TAMPA BAY RAYS NEWS

Brandon Lowe - Hammers seventh homer Lowe went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Saturday's 6-4 win over the Guardians.

Impact Lowe's two-out, two-run blast in the bottom of the first inning staked the Rays to an early lead they wouldn't relinquish. The 28-year-old, who is batting .318 since returning from the injured list July 16, is starting at second base and batting third in Sunday's series finale.

JULY 31, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Luke Raley - On bench Sunday Raley is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.

Impact The lefty-hitting Raley will put a five-game hitting streak on hold and take a seat with the Guardians expected to deploy a lefty primary pitcher (Kirk McCarty) in the series finale. The newly acquired David Peralta will enter the outfield in Raley's stead, but both players should have clear paths to steady playing time versus right-handed pitching.

JULY 31, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Taylor Walls - Sitting in series finale Walls is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.

Impact Walls will sit for the second time in three games, and his leash as the Rays' everyday shortstop could be loosening while he struggles to make a consistent impact at the dish. Unless he's deployed off the bench Sunday, Walls will finish July with a lowly .188/.296/.290 slash line over 23 games.

JULY 31, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Brett Phillips - Could get strong-side platoon role Phillips is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.

Impact Though he's on the bench with the Guardians expected to deploy a southpaw (Kirk McCarty) as their primary pitcher out of the bullpen, the lefty-hitting Phillips could be in store for a strong-side platoon role in center field after the Rays optioned Josh Lowe to Triple-A Durham on Sunday. Phillips will give way to the switch-hitting Roman Quinn in center for the series finale with Cleveland, however.

JULY 31, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

René Pinto - Stealing work from Bethancourt Pinto will start at catcher and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Guardians.

Impact After going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Saturday's 6-4 win, Pinto will be rewarded with his third start in the last four contests. He may have overtaken Christian Bethancourt as the Rays' top catcher while Francisco Mejia (shoulder) is on the shelf, but even if that's the case, Pinto's fantasy upside is minimal. In 64 plate appearances with the big club this season, Pinto is slashing .210/.234/.323 with two home runs and nine RBI.

JULY 31, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Christian Bethancourt - Losing time to Pinto Bethancourt is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.

Impact Bethancourt will sit for the third time in four games and may have slipped behind Rene Pinto on the depth chart at catcher. Since being acquired from the Athletics on July 9 to add depth behind the dish, Bethancourt has batted .160 with one extra-base hit in his first eight games with Tampa Bay.

JULY 31, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Cleveland Guardians vs. Tampa Bay Rays: Live updates from Game 101 Andrés Giménez and the Guardians take on the Rays in a series finale from Tampa Bay.

JULY 31, 2022 • CLEVELAND.COM

Cleveland Guardians, Tampa Bay Rays starting lineups for July 31, 2022 Bryan Shaw will make his second appearance in six days as an 'opener' when the Guardians face the Rays on Sunday to end their 11-game, three...

JULY 31, 2022 • CLEVELAND.COM

Josh Lowe - Headed back to Durham Tampa Bay optioned Lowe to Triple-A Durham on Sunday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Impact With Tampa Bay needing to clear room on the 26-man active roster and in the outfield for new trade acquisition David Peralta, Lowe and Luke Raley -- both of whom have minor-league options remaining -- were the most likely candidates to head back to the minors. The Rays ultimately elected to keep Raley with the big club over Lowe, who slashed .239/.299/.342 with a home run, two stolen bases, 15 runs and seven RBI in 33 games since his June 20 promotion from Triple-A Durham. Lowe will end his stint with the big club with an active seven-game hitting streak, but he had still struck out at an elevated 30.7 percent clip during his latest run with the Rays.

JULY 31, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Pete Fairbanks - Tallies second save Fairbanks allowed two hits and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Saturday against the Guardians.

Impact Fairbanks successfully protected a two-run lead despite allowing the tying run to reach base. He now has two saves on the season and has served as the closer in each of the Rays' last two victories. Though it's difficult to project the ninth-inning role in Tampa Bay, it appears as if Fairbanks is the preferred option for the time being.

