Rays The Stakes

Patience, Grasshopper!

2010-04-11T15:35:00.002-04:00

Thank You for your patience as we prepare to make the long over-due switch to our permanent site.

Go Rays

CHEESE & WHINE: Bad Calls? No Problem.

2010-04-08T10:05:00.005-04:00

RAYS: 4
O's: 3

CHEESE:

Matt Garza. G-Man overcame a rough start (25 pitch 1st), and worked through 8; giving-up only 1 earned run on only 4 hits, while walking 2 and striking-out 9. It did cost him 114 pitches which I think is a bit high, but hey, its early.
Evan Longoria. Dirt McGirt was 2 for 4 from the plate with a double, another solo homer, and 3 RBI. I'm not sure about this kid- I wonder if he'll make it at this level?
Reid Brignac. His swing looks miles better than it did last season, and he's peppering the ball around the park as a result. In his 2010 debut he went 2 for 3 from the plate and scored a run.

WHINE:

Bad calls. The Crawford strike-out/Brignac throw-out was a complete farce, and could've cost the Rays big. Then in the top of the ninth, in a save situation, Soriano was robbed of an obvious strike-out which resulted in a walk that later turned into a run.
Pat Burrell. Is it too soon to start ragging on Patrick? Kevin Kennedy "loves what he's seen so far", really? You love a 2 game line of 1 for 7 with 3 K's and about a half a dozen left on base? Come on dude, earn your pay for at least a few months.

CRACKERS:

I was all set to report a decent attendence number, but it turns out (according to MLB) that last night's attendence was only 15,220. I really foresaw a number more like 18 or 19K, but I guess 15K for a Wednesday against the O's is just the reality of Rays baseball- doesn't mean I have to like it.
After 3 games the Sox are 1.5 games back (let's not point out that they played the champs while we played the O's- let's just enjoy the stat).

CAVIAR (Game Ball):

Matt Garza. I'll take more of the same for the next 25-30 starts please.

Facebook, Twitter, and Rays The Stakes

2010-04-07T13:20:00.002-04:00

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Go Rays!

Walk-Off Winners

2010-04-07T09:54:00.005-04:00

In a departure from our signature daily recap, "Cheese & Whine", today's post is just a compilation of various, random thoughts from the Rays' 2010 debut.

-Evan Longoria is a stud, but his K's are gonna sky-rocket this season as he starts to get a "homerun happy" mentality.

-Soriano is a Troy Percival redux, and my cardiologist is licking his chops.

-CC is ready for another big season and a subsequent big contract from NY- can they really have two CC's on one team?

-Sean Rodriguez was pressing in an attempt to prove his offensive prowess.

-How many games before we get Brian Anderson in the booth with Dewayne?

-No errors by either team in the season opener, somewhat unusual.

-The bullpen is in trouble in JP's absence.

-Jason Bartlett is going to prove to the world that 2009 was his rule not his exception.

-The Rays are undefeated.

Tampa Bay Rays 2010 Opening Day Starting Lineup (Projected)

2010-04-05T18:34:00.002-04:00

UPDATE:

Actual lineup as posted in the Rays' clubhouse this morning (The Heater):

1. Bartlett ss
2.Crawford lf
3. Zobrist rf
4. Longoria 3b
5. Pena 1b
6. Upton cf
7. Burrell dh
8. Rodriguez 2b
9. Navarro c

Shields p

Projected Opening Day Lineup/Batting order

1) SS Jason Bartlett
2)LF Carl Crawford
3) RF Ben Zobrist
4) 1B Carlos Pena
5) 3B Evan Longoria
6) CF B.J. Upton
7) DH Pat Burrell
8) C Kelly Shoppach
9) 2B Reid Brignac

SP) James Shields

That'll do...

For Tampa Bay Rays, One More Day

2010-04-05T14:24:00.003-04:00

The sun is shining, the smell of fresh-cut grass hangs heavily in the air, and Tampa Bay Rays' baseball finally kicks-off in just over twenty-four hours.

The roster has been pared down to 25 (and 40), the clubhouse is set, and the Yankees are already falling behind. The smile on my face is nearly permanent) except when I remember that the Red Sox are already atop the division, a fact which I hope is short-lived). So without any further ado:

"Let's get it on!"

Game 1
Tuesday, April 6 @ 7:10
Kevin Millwood, RHP (0-0, -.--) -vs- James Shields, RHP (0-0, -.--)

Rays The Stakes: Preparing for a More Limited Role

2010-03-01T21:49:00.003-05:00

As we rapidly approach a new season (finally), I wanted to reach out and let everyone know that although things have gotten extremely hectic at the DirtbagFan household we still intend to cover our beloved Rays, albeit in a more limited role, but we'll be here none the less- I have too many opinions to keep quiet for too long.

In the meantime keep up with all your Rays' needs at Rays Index, and be certain to continue to support the BBA for everything else.

Check back often.

Thanks for your support,

DirtbagFan

Apologies

2010-02-06T11:01:00.002-05:00

Dear Readers,

Over the last few months I've decided to go back to school for another degree, had my 4th "little dirtbag fan", and have been pressing forward with my forthcoming novel. As a result, Rays The stakes has been steadily losing ground as it slips down the priority list. I still intend to try to get it going again when the season starts, but probably not before.

