Tampa Bay Rays baseball team

ST. PETERSBURG — Two years ago, a season like this would've been a cause for celebration. Then that magical 2008 Rays team came along and introduced a new breed of expectations for this franchise — the type that made anything short of back-to-back postseason berths seem like a disappointment. Although the 2009 Rays won't be [...]

ST. PETERSBURG — There perhaps has never been a faster man in Rays history than Carl Crawford. So what the speedy left fielder did on Tuesday night didn't prove anything other than what Rays fans already know very well: Crawford is an absolute thief. With a steal of second base in the first inning against [...]

ST. PETERSBURG — Different day, different script, same result for Ben Zobrist, and once again, the Rays have a come-from-behind win. A day after driving in four runs to lead a comeback victory in Texas, Zobrist led the Rays to a 7-6 win over the Orioles on Monday night with 10,352 watching at Tropicana Field. [...]

ST. PETERSBURG — The Rays went deep twice in the first inning of Monday night's game against the Orioles to establish a team single-season record for home runs. "It's pretty cool," said Ben Zobrist, who hit the record-breaker in the Rays' 7-6 win. "We had a real fast assent to the 100 mark, around the [...]

ARLINGTON — After seven innings of what appeared to be listless baseball, the Rays managed to find the magic in the final two innings Sunday to erase a five-run Rangers lead en route to a 7-6 win with 37,905 watching at Rangers Ballpark. "It's not over until the last out in the ninth," said Ben [...]

ARLINGTON — The scorecard for Monday night's pitching matchup between the Rays and Orioles will have an NBA vibe. Jeff Niemann, 6 feet 9, 280 pounds, will square off against former Rays left-hander Mark Hendrickson, who also stands 6-9. Controlling the paint, er, the pitcher's mound, will go a long way toward determining which team [...]

ARLINGTON — Saturday night's fireworks show began a little early at Rangers Ballpark. While 31,855 showed up to watch the Rangers-Rays contest, along with the scheduled fireworks show after the game, Rangers hitters went off during an 11-run fifth inning that sparked a 15-3 rout of the Rays. "It's hard to come back from 11-run [...]

ARLINGTON — James Shields is the Rays' No. 1 starter and for most of the season he's pitched exactly like an ace should, only his record won't reflect that fact heading into the offseason. Friday night's 8-3 loss to the Rangers could be looked at as a microcosm for the right-hander's season. "It's frustrating, it's [...]

ARLINGTON — A mention of "Texas" to Matt Garza brought an ironic smile from the Rays right-hander. "A lot of memories," said Garza, who will start against the Rangers on Saturday night. On June 8, 2008, Garza started in Texas against the Rangers and allowed three earned runs in four innings to take the loss. [...]

ST. PETERSBURG — All season long, Rays players and fans awaited the magic that defined the 2008 season. That magic never arrived. Now Tampa Bay heads to Texas to begin a three-game series with the Rangers, beginning a stretch that will see the team play three on the road before finishing the 2009 season at [...]