punch again.
“You just kind of get tired of feeling bad for yourself, and these guys allowed me to feel how I feel, and it’s cool to feel that way again in terms of just competing and going after guys. So very, very much appreciative of everything those guys have done behind the scenes with me, and (I) couldn’t be in a better spot.”
Especially, McClanahan acknowledged, given the twists along the way.
“I know it hasn’t been probably the easiest or the straightest line in terms of my development and growth and, kind of, I guess, history over the last 2 ½ years,” he said.
“To have those guys in my corner is huge. It’s huge. I can’t say enough good things about this organization and kind of that development and that faith that they continue to instill in me.”
Heading into Wednesday’s start against the Blue Jays, McClanahan is 3-2 with a 3.10 ERA and trending upwards, having worked five scoreless innings against the Twins on April 25 and a season-high six more Friday against the Giants.
How he’s doing it is also important.
Both from the data and pitch metrics, most notably a tick up in fastball velocity (averaging 95.3 mph and reaching 96.9 last outing) and how he reacts and responds to game situations, such as making adjustments during an at-bat.
“He’s going to get better and better and better,” Snyder said. “His stuff continues to improve. His execution continues to get better. The adjustment from pitch-to-pitch is improving. He falls behind 3-0 now, he gets back in the count and he closes out the at-bat.
“Those are things that as much as anything are really encouraging to see, because it’s happening within the at-bat, not from outing to outing or inning to inning. And that’s the mark of a true major-league pitcher who has the capability within the delivery to make those adjustments.”
Snyder has been consistently confident, through both recovery and rehab processes, that McClanahan could return to his dominant form. He seems even more encouraged now.
“It’s just a matter of him continuing to remain fluid, continuous in his delivery, and understanding the feel that he needs to feel,” Snyder said. “It’s not what he needs to think that needs to change. It’s a matter of not getting into too much conscious thought and just being out there and being an athlete and being the pitcher he’s always been, getting back out there and getting those reps underneath him.”
McClanahan was frustrated after his first two starts and said he expected his return to be easier, “like riding a bike.”
Now he has a better understanding of the assignment.
“Oh, was I wrong,” he said. “Those first couple outings, it’s experiencing emotions and adrenaline that you just unfortunately cannot recreate.”
Since spring training, McClanahan’s mantra has been that what he wants most is to help the Rays win, which they have in four of his six starts. He was excited Friday that Snyder and Cash loosened his leash, allowing him to work six innings. (He also got to the 90-pitch mark April 19.)
“It’s good to see our guy getting his swagger back a little bit,” said rotation mate and close friend Drew Rasmussen. “When he gets rolling, it makes life so easy on the other starters in the rotation, because you can just chalk up one win right there. … It’s great to see. He’s getting closer and closer with every single day and single outing."
Over his first three seasons, McClanahan was 33-16 with a 3.02 ERA. After the unusual path of debuting in the 2020 postseason, he finished seventh in the 2021 AL Rookie of the Year voting, was sixth in the 2022 Cy Young race, and made the All-Star teams in 2022 and 2023, making his last start of that season on Aug. 2 prior to Tommy John surgery.
What’s next?
“I think I’m still scratching the surface of what I want to do. My dad (who died in January) always told me, he’s like, ‘If you’re gonna find out how good you’re gonna be, you might as well just do it.’ And I’m not a one-foot-in type of guy. I’m going to jump in.” McClanahan said. “If I win a couple Cy Youngs, that’d be awesome. If I don’t, I can live with it. If I’m never an All-Star again, if I never win another major-league game — it’s all about if I give it my best effort.
“And I’m pretty proud of that in terms of just the day-to-day work and understanding that it is what it is. You can’t control what happens after you put your best day of work in.
“So, I’m grateful for that work ethic in terms of just keeping it simple and one day at a time, and however good I can be, I’m going to do my damnedest to do it. And whether that’s, like I said, a Cy Young or not, whatever it is, it is. I can go to bed knowing that I’m giving it my all every single day.”
Strong starting pitching has been a major key to the Rays’ recent run of success.
That group took a blow Tuesday with word that veteran lefty Steven Matz has been placed on the injured list due to left elbow inflammation.
Matz, 34, has been one of the Rays’ top starters, posting a 4-1 record and 3.86 ERA over seven starts since signing a two-year, $15 million free-agent deal in December.
Rays manager Kevin Cash and Matz were both optimistic that there was no serious injury, citing encouraging results from an MRI Monday, and that Matz could miss just the minimum time. With his IL stint backdated to Monday, Matz is eligible to return on May 19.
“(I) got the imaging, everything came back good, just some inflammation,” Matz said. “Hopefully, it could just be the shortest stay as possible. It’s a fluid situation. We’re going to be communicating back and forth.”
Matz said he had similar issues in 2018 and 2019 as a starter with the Mets and it was resolved relatively quickly, and again last year while working as a reliever for the Cardinals.
“Good reports by all measures, but we’ll see,” Cash said. “We’ll shut him down from throwing for a couple days and get a ball back in his hand. But optimistic right now.”
Matz said he felt something while working his sixth and final inning Sunday. He told the Rays staff but wanted to stay in the rotation and try to pitch through it before they decided it made more sense to address the issue now.
Chase Solesky, a 28-year-old right-hander who has been in the minor leagues since 2019 with the White Sox and Nationals (with a short independent league stint in between), was called up, filling an open spot on the 40-man and 26-player active roster, to add some depth to the bullpen.
Matz’s spot in the rotation comes up next on Friday. Cash said the Rays didn’t know how yet they would fill it.
With Griffin Jax slotted in for Thursday to make his third outing as he transitions from reliever to starter, it would seem challenging to then have a bullpen day on Friday.
Matz is the third Rays starter to be injured this season. Ryan Pepiot will soon have season-ending surgery on his right hip. Joe Boyle, who initially replaced Pepiot, is sidelined with a right elbow strain, though he is slated to start a rehab assignment on Wednesday.
Matz signed with the Rays primarily because they offered him the chance to start, which he hadn’t done on a full-time basis since 2021.
Did the heavier workload as a starter (37 ⅓ innings already this season; 76 ⅔ total last year) factor into the injury?
“It’s hard to say, it’s hard to speculate on that,” he said, though acknowledging the obvious difference. “I think they’ve done a really good job with building me up and communicating. Obviously, the results have been good, too, so that’s helpful. But it’s just about being smart in the front end and just trying to put the fire out while we can.”
On the Chase
Solesky was emotional in discussing his reaction to getting the late Monday news of his promotion in a call from Triple-A manager Morgan Ensberg.
“I felt bad, because I really didn’t say anything,” Solesky said. “It was just kind of like the accumulation of eight years of really hard work, and it’s more or less like I feel like I’m more excited for everyone who supported me along the way than myself.”
Solesky said he went to the Triple-A Durham clubhouse to get his equipment and sat on the floor with clubhouse staffer Pat Phelan, reflecting on his path.
“I was like, I just need to take a minute, man, to appreciate everything I’ve been through in my career,” he said.
Calls to his mother, fiancee and others also were special.
Strong starting pitching has been a major key to the Rays’ recent run of success.
That group took a blow Tuesday with word that veteran lefty Steven Matz has been placed on the injured list due to left elbow inflammation.
Matz, 34, has been one of the Rays’ top starters, posting a 4-1 record and 3.86 ERA over seven starts since signing a two-year, $15 million free-agent deal in December.
Rays manager Kevin Cash and Matz were both optimistic that there was no serious injury, citing encouraging results from an MRI Monday, and that Matz could miss just the minimum time. With his IL stint backdated to Monday, Matz is eligible to return on May 19.
“(I) got the imaging, everything came back good, just some inflammation,” Matz said. “Hopefully, it could just be the shortest stay as possible. It’s a fluid situation. We’re going to be communicating back and forth.”
Matz said he had similar issues in 2018 and 2019 as a starter with the Mets and it was resolved relatively quickly, and again last year while working as a reliever for the Cardinals.
“Good reports by all measures, but we’ll see,” Cash said. “We’ll shut him down from throwing for a couple days and get a ball back in his hand. But optimistic right now.”
Matz said he felt something while working his sixth and final inning Sunday. He told the Rays staff but wanted to stay in the rotation and try to pitch through it before they decided it made more sense to address the issue now.
Chase Solesky, a 28-year-old right-hander who has been in the minor leagues since 2019 with the White Sox and Nationals (with a short independent league stint in between), was called up, filling an open spot on the 40-man and 26-player active roster, to add some depth to the bullpen.
Matz’s spot in the rotation comes up next on Friday. Cash said the Rays didn’t know how yet they would fill it.
With Griffin Jax slotted in for Thursday to make his third outing as he transitions from reliever to starter, it would seem challenging to then have a bullpen day on Friday.
Matz is the third Rays starter to be injured this season. Ryan Pepiot will soon have season-ending surgery on his right hip. Joe Boyle, who initially replaced Pepiot, is sidelined with a right elbow strain, though he is slated to start a rehab assignment on Wednesday.
Matz signed with the Rays primarily because they offered him the chance to start, which he hadn’t done on a full-time basis since 2021.
Did the heavier workload as a starter (37 ⅓ innings already this season; 76 ⅔ total last year) factor into the injury?
“It’s hard to say, it’s hard to speculate on that,” he said, though acknowledging the obvious difference. “I think they’ve done a really good job with building me up and communicating. Obviously, the results have been good, too, so that’s helpful. But it’s just about being smart in the front end and just trying to put the fire out while we can.”
On the Chase
Solesky was emotional in discussing his reaction to getting the late Monday news of his promotion in a call from Triple-A manager Morgan Ensberg.
“I felt bad, because I really didn’t say anything,” Solesky said. “It was just kind of like the accumulation of eight years of really hard work, and it’s more or less like I feel like I’m more excited for everyone who supported me along the way than myself.”
Solesky said he went to the Triple-A Durham clubhouse to get his equipment and sat on the floor with clubhouse staffer Pat Phelan, reflecting on his path.
“I was like, I just need to take a minute, man, to appreciate everything I’ve been through in my career,” he said.
Calls to his mother, fiancee and others also were special.
Sometimes, the view from the ice is no different than from your couch.
Sometimes, it’s not the analytics or freak bounces or behind-the-scenes secrets. Sometimes, the outcome is as simple as you think it is.
“I feel like that’s (been) our excuse the last few years, hockey gods and bad bounces. (There were) bad bounces, for sure, but at the end of the day it’s just like a broken record over and over,” goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy said Tuesday morning, about 36 hours after the Lightning were eliminated from the playoffs.
“We have to man-up here. Our big players should be our best players on the ice. Again, just a part of the journey. So, we’ll have to work through it, and at some point it will turn our way, I hope.”
Vasilevskiy wasn’t the only player who brought up that theme, but he was the most pointed. And he did not shy away from the obvious.
“I thought we did lots of good things defensively during the regular season, during the (postseason), too. Just a little over two goals a game, I think that’s good enough to win a series,” he said. “So, I feel like defensively we did a pretty good job. Offensively? Again, it’s not my job, so I can’t speak to that.”
He’s not wrong. Six teams held opponents to 2.3 goals or less per game during the first round. Five of those teams advanced to the second round.
Guess who didn’t?
Tampa Bay’s offense was lacking for much of the series, just like it was last postseason. And the postseason before that.
I could be mistaken, but I believe that’s what they call a trend.
The Lightning was fourth in the NHL with 3.49 goals per game in the regular season but scored only 2.14 in the postseason. You can say that scoring is more difficult in the playoffs, but a drop-off like that is inexcusable. And it’s not an isolated incident with the Lightning.
Brandon Hagel led the team with six goals in the series and was a beast on both sides of the ice, but even he shouldered some of the blame for a less-than-urgent effort in Game 5 that put Tampa Bay in a hole.
“Yeah, listen, that comes down to the players. Starts with myself, starts with our best players,” Hagel said. “Game 5, you have a chance to take a lead in the series and your best players are not your best players. That’s an issue. There’s no one to blame but ourselves. Our coaching staff gives us an incredible plan.
“But you go in Game 5, and your best players aren’t your best players — starting with myself — to take a lead in the series. To give yourself a little more comfortability in probably one of the biggest games in the series, and that’s what I do? And whoever else does? It’s just unacceptable, and it sucks. I sit here and say I want to win so bad, but at the end of the day, in a game like that, you’ve got to show up. And I don’t think our best players did that.”
Harsh? Undoubtedly. Wrong? Not really.
Brayden Point, with one goal and no assists, was a disappointment. Nikita Kucherov, with one goal and a 3.2 shooting percentage, was a disappointment. There were times when Tampa Bay’s fourth line — with rookie Dominic James, Gage Goncalves and Oliver Bjorkstrand — was its most effective group.
General manager Julien BriseBois was not as critical but acknowledged Tampa Bay’s offense lacked necessary presence in front of the net.
“They did a better job than us generating goals off of shots through traffic, screens, tips, deflected shots,” BriseBois said.
Could that be the issue with Tampa Bay’s ongoing playoff woes? It certainly seems that way.
No one disputes the offensive talent on the roster. Kucherov is a hockey savant in terms of his vision and anticipation on the ice. Hagel and Jake Guentzel have averaged better than 30 goals a season in recent years. Point has averaged close to 40.
But much of their success has come from precision passing and speed in the regular season. When the playoffs begin, the checking gets intense and the goals aren’t as pretty. Was it lucky bounces that accounted for Montreal’s two goals in Game 7? To some degree. But those bounces were also generated by players who were not afraid to stand in front of the net, and from shots that deflected off walls and bodies.
The Lightning worked hard this season to become a tougher, harsher team to play against after being pushed around by the Panthers two years in a row. But hits and fights are not the only measure of a tough team. Sometimes, standing your ground next to the goaltender’s crease is even more important than crashing people into the boards.
“We all have to do our jobs. Me? I have to make saves. Defense has to block shots, kill penalties. Offense, they should score goals,” Vasilevskiy said. “We all have to do our jobs, but when one part of the team does the job — not extremely well, but good enough to win — and the other doesn’t? That’s how you end your season.”
Sometimes, the view from the ice is no different than from your couch.
Sometimes, it’s not the analytics or freak bounces or behind-the-scenes secrets. Sometimes, the outcome is as simple as you think it is.
“I feel like that’s (been) our excuse the last few years, hockey gods and bad bounces. (There were) bad bounces, for sure, but at the end of the day it’s just like a broken record over and over,” goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy said Tuesday morning, about 36 hours after the Lightning were eliminated from the playoffs.
“We have to man-up here. Our big players should be our best players on the ice. Again, just a part of the journey. So, we’ll have to work through it, and at some point it will turn our way, I hope.”
Vasilevskiy wasn’t the only player who brought up that theme, but he was the most pointed. And he did not shy away from the obvious.
“I thought we did lots of good things defensively during the regular season, during the (postseason), too. Just a little over two goals a game, I think that’s good enough to win a series,” he said. “So, I feel like defensively we did a pretty good job. Offensively? Again, it’s not my job, so I can’t speak to that.”
He’s not wrong. Six teams held opponents to 2.3 goals or less per game during the first round. Five of those teams advanced to the second round.
Guess who didn’t?
Tampa Bay’s offense was lacking for much of the series, just like it was last postseason. And the postseason before that.
I could be mistaken, but I believe that’s what they call a trend.
The Lightning was fourth in the NHL with 3.49 goals per game in the regular season but scored only 2.14 in the postseason. You can say that scoring is more difficult in the playoffs, but a drop-off like that is inexcusable. And it’s not an isolated incident with the Lightning.
Brandon Hagel led the team with six goals in the series and was a beast on both sides of the ice, but even he shouldered some of the blame for a less-than-urgent effort in Game 5 that put Tampa Bay in a hole.
“Yeah, listen, that comes down to the players. Starts with myself, starts with our best players,” Hagel said. “Game 5, you have a chance to take a lead in the series and your best players are not your best players. That’s an issue. There’s no one to blame but ourselves. Our coaching staff gives us an incredible plan.
“But you go in Game 5, and your best players aren’t your best players — starting with myself — to take a lead in the series. To give yourself a little more comfortability in probably one of the biggest games in the series, and that’s what I do? And whoever else does? It’s just unacceptable, and it sucks. I sit here and say I want to win so bad, but at the end of the day, in a game like that, you’ve got to show up. And I don’t think our best players did that.”
Harsh? Undoubtedly. Wrong? Not really.
Brayden Point, with one goal and no assists, was a disappointment. Nikita Kucherov, with one goal and a 3.2 shooting percentage, was a disappointment. There were times when Tampa Bay’s fourth line — with rookie Dominic James, Gage Goncalves and Oliver Bjorkstrand — was its most effective group.
General manager Julien BriseBois was not as critical but acknowledged Tampa Bay’s offense lacked necessary presence in front of the net.
“They did a better job than us generating goals off of shots through traffic, screens, tips, deflected shots,” BriseBois said.
Could that be the issue with Tampa Bay’s ongoing playoff woes? It certainly seems that way.
No one disputes the offensive talent on the roster. Kucherov is a hockey savant in terms of his vision and anticipation on the ice. Hagel and Jake Guentzel have averaged better than 30 goals a season in recent years. Point has averaged close to 40.
But much of their success has come from precision passing and speed in the regular season. When the playoffs begin, the checking gets intense and the goals aren’t as pretty. Was it lucky bounces that accounted for Montreal’s two goals in Game 7? To some degree. But those bounces were also generated by players who were not afraid to stand in front of the net, and from shots that deflected off walls and bodies.
The Lightning worked hard this season to become a tougher, harsher team to play against after being pushed around by the Panthers two years in a row. But hits and fights are not the only measure of a tough team. Sometimes, standing your ground next to the goaltender’s crease is even more important than crashing people into the boards.
“We all have to do our jobs. Me? I have to make saves. Defense has to block shots, kill penalties. Offense, they should score goals,” Vasilevskiy said. “We all have to do our jobs, but when one part of the team does the job — not extremely well, but good enough to win — and the other doesn’t? That’s how you end your season.”
“He’s a phenomenal player and a key reason that we are as competitive as we are,” BriseBois said at his end-of-season media availability Tuesday. “I foresee him staying in our organization for a very long time, hopefully till the end of his career.”
This is an important summer in terms of solidifying Kucherov’s future with the organization. He enters the final year of an eight-year deal with an average annual value of $9.5 million next season, and the team can sign him to an extension starting on July 1.
“In due time, we will engage with his agent,” BriseBois said. “We’ve already had some conversations. He wants to stay, and we’d like him to stay. When we have something to announce, we’ll make an announcement.”
Kucherov had a stellar regular season, posting 130 points, second in the NHL behind only Connor McDavid. He was named a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award, the league’s most outstanding player as determined by members of the players’ association, and is the perceived frontrunner for the Hart Trophy, the more widely recognized MVP award.
But Kucherov once again struggled to quell concerns about his recent playoff performance. While he posted six points in seven games, he now has only one playoff goal over his last 22 postseason games, and the Lightning are 7-16 in the playoffs since 2023.
BriseBois, however, was not displeased with Kucherov’s performance, nor does he think it is representative of the player he still is.
“If we win this series, we’re talking about the great plays he made, not the puck touches that didn’t go the way we wanted to,” BriseBois said. “And he’d get an extra series to maybe get hot and turn it on and completely change the narrative again.”
BriseBois said teams are able to hone in more effectively on star players over the length of a playoff series than in a single regular-season game. That, he said, applies to Kucherov, even if there’s been plenty of times when he’s seemed unstoppable nonetheless.
“Which to me, just goes to illustrate the great playoff runs he’s had, how fabulous and amazing those were,” BriseBois said. “It’s not the other way around.
“It’s not that this year he was disappointing. It’s in some years, he was out of this world.”
Holmberg injury update
Pontus Holmberg sustained a fractured clavicle when he collided with an improperly secured penalty box door in Buffalo in April, BriseBois said.
He said he had no other injury updates to provide post-playoff elimination.
“We didn’t have, as far I’m told, any injuries that would have impeded our ability to compete,” he said.
Still, BriseBois said, losing Holmberg for the entirety of the postseason was detrimental to the team.
“That line had been money all year,” BriseBois said of the Holmberg/Yanni Gourde/Zemgus Girgensons grouping. “I do think that certainly hurt our ability to be at our best come playoff time.”
“He’s a phenomenal player and a key reason that we are as competitive as we are,” BriseBois said at his end-of-season media availability Tuesday. “I foresee him staying in our organization for a very long time, hopefully till the end of his career.”
This is an important summer in terms of solidifying Kucherov’s future with the organization. He enters the final year of an eight-year deal with an average annual value of $9.5 million next season, and the team can sign him to an extension starting on July 1.
“In due time, we will engage with his agent,” BriseBois said. “We’ve already had some conversations. He wants to stay, and we’d like him to stay. When we have something to announce, we’ll make an announcement.”
Kucherov had a stellar regular season, posting 130 points, second in the NHL behind only Connor McDavid. He was named a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award, the league’s most outstanding player as determined by members of the players’ association, and is the perceived frontrunner for the Hart Trophy, the more widely recognized MVP award.
But Kucherov once again struggled to quell concerns about his recent playoff performance. While he posted six points in seven games, he now has only one playoff goal over his last 22 postseason games, and the Lightning are 7-16 in the playoffs since 2023.
BriseBois, however, was not displeased with Kucherov’s performance, nor does he think it is representative of the player he still is.
“If we win this series, we’re talking about the great plays he made, not the puck touches that didn’t go the way we wanted to,” BriseBois said. “And he’d get an extra series to maybe get hot and turn it on and completely change the narrative again.”
BriseBois said teams are able to hone in more effectively on star players over the length of a playoff series than in a single regular-season game. That, he said, applies to Kucherov, even if there’s been plenty of times when he’s seemed unstoppable nonetheless.
“Which to me, just goes to illustrate the great playoff runs he’s had, how fabulous and amazing those were,” BriseBois said. “It’s not the other way around.
“It’s not that this year he was disappointing. It’s in some years, he was out of this world.”
Holmberg injury update
Pontus Holmberg sustained a fractured clavicle when he collided with an improperly secured penalty box door in Buffalo in April, BriseBois said.
He said he had no other injury updates to provide post-playoff elimination.
“We didn’t have, as far I’m told, any injuries that would have impeded our ability to compete,” he said.
Still, BriseBois said, losing Holmberg for the entirety of the postseason was detrimental to the team.
“That line had been money all year,” BriseBois said of the Holmberg/Yanni Gourde/Zemgus Girgensons grouping. “I do think that certainly hurt our ability to be at our best come playoff time.”
Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh, coming off a career season, will command strong interest in free agency.
How that process plays out, and whether it’ll result in a return to Tampa Bay, remains to be seen.
At the team’s end of season media availability Tuesday, Raddysh expressed his appreciation for the franchise but did not seem to give Tampa Bay the inside track to re-signing him.
“I’m very thankful for everything that Tampa’s given me,” he said. “I’ve been here for the last four years, and I can’t say anything bad about this organization. It’s given me everything that I’ve always wanted to do in my life.
“The business side, I think, will take some time.”
In the meantime, Raddysh said he’ll focus on spending time with his son, Beau, who was born in October.
The Lightning should have the cap space to extend Raddysh, who posted career highs in goals (22), assists (48) and points (70) this year. His goals were the most by a defenseman in franchise history, and he joined Victor Hedman as the only Lightning blueliners to post a 70-point season.
“Seeing the way that he elevated his scheme, whether it’s defensively, offensively,” said fellow defenseman J.J. Moser, “its just amazing to watch.”
Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois agreed.
“The type of season he just had was not on the radar for us,” he said.
BriseBois said he’s been in touch with Raddysh’s representation throughout the second half of the year and, like Raddysh, said the process will take time.
“Let us digest this loss,” he said. “We’ll get back to you with the type of opportunities we have for you, or not, moving forward.”
Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh, coming off a career season, will command strong interest in free agency.
How that process plays out, and whether it’ll result in a return to Tampa Bay, remains to be seen.
At the team’s end of season media availability Tuesday, Raddysh expressed his appreciation for the franchise but did not seem to give Tampa Bay the inside track to re-signing him.
“I’m very thankful for everything that Tampa’s given me,” he said. “I’ve been here for the last four years, and I can’t say anything bad about this organization. It’s given me everything that I’ve always wanted to do in my life.
“The business side, I think, will take some time.”
In the meantime, Raddysh said he’ll focus on spending time with his son, Beau, who was born in October.
The Lightning should have the cap space to extend Raddysh, who posted career highs in goals (22), assists (48) and points (70) this year. His goals were the most by a defenseman in franchise history, and he joined Victor Hedman as the only Lightning blueliners to post a 70-point season.
“Seeing the way that he elevated his scheme, whether it’s defensively, offensively,” said fellow defenseman J.J. Moser, “its just amazing to watch.”
Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois agreed.
“The type of season he just had was not on the radar for us,” he said.
BriseBois said he’s been in touch with Raddysh’s representation throughout the second half of the year and, like Raddysh, said the process will take time.
“Let us digest this loss,” he said. “We’ll get back to you with the type of opportunities we have for you, or not, moving forward.”
Ryan Vilade talks a lot, almost apologetically so, about playing winning baseball.
And in getting the best opportunity to contribute during a major-league career that has spanned five teams and parts of four seasons over six years, he is doing exactly that.
Monday, he flexed his muscles, blasting a three-run homer in the first inning to lead the Rays to a 5-1 triumph over the Jays to open a key stretch against mostly American League foes.
“That’s how we do it here,” Vilade said. “Whether it’s bunting or extra-base hits or whatever, I think that just speaks for our team.”
Vilade — who, like former Lightning standout Pat Maroon, has the nickname Big Rig — hit it well, the ball carrying 413 feet to left-center, coming off his bat at 106.9 mph.
It was the first with the Rays, and second of his major-league career, having gone deep July 13, 2024, with the Tigers against the Dodgers.
“The first one’s always special, especially with a new team, and (to) get it out of the way, (I was) fired up, and got the runs on the board for (starter) Nick (Martinez) to go out and do his thing,” said Vilade. “Just a cool moment. Everyone’s pumped up. We have each other’s backs, and we’re just as fired up for anyone else who hits a homer for us.”
Martinez, who had Vilade as a bat boy, and his dad, James, as a coach at the Double-A level, enjoyed seeing it.
“It’s awesome,” Martinez said. “Good for him to get his first one in a big moment for us to give us an early lead and make my life a little bit easier. Rig’s the man. He comes in and does what he can and works hard every day and is ready when his name is called.”
The win was the Rays’ 10th in 11 games, improving them to 22-12 overall and a majors-best 20-7 since a 2-5 start.
As with most of their wins so far, it was a team effort.
Staked to the early 3-0 lead, Martinez worked through the fifth, allowing one run and five hits with one walk and four strikeouts.
Taylor Walls provided some cushion with a two-out, two-run single in the sixth.
And the bullpen crew of Ian Seymour, Kevin Kelly, Cole Sulser, recent addition Casey Legumina and Bryan Baker, summoned for the final out, did the rest.
Walls said the secret to their success is a matter of “executing together in all phases. I feel like that’s what we’re doing a good job of now.”
The mound work has been dominant, as Monday was the 11th straight game in which Rays pitchers have allowed three or fewer runs, one shy of the franchise record set in 2016.
“They’re out there fearless,” Walls said. “I don’t know what it is, but they’re trusting their stuff, they’re getting ahead early, they’re putting guys away late, they’re trusting the defense to make a play behind them, and we’re doing exactly that.
“So I feel like that is kind of executing to perfection right now and hopefully we keep it going.”
Starters have allowed two or fewer runs in each of their outings over that span, and relievers one run over their last 26 1/3 innings.
Manager Kevin Cash noted the impressive turnaround for the bullpen, which had a big hand in the rough opening stretch.
“They deserve it, because they got a little beat up on that first road trip to start the season, and I don’t think anybody felt good about it,” Cash said. “But we’re confident that they’re certainly better than the numbers they showed right out of the gate, and now I think it’s settling back in. They’re pitching with a lot of confidence.”
Vilade is playing that way as well, starting primarily against left-handers, hitting .286 with one homer, nine RBIs and a .738 OPS, and manning four positions (leftfied, rightfield, first base, second base).
“He’s versatile. We talk about his versatility on defense, but offensively, the (Sunday) bunt was huge and really challenging,” Cash said. “(Monday), he got a pitch, I think a breaking ball below the zone or at the bottom of the zone, knocked it out, but (was) ready to hit.
“He’s in that spot, obviously against left-handed pitchers, for him to contribute, and he did in the biggest way.”
Vilade, who helps his father run the Keeper of The Game foundation that provides baseball experiences for children with special needs, greatly appreciates the opportunity. (The homer also was a two-day-early 80th birthday present for his grandfather, John, who was at the Trop over the weekennd with James and went home to Texas on Monday morning.)
During his time with the Rockies (2021), Tigers (2024) and Cardinals and Reds (2025), Vilade played in 28 games and got 64 at-bats. In six weeks with the Rays, he already has played in 19 games and gotten 42 at-bats.
“It’s been great. It’s been an awesome time, and to get the opportunity is awesome,” he said. “But at the end of the day, it’s just being yourself and playing winning baseball. You’re going to hear that from me every interview. That’s what it’s about. It’s about winning here.
“Whenever you can get the mindset of doing whatever you can for the team to get that win that day, I think that’s when everyone, kind of collectively comes together. It’s something special here.”
Ryan Vilade talks a lot, almost apologetically so, about playing winning baseball.
And in getting the best opportunity to contribute during a major-league career that has spanned five teams and parts of four seasons over six years, he is doing exactly that.
Monday, he flexed his muscles, blasting a three-run homer in the first inning to lead the Rays to a 5-1 triumph over the Jays to open a key stretch against mostly American League foes.
“That’s how we do it here,” Vilade said. “Whether it’s bunting or extra-base hits or whatever, I think that just speaks for our team.”
Vilade — who, like former Lightning standout Pat Maroon, has the nickname Big Rig — hit it well, the ball carrying 413 feet to left-center, coming off his bat at 106.9 mph.
It was the first with the Rays, and second of his major-league career, having gone deep July 13, 2024, with the Tigers against the Dodgers.
“The first one’s always special, especially with a new team, and (to) get it out of the way, (I was) fired up, and got the runs on the board for (starter) Nick (Martinez) to go out and do his thing,” said Vilade. “Just a cool moment. Everyone’s pumped up. We have each other’s backs, and we’re just as fired up for anyone else who hits a homer for us.”
Martinez, who had Vilade as a bat boy, and his dad, James, as a coach at the Double-A level, enjoyed seeing it.
“It’s awesome,” Martinez said. “Good for him to get his first one in a big moment for us to give us an early lead and make my life a little bit easier. Rig’s the man. He comes in and does what he can and works hard every day and is ready when his name is called.”
The win was the Rays’ 10th in 11 games, improving them to 22-12 overall and a majors-best 20-7 since a 2-5 start.
As with most of their wins so far, it was a team effort.
Staked to the early 3-0 lead, Martinez worked through the fifth, allowing one run and five hits with one walk and four strikeouts.
Taylor Walls provided some cushion with a two-out, two-run single in the sixth.
And the bullpen crew of Ian Seymour, Kevin Kelly, Cole Sulser, recent addition Casey Legumina and Bryan Baker, summoned for the final out, did the rest.
Walls said the secret to their success is a matter of “executing together in all phases. I feel like that’s what we’re doing a good job of now.”
The mound work has been dominant, as Monday was the 11th straight game in which Rays pitchers have allowed three or fewer runs, one shy of the franchise record set in 2016.
“They’re out there fearless,” Walls said. “I don’t know what it is, but they’re trusting their stuff, they’re getting ahead early, they’re putting guys away late, they’re trusting the defense to make a play behind them, and we’re doing exactly that.
“So I feel like that is kind of executing to perfection right now and hopefully we keep it going.”
Starters have allowed two or fewer runs in each of their outings over that span, and relievers one run over their last 26 1/3 innings.
Manager Kevin Cash noted the impressive turnaround for the bullpen, which had a big hand in the rough opening stretch.
“They deserve it, because they got a little beat up on that first road trip to start the season, and I don’t think anybody felt good about it,” Cash said. “But we’re confident that they’re certainly better than the numbers they showed right out of the gate, and now I think it’s settling back in. They’re pitching with a lot of confidence.”
Vilade is playing that way as well, starting primarily against left-handers, hitting .286 with one homer, nine RBIs and a .738 OPS, and manning four positions (leftfied, rightfield, first base, second base).
“He’s versatile. We talk about his versatility on defense, but offensively, the (Sunday) bunt was huge and really challenging,” Cash said. “(Monday), he got a pitch, I think a breaking ball below the zone or at the bottom of the zone, knocked it out, but (was) ready to hit.
“He’s in that spot, obviously against left-handed pitchers, for him to contribute, and he did in the biggest way.”
Vilade, who helps his father run the Keeper of The Game foundation that provides baseball experiences for children with special needs, greatly appreciates the opportunity. (The homer also was a two-day-early 80th birthday present for his grandfather, John, who was at the Trop over the weekennd with James and went home to Texas on Monday morning.)
During his time with the Rockies (2021), Tigers (2024) and Cardinals and Reds (2025), Vilade played in 28 games and got 64 at-bats. In six weeks with the Rays, he already has played in 19 games and gotten 42 at-bats.
“It’s been great. It’s been an awesome time, and to get the opportunity is awesome,” he said. “But at the end of the day, it’s just being yourself and playing winning baseball. You’re going to hear that from me every interview. That’s what it’s about. It’s about winning here.
“Whenever you can get the mindset of doing whatever you can for the team to get that win that day, I think that’s when everyone, kind of collectively comes together. It’s something special here.”
Yandy Diaz was back in the Rays lineup on Monday, which obviously was a good thing.
Diaz left Friday’s game with tightness in his left oblique, but after a couple days of rest and treatment Diaz said after Sunday’s game he felt comfortable returning to action.
“Excited to have him back, for sure,” manager Kevin Cash said Monday afternoon. “We talked to him, and he was pretty adamant that he felt good enough to go out there and play.”
The timing was good, as the Rays faced Blue Jays lefty starter Eric Lauer on Monday and are scheduled for three straight southpaws later this week: Toronto’s Patrick Corbin on Wednesday, then Boston’s Connelly Early and Ranger Suarez.
“(Diaz) is such a big part to our offense (against) righty or lefty (pitching), but definitely with the left-handed pitchers,” Cash said.
Diaz had a quiet night, going 0-for-4. He ranks among the American League leaders with a .322 average, .410 on-base percentage and .898 OPS.
Come one, come all
The Rays took to the Tropicana Field video board and social media, and had CEO Ken Babby join the TV crew to encourage fans to attend Tuesday’s Tampa City Council workshop on funding the proposed stadium on the Hillsborough College site.
“(The meeting) is really the first chance that our fans get a chance to be involved in the process,” Babby said on the game broadcast, encouraging fans to wear Rays gear. The workshop starts at 5 p.m. at Old City Hall (315 E. Kennedy Blvd.), with public comment permitted.
Medical matters
Right-handers Joe Boyle (right elbow strain) and Mason Englert (right forearm tightness) headed to Durham, North Carolina, to start rehab assignments Wednesday, Cash said.
Englert, who worked out of the bullpen in different roles, will be built up to a starter workload, which could provide some welcomed additional depth. It also, depending on the status of others, could mean being optioned to stay at Durham. Boyle has been used previously as a starter and reliever.
Visitors from Canada return
The Jays played the last series at Tropicana Field before Hurricane Milton severely damaged the stadium in October 2024, and manager John Schneider said they, like the Rays, were happy to back under the roof.
“I’m glad they got it fixed,” Schneider said. “Nothing against Steinbrenner Field (the Yankees’ spring/minor-league stadium where the Rays played home games last season), but it’s definitely suited for spring training.”
Schneider, like the Yankees’ Aaron Boone last month, said he immediately noted some obvious changes to the Trop.
“I almost put my sunglasses on,” he said. “It’s way brighter, and the turf is definitely different.”
To get a better read on the conditions, the Jays did some extra work on the field before Monday’s game.
“We got guys out of our meetings as quick as we could to get out,” he said. “We’re going to get some fly balls, as much as we can. We’ve tried to do a little bit of recon with teams that have been here and see what they say about it.
“We talked about it (with our players) again, you cannot take your eye off the ball, and then when it goes up, you got to stay on it.”
Miscellany
After a career-best four hits Sunday, Jonathan Aranda went 3-for-4 Monday, raising his average 40 points to .268. ... The Rays are 8-4 in series openers and have won seven of their past nine. They also have won eight straight at Tropicana Field. Monday’s attendance was a season-low 11,263. ... Bryan Baker threw three pitches to get the final out and his ninth save.
Yandy Diaz was back in the Rays lineup on Monday, which obviously was a good thing.
Diaz left Friday’s game with tightness in his left oblique, but after a couple days of rest and treatment Diaz said after Sunday’s game he felt comfortable returning to action.
“Excited to have him back, for sure,” manager Kevin Cash said Monday afternoon. “We talked to him, and he was pretty adamant that he felt good enough to go out there and play.”
The timing was good, as the Rays faced Blue Jays lefty starter Eric Lauer on Monday and are scheduled for three straight southpaws later this week: Toronto’s Patrick Corbin on Wednesday, then Boston’s Connelly Early and Ranger Suarez.
“(Diaz) is such a big part to our offense (against) righty or lefty (pitching), but definitely with the left-handed pitchers,” Cash said.
Diaz had a quiet night, going 0-for-4. He ranks among the American League leaders with a .322 average, .410 on-base percentage and .898 OPS.
Come one, come all
The Rays took to the Tropicana Field video board and social media, and had CEO Ken Babby join the TV crew to encourage fans to attend Tuesday’s Tampa City Council workshop on funding the proposed stadium on the Hillsborough College site.
“(The meeting) is really the first chance that our fans get a chance to be involved in the process,” Babby said on the game broadcast, encouraging fans to wear Rays gear. The workshop starts at 5 p.m. at Old City Hall (315 E. Kennedy Blvd.), with public comment permitted.
Medical matters
Right-handers Joe Boyle (right elbow strain) and Mason Englert (right forearm tightness) headed to Durham, North Carolina, to start rehab assignments Wednesday, Cash said.
Englert, who worked out of the bullpen in different roles, will be built up to a starter workload, which could provide some welcomed additional depth. It also, depending on the status of others, could mean being optioned to stay at Durham. Boyle has been used previously as a starter and reliever.
Visitors from Canada return
The Jays played the last series at Tropicana Field before Hurricane Milton severely damaged the stadium in October 2024, and manager John Schneider said they, like the Rays, were happy to back under the roof.
“I’m glad they got it fixed,” Schneider said. “Nothing against Steinbrenner Field (the Yankees’ spring/minor-league stadium where the Rays played home games last season), but it’s definitely suited for spring training.”
Schneider, like the Yankees’ Aaron Boone last month, said he immediately noted some obvious changes to the Trop.
“I almost put my sunglasses on,” he said. “It’s way brighter, and the turf is definitely different.”
To get a better read on the conditions, the Jays did some extra work on the field before Monday’s game.
“We got guys out of our meetings as quick as we could to get out,” he said. “We’re going to get some fly balls, as much as we can. We’ve tried to do a little bit of recon with teams that have been here and see what they say about it.