JULY 31, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Corey Kluber - Picks up seventh win Kluber (7-6) allowed four earned runs on eight hits and no walks while striking out 10 across six innings to earn the win Saturday against the Guardians.

Impact Kluber allowed only one earned run through five innings of work, but he served up a three-run homer to Andres Gimenez to partially spoil his outing. Despite the long ball, Kluber racked up a season-high 10 strikeouts -- primarily on the strength of 23 called strikes. Kluber has allowed four earned runs in three consecutive starts spanning 17 frames, though Saturday's outing was encouraging. Overall, he owns a 4.03 ERA and 94:16 K:BB across 105 innings on the season.

JULY 31, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Rays and Guardians meet, winner secures 3-game series

Both the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Guardians are looking for a series win with a victory on Sunday

JULY 31, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Diamondbacks ship outfielder David Peralta to Rays for catching prospect The Diamondbacks made a deal that felt almost inevitable, shipping veteran left fielder David Peralta to the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.

JULY 30, 2022 • AZCENTRAL.COM

Guardians' Josh Naylor out with unusual right ankle injury

Guardians breakout sluger Josh Naylor was held out of Cleveland’s game Saturday after experiencing numbness in the same right ankle he severly injured in June of 2021

JULY 30, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe homer to power Rays to win over Guardians Corey Kluber strikes out 10, Rays use home runs to defeat Zach Plesac, Guardians

JULY 30, 2022 • BEACONJOURNAL.COM

Rays acquire OF David Peralta in trade with D-backs

The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired outfielder David Peralta from the Arizona Diamondbacks, adding a veteran left-handed bat for the playoff race

JULY 30, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rays get a bat in trade with Diamondbacks and a win against Guardians ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Rays had a pretty good Saturday afternoon.

JULY 30, 2022 • CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.COM

Guardians fall to Rays, 6-4, as Corey Kluber, Yandy Diaz have big days Corey Kluber strikes out 10 and Yandy Diaz hit a two-run homer to lead Tampa Bay past Cleveland.

JULY 30, 2022 • CLEVELAND.COM

Lowe and Díaz homer, Rays beat Guardians 6-4 Brandon Lowe and Yandy Díaz homered as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 6-4.

JULY 30, 2022 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM

Lowe and Díaz homer, Rays beat Guardians 6-4

Brandon Lowe and Yandy Díaz homered as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 6-4

JULY 30, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Angel Perdomo - Designated for assignment Perdomo was designated for assignment Saturday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Impact Perdomo was claimed off waivers by the Rays on July 19, but he'll lose his spot on the 40-man roster after Tampa Bay acquired David Peralta from the Diamondbacks on Saturday. Perdomo has struck out 13 in 5.1 scoreless innings over six Triple-A appearances this year and will likely remain in the organization if he goes unclaimed on waivers.

JULY 30, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

David Peralta - Dealt to Rays Peralta was traded from the Diamondbacks to the Rays in exchange for catching prospect Christian Cerda on Saturday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Impact While the Rays may be lower in the standings (third in the AL East) than they expected to be, Peralta still represents a nice upgrade for their injury-depleted outfield. He is a free agent after the season, but is hitting .271/.331/.442 with a 106 wRC+ against right-handed pitching since the start of the 2020 season.

JULY 30, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Rays' Shane McClanahan says workload is no concern Notes | The All-Star lefty takes the mound on Sunday happy to be back on his normal routine.

JULY 30, 2022 • TAMPABAY.COM

Jeffrey Springs - Loses to Cleveland Springs (3-3) was charged with the loss Friday against the Guardians after allowing three runs six hits with five strikeouts and one walk over five innings.

Impact The left-hander kept Cleveland scoreless through three innings, but he gave up a run in the fourth and a two-run homer to Jose Ramirez in the fifth. Springs is without a victory in his past five starts, and he has a 5.32 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 27:4 K:BB across 23.2 frames during that stretch. He tentatively lines up to make his next start Thursday in Detroit.

JULY 30, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Cleveland Guardians vs. Tampa Bay Rays: Live updates from Game 100 Zach Plesac and the Guards face Corey Kluber and the Rays at Tropicana Field.

JULY 30, 2022 • CLEVELAND.COM