Thanks for your support!

-DBF

Niemann Takes Fourth

2009-11-17T13:57:00.003-05:00

Several weeks ago I had the pleasure of voting for the BBA's rookie of the year awards; if you'll remember I voted for Tampa's own Jeff Niemann, but in the end he finished 4th (behind Bailey, Porcello, and Andrus respectively), despite my poignant statistical evidence that Niemann's performance proved to be the most deserving of the award.

Check out my reasoning here.

Well, it turns out that the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BWAA) agreed (for the most part) with the sentiments of the BBA, giving the award to Bailey, followed by Andrus, Porcello, and Niemann in a distant fourth.

All four players had stellar seasons, but I still feel as if Andrus was a media darling who only received so many looks based on how often his name was bandied about by the mainstream media, but I digress.

Congrats to Niemann and all of he finalists.

What About Bronze?

2009-11-13T10:23:00.002-05:00

Evan Longoria received his first Gold Glove Award earlier this week, and now has been honored with a Silver Slugger Award.

What is a Silver Slugger Award? Its an award given to the best offensive player at each position from both leagues. What makes this award valid is the fact that its voted on by the managers and coaches (they may not vote for players on their own squad).

Longoria finished the 2009 campaign with 113 RBI and 33 homeruns (shhh, don't tell anyone how many GIDP's he had (27)).

Dirtbag is the youngest third baseman to receive the award, and the second Tampa Bay player (Carlos Pena).

So what's next, the Bronze Belt Buckle Award?

Congrats Mr D.!

Dirtbag's Shiny Glove

2009-11-10T16:03:00.002-05:00

According to AP reports Evan Longoria has officially won his first Gold Glove Award. I'll go way out on a limb and assume that it will not be his last.

The interesting aspect of Longoria winning the award is that I feel that he was far from his best this season, so if that's all it takes to garner a Gold Glove then so-be-it, he better start erecting a wing in his home for those awards which are forthcoming.

Longo was joined by Jeter, Teixeira, Ichiro, Hunter, Adam Jones, Palanco, Buehrle, and Mauer in receiving the award.

Congrats Evan!

Rays Exercise CC's Option

2009-11-10T14:02:00.002-05:00

Not a huge surprise, but the Rays have exercised their option on CC and his $10M salary for the 2010 season.

CC has been the heart of the young organization; owning the franchise marks in hits, AB's, SB's, runs, RBI, and triples, and of course games played.

Much speculation has been made as to whether or not the Rays will still try ot move him during the offseason or at some point during the first half of next season (depending greatly on whether or not the Rays are in contention in 2010).

Rays Index sums it up fairly well here.

Other roster moves included declining the options of catcher Gregg Zaun and reliever Brian Shouse, neither of which came as a surprise, although many (myself included) would like to see the Rays bring Zaun back with a lower salary. The organization also pick-up Ramon Ramirez off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds

Sayonara, Akinora Iwamura

2009-11-04T09:57:00.006-05:00

It's official. The Rays have traded infielder Akinori Iwamura to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for right-handed, relief pitcher, Jesse Chavez.

Chavez, 26, finished the 2009 season with an ERA of 4.01 while recording 47 K's and 22 BB's.

Chavez should have a legitimate chance at procuring a roster spot for the 2010 season.

By making the trade before the official end of the season the Rays saved around 1/2 million dollars.

I think in the long run that Ben Zobrist will end-up costing the Rays more, but in the short term this move seemed all but inevitable, especially considering that the Rays will have no choice but to continue to carry Burrell's inflated salary, as well as the $10M that Crawford is due.

Crawford Honored as Best Left Fielder

2009-10-31T09:47:00.003-04:00

Carl Crawford has been voted as 2009's best left fielder according to The Fielding Bible Awards.

I wholeheartedly agree, and am pleased to see Crawford getting the love he deserves after a stellar season. In my humble opinion a Gold Glove is soon to follow.

Official Press Release (courtesy of The Heater):

Tampa Bay Rays veteran Carl Crawford won the 2009 Fielding Bible Award for left field in an announcement made November 1, 2009, in The Bill James Handbook 2010. This is Crawford's third Fielding Bible Award.

Crawford, who received an almost-perfect score, was chosen by a panel of ten experts, including Peter Gammons, Bill James, Joe Posnanski, and John Dewan, author of the new Fielding Bible—Volume II. In granting the award to Crawford, Dewan wrote: “This was no contest. No player has ever won with a perfect record (10 first-place votes from 10 panelists), but Carl came as close as possible with nine first place votes and one second. That's 99 points. (The best previously was 98 points by Adam Everett at shortstop in 2006.) If Crawford doesn't win his first Gold Glove this year, I'm going to throw up.”