“We talked about it (with our players) again, you cannot take your eye off the ball, and then when it goes up, you got to stay on it.”
Miscellany
After a career-best four hits Sunday, Jonathan Aranda went 3-for-4 Monday, raising his average 40 points to .268. ... The Rays are 8-4 in series openers and have won seven of their past nine. They also have won eight straight at Tropicana Field. Monday’s attendance was a season-low 11,263. ... Bryan Baker threw three pitches to get the final out and his ninth save.
Of course, you try to re-sign Kucherov. How can you not?
He’s a generational player, a future Hall of Famer and the key to your offense. There are only a handful of players on the planet who can do the things Kucherov can do on ice, and so you do not toss a skater like that aside just because you haven’t won a playoff series in four years.
But — and I’m just thinking out loud here — should you lock the doors, close the blinds, turn off the phones and at least have a discussion about it?
The Lightning already did the unthinkable two years ago when they allowed Steven Stamkos to walk out the door as a free agent. If you’re willing to do that for the sake of the franchise’s future, then is it really so cuckoo to ponder a roster without Kucherov on it?
And this isn’t simply about his lack of production in recent postseasons, although that’s a factor. Much like the Stamkos situation, it’s more a confluence of considerations.
It’s his contract situation. (He can be a free agent in the summer of 2027.) It’s his age. (He turns 33 next month.) It’s the team’s recent playoff struggles. (A 7-16 record since 2023.) It’s Tampa Bay’s ever-annoying salary-cap struggle. (Only three teams currently have less cap space, according to PuckPedia.) It’s the potential changing of the guard in the Atlantic Division. (Buffalo and Montreal are two of the youngest teams in the league, and both are still standing.)
Add that up, and the decision is not as obvious as it might seem.
Right now, with a $9.5 million salary, Kucherov is an absolute bargain. Players such as Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews and Nathan MacKinnon — Kucherov’s peers — are making between $12.5 million and $13.25 million a year. It’s not unreasonable to think Kucherov would get a raise to that neighborhood in any extension.
The issue is the length of a new contract.
If Kucherov is willing to sign a two-year extension with a considerable bump in pay, most GMs would jump on that deal. Even a three-year extension might be attractive. Anything beyond that, and you start worrying about the future return on your dollar.
By 2028-29, the Lightning will be paying 34-year-old Jake Guentzel $9 million, 33-year-old Brayden Point $9.5 million, 38-year-old Victor Hedman $8 million and 39-year-old Ryan McDonagh $4.1 million, and they will need to re-sign Andrei Vasilevskiy, who will be 34. So, even on a two-year deal, Kucherov would be 35 and in the $12 million range.
If you think Tampa Bay had injury problems this year, just imagine how brittle and expensive that team would be.
The problem is there are not a lot of great alternatives.
You could inquire about dealing Kucherov this summer, but he has a limited no-trade clause that allows him to pick 10 teams as potential destinations. That means finding a team that Kucherov approves of, and a team that sees him as the missing ingredient for a Cup run and is in position to sign him to an extension. Oh, also a team that looks at Kucherov’s recent postseason history (two goals in 23 games) and says they’re not concerned.
Or, you let him play out the final year of his contract and gamble that you can re-sign him to a lesser deal next summer.
The Lightning used that strategy with Stamkos. You might think it was unsuccessful because they failed to re-sign their captain, but the reality is it meant they had salary-cap space to acquire Guentzel, and are a better team for it.
It’s possible Julien BriseBois has similar thoughts with Kucherov. Maybe the Lightning restock their farm system by trading Kucherov for draft picks. Maybe they have their eye on a younger player from another organization in a trade. Maybe there’s a free agent they’re considering in 2027.
The point is that all options should be on the table. To their credit, the Lightning have cared more about winning in the postseason than pleasing fans in the offseason. They’ve been willing to make unpopular choices with popular players in order to keep the window of opportunity open.
Have some of the moves backfired? No doubt. But a lot of them — acquiring Brandon Hagel, J.J. Moser, Dominic James and Guentzel — have kept the fires burning.
You think that’s easy to do? Ask the Panthers, who missed the playoffs this year after winning consecutive Stanley Cups. Ask the Golden Knights, who fired their head coach less than three years after winning a Cup. Ask the Penguins, who have gone eight seasons without winning a playoff series even with Sidney Crosby around. The Lightning might have taken a step backward, but they haven’t fallen off a cliff.
So should the Lightning look into trading Kucherov this summer?
It’s impossible to say without knowing what he expects from his next contract.
But very few players are untouchable in this league.
And, considering the circumstances, I’m not sure if Kucherov is still on that list.
Of course, you try to re-sign Kucherov. How can you not?
He’s a generational player, a future Hall of Famer and the key to your offense. There are only a handful of players on the planet who can do the things Kucherov can do on ice, and so you do not toss a skater like that aside just because you haven’t won a playoff series in four years.
But — and I’m just thinking out loud here — should you lock the doors, close the blinds, turn off the phones and at least have a discussion about it?
The Lightning already did the unthinkable two years ago when they allowed Steven Stamkos to walk out the door as a free agent. If you’re willing to do that for the sake of the franchise’s future, then is it really so cuckoo to ponder a roster without Kucherov on it?
And this isn’t simply about his lack of production in recent postseasons, although that’s a factor. Much like the Stamkos situation, it’s more a confluence of considerations.
It’s his contract situation. (He can be a free agent in the summer of 2027.) It’s his age. (He turns 33 next month.) It’s the team’s recent playoff struggles. (A 7-16 record since 2023.) It’s Tampa Bay’s ever-annoying salary-cap struggle. (Only three teams currently have less cap space, according to PuckPedia.) It’s the potential changing of the guard in the Atlantic Division. (Buffalo and Montreal are two of the youngest teams in the league, and both are still standing.)
Add that up, and the decision is not as obvious as it might seem.
Right now, with a $9.5 million salary, Kucherov is an absolute bargain. Players such as Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews and Nathan MacKinnon — Kucherov’s peers — are making between $12.5 million and $13.25 million a year. It’s not unreasonable to think Kucherov would get a raise to that neighborhood in any extension.
The issue is the length of a new contract.
If Kucherov is willing to sign a two-year extension with a considerable bump in pay, most GMs would jump on that deal. Even a three-year extension might be attractive. Anything beyond that, and you start worrying about the future return on your dollar.
By 2028-29, the Lightning will be paying 34-year-old Jake Guentzel $9 million, 33-year-old Brayden Point $9.5 million, 38-year-old Victor Hedman $8 million and 39-year-old Ryan McDonagh $4.1 million, and they will need to re-sign Andrei Vasilevskiy, who will be 34. So, even on a two-year deal, Kucherov would be 35 and in the $12 million range.
If you think Tampa Bay had injury problems this year, just imagine how brittle and expensive that team would be.
The problem is there are not a lot of great alternatives.
You could inquire about dealing Kucherov this summer, but he has a limited no-trade clause that allows him to pick 10 teams as potential destinations. That means finding a team that Kucherov approves of, and a team that sees him as the missing ingredient for a Cup run and is in position to sign him to an extension. Oh, also a team that looks at Kucherov’s recent postseason history (two goals in 23 games) and says they’re not concerned.
Or, you let him play out the final year of his contract and gamble that you can re-sign him to a lesser deal next summer.
The Lightning used that strategy with Stamkos. You might think it was unsuccessful because they failed to re-sign their captain, but the reality is it meant they had salary-cap space to acquire Guentzel, and are a better team for it.
It’s possible Julien BriseBois has similar thoughts with Kucherov. Maybe the Lightning restock their farm system by trading Kucherov for draft picks. Maybe they have their eye on a younger player from another organization in a trade. Maybe there’s a free agent they’re considering in 2027.
The point is that all options should be on the table. To their credit, the Lightning have cared more about winning in the postseason than pleasing fans in the offseason. They’ve been willing to make unpopular choices with popular players in order to keep the window of opportunity open.
Have some of the moves backfired? No doubt. But a lot of them — acquiring Brandon Hagel, J.J. Moser, Dominic James and Guentzel — have kept the fires burning.
You think that’s easy to do? Ask the Panthers, who missed the playoffs this year after winning consecutive Stanley Cups. Ask the Golden Knights, who fired their head coach less than three years after winning a Cup. Ask the Penguins, who have gone eight seasons without winning a playoff series even with Sidney Crosby around. The Lightning might have taken a step backward, but they haven’t fallen off a cliff.
So should the Lightning look into trading Kucherov this summer?
It’s impossible to say without knowing what he expects from his next contract.
But very few players are untouchable in this league.
And, considering the circumstances, I’m not sure if Kucherov is still on that list.
Jamahl Mosley was fired as coach of the Orlando Magic on Monday, paying the widely expected price after the team blew a 3-1 series lead and got eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in Round 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
It was Orlando’s third consecutive first-round playoff exit, and easily the most disappointing. Not only did the eighth-seeded Magic lose all three chances to upset the top-seeded Pistons, but one of those games saw Orlando have a 24-point second-half lead at home and still lose. Orlando missed 23 consecutive shots in that Game 6 loss on Friday, getting booed by fans when it was over.
That loss probably was the one that sealed Mosley’s fate, even though the loss in Game 7 at Detroit on Sunday was the one that ended the season.
“That’s a gut punch and that’s going to remain with our team this summer,” Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said. “We know a lot of our season will be filtered through that lens. I think what happened is we were up 3-1 against the No. 1 seed in the East that won 60 games and Franz (Wagner) got hurt and it altered the series. We still had two chances to put them away in Games 5 and 6. There’s a lot to be taken away from that. I don’t want to overreact to the second half of Game 6 the same way I don’t want to overreact to the first half of Game 6 when we were up 22 points. It’s our job to step back and look at the big picture of what works, what doesn’t work.”
Mosley is the third-winningest coach in Magic history, his 189 wins behind only Brian Hill (267) and Stan Van Gundy (259). He inherited a team that was in the early stages of a rebuild, with Wagner and Jalen Suggs entering the league as rookies in his first season and then the Magic winning the lottery to draft Paolo Banchero No. 1 overall before Mosley’s second season.
Orlando won 22 games in Mosley’s first season, improved to 34-48 in Year 2 and has been .500 or better in all three seasons since — 47-35 in 2023-24, 41-41 last season and 45-37 this season.
“That’s an organizational matter,” Weltman said about three straight first-round exits. “That’s not on one person but it just seems like it’s time for a new perspective, a fresh voice and for all of us to get a different vantage point on what’s going on with our team.”
The Magic are one of 10 teams — Boston, Cleveland, Denver, Houston, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota, New York, Oklahoma City are the others — to have not finished below .500 in any of the last three seasons.
It wasn’t enough. And with much of the team’s core — Banchero, Wagner, Suggs, Desmond Bane and more — under contract for the foreseeable future, the Magic clearly felt the best way to shake things up was to bring in a new coach.
“It has been an incredible five-plus years, and this organization and city will always mean so much to me and my family,” Mosley said. “In my heart, I truly hope that during our time here we were able to impact the players, staff, and the Magic organization in a meaningful and lasting way. I want to sincerely thank the DeVos family for the extraordinary opportunity to serve as head coach of the Orlando Magic. To our fans, there is nothing but love in my heart.”
It is a roster in need of upgrading in some ways, shooting perhaps foremost among them after Orlando was only 27th in the 30-team league in 3-point percentage this season. Injuries have also been a major issue for the Magic, including in the playoffs — with Wagner unable to play in the final three games, all losses, against Detroit.
Mosley’s job security was a talking point for much of the season, especially amid reports that he and Banchero were not on the same page. In March, Banchero acknowledged that were some moments of conflict — but thought Orlando was better for going through that.
“We’re both competitors,” Banchero said when asked then about his relationship with Mosley. “There were times where I was frustrated and I wasn’t playing as well as I think I should be. But it never became me pointing the finger at him or being disrespectful. It was all constructive; he’s talking to me, I’m talking to him. And winning, it cures everything.”
Evidently, there wasn’t enough winning.
Mosley had two seasons left on an extension that he and the Magic agreed on in March 2024. The team lauded his “preparation, work ethic, ability to connect with the players and passion he brings to the job every day brings positive results, both on the court and off” when announcing that deal.
Barely two years later, he and the Magic were parting ways.
Only seven coaches have been in their current jobs longer than Mosley was with Orlando — Miami’s Erik Spoelstra (hired in 2008), Golden State’s Steve Kerr (2014), the Clippers’ Tyronn Lue (2020), Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault (2020), Minnesota’s Chris Finch (2021), Indiana’s Rick Carlisle (2021) and Dallas’ Jason Kidd (2021).
Mosley spent 15 years as an assistant in Denver, Cleveland and Dallas — and was often mentioned as a candidate for head-coaching jobs around the league over that span — before Orlando hired him. He had a long relationship with Weltman, who first took note of Mosley when they worked together with the Nuggets.
Mosley was the 14th coach in Magic history, the 15th if counting Billy Donovan — who accepted the job in 2007, then had second thoughts and returned to the University of Florida. Donovan just left the Chicago Bulls after six seasons as their coach, which sparked speculation that he could be the front-runner in Orlando if the Magic indeed would be moving on from Mosley.
Jamahl Mosley was fired as coach of the Orlando Magic on Monday, paying the widely expected price after the team blew a 3-1 series lead and got eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in Round 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
It was Orlando’s third consecutive first-round playoff exit, and easily the most disappointing. Not only did the eighth-seeded Magic lose all three chances to upset the top-seeded Pistons, but one of those games saw Orlando have a 24-point second-half lead at home and still lose. Orlando missed 23 consecutive shots in that Game 6 loss on Friday, getting booed by fans when it was over.
That loss probably was the one that sealed Mosley’s fate, even though the loss in Game 7 at Detroit on Sunday was the one that ended the season.
“That’s a gut punch and that’s going to remain with our team this summer,” Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said. “We know a lot of our season will be filtered through that lens. I think what happened is we were up 3-1 against the No. 1 seed in the East that won 60 games and Franz (Wagner) got hurt and it altered the series. We still had two chances to put them away in Games 5 and 6. There’s a lot to be taken away from that. I don’t want to overreact to the second half of Game 6 the same way I don’t want to overreact to the first half of Game 6 when we were up 22 points. It’s our job to step back and look at the big picture of what works, what doesn’t work.”
Mosley is the third-winningest coach in Magic history, his 189 wins behind only Brian Hill (267) and Stan Van Gundy (259). He inherited a team that was in the early stages of a rebuild, with Wagner and Jalen Suggs entering the league as rookies in his first season and then the Magic winning the lottery to draft Paolo Banchero No. 1 overall before Mosley’s second season.
Orlando won 22 games in Mosley’s first season, improved to 34-48 in Year 2 and has been .500 or better in all three seasons since — 47-35 in 2023-24, 41-41 last season and 45-37 this season.
“That’s an organizational matter,” Weltman said about three straight first-round exits. “That’s not on one person but it just seems like it’s time for a new perspective, a fresh voice and for all of us to get a different vantage point on what’s going on with our team.”
The Magic are one of 10 teams — Boston, Cleveland, Denver, Houston, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota, New York, Oklahoma City are the others — to have not finished below .500 in any of the last three seasons.
It wasn’t enough. And with much of the team’s core — Banchero, Wagner, Suggs, Desmond Bane and more — under contract for the foreseeable future, the Magic clearly felt the best way to shake things up was to bring in a new coach.
“It has been an incredible five-plus years, and this organization and city will always mean so much to me and my family,” Mosley said. “In my heart, I truly hope that during our time here we were able to impact the players, staff, and the Magic organization in a meaningful and lasting way. I want to sincerely thank the DeVos family for the extraordinary opportunity to serve as head coach of the Orlando Magic. To our fans, there is nothing but love in my heart.”
It is a roster in need of upgrading in some ways, shooting perhaps foremost among them after Orlando was only 27th in the 30-team league in 3-point percentage this season. Injuries have also been a major issue for the Magic, including in the playoffs — with Wagner unable to play in the final three games, all losses, against Detroit.
Mosley’s job security was a talking point for much of the season, especially amid reports that he and Banchero were not on the same page. In March, Banchero acknowledged that were some moments of conflict — but thought Orlando was better for going through that.
“We’re both competitors,” Banchero said when asked then about his relationship with Mosley. “There were times where I was frustrated and I wasn’t playing as well as I think I should be. But it never became me pointing the finger at him or being disrespectful. It was all constructive; he’s talking to me, I’m talking to him. And winning, it cures everything.”
Evidently, there wasn’t enough winning.
Mosley had two seasons left on an extension that he and the Magic agreed on in March 2024. The team lauded his “preparation, work ethic, ability to connect with the players and passion he brings to the job every day brings positive results, both on the court and off” when announcing that deal.
Barely two years later, he and the Magic were parting ways.
Only seven coaches have been in their current jobs longer than Mosley was with Orlando — Miami’s Erik Spoelstra (hired in 2008), Golden State’s Steve Kerr (2014), the Clippers’ Tyronn Lue (2020), Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault (2020), Minnesota’s Chris Finch (2021), Indiana’s Rick Carlisle (2021) and Dallas’ Jason Kidd (2021).
Mosley spent 15 years as an assistant in Denver, Cleveland and Dallas — and was often mentioned as a candidate for head-coaching jobs around the league over that span — before Orlando hired him. He had a long relationship with Weltman, who first took note of Mosley when they worked together with the Nuggets.
Mosley was the 14th coach in Magic history, the 15th if counting Billy Donovan — who accepted the job in 2007, then had second thoughts and returned to the University of Florida. Donovan just left the Chicago Bulls after six seasons as their coach, which sparked speculation that he could be the front-runner in Orlando if the Magic indeed would be moving on from Mosley.
Brandon Hagel gave the Lightning a chance to win right down to the last minute of his season, diving into an empty crease headfirst and reaching out his stick to prevent an empty-net goal with 29 seconds remaining Sunday, a play that would have added to his playoff legend had Tampa Bay pulled off one more comeback.
The Lightning had done so many times before, wearing the body blows of battles as a medal of courage. But after they couldn’t convert a 6-on-4 advantage in the final seconds of a 2-1 loss in Game 7, they were forced to watch the Canadiens celebrate in their arena, a feeling that’s become an all too familiar.
Inside the Tampa Bay dressing room, Hagel struggled to find words as that feeling set in.
“You don’t get any younger, that’s for sure,” he said.
For a franchise that’s put together a remarkable stretch of playoff runs — this was their ninth straight appearance and 12th in 13 years — they’d become less of a contender and more of a postseason participant in recent seasons.
This series felt like a real changing of the guard.
The Lightning threw the kitchen sink at the Canadiens. Their game improved as the series went on, and after surviving a wide-open Game 6 thanks to the play of goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, they had their best showing of the series in Game 7, outplaying the Canadiens in practically every aspect.
With their biggest division rivals — the Panthers and Maple Leafs — sitting at home, the Lightning had an opportunity to lean on their postseason experience. But the power structure in the Atlantic Division is changing. The Canadiens and Sabres are here and could be at the top for a long time to come.
According to PuckPedia, the Lightning are the eighth-oldest team in the NHL with an average age of 28.9. But among Eastern Conference playoff teams, only Carolina is older, and by just a sliver (29.1).
By comparison, the Canadiens are the youngest team in the league with an average age of 25.3. Buffalo (26.8) is sixth youngest.
While the Lightning might have had experience on their side, the Canadiens were faster, bigger and stronger. Just as important, they weren’t intimidated by Tampa Bay’s hijinks throughout the series. Now, they’re playoff battle-tested.
General manager Julien BriseBois has been able to extend the Lightning’s window of contention by getting younger while remaining competitive. He let forward Steven Stamkos walk but brought in Jake Guentzel. He traded defenseman Mikhail Sergachev but replaced him with J.J. Moser (and brought in a top prospect in Conor Geekie). Outside of 401 Channelside Drive, no one saw either of those moves coming.
What does BriseBois do this year?
There are three humongous items that impact the Lightning’s offseason, and the way the playoff series against Montreal played out might have us all thinking differently about them than we did going into the postseason.
What does Kucherov’s future look like?
The biggest decision the franchise faces is the future of right wing Nikita Kucherov, who will enter the final year of an eight-year deal with an annual average value of $9.5 million. The Lightning can sign Kucherov to an extension starting on July 1, and one would think that’s in the cards because you don’t want him to go into next season with his future with the team uncertain.
Kucherov is likely to win the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP. He received a groundswell of support following a 50-game stretch in which he recorded 104 points, the most in any such period since Mario Lemieux in 1996. The stretch coincided with a span in which the Lightning went 20-1-1 despite numerous injuries to key players. Kucherov is still an elite scorer, as evidenced by his 44 goals and 130 points. He won’t win his third straight scoring title, but he might have had his best two-way season. His plus-43 was the best of his career.
But Kucherov will be 33 next month, and while he was a menace during the Lightning’s deep postseason runs from 2020-22, he’s been a dud over the last four postseasons. He has just one goal in his last 22 playoff games, and his shooting percentage over that stretch is 1.6%. Against Montreal, he had 31 shots on goal and 71 attempts but found the back of the net just once. He has zero points in seven career Game 7s.
By comparison, Kucherov averaged 1.3 points during the Lightning’s three runs to the Stanley Cup Final, shooting at a 10% clip over a 68-game stretch. He hasn’t been the same since.
With all that in mind, it will be interesting to see what his next contract looks like or even wonder if it will be with the Lightning.
Raddysh due for life-changing contract
Darren Raddysh, who set a franchise single-season record for goals by a defenseman with 22, is due to become an unrestricted free agent and is in line for a life-changing, multiyear deal after making just $975,000 this season. The salary cap goes up $8.5 million next season to $104 million, which means there will be a lot more money available for teams to spend, and there aren’t many high-scoring defensemen on the market. If he tests it, Raddysh will see a big payday from a team that believes it’s just one defenseman away.
But Raddysh’s offensive production dried up down the stretch. He had just five points over his final nine games and was minus-3. The Lightning power play was abysmal at the end of the regular season, finishing 1-for-32. In the postseason, Raddysh had just one goal and one assist in seven games.
Hedman could be the biggest question
Then, there’s the future of captain Victor Hedman, which might be the most complicated situation. Hedman, 35, played just 33 games in the first year of a four-year, $8 million AAV extension. In his 17th NHL season, he never looked like the impact player we’re used to seeing. He dealt with an elbow injury that eventually required surgery. He returned for the Stadium Series game and the Olympics in February but didn’t play in Sweden’s elimination game because of a mysterious injury sustained during warmups.
Hedman left the ice during a game March 19 in Vancouver and didn’t return. Several days later, he went on a leave of absence due to personal issues. He wouldn’t play another game. He was ramping up for a potential return during the series with the Canadiens, but coach Jon Cooper said Hedman was yet to become an option.
There’s still so many questions about the way Hedman’s season ended, and we should get some answers in the coming days. But there’s a big question as to how he fits into the Lightning’s defense corps even if Raddysh doesn’t return.
That makes for a lot of hard decisions for BriseBois this summer. How those land will tell us a lot about the future of the franchise.
Brandon Hagel gave the Lightning a chance to win right down to the last minute of his season, diving into an empty crease headfirst and reaching out his stick to prevent an empty-net goal with 29 seconds remaining Sunday, a play that would have added to his playoff legend had Tampa Bay pulled off one more comeback.
The Lightning had done so many times before, wearing the body blows of battles as a medal of courage. But after they couldn’t convert a 6-on-4 advantage in the final seconds of a 2-1 loss in Game 7, they were forced to watch the Canadiens celebrate in their arena, a feeling that’s become an all too familiar.
Inside the Tampa Bay dressing room, Hagel struggled to find words as that feeling set in.
“You don’t get any younger, that’s for sure,” he said.
For a franchise that’s put together a remarkable stretch of playoff runs — this was their ninth straight appearance and 12th in 13 years — they’d become less of a contender and more of a postseason participant in recent seasons.
This series felt like a real changing of the guard.
The Lightning threw the kitchen sink at the Canadiens. Their game improved as the series went on, and after surviving a wide-open Game 6 thanks to the play of goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, they had their best showing of the series in Game 7, outplaying the Canadiens in practically every aspect.
With their biggest division rivals — the Panthers and Maple Leafs — sitting at home, the Lightning had an opportunity to lean on their postseason experience. But the power structure in the Atlantic Division is changing. The Canadiens and Sabres are here and could be at the top for a long time to come.
According to PuckPedia, the Lightning are the eighth-oldest team in the NHL with an average age of 28.9. But among Eastern Conference playoff teams, only Carolina is older, and by just a sliver (29.1).
By comparison, the Canadiens are the youngest team in the league with an average age of 25.3. Buffalo (26.8) is sixth youngest.
While the Lightning might have had experience on their side, the Canadiens were faster, bigger and stronger. Just as important, they weren’t intimidated by Tampa Bay’s hijinks throughout the series. Now, they’re playoff battle-tested.
General manager Julien BriseBois has been able to extend the Lightning’s window of contention by getting younger while remaining competitive. He let forward Steven Stamkos walk but brought in Jake Guentzel. He traded defenseman Mikhail Sergachev but replaced him with J.J. Moser (and brought in a top prospect in Conor Geekie). Outside of 401 Channelside Drive, no one saw either of those moves coming.
What does BriseBois do this year?
There are three humongous items that impact the Lightning’s offseason, and the way the playoff series against Montreal played out might have us all thinking differently about them than we did going into the postseason.
What does Kucherov’s future look like?
The biggest decision the franchise faces is the future of right wing Nikita Kucherov, who will enter the final year of an eight-year deal with an annual average value of $9.5 million. The Lightning can sign Kucherov to an extension starting on July 1, and one would think that’s in the cards because you don’t want him to go into next season with his future with the team uncertain.
Kucherov is likely to win the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP. He received a groundswell of support following a 50-game stretch in which he recorded 104 points, the most in any such period since Mario Lemieux in 1996. The stretch coincided with a span in which the Lightning went 20-1-1 despite numerous injuries to key players. Kucherov is still an elite scorer, as evidenced by his 44 goals and 130 points. He won’t win his third straight scoring title, but he might have had his best two-way season. His plus-43 was the best of his career.
But Kucherov will be 33 next month, and while he was a menace during the Lightning’s deep postseason runs from 2020-22, he’s been a dud over the last four postseasons. He has just one goal in his last 22 playoff games, and his shooting percentage over that stretch is 1.6%. Against Montreal, he had 31 shots on goal and 71 attempts but found the back of the net just once. He has zero points in seven career Game 7s.
By comparison, Kucherov averaged 1.3 points during the Lightning’s three runs to the Stanley Cup Final, shooting at a 10% clip over a 68-game stretch. He hasn’t been the same since.
With all that in mind, it will be interesting to see what his next contract looks like or even wonder if it will be with the Lightning.
Raddysh due for life-changing contract
Darren Raddysh, who set a franchise single-season record for goals by a defenseman with 22, is due to become an unrestricted free agent and is in line for a life-changing, multiyear deal after making just $975,000 this season. The salary cap goes up $8.5 million next season to $104 million, which means there will be a lot more money available for teams to spend, and there aren’t many high-scoring defensemen on the market. If he tests it, Raddysh will see a big payday from a team that believes it’s just one defenseman away.
But Raddysh’s offensive production dried up down the stretch. He had just five points over his final nine games and was minus-3. The Lightning power play was abysmal at the end of the regular season, finishing 1-for-32. In the postseason, Raddysh had just one goal and one assist in seven games.
Hedman could be the biggest question
Then, there’s the future of captain Victor Hedman, which might be the most complicated situation. Hedman, 35, played just 33 games in the first year of a four-year, $8 million AAV extension. In his 17th NHL season, he never looked like the impact player we’re used to seeing. He dealt with an elbow injury that eventually required surgery. He returned for the Stadium Series game and the Olympics in February but didn’t play in Sweden’s elimination game because of a mysterious injury sustained during warmups.
Hedman left the ice during a game March 19 in Vancouver and didn’t return. Several days later, he went on a leave of absence due to personal issues. He wouldn’t play another game. He was ramping up for a potential return during the series with the Canadiens, but coach Jon Cooper said Hedman was yet to become an option.
There’s still so many questions about the way Hedman’s season ended, and we should get some answers in the coming days. But there’s a big question as to how he fits into the Lightning’s defense corps even if Raddysh doesn’t return.
That makes for a lot of hard decisions for BriseBois this summer. How those land will tell us a lot about the future of the franchise.
For the fourth postseason in a row, the Lightning reached better than they grasped. They played some brilliant hockey in Game 7 against Montreal on Sunday evening, and still returned to a locker room devoid of music and celebration.
When the final shot was fired — fittingly and frustratingly by Nikita Kucherov — Tampa Bay had fallen 2-1 to the Canadiens. It didn’t matter that they outshot Montreal by a stunning 29-9 margin. It didn’t matter that the Lightning had come from behind to tie the series in Game 6, or that they came from behind in the second period to tie Game 7. It didn’t matter that they had their best regular season since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2022.
When it was all over, they were still ousted from the postseason sooner than their pedigree might suggest.
“I felt like we were a better team than we were last year,” said Gage Goncalves, who scored the game-winner in overtime in Game 6. “But you need to play better or it doesn’t matter. We didn’t get any of the bounces, and that was kind of the end of it.”
To be fair, the series was glorious and Tampa Bay, at times, performed exceptionally. Four games went to overtime. All seven games were decided by one goal, the first time the NHL had seen a series like that since 2012.
It was tense, it was unnerving, it was endlessly entertaining.
Viewed as a solitary event, it was among the more thrilling postseason appearances in franchise history.
But, of course, that’s not how fandom works.
When you give your heart to a team, you carry its memories like a burden. If this was 2023 and the Lightning were coming off three successive Stanley Cup final appearances, a valiant first-round exit would be excused. If this was 2024, maybe even 2025, it would at least feel like you were moving in the right direction.
Now, it just feels like a new normal.
And that’s not good.
“There’s obviously some disbelief in our room that we can play like that and not walk away with anything,” said coach Jon Cooper. “You can’t sit here and reflect on the year and everything that happens. (If) I look back on this and say, ‘How did you play in Game 7?’ We couldn’t have played it any better and it still wasn’t good enough.”
Maybe time will lessen the sting. Maybe, upon reflection, it will seem more like a cruel joke rather than a failure.
Montreal got a huge break in the first period when Nick Suzuki redirected a Kaiden Guhle shot and instead of landing harmlessly to the left of the net, it ricocheted off Lightning defenseman J.J. Moser and bounced into the back of the goal. The Canadiens would go nearly 30 minutes without a shot on net, but then got another unusual score when Lane Hutson’s shot rebounded off the back wall, hung momentarily in the air, and then was swatted expertly by Alex Newhook off Andrei Vasilevskiy’s leg.
Is it fair to call those flukes? Perhaps. Is it accurate to say the Canadiens deserve credit for standing their ground in front of the Lightning net and creating their own opportunities? Absolutely.
“It’s not the movies. It’s not something we can retake and get the scene right,” Cooper said. “It’s live theater right in front of you. You never know what’s going to happen. That’s why it’s so unbelievable to be a part of something like this, but it damn well stings when you’re on the wrong side of it.”
If you’re inclined to point fingers, you might start with some of Tampa Bay’s biggest stars. Brayden Point finished with one goal and a minus-1 rating. Kucherov took 31 shots on net in the seven games, but had only one goal. He’s now scored two goals in his last 23 postseason games and has played seven Game 7s in his career without a point.
You could also bemoan the idea that team captain Victor Hedman was unavailable for the playoffs, and Point hasn’t seemed like the same player since injuring his right knee four months ago.
But those are the kind of explanations that every losing team can claim.
In the end, your fate is your own and Tampa Bay has not left the ice feeling fulfilled in quite some time.
“After a loss like this, I can’t even think about what we did this season,” said forward Zemgus Girgensons. “All the emotions are on the wrong side for that. It’s really hard to talk about anything after something like this.”
For the fourth postseason in a row, the Lightning reached better than they grasped. They played some brilliant hockey in Game 7 against Montreal on Sunday evening, and still returned to a locker room devoid of music and celebration.
When the final shot was fired — fittingly and frustratingly by Nikita Kucherov — Tampa Bay had fallen 2-1 to the Canadiens. It didn’t matter that they outshot Montreal by a stunning 29-9 margin. It didn’t matter that the Lightning had come from behind to tie the series in Game 6, or that they came from behind in the second period to tie Game 7. It didn’t matter that they had their best regular season since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2022.
When it was all over, they were still ousted from the postseason sooner than their pedigree might suggest.
“I felt like we were a better team than we were last year,” said Gage Goncalves, who scored the game-winner in overtime in Game 6. “But you need to play better or it doesn’t matter. We didn’t get any of the bounces, and that was kind of the end of it.”
To be fair, the series was glorious and Tampa Bay, at times, performed exceptionally. Four games went to overtime. All seven games were decided by one goal, the first time the NHL had seen a series like that since 2012.
It was tense, it was unnerving, it was endlessly entertaining.
Viewed as a solitary event, it was among the more thrilling postseason appearances in franchise history.
But, of course, that’s not how fandom works.
When you give your heart to a team, you carry its memories like a burden. If this was 2023 and the Lightning were coming off three successive Stanley Cup final appearances, a valiant first-round exit would be excused. If this was 2024, maybe even 2025, it would at least feel like you were moving in the right direction.
Now, it just feels like a new normal.
And that’s not good.
“There’s obviously some disbelief in our room that we can play like that and not walk away with anything,” said coach Jon Cooper. “You can’t sit here and reflect on the year and everything that happens. (If) I look back on this and say, ‘How did you play in Game 7?’ We couldn’t have played it any better and it still wasn’t good enough.”
Maybe time will lessen the sting. Maybe, upon reflection, it will seem more like a cruel joke rather than a failure.
Montreal got a huge break in the first period when Nick Suzuki redirected a Kaiden Guhle shot and instead of landing harmlessly to the left of the net, it ricocheted off Lightning defenseman J.J. Moser and bounced into the back of the goal. The Canadiens would go nearly 30 minutes without a shot on net, but then got another unusual score when Lane Hutson’s shot rebounded off the back wall, hung momentarily in the air, and then was swatted expertly by Alex Newhook off Andrei Vasilevskiy’s leg.
Is it fair to call those flukes? Perhaps. Is it accurate to say the Canadiens deserve credit for standing their ground in front of the Lightning net and creating their own opportunities? Absolutely.
“It’s not the movies. It’s not something we can retake and get the scene right,” Cooper said. “It’s live theater right in front of you. You never know what’s going to happen. That’s why it’s so unbelievable to be a part of something like this, but it damn well stings when you’re on the wrong side of it.”
If you’re inclined to point fingers, you might start with some of Tampa Bay’s biggest stars. Brayden Point finished with one goal and a minus-1 rating. Kucherov took 31 shots on net in the seven games, but had only one goal. He’s now scored two goals in his last 23 postseason games and has played seven Game 7s in his career without a point.
You could also bemoan the idea that team captain Victor Hedman was unavailable for the playoffs, and Point hasn’t seemed like the same player since injuring his right knee four months ago.
But those are the kind of explanations that every losing team can claim.
In the end, your fate is your own and Tampa Bay has not left the ice feeling fulfilled in quite some time.
“After a loss like this, I can’t even think about what we did this season,” said forward Zemgus Girgensons. “All the emotions are on the wrong side for that. It’s really hard to talk about anything after something like this.”
There are no do-overs, no second chances when you lose a Game 7. Only finality, and a lot of idle time to think about what went wrong.
The Lightning will have all summer to ponder that and still might not have an answer when they regroup in September.
As they sat at their stalls inside the home dressing room Sunday night at Benchmark International Arena, the prevailing feeling was one of disbelief.
The childhood dream of every player growing up is to be the hero of a Game 7. But following the Lightning’s 2-1 loss to the Canadiens, this series-settling opportunity ended in heartbreak.
“We couldn’t have played it any better,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said, “and it still wasn’t good enough.”
An organization that set the highest of bars — competing for a championship year in and year out — is now left to contemplate a fourth straight first-round playoff exit following three consecutive runs to the Stanley Cup Final, hoisting it twice over that time.
The Lightning dominated Game 7. They outshot the Canadiens 29-9 and held them without a shot on goal for 26 minutes, 57 seconds, a stretch that included the entirety of a second period in which they had a 12-0 shot advantage.
“You can’t say much about the game (Sunday),” said Lightning forward Brandon Hagel, who scored six of the team’s 15 playoff goals. “You’re gonna win 99% of those games, but at the end of the day, if you lose three games at home you’re probably not going to win the series.”
There must have been a lot of prayers cashed in at the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal, because the hockey gods were on the Canadiens’ side Sunday. Both of their goals were fluky, including Alex Newhook’s game-winner with 8:53 left.
The puck one-hopped to Newhook off the end boards after Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy fought off Montreal defenseman Lane Hutson’s shot from above the left circle. Newhook, who had skated from behind the net to the left post, batted the puck out of the air, off Vasilevskiy’s back and into the net.
“It’s not the movies,” Cooper said. “It’s not something we can retake and get the scene right. It’s live theater right there in front of you. You never know what’s gonna happen. That’s why it’s so unbelievable to be a part of, to be a part of something like this, but it damn well stings when you’re on the wrong side of it.”
Theater, indeed. Across the hall, inside the Canadiens locker room, former Lightning legend Marty St. Louis recreated a scene from “The Wolf of Wall Street,” yelling, “We aren’t leaving! Let’s keep going!” He pounded his chest while humming with the main-character energy of Jordan Belfort, celebrating his first playoff series win in his fifth season as Montreal’s head coach.
According to MoneyPuck’s Deserve To Win O’Meter, which uses all expected goal statistics to simulate the game 1,000 times, the Lightning would have won the game in 81.1% of those simulations.
But not Sunday. While the Canadiens will move on to a second-round matchup with the Sabres, the Lightning instead are “heading to Cancun.”
The Lightning had 32 scoring chances, but Montreal goaltender Jakub Dobes, who had a 2.03 goals-against average and .923 save percentage in the series, stole Game 7, much as Vasilevskiy took Game 6 with a 30-save shutout.
Tampa Bay’s only goal Sunday came on the power play, when rookie center Dominic James redirected defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous’ puck on net from the center point with 6:33 left in the second period.
The Lightning’s fourth line of James, Gage Goncalves and Oliver Bjorkstrand carried 5-on-5 play, out-attempting Montreal’s opposing line 17-5. But they also were the tough-luck trio on the ice for Newhook’s goal.
Montreal’s first goal, which came with 1:21 left in the first period, was equally lucky, as Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki’s redirection of Kaiden Guhle’s puck on net was going wide before it hit Lightning defenseman J.J. Moser’s right skate and deflected into the net.
“You sit back here, obviously you’re upset and it sucks,” Hagel said. “But there’s not much more you can do. You give up zero shots in the second period, (five) shots in the third period and you lose a hockey game. You can’t look at one guy in the room and say, ‘You didn’t do your thing.’ Yeah, I guess we didn’t score more goals, obviously, but it’s a tough feeling. But that’s the reality of hockey. It’s Game 7. You lose, and you’re out.”
It will offer no condolences to the Lightning that each game was decided by one goal, and four needed overtime to decide a winner.
