Tag: Tampa Bay Rays

The Yankees’ Tommy Kahnle tripped on the dugout steps as benches cleared and MLB fans had jokes

The Yankees’ season in a nutshell.

The New York Yankees are stumbling into the offseason with a miserable 2023 campaign that general manager Brian Cashman called a disaster. They’re also stumbling into bench-clearing incidents.

While the Yankees lost Sunday’s series finale with the Rays, 7-4, the game itself had its share of fireworks. Yankees pitchers hit Rays batters with the pitch four times, and Randy Arozarena was especially furious to take a 3-1 fastball from Albert Abreu off the elbow guard. Arozarena acted like he was going to throw his bat, and then he turned towards Abreu to have some words with the Yankees reliever. Benches would clear, but the teams were eventually separated without incident.

Yet, Arozarena was clearly still heated about getting hit by the pitch. After he stole third in the inning (off a pitch that narrowly avoided hitting Harold Ramirez), Arozarena stared down Abreu as he went to retrieve his helmet. That led to Abreu shouting back at Arozarena, and benches cleared AGAIN.

Like the initial incident, the teams were separated before anything got out of hand. But the best moment came courtesy of Yankees pitcher Tommy Kahnle. As both teams came running from the dugout and onto the field, Kahnle got a late start from the clubhouse and took a tumble on the dugout steps.

For someone falling down on stairs, Kahnle played it off so smoothly.

I’m glad that was caught on camera because MLB fans had plenty of jokes for the wipeout.

Tre Morgan off to hot start in Rays organization

Another former Tiger is off to a scorching hot start with his professional club.

Following his success with LSU in the College World Series, [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] is off to a hot start in the Rays organization.

The Rays used their third-round pick on Morgan last month. He was lauded for his bat to ball skills and elite defense. So far, he’s living up to the hype.

In Single-A, he’s hitting .400 and to pair with his .538 on-base percentage.

On the whole, Morgan’s professional OPS is sitting at 1.063 with 13 hits in just nine games. Morgan is producing despite being a year younger than the average player in his league.

Perhaps the most impressive feat thus far is Morgan has only struck out once.

It’s early and Morgan still has a lot to prove at this level, but with his defense, we could see Morgan in the big leagues sooner than most third-round picks.

He was a three-year starter at LSU, so he’s no stranger to big-time baseball.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1389]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Wander Franco allegations: Everything we know so far about the investigations into the Rays shortstop

Here’s everything we know about the investigation against the Rays shortstop.

Wander Franco hasn’t played in a game for the Tampa Bay Rays since August 12, with the star shortstop being placed on the Major League Baseball restricted list soon after.

What happened that changed his status? There’s an investigation unfolding, both from MLB and his native Dominican Republic, stemming from accusations made against him on social media.

If you’re catching up on the story or have no idea what’s going on, we’re here to help. Here’s a breakdown of what those allegations are and where the investigations are at while Franco continues to sit out from Rays games:

Former LSU pitcher Garrett Edwards officially agrees to terms with Rays

Garrett Edwards signed a deal with Tampa Bay for $500,000.

After he was selected in the 11th round of the 2023 MLB draft, former LSU pitcher [autotag]Garrett Edwards[/autotag] officially came to an agreement with the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.

According to a report from MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis, Edwards’ deal is worth $500,000 (with $350,000 of it counting vs. the pool).

Edwards emerged as one of LSU’s top bullpen options this season, and he likely would have pushed for a spot in the starting rotation were it not for him undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery.

As a junior in 2023, he made 10 appearances while earning a 4-0 record. His earned run average was just 1.93, and he also recorded a save.

Edwards’ draft stock was hurt due to his injury, but he’ll join the Rays organization and hope to rise the minor league ranks once healthy.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1389]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

MLB fans called out the All-Star Game for bizarrely skipping Rays’ Wander Franco and Shane McClanahan during intros

This was a weird omission by the All-Star Game.

The MLB All-Star Week is a time of celebration across the league. It’s a time when baseball’s best of the best all congregate in one place to show off their skills as representatives of their teams.

Unfortunately for the Tampa Bay Rays, an announcing snafu skipped the introductions of two of its players during Tuesday’s All-Star Game. Shortstop Wander Franco and pitcher Shane McClanahan were both absent from the All-Star Game introduction announcements despite taking the field during that time.

While neither Franco nor McClanahan were among the American League starters — as Randy Arozarena and Yandy DĂ­az were both introduced — the pair were seemingly skipped over so the Seattle Mariners could get reception from their hometown crowd.

Talk about an extremely bizarre oversight for sure. The Rays on Twitter, meanwhile, took matters into their own hands about introducing Franco and McClanahan to the festivities.

MLB fans were not pleased about the All-Star Game missing Franco and McClanahan from the event’s introductions.

LSU reliever Garrett Edwards goes to the Rays in Round 11

Garrett Edwards has heard his name called in the 11th round of the 2023 MLB draft.

[autotag]Garrett Edwards[/autotag] has heard his name called in the 11th round of the 2023 MLB Draft. He was picked by the Tampa Bay Rays.

He will join [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] in the minor leagues as he begins his path to the majors. Edwards is coming off his best season on the bayou. He had a 4-0 record with a 1.93 ERA as he struck out 27 hitters and only walked five out of the bullpen.

