SB Nation Tampa Bay - Tampa Bay Rays: 2010 AL East Division Championshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49019/tb-fave.png2010-10-03T16:48:39-04:00http://tampabay.sbnation.com/rss/stream/12859712010-10-03T16:48:39-04:002010-10-03T16:48:39-04:00It's Over; Red Sox Win Gives Rays The Title
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Red Sox</a> beat the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a> 8-4 at Fenway Park, clinching the AL East Division championship for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.draysbay.com/">Tampa Bay Rays</a>.</p>
https://tampabay.sbnation.com/tampa-bay-rays/2010/10/3/1728372/its-over-red-sox-win-gives-rays-the-titleClark Brooks2010-10-03T02:46:58-04:002010-10-03T02:46:58-04:00Rays Get Help They Need From Late Night Heroics In Boston
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<p>In spite of shutting out the Royals 4-0, the Rays needed help Saturday to move back into first place in the AL East and regain control of their own destiny, and they got it...even though it actually arrived early Sunday morning. When Eric Patterson drove in Bill Hall in the bottom of the 10th inning for a 7-6 win in the second game of a double header (the Yankees won the first game 6-5), it left the Yankees and Rays with identical 95-66 records. And since the Rays hold the tiebreaker over the Yankees, they're back in first place. So now with only one game left to play for both teams, talk of Magic Numbers is irreleveant (it's 1 for the Rays and 2 for the Yankees, if you must know). There are only three possible outcomes and two of them favor the Rays:</p>
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<li>Rays win = Rays win the division, regardless of what happens in the other game.</li>
<li>Yankees lose = See #1.</li>
<li>Rays lose, Yankees win = Yankees win the division.</li>
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<p>Very simple. So here are your scoreboards to watch:</p>
<p>New York @ Boston 1:35 p.m.<br>Rays @ Kansas City 2:10 p.m.</p>
https://tampabay.sbnation.com/tampa-bay-rays/2010/10/3/1727382/rays-get-help-they-need-from-late-night-heroics-in-bostonClark Brooks2010-10-02T00:00:10-04:002010-10-02T00:00:10-04:00Yankees Reward For Doing Nothing the Last 2 Days? 1st Place!
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<p>Maybe all this hard work and struggle stuff is overrated. The <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Yankees</a> picked up a game on the <a href="https://www.draysbay.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Tampa Bay Rays</a> and took control of the AL East division without setting foot on a diamond in the last two days. Not bad, if you can do it! And now the Rays, who had their own destiny firmly within their grasp just 48 hours ago find themselves looking for help from the <a href="https://www.overthemonster.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Boston Red Sox</a> to win the division, all because they’re 1-4 in their last five games against teams you’d expect the Rays to beat by four or more runs 8 out of 10 times they play, in the process being shut out three times. Wow. Pennant stretch runs don’t get much crappier than that.</p>
<p><span class="caps">MAGIC</span> <span class="caps">NUMBERS</span><br>Rays: 3<br>Yankees: 3</p>
<p>SATURDAY’S <span class="caps">SCOREBOARDS</span> TO <span class="caps">WATCH</span><br>New York @ Boston 4:10 p.m.<br>Rays @ Kansas City 8:10 p.m.<br>New York @ Boston 9:05 p.m.</p>
https://tampabay.sbnation.com/tampa-bay-rays/2010/10/2/1725722/yankees-reward-for-doing-nothing-the-last-2-days-1st-placeClark Brooks2010-10-01T00:13:52-04:002010-10-01T00:13:52-04:00Welcome To Round 1a Of The Playoffs!