“They’re a great team,” Guhle said. “They’re well coached. They’ve got a lot of skill. A lot of their players play the right way. Hard to play against. They’re physical, chippy. They’re a hard team to beat.
“There’s a reason it went to seven, and there’s a reason we probably got outplayed in every part of the game. But we had (Dobes) back there, and he made a lot of big saves to keep us in this game and help us win.”
There are no do-overs, no second chances when you lose a Game 7. Only finality, and a lot of idle time to think about what went wrong.
The Lightning will have all summer to ponder that and still might not have an answer when they regroup in September.
As they sat at their stalls inside the home dressing room Sunday night at Benchmark International Arena, the prevailing feeling was one of disbelief.
The childhood dream of every player growing up is to be the hero of a Game 7. But following the Lightning’s 2-1 loss to the Canadiens, this series-settling opportunity ended in heartbreak.
“We couldn’t have played it any better,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said, “and it still wasn’t good enough.”
An organization that set the highest of bars — competing for a championship year in and year out — is now left to contemplate a fourth straight first-round playoff exit following three consecutive runs to the Stanley Cup Final, hoisting it twice over that time.
The Lightning dominated Game 7. They outshot the Canadiens 29-9 and held them without a shot on goal for 26 minutes, 57 seconds, a stretch that included the entirety of a second period in which they had a 12-0 shot advantage.
“You can’t say much about the game (Sunday),” said Lightning forward Brandon Hagel, who scored six of the team’s 15 playoff goals. “You’re gonna win 99% of those games, but at the end of the day, if you lose three games at home you’re probably not going to win the series.”
There must have been a lot of prayers cashed in at the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal, because the hockey gods were on the Canadiens’ side Sunday. Both of their goals were fluky, including Alex Newhook’s game-winner with 8:53 left.
The puck one-hopped to Newhook off the end boards after Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy fought off Montreal defenseman Lane Hutson’s shot from above the left circle. Newhook, who had skated from behind the net to the left post, batted the puck out of the air, off Vasilevskiy’s back and into the net.
“It’s not the movies,” Cooper said. “It’s not something we can retake and get the scene right. It’s live theater right there in front of you. You never know what’s gonna happen. That’s why it’s so unbelievable to be a part of, to be a part of something like this, but it damn well stings when you’re on the wrong side of it.”
Theater, indeed. Across the hall, inside the Canadiens locker room, former Lightning legend Marty St. Louis recreated a scene from “The Wolf of Wall Street,” yelling, “We aren’t leaving! Let’s keep going!” He pounded his chest while humming with the main-character energy of Jordan Belfort, celebrating his first playoff series win in his fifth season as Montreal’s head coach.
According to MoneyPuck’s Deserve To Win O’Meter, which uses all expected goal statistics to simulate the game 1,000 times, the Lightning would have won the game in 81.1% of those simulations.
But not Sunday. While the Canadiens will move on to a second-round matchup with the Sabres, the Lightning instead are “heading to Cancun.”
The Lightning had 32 scoring chances, but Montreal goaltender Jakub Dobes, who had a 2.03 goals-against average and .923 save percentage in the series, stole Game 7, much as Vasilevskiy took Game 6 with a 30-save shutout.
Tampa Bay’s only goal Sunday came on the power play, when rookie center Dominic James redirected defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous’ puck on net from the center point with 6:33 left in the second period.
The Lightning’s fourth line of James, Gage Goncalves and Oliver Bjorkstrand carried 5-on-5 play, out-attempting Montreal’s opposing line 17-5. But they also were the tough-luck trio on the ice for Newhook’s goal.
Montreal’s first goal, which came with 1:21 left in the first period, was equally lucky, as Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki’s redirection of Kaiden Guhle’s puck on net was going wide before it hit Lightning defenseman J.J. Moser’s right skate and deflected into the net.
“You sit back here, obviously you’re upset and it sucks,” Hagel said. “But there’s not much more you can do. You give up zero shots in the second period, (five) shots in the third period and you lose a hockey game. You can’t look at one guy in the room and say, ‘You didn’t do your thing.’ Yeah, I guess we didn’t score more goals, obviously, but it’s a tough feeling. But that’s the reality of hockey. It’s Game 7. You lose, and you’re out.”
It will offer no condolences to the Lightning that each game was decided by one goal, and four needed overtime to decide a winner.
“They’re a great team,” Guhle said. “They’re well coached. They’ve got a lot of skill. A lot of their players play the right way. Hard to play against. They’re physical, chippy. They’re a hard team to beat.
“There’s a reason it went to seven, and there’s a reason we probably got outplayed in every part of the game. But we had (Dobes) back there, and he made a lot of big saves to keep us in this game and help us win.”
The most iconic image of Marty St. Louis’ Hall of Fame career is still his exuberant lift of the 2004 Stanley Cup. Bearded, bloodied and in a black Lightning jersey. An undrafted afterthought on hockey’s mountaintop with a franchise once equally underestimated.
His number hangs in the rafters, and fans still sport his jersey. But much has changed.
Seven years after retiring from playing in 2015, St. Louis, a native of Quebec, took on the task of fixing a Canadiens team that lost the 2021 Stanley Cup to the Lightning but collapsed the following year.
St. Louis is now clean-shaven with short, graying hair. Instead of skating scrappily for Tampa Bay, he shouts instructions from behind Montreal’s bench; his focus and allegiance completely with the Canadiens.
St. Louis said he tries not to spend too much time in the locker room. He understands he’s a coach, not a player; the dynamic is different. But after eliminating the Lightning, he let himself enjoy the moment with his young team.
On Sunday night, St. Louis celebrated as he has plenty of times inside Tampa Bay’s home arena. The difference was the dressing room he did it in.
The moment, he said, called for it.
“A night like tonight, I wanted to be with them,” St. Louis said. “We had some fun.”
Still in his suit, his tie not even undone, St. Louis declared the Canadiens were not leaving these NHL playoffs quite yet. He paced around the locker room, repeatedly pounding on his chest, just as Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jordan Belfort does in the film “The Wolf of Wall Street.” His players joined in unison.
“I feel like you can’t take the player out of me,” St. Louis said.
In the film, DiCaprio’s scheming character manages to earn belief from his cronies. It pales in comparison to the goodwill St. Louis has accumulated since he began leading Montreal’s rebuild.
“He’s one of the best coaches in the whole world,” Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki said postgame. “It seems like he says the right thing at every single situation and knows how to get the best out of his guys.”
Before he could celebrate, St. Louis had to galvanize his team after a second period that saw the Canadiens generate zero shots on goal.
“He definitely had a good speech there in the second intermission,” said Alex Newhook, who scored the game-winning goal in the third period.
He reminded the team of the opportunity that awaited them in the final 20 minutes of regulation, Newhook said. Of how eagerly they would have jumped at playing a period with a chance to win a playoff series in years past, even at the start of these playoffs, when the veteran Lightning were favored.
“He’s played in a lot of big games himself,” Newhook said. “He knows the moment’s big.”
Montreal has found a coach that resonates with his players, and it has led to results. On Sunday, it earned the franchise its first playoff series win since 2021.
And they did it by embodying St. Louis’ playing style. They scratched and clawed, and with only nine shots on goal, advanced.
“He’s our leader and everyone would do anything for him,” Suzuki said.
“He’s only been doing this for a short period of time, so I can imagine he’s gonna continue to get better. He just loves what he does, and we love playing for him.”
The most iconic image of Marty St. Louis’ Hall of Fame career is still his exuberant lift of the 2004 Stanley Cup. Bearded, bloodied and in a black Lightning jersey. An undrafted afterthought on hockey’s mountaintop with a franchise once equally underestimated.
His number hangs in the rafters, and fans still sport his jersey. But much has changed.
Seven years after retiring from playing in 2015, St. Louis, a native of Quebec, took on the task of fixing a Canadiens team that lost the 2021 Stanley Cup to the Lightning but collapsed the following year.
St. Louis is now clean-shaven with short, graying hair. Instead of skating scrappily for Tampa Bay, he shouts instructions from behind Montreal’s bench; his focus and allegiance completely with the Canadiens.
St. Louis said he tries not to spend too much time in the locker room. He understands he’s a coach, not a player; the dynamic is different. But after eliminating the Lightning, he let himself enjoy the moment with his young team.
On Sunday night, St. Louis celebrated as he has plenty of times inside Tampa Bay’s home arena. The difference was the dressing room he did it in.
The moment, he said, called for it.
“A night like tonight, I wanted to be with them,” St. Louis said. “We had some fun.”
Still in his suit, his tie not even undone, St. Louis declared the Canadiens were not leaving these NHL playoffs quite yet. He paced around the locker room, repeatedly pounding on his chest, just as Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jordan Belfort does in the film “The Wolf of Wall Street.” His players joined in unison.
“I feel like you can’t take the player out of me,” St. Louis said.
In the film, DiCaprio’s scheming character manages to earn belief from his cronies. It pales in comparison to the goodwill St. Louis has accumulated since he began leading Montreal’s rebuild.
“He’s one of the best coaches in the whole world,” Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki said postgame. “It seems like he says the right thing at every single situation and knows how to get the best out of his guys.”
Before he could celebrate, St. Louis had to galvanize his team after a second period that saw the Canadiens generate zero shots on goal.
“He definitely had a good speech there in the second intermission,” said Alex Newhook, who scored the game-winning goal in the third period.
He reminded the team of the opportunity that awaited them in the final 20 minutes of regulation, Newhook said. Of how eagerly they would have jumped at playing a period with a chance to win a playoff series in years past, even at the start of these playoffs, when the veteran Lightning were favored.
“He’s played in a lot of big games himself,” Newhook said. “He knows the moment’s big.”
Montreal has found a coach that resonates with his players, and it has led to results. On Sunday, it earned the franchise its first playoff series win since 2021.
And they did it by embodying St. Louis’ playing style. They scratched and clawed, and with only nine shots on goal, advanced.
“He’s our leader and everyone would do anything for him,” Suzuki said.
“He’s only been doing this for a short period of time, so I can imagine he’s gonna continue to get better. He just loves what he does, and we love playing for him.”
The Lightning did more than enough to win their do-or-die Game 7 against the Canadiens Sunday night at Benchmark International Arena.
Tampa Bay held Montreal to nine shots on goal, including just four through two periods. It didn’t allow any in a second period that included 3 minutes, 50 seconds spent on the penalty kill.
In a heartbreaking 2-1 loss, the Lightning outplayed the Canadiens in every way except puck luck.
The series was a classic. All seven games were decided by a goal, and four went to overtime, with the stingiest of netminders at both ends.
It’s a shame that one team has to punch its tickets to Cancun instead of a second-round date with Buffalo. It feels like an unfitting end for a Lightning squad that had 106 points during the regular season.
And while that’s no consolation for a team that will have to simmer all summer replaying its fourth straight first-round playoff exit, it could legitimately say it deserved more.
Here are three moments that mattered from Game 7.
A seeing-eye puck
Andrei Vasilevskiy didn’t get much work, and the shot that decided the series was one the Lightning goaltender likely never really saw. With the game tied 1-1 heading into the final nine minutes, Vasilevskiy fought off Lane Hutson’s wrister from the top of the left circle with his blocker, sending the puck high in the air and hard off the end boards. But Alex Newhook skated around the back of the net and found the puck in front of him at the left post. He batted the bouncing puck toward the net, off Vasilevskiy’s back and in with 8:53 left. It was just Montreal’s eighth shot on goal in the game.
A reward for the DOGs
The Lightning’s fourth line of Gage Goncalves, Dominic James and Oliver Bjorkstrand was carrying the team’s 5-on-5 play for most of the first two periods. When the team got its second power play of the second period, down a goal with 7:27 left in the period, the second power-play unit — which included all three forwards — took the ice. And it controlled the puck on the man advantage. James then tied the game with 6:33 left, redirecting Charle-Edouard D’Astous’ puck toward the net from the center point. Goncalves received the secondary assist, skating in from the top of the left circle to create space for D’Astous.
Another early hole
The Lightning outplayed the Canadiens for much of the first period but couldn’t score the opening goal. They had nine of the game’s first 12 shots but fell behind with 1:21 left in the period on the most unfortunate of bounces. Nikita Kucherov lost coverage on Montreal defenseman Kaiden Guhle, allowing him to send a slap shot toward the net. Nick Suzuki’s redirection from the left hash was going well wide of the net, but the puck hit off the ice, then Tampa Bay defenseman J.J. Moser’s right skate and went into the net.
The Lightning did more than enough to win their do-or-die Game 7 against the Canadiens Sunday night at Benchmark International Arena.
Tampa Bay held Montreal to nine shots on goal, including just four through two periods. It didn’t allow any in a second period that included 3 minutes, 50 seconds spent on the penalty kill.
In a heartbreaking 2-1 loss, the Lightning outplayed the Canadiens in every way except puck luck.
The series was a classic. All seven games were decided by a goal, and four went to overtime, with the stingiest of netminders at both ends.
It’s a shame that one team has to punch its tickets to Cancun instead of a second-round date with Buffalo. It feels like an unfitting end for a Lightning squad that had 106 points during the regular season.
And while that’s no consolation for a team that will have to simmer all summer replaying its fourth straight first-round playoff exit, it could legitimately say it deserved more.
Here are three moments that mattered from Game 7.
A seeing-eye puck
Andrei Vasilevskiy didn’t get much work, and the shot that decided the series was one the Lightning goaltender likely never really saw. With the game tied 1-1 heading into the final nine minutes, Vasilevskiy fought off Lane Hutson’s wrister from the top of the left circle with his blocker, sending the puck high in the air and hard off the end boards. But Alex Newhook skated around the back of the net and found the puck in front of him at the left post. He batted the bouncing puck toward the net, off Vasilevskiy’s back and in with 8:53 left. It was just Montreal’s eighth shot on goal in the game.
A reward for the DOGs
The Lightning’s fourth line of Gage Goncalves, Dominic James and Oliver Bjorkstrand was carrying the team’s 5-on-5 play for most of the first two periods. When the team got its second power play of the second period, down a goal with 7:27 left in the period, the second power-play unit — which included all three forwards — took the ice. And it controlled the puck on the man advantage. James then tied the game with 6:33 left, redirecting Charle-Edouard D’Astous’ puck toward the net from the center point. Goncalves received the secondary assist, skating in from the top of the left circle to create space for D’Astous.
Another early hole
The Lightning outplayed the Canadiens for much of the first period but couldn’t score the opening goal. They had nine of the game’s first 12 shots but fell behind with 1:21 left in the period on the most unfortunate of bounces. Nikita Kucherov lost coverage on Montreal defenseman Kaiden Guhle, allowing him to send a slap shot toward the net. Nick Suzuki’s redirection from the left hash was going well wide of the net, but the puck hit off the ice, then Tampa Bay defenseman J.J. Moser’s right skate and went into the net.
The Rays spent most of the first 5 ½ weeks of the season facing National League and American League Central teams, with just one series against a division opponent — a three-game sweep of the Yankees in mid-April. In the process, they cobbled together a 21-12 start for just the fifth time in franchise history (making the playoffs in each of the previous four).
That changes now, as the Rays will spend much of May tussling with AL East foes over 19 intradivision games, starting Monday vs. the defending AL champion Blue Jays.
“Playing against your division, there’s obviously an extra level of excitement where you can make moves in the standings,” said Nick Martinez, who starts Monday. “These series are always a dogfight regardless of who you’re facing.”
Over the next 24 days, the Rays will play six games each against the Blue Jays and Orioles, four against the Red Sox and three against the Yankees. Apart from a three-game series with the Red Sox in early June, they won’t play any more division games until just before the mid-July All-Star break.
Though the Blue Jays are under .500, Martinez said he knows how tough their offense can be.
“Watching last year, I thought they were the one team that could beat the Dodgers in the playoffs,” he said. “They definitely have shown they can play to that standard. One of those teams that ‘relentless’ is a really good word for.”
Diaz not yet ready
If Yandy Diaz’s tight left oblique was better, there was a prime spot to use him to pinch-hit Sunday, with the bases loaded in the sixth inning, down 1-0 and a lefty on the mound. Manager Kevin Cash said after the game that Diaz, who has been day to day since leaving Friday’s game, was not yet available but a Monday return was “possible.”
More medical matters
Pitchers Joe Boyle and Mason Englert looked “really good” in bullpen sessions on Sunday, pitching coach Kyle Snyder said, and will be heading out this week to join Triple-A Durham on rehab assignments.
Boyle was called up to join the season-opening rotation when Ryan Pepiot was sidelined in late spring by a hip issue (that will require season-ending surgery), but made only three starts before being shelved by a right elbow strain.
Englert was working in multiple bullpen roles until reporting right forearm tightness and was placed on the 15-day injured list on April 20.
“They’re both healthy, and I think we’re going to start having some conversations here just regarding some of the roles and stuff going forward,” Snyder said.
High-leverage reliever Edwin Uceta (right shoulder strain) is “feeling good” and should start playing catch in the next week, Snyder said.
Giant miss
The umpires didn’t see it this way, and the replay review crew didn’t see enough to change it.
But Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos had no doubt the ball he hit to centerfield on Saturday struck a Tropicana Field catwalk and should have been ruled a home run rather than an out. Cedric Mullins first went back to the wall before taking several steps in to make the catch.
As further proof, MLB’s Statcast system, which calculates how far a ball is hit by projecting the full parabolic arc of travel, first posted 424 feet — well past the 404-foot centerfield wall — then changed it to 385.
Miscellany
Pro wrestler Jacob Fatu threw the ceremonial first pitch in advance of Saturday’s WWE Backlash event in Tampa. ... Rays pitchers have allowed three or fewer runs for 10 straight games, matching their second-longest such streak, in 2016. Their record is 12. … Sunday was the 200th walkoff win in franchise history. … Jonathan Aranda had a career-high four hits. … The Rays’ four sweeps (Yankees, White Sox, Twins, Giants) are the most in the majors.
The Rays spent most of the first 5 ½ weeks of the season facing National League and American League Central teams, with just one series against a division opponent — a three-game sweep of the Yankees in mid-April. In the process, they cobbled together a 21-12 start for just the fifth time in franchise history (making the playoffs in each of the previous four).
That changes now, as the Rays will spend much of May tussling with AL East foes over 19 intradivision games, starting Monday vs. the defending AL champion Blue Jays.
“Playing against your division, there’s obviously an extra level of excitement where you can make moves in the standings,” said Nick Martinez, who starts Monday. “These series are always a dogfight regardless of who you’re facing.”
Over the next 24 days, the Rays will play six games each against the Blue Jays and Orioles, four against the Red Sox and three against the Yankees. Apart from a three-game series with the Red Sox in early June, they won’t play any more division games until just before the mid-July All-Star break.
Though the Blue Jays are under .500, Martinez said he knows how tough their offense can be.
“Watching last year, I thought they were the one team that could beat the Dodgers in the playoffs,” he said. “They definitely have shown they can play to that standard. One of those teams that ‘relentless’ is a really good word for.”
Diaz not yet ready
If Yandy Diaz’s tight left oblique was better, there was a prime spot to use him to pinch-hit Sunday, with the bases loaded in the sixth inning, down 1-0 and a lefty on the mound. Manager Kevin Cash said after the game that Diaz, who has been day to day since leaving Friday’s game, was not yet available but a Monday return was “possible.”
More medical matters
Pitchers Joe Boyle and Mason Englert looked “really good” in bullpen sessions on Sunday, pitching coach Kyle Snyder said, and will be heading out this week to join Triple-A Durham on rehab assignments.
Boyle was called up to join the season-opening rotation when Ryan Pepiot was sidelined in late spring by a hip issue (that will require season-ending surgery), but made only three starts before being shelved by a right elbow strain.
Englert was working in multiple bullpen roles until reporting right forearm tightness and was placed on the 15-day injured list on April 20.
“They’re both healthy, and I think we’re going to start having some conversations here just regarding some of the roles and stuff going forward,” Snyder said.
High-leverage reliever Edwin Uceta (right shoulder strain) is “feeling good” and should start playing catch in the next week, Snyder said.
Giant miss
The umpires didn’t see it this way, and the replay review crew didn’t see enough to change it.
But Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos had no doubt the ball he hit to centerfield on Saturday struck a Tropicana Field catwalk and should have been ruled a home run rather than an out. Cedric Mullins first went back to the wall before taking several steps in to make the catch.
As further proof, MLB’s Statcast system, which calculates how far a ball is hit by projecting the full parabolic arc of travel, first posted 424 feet — well past the 404-foot centerfield wall — then changed it to 385.
Miscellany
Pro wrestler Jacob Fatu threw the ceremonial first pitch in advance of Saturday’s WWE Backlash event in Tampa. ... Rays pitchers have allowed three or fewer runs for 10 straight games, matching their second-longest such streak, in 2016. Their record is 12. … Sunday was the 200th walkoff win in franchise history. … Jonathan Aranda had a career-high four hits. … The Rays’ four sweeps (Yankees, White Sox, Twins, Giants) are the most in the majors.
This series could not have been any tighter. No more than one goal ever separated the winner of each game. The Canadiens move on to face the Sabres in the Eastern Conference semifinals while the Lightning will ponder a fourth-straight first-round exit.
This series could not have been any tighter. No more than one goal ever separated the winner of each game. The Canadiens move on to face the Sabres in the Eastern Conference semifinals while the Lightning will ponder a fourth-straight first-round exit.
Having fallen behind three batters into the game, then being stymied after getting even in the eighth inning, the Rays finally were in an advantageous position Sunday afternoon.
Opening the bottom of the 10th inning, they had the sport’s fastest man, Chandler Simpson, at second base and two of their most productive hitters, Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda, coming up.
“Yeah, you could say we were feeling good going into the bottom of the 10th,” said Ryan Vilade. “That’s all I’m going to say about that.”
How good?
“It feels really good to have that situation come up,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Anytime Chandler’s on base, we feel good, like he’s one ball getting to the turf from scoring.”
According to MLB’s GameDay projection, the Rays started the inning with an 80% chance to win.
In Caminero’s mind, it was even better: “The game is over.”
Shortly, it was.
Aranda singled in Simpson, and the Rays celebrated a 2-1 walkoff win to complete a sweep of the Giants. They improved to 21-12 and a majors-best 19-7 following a 2-5 start.
The winning rally started with an interesting decision by the Giants, who had right-hander Caleb Kilian intentionally walk Caminero to face Aranda, the lefty swinger who already had three hits and whose 27 RBIs were tied for the American League lead.
Caminero said he expected the move, pointing to Aranda and saying, “Your turn now.”
Aranda not so much.
“I was a little surprised at first when they put him on,” he said via team interpreter Kevin Vera. “But regardless of the situation, I was mentally prepared for whatever was coming.”
Aranda was more than just ready. He was a wee bit motivated about the Giants preferring to face him.
“Yeah, of course, one takes it personally,” Aranda said. “And in those type of situations, you try to give a little bit more oomph.”
The hit wasn’t much, a 198-foot, 63.5-mph off-the-bat drive over the second baseman’s head, with Simpson scoring unchallenged. But it meant a lot.
“Thankfully, I was able to get the result there,” Aranda said.
Though he has been driving in runs, Aranda has been struggling a bit at the plate, hitting .177 over a 19-game stretch until rapping two hits Saturday.
“Tough matchup, but he hangs in there,” Cash said. “I think anytime — you’re motivated when a guy gets an intentional walk. Totally understood why they did. Flip a coin. You’ve got two really good hitters coming up right there.
“But happy for Jonny. I know he’s been kind of grinding through it. He’s gotten a lot of big hits for us this year, but the consistency — the bar that he sets probably hasn’t been there where he wants. But (Sunday) was a step in the right direction, for sure. He’s got to be feeling good."
Pretty much, they all were, turning what had the potential to be a frustrating day into a celebratory one. That was fitting, as about 20 players and staff were taking a chartered bus to Tampa to cheer on the Lightning in Game 7 of their playoff series.
Starter Steven Matz allowed a double and an RBI single in the first inning and then not much else in working a strong six. It was the 10th straight game in which Rays starters allowed two or fewer earned runs, their longest such streak in a single season since September 2024.
The bullpen took it from there, with two zeros from Hunter Bigge, then after the Rays tied it in the eighth, 1-2-3 innings by Bryan Baker and Ian Seymour.
“Happy with the guys to hang in there,” Cash said. “Ultimately, we won that game because of the stellar pitching performance by Matzy and Bigge and everyone that came in there. They really were super dominant.”
After wasting a prime chance in the sixth inning, the Rays got even in the eighth, though with a chance for more.
Caminero walked, then hustled to third on Aranda’s single. Cash called for a bunt, as the Rays have been doing often and mostly well. Vilade, hitting cleanup, went down on a knee to push the ball toward first, scoring a jubilant Caminero.
“Be electric,” Caminero said. “Be electric always. This is my game. ... And you guys see the result (Sunday). Pretty fun.”
Another bunt by Jonny DeLuca moved the runners to second and third with one out.
Ben Williamson then lined a ball that third baseman Matt Chapman apparently caught just above turf level before stepping on third, doubling off Aranda, who broke to the plate on contact. Chapman threw the ball home, hitting Aranda, creating further confusion.
The umps insisted Chapman got the two outs and that whether he made the catch was not reviewable, so that was that.
Until the 10th, anyway.
“We’ve got a gritty group,” Vilade said. “We don’t give up.”
Having fallen behind three batters into the game, then being stymied after getting even in the eighth inning, the Rays finally were in an advantageous position Sunday afternoon.
Opening the bottom of the 10th inning, they had the sport’s fastest man, Chandler Simpson, at second base and two of their most productive hitters, Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda, coming up.
“Yeah, you could say we were feeling good going into the bottom of the 10th,” said Ryan Vilade. “That’s all I’m going to say about that.”
How good?
“It feels really good to have that situation come up,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Anytime Chandler’s on base, we feel good, like he’s one ball getting to the turf from scoring.”
According to MLB’s GameDay projection, the Rays started the inning with an 80% chance to win.
In Caminero’s mind, it was even better: “The game is over.”
Shortly, it was.
Aranda singled in Simpson, and the Rays celebrated a 2-1 walkoff win to complete a sweep of the Giants. They improved to 21-12 and a majors-best 19-7 following a 2-5 start.
The winning rally started with an interesting decision by the Giants, who had right-hander Caleb Kilian intentionally walk Caminero to face Aranda, the lefty swinger who already had three hits and whose 27 RBIs were tied for the American League lead.
Caminero said he expected the move, pointing to Aranda and saying, “Your turn now.”
Aranda not so much.
“I was a little surprised at first when they put him on,” he said via team interpreter Kevin Vera. “But regardless of the situation, I was mentally prepared for whatever was coming.”
Aranda was more than just ready. He was a wee bit motivated about the Giants preferring to face him.
“Yeah, of course, one takes it personally,” Aranda said. “And in those type of situations, you try to give a little bit more oomph.”
The hit wasn’t much, a 198-foot, 63.5-mph off-the-bat drive over the second baseman’s head, with Simpson scoring unchallenged. But it meant a lot.
“Thankfully, I was able to get the result there,” Aranda said.
Though he has been driving in runs, Aranda has been struggling a bit at the plate, hitting .177 over a 19-game stretch until rapping two hits Saturday.
“Tough matchup, but he hangs in there,” Cash said. “I think anytime — you’re motivated when a guy gets an intentional walk. Totally understood why they did. Flip a coin. You’ve got two really good hitters coming up right there.
“But happy for Jonny. I know he’s been kind of grinding through it. He’s gotten a lot of big hits for us this year, but the consistency — the bar that he sets probably hasn’t been there where he wants. But (Sunday) was a step in the right direction, for sure. He’s got to be feeling good."
Pretty much, they all were, turning what had the potential to be a frustrating day into a celebratory one. That was fitting, as about 20 players and staff were taking a chartered bus to Tampa to cheer on the Lightning in Game 7 of their playoff series.
Starter Steven Matz allowed a double and an RBI single in the first inning and then not much else in working a strong six. It was the 10th straight game in which Rays starters allowed two or fewer earned runs, their longest such streak in a single season since September 2024.
The bullpen took it from there, with two zeros from Hunter Bigge, then after the Rays tied it in the eighth, 1-2-3 innings by Bryan Baker and Ian Seymour.
“Happy with the guys to hang in there,” Cash said. “Ultimately, we won that game because of the stellar pitching performance by Matzy and Bigge and everyone that came in there. They really were super dominant.”
After wasting a prime chance in the sixth inning, the Rays got even in the eighth, though with a chance for more.
Caminero walked, then hustled to third on Aranda’s single. Cash called for a bunt, as the Rays have been doing often and mostly well. Vilade, hitting cleanup, went down on a knee to push the ball toward first, scoring a jubilant Caminero.
“Be electric,” Caminero said. “Be electric always. This is my game. ... And you guys see the result (Sunday). Pretty fun.”
Another bunt by Jonny DeLuca moved the runners to second and third with one out.
Ben Williamson then lined a ball that third baseman Matt Chapman apparently caught just above turf level before stepping on third, doubling off Aranda, who broke to the plate on contact. Chapman threw the ball home, hitting Aranda, creating further confusion.
The umps insisted Chapman got the two outs and that whether he made the catch was not reviewable, so that was that.
Until the 10th, anyway.
“We’ve got a gritty group,” Vilade said. “We don’t give up.”
It was clear this morning that Gage Goncalves was trying his best to put the biggest goal of his career in the past, flip the page and focus on the monumental moment that awaited the Lightning tonight in Tampa.
Countless text messages remain unanswered on his phone following the goal he scored in overtime Friday in Montreal to send the first-round series against the Canadiens back to Benchmark International Arena for a decisive Game 7.
“You sit in the goal for about an hour or two, and then you come back to the hotel and you’re like, ‘OK, we’ve got to go for Sunday,’” Goncalves said following this morning’s optional skate. “So yeah, we’re happy to get the win there. And now it’s time to finish the job at home.”
Goncalves was trying to shelve the moment, hoping there will be a bigger one to celebrate tonight, with the Lightning moving forward in the postseason.
“I think it’s something we can look back on later in life,” Goncalves said. “It’s nice to get the goal, but anybody could have scored it and I would have been just as fired up. We’re excited that we get a chance tonight.”
Goncalves will go into Game 7 with more confidence, and the Lightning have to feel better about their scoring depth. After Friday’s game, coach Jon Cooper talked about pulling Goncalves to the side before warmups to give him a pep talk.
One of the defining moments of the Lightning’s Game 5 loss on Wednesday came early in the second period, when Montreal scored 11 seconds after Tampa Bay had tied the score at 1.
Shortly after Goncalves had the primary assist on Dominic James’ tying goal, Kirby Dach took the puck from the left-side boards with his back to Goncalves, faked to his left and skated right. He drove to the net and turned the corner on Goncalves before scoring to put the Canadiens back ahead.
Goncalves has played up and down the Lightning’s forward lines this season and had recently settled into a top-six role. But in Game 6, he played in the bottom-six, alongside James and Oliver Bjorkstrand.
In Game 6, it was Goncalves pushing his way to the front of the net and getting his stick down in front of Montreal defenseman Kaiden Guhle. Goncalves’ initial tip of a feed from James was stopped by goaltender Jakub Dobes, but Goncalves lunged and swept a rolling puck inside the left post to send the series to a seventh game.
“Coop has done an unbelievable job with me, just kind of believing in me and giving me a chance to prove what I’m made of,” Goncalves said. “And he’s given me a lot of chances. I felt like in Game 5 I kind of got walked after we score a big goal, and I felt like that was a turning point for our group. So, he just made sure that he knew how important that Game 6 was to me. We had our little chat, and it really kind of got me going.”
The Lightning are projected to have the same lineup tonight as in Game 6. Victor Hedman continued to be a full participant in on-ice activities, but the veteran defenseman was among the group of scratches who get extra work after the skate. Hedman, Max Crozier, Declan Carlile, Scott Sabourin and Conor Geekie were the others who stayed on the ice.
It was clear this morning that Gage Goncalves was trying his best to put the biggest goal of his career in the past, flip the page and focus on the monumental moment that awaited the Lightning tonight in Tampa.
Countless text messages remain unanswered on his phone following the goal he scored in overtime Friday in Montreal to send the first-round series against the Canadiens back to Benchmark International Arena for a decisive Game 7.
“You sit in the goal for about an hour or two, and then you come back to the hotel and you’re like, ‘OK, we’ve got to go for Sunday,’” Goncalves said following this morning’s optional skate. “So yeah, we’re happy to get the win there. And now it’s time to finish the job at home.”
Goncalves was trying to shelve the moment, hoping there will be a bigger one to celebrate tonight, with the Lightning moving forward in the postseason.
“I think it’s something we can look back on later in life,” Goncalves said. “It’s nice to get the goal, but anybody could have scored it and I would have been just as fired up. We’re excited that we get a chance tonight.”
Goncalves will go into Game 7 with more confidence, and the Lightning have to feel better about their scoring depth. After Friday’s game, coach Jon Cooper talked about pulling Goncalves to the side before warmups to give him a pep talk.
One of the defining moments of the Lightning’s Game 5 loss on Wednesday came early in the second period, when Montreal scored 11 seconds after Tampa Bay had tied the score at 1.
Shortly after Goncalves had the primary assist on Dominic James’ tying goal, Kirby Dach took the puck from the left-side boards with his back to Goncalves, faked to his left and skated right. He drove to the net and turned the corner on Goncalves before scoring to put the Canadiens back ahead.
Goncalves has played up and down the Lightning’s forward lines this season and had recently settled into a top-six role. But in Game 6, he played in the bottom-six, alongside James and Oliver Bjorkstrand.
In Game 6, it was Goncalves pushing his way to the front of the net and getting his stick down in front of Montreal defenseman Kaiden Guhle. Goncalves’ initial tip of a feed from James was stopped by goaltender Jakub Dobes, but Goncalves lunged and swept a rolling puck inside the left post to send the series to a seventh game.
“Coop has done an unbelievable job with me, just kind of believing in me and giving me a chance to prove what I’m made of,” Goncalves said. “And he’s given me a lot of chances. I felt like in Game 5 I kind of got walked after we score a big goal, and I felt like that was a turning point for our group. So, he just made sure that he knew how important that Game 6 was to me. We had our little chat, and it really kind of got me going.”
The Lightning are projected to have the same lineup tonight as in Game 6. Victor Hedman continued to be a full participant in on-ice activities, but the veteran defenseman was among the group of scratches who get extra work after the skate. Hedman, Max Crozier, Declan Carlile, Scott Sabourin and Conor Geekie were the others who stayed on the ice.
With the Rays’ latest stadium quest heading toward conclusion later this month via key votes on funding by the Hillsborough County Commission (now likely May 20) and then the Tampa City Council, there is understandably ample talk about important elements such as bond costs, interest rates and tax bases.
Erik Neander doesn’t keep up with all the specifics or the politics, but as the Rays president of baseball operations he is a most interested party to the process.
That’s because if the stadium is approved, and if the surrounding live/work/learn/play development planned by his bosses is as big a hit as they project, the amount of additional revenue generated will have a significant impact on how he builds contending Rays teams.
In a word?
“Transformative,” Neander said.
Having more money doesn’t guarantee success. There are teams every year that spend big and don’t win, with the Mets, Phillies and Red Sox current examples.
But it obviously can help.
After balling on a budget for so long — winning the third most regular-season games since 2008 despite typically having a bottom-five payroll — Neander said a significant boost in revenues can allow the Rays to pursue success differently and be better positioned to reach the ultimate goal of a World Series championship and build the fan base along the way.
That can show up in many different ways.
Most obvious, having more opportunity to pursue bigger-name additions.
“There’s more shopping aisles that can be opened up for consideration,” Neander said.
The Rays made a legit offer in March 2022 to sign Freddie Freeman, but most of their other talks about pursuing big-name players — Juan Soto, Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani in trade — came with asterisks, such as trying to tie in sponsorships or stadium naming-rights deals.
Neander said he doesn’t know yet how much the Rays payroll could jump, or how soon it would rise if the stadium is approved.
But even a jump to the middle tier — say, from this season’s opening day $85 million to $180 million — could make a huge difference.
(Of note, in the wild-card era, since 1995, only one bottom-10 payroll team, the 2003 Marlins, has won a championship.)
That boost would not just help in acquiring more talented players but also those who are, as Neander said, “more seasoned” — peak-level veterans who can perform well on the biggest stage, and thus are more capable of winning that elusive championship.
“You see over time that money doesn’t guarantee anything,” he said. “But I do think the right mix of talent and seasoning and experience — life experience and professional experience — you see where it matters, when the stakes reach their highest and the stresses reach their highest."
Plus, Neander said, the new stadium would offer clarity and certainty about the team’s future, “a real potential benefit” in the recruiting process of free agents, who want to know where they’ll be living and playing over the term of a contract.
A larger payroll would also allow the Rays to address what has been a major complaint, the constant churning of the roster. Rather than dealing away players who perform well, become popular with fans, then get traded because they are deemed too expensive, they could sign them to multiyear extensions. Junior Caminero would be atop that current list of candidates.
“It’s perfectly natural and reasonable for our fans, and for ourselves, to think about what could be if we don’t have to make so many difficult choices in the name of trying to squeeze every last bit out of our roster,” Neander said.
Those buy-low/sell-high deals are tough, crushing and even tear-inducing for team officials as well, he said, adding that saying goodbye to players when it’s “most painful” even “hollows out” some of the wins that have followed.
Ideally, Neander said, would be the opportunity for “winning with meaning” — for the players, staff, fans and community.
“That’s what’s critical,” he said. “Meaning in terms of the wins having purpose and consequence for teams and the community in growing a fan base, the attachment, and all that comes with it. Having certainty about our future in a ballpark that’s second to none in terms of its amenities and something our community can be proud of to the talent retention and all the other things we talked about.
“We’ve won a lot of games, but there’s an opportunity in front of us that would allow us to do with significantly more meaning and satisfaction and pride that I think is the real aspect of this that becomes transformative.”
Cleveland rocks
Rays.TV reporter Ryan Bass’ kind gesture in Cleveland, delivering baseballs to a sister and brother in the stands after an adult grabbed a home run ball garnered much social media attention. The Guardians are also rewarding the family, with an invite to meet Daniel Schneemann (who hit the homer), get some signed items and be on the field for batting practice. The adult fan, Max Quinn, went on TV to apologize, saying he was “so utterly sorry” for “a lot of bad decisions” during “a heat-of-the-moment thing.” His business, the Uncover Vintage store, got blasted with one-star Google reviews. And the family said they forgave him.
Rays rumblings
A group of Rays took their team bonding to the water on Thursday’s off day, as Shane McClanahan arranged a fishing expedition and invited Caminero (who said he had never fished before), Nick Martinez, Ryan Vilade and Ben Williamson. Martinez said they had a fishing “grand slam,” landing redfish, snook, trout and a tarpon. … When Vilade’s dad, James, was coaching the Rangers’ Double-A Frisco team, one of the pitchers was Martinez — and Ryan was the bat boy at times. “Kind of full circle there,” Ryan said. ... MLB Network reimagined its “G-Ray-pes of Wrath” wine-themed segment with the team’s recent success, adding the “Chander Simpson-del,” “Junior Cabarnero” and “SauvignJon Blanc” for Jonathan Aranda. … Triple-A manager Morgan Ensberg and adviser Brandon Hyde made The Atheltic’s list of potential candidates for future mangerial openings. ... TV pregame/postgame analyst Grant Balfour was invited to fellow Australian Travis Bazzana’s Tuesday debut in Cleveland, having known the 2024 top draft pick since he was a teenager.