Edwards got roughed up in his last outing of the season against South Carolina, but his stuff is still really good. He makes a lot of hitters swing-and-miss and he forces a lot of ground balls. That is a big reason why he was picked.

Edwards has the option to come back to school if he chooses, but he would be in a good situation in Tampa Bay. According to The Advocate’s Leah Vann, he received fifth-round caliber money.

The Rays are the best team in the American League right now, and they do a good job developing pitchers.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=611345007]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Tre Morgan goes to Tampa Bay in Round 3 of 2023 MLB draft

Captain Morgan is headed to the Bay.

Captain Morgan is headed to the Bay.

The Tampa Bay Rays selected Tigers first baseman [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] with the 88th pick in the third round of the 2023 MLB draft on Monday afternoon.

Morgan was one of my favorite players on this year’s team. There isn’t anything he couldn’t do. We are all used to just how good he is at first base but this year he even played in left field and he looked like he could play out there if a pro team needs him to.

During his career at LSU, Morgan hit .332 with 49 doubles, 20 homers and 149 RBI. Morgan is a kid that was a pivotal part of LSU’s title run. Had he not rushed that bunt and thrown home for the out against Wake Forest, the Tigers may have never made it to the national championship series.

He’s going to a great spot as the Tampa Bay Rays are one of the best teams in baseball right now. They have the second-best record in the MLB, only behind the Atlanta Braves.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=611345007]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Pete Alonso is back to dropping casual F-bombs after mashing a walk-off HR

Alonso on a hot mic is an absolute treat to listen to.

In a tough season for the New York Mets thus far, they haven’t had much to celebrate. It’s mid-May, and after all of the offseason hype, New York is already 6.5 games out of first place behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East standings.

But a Wednesday win over the MLB-leading Tampa Bay Rays might have been a turning point. And Pete Alonso seems to know it based on his postgame reaction.

After mashing a walk-off home run to cap an extra-innings 8-7 comeback win, Alonso brought back a staple to those familiar with his exploits in New York: he said a casual F-bomb while praising the Mets’ victory.

(Warning: NSFW language in the video below.)

In a challenging year for New York, finding the bright spots might be tricky. Alonso getting it going like this and returning to his expletive-dropping roots should be a sight for sore eyes for Mets fans.

[affiliatewidget_deal1]

Jose Siri collided with the ump after nobody expected him to score from second on an infield grounder

Personal foul, roughing the … umpire?

The Tampa Bay Rays are so good this season that they can go down six runs and have no problem responding with seven straight runs. That shouldn’t come as a surprise. But how the Rays score can catch even the umpires off guard.

Umpire Will Little experienced that first hand on Sunday.

After the Yankees scored the game’s first six runs, the Rays eventually rallied back to take the lead in the sixth inning (before the Yankees tied it once again). But that seventh run really showed the difference between the Rays and Yankees at this point. One team is playing aggressive, heads-up baseball while the Yankees are giving away outs and runs with miscues.

In the sixth inning, Jose Siri was on second base with Yandy Diaz at the plate. Siri attempted to take third on the pitch as Diaz hit a soft grounder to Yankees reliever Jimmy Cordero. As Cordero fielded the ball and threw to first for the out, he didn’t think to check on Siri at third base. And evidently, Little didn’t expect the Rays center fielder to continue running home either.

The aggressive running led to Siri scoring from second without a throw. But Little happened to be standing right in his path as he focused on the play at first base, which led to a collision.

Both Little and Siri were OK, and Siri made sure to check on the umpire. That’s a lesson, though: Umpires need to keep their head on a swivel when the Rays are running bases. They’re relentless this season.

[affiliatewidget_deal5]

The debate over Wander Franco’s awesome ball flip before a throw is just silly

This is the most fun, no debate!

This is the online version of our daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning. Here’s Charles Curtis. 

Whether or not you agree that Wander Franco should or shouldn’t have flipped the ball up in the air on a routine grounder before firing it to first for an out, it’s OK to admit that it was awesome. This man is an incredible infielder, as we saw a week ago with his over-the-shoulder barehanded catch.

Now, on to the debate: Stop it.

This falls under bat flipping on home runs and pitchers getting pumped after huge strikeouts. We should love all of it. The game of baseball is a delight and when amazing things happen, we should be in awe instead of pooh-poohing “showboating” or “breaking the unwritten rules.”

The thing that professional sports teams can do the most for their athletes to let them be themselves. As long as Franco doesn’t do that and then watch as a runner is safe at first, the league-leading Tampa Bay Rays — SIX losses as of right now, which is absurd — should be wowed like the rest of us and watch him continue to rake at the plate and make dazzling plays in the field.

And — as I’ve said over and over with the new rules like the pitch clock — baseball needs this. A younger audience that’s already seeing more action, quickly and with more stolen bases will love to tune in to see what Wander will do next after seeing that viral highlight.

So, let’s move on here.

Quick Hits: New NBA mock draft … Who should replace Coach Bud … and more.

(Photo by JEFF PACHOUD/AFP via Getty Images)

— We’re getting closer to the NBA lottery, so it’s time for another mock draft from Brian Kalbrosky.

— Who should replace the fired Mike Budenholzer on the Bucks? We have five ideas.

— This Twitter exchange between Jessica Alba, Aaron Rodgers and Sauce Gardner is perfect.

— What to watch on Netflix this month!