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<p>Only it's a weird form of playoffs where two teams play neutral opponents instead of each other in a best of three series away from their home parks. The winner gets the AL East division title while the loser gets a not-too-shabby consolation prize of the Wildcard berth. <br>That's basically where we stand right now, after the Rays lost to the Royals 3-2 while the Yankees were idle, erasing the 1/2 game lead the Rays had held, giving both teams identical records of 94-65 with three games to play. It is important to note here that the Rays are technically still in first place, since they hold the tiebreaker advantage.</p>
<p>MAGIC NUMBERS<br>Rays: 3<br>Yankees: 3</p>
<p>FRIDAY'S SCOREBOARDS TO WATCH<br>New York @ Boston 7:10 p.m.<br>Rays @ Kansas City 8:10 p.m.</p>
https://tampabay.sbnation.com/tampa-bay-rays/2010/10/1/1723871/welcome-to-round-1a-of-the-playoffsClark Brooks2010-09-29T23:04:09-04:002010-09-29T23:04:09-04:00Rays Still Hold 1/2 Game Lead, But That Will Change Tomorrow
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<p>If you have <span class="caps">OCD</span>, no doubt that 1/2 game differential in games played between the <a href="https://www.draysbay.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Rays</a> and <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Yankees</a> has caused you some discomfort. Relax. It goes away tomorrow as the Yankees have the day off and the Rays travel to Kansas City to take on the <a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Royals</a> for their final series of the regular season. That means that at the end of the day tomorrow, the Rays will either be tied with the Yankees (if they lose) or open up the lead to a full game (if they win). <br>As for tonight, both teams lost (Rays 2-0 to Baltimore and Yankees 8-4 to Toronto), so status remains quo in the divisional standings but both teams numbers go down by one.</p>
<p><span class="caps">MAGIC</span> <span class="caps">NUMBERS</span>:</p>
<p>Rays: 3</p>
<p>Yankees: 4</p>
<p>THURSDAY’S <span class="caps">GAME</span> TO <span class="caps">WATCH</span><br>Rays @ Kansas City 8:10 p.m.</p>
https://tampabay.sbnation.com/tampa-bay-rays/2010/9/29/1720784/rays-still-hold-1-2-game-lead-but-that-will-change-tomorrowClark Brooks2010-09-28T22:40:41-04:002010-09-28T22:40:41-04:00AL Playoff Participants Set, AL East Title Still Up For Grabs
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.draysbay.com/">Rays</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a> both won tonight, punching their postseason tickets and finishing off the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Boston Red Sox</a>, so the only Magic Numbers left to track are for the AL East division. The Rays maintain their half game lead going into their series finale against Baltimore tomorrow.</p>
<p><span class="caps">MAGIC</span> <span class="caps">NUMBERS</span>:</p>
<p>Rays: 4</p>
<p>Yankees: 5</p>
<p>WEDNESDAY’S <span class="caps">SCOREBOARDS</span> TO <span class="caps">WATCH</span><br>
New York @ Toronto 7:07 p.m.<br>
Baltimore @ Rays 7:10 p.m.</p>
https://tampabay.sbnation.com/tampa-bay-rays/2010/9/28/1718648/al-playoff-participants-set-al-east-title-still-up-for-grabsClark Brooks2010-09-28T21:25:36-04:002010-09-28T21:25:36-04:00Rays Clinch Playoff Spot
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<p><span>David Price</span> goes seven innings with home runs by <span>Carlos Pena</span> and <span>Carl Crawford</span> as the <a href="https://www.draysbay.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Rays</a> shut out the <a href="https://www.camdenchat.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Baltimore Orioles</a> to clinch the second postseason berth in franchise history</p>
https://tampabay.sbnation.com/tampa-bay-rays/2010/9/28/1718503/rays-clinch-playoff-spotClark Brooks2010-09-27T23:44:48-04:002010-09-27T23:44:48-04:00Nothing Resolved As Rays, Yanks Lose, Red Sox Win
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.draysbay.com/">Rays</a> ran into a lefthanded buzzsaw named <span>Brian Matusz</span> and lost 4-0 to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.camdenchat.com/">Orioles</a> while the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a> got themselves into a 7 run hole they couldn’t climb out of, falling to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/">Blue Jays</a> 7-5. Meanwhile, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Red Sox</a> beat the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.southsidesox.com/">White Sox</a> in Chicago 6-1 to maintain their tenuous grasp on postseason hopes.<br>
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<span class="caps">MAGIC</span> <span class="caps">NUMBERS</span>:</p>
<p>Rays: Wild Card = 1, Division = 5</p>
<p>Yankees: Wild Card = 1, Division = 6</p>
<p>TUESDAY’S <span class="caps">SCOREBOARDS</span> TO <span class="caps">WATCH</span><br>
New York @ Toronto 7:07 p.m.<br>
Baltimore @ Rays 7:10 p.m.<br>
Boston @ Chicago 8:10 p.m.</p>
https://tampabay.sbnation.com/tampa-bay-rays/2010/9/27/1716439/nothing-resolved-as-rays-yanks-lose-red-sox-winClark Brooks