With the Rays’ latest stadium quest heading toward conclusion later this month via key votes on funding by the Hillsborough County Commission (now likely May 20) and then the Tampa City Council, there is understandably ample talk about important elements such as bond costs, interest rates and tax bases.
Erik Neander doesn’t keep up with all the specifics or the politics, but as the Rays president of baseball operations he is a most interested party to the process.
That’s because if the stadium is approved, and if the surrounding live/work/learn/play development planned by his bosses is as big a hit as they project, the amount of additional revenue generated will have a significant impact on how he builds contending Rays teams.
In a word?
“Transformative,” Neander said.
Having more money doesn’t guarantee success. There are teams every year that spend big and don’t win, with the Mets, Phillies and Red Sox current examples.
But it obviously can help.
After balling on a budget for so long — winning the third most regular-season games since 2008 despite typically having a bottom-five payroll — Neander said a significant boost in revenues can allow the Rays to pursue success differently and be better positioned to reach the ultimate goal of a World Series championship and build the fan base along the way.
That can show up in many different ways.
Most obvious, having more opportunity to pursue bigger-name additions.
“There’s more shopping aisles that can be opened up for consideration,” Neander said.
The Rays made a legit offer in March 2022 to sign Freddie Freeman, but most of their other talks about pursuing big-name players — Juan Soto, Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani in trade — came with asterisks, such as trying to tie in sponsorships or stadium naming-rights deals.
Neander said he doesn’t know yet how much the Rays payroll could jump, or how soon it would rise if the stadium is approved.
But even a jump to the middle tier — say, from this season’s opening day $85 million to $180 million — could make a huge difference.
(Of note, in the wild-card era, since 1995, only one bottom-10 payroll team, the 2003 Marlins, has won a championship.)
That boost would not just help in acquiring more talented players but also those who are, as Neander said, “more seasoned” — peak-level veterans who can perform well on the biggest stage, and thus are more capable of winning that elusive championship.
“You see over time that money doesn’t guarantee anything,” he said. “But I do think the right mix of talent and seasoning and experience — life experience and professional experience — you see where it matters, when the stakes reach their highest and the stresses reach their highest."
Plus, Neander said, the new stadium would offer clarity and certainty about the team’s future, “a real potential benefit” in the recruiting process of free agents, who want to know where they’ll be living and playing over the term of a contract.
A larger payroll would also allow the Rays to address what has been a major complaint, the constant churning of the roster. Rather than dealing away players who perform well, become popular with fans, then get traded because they are deemed too expensive, they could sign them to multiyear extensions. Junior Caminero would be atop that current list of candidates.
“It’s perfectly natural and reasonable for our fans, and for ourselves, to think about what could be if we don’t have to make so many difficult choices in the name of trying to squeeze every last bit out of our roster,” Neander said.
Those buy-low/sell-high deals are tough, crushing and even tear-inducing for team officials as well, he said, adding that saying goodbye to players when it’s “most painful” even “hollows out” some of the wins that have followed.
Ideally, Neander said, would be the opportunity for “winning with meaning” — for the players, staff, fans and community.
“That’s what’s critical,” he said. “Meaning in terms of the wins having purpose and consequence for teams and the community in growing a fan base, the attachment, and all that comes with it. Having certainty about our future in a ballpark that’s second to none in terms of its amenities and something our community can be proud of to the talent retention and all the other things we talked about.
“We’ve won a lot of games, but there’s an opportunity in front of us that would allow us to do with significantly more meaning and satisfaction and pride that I think is the real aspect of this that becomes transformative.”
Cleveland rocks
Rays.TV reporter Ryan Bass’ kind gesture in Cleveland, delivering baseballs to a sister and brother in the stands after an adult grabbed a home run ball garnered much social media attention. The Guardians are also rewarding the family, with an invite to meet Daniel Schneemann (who hit the homer), get some signed items and be on the field for batting practice. The adult fan, Max Quinn, went on TV to apologize, saying he was “so utterly sorry” for “a lot of bad decisions” during “a heat-of-the-moment thing.” His business, the Uncover Vintage store, got blasted with one-star Google reviews. And the family said they forgave him.
Rays rumblings
A group of Rays took their team bonding to the water on Thursday’s off day, as Shane McClanahan arranged a fishing expedition and invited Caminero (who said he had never fished before), Nick Martinez, Ryan Vilade and Ben Williamson. Martinez said they had a fishing “grand slam,” landing redfish, snook, trout and a tarpon. … When Vilade’s dad, James, was coaching the Rangers’ Double-A Frisco team, one of the pitchers was Martinez — and Ryan was the bat boy at times. “Kind of full circle there,” Ryan said. ... MLB Network reimagined its “G-Ray-pes of Wrath” wine-themed segment with the team’s recent success, adding the “Chander Simpson-del,” “Junior Cabarnero” and “SauvignJon Blanc” for Jonathan Aranda. … Triple-A manager Morgan Ensberg and adviser Brandon Hyde made The Atheltic’s list of potential candidates for future mangerial openings. ... TV pregame/postgame analyst Grant Balfour was invited to fellow Australian Travis Bazzana’s Tuesday debut in Cleveland, having known the 2024 top draft pick since he was a teenager.
Is your favorite jersey washed? Your appetite whetted?
Do you have your tickets downloaded, or your chicken wings on the grill?
We’re hours away from the first Game 7 on Tampa Bay turf in five years, so time is running short. If it will help calm your nerves, Lightning coach Jon Cooper has been here before and has a 4-2 record in Game 7s going back to 2015. Overall, the Lightning have a splashy 7-3 record in Game 7.
To help you get in the right frame of mind for Sunday night’s Lightning-Canadiens showdown, here’s a quick quiz on the franchise’s history of Game 7s.
1. The Lightning won Game 7 against the Islanders in 2021 on a shorthanded goal. Do you remember who pulled it off?
(Hint: He’s on the current roster.)
2. The Lightning fell behind 3-1 in this series and needed consecutive victories in Games 5, 6 and 7 to advance. What year was that?
3. Ruslan Fedotenko famously scored Tampa Bay’s two goals in the Game 7 win against Calgary in the 2004 Stanley Cup Final, but he did not win the Conn Smythe trophy. Do you remember who did?
4. This goaltender was benched in Game 5 against the Bruins in 2011 but won Game 6 and was brilliant in Game 7, stopping 37 of 38 shots in a 1-0 loss. Can you recall his name?
5. This player had never scored a goal in the postseason before scoring a pair in this Game 7. Which current Lightning player are we talking about?
6. This series, which Tampa Bay won, has something in common with the current showdown against Montreal. Neither team won consecutive games in the entire series. Do you recall that opponent?
7. This defenseman scored his first goal in a Lightning uniform in Game 7 against Detroit in 2015. Who was it?
8. The NHL record for Game 7 victories by a skater is eight. And there are eight players who have pulled this off, but this former Lightning forward is the only one with a spotless 8-0 record in Game 7. (Hint: Only two of those Game 7 victories were with Tampa Bay.) ((Hint, hint: He was also the answer to an earlier question.))
9. This goaltender won a pair of Game 7s with shutouts in 2015. What’s his name?
10. If the Lightning beat the Canadiens, this player will break the NHL record for Game 7 victories with his ninth.
Answers: 1. Yanni Gourde. 2. 2011 (vs. Pittsburgh). 3. Brad Richards. 4. Dwayne Roloson. 5. Nick Paul. 6. Philadelphia (2004). 7. Braydon Coburn. 8. Brad Richards. 9. Ben Bishop. 10. Ryan McDonagh.
Is your favorite jersey washed? Your appetite whetted?
Do you have your tickets downloaded, or your chicken wings on the grill?
We’re hours away from the first Game 7 on Tampa Bay turf in five years, so time is running short. If it will help calm your nerves, Lightning coach Jon Cooper has been here before and has a 4-2 record in Game 7s going back to 2015. Overall, the Lightning have a splashy 7-3 record in Game 7.
To help you get in the right frame of mind for Sunday night’s Lightning-Canadiens showdown, here’s a quick quiz on the franchise’s history of Game 7s.
1. The Lightning won Game 7 against the Islanders in 2021 on a shorthanded goal. Do you remember who pulled it off?
(Hint: He’s on the current roster.)
2. The Lightning fell behind 3-1 in this series and needed consecutive victories in Games 5, 6 and 7 to advance. What year was that?
3. Ruslan Fedotenko famously scored Tampa Bay’s two goals in the Game 7 win against Calgary in the 2004 Stanley Cup Final, but he did not win the Conn Smythe trophy. Do you remember who did?
4. This goaltender was benched in Game 5 against the Bruins in 2011 but won Game 6 and was brilliant in Game 7, stopping 37 of 38 shots in a 1-0 loss. Can you recall his name?
5. This player had never scored a goal in the postseason before scoring a pair in this Game 7. Which current Lightning player are we talking about?
6. This series, which Tampa Bay won, has something in common with the current showdown against Montreal. Neither team won consecutive games in the entire series. Do you recall that opponent?
7. This defenseman scored his first goal in a Lightning uniform in Game 7 against Detroit in 2015. Who was it?
8. The NHL record for Game 7 victories by a skater is eight. And there are eight players who have pulled this off, but this former Lightning forward is the only one with a spotless 8-0 record in Game 7. (Hint: Only two of those Game 7 victories were with Tampa Bay.) ((Hint, hint: He was also the answer to an earlier question.))
9. This goaltender won a pair of Game 7s with shutouts in 2015. What’s his name?
10. If the Lightning beat the Canadiens, this player will break the NHL record for Game 7 victories with his ninth.
Answers: 1. Yanni Gourde. 2. 2011 (vs. Pittsburgh). 3. Brad Richards. 4. Dwayne Roloson. 5. Nick Paul. 6. Philadelphia (2004). 7. Braydon Coburn. 8. Brad Richards. 9. Ben Bishop. 10. Ryan McDonagh.
Saturday’s 5-1 win over the Giants was pretty much a full Rays experience.
They continued their sizzling streak of pitching. They broke out their small-ball, motion offense. They made their usual handful of dazzling plays on defense.
And they extended their recent run of success to an impressive 18-7 since a 2-5 start.
“We’re playing well right now,” manager Kevin Cash said. “We’re opportunistic, making the most of some big at-bats and getting some big outs on the pitching side.”
They also seemed to get a bit of home-dome advantage from a Tropicana Field catwalk.
A potential Giants home run by Heliot Ramos in the second inning appeared to hit off a catwalk but instead was ruled a caught ball, with the call surviving a replay review. Rays centerfielder Cedric Mullins went back to the wall, then came in several steps to make the grab.
“It got to its peak, and I was just trying to find the wall,” Mullins said. “I honestly didn’t even see the ball on its way down, so I didn’t even know what it did up there, if anything. So, just making a play.”
The Giants obviously felt otherwise, with one coach (director of pitching Frank Anderson) and one player (pitcher Adrian Houser, who was off Saturday) ejected from the dugout and others unhappy.
Umpire crew chief Vic Carapazza, who was at second base, told a pool reporter it definitely looked like a catch to him. “I’ve seen guys run back before and then come in, they misjudge it or whatnot,” he said. The replay crew in New York relayed that it had nothing definitive to change the call.
A quintet of Rays pitchers didn’t allow much of anything, just a run on two sixth-inning doubles, when they had a 4-0 lead.
Griffin Jax, in his second “start” while transitioning back to the rotation, worked into the third, throwing 45 pitches. Bulk-inning reliever Jesse Scholtens got the next nine outs. Kevin Kelly, just-activated Garrett Cleavinger and recently acquired Casey Legumina teamed to finish.
“They’re clicking right now, and it’s probably why we’re winning some games right now,” Cash said. “I mean, pitching is everything.”
Saturday was the ninth straight game Rays pitchers have allowed three or fewer runs, matching a May 2019 run as the third-longest such streak in franchise history. Only a 12-game streak in August 2014 and a 10-game streak in July/August 2016 were better.
When it’s going that well, no one wants to break the streak.
“We definitely have some very solid momentum,” Jax said. “I heard it earlier (Saturday), it’s just everybody’s excited to take the ball the next day and be the next person that kind of keeps that train rolling.
“So, definitely feel that, and we know if we can limit whatever team we’re facing to a couple runs, our offense is going to score us enough just to keep us in the ball game and win it probably.”
Facing tough Giants starter Landen Roupp, that’s exactly what the Rays did, turning nine hits (seven singles, including a Chandler Simpson bunt), five walks, and a stolen base with an errant throw into the five runs.
“It’s just another thing we do well,” outfielder Jonny DeLuca said.
They got one run in the fourth thanks to Junior Caminero’s hustle and Jake Fraley’s RBI single.
Three in the fifth keyed by Simpson’s well-placed bunt that five-time Gold Glove-winning third baseman Matt Chapman couldn’t make a play on, and a clutch two-run single by Jonathan Aranda, who shares the American League RBI lead with 27.
Hunter Feduccia led off with a double, his first extra-base hit of the season. After bunting foul, Taylor Walls walked. Simpson then bounced his bunt toward third for a single that loaded the bases.
“When Chandler puts a bunt down, executed like that, you’re talking about the best third baseman in baseball for a long time, (and) there’s not a ton you can do,” Cash said. “If he catches that ball cleanly, I’m not sure if Chandler’s out.”
Mullins, who snapped an 0-for-19 stretch with a first-inning single, drew a walk to force in a run. After Caminero struck out with some confusion over the count, Aranda delivered the game’s biggest hit.
“I was really happy that I was able to get my teammates in in those RBI situations,” he said.
They added another in the eighth when DeLuca, who made a sliding catch earlier, doubled, stole third and scored on the errant throw.
“I think we have the ability to continue that,” Mullins said. “For us to not have to rely on power all the time is really nice. We can create havoc on the bases. That last run by DeLuca was huge to just continue to put pressure on teams.”
It’s obviously early, but for what it’s worth:
This is the sixth time the Rays have started a season 20-12, and in four of the first five they made the playoffs (2010, 2019, 2020 and 2023, with the 2012 team winning 90 games but missing out).
Saturday’s 5-1 win over the Giants was pretty much a full Rays experience.
They continued their sizzling streak of pitching. They broke out their small-ball, motion offense. They made their usual handful of dazzling plays on defense.
And they extended their recent run of success to an impressive 18-7 since a 2-5 start.
“We’re playing well right now,” manager Kevin Cash said. “We’re opportunistic, making the most of some big at-bats and getting some big outs on the pitching side.”
They also seemed to get a bit of home-dome advantage from a Tropicana Field catwalk.
A potential Giants home run by Heliot Ramos in the second inning appeared to hit off a catwalk but instead was ruled a caught ball, with the call surviving a replay review. Rays centerfielder Cedric Mullins went back to the wall, then came in several steps to make the grab.
“It got to its peak, and I was just trying to find the wall,” Mullins said. “I honestly didn’t even see the ball on its way down, so I didn’t even know what it did up there, if anything. So, just making a play.”
The Giants obviously felt otherwise, with one coach (director of pitching Frank Anderson) and one player (pitcher Adrian Houser, who was off Saturday) ejected from the dugout and others unhappy.
Umpire crew chief Vic Carapazza, who was at second base, told a pool reporter it definitely looked like a catch to him. “I’ve seen guys run back before and then come in, they misjudge it or whatnot,” he said. The replay crew in New York relayed that it had nothing definitive to change the call.
A quintet of Rays pitchers didn’t allow much of anything, just a run on two sixth-inning doubles, when they had a 4-0 lead.
Griffin Jax, in his second “start” while transitioning back to the rotation, worked into the third, throwing 45 pitches. Bulk-inning reliever Jesse Scholtens got the next nine outs. Kevin Kelly, just-activated Garrett Cleavinger and recently acquired Casey Legumina teamed to finish.
“They’re clicking right now, and it’s probably why we’re winning some games right now,” Cash said. “I mean, pitching is everything.”
Saturday was the ninth straight game Rays pitchers have allowed three or fewer runs, matching a May 2019 run as the third-longest such streak in franchise history. Only a 12-game streak in August 2014 and a 10-game streak in July/August 2016 were better.
When it’s going that well, no one wants to break the streak.
“We definitely have some very solid momentum,” Jax said. “I heard it earlier (Saturday), it’s just everybody’s excited to take the ball the next day and be the next person that kind of keeps that train rolling.
“So, definitely feel that, and we know if we can limit whatever team we’re facing to a couple runs, our offense is going to score us enough just to keep us in the ball game and win it probably.”
Facing tough Giants starter Landen Roupp, that’s exactly what the Rays did, turning nine hits (seven singles, including a Chandler Simpson bunt), five walks, and a stolen base with an errant throw into the five runs.
“It’s just another thing we do well,” outfielder Jonny DeLuca said.
They got one run in the fourth thanks to Junior Caminero’s hustle and Jake Fraley’s RBI single.
Three in the fifth keyed by Simpson’s well-placed bunt that five-time Gold Glove-winning third baseman Matt Chapman couldn’t make a play on, and a clutch two-run single by Jonathan Aranda, who shares the American League RBI lead with 27.
Hunter Feduccia led off with a double, his first extra-base hit of the season. After bunting foul, Taylor Walls walked. Simpson then bounced his bunt toward third for a single that loaded the bases.
“When Chandler puts a bunt down, executed like that, you’re talking about the best third baseman in baseball for a long time, (and) there’s not a ton you can do,” Cash said. “If he catches that ball cleanly, I’m not sure if Chandler’s out.”
Mullins, who snapped an 0-for-19 stretch with a first-inning single, drew a walk to force in a run. After Caminero struck out with some confusion over the count, Aranda delivered the game’s biggest hit.
“I was really happy that I was able to get my teammates in in those RBI situations,” he said.
They added another in the eighth when DeLuca, who made a sliding catch earlier, doubled, stole third and scored on the errant throw.
“I think we have the ability to continue that,” Mullins said. “For us to not have to rely on power all the time is really nice. We can create havoc on the bases. That last run by DeLuca was huge to just continue to put pressure on teams.”
It’s obviously early, but for what it’s worth:
This is the sixth time the Rays have started a season 20-12, and in four of the first five they made the playoffs (2010, 2019, 2020 and 2023, with the 2012 team winning 90 games but missing out).
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Cherie DeVaux spent the week talking a lot about the possibility of becoming the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner as she got ready to be just the 18th to enter a horse in the crown jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown with Golden Tempo.
Charging from the back of the pack and down the stretch to win the Derby, Golden Tempo made history for DeVaux, taking her breath away in the process and rendering her nearly speechless.
“I don’t even have any words right now,” DeVaux said. “I just can’t.”
DeVaux is just the second female trainer to win any Triple Crown race after Jena Antonucci won with Arcangelo in the 2023 Belmont Stakes. She won the Derby in her first opportunity, eight years since starting her own stable.
“Being a woman or my gender has never really crossed my mind in this journey of mine,” DeVaux said. “I’m glad I can be a representative of all women everywhere that we can do anything we set our minds do.”
During the week, DeVaux shifted from downplaying what it would mean to be the first woman to train a Derby winner to understanding she’s a role model to girls who might want to follow in her footsteps someday."
“I’m just glad I don’t have to answer that question anymore,” DeVaux said a little over an hour after the crowning achievement of her career. “There was a joke about me being one and done, but I think I’m going to need to do this again.”
DeVaux, who credits growing up with seven brothers and two sisters for her toughness, downplayed Golden Tempo’s cracked heels as a nonfactor. She also worked hard to get the colt into form long before the Kentucky Derby, trying blinkers and other things to get him to focus.
Jockey Jose Ortiz even described Golden Tempo as lazy. But Ortiz showed what he and the horse could do on Saturday, winning the Derby for the first time in his 11th try.
Ortiz navigated past 17 other horses around the final turn and made a hard charge down the stretch. With a crowd of more than 100,000 watching and roaring at Churchill Downs, Golden Tempo passed favorite Renegade — ridden by brother Irad — just before the wire to win the 1 1/4-mile race in 2:02.27 at odds of 23-1.
Their parents were there to witness it.
“I get to ride it almost every year, but to get to win it, it’s just special,” said Ortiz, who also won the Kentucky Oaks on Friday aboard Always a Runner. “I just wish my grandpa was here, but I know he’s looking from heaven. Just very happy that I get my goal, my life dream goal achieved.”
Golden Tempo paid $48.24 to win, $19.14 to place and $11.90 to show. Renegade paid $7.14 to place and $5.46 to show. Ocelli — who didn’t get into the field until Thursday when Brad Cox’s Fulleffort was ruled out — paid $36.34 to show.
The Kentucky Derby went on with just 18 horses. Great White was a late scratch after flipping and throwing his jockey. Track veterinarians made the call to scratch the long shot who got into the field Wednesday when Silent Tactic was ruled out because of a foot injury. The Puma was out, less than 12 hours before post time, because of a swollen leg from a skin infection.
Great White’s trainer, John Ennis, confirmed to The Associated Press that the big gray gelding and jockey Alex Achard were fine.
Great White became the fifth horse scratched this week and the second Saturday. Silent Tactic was ruled out Wednesday, Fulleffort on Thursday and Right to Party on Friday, with Great White, Ocelli and Robusta getting in.
Asked about whether Golden Tempo would run in the Preakness Stakes on May 16, DeVaux said the decision would be made in the coming days depending on how the horse is.
“We’re going to let him decide that,” DeVaux said. “We’re going to have to allow him to tell us because the horse is first.”
The Lightning’s return to Tampa on Saturday took a detour when the team’s charter flight from Montreal was diverted to Sarasota after a round of severe storms prevented the team from landing as scheduled at Tampa International Airport.
The Lightning play the Canadiens in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series Sunday night at Benchmark International Arena.
Because of the bad weather, the plane was redirected to Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, where it taxied on the runway. The team waited out the front and flew back into Tampa about 2 ½ hours after originally scheduled.
“It’s a disruption, but by three hours or two hours or something like that,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “You’ve got plans and work to do and things like that. But in the end, it didn’t disrupt the players’ card games or YouTube watching or whatever they were doing.”
The Canadiens’ team flight also was diverted Saturday. They were rerouted to Fort Lauderdale, where they spent two hours before flying to Tampa. They didn’t arrive at Tampa International until 7:10 p.m., nearly three hours after their scheduled arrival.
Second-round slate set
If the Lightning win Sunday, they will open the second round Wednesday in Buffalo.
The NHL announced the second-round schedule Saturday, and a potential Lightning-Sabres series would open with Games 1 and 2 Wednesday and Friday at KeyBank Center. Both would be 7 p.m. starts and national TNT broadcasts.
The series would move to Tampa for Games 3 and 4 Sunday (7 p.m.) and May 12 (TBD). Both of those games would air nationally on ESPN.
If necessary, Game 5 would be May 14 in Buffalo (TNT), Game 6 May 16 in Tampa (ESPN or ABC) and Game 7 May 18 in Buffalo (ESPN). Times for those games will be announced later.
The Lightning were 1-3-0 against the Sabres in the regular season. Their 8-7 loss March 8 in Buffalo — which included 15 goals and 102 penalty minutes — was widely viewed as one of the best games of the season.
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) May 2, 2026
Cooper has made it clear how much he enjoys the atmosphere in Montreal, saying the only thing he doesn’t like about Bell Centre is that coaches have to walk on the ice from the visiting tunnel to the bench.
But following the Lightning’s overtime win Friday in Game 6, Cooper seemed to relish a victorious walk from the bench to the tunnel. The ESPN television broadcast showed Cooper smiling to the crowd, putting one finger up and saying, “One more,” as he walked off the ice.
Asked about the interaction after the team returned to Tampa on Saturday, Cooper smiled and said, “I’m not sure I should address this.”
But he did.
“Did anybody see what the crowd was doing to me?” Cooper said.
“You can only take so much,” he said, smiling. “Yeah, at first I thought they were saying I was No. 1.”
The Lightning’s return to Tampa on Saturday took a detour when the team’s charter flight from Montreal was diverted to Sarasota after a round of severe storms prevented the team from landing as scheduled at Tampa International Airport.
The Lightning play the Canadiens in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series Sunday night at Benchmark International Arena.
Because of the bad weather, the plane was redirected to Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, where it taxied on the runway. The team waited out the front and flew back into Tampa about 2 ½ hours after originally scheduled.
“It’s a disruption, but by three hours or two hours or something like that,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “You’ve got plans and work to do and things like that. But in the end, it didn’t disrupt the players’ card games or YouTube watching or whatever they were doing.”
The Canadiens’ team flight also was diverted Saturday. They were rerouted to Fort Lauderdale, where they spent two hours before flying to Tampa. They didn’t arrive at Tampa International until 7:10 p.m., nearly three hours after their scheduled arrival.
Second-round slate set
If the Lightning win Sunday, they will open the second round Wednesday in Buffalo.
The NHL announced the second-round schedule Saturday, and a potential Lightning-Sabres series would open with Games 1 and 2 Wednesday and Friday at KeyBank Center. Both would be 7 p.m. starts and national TNT broadcasts.
The series would move to Tampa for Games 3 and 4 Sunday (7 p.m.) and May 12 (TBD). Both of those games would air nationally on ESPN.
If necessary, Game 5 would be May 14 in Buffalo (TNT), Game 6 May 16 in Tampa (ESPN or ABC) and Game 7 May 18 in Buffalo (ESPN). Times for those games will be announced later.
The Lightning were 1-3-0 against the Sabres in the regular season. Their 8-7 loss March 8 in Buffalo — which included 15 goals and 102 penalty minutes — was widely viewed as one of the best games of the season.
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) May 2, 2026
Cooper has made it clear how much he enjoys the atmosphere in Montreal, saying the only thing he doesn’t like about Bell Centre is that coaches have to walk on the ice from the visiting tunnel to the bench.
But following the Lightning’s overtime win Friday in Game 6, Cooper seemed to relish a victorious walk from the bench to the tunnel. The ESPN television broadcast showed Cooper smiling to the crowd, putting one finger up and saying, “One more,” as he walked off the ice.
Asked about the interaction after the team returned to Tampa on Saturday, Cooper smiled and said, “I’m not sure I should address this.”
But he did.
“Did anybody see what the crowd was doing to me?” Cooper said.
“You can only take so much,” he said, smiling. “Yeah, at first I thought they were saying I was No. 1.”
Designated hitter Yandy Diaz said he was being more cautious than concerned about a serious injury when he left Friday’s game due to left oblique tightness, and he expects to return to the Rays lineup as soon as Sunday.
“It was in that second at-bat (Friday) where I just felt it was something a little bit off. It was kind of a precautionary thing more than anything. I just decided to take my time (Friday) and take some time (Saturday) to rest,” Diaz said via team interpreter Kevin Vera.
“I’d like to play (Sunday), but obviously I’m going to talk about it with everybody else. I’m not going to rush it if I don’t need to. I’d like it to be (Sunday), but I want to be out there as soon as possible.”
Diaz has been one of the top hitters for the Rays, and in the majors, so far this season. Through Friday, he had a .333 average that ranked fourth in MLB, a .926 OPS that was 15th, and he had reached base 57 times over the team’s first 31 games.
Diaz homered in his first at-bat on Friday, his fifth of the season, and said he felt “something a little bit off.” He planned to take no swings on Saturday and see how he feels when he wakes up on Sunday.
He said he had no concern of ending up on the 10-day injured list.
“No, obviously it was more of an uncomfortable thing than anything,” he said. “They told me, ‘Hey, let’s look at it. Let’s be cautious about it,’ because sometimes with the oblique that’s what can happen. But, no, I’m not worried at all. It’s just purely been treatment to get me feeling better.”
Manager Kevin Cash said the team will know more on Sunday.
“I think he’s making progress,” Cash said. “He woke up feeling a little bit better, so that’s good news for us. Continue day to day, (as) we talked about (Friday). Obliques are tricky. We’ll see. Some guys, it goes away in a day or two, some guys it takes a little bit longer.”
Cleavinger returns
Bryan Baker has been handling save situations, converting eight, including his last four, and the bullpen has been throwing well overall, allowing one run over its last 18 ⅓ innings.
But the Rays were still very excited to have lefty Garrett Cleavinger back, activated after a monthlong stint on the injured list due to right calf tightness that included six rehab outings for Triple-A Durham. He adds an experienced option for high-leverage situations.
“That means a lot,” Cash said. “I know Cleav had a unique spring training with the (World Baseball Classic), then the calf crept up. But I feel like he’s got enough work now in Durham; he went back to back the other day.
“We’ll welcome him back, because he’s been such a big part of our bullpen for multiple seasons now.”
Cleavinger said he was glad to return to active duty, and showed it with a one-hit, 12-pitch eighth inning.
“I missed the guys, missed being at the Trop,” he said. “It’s good to be home and see my wife and my dogs, so that’s been good, too.”
Cleavinger acknowledged the first few rehab outings were “a little rough” but felt there “was steady progression” and he was “starting to see what my norm is.”
To make room on the active roster, long reliever Yoendrys Gomez, who had a 6.23 ERA over nine games, was designated for assignment.
Miscellany
The Rays have won five of their last seven series. ... New USF football coach Brian Hartline threw out the first pitch, with Bulls product Shane McClanahan catching. ... Toni and Carlos Ramirez, parents of former Rays bullpen catcher Jean, threw out the first pitches Friday to mark the start of mental health awareness month. They founded the JR98 Inc. foundation that advocates for mental health and suicide prevention.
MONTREAL — It didn’t take long to tell that the Lightning and Canadiens are so evenly matched it might take seven games to determine the winner of their first-round playoff series.
Each of the first six games were decided by a single goal. There has been one multiple-goal lead in the series. And four games went to overtime, including the Lightning’s 1-0 victory in Game 6 Friday in Montreal that coach Jon Cooper described as “epic.”
So the stage is set for one of the best settings in sports, a win-or-go-home Game 7 Sunday at Benchmark International Arena. The winner earns a trip to Buffalo to play the Sabres in the second round.
“When you’re a kid and everyone’s (playing) in the streets or (in the house), it’s Game 7 in the playoffs,” said Lightning forward Jake Guentzel, who is 2-2 in Game 7s. “So, this is what we all dream about, and I’ve been fortunate to play in a couple, and there’s just nothing better, especially at home. It’s gonna be an electric atmosphere, and we obviously can’t wait.”
It truly will be a shame that one of these teams will see its season end Sunday night. But in this series, the league’s division-based playoff format has accomplished what it was designed to do: create competitive first-round matchups that become budding rivalries.
After Gage Goncalves’s goal nearly 70 minutes into a scoreless game Friday silenced the most raucous crowd in hockey, the Lightning reveled in a season-defining moment but realized the bigger task was two nights ahead of them.
“That was the big thing in the locker room after we won,” coach Jon Cooper said. “Sure, guys were pumped, but we haven’t won anything yet. All we did was win a game to send us back to Tampa and keep our season alive. So, don’t want to rain on the parade, because what a hell of a win by the guys.”
The Lightning are 7-3 in Game 7s, including 4-1 in Tampa. They won their most recent, 2-1 in Toronto in the first round of the 2022 playoffs. The victory propelled them to a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final.
“It’s been unreal, to be honest,” Lightning forward Brandon Hagel said of the series. “We both had 106 points coming in this series. They’re a really, really good hockey team over there. We’re a really, really good hockey team here. So, I don’t think we expected anything else other than what’s been going on here. ... So there’s no doubt in my mind, that’s why the series is kind of going the way that we expected it to.”
This Lightning have shaken some of their recent playoff struggles in the series. Their last two first-round exits came in five games. They’ve pushed this one to the limit. They’ve never had a series lead against the Canadiens but have been able to rebound to tie the series three times. They have as many wins in overtime (two) in this series as they did in the previous 11, when they went 2-11 in OT games.
The next hurdle is winning consecutive playoff games, something the Lightning haven’t done since they strung together four straight to beat the Rangers in the 2022 Eastern Conference final.
“There’s going to be a lot of ups and downs,” Hagel said. “That’s just the reality of hockey and the reality of the playoffs. So, you’ve got to be able to control your emotions. You have to be able to control when the adversity hits. And I think our team’s been doing a good job at it, and give them credit too, they’ve been doing a really good job at it as well. So it’s going to come down to one game, and I’m excited.”
While Game 6 was wide open, the Lightning expect Game 7 to revert to the tight-checking style of the first five games of the series.
Center Yanni Gourde knows. He scored one of the biggest goals in franchise history — shorthanded — in a game where there wasn’t much space, the Lightning’s 1-0 win over the Islanders in Game 7 of the 2021 Stanley Cup semifinals.
With Tampa Bay on the penalty kill, Gourde jumped over the boards at the offensive blue line and sped uncovered into the slot, where Anthony Cirelli found him for the only goal of the game. While Gourde received the glory, his goal came after defenseman Ryan McDonagh made two key blocked shots.
The Lightning went on to beat the Canadiens in five games for their second straight Stanley Cup championship.
“It feels like there’s not going to be much room,” Gourde said Saturday. “You don’t want to turn this into a run-and-gun game. It’s one of those games where you’ve got to take a lot of pride in every little detail of your game and make sure that you execute well the game plan. Those games are super tight. And, yeah, it’s gonna be fun. I’m excited for (Sunday).”
When Canadiens coach Marty St. Louis walked into his postgame media availability after Game 6, he didn’t look like a coach whose team had just sent 21,000 inside the Bell Centre and another few thousand outside the arena home disappointed.
“You know, you’ve just got to embrace the situation,” St. Louis said. “Things are meant to be. Things are meant to be for our growth, things are meant to be that we’re playing a Game 7, I think it’s going to help us pull toward what’s next for us.”
He could be confident in the fact that his team played its best game of the series in a loss, that his top players finally got going, and even though they weren’t able to score in Game 6, the Canadiens’ identity as a young, hungry team looking for its first playoff series win in five years can be a dangerous tool in a Game 7.
“We were calm through the chaos and stuff,” St. Louis added. “There’s no panic. We just had everybody going (Friday). It’s unfortunate you don’t get the result. But what a hockey game.”
St. Louis knows the path of this series well. Twenty-two years ago, he scored a momentum-altering, double-overtime goal on the road in a do-or-die Game 6 for the Lightning in the 2004 Stanley Cup Final.
It’s all very familiar. That season, the Lightning wasted an opportunity to take a series lead at home, then had to win in Calgary in Game 6 to force a Game 7 in Tampa.
Once again, as broadcaster Gary Thorne yelled at the end of his famous call of St. Louis’ Game 6 goal, we are going back to Tampa Bay.
Lightning 3, Canadiens 3
EASTERN CONFERENCE: FIRST ROUND
Game 1: Canadiens 4, Lightning 3 (OT)
Game 2: Lightning 3, Canadiens 2 (OT)
Game 3: Canadiens 3, Lightning 2 (OT)
Game 4: Lightning 3, Canadiens 2
Game 5: Canadiens 3, Lightning 2
Game 6: Lightning 1, Canadiens 0 (OT)
Sunday: at Tampa, 6
TV/radio: TNT, truTV. All games also on The Spot-Ch. 66; 102.5-FM
Some of you might recognize the passion in this place, others will wonder why the air seems a bit thin. And that thumping you hear? It’s the sound of anticipation. Or maybe just the acceleration of your heart.
This is where memories are created. Where reputations are forged. Where legends are made.
This is Game 7.
Tell me, is there a better combination of two words in the world of sports? Even before a puck is dropped or a pitch is thrown, Game 7 conjures memories of heartbreak and heroics across decades. Across rinks, fields and courts.
Devotees of football will tell you every playoff game in the NFL is a Game 7. And that’s true from a do-or-die perspective. But a single football game does not have the hour-by-hour plotlines of a Game 7. The gradual acceleration built over days and stitches.
This is what 69:03 of glorious hockey in Game 6 bought Tampa Bay and Montreal. Not only a chance to extend a season but to author a new narrative.
So, who wants to be Mark Messier?
Game 7 can turn bit players into stars and stars into icons. It can erase warts, magnify quirks and reserve your spot on a barstool for years to come. In the case of Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Bill Mazeroski, it quite likely turned an otherwise nondescript Gold Glover into a Hall of Famer. It created an aura of courage and determination around Knicks forward Willis Reed that lingered until the day he died.
Yes, this Game 7 between the Lightning and Canadiens is merely the first step in a longer journey in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Quite possibly, there will be other moments for other teams and other players that will overshadow Sunday night’s game in a month’s time.
But not for you.
Not for Gage Goncalves, who set this thing in motion with a monster goal in overtime in the Lightning’s 1-0 Game 6 victory at the Bell Centre. Not for 36-year-old Ryan McDonagh, who used his body to stop five shots in Game 6 and is the NHL’s all-time leader in postseason blocks, according to Hockey Reference. Not for Dominic James and J.J. Moser and Charle-Edouard D’Astous and Zemgus Girgensons and every other player in their first NHL Game 7.
There are no rehearsals, and no do-overs for this moment. Game 7 is where tall tales begin and dreams die.
So who wants to be Ruslan Fedotenko?
You recall the name, right? He spent only four years with the Lightning and never tallied more than 41 points in a season, but he’ll forever be a part of Tampa Bay lore. Never mind the three future Hall of Famers who were on the ice, it was Fedotenko who scored both goals in a 2-1 win in Game 7 when Tampa Bay won its first Stanley Cup title against Calgary in 2004.
That’s what Game 7 can do for you. It can put an exclamation point on a career no matter what came before or after.
It’s true that the Lightning have been better than most in Game 7. Ten times this franchise has gone all-in on the final game of a series, and seven times the Lightning have emerged victorious. By himself, Jon Cooper is 4-2 behind the bench in Game 7 showdowns.
But the past will have nothing to do with this outcome. At least, nothing that happened before the Canadiens and Lightning met for Game 1 exactly two weeks ago.
Over the course of six games, you guys have been in lockstep with one another. The score has either been tied or somebody has been up by one goal in 98.6% of the series. Every mistake is magnified, every penalty is questioned, every shortcoming is analyzed. Cole Caufield scored 51 goals in the regular season for Montreal. He has one in this series. Nikita Kucherov scored 44 goals for the Lightning. He also has one in this series.
Maybe Game 7 is the stage the big boys need. Or maybe not.
Kucherov has played in six Game 7s in his career and does not have a single point. Nor does Brayden Point in his three shots at a Game 7. Instead, the Lightning have relied on players like Nick Paul and Yanni Gourde. Alex Killorn and Ondrej Palat. Braydon Coburn and Anton Stralman.
That’s one of the great things about Game 7. The script is usually written in a nameless scrawl.
In February, Ken Hagan, the county commissioner who has tried to bring the Tampa Bay Rays to Hillsborough County for nearly two decades, presented the team’s latest, and possibly final, stadium pitch.
Negotiations between the Rays and the county were still in their infancy, but momentum for a deal was mounting. Gov. Ron DeSantis and Rob Manfred, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, had both cheered the team’s plan to stay in Tampa Bay.
The following morning, Hagan, seated at the dais where he has served since 2002, presented a memo outlining how a public stadium subsidy could take shape. It emphasized the deal would steer clearof the main county account that pays for the basics, like police and firefighters, and which largely comes from property taxes.
“From the beginning of these efforts, the intent has been to identify a ballpark financing option that does not use any general revenue funds,” the memo read.
“To be clear,” it read, “no general revenue funding is being considered.”
But the county found the Rays’ proposal leaned too optimistically on a sales tax known as the Community Investment Tax, which most commissioners said in 2024 would not go to a new stadium.
Hillsborough is now floating the possibility of tapping more than $100 million in rainy day money — reserves set aside as a cushion against hard times and that largely come from property tax dollars — as the Rays seek a billion-dollar public contribution to build a $2.3 billion stadium.
Another once-verboten funding source is under consideration.
“General fund revenue is taxpayer money meant for core services,” Commissioner Chris Boles said in a written statement.
“The bar for using those dollars here should be very high.”
Property taxes enter the picture
Tom Fesler, the county’s chief financial administrator, explained the potential shift in funding at a workshop last month.
“Basically, we looked in the couch cushions to see where we could find some revenue,” he said.
But that search is not as harmless as scraping together enough quarters to buy an ice creamcone.
Hillsborough maintains reserves for budget flexibility, and keeping those reserves strong is recommended, Fesler said. Tapping them, he said, would reduce flexibility.
To what extent and with what consequence depends on the funding source. They are pots the county would likely look to if a hurricane strikes, the economy takes a downturn or state lawmakers roll back property taxes.
“Certain funds and forms of funds are more probable than others, and I think that’s what the public officials are working day and night to figure out, which is: What is the right composition of those ingredients?” said Rays CEO Ken Babby.
“How those ingredients are used, and how much of them, I’m going to leave that for the public officials to comment on,” he said. “But I can tell you there is great appetite and desire from all sides to figure this out.”
Hillsborough sometimes sees projects come in under budget or get scrapped. The county has identified $20 million that could be reallocated to the Rays from such work. About half of the money would come from an accounting system upgrade completed years ago under budget.
Other identified sources that could go to the Rays, however, would limit Hillsborough’s ability to invest elsewhere.
The county’s economic development reserve, which has $24 million, could be suitable for a stadium.
Completely draining the fund wouldmake it unavailable to other projects, like the redevelopment of the Museum of Science & Innovation site. The reserve typically receives about $2 million to $4 million annually, mostly from property taxes. Replenishing it would take years, but a Rays stadium fits its economic development billing.
The county also has a fund it uses to maintain buildings and equipment. Typically, it allocates anywhere from $50,000 to $150,000 per project. Using $10 million of the $18 million it currently holds to support a Rays deal has been presented as an option.
In 2027, the county estimates it will have $35 million that is not yet spoken for and can be put to one-year expenses. Commissioners typically vie to prop up pet projects. Another $10 million for the Rays from this fund, primarily supported by property taxes, is on the table.
Potentially most problematic is the use of two pools that could be pivotal in the future.
Hillsborough receives a share of Florida’s 6% sales tax. This county reserve of $91 million grows by about 2.7% annually. The framework proposes allotting $20 million of it to the Rays.
At DeSantis’ urging, lawmakers may sharply curb local governments’ property tax revenue — likely teeing up a heavier reliance on this reserve.
The threat of stormslooms, too. In the wake of hurricanes Helene and Milton, Hillsborough approved the use of $100 million from its disaster reserves. The account, which can be replenished as needed with property tax dollars and federal emergency money, stands at $116 million.
The proposed framework says $20 million from this fund could go to a stadium. Its construction could give Hillsborough another shelter or emergency staging center in the event of a natural disaster, but whether it qualifies for disaster funding is sure to be a topic of debate.
A pivot away from lofty sales tax projections
Early debate about how to make a financial framework work centered on the use of the Community Investment Tax, Hillsborough’s half-cent sales tax that pays for roads, public buildings and upgrades to existing professional stadiums. Before voters narrowly approved extending the tax in 2024, most of the current commissioners said the tax should not go to a new stadium. But the referendum’s language was never formally amended to reflect that belief.
As the question of tax’s eligibility loomed, the Rays pursued $467 million from Hillsborough’s portion of the tax, the Tampa Bay Times reported in March.
Hagan’s memo identified money thatexceeded the tax’s projections, reallocated sports complex dollars or unallocated tax funds as potentially viable for the Rays. Publicly, the team and advocates of the deal focused on the potential of the excess capacity.
The tax, however, is not as potent as the team hoped.
As a result, when Hillsborough released a potential funding framework last month, the tax’s contribution was drastically reduced, with the projected excess growth no longer the main component.
The county’s sales tax contribution to the deal is now at $272 million. That breaks down to $181 million pulled from the $545 million in anticipated tax revenue set aside for public facilities, and $91 million from revenue that exceeds forecasts.
To remain in the same stratosphere of the Rays’ $750 million request in county funding, Hillsborough rolled outthe general revenue funding options.
Could the funding gap grow?
Fesler and Greg Horwedel, the deputy county administrator, said at the workshop that they were not recommending the use of reserves — at least not yet.
“This is a complex deal,” Horwedel said. “We’re not at the stage yet with staff where we feel comfortable with all the dollar amounts that are being proposed and how those might impact the county budget.”
There is already a $48 million funding gap between the Rays’ request and the $702 million pieced together by the county, as well as a $27 million funding gap on the city of Tampa side of the deal.
There is also a chance the gap grows.
County staff briefings with commissioners, as well as commissioner discussions at the dais, could result in some property tax funds getting yankedfrom the deal’s final framework.
Staff have searched the couch cushions, but they have not yet blessed the use of the money they’ve found.
Commissioner Joshua Wostal, an outspoken opponent of the deal’s current structure, said he wants negotiations to continue but needs to see changes. He’s proposed a deal built solely around tourism tax dollars.
In a statement to the Times, Commissioner Christine Miller said it is too early to make a judgment.
“As of today, we have no facts — we have bits and pieces of what those facts might be,” she said. “The absurd amount of ‘what-ifs’ directed to policymakers before we have a deal to opine on does no one in our community any good.”
Commissioner Harry Cohen declined to comment, also noting the need for more information. Commissioners Gwen Myers and Donna Cameron Cepeda did not respond to a request for comment, and Hillsborough declined to make any county official, including Horwedel and County Adminstrator Bonnie Wise, available for interviews.
Hagan, who said he is on a father-son golf trip in Scotland and unavailable for comment, said in a radio appearance last month that the impact on taxpayers would be “less than zero.”
“Irrespective of where you live in Hillsborough County, no one will feel it,” he said on WDAE-AM.
In February, Ken Hagan, the county commissioner who has tried to bring the Tampa Bay Rays to Hillsborough County for nearly two decades, presented the team’s latest, and possibly final, stadium pitch.
Negotiations between the Rays and the county were still in their infancy, but momentum for a deal was mounting. Gov. Ron DeSantis and Rob Manfred, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, had both cheered the team’s plan to stay in Tampa Bay.
The following morning, Hagan, seated at the dais where he has served since 2002, presented a memo outlining how a public stadium subsidy could take shape. It emphasized the deal would steer clearof the main county account that pays for the basics, like police and firefighters, and which largely comes from property taxes.
“From the beginning of these efforts, the intent has been to identify a ballpark financing option that does not use any general revenue funds,” the memo read.
“To be clear,” it read, “no general revenue funding is being considered.”
But the county found the Rays’ proposal leaned too optimistically on a sales tax known as the Community Investment Tax, which most commissioners said in 2024 would not go to a new stadium.
Hillsborough is now floating the possibility of tapping more than $100 million in rainy day money — reserves set aside as a cushion against hard times and that largely come from property tax dollars — as the Rays seek a billion-dollar public contribution to build a $2.3 billion stadium.
Another once-verboten funding source is under consideration.
“General fund revenue is taxpayer money meant for core services,” Commissioner Chris Boles said in a written statement.
“The bar for using those dollars here should be very high.”
Property taxes enter the picture
Tom Fesler, the county’s chief financial administrator, explained the potential shift in funding at a workshop last month.
“Basically, we looked in the couch cushions to see where we could find some revenue,” he said.
But that search is not as harmless as scraping together enough quarters to buy an ice creamcone.
Hillsborough maintains reserves for budget flexibility, and keeping those reserves strong is recommended, Fesler said. Tapping them, he said, would reduce flexibility.
To what extent and with what consequence depends on the funding source. They are pots the county would likely look to if a hurricane strikes, the economy takes a downturn or state lawmakers roll back property taxes.
“Certain funds and forms of funds are more probable than others, and I think that’s what the public officials are working day and night to figure out, which is: What is the right composition of those ingredients?” said Rays CEO Ken Babby.
“How those ingredients are used, and how much of them, I’m going to leave that for the public officials to comment on,” he said. “But I can tell you there is great appetite and desire from all sides to figure this out.”
Hillsborough sometimes sees projects come in under budget or get scrapped. The county has identified $20 million that could be reallocated to the Rays from such work. About half of the money would come from an accounting system upgrade completed years ago under budget.
Other identified sources that could go to the Rays, however, would limit Hillsborough’s ability to invest elsewhere.
The county’s economic development reserve, which has $24 million, could be suitable for a stadium.
Completely draining the fund wouldmake it unavailable to other projects, like the redevelopment of the Museum of Science & Innovation site. The reserve typically receives about $2 million to $4 million annually, mostly from property taxes. Replenishing it would take years, but a Rays stadium fits its economic development billing.
The county also has a fund it uses to maintain buildings and equipment. Typically, it allocates anywhere from $50,000 to $150,000 per project. Using $10 million of the $18 million it currently holds to support a Rays deal has been presented as an option.
In 2027, the county estimates it will have $35 million that is not yet spoken for and can be put to one-year expenses. Commissioners typically vie to prop up pet projects. Another $10 million for the Rays from this fund, primarily supported by property taxes, is on the table.
Potentially most problematic is the use of two pools that could be pivotal in the future.
Hillsborough receives a share of Florida’s 6% sales tax. This county reserve of $91 million grows by about 2.7% annually. The framework proposes allotting $20 million of it to the Rays.
At DeSantis’ urging, lawmakers may sharply curb local governments’ property tax revenue — likely teeing up a heavier reliance on this reserve.
The threat of stormslooms, too. In the wake of hurricanes Helene and Milton, Hillsborough approved the use of $100 million from its disaster reserves. The account, which can be replenished as needed with property tax dollars and federal emergency money, stands at $116 million.
The proposed framework says $20 million from this fund could go to a stadium. Its construction could give Hillsborough another shelter or emergency staging center in the event of a natural disaster, but whether it qualifies for disaster funding is sure to be a topic of debate.
A pivot away from lofty sales tax projections
Early debate about how to make a financial framework work centered on the use of the Community Investment Tax, Hillsborough’s half-cent sales tax that pays for roads, public buildings and upgrades to existing professional stadiums. Before voters narrowly approved extending the tax in 2024, most of the current commissioners said the tax should not go to a new stadium. But the referendum’s language was never formally amended to reflect that belief.
As the question of tax’s eligibility loomed, the Rays pursued $467 million from Hillsborough’s portion of the tax, the Tampa Bay Times reported in March.
Hagan’s memo identified money thatexceeded the tax’s projections, reallocated sports complex dollars or unallocated tax funds as potentially viable for the Rays. Publicly, the team and advocates of the deal focused on the potential of the excess capacity.
The tax, however, is not as potent as the team hoped.
As a result, when Hillsborough released a potential funding framework last month, the tax’s contribution was drastically reduced, with the projected excess growth no longer the main component.
The county’s sales tax contribution to the deal is now at $272 million. That breaks down to $181 million pulled from the $545 million in anticipated tax revenue set aside for public facilities, and $91 million from revenue that exceeds forecasts.
To remain in the same stratosphere of the Rays’ $750 million request in county funding, Hillsborough rolled outthe general revenue funding options.
Could the funding gap grow?
Fesler and Greg Horwedel, the deputy county administrator, said at the workshop that they were not recommending the use of reserves — at least not yet.
“This is a complex deal,” Horwedel said. “We’re not at the stage yet with staff where we feel comfortable with all the dollar amounts that are being proposed and how those might impact the county budget.”
There is already a $48 million funding gap between the Rays’ request and the $702 million pieced together by the county, as well as a $27 million funding gap on the city of Tampa side of the deal.
There is also a chance the gap grows.
County staff briefings with commissioners, as well as commissioner discussions at the dais, could result in some property tax funds getting yankedfrom the deal’s final framework.
Staff have searched the couch cushions, but they have not yet blessed the use of the money they’ve found.
Commissioner Joshua Wostal, an outspoken opponent of the deal’s current structure, said he wants negotiations to continue but needs to see changes. He’s proposed a deal built solely around tourism tax dollars.
In a statement to the Times, Commissioner Christine Miller said it is too early to make a judgment.
“As of today, we have no facts — we have bits and pieces of what those facts might be,” she said. “The absurd amount of ‘what-ifs’ directed to policymakers before we have a deal to opine on does no one in our community any good.”
Commissioner Harry Cohen declined to comment, also noting the need for more information. Commissioners Gwen Myers and Donna Cameron Cepeda did not respond to a request for comment, and Hillsborough declined to make any county official, including Horwedel and County Adminstrator Bonnie Wise, available for interviews.
Hagan, who said he is on a father-son golf trip in Scotland and unavailable for comment, said in a radio appearance last month that the impact on taxpayers would be “less than zero.”
“Irrespective of where you live in Hillsborough County, no one will feel it,” he said on WDAE-AM.
The text message has been part of the daily routine for years, a father’s words of care, advice and guidance before his son takes the field.
“I love you … Play winning baseball … Take God With You.”
But there’s another line that James Vilade types out to Ryan prior to each game with his new Rays team and previously his past ones that, in a way, has the broadest meaning:
“Share the Game.”
That phrase is a core principle in the foundation James runs and Ryan participates heavily in, called Keeper of The Game.
The group’s posted mission statement is to “provide kids and young adults with special needs and disabilities unique baseball experiences that foster the growth of those individuals and their love of baseball.”
In simplest form, to share the game.
“That’s one of our goals, to share the game with people who can’t,” Ryan said. “To take someone on the field with you so you’re not all out there alone. It’s just how blessed we are to play this game, and not everyone can. It just helps you realize that this is just a game — have fun, enjoy the moment, and don’t take anything for granted."
Throughout a baseball life primarily spent coaching — in the minor leagues, at large and small colleges and now at the private high school level in the Dallas area — James, 53, has been keen on advocation.
He formed the foundation, a registered nonprofit, in 2014 through a culmination of coincidences.
James was predisposed to helping those with disabilities, having grown up with dyslexia at a time when resources and understanding weren’t abundant.
While he was coaching, his wife, Jennifer, was a special education teacher at a Dallas-area elementary school. Jennifer had a student, Hollis, who had physical disabilities but a love for baseball. James saw him one day and was drawn to help kids in similar situations realize their joy.
“Serving those,” James said, “who need us most.”
Within a couple of years, and with plenty of help, James launched the foundation.
The name came from one friend, Mike Basso, who remembered what another, Red Murff, a former big-league pitcher and longtime scout (who famously discovered Nolan Ryan), had taught them before passing — to be a keeper of the game.
“I just figured when I got my opportunities and I got a platform, I was like, I’m taking everybody with me. I’m going to embrace the community that I’m a part of,” James said. “And through baseball, it’s been wonderful.
“There’s been so many great stories, life-changing stories, stories of impact, empowerment, confidence. Golly, it’s been such a blessing. And Ryan’s been with me every step of the way.”
When Ryan was drafted by the Rockies in the second round of the 2017 draft out of Stillwater (Okla.) High, James wanted him to continue spreading the word of their work.
“The one thing I told him is that I want you to impact every community that you go in,” James said. “And there’s so many stories of it. Every place that he’s been, he’s found a way to impact the special-needs community, a lot of different needs. And a lot of the families that he’s impacted are still in touch with us to this day.”
Ryan is now in his 10th year of pro ball, with his sixth organization. He has played for 10 minor-league teams, spending most of five straight seasons (2021-25) at Triple A. The Rays are the fifth big-league team he has played for and, so far, have provided the most opportunity. Friday was his 16th game for the Rays; during stints with the Rockies, Tigers, Cardinals and Reds he played in a total of 28.
At each stop, Ryan, 27, has tried to help. Now he is starting to make those connections in the Tampa Bay area, on Friday donating $2,600 — tied to his No. 26 jersey — to the Rays’ charitable foundation. After joining other Rays in greeting guests for the team’s Magic Monday events, when it hosts members of local leagues who have unique abilities, he sent James photos. He is, as usual, open to do more.
“It’s an amazing foundation,” Ryan said. “Just being a part of the community, helping kids, on and off the field. Sharing the game with them and really, just being there for them, whether that’s with camps or equipment, or just everyday life.
“Any way we can help, we love to. It’s been a big part of our family and our lives.”
That help can be provided in different ways.
Scholarships, grants, reimbursements for families who face unexpected expenses due to a child’s hospital stay. Events such as baseball clinics, movie and bowling nights, trips to minor-league games, meet-and-greets. Free jerseys, backpacks, baseball gear.
There are two rules James — “from my heart” — insisted on: All events they do are free for the kids and their families, and no one ages out of being a member.
“We’ve just found ways to advance our programming,” he said. “Selfishly, I don’t want to say goodbye (to the kids). That’s part of it.”
There also are few limits.
“We encompass any level of disability,” James said. “We have kids that I would consider have a mild disability where they’re able-bodied and they function at a very high rate, but there’s something that they battle. And then we have kids that are medically fragile, that are in chairs and that have 24/7 care. So, it’s really unique.”
James, Ryan, the foundation staff and volunteers make them all feel special.
“What’s really cool is that it’s even to the point where we’re a team,” James said. “You’ve got the Rays and you’ve got the Yankees, and then you’ve got the team you play on, but for these kids, we’re their team. We’re their logo. We are everything that they want to be a part of that is a team — and that is baseball."
Most of their in-person events have been in the Dallas area or communities where Ryan is playing. They have started to spread their help through other states and Puerto Rico, as well as internationally, connecting with causes in Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, where the game is also popular.
Sometimes, that help can be delivered in small form.
When James, who is at Tropicana Field this weekend for his dad’s 80th birthday, goes to see Ryan play he will sometimes spot a special-needs kid among the fans, introduce himself and the foundation, and take them to the stadium store for a shopping spree of team merchandise.
“It’s just really sharing the game.”
They’ve gotten support from big-league players going to back to Elvis Andrus, Chris Davis and Rougned Odor, who James coached for the Rangers at the Double-A level.
James said they make a point to not ask big-leaguers for money, but that help comes organically or in other forms. More recent/current big-leaguers who have leant a hand include Bobby Witt Jr., Jose Trevino, Rowdy Tellez, Ryan O’Hearn and Hunter Dozier.
“We have a good group of guys that really care for it, and it’s super cool to see everyone come together and be a part of it,” Ryan said. “There’s a lot of guys that have been a part of it for a long time.”
Ryan, of course, has done the most.
And no one could be prouder than James, knowing how their work together is helping to do so much good — and to share the game.
“He definitely understands the impact that baseball has besides on himself,” James said. “He’s done a great job of that.”
MONTREAL — After 60 minutes of scoreless hockey in their do-or-die Game 6 Friday night, the Lightning embraced the moment in front of them inside the cramped visitor’s locker room at Bell Centre.
Their season was still on the ropes, but they weren’t ready for their story to be over.
“Just stick to our game,” forward Gage Goncalves said about the message going into overtime. “We’ve been tested so many times, whether it was, you know, preseason, regular season, guys being hurt, long games, battles, fights, everything. So, you know, kind of going back to that a little bit.”
In a corner of the room, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was listening to none of it, blocking out the noise.
“I was kind of 1-on-1 with my thoughts,” Vasilevskiy said. “Same with the crowd here. I don’t hear anything. Not even in the locker room, I don’t really listen to anything. I have too much going on in my head to listen.”
But the biggest source of their confidence came from Vasilevskiy, whose performance brought us all back to the goaltender who was the backbone of the Lightning’s deep playoff runs and won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2021.
“It just felt like, from a player’s standpoint, that Vasy was not going to let another goal in,” forward Brandon Hagel said. “And that’s kind of how we played. He had to make some outstanding plays. We weren’t perfect, by no means, but when he’s back there, you always have a chance, and that’s what he gave us (Friday).”
What made Vasilevskiy’s duel with Canadiens rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes more remarkable was that all of a sudden the ice opened up in Game 6 after the first five games of the series had been defined by tight checking and little space on the ice.
But neither goaltender budged.
Not until 9:03 into overtime, when a remarkable game ended on a greasy goal in the paint. Gage Goncalves’ second effort gave the Lightning a 1-0 win and sent the series back to Tampa for a decisive Game 7 Sunday at Benchmark International Arena.
“It’s obviously nerve-wracking,” Hagel said. “We don’t need to beat around the bush there. It’s a tough situation to be a part of, but you learn from those situations. The next game is obviously the biggest game a lot of us played in a long time, and I’m excited for it. These are the moments you live for. This is just a part of the story, so let’s try to keep writing it.”
The Lightning clearly seemed to feed off their goaltender with every save he made. They put him in some sticky situations, but Vasilevskiy seemingly wouldn’t be denied.
Asked about rebounding from the Lightning’s Game 5 loss, when the decisive goal went off his glove, Vasilevskiy played coy: “What happened?” he said. But the way the Lightning have withered in the postseason the previous three years hasn’t sat well with him, nor how they haven’t played well in front of their home crowd or how they’ve struggled in overtime.
“I’m pretty sure you’re all aware of our overtime record,” Vasilevskiy said. “So it’s hard to be frustrated when you don’t have any expectations in overtime. I mean, we won, so I’ll take that. ... The last two playoffs, we didn’t have a Game 6. So, I guess it was an improvement compared to the last two years. We’ll take that.”
Vasilevskiy was at his best in six minutes of shorthanded time, crossing the paint to shut down the post on a pair of Ivan Demidov chances during a second-period power play. And after Nikita Kucherov took a tripping penalty 5:30 into overtime, Vasilevskiy stopped Lane Hutson’s slap shot from the point.
“As I’ve watched with him on numerous occasions, the bigger the stakes, the more intense the game, he seems to rise to the occasion,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “And this will be looked at as a goaltender battle, because it’s a 1-0 game in overtime, but it’s the saves you make, the timing of the saves. ... I’ve seen him do it time and time again.”
Just 93 seconds after the Lightning killed off that power play, Goncalves scored the game-winner.
“It’s just one thing off your mind, because you don’t have to worry about the big guy back there,” Hagel said of Vasilevskiy. “Because you know he’s always going to be kicking them for you, and he’s gonna give you everything you can possibly have. You can just go out there, play your game, worry about yourself, and not have to worry about what’s behind you, because you know he’s gonna make that save.”
On Goncalves’ goal, Hagel took the puck off the wall and cut to the top of the right circle, where two Montreal skaters came to him, creating space for Dominic James at the bottom of the circle.
Goncalves was fighting for space in front of the net with Montreal defenseman Kaiden Guhle when he spun around him and took a pass from James that went between Guhle’s leg and to Goncalves at the back post.
Goncalves’s first attempt was stopped by Dobes, but he quickly collected the rolling puck and tapped it in the back of the net, silencing a stunned crowd that went so silent you could hear Goncalves slamming his body against the boards in celebration.
“They can be loud, but it can be quiet as well,” said rookie defenseman and Quebec native Charle-Edouard D’Astous. “I think just the way we were playing, I think we just knew. Just the vibe, you could feel it in the room, that there was no other way.”
Lightning 3, Canadiens 3
EASTERN CONFERENCE: FIRST ROUND
Game 1: Canadiens 4, Lightning 3 (OT)
Game 2: Lightning 3, Canadiens 2 (OT)
Game 3: Canadiens 3, Lightning 2 (OT)
Game 4: Lightning 3, Canadiens 2
Game 5: Canadiens 3, Lightning 2
Friday: Lightning 1, Canadiens 0 (OT)
Sunday: at Tampa, 6
TV/radio: TNT, truTV. All games also on The Spot-Ch. 66; 102.5-FM
Griffin Jax is on board with being on the plan the Rays used to transition Zack Littell, Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs back to starting.
Jax is slated on Saturday to make his second straight appearance as a multi-inning opener, with a rough goal of working a bit longer than the 2 1/3 innings and 31 pitches he threw against the Twins last Sunday, such as three and 40. Jesse Scholtens is likely to work bulk innings behind Jax.
With starter Ryan Pepiot out for the season and Joe Boyle still in the early stages of working back from an elbow strain, Jax said the Rays brought the idea to him.
Jax, a starter through the minors and his 2021 rookie season with the Twins, said there had been talks about moving to the rotation after he was acquired in July from Minnessota and again in the offseason.
“It’s been a lot of conversations. This is an organization that’s had some success doing this in the past with Drew obviously, Littell recently, and even Jeffrey Springs. … So I felt this was the right place to do this because of the success this team has had,” Jax said.
“Kyle Snyder’s the best pitching coach in the major leagues. So when the conversation got brought up, it was a pretty easy decision for me, just knowing that this was the right place to do it.”
Now, Jax said, he has to make sure it works.
“It’s just an ongoing conversation, because this is something new, in a sense. I haven’t done it in four or five years, and every day is going to look a little different. We’ve got to see how I respond to increasing workload,” he said.
“But I think, all in all, it’s going to be the right decision.”
Jax, 31, likes the opportunity to use his full six-pitch repertoire rather than the two to three he does in relief, and he is more comfortable with the starter routine of having four to five days in between outings to work. He also noted the benefit getting to spend the in-between days in the dugout soaking up info from the other starters.
Jax said one thing he wanted to be sure of before agreeing to the move was that it wasn’t the result of his struggles in the bullpen, having posted an 8.00 ERA over 11 appearances with two blown saves and two losses. He said Snyder assured him of their ongoing confidence in him as a starter and wanted it to be his decision.
“I wanted to make sure that this wasn’t a move out of desperation more so it was a move out of just belief on their side,” Jax said. “I definitely feel that that way, like they’ve been nothing but supportive of this, and shown me the data of my stuff, and how it doesn’t just drop off after one inning.”
Medical matters
Lefty reliever Garrett Cleavinger has completed a six-game rehab assignment at Triple-A Durham from a right calf strain and is expected to be activated either Saturday or Sunday. “He’s a big part; we need him back,” manager Kevin Cash said. ... Edwin Uceta, another high-leverage reliever who is sidelined with a shoulder strain, is still in a two- to three-week period of not throwing. ... Second baseman Gavin Lux, first sidelined by a right shoulder impingement, is playing rehab games again at Durham, but still has some stiffness in the left ankle he turned April 11.
Miscellany
Yandy Diaz’s second-inning home run was his 104th homer as a Ray, tying Carl Crawford for seventh on the franchise all-time list; his 300th career extra-base hit and 283rd as a Ray, tying Carlos Peña for seventh most on the franchise list; and his 996th career hit, closing in on becoming the 20th Cuban-born player with 1,000. ... Rays relievers have thrown 10 straight scoreless innings. ... Bryan Baker earned his eighth save. ... Rays.TV unveiled its “Dirt Cam,” offering field-level views for this homestand. ... Saturday’s game will be followed by a concert featuring country singer Chase Rice.
Junior Caminero got a pregame clubhouse visit Friday from former Ray Willy Adames, who talked to him about how to handle some ancillary aspects of his role as the star and face of the team.
Then Caminero went out and showed part of why and how he ascended to that position, lacing a 432-foot homer to left and starting a key double play that helped the Rays to a 3-0 win over the Giants at Tropicana Field.
Yandy Diaz also homered, Shane McClanahan worked a season-high six innings for a second straight win, and the Rays (19-12) made several sharp defensive plays.
“Good win (Friday),” Caminero said.
There was some potential reason for concern, however, as Diaz was removed from the game in the seventh inning due to what manager Kevin Cash called “a little oblique tightness” on his left side.
Cash said Diaz was considered day to day and the Rays would know more when they “see how he comes in (Saturday). But the manager also said, ”I’m optimistic that we caught it early enough that he’ll be all right."
Diaz also said he’d know more about his status on Saturday.
Adames, who was one of the most popular and well-liked Rays until being traded to Milwaukee in May 2021, sought out Caminero, whom he met last year, to provide some advice.
“Obviously, he’s a promising superstar,” Adames said. “I think he could be the face of the franchise for a long time. But just trying to keep him calm, and just trying to keep him on his toes, to be honest.”
Mostly, Adames said, he told Caminero, 22, to stay in the present.
“It was more about telling him just to not, like, get ahead of yourself,” Adames said. “I know baseball is going crazy with a lot of contracts and stuff like that. I was telling him just to keep his his mind here in the present and don’t think about what’s going to happen in the future.
“Just keep enjoying the game. He’s a stud, and it’s going to be fun to see him — he’s 22, so he’s going to be in the league for a long time."
McClanahan scattered five hits, didn’t walk any batters and struck out five in winning for the third time in his last four games after returning from a two-plus-season injury absence.
Cash said he liked everything McClanahan did and showed it by letting him work six innings for the first time.
“I thought he was really good, efficient, got his swing-and- miss, got in good rhythm and just filled up the strike zone with pretty nasty stuff,” Cash said. “So, got to be pleased with that. To get through six innings, I know that’s another hurdle for him.
“I told him, ‘You’re a six-inning pitcher.’ He told me, ‘I’m a seven-inning pitcher.’ I told him, ‘Fine, man, go do it.’”
Even more meaningful, Cash said, the two-time All-Star on Friday “looked a closer version to himself.”
McClanahan appreciated the show of confidence to complete six innings for the first time since July 17, 2023, before the elbow injury that led to Tommy John surgery that August and the left arm nerve issue that wiped out his 2025 season.
“It was cool to hear that kind of leash, or whatever you want to call it, from spring training and the first month or so in the season is kind of slowly being lengthened a little bit,” he said. “My goal was to keep stacking those reps, stacking those innings and pitching as deep in games as I can.”
After Diaz’s homer off Robbie Ray gave the Rays the lead in the second inning, Caminero made it 2-0 in the fourth with his ninth homer of the season, putting him on pace for 47, ahead of the 45 he hit during last year’s breakout season.
“I feel good,” he said. “When I hit it, I don’t feel nothing. I hit it perfect.”
The Rays turned two double plays and smoothly executed a Jake Fraley-to-Taylor Walls-to Caminero relay to nab Luis Arraez trying to stretch a fourth-inning double.
“Probably our best defensive day of the season,” Cash said.
MONTREAL – The Lightning didn’t shy away from the magnitude of their must-win Game 6 against the Canadiens Friday at Bell Centre. Yes, their season was on the line, as they trailed 3-2 in the first-round series, but they also were staring at the possibility of four straight first-round playoff exits.
Outside the arena, Canadiens fans were prepared to douse themselves in Molson. Inside, the most hostile crowd in hockey was jumping at the opportunity to be an X-factor.
The Lightning have tempted fate all season long, but it’s also brought out the best in them.
And in their 1-0 overtime win, they played like there might be no tomorrow.
Make no mistake, this series has been a classic one from the start, and you never see a scoreless game through 60 minutes that is so wide open. But neither goaltender budged until the end.
Here are three moments that mattered.
Gage in the clutch
The game came down to a sloppy goal in front as Gage Goncalves cleaned up his second chance 9:03 into overtime. It came after Brandon Hagel made a move above the right circle to free himself, then got the puck to Dominic James, who put the initial shot on goaltender Jakub Dobes. Goncalves, who was dropped to the fourth line after playing primarily in a top-six role, put his second attempt past Dobes to silence the shocked crowd.
The power plays dried up in Game 6, as the officials let both teams play. Montreal was pushing after Tampa Bay defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous took a slashing penalty with 3:06 left in the second period. But Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, who saw the winning goal go off his glove in Game 5, made a pair of tremendous saves on Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov. Nick Suzuki sent a cross-slot pass to Demidov at the right circle. Vasilevslky cut off the right post to stop Demidov’s initial one-timer with his left pad, then snagged Demidov’s backhand attempt out of the air to keep the game scoreless.
Corey Perry, who was put on the Lightning’s second line with Jake Guentzel and Brayden Point, needed to do more Corey Perry things — namely, cause havoc in front of the net. And at 5:34 of the second period, he cleaned up a loose puck in front, beating Dobes between the legs. But Canadiens forward Phillip Danault, a teammate of Perry’s in Montreal and this season with the Kings before both were moved at the trade deadline, swept in from the far side and pulled the puck off the goal line.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The chaos at the start of the Kentucky Derby sometimes decides the most exciting two minutes in sports in a matter of seconds. Twenty horses bursting out of the starting gate to varying degrees of success makes it a mad dash to the turn.
Calling the race on television for NBC, Larry Collmus typically focuses on the favorite. This year presents a challenge.
“I don’t know who the favorite is going to be,” Collmus said. “I guess we’ll find out. It’s wide open this year.”
Todd Pletcher-trained Renegade opened as the favorite, but it could just as easily be Brad Cox’s Commandment or Further Ado or Bill Mott’s Chief Wallabee by the time the field of 20 leaves the gate. The first leg of the Triple Crown is so wide open that at least a half-dozen horses have a legitimate chance to win the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.
“There’s a lot of different ways you could go if you were handicapping this race,” said Chad Brown, the trainer of Emerging Market. “You could really make an argument at this point for maybe half the horses in the field if they ran their very, very best race and had a good trip that could win this race.”
Renegade on the rail
Renegade was set as the 4-1 favorite on the morning line, but last weekend he drew the inside No. 1 post position on the rail. No horse has won the Derby from there since Ferdinand in 1986.
“It’s not the one we would have chosen,” Pletcher said. “It’s not ideal, but it’s what we got and we’ll do the best we can with it.”
When Pletcher watched replays of every race since the new starting gate was introduced in 2020, he thought his horses and others on the rail were negatively affected and their chances compromised. The last horse to break from the very inside to finish in the money was Lookin At Lee in 2017.
Irad Ortiz Jr. is being counted on to navigate Renegade through the 1 1/4-mile journey around the dirt track at Churchill Downs, and while he has yet to win the Kentucky Derby, he’s in his prime as one of the best jockeys in the world.
“Irad’s riding in great form right now, so they just got to work it out,” Pletcher said. “I think his natural running style is to kind of settle and make one run like he has been doing, so we’re not looking to change that.”
Cox’s trio is a duo but still formidable
Cox entered three horses but is down to two after ruling out Fulleffort on Thursday because of a chip in the colt’s left hind ankle. Mark Casse’s Silent Tactic and Kenny McPeek’s Right to Party were also scratched, putting Great White, Ocelli and Robusta into the field on the far outside.
Commandment and Further Ado each has shown the ability to finish first in this deep class of 3-year-olds. Commandment has won four in a row, including the Florida Derby, while Further Ado bounced back from a lengthy absence and won the Blue Grass Stakes.
They will now face rivals who thrived all over the country.
“There’s a lot of talent, obviously, coming from different regions, whether it’s California, Florida, Louisiana, New York,” Cox said. “I do feel like the horses in Florida were definitely the strongest region this year.”
Bob Baffert’s Potente was second to So Happy in the Santa Anita Derby in Southern California, and Litmus Test comes from Oaklawn Park in Arkansas. Baffert is tied for the most Derby victories among trainers and can take sole possession of the record if one of his long shots comes through.
With Danon Bourbon and homebred Wonder Dean, Japan again has strong presence two years after Forever Young was a close third. The country is in search of its first Derby win.
No super horse?
It does not look like there is a super horse in this field who is capable of sweeping the Triple Crown like Justify in 2018 and American Pharoah in 2015.
“There’s by no means an American Pharoah in here, at least up to this point, going into the race,” Brown said. “Now, whoever wins this race and goes on, maybe one emerges and turns into one of the best 3-year-olds in the last few years. Who knows?”
The bigger question is whether any of them would get the chance, given the reluctance of owners and trainers to run a horse two weeks later in the Preakness Stakes, which this year takes place at Laurel Park while Pimlico Race Course is rebuilt. Two of the past four Kentucky Derby winners did not run in the Preakness, which could soon move from the third to the fourth weekend in May to attract more horses.
By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Sports Writer
The field
The Derby field with post position, horse’s name and jockey:
Post position, Horse, Jockey
1. Renegade, Irad Ortiz Jr.
2. Albus, Manny Franco
3. Intrepido, Hector Barrios
4. Litmus Test, Martin Garcia
6. Commandment, Luis Saez
7. Danon Bourbon, Atsuya Nishimura
8. So Happy, Mike Smith
9. The Puma, Javier Castellano
10. Wonder, Dean Ryusei Sakai
11. Incredibolt, Jamie Torres
12. Chief Wallabee, Junior Alvarado
14. Potente, Juan Hernandez
15. Emerging Market, Flavien Prat
16. Pavlovian, Edwin Maldonado
17. Six Speed, Brian Hernandez Jr.
18. Further Ado, John Velazquez
19. Golden Tempo, Jose Ortiz
21. Great White, Alex Achard
22. Ocelli, Joe Ramos
23. Robusta, Cristian Torres
Trainers (by post): 1. Todd Pletcher; 2. Riley Mott; 3. Jeff Mullins; 4. Bob Baffert; 6. Brad Cox; 7. Manabu Ikezoe; 8. Mark Glatt; 9. Gustavo Delgado; 10. Daisuke Takayanagi; 11. Riley Mott; 12. Bill Mott; 14. Bob Baffert; 15. Chad Brown; 16. Doug O’Neill; 17. Bhupat Seemar; 18. Brad Cox; 19. Cherie DeVaux; 21. John Ennis; 22. D. Whitworth Beckman; 23. Doug F. O’Neill
The clash between the Lightning and Canadiens is razor tight. Not a single team has strung together back-to-back wins, and every game has come down to the slimmest of margins.
Rays starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot will have right hip surgery and miss the entire season.
Pepiot has been sidelined since the last week of spring training with what was called right hip inflammation. He will have surgery May 13 in Nashville by specialist Dr. Thomas Byrd to address labrum and impingement issues.
The Rays originally hoped for the right-hander to return early in April. Pepiot has tried a combination of rest, treatment and a visit to Byrd, who provided a cortisone shot, but none of it was effective.
“It’s unfortunate,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “It’s a guy that made (31) starts for us (last year), and that we were hoping was going to be available at some point. It just didn’t look like it was going to turn in the right direction.”
Pepiot is expected to be fully ready for spring training 2027.
The Rays initially replaced Pepiot in the rotation with Joe Boyle, but then he was sidelined with an elbow strain. Jesse Scholtens has worked bulk innings in that slot since then, and reliever Griffin Jax is being used as a multi-inning opener with the potential to transition to starting as another option.
Boyle is now progressing toward a return. He threw a live batting practice Thursday and if a Sunday bullpen session goes well, he will head out on a rehab assignment.
Mason Englert, sidelined with right forearm tightness, is on a similar schedule. He has been used as a multi-inning reliever and could also be stretched out to start.
Pepiot, 28, was the Rays’ opening-day starter last season after Shane McClanahan was sidelined late in spring training, and Pepiot was being counted on this season to carry a heavy workload in the rotation.
Pepiot, acquired in December 2023 from the Dodgers, was 11-12 with a 3.86 ERA last season, leading the Rays in innings (167 2/3) and quality starts (14).
MONTREAL — Lightning coach Jon Cooper was coy at first when asked Friday how long it will be before defenseman Victor Hedman is an option to play. After all, the team has set a precedent for surprise appearances in the postseason.
No one will forget Steven Stamkos’ out-of-nowhere return for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Stars in 2020. Two years ago, defenseman Mikhail Sergachev returned for an elimination game against Florida just 2 ½ months after breaking his leg in two places.
Going into the Lightning’s must-win Game 6 of the first-round series against the Canadiens Friday at Bell Centre, Cooper said Hedman will be an option “really soon,” though he ruled out the veteran defenseman for Game 6.
“It’s hard for me to say whether he’s going to play in this series or not,” Cooper said. “This has a maximum of two games left. Regardless, the series is over in 60 hours or whatever it is. And our anticipation is that our season isn’t going to end (Friday). So, take it for what it is.”
Hedman again was a full participant at Friday’s morning skate and did extra work with the scratched players. He was on the ice for about an hour and had no visible limitations.
The Lightning will get rookie defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous back for Game 6 after he was knocked out of Game 1 after a hit from Montreal forward Josh Anderson that drew a charging penalty.
D’Astous’ return will shift Emil Lilleberg back to the right side on the third defensive pairing, reuniting a duo that played well together over the second half of the season.
One of the highlights of the early part of the season was D’Astous scoring his second NHL goal at Bell Centre in a game that was a homecoming for him — he grew up about four hours away in Rimouski — and there was plenty of anticipation for his return to Montreal. Since he’s missed the past four games, that didn’t happen in Games 3 or 4. He now he has a chance to make bigger memories.
“It’s unreal,” D’Astous said. “I think just being able to play in the playoffs and being able to play against Montreal, now in Montreal, my family will be there, so for sure, it’s gonna be an awesome moment.”
The return of D’Astous, an offensive-minded defenseman who can push the puck up the ice and play a physical game, will provide a spark for the Lightning. He’s been a key part of the defense corps since joining the team in October.
“To have a player like him back who has great qualities and a lot of talent, it’s great to have him back,” defenseman J.J. Moser said. “I think we’ve seen it all year — it doesn’t matter who jumps in, they can contribute and they can make a difference.”
Forward Nick Paul also is expected to return after missing Game 5 due to an illness. He was a full participant at Friday’s morning skate.
As for the Lightning, they are in a familiar situation, once again facing elimination in the first round. For the veteran core that dealt with its share of postseason disappointment before going to three straight Stanley Cup finals from 2020-22 and now faces a fourth straight first-round exit, Friday’s game is a monumental moment, Cooper said.
“You can call it scar tissue. I call it anger, I call it urgency,” Cooper said. “There’s so many different ways you can say this, but, yeah, it’s ‘look in the mirror time’ for us, and I’m included. It’s not just that core group. I consider myself that core, too. So, yeah we have to look in the mirror here.”
Cooper a finalist for Adams Award
Cooper, one of three finalists, has a chance to win his first Jack Adams Award, which goes to the coach “adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success.”
The other finalists are Buffalo’s Lindy Ruff and Pittsburgh’s Dan Muse, who guided their teams on unexpected runs to the postseason.
Cooper, who is the league’s longest-tenured coach, has an experienced team with tons of skill and talent that is an annual Cup contender but dealt with a season ravaged by injury. The Lightning had 339 man games lost this season, not including the 14 that Hedman missed for his leave of absence at the end of the season.
Quote of the Day
“He got a good hit. It’s good for a guy who doesn’t play much, so maybe it makes him play a little more. But you’ve got to take it. It doesn’t matter if I get hit or anything. It’s how I come back, and I just want to keep playing hard the same way.”
— Montreal forward Juraj Slafkovsky on Lightning defenseman Max Crozier’s open-ice hit on him in Game 4
Tropicana Field is up and running again after Hurricane Milton in 2024 ripped the roof off and drenched the interior, sending the Tampa Bay Rays to George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa last year.
The Rays are now back home at the Trop, which debuted April 6 with a new roof that can withstand 130 mph winds and interior upgrades.
Three weeks later, a video showing a pair of columns shaking inside the Trop went viral on social media. Several television news outlets picked up the video.
Geoffrey Rogers of Tampa uploaded the video the morning after the Rays played host to the Minnesota Twins April 25. Rogers told the Tampa Bay Times in a text message that he contacted the customer support email address at the Trop but never heard back. He declined further comment.
Beth Herendeen, St. Petersburg’s managing director for city development administration and finance, was the city’s lead on putting the Trop back together. She said she first learned about the video on Monday. The Trop is owned by Pinellas County but is managed by St. Petersburg.
Herendeen said she went to the Trop on Tuesday morning and met with the Rays and the team’s engineer. She said the Rays and their engineer told her that it was a maintenance issue, not a storm-related issue, and that the bolts just needed to be tightened.
They were tightened. Herendeen said that the Rays told her that the columns sometimes loosen.
“Everything is good to go,” she said.
In a statement, the Rays said the columns are part of independent, free‑standing bleacher systems located in right and left field. The team said the columns are specifically designed to be adjustable and can be relocated to support various event configurations.
These systems include adjustable bases that allow for proper leveling and load redistribution, according to the statement. The Rays said their staff inspected and leveled the exposed columns to ensure proper bearing on the floor slab.
“The building is safe, and the organization remains committed to the safety and well‑being of all fans and staff," the statement read.
Some hitters impress you with the way they turn on pitches and hit long, majestic home runs.
That’s not Yandy Diaz.
Some players thrive by capitalizing on speed, and others with slick gloves.
That’s not Yandy Diaz, either.
Some hitters swagger and preen as if they are begging for attention.
That’s certainly not Yandy Diaz.
You want to know who Yandy Diaz is?
One of the best pure hitters of his generation.
That’s not an exaggeration. Since arriving in Tampa Bay in 2019, Diaz has an .824 OPS. That’s higher than Manny Machado and his $350 million contract. He has a .374 on-base percentage. That’s higher than Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and his $500 million deal. His average exit velocity is 92 mph. That’s higher than Bryce Harper and his $330 million contract.
The point is not that Diaz deserves more money — although he is one of the better bargains in the game with a $12 million salary in 2026 and an option in 2027 for somewhere between $10 million-$13 million — but that there should be a little more awe surrounding his name.
He’s never had flashy home run totals, and his exposure is limited by having played in two markets outside of MLB’s epicenter. The language barrier (he’s a native of Cuba) has also been a likely factor in his relative anonymity, and so has his low-key, almost shy, personality.
But the reality is Diaz, 34, is a hitter of uncommon consistency. In each of the past four seasons, his slugging percentage has been above .400 and his strikeout total has been below 100. You want to know how many hitters can match that combo of total bases while routinely putting the ball in play? Two. Diaz and Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez.
“That’s probably the best (way) to describe Yandy: consistency at the plate,” said Rays manager Kevin Cash. “I know we’ve had stretches early on in seasons where he hasn’t gotten going, but then you look up in the middle of the season or the end of the season and his numbers seem to get to a really productive, impressive spot.”
His bat speed isn’t nearly as impressive as teammate Junior Caminero — and, in fact, Diaz’s bat has gradually slowed in his 30s — but the combination of strength, bat-to-ball skills and adherence to his approach makes him one of the game’s more difficult outs.
Unlike a lot of hitters with 20-homer power, Diaz is not trying to turn on every pitch and drive it over the wall. The bulk of his home runs go to rightfield and are typically not tape-measure jobs. Diaz is comfortable hitting the opposite way and has a flatter swing path that has produced more line drives than fly balls in each of the last five years.
Last season, he was in the 94th percentile of exit velocity and hard-hit percentage, while also striking out less than 88% of the game’s hitters. That combo of hitting the ball hard without a lot of swing-and-miss is a unique skill.
“That’s rare. Very rare,” said Rays hitting coach Chad Mottola. “(A coach) always deals with the person in front of you, the DNA that they have built-in. He’s a little more fun, because he has more tools available. More clubs available, as we like to say. More lanes available to cover pitches. So you can get creative with those guys.”
We’ve grown so accustomed to Diaz’s offensive output that we sometimes forget how special he’s been. Going into the weekend series against the Giants, Diaz is in the top 10 in the American League in batting average (.330), on-base percentage (.421), hits (38) and RBIs (20).
None of this happens by accident. Earlier this season, when pitchers were pounding him inside, Diaz started getting away from his normal swing path. So he did pregame drills with assistant hitting coach Ozzie Timmons tossing him balls from the side so Diaz could work on keeping his swing short and the barrel back.
Diaz doesn’t overthink his plan — he doesn’t do extensive scouting work on opposing pitchers — but he intuitively understands what works for him.
Even if we don’t always appreciate the idea that — along with Evan Longoria, Ben Zobrist and Carl Crawford — he is one of the best hitters this franchise has ever had.
“He’s not the typical launch-angle, how-far-can-he-hit-it guy. He doesn’t care about that,” said Timmons. “He just wants to make good contact all the time, and he’s so strong he’s going to hit the ball as hard as anybody. He just doesn’t do it in a sexy way. He’s always been simple. I always tell people, he is one of the best hitters I’ve ever worked with. They say, ‘Yandy Diaz?’ And I say, ‘Yeah, because he hits the ball as hard as anybody.’
“It doesn’t look like he’s swinging hard, but he makes hard contact. His bat is under control all the time. It’s not about swinging hard, it’s about making hard contact. And he does that as well as anybody.”
The only thing that’s now guaranteed for the Lightning is 60 more minutes of hockey.
An organization that has set the highest of standards is trying to avoid four straight first-round playoff exits. At this point, the sting of postseason disappointment is fresher than the euphoria of lifting the Stanley Cup.
And after blowing an opportunity to take control of their best-of-seven series against the Canadiens Wednesday in Tampa, the Lightning face elimination in a must-win Game 6 Friday night in Montreal.
“I think everyone, personally, when Game 6 is over, will learn a lot about themselves,” Lightning forward Brandon Hagel said. “This team will learn a lot about themselves. So, there’s not much more to say. We’ve just kind of got to leave it up to us, and I think it’ll show a lot about our team and a lot about who we are as people.”
It’s a test in more ways than one. It not only will show how this season’s team will be evaluated. If the Lightning fail to win a playoff series for a fourth straight season, there will be plenty of questions about the direction of the franchise.
Because as it sits right now, it’s not good enough.
“You watch your game and realize whatever you thought you brought last night wasn’t good enough,” Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. “So you’ve got to find another level to your game here. I trust all our guys will do that. … It’s up to us individually here.
“Look at yourself, see where you can raise your game and bring what you can bring, whether it’s offense or defense, but bring a little bit more of some other things, too, because that’s what’s needed here to get us to where we want to go.”
Every game of the series has been decided by one goal, so the margins remain small. But the Lightning blew a golden opportunity in front of their home crowd in Game 5, falling behind early for the fourth time in the series and having to chase the game in an eventual 3-2 loss.
“Would we rather be the team up (in the series) 3-2? There’s no question,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “But I’m not walking into these games sitting here saying, ‘Oh my God, they’re running right through us.’ Like, that’s not what’s happening. So we need to find the best version of ourselves, and everybody’s got to elevate their game to have us advance. ... Hages is right. We’re going to find out a lot about ourselves.”
Now, the Lightning have to quickly flip the page from Game 5 or their season will be over.
“I just didn’t think we executed our game plan, which is sad, to be honest,” Hagel said. “It’s Game 5 in your own building. You can take the series. We didn’t give a full 60 (minutes). It’s cliche to say, but it’s more the little mistakes that cost us goals. We’ve got to do a better job at that, especially in those situations.
“But at the end of the day, that’s behind us. That happened (Wednesday). We’ve got to move on. That’s why it’s a best-of-seven. These situations happen. This adversity comes to you. I think I heard someone say before you’re able to lose 12 games to win the Stanley Cup. So, that’s the reality of it. And we’re gonna go in there (Friday) and do what we can.”
Whether pressure builds on the Lightning in their most defining moment will be revealed in front of a hostile crowd at Bell Centre. Having to fight back, playing with their backs against the wall, always has brought the best out in this team. It has tempted fate all season long, and now it’s put itself in the most critical of positions.
“We’ve been a hungry group all year,” McDonagh said. “It’s been our message since Day 1 of training camp, setting ourselves up for a long playoff run here. So, it’s up to the guys in the room to dig deep here and understand the situation we put ourselves in. And no one’s happy with the result (Wednesday) night. We had a great opportunity at home to take the lead in this series, and it slipped away from us.
“That’s out of our control now. What we do know is that we’ve got a game (Friday) night, and thankfully it is (Friday) night and we don’t have two days between a game, which has happened a couple times now. So, you know, there should be a want of response here from this group and a confident response. We’ve come up in big situations all year and handled different adversity all season, and now it’s like I said, coming up clutch here when we need it.”
The Tampa Bay Rays’ June 1 deadline for a stadium agreement is ticking closer. If Hillsborough County and the city of Tampa can’t agree on a deal to fund the team’s $1.065 billion public ask, CEO Ken Babby said earlier this month, the Rays “would have no choice but to evaluate alternatives.”
The deadline, outlined in a draft memorandum of understanding from the team, is “driven by practical constraints, not pressure tactics,” Babby said. Failure to meet it may jeopardize state funding that the deal could be “economically infeasible” without.
A week later, theHillsborough County Attorney’s Officeshared a nine-page memorandum with the team that said the county may need to move at a slower pace — and raised more than three dozen other sticking points, from timeline to budget to parking. The Rays sent a list of responses the following day.
As stadium talks continue, here are six key questions Hillsborough asked the Rays.
1. “How was the stadium budget determined?”
The Rays have pitched a $2.3 billion baseball stadium with 31,000seats and a shell roof. The team said budget assumptions are “being informed by ongoing market pricing, consultant input, and contractor estimates and feedback.” Citing the cost of a new Kansas City Royals stadium, the Rays said their budget is in line with other comparable projects.
County leaders said at a workshop earlier this month that they hope to lower the cost of the project, and last week’s memo asked the Rays to detail their efforts to keep the cost as low as possible. The team, in response, said it is “continuing to evaluate potential design and construction efficiencies.”
“Ultimately,” the Rays said, “while stakeholder input is considered as part of the process, design decisions should ultimately be made by the Rays.”
2. “What are the private funding sources for the Rays portion of the stadium construction?... Describe the plan to obtain additional private funding if the total private and public funding is not sufficient to cover all necessary construction costs of the stadium.”
The Rays have said they will pay for more than half of the stadium with a $1.235 billion private contribution, as well as insurance, repairs and cost overruns.
How that money will come together is not yet clear. The team said the makeup of its contribution will be addressed in a later development and funding agreement.
3. “Describe how the Rays determined the percentage of public funds that will go toward specific areas and/or amenities in the stadium and surrounding grounds.”
The county wants to focus its investment in the areas of the stadium used by fans, Greg Horwedel, the deputy county administrator, said at a county workshop earlier this month.
The Rays said the involved parties — including the city, county and the Tampa Sports Authority — will address how funds are deployed through a mutually agreed-upon framework in the future funding agreement. The team is “open to a process to confirm eligible uses of public funds.”
4. “What is the minimum valuation of completed mixed-use development that the Rays and/or their development partner(s) will agree to guarantee?"
The Rays have said they will invest at least $8 billion into a taxable, mixed-use development surrounding the stadium with homes, shops and offices. Tax revenues from that development will help coverthe public contribution to the stadium project, the Rays say. The team has yet to release a detailed plan for the development.
The Rays said factors like “market conditions, entitlement processes, and other variables outside of our direct control” mean they cannot nail down a schedule nor guarantee “specific mixed-use valuation thresholds.”
Should the mixed-use project get delayed — which would limit tax revenues used to pay for the stadium — the Rays said they will pay “variable rent” to Tampa’s Community Redevelopment Agency. More information on those payments will be detailed in a later funding agreement, the Rays said.
5. “Describe the Rays plan to pay annual rent for the stadium.”
In a draft memorandum of understanding released earlier this month, the team proposed $10 annual rent payments in recognition of its “significant and ongoing contributions and investment in the New Stadium Project.”
If approved, the Rays would lease the stadium from the county for 35 years with the option to extend for up to 15 additional years.
“The economic structure is intended reflect the totality of the transaction, including the Rays’ substantial private capital commitment, ongoing operating obligations, and the CRA Variable Rent,” the team said.
6. “What is the plan for how the Rays intend to provide parking for ballgames and special events?
The memorandum asked the Rays to detail a parking plan with surface lots, garages, the number of spaces and proposed parking rates.
In response, the team said an “initial parking plan showing parking during construction” had been provided. The Rays ”fully intend to continue working with stakeholders to refine the plan, including a robust event-day operating plan, as project programming advances."
On any given day at the University of Tampa baseball field, the roster tells a deeper story than just stats and standings.
Players from powerhouse local programs like Jesuit and Plant high schools, and even major Division I programs like the University of Florida, are finding their way to UT. These athletes are not just filling roster spots but shaping the identity of the team.
For junior left-handed pitcher Robert Satin, the journey home wasn’t exactly planned, but it made sense.
“UF was always my dream school,” he said. “Even though things didn’t work out … coming here was my second option out of high school. So, from here, I knew they were going to be good. I just wanted to be a part of it."
Satin’s path reflects the unpredictable nature of baseball development. Once overlooked, he exploded onto the recruiting scene after a standout summer performance, earning a sudden offer from Florida. But after struggling to find consistency at the Division I level, Satin returned to Tampa for the 2025 season more experienced, more grounded and more in control.
“I’ve got more experience, and the games have become a little bit easier for me to control this year,” said Satin, who boasts a 9-2 record and 1.67 ERA and leads the Spartans rotation with 89 strikeouts. “I took a lot of time in the offseason to work on my body. It’s just been paying off.”
He’s not alone.
Junior third baseman Jack Martinez, one of the many talented athletes who played at Jesuit, followed a different but equally telling route. During his high school career, Martinez explained he would just show up to practice or see his teammates in class and that would be it. There were no real bonding activities the team would do together, not as much teamwork as UT has.
After high school, he left Florida to play in North Carolina, only to realize it wasn’t the right fit.
“I hated playing there,” Martinez said. “I didn’t like the atmosphere, and the coaches just didn’t really care.”
Martinez found his way back to Tampa, spending two years at Hillsborough College before joining the Spartans this season, entering a program that felt different.
“We do a lot more things together here,” Martinez said. “Team dinners, Topgolf, clay shooting, and it really brings us closer.”
Martinez also mentioned how blown away he is by coach Joe Urso and the championship program he has built over 26 years at UT.
“He kind of coaches like a football team,” Martinez said. “It’s weird to say, but, like, he’ll be in the outfield just yelling to stop and do what we just did again … It’s just crazy how he’s already thinking way ahead of the game. It’s really just unbelievable what he does.”
That emphasis on connection isn’t accidental. It’s a cornerstone of Urso’s philosophy and a big reason why players on the baseball team are thriving.
“We do a lot of team-building to create that family,” Urso said. “Topgolf as a team, a bunch of lake parties, you name it, just trying to build that family, and these guys have really bought into that.”
Urso, who has led the Spartans to seven national championships since 2001, isn’t just recruiting talent, he’s recruiting a mindset.
“If I have two equal recruits, and one’s from a winning program and one’s from a losing program, I want the winner,” he said. “Guys that come from these winning programs, like Jesuit, like Plant, University of Florida, these are guys that are used to winning every day, and they know the expectations to win every day. So, you know, there are some of these guys that are in our program that haven’t won before, they look at me like I’m crazy when we lose a game and I get upset. But that’s the expectation here. It’s to win every night.”
Clearly this expectation is paying off.
Despite bringing in more than 21 new players, the defending national champs have surged to a 36-7 record (22-2 in the Sunshine State Conference) with just six games remaining before South Regionals begin.
But Urso is quick to point out that talent alone isn’t enough.
“We’re a great team, but not great enough individually to just flip a switch and go win ballgames,” he said.
Consistency and effort are what Urso preaches to his team.
That consistency is being built through a mix of local familiarity — 11 players hail from Hillsborough or Pinellas counties — and high-level experience. Players who grew up competing against each other in Tampa Bay now find themselves as teammates, bonded not just by talent but also by shared roots.
It creates a team that feels both elite and deeply connected to its community.
For players like Satin and Martinez, returning home has offered more than just another chance to play; it’s offered perspective.
For UT, it’s created a roster that doesn’t just represent Tampa.
With the game, the season and a lingering part of their legacy on the line in the third period, the Lightning played at a furious pace.
Shot after shot after shot. Chance after chance after chance.
For the final 3:10 of the game, the Lightning did all they possibly could to pressure Montreal.
As for the first 16:50 of the third period?
Pffft.
The Lightning lost 3-2 to the Canadiens in Game 5 on Wednesday night and are potentially 60 minutes of ice time away from their fourth consecutive first-round exit, all because they have been schooled by the youngest team in the playoffs.
Not exactly the narrative you expected when the series began 11 days ago. Not from this team. Not from this opponent.
The Lightning had all the postseason accolades. They had the award winners and future Hall of Famers. And, yeah, maybe they’re not the complete team they once were, but surely they had more savvy and grace than an upstart Montreal team that lost 52 games just a couple of years ago.
And yet, it is the Canadiens who have controlled the tempo of this first-round series. It is the Canadiens who have come up big in critical moments. And it is the Lightning who have had too many brain farts and too little urgency.
“You can make all the excuses you want, I guess,” said forward Corey Perry. “We’re fighting from behind right from the start.”
It’s been that way since the series began. As close as the games have been — and all five have been decided by one goal — the Canadiens have looked more composed. More sure of themselves. And the Lightning have looked like the younger brothers trying to prove they belong.
“Did I think we had our best game? We clearly did not,” coach Jon Cooper said. “It is really disappointing to come home and lose? It is.”
Maybe the Lightning have fooled themselves into thinking they can flip a switch whenever they want, but the evidence certainly doesn’t back that up. While they have only been outscored 14-13 over the course of five games, they are constantly scrambling to catch up. Montreal has scored the first goal in four of the five games.
Tampa Bay, meanwhile, has held the lead for a grand total of 27:12. That works out to roughly 8.5% of their time on the ice.
In other words, this series has been close and lopsided simultaneously.
And never was that more evident than the third period on Wednesday.
The Lightning showed impressive fight to come back from deficits of 1-0 and 2-1, and should have begun the third period with all of the momentum in the world. Instead, Darren Raddysh hit a post 28 seconds into the period, and Nikita Kucherov mishit a wobbly rebound in front of an open net.
Thirty-eight seconds later, Alexandre Texier scored on a breakaway while the Lightning were casually executing a line change.
And, from there, it was like the Lightning barely showed a pulse.
For the first 16:50 of the third period of a pivotal playoff game, they got only four shots on goal, including three from defensemen. The box score says Tampa Bay outshot Montreal 40-24, which gives the appearance that the Lightning dominated possession, but nothing could be further from the truth. They ripped off 13 shots on goal in the final 190 seconds of the game, which might look good on paper but was mostly futile desperation.
“I don’t think we had a ton of sustained zone time tonight,” said forward Brayden Point. “I think that was kind of the difference in the game.”
None of this is in a vacuum, of course. The Canadiens got 106 points in the regular season, and the past two weeks have proven that it was no fluke.
But this is not like the past two postseasons when the Lightning ran into the buzzsaw that was Florida. It’s not even 2023 when they faced Toronto with proven stars like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and John Tavares.
This was supposed to be a matchup that favored Tampa Bay. You would think that a been-there, done-that team like the Lightning would have a huge advantage over an opponent getting its first taste of success.
Instead, the Lightning are the ones who have looked tentative and unsure.
They’re the ones who have trailed in every single game.
And they’re the ones who are one loss from another first-round debacle.
By now, we know this about the Lightning: They never make anything easy for themselves.
Their season isn’t over. It still has breath. But after battling to put themselves in position to take control of their neck-and-neck, first-round series against the Canadiens on home ice, they put themselves behind early again Wednesday and couldn’t play catch-up in their most pivotal game of the season.
Following their 3-2 loss in Game 5 at Benchmark International Arena, they face a must-win game Friday in Montreal. Unless they can conjure up the urgency to win the final two games of the series, the Lightning’s season will end in the first round of the playoffs for the fourth straight season.
“We’ve got no choice,” Lightning center Brayden Point said. “We either show up or we’re out. So, that’s the mentality.”
The margins remain narrow. All five games have been decided by a goal, and the first three needed overtime. But for an organization that has set the bar high to win a Stanley Cup year in and year out, where the Lightning sit right now — on the brink of elimination — feels beyond disappointing.
“Is it really disappointing to come home and lose? It is,” said Lightning coach Jon Cooper. “This is something we should take a ton of pride in and dig our heels in. ... Just the fact that we kept going down, we had to keep chasing the game. That’s not a recipe for success.”
Since coming out of the Olympic break, the Lightning have been constantly falling behind. So there should be no reason to expect that not to carry into the postseason, where Montreal has scored the first goal in four of the five games. Only in Game 2 did Tampa Bay score first, and even then it went into the third period trailing.
At some point, that will catch up to a team, and the Canadiens might be the opponent to make that flaw a fatal one.
Still, the Lightning had a chance to win going into the third period Wednesday, as Jake Guentzel’s goal with 2:37 left in the second sent the game into the final 20 minutes tied at 2-2.
The biggest sequence of the game — and maybe the series — came in the first 66 seconds of the third period. Twenty-eight seconds into the period, Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh weaved his way into the high slot and wristed an 86 mph shot that pinged loudly off the left post. Nikita Kucherov had a second chance on the rebound but flubbed his shot.
Then, 38 seconds later, the Lightning were behind again. Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson caught Tampa Bay on a line change, connecting with Alexandre Texier at the blue line on a stretch pass. Texier’s wrister from the left circle was nothing special, but it went off the thumb of Andrei Vasilevskiy’s glove into the back of the net.
It was a shot that Vasilevskiy, who was named a Vezina Trophy finalist earlier in the day, would have easily snagged out of the air on pretty much any other night.
“It stems way before,” Cooper said. “Forever, all Vasy does is bail us out of those when we had those. At rare times, sometimes he doesn’t, but (Texier) never should have gotten that deep into our zone.”
The arena’s seating bowl had far too many red jerseys for any true-blue Tampa Bay fan’s liking, but the Lightning didn’t give the home crowd much to cheer for early.
The trouble started just three minutes into the game, when Montreal forward Brendan Gallagher, making his series debut after being a healthy scratch for the first four games, jumped up and flipped a puck over Vasilevskiy’s glove side.
“The margin’s so small,” Lightning forward Corey Perry said. “We’ve got two teams that are equal, and when you’re fighting from behind, it’s a tough game because you’re always chasing.”
The Lightning received a spark from rookie center Dominic James, who was thrust into the third-line center role in part because the team scratched Nick Paul due to illness, something Cooper said the team found out about an hour before the game.
James scored off the rush from the right circle at 6:49 of the second, but Montreal regained the lead 11 seconds later when Kirby Dach turned the corner on Gage Goncalves, fought through Vasilevskiy’s poke check, kicked the puck to his forehand side and beat Vasilevskiy.
It’s been the Canadiens’ line of Dach, Texier and Zach Bolduc — not the talented top six that features Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov — that has killed the Lightning in this series, scoring six of Montreal’s nine 5-on-5 goals.
Now, the Lightning must go back to Bell Centre with their season on the line Friday night and find a way to extend it to a do-or-die Game 7 at home.
“We gotta drag ‘em back here,” Perry said. “There’s nothing about it, but go in, and you know it’s gonna be a hostile environment, it’s loud, but block it out and just go play. We found a way last game there. We’ve got to go do it again.”
Canadiens 3, Lightning 2
EASTERN CONFERENCE:
FIRST ROUND
Game 1: Canadiens 4, Lightning 3 (OT)
Game 2: Lightning 3, Canadiens 2 (OT)
Game 3: Canadiens 3, Lightning 2 (OT)
Game 4: Lightning 3, Canadiens 2
Wednesday: Canadiens 3, Lightning 2
Friday: at Montreal, 7, ESPN2
Sunday: at Tampa, TBD*
TV/radio: All games also on The Spot-Ch. 66; 102.5-FM
Success in the faceoff circle has been far from determinative of the Lightning’s fate.
Tampa Bay accumulated 106 regular-season points, tied for fifth most in the NHL, despite finishing the season ranked 28th in faceoff win percentage.
Tampa Bay opened the playoffs with a loss in which they won only 39% of faceoffs before rebounding to post a 52% win percentage in a Game 2 victory. They lost Game 3 in Montreal despite winning 54% of faceoffs. In their Game 4 comeback, they needed to win only 35% to stun the Canadiens faithful.
The correlation between winning in the faceoff circle and winning games, at least for this year’s Lightning team, has been hard to establish.
But in Wednesday night’s 3-2 loss that put them on the brink of elimination, the Lightning’s 34% faceoff win percentage was a clear hindrance.
“Possession’s huge. As you see in this series, there’s not a lot of room out there, so starting with the puck is massive,” Lightning forward Brayden Point said postgame.
“Tonight was a rough night in the (faceoff) circle.”
Forward Dominic James lost all eight of the faceoffs he took, while Point managed to win only 45% of his. Forward Yanni Gourde won only 40%.
Meanwhile, Montreal’s best faceoff takers were dominant. Forwards Jake Evans and Nick Suzuki, who each took at least 12 faceoffs, won 86% and 75% of them, respectively.
Part of the reason for the Lightning’s struggles was the absence of forward Nick Paul, who missed Game 5 with an illness.
In the series’ previous four games, Paul won 66% of his faceoffs, the best on the team by more than 10%. Paul also was Tampa Bay’s most reliable faceoff participant in the regular season, winning 54%. Connor Geekie made his second appearance of the postseason in Paul’s place, but took only one faceoff.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper said he didn’t know Paul would miss Wednesday’s game until an hour before puck drop, but he downplayed the impact of Paul’s absence.
“That was a little unexpected, but, again, that didn’t (factor in),” Cooper said.
Gallagher gets Montreal started
Looking for a boost after a deflating Game 4 loss, Canadiens coach Marty St. Louis turned to Brendan Gallagher, a 14-year NHL veteran who has played his entire career with Montreal.
Only three minutes into the game, Gallagher, who was a healthy scratch in the series’ previous four games, rebounded a bouncing puck and scored to give the Canadiens an early lead.
“Right where he scored his goal, that’s where he’s going to go, and I think it came (to a) time in the series where I feel like we probably needed a little more of that,” St. Louis said.
“Really happy the way he’s handled everything and not surprised (by) how he did tonight.”
Said Gallagher: “When your number’s called, you just want to make sure that you’re accountable to your teammates and get the job done as well.”
Early in the third period, a wrister shot from Alexandre Texier went off of Vasilevskiy’s glove and into the net for what ultimately was the winning goal.
Cooper defended Vasilevskiy postgame and took issue with failures changing and defending that led to Texier’s opportunity.
“It stems way before that,” he said of the goal. “All (Vasilevskiy) does is bail us out of those ... sometimes he doesn’t.
“It wasn’t like (Vasilevskiy) got beat. He had it, it just took a Montreal bounce.”
In a first-round series in which games have been decided by the narrowest of margins, Game 5 loomed large. With the series between the Lightning and Canadiens tied at two games apiece and basically down to a best-of-three, the team that prevailed Wednesday night at Benchmark International Arena would be in position to take the series by the horns.
Now, following their 3-2 loss, the Lightning face elimination as the series heads to Montreal for Game 6 on Friday. They never led Wednesday and were chasing the game from the three-minute mark on, hardly the way to take advantage of the home-ice advantage they were regifted by winning Game 4 Sunday in Montreal.
Here are three moments that mattered in Game 5.
Spark off the bench
Brendan Gallagher, who has played the entirety of his 14-year NHL career with Montreal and has 77 playoff games on his resume, sat and watched the first four games of the series as a healthy scratch. But he drew into the Canadiens lineup for Game 5 and provided an immediate spark by scoring the first goal three minutes into the game. After a neutral-zone turnover by the Lightning, Alex Newhook drove toward the net and flung a shot wide of the left post, but the puck bounced back to him. Andrei Vasilevskiy threw out his left pad to stop Newhook’s second attempt, but Gallagher scooped up the puck in front and lifted a shot past the Lightning goaltender.
Quick response
Dominic James tied the game off the rush with his first career postseason goal at 6:49 of the second period. But before his goal could be announced, Montreal regained the lead 11 seconds later on Kirby Dach’s second goal of the series. Dach pulled the puck off the wall and turned the corner on Gage Goncalves. As Dach skated toward the front of the net, Vasilevskiy’s poke-check jarred the puck away. But Dach was able to kick it back to his forehand and beat Vasilevskiy on his glove side.
A two-goal shift
Early in the third period, the Lightning saw a potential go-ahead goal ping harmlessly off the post, then allowed Montreal to take the lead just 38 seconds later. Twenty-six seconds into the period, Darren Raddysh weaved his way into the high slot and released a wrister that hit off the left post. Nikita Kucherov charged in and collected the rebound but fanned on the shot. Lane Hutson then sent a stretch pass that sprung Alexandre Texier, whose wrister from the left circle hit off the palm of Vasilevskiy’s glove and went in. It was definitely a shot the goaltender would want to have back.
Sonya Bryson-Kirksey remembers it as “a work of God.”
After performing at a military charity event in 2013, Bryson-Kirksey, a veteran herself, was invited to a Bucs game, where she sat in the same suite as John Franzone, the Lightning’s senior vice president of game presentation.
A conversation with Franzone turned into an invitation to audition to sing the national anthem at Lightning games. An offer which, Bryson-Kirksey assumed, would involve competition.
But when she arrived to the arena, there were no other prospective performers. What she thought to be an audition was more of an appointment.
A few days later, she sang her first pre-game national anthem on the Lightning’s home ice. On Wednesday, she sang her 500th.
Before Tampa Bay’s pivotal Game 5 matchup against the Montreal Canadiens, Bryson-Kirksey stepped out onto the ice in a bedazzled Lightning sweater and signature blue lipstick. She was greeted with a raucous applause from a crowd riled up for playoff hockey but evidently appreciative of her milestone, too. A Lightning jersey with her name and 500 marked the occasion on the big screen.
Bryson-Kirksey is now a staple of the team’s home game experience.
Her tenure rivals that of some of the Lightning’s most revered players, and she’s grown accustomed to the occasional autograph request while out in public.
She traveled with the team when the Stanley Cup playoffs were held in a Covid bubble, and she even has a championship ring.
But every performance, she said, is still special in its own way. Her appreciation for the opportunity has persisted through the years.
“There’s no time that I get out there and feel like, ‘This is getting old,’” she said. “I’m always in awe.”
As far as her next milestone? Bryson-Kirksey isn’t thinking that far ahead.
“As long as I can continue doing it, I’ll just continue doing it,” she said. “And if I get to some numbers that I feel like are worth celebrating again, then I’ll do that.”
The first-round NHL playoff series between the Lightning and Canadiens couldn’t get any tighter. No team has won two games in a row, and every game has been decided by one goal, including Wednesday night’s 3-2 Montreal win.
Overall, the Rays’ short visit to Cleveland actually went pretty well.
They won two of the three games despite scoring only five runs total, and Wednesday’s rain delay didn’t infringe on their welcome off day Thursday, as starting Friday they play 13 straight days and 25 of the next 27.
The frustration comes with how the trip ended, a messy performance in a 3-1 loss on a cold and wet Wednesday afternoon at Progressive Field that halted their season-high-matching winning streak at six and dropped them to 18-12.
Drew Rasmussen wasn’t his sharpest but still dueled a dominant Gavin Williams pretty well through five innings, scattering six hits, walking one and striking out six, though throwing 91 pitches.
A couple of missed plays and a stolen base factored into Cleveland scoring a run in the third, and first baseman Jonathan Aranda’s error on Brayan Rocchio’s grounder leading off the fifth led to a two-run inning.
“I thought he threw the ball really well, and he had good stuff,” Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters in Cleveland. “I know the pitch count crept up there in the fifth inning. There were a couple plays there on defense we’d probably like to have back.
“It’s really tough when you’re putting him in a situation (with) the speed that they have that can get an extra 90 feet via a stolen base or whatever it is. But Rass, his stuff was really sharp.”
The way Williams was pitching, those three runs created too much of a margin. He allowed only three singles over the first seven innings, with no walks, and two more in the eighth, striking out nine while winning his majors-most-matching fifth game to go with a 2.70 ERA.
“He had a good fastball, good off-speed (pitches), landed everything. He’s a really talented pitcher,” Cash said.
“We faced three really good pitchers (also Parker Messick and Tanner Bibee), and to come out of here winning two ballgames only scoring five runs over three days, we’ve got to take that.
“But we had our hands full (Wednesday), because he got locked in and super efficient, and we didn’t have an answer.”
Still, the Rays had opportunities in each of the last three innings but cashed in only one run.
In the seventh, Yandy Diaz continued his torrid start with a one-out single. Jake Fraley rolled a grounder to rookie second baseman Travis Bazzana that should have been an inning-ending double play, but the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2024, who debuted Tuesday, threw wide of second.
Diaz came all the way around to score, and Fraley advanced to second. But struggling veteran Cedric Mullins flied out, and Richie Palacios struck out.
In the eighth, they chased Williams with two-out singles by Chandler Simpson and Junior Caminero, who returned to the lineup after leaving Tuesday’s game when a ball he fouled off bounced up and struck the right side of his jaw.
A double steal by Simpson and pinch-runner Ben Williamson left them a hit away from tying the game against reliever Erik Sabrowski, but Aranda capped his rough afternoon with his third strikeout.
“We put pressure on there,” Cash said. “Heads up by Chandler and Ben. ... (We) had the right part of the order up. Sabrowski’s pretty tough, and Jonny got a couple fastballs he just swung through.”
The Rays had yet another chance in the ninth against closer Cade Smith, when Diaz led off with a single that was the 995th hit of his career, putting him five shy of becoming the 10th Cuban-born player to reach 1,000.
But Fraley went down swinging, Mullins — hitting .126 and 0-for-his-last-19 — popped out and Palacios struck out.
The first Cleveland run was a product of Rocchio leading off with a hard grounder that Rasmussen couldn’t grab and Taylor Walls scooped up but threw past first.
With Rocchio on third after a steal and a Steven Kwan groundout, and Chase DeLauter on first via a walk, Aranda fielded Jose Ramirez’s grounder but didn’t get an out anywhere. He tried to nab Rocchio going back to third, but his throw left Caminero unable to make the tag. A sacrifice fly by former Rays prospect Kyle Manzardo made it 1-0.
Cleveland got help scoring two more in the fifth, as Aranda mishandled Rocchio’s leadoff grounder. Kwan’s double put runners on second and third and pulled the infield in, and DeLauter took advantage, rolling a Rasmussen fastball up the middle for a two-run single.
“When we’re given outs, we’ve got to make sure we get them,” Cash said.
Given the ominous forecast with the potential for a rainout and the game postponed to Thursday, the Rays were OK waiting through an 81-minute delay and playing in 40-degree temperatures, knowing they were heading home with another series win and a 16-7 mark after their 2-5 start.
“We’ve played really good baseball,” Cash said. “We’ve won some separated games, and we’ve won a couple really tight ballgames, certainly here, that we should feel good about.
“Now enjoy our off day, and go play San Fran back at home.”
Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is one of the three finalists for this season’s Vezina Trophy, the award annually given to the NHL’s top goaltender by the league’s general managers.
The other finalists are the Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin and the Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman.
This is the fifth time Vasilevskiy has been among the top-three vote-getters — including last season when he was runnerup to Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck — but if he wins, it would be his second career Vezina award; he won his first in 2019.
Vasilevskiy led the NHL in wins with 39, becoming the second goaltender in league history to record nine consecutive 30-win seasons, trailing only Martin Brodeur, who had 12 straight during his Hall of Fame career.
He also tied for the league lead in games allowing two goals or fewer (35), placed second in goals-against average (2.31) and third in save percentage (.912).
During the Lightning’s 20-1-1 regular-season stretch, Vasilevskiy recorded an 18-game point streak from Dec. 20 to Feb. 25, going 17-0-1.
The announcement comes a day after Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov was named a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award, which is given to the league’s most valuable player as selected by the players. Kucherov won the award last season and in 2019.
Special teams have played a huge part in the Lightning’s first-round series against the Canadiens, which is tied at two games apiece. Going into Game 5 Wednesday at Benchmark International Arena, there’s been an average of 16:30 of combined power-play time.
“You want to kind of avoid (penalties); we like our 5-on-5 game,” Lightning forward Gage Goncalves said. “We want to keep lines rolling. But it’s kind of what the series has been. But we do a good job on the bench. The guys that maybe might not go out there for four minutes, they don’t power play, they don’t PK, are staying in it. Those are usually mostly the most emotionally invested ones out of all of them, usually talking on the bench the most.
“So we’ve done a good job of it, trying to stay up and, honestly, that speaks volumes about this group. Whatever challenge we kind of get thrown at, whether it’s we’re killing four times in a period or on the power play four times in the period, that next shift out on 5-on-5, usually that next line gets it done pretty well.”
Power plays typically dry up during the postseason, but that hasn’t been the case in this series. And for a Lightning squad that ended the regular-season just 1-of-32 on the power play and that ranked 17th in the NHL during the regular season after being a top-five unit the previous three years, it remains a grind.
“There’s just been a lot of power plays,” coach Jon Cooper said. “It hasn’t been a big part of the game. We’re both clicking at between 20 and 30%, so we’re kind of season average-ish type thing. I just think the volume of penalties has been a factor (more than) the power-play success rate has been.”
The Lightning are 4-for-20 in the series, their 20% success rate in line with the regular season (20.7%). But they’ve scored some big goals on the man advantage. All four of their power-play goals have tied the score, and both of Brandon Hagel’s did so in the third period. Hagel wasn’t a part of the first-team power-play unit for much of the season until the end.
This series has been so tight, there’s only been one multiple-goal lead. The fact that the Lightning have used the man advantage to tie the score while playing from behind is notable. How big would it be for them to get one to take a lead in Game 5, with the home crowd behind them?
Right now, Cooper has no gripes with the officials, because while they might be calling more penalties, it’s going both ways. Through four games, the Lightning have 20 power-play opportunities, Montreal 19. He would, however, like to see the Lightning cut down on the infractions they’re committing in the offensive zone.
“I feel it’s been equitable in a sense,” Cooper said. “Whether we can debate the consistency of the missed calls, I think both fan bases probably have a gripe, or they’ll find a gripe. My issue with the way things are going is if there was a massive discrepancy, one team’s got, like, eight more power plays, and I don’t think that this series has deserved that (criticism).
“... If we talk about calling the standard, I guess a lot of these are being called. ... Some are missed. Some are, who knows, maybe you think a little ticky-tacky. But again, I think it’s the volume of the penalties both coaches would probably like to see go down. ... But what the refs are calling, for the most part, are pretty much all penalties.”
D’Astous update
Cooper said Charle-Edouard D’Astous will be a game-time decision for Game 5, though the defenseman was still on the ice working with the scratches following Wednesday’s morning skate. Both forward Oliver Bjorkstrand and defenseman Max Crozier came off the ice before him, indicating both are likely to draw in.
There’s a saying in dealmaking: The closer you are, the further you’re away. That’s a nod to how negotiations can stall over nonnegotiable terms. It’s a concept worth remembering as the Tampa Bay Rays pursue a ballpark deal in Hillsborough County.
The Rays want Hillsborough and the city of Tampa to contribute about $1.1 billion combined toward the cost of a $2.3 billion stadium at the site of Hillsborough College, on Dale Mabry Highway. The team is pushing the local governments for votes in May, though the county asserted last week it is unlikely to meet the Rays’ June 1 timetable to complete the deal.
I don’t see these negotiations as stalled; far from it. County staff is working hard to vet the numbers and has been careful not to prejudice the policy debate facing elected leaders. The Rays, for their part, have not colored negotiations with a threat to relocate outside Tampa Bay. However one feels about the stadium deal, the dialogue between the two sides has been even keel.
Still, I see several sticking points as we near a critical phase. Some are real, some are imagined, so let’s separate the two.
Timing. In back-to-back exchanges last week, the team said it was “focused” on preserving a timeline for a May vote, despite the county’s contention that a deal could take months more to negotiate. The Rays say its schedule is key to opening the stadium by the 2029 season and unlocking state financial assistance in rebuilding Hillsborough College.
Opening a new stadium would help the Rays’ bottom line, but whether that’s 2029 or 2030 shouldn’t matter to Hillsborough. What’s important is to seek a contract that is doable, fair and mutually beneficial. The $150 million anticipated from the state to rebuild the college is small potatoes in the overall scheme. Florida spent three times that much on Alligator Alcatraz; if a deal makes sense, state money will follow. This rush job has created a cloud of suspicion in the public eye. Do the Rays want a vote today or a deal all sides might agree on?
Subsidies. Hillsborough officials have raised several questions about the Rays’ estimated stadium price, all aimed at reducingtax subsidies for a deal. The team wants $750 million from the county and $251 million from the city of Tampa. A county assessment estimated a shortfall of up to $135 million between what the Rays want from local taxpayers and what area governments might provide.
That gap presents both a financial and political problem. Even with a hold-harmless provision ensuring that tax money for police and fire services doesn’t go toward a stadium, elected officials will face enormous pressure to spend tax money on other backlogged priorities. The Rays insisted flatly last week that other funding tools — such as ticket surcharges or special assessments — amounted to “private” revenue sources that would not be considered as “an alternate public funding source.” The team may need to give here — a lot.
Buildout. The initial agreement between Hillsborough and the Rays, called a Memorandum of Understanding, doesn’t list a host of commitments from the team, including the community benefits of any stadium project. Those pledges are essential. But Hillsborough could proceed with a nonbinding MOU, retain its leverage and iron out the details later.
But the county needs some specifics: What is the Rays’ schedule for developing a mixed-use project at the site? What percentage of the residential housing will comprise affordable vs. market-rate rent? How much net property tax revenue will the project generate? How will the Rays guarantee their financial solvency? There’s more, but that’s a start.
Officials also need to consider what such a large outlay of Community Investment Tax dollars toward the stadium might mean to the future of that funding source. Many critics — already soured that CIT funds were used to construct Raymond James Stadium — complain that Hillsborough commissioners reneged on their word by even considering CIT funds for a baseball stadium. Voters first approved the tax in 1996 as a way to fund new schools, police cars, fire stations, the stadiumand other big-ticket projects. Voters then passed the tax with 53% of the vote, but passage dropped to under 52% last year, even after commissioners halved the tax’s term to make it more politically palatable. If using CIT for baseball endangers the tax’s renewal on its expiration in 15 years, how will Hillsborough afford costly infrastructure projects?
Let’s not pretend that big obstacles don’t remain. Unreasonabledeadlines and vague promises also don’t help in making a big decision. If this deal makes sense, it’ll be obvious soon enough.
Tuesday’s game started with a scare. Rays All-Star slugger Junior Caminero face down behind home plate, kicking his feet and writhing in pain, having fouled off a pitch that bounced up and hit the right side of his jaw.
Caminero slowly got up, finished his at-bat with a weak grounder to the pitcher and promptly headed to the clubhouse for treatment and further evaluation.
By the end of the night, the Rays had good news on their best player, a diagnosis of a jaw contusion, with manager Kevin Cash saying he was feeling OK, “in really good spirits,” and expected to play Wednesday.
The game turned out well, as the Rays made a fifth-inning run stand up to beat the Guardians 1-0 in Cleveland to extend their win streak to a season-high-matching six.
Nick Martinez continued his one-man campaign to prove spring training stats meaningless with another strong start, working impressively into the eighth.
Jonathan Aranda delivered his 25th RBI, second most in the American League, with a two-out single, scoring Taylor Walls, who had walked and moved to third on a two-out single by Ben Williamson, who took Caminero’s spot in the order.
And the bullpen trio of Ian Seymour, Kevin Kelly and Cole Sulser teamed for a tense finish, allowing three walks (two intentionally) and a hit but getting the final six outs.
The Rays improved to 18-11 overall, have gone an American League-best 16-6 since a 2-5 start. They have won their last six one-run games and also have won 13 of their first 14 games against AL opponents.
“I think they’re gaining more confidence,” manager Kevin Cash told reporters at Progressive Field. “We’ve played very well here as of late, for sure. And we’re winning tight ballgames a lot.
“And when you can win tight ballgames — and there’s no tighter than 1-0; you have no margin for error — I think it just continues to bring together a group that’s already been together and they’re kind of feeding off other."
Martinez did the most work, following up his stellar outing against the Reds last week (eight innings, one run) with another gem.
Tuesday, he allowed three hits, struck out four and didn’t get to a three-ball count or throw five pitches to a batter until he walked debuting rookie Travis Bazzana to open the eighth.
The 35-year-old was effective, especially with his nasty changeup, and efficient, throwing 78 pitches (54 strikes). He has posted a 1.70 ERA in allowing two or fewer runs in each of his six starts, and the Rays have won five.
Pretty good for the guy with the 0-4 spring record and 14.49 ERA.
“It’s back-to-back starts for him where he’s really had everything going,” Cash said. “He’s executing at a very high rate right now and doing it incredibly efficient.”
When Martinez walked Bazzana, Cash went to lefty Ian Seymour, a former minor-league starter who has been thrust into some high-leverage, one-inning situations.
Seymour walked pinch-hitter Rhys Hoskins, then No. 9 hitter Brayan Rocchio bunted the runners to third and second. The Rays intentionally walked Steven Kwan to load the bases.
Seymour got a huge out, striking out lefty Chase DeLauter.
Then Kelly came in to try to get a bigger one, facing Cleveland star Jose Ramirez.
“That’s the last guy you want to see come up to the plate maybe in any game, Jose Ramirez,” Cash said. “But KK took a deep breath and got it to where it was just off the barrel enough that it didn’t carry out to center, for a big out.
“KK has been in that role and had those experiences before (that we) trust he’s going to throw the ball over the plate and make him make contact.”
With Bryan Baker getting saves three of the past four days, the Rays needed a different option for the ninth. That was Sulser, the 36-year-old who hadn’t had a save since 2022.
He got two outs, then allowed a double to Angel Martinez and brought Bazzana, the top pick in the 2024 draft, to the plate for a storybook ending. Once Sulser fell behind 2-0, the Rays put Bazzana on.
Pinch-hitter George Valera was next. Sulser got him on a three-pitch strikeout to end it.
“Really nice job,” Cash said. “We got some big strikeouts there at the end. Getting the leadoff hitter I think is fairly settling. Then they got a guy on base, and there’s some traffic and stuff, but he took a breath and made some big pitches right there at the end.”
Martinez, in the onfield Rays.TV interview, said it’s been a team effort.
“We’ve got some dawgs,” he said. “We’ve got some dawgs throwing the ball, and it’s showing. We’re playing really well, we’re playing for each other and it’s a lot of fun.”
It would be easy to define Lightning defenseman Max Crozier as a late bloomer — and Crozier would be the first to tell you that some aspects of his game took time to develop. But the way he’s navigated his career to the NHL should probably be described more as patient.
Crozier always has had confidence in his ability to make an impact at this level, but he’s often pushed away the quick fix to play the long game, knowing that opportunities to show that you have what it takes to play at the highest level come only so often.
“I never was the best player growing up, but I had the work ethic, and I felt like I had the hockey IQ that was able to get me to that next level continuously,” Crozier said.
Before Crozier made a Game 4 hit on Montreal forward Juraj Slafkovsky that flipped the momentum of Sunday’s game — the Lightning rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat the Canadiens 3-2 and send the first-round playoff series back to Tampa tied — Crozier had to make a tough decision that ended up fortuitous for himself and certainly the Lightning.
During February’s Olympic break, Crozier had core-muscle surgery to fix an ongoing injury. He had already been on injured reserve twice and was trying to play through it. The Lightning blue line was consistently beset by injuries. At many points in the season, the team had just two healthy right-shot defensemen, so there was definitely a need for Crozier in the lineup.
When Crozier’s procedure was announced Feb. 18, the timetable for his return was 10 weeks. He came back in time for the Lightning’s regular-season finale April 15, just eight weeks later.
“I wanted to get healthy for the playoffs, for the sole purpose of being able to make an impact and be physical,” he said. “That was my whole mindset coming in, that whole rehab for two months straight, it was just, ‘playoffs, playoffs, playoffs.’ So I’m really happy with the outcome of the surgery and how I’m feeling now, it’s night and day.”
He had to wait four games before he drew into the lineup in the Lightning’s tightly-contested playoff series against the Canadiens, but when he did, his hit on Slafkovsky went viral.
The play will barely get noticed on the event summary sheet, but for the Lightning, it was the biggest of the night.
“It was huge,” said Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh. “It brought energy right back into the bench. It definitely changed things.”
As for that physicality Crozier was able to show under the bright spotlight of the playoffs, he’s been waiting to display that since he was a kid.
“I grew up with an older brother, so I’m used to having to stick up for myself when it comes to road hockey or mini sticks and all that,” said Crozier, referring to his brother Tristan, who is two years older. “That snarl has been in me forever.”
A game that took time
This certainly isn’t the first time that Crozier has been an instant hit.
When Crozier was 17, he made the Nanaimo Clippers of the British Columbia Hockey League, a junior league that’s considered one of the best for emerging American college hockey talent. Crozier had zero interest from college programs. But after returning from an injury, he played in a league showcase tournament. After one game, Crozier suddenly had 25 schools wanting to talk to him.
“I had a really good game, a couple assists, I think, and a couple big hits,” Crozier said. “Right after the game, all the recruiting coaches are trying to give you their cards and get a face to name right away. I remember, in that moment, being like, ‘Holy s--t, what’s going on?’”
Crozier decided on Providence College and immediately set himself on a four-year path because he wanted to get his degree. The Lightning had just drafted Crozier in the fourth round following a 10-goal, 43-point season with the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL and supported his college plans.
“I think we had a really good understanding of where my game was at and where it needed to be and not rushing it,” he said.
Crozier said it wasn’t until his freshman year at Providence that he was able to put muscle on his body. And the biggest knock on him coming up was his skating, so he worked with Lightning skating coach Barb Underhill every summer. By the time he turned pro, that weakness became one of his biggest strengths.
“I think that’s been the biggest thing that’s really propelled me in my career, is really focusing on my skating and strength overall,” Crozier said. “Those have been my two main focuses. And Tampa really worked with me to get me there where I need to be.”
And staying true to his goal, Crozier graduated in four years with a business administration degree from Providence.
Never thinking too far ahead
Crozier was a quick study, and through his first pro season in AHL Syracuse he played 13 NHL games with the Lightning, as well as three games in the first-round playoff series against Florida. The adjustment from the AHL to the NHL was made easier by the fact that the structure in Syracuse is the same as the Lightning, so he quickly put his name atop the short list of defensemen who would get called up when there was a need.
Last season, Crozier played mostly in Syracuse, seeing just five NHL regular-season games, and he was on the postseason roster but didn’t play.Even though he made the team out of training camp this season, injuries limited him to 35 regular-season games, and he was a healthy scratch in the first three games of the Montreal series before drawing in for Game 4.
When Crozier talks about his path, he frequently goes back to trying to get better every day, not looking too far ahead and really trying to embrace every moment. So while he’s been able to enjoy the attention following his hit on Slafkovsky, he’s already put it behind him.
“It was a pretty cool day (Monday), but it’s in the past now,” Crozier said. “I’m looking forward to Game 5, and all of us are here. I think the game is what it was, but it’s an even series now, and it’s a best-to-three series. So this next game is huge.”
Lightning 2, Canadiens 2
EASTERN CONFERENCE: FIRST ROUND
Game 1: Canadiens 4, Lightning 3 (OT)
Game 2: Lightning 3, Canadiens 2 (OT)
Game 3: Canadiens 3, Lightning 2 (OT)
Game 4: Lightning 3, Canadiens 2
Wednesday: at Tampa, 7
Friday: at Montreal, 7
May 3: at Tampa, TBD*
TV/radio: All games also on The Spot-Ch. 66; 102.5-FM
Of all the Rays, injured starter Ryan Pepiot knows Jonny DeLuca the best, going back to being together in the Dodgers’ 2019 draft class.
So why not let him describe the Rays’ multi-talented, intriguing, eclectic and occasionally entertaining outfielder:
“He’s well-rounded. He’s just a good teammate. And he’s a goofball.”
The first two are kind, and somewhat common, compliments around a clubhouse.
But “a goofball?”
Do tell.
“One of the goofiest things was last year in New York, Jonny shows up wearing these super baggy pants. Super wide linen pants. And like a sweater material sleeveless shirt. And whatever shoes he was wearing,” Pepiot detailed, excitedly. “Then Yandy (Diaz, their hulking DH) rolls up in one of his Psycho Bunny T-shirts and some bedazzled jeans or something like that. And they switched outfits.
“(Manager Kevin) Cash walks in and he’s like, ‘This is the big leagues. What are we doing?’ So we’re teasing the both of them, and they’re walking around the locker room like that. It was really funny.”
Off the field, DeLuca typically plays more the part of the laidback Southern Californian that he grew up as, with the fitting spare-time activities: skateboarding, surfing, snorkeling, biking, golfing, guitar playing and knitting (which he demonstrated on camera for a 2024 Rays All Access show while sitting on the beach).
“The look with the little mustache and the hair and the earrings and everything, he is what he is,” Pepiot said. “He’s a true California surfer boy.”
DeLuca tries to maintain that vibe working on the west coast of Florida, living on St. Pete Beach, spending free mornings sipping coffee, soaking up the sun and jumping in the bay.
Actually, DeLuca said, he mostly leads “a boring-ish” lifestyle, designed through his workouts and nutrition to stay as strong, healthy and feeling good as possible, which he and the Rays attribute to his success so far this season.
For example, DeLuca has been trying to be strict with his diet.
“There’s not a name for it, and it’s not really anything specific,” he said. “It’s just that I’m trying to eat one-ingredient foods. Basically, the more processed something is, the more ingredients are going to be in it.
“If I can stick to just, like, ‘this is organic and grass-fed and there’s only one ingredient,’ then that’s usually good. I’m kind of staying away from gluten and dairy. But besides that, anything goes, as long as it’s whole food.”
You might see him at a local Sprouts store buying milk, water with electrolytes and eggs, but he mostly eats at the Trop or out when the team is on the road, specific and somewhat boring in his order — chicken or beef, with rice and potatoes.
“It’s usually the same thing every day,” DeLuca said. “I’ll mix some fruit in there, try to stay away from other sugary stuff.”
His idea is to stick with the plan for a year and reassess, given that he has missed time over his three big-league seasons with muscle strains. He was limited to 20 games last season due to right shoulder and left hamstring issues.
So far, it’s worked. DeLuca has felt good, been pleased with measurable data such as sprint speed and swing velocity — “more of the stuff I’m in control of,” he said — and played well when given the chance.
In starting 13 of the Rays’ first 28 games, he hit .283 with two homers, 13 RBIs and a .784 OPS.
“He’s a very good player, and he’s just been beat up or nicked up with injuries over the last year, last couple seasons,” Cash said. “He just hasn’t had the consistency to show how good he is. I’m thrilled that he is healthy right now, because he can really help us on both sides of the ball.”
As a right-handed hitter sharing time with lefties in centerfield (Cedric Mullins) and rightfield (Jake Fraley), DeLuca typically is going to get fewer opportunities based on pitching matchups.
But with Mullins struggling (hitting .138 with a .453 OPS) and Fraley doing just OK (.245, .775, four RBIs), DeLuca could, and probably should, be in line for more playing time.
The key so far this season, Cash said, has been “consistency with being healthy and being able to be on the field. He’s posting right now, playing great defense, getting some big hits for us. I think he’s playing with some confidence that he knows he’s healthy.”
What stands out is DeLuca’s broad skill set at the plate. He has the power to hit a 438-foot homer and also the ability to bunt for a hit, the mentality to deliver in key situations (3-for-6 as a pinch-hitter, three score-tying RBIs), the speed to beat out infield hits (four) and steal bases (two).
“A very versatile player in the batter’s box,” Cash said.
The Rays are even more pleased with DeLuca’s defense.
“He’s super efficient. … His routes are great. He covers a lot of ground,” Cash said. “And he’s got a cannon for an arm.”
DeLuca said the goal is to be an all-around player.
“I don’t want to get caught up in, like, ‘I hit a homer, now I’m a power hitter,’ or ‘I made a sick play on defense,’” he said. “I take pride in doing the little things good.”
Pepiot obviously enjoys seeing his friend do well. And he really likes seeing how he interacts with the other Rays.
“He’s someone you want on your team, you want in your clubhouse,” Pepiot said. “He’s going to keep it light when we’re having a rough time, and when we’re playing well, it’s even more fun. He’s just going to go out there, and he’s going to run through the wall for you. As a pitcher, you love everything — he’s going to give you full effort. And he’s going to make stuff happen at the plate — he can hit for power, he can bunt, he understands the situation.
“He’s smart. He might put off the California surfer boy vibe, but there’s some more to it. … He’s also a gamer. And those are the kinds of guys you want around."
By now, you should know all their strengths and weaknesses. The personalities, motivations and quirks.
Four games into this first-round playoff series, you are imminently qualified to pick a winner.
So do you like:
Team A, with its 11 goals, 34 penalties and 23.5 shots per game?
Or do you prefer:
Team B, with its 11 goals, 34 penalties and 23.3 shots per game?
Need more info?
Team A is 1-1 on the road and has scored six goals in 5-on-5 situations.
Team B is also 1-1 on the road and has scored six 5-on-5 goals.
Do you like the goalie with the .883 save percentage, or the one with the .882 save percentage? How about the team that finished the regular season with 106 points or the team that had — checks the standings — also 106 points?
Yes, for the better part of six months, the Lightning and Canadiens have circled one another with near-identical results. They arrive from different destinations — Montreal is a young team on the rise, Tampa Bay is an accomplished team fighting time — but have ended up in the same spot.
Here, in a first-round series, that has been reduced to a best-of-three showdown heading into Wednesday night’s Game 5.
“If you watch this series — and you talk about enjoying the series — from a fan’s perspective, it’s probably sick,” said Lightning coach Jon Cooper. “From a coach’s perspective, honestly, there’s not a ton of (coaching) that’s going on in the series. It’s like, whoever makes the final mistake, might be in trouble.
“But there’s not a whole lot of mistakes being made on the ice. To be honest, most of the series has been played between the neutral zone and on special teams. Rarely do you see monstrous, lean-on-you shifts on either end of the ice. That probably makes for great theater for the fans, but it’s amazing how little mistakes are being made out there.”
So how close has the series been?
Well, 97.9% of the time, the score has either been tied or one team has led by a single goal. All four games have been decided by one goal.
“I honestly think it’s going to come down to the team that sticks to their game plan,” said Lightning forward Gage Goncalves. “We’re at our best when we’re forechecking hard, making them turn the puck over. They’re a high-skilled, high-speed team so they want to get out of their zone quick and get into a neutral zone game. We like that at times, but definitely not as much as they do. So I think whichever team doesn’t fade or get away from its game will probably have the edge.”
The difference was supposed to be Tampa Bay’s vast experience in the postseason. Guys with multiple Stanley Cups. Guys with dozens, even hundreds, of playoff games on their resume. Between 2020 and 2025, the Lightning had a league-high 52 postseason wins. Montreal had 19.
But that narrative hasn’t held up through the first four games. The Canadiens have not been intimidated. They have not panicked in the three overtime games. Tampa Bay has been the team forced to counterpunch. The Lightning have trailed in the third period in three of the four games. The other game was tied the entire third period.
“This is 100% what you want as a player,” said defenseman J.J. Moser. “You like it when it’s tight, you like going out on the ice when the money is on the line and you’re challenged by the other team. That’s what the fans want to see, but that’s also what you want as a player.”
Have penalties played a role? Absolutely. Of the 22 goals in the series, 10 have come on the power play or in a 4-on-4 situation. Have the officials been too quick to blow the whistle? Perhaps. This series has had more penalties per 60 minutes than any of the other seven first-round matchups.
But as much as fans might want to gripe about the injustice of calls made or ignored, as much as analysts want to dissect line combinations and coaching strategies, this series has come down to 40 players on the ice night after night.
And we’ve got two, maybe three, games to go.
“The game goes by almost in an instant. If you’re losing, then it really goes by in an instant. If you’re winning, it seems to take forever,” Cooper said. “In all seriousness you’re so involved in whatever it is, matchups or coaching or doing the stuff we have to do, you don’t really have time to enjoy it.
“The enjoyment comes when the final buzzer rings and you’ve got more goals than they do. Then it’s almost relief. It’s hard to explain. Have I sat there and marveled at times at some of the skill that goes on? You’re like, ‘Geez, I can’t believe I’m behind the bench watching that.’ But it’s not that often because you’re so involved in the game.”
John Romano can be reached at jromano@tampabay.com. Follow @romano_tbtimes.
Rays.TV reporter Ryan Bass stepped in to do the right thing for a disappointed child in the stands at Monday’s game in Cleveland, and earned the Rays some new fans.
After seeing a man drop a home run ball (hit by the Guardians’ Daniel Schneemann) and then scramble to take it away from a young girl, Bass grabbed a couple baseballs and headed out to the seats above the leftfield wall to provide the girl and her brother their own souvenirs.
Nikki Devore, the mother of the kids, posted on the Tampa Bay Rays Fan Club Facebook site how much the family appreciated Bass’ kind gesture:
“I cannot thank Ryan and Tampa enough for making things right. Thank you all for looking out for ALL young baseball fans. It is top-notch sportsmanship. My daughter and I cried happy tears. I am so proud of my kids for how they handled tonight, and so proud of Tampa and its fans for standing up for my child.”
Rays TV broadcasters Andy Freed and Brian Anderson noted the man’s actions immediately.
“No! He’s not going to steal that,” Freed said.
“Yeah, that can’t happen,” Anderson added.
A few minutes later, Bass headed out to the scene, bringing joy to the family and tears to the young girl’s eyes.
After a grown man wrestles a HR ball away from a little girl, @Ry_Bass is there to make the situation right.
“When you see something wrong has occurred, it’s nice to make up for it,” Freed then said. “And Ryan Bass making up for that Cleveland fan by going out making friends. And she deserves that baseball.”
Video of the initial act and Bass’ response quickly spread online, and Devore wrote that “the pressure resulted in the man giving her the home run ball back” a few innings later.
“It wasn’t the same but we appreciated him doing the right thing,” she wrote. “But we appreciate all of you even more. … I may be Ohio Grown and forever Cleveland (Jose!!!!) but I will be a Tampa fan on principle alone.”
In an interview Tuesday morning with the NewsNation TV network, for whom he also works, Bass said he “certainly did not” expect the exchange to go viral.
“Look, it’s certainly not about me or our crew. I mean, it’s about that sweet little family, to be able to make that right,” Bass said. “And after we saw on that home run ball by Schneemann, that that fan had kind of snatched the ball away. My producer, Kevin Patterson, my director, Gary Nicholas, in my ear were just like, ‘Let’s make this right.’
“So just to have the opportunity to walk out there, see the smile on her face. The tears started flowing. It warmed my heart. I’m just so glad that we could make a memory and make a moment and make it right for her.”
Bass, on his @Ry_Bass X account, also said: “Love y’all. Appreciate all of the sincere messages and notes. We got the chance to make a sweet little girl’s night. There’s nothing better. Kindness is free. Always remember that.”
There are few things American city halls understand better than a billionaire with a stadium rendering.
Crime? Staffing shortages? Police officers leaving faster than cities can replace them? That requires studies, task forces, community listening sessions and a consultant from some where expensive.
But give a city a professional sports franchise hinting it might wander off to another market, and suddenly public officials move like firefighters at a grease fire.
The old “defund the police” chant is no longer the cleanest argument, at least not around Tampa Bay. Current budgets do not show local governments broadly slashing law enforcement. In Tampa, the proposed FY2026 budget puts $249.1 million toward police. Other public safety budgets around the region have generally grown as population, salaries, equipment, pensions and emergency demands keep rising.
Fine. Let’s grant that.
The real issue is not that local politicians are openly defunding public safety. It is that they treat public safety like a burden and stadiums like a civic miracle.
Police departments, sheriff’s offices, firefighters, dispatchers and emergency workers are told to justify every new position, every raise, every patrol car, every radio upgrade, everybody camera and every overtime bill. They arrive at budget hearings armed with spreadsheets and staffing charts, explaining why a growing community needs enough people to answer calls when life goes sideways.
Then a stadium enters the room.
Suddenly, the mood changes. The calculators come out. The lawyers gather. The renderings glow. Elected officials begin speaking fluently about “economic impact.” Words like “vision,”“ partnership,” “destination,” and “transformational” float through the air like confetti at a victory parade.
Tampa Bay taxpayers have seen this movie before.
In 1996, voters approved the half-cent Community Investment Tax, which helped fund schools, roads, public safety projects — and yes, Raymond James Stadium, the house the Buccaneers call home. Much of that tax surely went to legitimate needs. But every time another stadium idea rolls into town wearing a fresh suit and carrying an invoice, taxpayers have every right to check their wallets.
Now comes the latest Rays stadium saga.
The Tampa Bay Rays are pursuing a proposed $2.3 billion ballpark in Tampa, and recent reporting says the team’s wish list includes a $1.065 billion public contribution — $750 million from Hillsborough County, $251 million from the city of Tampa and additional public sources. “Additional public sources” is one of those lovely government phrases that sounds harmless until you realize it usually means: grab your wallet and don’t make eye contact.
This is not an anti-sports argument. I like sports. Most people do. Baseball, football and hockey give Americans something to yell about that does not require a congressional hearing. A good ballpark on a summer night can still feel like America at its best.
But stadiums are not core government.
Public safety is.
A luxury suite does not answer a burglary call. A left-field porch does not break up a domestic assault. A jumbotron does not patrol a neighborhood where residents are afraid to walk after dark. A craft-beer plaza does not replace a dispatcher, a deputy, a firefighter or a well-trained police officer.
City leaders know this. That is what makes the stadium dance so insulting.
They know businesses do not thrive where crime is ignored. They know families do not feel safe because a consultant promised a mixed-use entertainment district. They know emergency response times matter more than cup holders. They know a government’s first job is not to keep professional sports owners comfortable.
Yet too often, the same officials who lecture citizens about “hard budget choices” become poets when a sports franchise wants public help.
Maybe Tampa Bay taxpayers should ask a few simple questions before one more dime is committed to another professional sports palace.
Are the roads fixed? Are schools secure? Are emergency services fully staffed? Are police officers supported, trained, recruited and retained? Are storm drains ready for the next Florida down pour? Are ordinary citizens getting the basic protections they already paid for?
Until the answer is yes, the stadium brochure should go in the same drawer where politicians keep their campaign promises.
Florida has enough sunshine to illuminate the hypocrisy. In one corner, the government tells taxpayers that public safety is expensive, complicated, and subject to painful tradeoffs. In the other, officials imagine stadium districts with public money and straight faces.
That is not leadership.
That is a luxury box with a sign going on outside.
Larry D. Clifton is a native Floridian, a graduate of Eckerd College and the author of the science fiction thriller “Martin’s Secret,” available at Barnes & Noble.
MONTREAL — It was early in the season, right around Thanksgiving, when Brandon Hagel talked about learning when to speak up at the right time.
Great leaders aren’t born overnight, and through four hard-fought playoff games, Hagel has become, in coach Jon Cooper’s words, “the straw that stirs the drink” for the Lightning. Not just because of his performance on the ice, but due to the impassioned way in which the 27-year-old has led his teammates into battle.
But five months ago, the Lightning hadn’t yet realized the kind of team they could become, and two of their established leaders, defensemen Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh, were out with injuries.
Since coming to Tampa Bay, Hagel had also learned a lot from those who have come and gone. Steven Stamkos, Pat Maroon, Corey Perry and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare were names he rattled off quickly.
Knowing what to say when is part timing, part emphasis and all effort, Hagel said.
“When your game’s not there, you almost feel like you don’t know what to say,” Hagel said in November. “It’s like, ‘Hey, you’ve been terrible for seven games.’ The only answer is myself, or any veteran on the team going out there and showing fight, grit, the will to win. ... It’s just being able to come off the ice at the end of the game and be able to look yourself in the mirror and say, ‘I thought I played well.’”
Fast forward to the second period of Sunday’s Game 4 at the Bell Centre, the Lightning down two goals and at risk of going back to Tampa trailing 3-1 in the series. With 21,000 angry Canadiens fans right on top of the Lightning bench, Hagel stood and knew now was the time. He called to his teammates and gave a speech that Cooper said inspired the Bolts.
“His passion on the bench and when he stood up and looked both ways, literally, I think, captivated the bench with what he was saying and the message he was delivering,” Cooper said. “... And you talk about the progression of things that helped us during this game, I think that was a big part of it, too, being down 2-0.”
“He walks a fine line, because he is an emotional player, and I think that’s what drives him, that’s why he has success,” Cooper added. “But he’s really found a way to keep it within the lines.”
Hagel then went out and scored twice in the third period, fueling the Lightning to a 3-2 Game 4 win that tied the series at 2 and put them back in the driver’s seat going into Wednesday’s Game 5 at Benchmark International Arena.
“Listen, this is the best time of year,” Hagel said. “I mean, it doesn’t matter where you’re playing. You got to embrace these types of atmospheres. You live to play in moments like this. This is why you want to get into the playoffs.”
Within months of the Lightning acquiring Hagel at the 2022 trade deadline, he was playing for a Stanley Cup. Tampa Bay lost to the Avalanche in the final, but Hagel got his first taste of playoff hockey, and it lit a fire in him. Then the Lightning were eliminated in the first round the past three postseasons.
“I won’t say he’s got something to prove, but when it gets (to) this time of year, there’s just guys that elevate,” Cooper said. “Our team’s much different than 2020, ‘21, 2022 when we made that run of the finals; that’s as far as he’s gotten. There’s a group of guys on our team that some have got a ring and some don’t. And I think there’s a combination of making a push to get the guys that don’t have one a ring, and Hagel’s leading that charge.”
In last postseason’s five-game series with Florida, much of the opportunity to have this kind of impact in the playoffs didn’t materialize. Hagel was suspended a game for his Game 2 hit on Aleksander Barkov. When he returned for Game 4, his series ended after he took an elbow to the head from Aaron Ekblad.
“When he was out, he was in the locker room, he was still giving speeches,” said defenseman Darren Raddysh. “He was trying to get the guys going. He cares and that’s what you want in a hockey player. So having him playing and being a big part of our team again this year is huge for us. It’s just great when he’s out there and being able to do things he can do.”
Hagel leads all skaters with six playoff goals, including two on the power play, part of a penalty kill that’s running at an 85.7% clip in the last three games. He’s a player Cooper can look to to bring out the best in his teammates, as he did when paired with Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point in Game 4.
Everyone is seeing the result of years of growth.
“Hags didn’t come in guns blazing,” Cooper said. “He came in and found his way. ‘Where’s my niche? Let me see what I can do.’ And then he slowly started elevating his play. He was forcing my hand to play more and forcing my hand to play him in all situations, and that’s what you want in a player.
“And I think he’s been around long enough now to know, like leadership’s changed, and he’s eventually gonna be part of that group. And he may not wear a letter now, but eventually he’s going to. There’s certain guys that have that trait, and he has it.”
Lightning 2, Canadiens 2
EASTERN CONFERENCE: FIRST ROUND
Game 1: Canadiens 4, Lightning 3 (OT)
Game 2: Lightning 3, Canadiens 2 (OT)
Game 3: Canadiens 3, Lightning 2 (OT)
Game 4: Lightning 3, Canadiens 2
Wednesday: at Tampa, 7
Friday: at Montreal, TBD
May 3: at Tampa, TBD*
TV/radio: All games also on The Spot-Ch. 66; 102.5-FM
Taking top slugger Junior Caminero out in the eighth inning of a tie game for a pinch-runner can’t be an easy decision.
But that’s what Rays manager Kevin Cash did on Monday night, and it proved very much to be the right move.
And a key factor in the Rays’ 3-2 comeback win over the Guardians in Cleveland that extended their winning streak to five.
After Jonathan Aranda led off the eighth with a homer that tied the score 2-2, Caminero singled.
Cash sent out Richie Palacios to pinch run, and he quickly stole second.
“Richie Palacios coming off the bench ready to run right there was huge, to not wait around and get himself in scoring position,” Cash told reporters at Progressive Field.
Cash then made another interesting decision, to not use lefty Jake Fraley to pinch-hit for Ryan Vilade against righty reliever Hunter Gaddis.
Vilade made that call the right one also, bouncing a single up the middle to score Palacios with the decisive run. Vilade also drove in the Rays’ first run with a two-out single as part of his second three-hit game in his last four starts.
“He had a big day for us,” Cash said. “He definitely came through for us, shooting that ball up the middle. (He) found a couple hits earlier on as well.
“Ryno really complements our team very well. He plays all over the field and gives you a really solid at-bat.”
Vilade, the first player acquired (via trade with the Reds) in a busy offseason, has welcomed the opportunity to contribute and appreciated Cash giving him the chance to bat in that situation.
“(It gave me) a lot of confidence,” Vilade told Rays.TV’s Ryan Bass in the onfield interview. “Once Richie pinch-ran and got the stolen base, I knew my job was to get him to third. Once I got down two strikes, I just battled.
“Trying to move (the ball) forward and I found another hole and he was able to score and it was great.”
The Rays (17-11) didn’t do much over the early innings against Cleveland lefty Parker Messick, the Plant City High and FSU product who twice in his 2025 big-league debut season beat the team he had dreamed playing for as a kid.
When the Guardians took a 2-0 lead in the fifth on a Daniel Schneemann homer off Rays starter Steven Matz — who didn’t do much else wrong over a strong seven-inning outing — it looked like that may have been enough.
But the Rays scratched out a run in the sixth, as Yandy Diaz led off with a walk, went to second on a ground out and scored on a two-out single by Vilade that ended Messick’s night.
“We knew we had our hands full coming in; Messick’s been really good,” Cash said. “Matz has been really good. It was an impressive pitching outing on both teams’ part.”
Matz was coming off a rough outing against the Reds, allowing three home runs and lasting only three innings. He said going into the game he wasn’t concerned, and he showed that with his longest outing since Oct. 1, 2021.
“I’m a strike thrower and I’m going to command the ball and move the ball around and I wasn’t able to do that last start,” Matz told reporters in Cleveland. “So to come back with this start and be able to do that is huge.”
Matz’s strong seven innings, the timely offense and some dazzling defense — most notably plays by second baseman Ben Williamson snaring a line drive and Chandler Simpson chasing down a foul ball — put the Rays in good position.
But it also took relievers Ian Seymour (who allowed a leadoff walk in the eighth) and Bryan Baker (who had runners on third and second with one out in the ninth) getting out of trouble to secure the win.
The Rays improved to 17-11 with the win and an American League-best 15-6 since their 2-5 start. They are six games over .500 for the first time since July 10.
And, in contrast to their 5-10 record against NL teams, they moved to 12-1 against AL opponents, just the seventh team in league history to win at least 12 of their first 13.
“That was a gritty win,” Vilade said. “And that’s the type of team we are.”
MONTREAL — Max Crozier’s open-ice hit on Juraj Slafkovsky shifted momentum in Sunday’s Game 4, setting the tone for the Lightning’s comeback from two goals down and a 3-2 win that evened their best-of-seven first-round series against Montreal.
Inside the Bell Centre, the home crowd wanted a penalty on Crozier, but his hit, while unquestionably violent, was a legal check.
If there was anyone to blame, it was Slafkovsky, who had his head down while handling the puck at center ice. He had no idea that Crozier was coming and because of that couldn’t do anything to protect himself, which made the hit look even more jarring. But it’s on the players to be aware of being hit, especially when they have possession of the puck.
“It was just a clean, solid check,” Crozier said. “I was able to time it up right. ... Head down, going through the middle. That was pretty easy to line it up.”
Montreal defenseman Alexandre Carrier’s touch pass to Slafkovsky is termed a “suicide pass” in hockey vernacular. That’s when the delivery is behind a player, forcing him to look back instead of at the ice ahead of him and putting himself at extra risk of taking a hard hit, like the one Crozier put on Slafkovsky.
As for Crozier’s hit itself, his main point of contact with Slafkovsky’s body was the chest area. While it could be argued that his shoulder ran into the head area, it was not an intentional head shot, which would have been illegal. Also, it’s not until Crozier makes contact with Slafkovsky that his feet leave the ground, which is more basic physics than anything nefarious.
Given the heavy-handed way the game was being called, it would not have been surprising to see the hit flagged as an infraction. From very early on in Game 4, when Lightning center Yanni Gourde was called for a cross check on a hit that was little more than an aggressive forecheck, the officials set the tone that they weren’t going to keep their whistles in their pockets. And that theme carried out for both teams throughout the game.
The only question the Bucs have about Calijah Kancey is whether he can stay on the field. They’re willing to spend $14.9 million to find out.
Despite missing 22 games in three seasons, the Bucs on Monday picked up the fifth-year option on their first-round pick out of Pittsburgh in 2023.
Kancey, 25, tore his pectoral muscle in a Week 2 win at Houston and missed most of last season. He finally had appeared to solve the recurring calf injuries that plagued him his first two NFL seasons.
“Honestly, before the injury, man, I just know I was about to hoop (play great),” Kancey said last week. “I knew I was about to hoop. But hey, man, everybody’s time is different.”
When heathy, Kancey has been a big part of the Bucs defense. In his first two seasons, he recorded 11.5 sacks, including a team-leading 7.5 in 2024. He also had 29 quarterback hits and 21 tackles for loss in that two-year span.
In fact, Kancey was only one of two players in the NFL in 2024 to record a quarterback hit in 10-plus consecutive games, joining the Texans’ Danielle Hunter. As a rookie in 2023, Kancey earned NFC Defensive Rookie of the Month in November. He finished that campaign tied for second among all rookies with 10 tackles for loss.
The decision to pick up Kancey’s fifth-year option was somewhat procedural but came with a steep, fully guaranteed one-year contract. Last week, running back Sean Tucker also signed his one-year, $3.52 million tender as a restricted free agent.
Despite his pectoral injury, Kancey battled back last season to play in the regular-season finale at Carolina. He played 28 snaps and registered one quarterback hit. But it was more symbolic of his desire to be with his teammates.
“It was great. Football is all I know,” said Kancey, “it’s all I’ve been taught. I’ve been playing football since I was 4 years old, so whether it’s an injury or if I can return or I can’t, I’m going to do whatever to try and get back on the field. That was my whole goal.
“Just being able to put on my helmet and go out there and ball with my brothers, whether we got the win or not, I just wanted to show them I’m here for y’all. I eat, sleep, everything. I live football (and it) lives through me. That was just me showing my love for them and how much they mean to me.”
Kancey has more modest goals in mind for this season.
“My main goal is to play every game,” he said. “That’s my main goal. There’s no stats, no nothing at all. Just be ready to play every game.”
A pass-rushing defensive lineman out of the University of Miami. A tackling machine at linebacker. That’s a strong starting point when you’re talking about a pair of 21-year-old building blocks for the Bucs.
But slow down on the gold jacket talk. Rueben Bain Jr. isn’t Warren Sapp, nor will Josiah Trotter be compared to Derrick Brooks. You don’t just casually throw around the names of first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Fame players.
But the Bucs were intentional in the draft. They targeted disruption up front and production behind it. They valued pressure in the trenches and tackles in space.
“I think we realized at the top of the second round there was a chance to be able to do that,” assistant general manager Rob McCartney said at the conclusion of the draft Saturday. “We like the synergy of having a young edge rusher and a young (middle linebacker) to come in and become the identity of our defense, that’s really, you know, two of the more important spots on defense.
“I think we’re really excited to have that youth. You know it’s a year-to-year league, and it’s hard to look past those two and three years sometimes. But to be able to say, ‘Hey, can they have these guys — I think (general manager) Jason (Licht) said it when (Bain) was on the phone, ‘What are you doing for the next five to 10 years?’ So hopefully we’re able to see that through with all of them being in Tampa."
It’s hard to imagine the Bucs’ draft going much better than it did this year.
They not only filled primary needs at edge rusher, inside linebacker, X receiver, cornerback, interior defensive lineman, tight end and offensive guard, but all of those players arrive carrying their own shoulder chips.
The Bucs also talked about wanting to get bigger, particularly on defense.
Trotter is 6 feet 2 and nearly 240 pounds, considerably larger than some of the team’s prototypical linebackers. Bain is 6-3, 275 pounds and doesn’t rely more on speed than power.
“(Trotter is) an old-school, downhill linebacker that can play the run, which is hard to find nowadays,” Bucs vice president of player personnel Mike Biehl said. “With the college game the way it has went, it’s all lateral and everybody is looking for the speed stuff. To us, he has enough speed to play in our league. Now, if you said he’s a better run defender than pass defender? I would say, ‘Yeah, that’s probably fair.’ But we think he has the capability to be a three-down linebacker.”
Bain will force opposing offenses to account for him and not be able to slide all their protection to outside linebacker Yaya Diaby.
That should create more rush opportunities after the Bucs produced only 37 sacks last season, the fewest since Todd Bowles arrived in Tampa Bay as defensive coordinator in 2019.
“I think when you add a player like Rueben and he does what we think he can do, it opens a lot of things up,” Licht said. “It makes everyone along the defensive line better when you can have two edge presences. The line, the protections don’t slide as much; you have to decide where to slide them and it opens things up.
“Potentially now, with David Walker, we have an arsenal right now that we feel good is a very good rotation. With (Al-Quadin Muhammad) and we still have Nelly (Anthony Nelson) and all that. You can’t have too many. I say that every year, but then it doesn’t work out that we can draft one at a premium. But now, we did. Hopefully, we can reap the rewards here.”
Then there’s the edgy attitude the Bucs were trying to identify in each and every draft selection. No more Mr. Nice Guy. That’s always been a desired trait in draft picks but Licht, McCartney and their staff placed an even higher priority on it this year.
“After we drafted Trotter, we were sitting up there talking about teams running the ball against us,” McCartney said. “Just the physicality with (free agent) A’Shawn (Robinson), having Rueben, having Trotter, so just some of the things that may limit opposing offenses to be able to do. Then just throughout the whole draft, just the energy and the pride all these guys really show on the field. ... If you watch them, you should be able to feel their energy, feel their passion for the game. I think that’s something we always try to knock out of the park and I feel pretty good about that with this class.”
MONTREAL — Max Crozier had played in just one game in the past 12 weeks following surgery for a lower-body injury. So after Saturday’s practice, the defenseman asked assistant coach Dan Hinote if he could get some extra hitting in to better prepare him for the physicality of the Lightning’s first-round series against the Canadiens.
So Hinote had forward Conor Geekie take runs at him inside an empty Bell Centre.
“Since my surgery, I haven’t had a lot of contact,” Crozier said. “I think I got one game in during the last regular-season game against the Rangers, but it was kind of like a shinny game, so I didn’t really get hit. So before coming to this one, I know I wanted to get some contact before and feel it out. And that felt good.”
Crozier found out Sunday morning he would draw in for Game 4, a pivotal contest with the Lightning trailing 2-1 in the series. And with the loudest crowd in hockey on top of him, Crozier, who was a healthy scratch for the first three games, leveled a thunderous hit on Canadiens star winger Juraj Slafkovsky that might, in many ways, have turned the best-of-seven series.
The Lightning were down by two, the first time either team had a multiple-goal lead in the series, in the final minutes of the second period. Crozier lined up Slafkovsky — a former top overall pick who has scored seven goals against Tampa Bay this season — in open ice and flattened him at center ice, right over the most sacred logo in hockey.
From there, the Lightning were a different team.
Jake Guentzel scored a 4-on-4 goal with 54 seconds left in the second period. Brandon Hagel scored on the power play 100 seconds into the third. Then Hagel scored again, with 4:53 left, to send the Lightning to a 3-2 win that evened the series as it returns to Tampa for Game 5 on Wednesday.
“(The hit) obviously got our bench out of their seats,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “But I think you still have to take advantage of that. ... We score in the last minute of the second, and the (second) minute (of the third), and all of a sudden the game’s completely changed, kind of taking the crowd out of a bit. But if you’re watching that game, you know that hit probably had a big thing to do with it.”
Crozier has snarl to his game, but since the Lightning’s Stadium Series game on Feb. 1, the only game he had played in was the regular-season finale on April 15, which meant nothing with the team’s playoff situation already determined.
“I thought it was vital that he got that Ranger game then. So you want to prepare him for this,” Cooper said. “As you can see, like, we’re really going to need everybody, but he has that in his game. That’s why Crow’s in this league, not necessarily all those hits, but he has that again. He’s a big-time gamer, and so yeah, he caught (Slafkovsky) good.”
Special teams comeback
The Lightning were locked into another game full of special teams. The teams combined for 13 power plays and nearly 20 minutes of special teams time.
When Hagel and Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson committed slashing penalties within 28 seconds of each other late in the second period, Guentzel took advantage of the open space of 4-on-4, scoring on a give-and-go with J.J. Moser in the final minute of the period to bring the Lightning within 2-1.
“That’s a massive goal for us,” Hagel said. “I think going into the third period sometimes down two goals could be a little bit dicey at times, but to get one there and then kind of the period ends and and you kind of take the crowd out of it right there.”
The Lightning then went on the power play 51 seconds into the third and gave the Canadiens a different look, with Nikita Kucherov working below the right circle and Guentzel facilitating the puck from above the circle. Guentzel drew the Montreal penalty kill his way, then went low to Kucherov, who slipped a pass to Hagel at the opposite post to tie the game.
“You live to play in moments like this,” Hagel said. “This is why you want to get into the playoffs. They’ve got passionate fans. It’s fun to play here, and it puts a little chip on your shoulder. I think just playing in the playoffs and being a part of an atmosphere like that, like, it’s insane in there, it’s actually really cool. These are the moments you have to embrace.”
Kucherov gets last laugh
The Canadiens fans have been booing Kucherov every time he touches the puck, clearly still stung from his famous news conference five years ago. After Tampa Bay beat Montreal in five games to win the Stanley Cup, Kucherov said Canadiens fans acted like they had won the Cup after winning Game 4.
Those boos got louder when Kucherov was slow to get up after Jake Evans was penalized for cross-checking after sending him into the boards with 8:27 to play. Already upset that Crozier’s hit on Slafkovsky didn’t draw a whistle, fans thought Kucherov had flopped. And when Kucherov returned just a few moments into the ensuing power play, the boos were deafening.
The Canadiens killed off that penalty, but shortly thereafter Kucherov flung a puck toward the net from outside the right circle that hit off the chest of Hagel, who had gained inside position in front on Matheson, and into the back of the net.
“We’re just a resilient group,” Guentzel said. “We’ve been through a lot this year, and there’s been a lot of circumstances that we have gone through. So there was no panic in our room or on our bench. We just felt like we were playing well. We just had to get one shot to go in. And obviously, once we got one, it kind of felt like the game was coming to us.”
Lightning 2, Canadiens 2
EASTERN CONFERENCE: FIRST ROUND
Gm 1: Canadiens 4, Lightning 3 (OT)
Gm 2: Lightning 3, Canadiens 2 (OT)
Gm 3: Canadiens 3, Lightning 2 (OT)
Sunday: Lightning 3, Canadiens 2
Wednesday: at Tampa, TBD
Friday: at Montreal, TBD
May 3: at Tampa, TBD*
TV/radio: All games also on The Spot-Ch. 66; 102.5-FM
Designated for assignment by the Mariners following a rough outing Monday, reliever Casey Legumina didn’t know what would happen next.
He stayed in Seattle, playing catch with a college buddy in his backyard and buying a net to throw pitches into rather than risk having his friend try to catch him.
“It’s really just trying to stay ready, and kind of waiting by the phone and waiting to hear anything — whether it’s (that you) clear (waivers) or you’re getting traded or what’s going to happen,” he said.
“So you don’t really know. And the timeline is different for everybody. Some people it happens in two days, three days, some four or five. So it was just a waiting game, and didn’t really know what to expect. So just tried to stay ready and just wait for that phone call, wherever it was.”
Legumina considered that a good outcome for several reasons.
He is well aware of the Rays’ reputation for helping pitchers improve, he works out during the winter with other Rays who live in Arizona, and he played previously with Ben Williamson in Seattle, and Jake Fraley and Nick Martinez in Cincinnati.
“It always feels good to have an opportunity somewhere, so it doesn’t matter, really, what it is, but (this is a) good spot to be in,” he said.
“I’ve heard nothing but great things about the org. I know some people that have been within the org and said a lot of great things. So I’m excited. It’s a lot of good pitching stuff going on here, and glad to be a part of that.”
To make room for Legumina on the active roster, Trevor Martin was optioned to Triple-A Durham.
Numbers of the day
11-1
Rays record against AL teams
5-10
Rays record against NL teams
No messing around
The Rays look to have a tough challenge Monday in Cleveland, facing lefty Parker Messick.
The Plant City High and FSU product is off to a great start through five outings, with a 3-0 record and 1.76 ERA that was third best in the majors.
Messick showed his stuff during his seven-start debut run, beating the Rays twice, allowing one earned run over 13 innings.
“He’s a talented pitcher that mixed well, works fast and pitches to all parts of the zone,” said Rays manger Kevin Cash. “We’ve got our hands full, but like the way we’ve been swinging the bat.”
Miscellany
Third-base coach Brady Williams had to leave the game after straining his left calf sending Taylor Walls home in the fourth. Adding insult to injury, Walls was thrown out. Bench coach Rodney Linares took over at third. ... Rays pitchers have limited opponents to no more than five hits in eight straight games. ... Yandy Diaz notched his 992nd career hit, eight shy of becoming the 20th Cuban-born player to reach 1,000. He needs one more extra-base hit to become the 29th Cuban with 300. ... The Rays are the ninth team in major-league history, and the first since the 2003 Royals, to win 11 or 12 of their first 12 games against AL opponents. ... A pregame “In Memorium” video included James McClanahan, the father of Rays pitcher Shane McClanahan; and Wendy Lowe, mother of former Rays Josh and Nathaniel Lowe. ... With an announced crowd of 17,618 Sunday, the Rays through 12 games at the Trop are averaging 18,772 fans. In 2024, they averaged 16,515.
The Tampa Bay Rays are still striving for a Hillsborough County stadium vote in May,the team informed the county on Friday.
The Rays’ response comes one day after Hillsborough informed the team it is unlikely to meet its June 1 deadline for the completion of a stadium deal.
“We understand the government parties’ concern regarding the timeline for completing the project agreements,” the team’s memo read. “At the same time, maintaining momentum is essential to keeping the project on track to open for the 2029 season, which is critical for the success of the project in Tampa Bay.
“Accordingly, we would like to continue working together toward a May vote on the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding), with the shared goal of completing the definitive agreements as soon as reasonably possible thereafter. Based on in-depth discussions with potential ballpark contractors, we remain confident that the project schedule can be maintained.”
Thursday, the county said that a timeline “cannot be reasonably considered” until all involved parties reach an agreement on the terms. After a preliminary agreement is reached, “it would likely take at least 60-90 days” to negotiate the deal’s development and funding obligations. June 1 is in less than 40 days.
In a letter to commissioners last week, Rays CEO Ken Babby described the deadline as an essential component that if not met, jeopardizes state funding that the deal is “economically infeasible” without.
On Friday, Babby called the team’s response evidence of “continued collaboration” with the county and the city of Tampa.
“Our focus is on working through the process and exploring a path toward opening a new ballpark in Tampa Bay for the start of the 2029 season,” Babby said in a statement. “We look forward to meeting with the County and City next week to continue the conversation and move discussions ahead in pursuit of a positive path forward.”
Also notable is the team’s ask for clarity on how to resolve a shortfall in public funding. Last week, the Rays response reads, the county identified an additional $60 million shortfall based on the assumption that Community Investment Tax bonds would be taxable. Previously, the shortfall was estimated at $75 million.
The team said it believes “the financing should be structured in a manner that preserves the ability for the (Community Investment Tax) bonds to remain tax-exempt” and that it is looking to work with the county and city “identify a path to bridge” the pre-existing gap.
Finding ways to lower the cost of the ballpark has been a point of emphasis for the county. The team is requesting a $1.065 billion public contribution toward the cost of a $2.3 billion stadium: $750 million from the county and $251 million from Tampa.
The Rays also said they are still evaluating potential design and construction options as the project advances, and noted the Kansas City Royals are pursuing a $1.9 billion stadium that does not include a roof.
“Ultimately, while stakeholder input is considered as part of the process, design decisions should ultimately be made by the Rays and their retained project professionals,” the team’s memo read.
The county said it “must have review and approval over design and construction of the stadium and infrastructure that is funded through public funding sources.”
In response to the county’s questions about parking, the team said it has an initial parking plan that will maintain the existing number of spaces currently on the Hillsborough College site and will continue to refine that plan. On Tuesday, the Tampa Sports Authority said the team’s proposal to build a stadium at Hillsborough College would leave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with at least 2,600 fewer parking spaces for games.
Other parking questions, including potential revenue sharing, will require further coordination, the Rays said.
The county also has a keen interest in the team’s proposed mixed-use development, as that is the portion of the project that will generate tax revenue.
The Rays said the development is still in the planning process, but recognize “the importance of the mixed-use development to the broader district vision” and are committed to advancing the development “in good faith.”
On Monday, the team will return to newly revamped Tropicana Field after spending last season playing at Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field while the hurricane-damaged St. Petersburg stadium underwent significant repairs.
The move back to the Trop spells good news for restaurants and bars in the area, which are sure to see an influx of hungry and thirsty baseball fans.
For many, one of the joys of hitting up a game is the quintessential ballpark hot dog or nachos or pretzel. But where should you go if you don’t want to eat at the Trop? We made a list of 23 places with food to consider nearby — either in the EDGE District or a smidge beyond.
Lots more restaurants await farther east and west of the stadium. There also are several places to drink around the EDGE District itself, including spots with great happy hours. Factor the bar scene into your plans if you’re trying to get your pregame on.
11 Chicks Yummy Creations
Get a taste of Venezuela at this casual spot. There’s an array of arepas to choose from, as well as tequeños, empanadas and rice bowls. If you want to lean into your arepa cravings and sample a few different pockets of goodness, go for the Top 3 Arepa Sliders, a trio of mini fried arepas stuffed with white cheese and 11 Chicks’ top three fillings: carne asada, jerk chicken and chicken salad. The dish falls under the menu’s appetizers section but would be a satisfying choice before an afternoon game, and it’s fun to mix and match each flavor with the accompanying cilantro aioli and spicy sauce.
199 Martin Luther King Jr. St. N., St. Petersburg. 11chicksyummy.com
Bavaro’s Pizza Napoletana & Pastaria
The Neapolitan pizzeria and Italian restaurant has several locations around Tampa Bay and is known for its pies, made with a 100-year-old yeast culture and a wood-fired brick oven. Start with an appetizer or salad for the table, then pick a couple of pizzas or pastas to share with your crew. The ’za lineup includes Tre-Carne (San Marzano tomato sauce, fior di latte, spicy fennel sausage, spicy soppressata, prosciutto cotto, extra-virgin olive oil, basil) and Burrata (stracciatella, cherry tomato, arugula, Parmigiano-Reggiano, extra-virgin olive oil).
You can’t go wrong with a meal here. Inspired by the islands of Latin America, this EDGE District favorite has grown from a little Cuban bodega to a spacious restaurant with an indoor bar and plenty of seating inside and out front along the sidewalk. Mosey to the walk-up window and order off the short menu of Latin street fare, including pressed sandwiches and delightful plates served with rice, black beans and maduros. The popular Cuban featuring roast pork, ham, Swiss, pickles, mayo and mojo is a go-to for many, and vegheads have sandwich and plate options built around grilled tempeh or tofu to dig into. Side quest: When it’s time for a post-game drink, check out the cozy cocktail bar, Bar Chica, tucked in the back.
This new addition to the EDGE District offers traditional Turkish dishes and cocktails in a sleek setting. The Piyaz Salatasi (white bean salad) and Special Beyti Kebap (lamb flavored with garlic, hot Turkish peppers and parsley, then chargrilled on skewers and wrapped in pita topped with house-made tomato and yogurt sauces) are among the highlights.
A reliable spot for jazzed-up sandwiches and specialty cheeses. The menu features more than two dozen sammies, from creative and familiar mashups layered between ciabatta and rye to pressed hoagies such as Italian Stallion (ham, salami, capicola, provolone, roasted peppers and pesto mayo or oil and vinegar) and The Gobbler (roasted turkey, cheddar and chipotle mayo) on Cuban bread with lettuce, tomato and onion.
Minutes from the Trop, the beloved hole-in-the-wall with a sports bar vibe serves nothing but the hits — wings, burgers, sandwiches, even some Greek fare — along with brews on tap.
Craft cocktails aren’t the only draw of this Afro-Latin Caribbean fusion lounge. Bites like conch fritters, tostones, steak frites, jerk chicken and shrimp skewers line the food menu, perfect for soaking up the sauce.
Burger lovers know about the substantial selection of gourmet patties at this sports bar with an affinity for hockey. My usual: Demi-God, loaded with cheddar, Swiss, sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions and horseradish mayo. The vegetarian Thin Lizzy sandwich piling grilled portabella, truffled goat cheese, caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, zucchini and pesto on multigrain toast iskiller, too, as are the fried pickle spears. Pair your eatswith a beer or a glass of wine andyou’re ready to watch some baseball.
56 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N., St. Petersburg. no9burgers.com
Ferg’s Sports Bar & Grill
Did you even catch a Rays game at the Trop if you didn’t make it here? The local landmark is intertwined with the game-day experience, a hot spot for fans coming to and from the stadium across the street. (The tunnel under First Avenue South connecting Ferg’s massive space with the ballpark helps.) There are ample bar stools and tables from which to have a good time over pub grub and cold drinks, in addition to live music and loads of TVs.
You have to hit this no-frills breakfast and lunch cafe fairly early, as it closes at 2 p.m. daily. Come when you’re in the mood for an omelet, a club sandwich or something sweet served with butter and syrup.
An EDGE District newcomer, Fusillo is a fast-casual joint churning outbowls of house-made pasta.Offerings include Pomodorini & Burrata (fusilli with burrata, datterini sauce and basil) or Carbonara (mezze maniche with guanciale, egg yolks, Roman pecorino cheeseand black pepper), with toppings like shrimp or chicken available for an additional charge. Warm carbs served up quickly might be just what you need after a couple of beers at the game.
The petit restaurant slings sausages, schnitzels and other German delights, along with a few vegan offerings. Dine inside its comfortable space or while people-watching at a shaded sidewalk table.
951 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. 727-326-2679
Hawkers
Sharing this Asian street food spot’s dishes with a group of pals is the way to go. Your options range from dumplings, bao buns and wontons to curries, fried rice and noodles. Thirsty? Don’t miss the cocktail list.
Owner Amita Mukherjee’s cozy restaurant specializes in East Indian street food. You’ll find a mix of shareables, salads and mains, including Mowgli’s take on butter chicken and the Kol-Kati Roll, a play on the iconic Indian street food featuring a paratha or roti wrap stuffed with veggies, a choice of meat or vegetarian filling and sauces. The pani puri, which Mukherjee has playfully dubbed Pop Goes the Puri, is not to be missed. Times senior food and dining critic Helen Freund called the dish one of her favorite bites of 2025.
Part of the Noble Crust and Fat Beet Farm family, Noble Tavern does elevated bar fare and cocktails on the ground floor of the Tru by Hilton hotel in the Grand Central District close to the Trop. Flatbreads, sushi and sandwiches join items such as Sticky Pork Ribs (hoisin chili glaze, pickled onion, radish) and Sweet Corn Risotto (broccolini, mushrooms, tomatoes, goat cheese, basil, crispy onions) on the food side. The place plans to open at noon for the Rays’ home opener with first-come, first-served seating.
Stop by the food truck parked outside of Green Bench Brewing Co. for tasty sandwiches and burgers. Light, bright and delightfully crunchy, the Chicken Caesar Wrap is solid, packing pulled rotisserie chicken, lettuce, croutons, freshly grated Parmesan and lemon zest tossed in Caesar dressing in a grilled flour tortilla. This and six more handhelds are supplemented by Cajun fries, cheese curds and dill pickle potato salad, among other sides. A good choice if you want to grab a quick bite and a beer.
With a welcoming, laidback vibe and an enticing lineup of wood-fired sourdough pies, there’s no reason not to end up at this tiny neighborhood pizzeria. Choose from smartly curated combos like Saint Michael’s Supreme (house-made tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella,fire-roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, mushrooms, pepperoni) and Angry Goat (buffalo wing sauce, cherry peppers, hot honey, shredded mozzarella, fire-roasted red peppers, bacon, crumbled goat cheese, chives), pairing them with your pick from the wine or beer list. Bonus: Debbie’s Veggie changes monthly, giving diners a new, veggie-packed pizza to look forward to.
Justnorth of the stadium, this restaurant from the Mangosteen Hospitality Group showcases craft cocktails and small plates, mixing Asian fusion bites with sushi and a number of Thai classics. It’s all servedin a stylish setting.
The fast-casual Mexican restaurant chain, which started in Anna Maria and is inspired by the street food of the San Francisco Bay Area, serves a menu of tacos, burritos, bowls and quesadillas. You can select fillings like carnitas or tempeh and build your own meal, or go with signature creations such as the Bee Sting Burrito, which wraps white rice, black beans, ancho chicken, romaine, pico de gallo, Jackcheese and pineapple hot sauce in a flour tortilla.
A large outdoor patio and familiar eats served from a walk-up window define the EDGE District outpost of this Cali-Mex street food spot. I’m never not craving the Chile Relleno specialty burrito. Glorious cheese relleno and your choice of chicken, pork verde, pork colorado or cheese get rolled in a house-made flour tortilla, and it’s oh-so-good, especially when you drizzle a little salsa verde atop each bite. Tacos, bowls, nachos, combination plates and churros accompany the burritos. The fun cocktails only enhance the experience.
The popular food truck has a brick-and-mortar in the EDGE District, pulling up behind the storefront and serving a menu of bao buns, dumplings and doodads like rangoon and spring rolls alongside its signature Dirty Rice — sticky rice with gyoza sauce, gochujang sauce, fried onions, scallions, sesame and your desired protein (think Bang Bang Chicken or Vegan BBQ Jackfruit). Guests can eat at tables inside or in the lush outdoor courtyard.
This bakery and cafe specializing in sourdough has sandwiches and wraps all day. Complete your meal with a soup or salad, or save room for a sweet treat and eat it on your way to the Trop.
Located at the edge of the EDGE District, Zaytoon makes a great pit stop for Rays fans, whether you’re looking for grub ahead of a game or feeling hungry afterward. There are classic Middle Eastern appetizers to share, such as hummus or baba ghanoush, plus falafel and shawarma sandwiches, salads, bowls and kebab platters.
On Monday, the team will return to newly revamped Tropicana Field after spending last season playing at Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field while the hurricane-damaged St. Petersburg stadium underwent significant repairs.
The move back to the Trop spells good news for restaurants and bars in the area, which are sure to see an influx of hungry and thirsty baseball fans.
For many, one of the joys of hitting up a game is the quintessential ballpark hot dog or nachos or pretzel. But where should you go if you don’t want to eat at the Trop? We made a list of 23 places with food to consider nearby — either in the EDGE District or a smidge beyond.
Lots more restaurants await farther east and west of the stadium. There also are several places to drink around the EDGE District itself, including spots with great happy hours. Factor the bar scene into your plans if you’re trying to get your pregame on.
11 Chicks Yummy Creations
Get a taste of Venezuela at this casual spot. There’s an array of arepas to choose from, as well as tequeños, empanadas and rice bowls. If you want to lean into your arepa cravings and sample a few different pockets of goodness, go for the Top 3 Arepa Sliders, a trio of mini fried arepas stuffed with white cheese and 11 Chicks’ top three fillings: carne asada, jerk chicken and chicken salad. The dish falls under the menu’s appetizers section but would be a satisfying choice before an afternoon game, and it’s fun to mix and match each flavor with the accompanying cilantro aioli and spicy sauce.
199 Martin Luther King Jr. St. N., St. Petersburg. 11chicksyummy.com
Bavaro’s Pizza Napoletana & Pastaria
The Neapolitan pizzeria and Italian restaurant has several locations around Tampa Bay and is known for its pies, made with a 100-year-old yeast culture and a wood-fired brick oven. Start with an appetizer or salad for the table, then pick a couple of pizzas or pastas to share with your crew. The ’za lineup includes Tre-Carne (San Marzano tomato sauce, fior di latte, spicy fennel sausage, spicy soppressata, prosciutto cotto, extra-virgin olive oil, basil) and Burrata (stracciatella, cherry tomato, arugula, Parmigiano-Reggiano, extra-virgin olive oil).
You can’t go wrong with a meal here. Inspired by the islands of Latin America, this EDGE District favorite has grown from a little Cuban bodega to a spacious restaurant with an indoor bar and plenty of seating inside and out front along the sidewalk. Mosey to the walk-up window and order off the short menu of Latin street fare, including pressed sandwiches and delightful plates served with rice, black beans and maduros. The popular Cuban featuring roast pork, ham, Swiss, pickles, mayo and mojo is a go-to for many, and vegheads have sandwich and plate options built around grilled tempeh or tofu to dig into. Side quest: When it’s time for a post-game drink, check out the cozy cocktail bar, Bar Chica, tucked in the back.
This new addition to the EDGE District offers traditional Turkish dishes and cocktails in a sleek setting. The Piyaz Salatasi (white bean salad) and Special Beyti Kebap (lamb flavored with garlic, hot Turkish peppers and parsley, then chargrilled on skewers and wrapped in pita topped with house-made tomato and yogurt sauces) are among the highlights.
A reliable spot for jazzed-up sandwiches and specialty cheeses. The menu features more than two dozen sammies, from creative and familiar mashups layered between ciabatta and rye to pressed hoagies such as Italian Stallion (ham, salami, capicola, provolone, roasted peppers and pesto mayo or oil and vinegar) and The Gobbler (roasted turkey, cheddar and chipotle mayo) on Cuban bread with lettuce, tomato and onion.
Minutes from the Trop, the beloved hole-in-the-wall with a sports bar vibe serves nothing but the hits — wings, burgers, sandwiches, even some Greek fare — along with brews on tap.
Craft cocktails aren’t the only draw of this Afro-Latin Caribbean fusion lounge. Bites like conch fritters, tostones, steak frites, jerk chicken and shrimp skewers line the food menu, perfect for soaking up the sauce.
Burger lovers know about the substantial selection of gourmet patties at this sports bar with an affinity for hockey. My usual: Demi-God, loaded with cheddar, Swiss, sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions and horseradish mayo. The vegetarian Thin Lizzy sandwich piling grilled portabella, truffled goat cheese, caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, zucchini and pesto on multigrain toast iskiller, too, as are the fried pickle spears. Pair your eatswith a beer or a glass of wine andyou’re ready to watch some baseball.
56 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N., St. Petersburg. no9burgers.com
Ferg’s Sports Bar & Grill
Did you even catch a Rays game at the Trop if you didn’t make it here? The local landmark is intertwined with the game-day experience, a hot spot for fans coming to and from the stadium across the street. (The tunnel under First Avenue South connecting Ferg’s massive space with the ballpark helps.) There are ample bar stools and tables from which to have a good time over pub grub and cold drinks, in addition to live music and loads of TVs.
You have to hit this no-frills breakfast and lunch cafe fairly early, as it closes at 2 p.m. daily. Come when you’re in the mood for an omelet, a club sandwich or something sweet served with butter and syrup.
An EDGE District newcomer, Fusillo is a fast-casual joint churning outbowls of house-made pasta.Offerings include Pomodorini & Burrata (fusilli with burrata, datterini sauce and basil) or Carbonara (mezze maniche with guanciale, egg yolks, Roman pecorino cheeseand black pepper), with toppings like shrimp or chicken available for an additional charge. Warm carbs served up quickly might be just what you need after a couple of beers at the game.
The petit restaurant slings sausages, schnitzels and other German delights, along with a few vegan offerings. Dine inside its comfortable space or while people-watching at a shaded sidewalk table.
951 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. 727-326-2679
Hawkers
Sharing this Asian street food spot’s dishes with a group of pals is the way to go. Your options range from dumplings, bao buns and wontons to curries, fried rice and noodles. Thirsty? Don’t miss the cocktail list.
Owner Amita Mukherjee’s cozy restaurant specializes in East Indian street food. You’ll find a mix of shareables, salads and mains, including Mowgli’s take on butter chicken and the Kol-Kati Roll, a play on the iconic Indian street food featuring a paratha or roti wrap stuffed with veggies, a choice of meat or vegetarian filling and sauces. The pani puri, which Mukherjee has playfully dubbed Pop Goes the Puri, is not to be missed. Times senior food and dining critic Helen Freund called the dish one of her favorite bites of 2025.
Part of the Noble Crust and Fat Beet Farm family, Noble Tavern does elevated bar fare and cocktails on the ground floor of the Tru by Hilton hotel in the Grand Central District close to the Trop. Flatbreads, sushi and sandwiches join items such as Sticky Pork Ribs (hoisin chili glaze, pickled onion, radish) and Sweet Corn Risotto (broccolini, mushrooms, tomatoes, goat cheese, basil, crispy onions) on the food side. The place plans to open at noon for the Rays’ home opener with first-come, first-served seating.
Stop by the food truck parked outside of Green Bench Brewing Co. for tasty sandwiches and burgers. Light, bright and delightfully crunchy, the Chicken Caesar Wrap is solid, packing pulled rotisserie chicken, lettuce, croutons, freshly grated Parmesan and lemon zest tossed in Caesar dressing in a grilled flour tortilla. This and six more handhelds are supplemented by Cajun fries, cheese curds and dill pickle potato salad, among other sides. A good choice if you want to grab a quick bite and a beer.
With a welcoming, laidback vibe and an enticing lineup of wood-fired sourdough pies, there’s no reason not to end up at this tiny neighborhood pizzeria. Choose from smartly curated combos like Saint Michael’s Supreme (house-made tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella,fire-roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, mushrooms, pepperoni) and Angry Goat (buffalo wing sauce, cherry peppers, hot honey, shredded mozzarella, fire-roasted red peppers, bacon, crumbled goat cheese, chives), pairing them with your pick from the wine or beer list. Bonus: Debbie’s Veggie changes monthly, giving diners a new, veggie-packed pizza to look forward to.
Justnorth of the stadium, this restaurant from the Mangosteen Hospitality Group showcases craft cocktails and small plates, mixing Asian fusion bites with sushi and a number of Thai classics. It’s all servedin a stylish setting.
The fast-casual Mexican restaurant chain, which started in Anna Maria and is inspired by the street food of the San Francisco Bay Area, serves a menu of tacos, burritos, bowls and quesadillas. You can select fillings like carnitas or tempeh and build your own meal, or go with signature creations such as the Bee Sting Burrito, which wraps white rice, black beans, ancho chicken, romaine, pico de gallo, Jackcheese and pineapple hot sauce in a flour tortilla.
A large outdoor patio and familiar eats served from a walk-up window define the EDGE District outpost of this Cali-Mex street food spot. I’m never not craving the Chile Relleno specialty burrito. Glorious cheese relleno and your choice of chicken, pork verde, pork colorado or cheese get rolled in a house-made flour tortilla, and it’s oh-so-good, especially when you drizzle a little salsa verde atop each bite. Tacos, bowls, nachos, combination plates and churros accompany the burritos. The fun cocktails only enhance the experience.
The popular food truck has a brick-and-mortar in the EDGE District, pulling up behind the storefront and serving a menu of bao buns, dumplings and doodads like rangoon and spring rolls alongside its signature Dirty Rice — sticky rice with gyoza sauce, gochujang sauce, fried onions, scallions, sesame and your desired protein (think Bang Bang Chicken or Vegan BBQ Jackfruit). Guests can eat at tables inside or in the lush outdoor courtyard.
This bakery and cafe specializing in sourdough has sandwiches and wraps all day. Complete your meal with a soup or salad, or save room for a sweet treat and eat it on your way to the Trop.
Located at the edge of the EDGE District, Zaytoon makes a great pit stop for Rays fans, whether you’re looking for grub ahead of a game or feeling hungry afterward. There are classic Middle Eastern appetizers to share, such as hummus or baba ghanoush, plus falafel and shawarma sandwiches, salads, bowls and kebab platters.
![Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Max Crozier (24) wards off Montréal Canadiens left wing Juraj Slafkovský (20)] after Slafkovský forced Crozier into the boards during the second period.](https://www.tampabay.com/resizer/v2/LGLJK6CGYBAMHFPJMIXX2EYDQA.JPG?auth=92bf87a8cda54cb78f92195b35468294cdc368189e7aa63b2784c4e2dc254e83&height=675&width=1200&smart=true)
11 Chicks Yummy Creations
Bodega
Brooklyn South
Ferg’s Sports Bar & Grill
Hawkers
Mowgli’s Tiffin
Offset Sandwich Exchange
Pizza Box
Red Mesa Mercado