Officially announced annually on November 1 (before any other fielding awards), the Fielding Bible Awards try to name the single best fielder at each of the nine positions (including pitcher) in the major leagues. This distinction came into play this year as Jack Wilson, who split his time between Pittsburgh and Seattle, won the Fielding Bible Award at shortstop. "It is almost impossible for a player who is traded between leagues during the season to win a Gold Glove," Dewan pointed out. "I predict that Wilson will not win a Gold Glove this year, even though our 10 judges voted him the best-fielding shortstop in Major League Baseball."

This year, National League players were chosen at three positions, American League players at five, and Wilson at shortstop. 2009 marks the fourth year of the award. First-baseman Albert Pujols of the Cardinals is the only player to have won a Fielding Bible Award four years in a row. Aaron Hill won over Dustin Pedroia and Chase Utley at second base only after a tie-breaker was invoked. The complete voting results and further information are available in The Bill James Handbook 2010, published by ACTA Sports (www.ACTAsports.com).

The 2009 Fielding Bible Award winners are:

First Base—Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals (fourth-time winner)
Second Base—Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays (second-time winner)
Third Base—Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals (first-time winner)
Shortstop—Jack Wilson, Pittsburgh Pirates/Seattle Mariners (first-time winner)
Left Field—Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays (third-time winner)
Center Field—Franklin Gutierrez, Seattle Mariners (second-time winner)
Right Field—Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners (second-time winner)
Catcher—Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals (third-time winner)
Pitcher—Mark Buehrle, Chicago White Sox (first-time winner)

Free Jason Bartlett Autograph

2009-10-30T19:51:00.000-04:00

**UPDATE (Oct 30)

Hey gang, get in while the gettin's good.
There's still time to win a Jason Bartlett Autographed card courtesy of Rays the Stakes and Sports Memorabilia.
Enter now.
----

**UPDATE (Sept 19)
The entries keep rolling in, so get in while you still can- and tell your friends... its free.
----

Rays the Stakes in conjunction with our good friends over at Sports Memorabilia are proud to announce some good news:

We are having a giveaway contest:

Win this Jason Bartlett Autographed Card (with C.O.A.)

THE CONTEST:

Send an email to raysthestakes@gmail.com telling us who you think will win this season's AL MVP award.

Everyone who correctly guesses the MVP will be entered into a random drawing to see who wins the Jason Bartlett autographed card from Rays The Stakes and Sports Memorabllia. Be sure to include your full name in your response.

Good Luck.

*Click here for more detailed info in regard to the card you could win.

Quick Reminder

2009-10-30T15:39:00.002-04:00

Just a quick post to remind everyone that even though the posts have slowed down here at Rays The Stakes, you can still get all the baseball coverage you can handle by stopping over to the Baseball Bloggers Alliance website where you can find material on every major league team, from the Angels to the Yankees (man, I wish there were a team that started with a "Z")...

click image to check out the site.

Rays keep Kapler

2009-10-28T11:00:00.003-04:00

I'm a late comer to this party because, to be honest, I wasn't sure what to think about the re-signing of Kapler.

A day has passed and I'm still not in love with the move, but I guess there's a reason why they don't run all of their roster decisions past me (although sometimes I wish they would).

Here's the gory details of the Rays/Kapler press release:

The Tampa Bay Rays have re-signed right-handed-hitting outfielder Gabe Kapler to a one-year major league contract.

Kapler, 34, appeared in 99 games at all three outfield positions for the Rays in 2009. He hit .239 (49-for-205) with eight home runs, 32 RBI, 15 doubles and five stolen bases. Against left-handed pitching, he hit .276 (40-for-145) with all eight home runs, 14 doubles, a .379 on-base pct., and more walks (26) than strikeouts (23). Over the last two seasons (2008-09), he hit .304 (69-for-227) against lefthanders with a .577 slugging pct., 11th best in the majors over that span.

Kapler has played parts of 11 major league seasons with the Detroit Tigers (1998-99), Texas Rangers (2000-02), Colorado Rockies (2002-03), Boston Red Sox (2004-06), Milwaukee Brewers (2008) and Rays (2009). He initially signed with the Rays as a free agent on January 12, 2009. He retired briefly from playing in 2007 to manage the Class-A Greenville Drive in the Red Sox organization.

The Hebrew Hammer will get an approximate $500K raise over the $1 million dollar salary he drew last season.

Meh.

BBA MVP Winners:

2009-10-27T11:09:00.004-04:00

The votes are in, and the BBA (Baseball Bloggers Alliance) AL and NL Most Valuable Players of the 2009 MLB season have been announced.

You can check out how Rays The Stakes voted (with explanations) here.

Tampa Bay got a little love for a change, having had 5 players receive at least one vote, with 2 players (Zobrist and Longoria) finishing inside the top 10 in total votes. In total, 29 American League players received MVP votes, but the AL MVP was a unanimous decision among BBA voters.

Here is the official Press Release from the BBA:

Mauer, Pujols Named MVP By Baseball Bloggers Alliance

Catcher Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins and first baseman Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals were overwhelmingly named Most Valuable Player of their respective leagues by the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, who completed their voting of major awards with this honor.
Mauer, who posted a 1.031 OPS and slugged 28 home runs while leading the Twins to the American League Central title, was a unanimous selection, gaining a first place nod on each of the seventeen blogs that cast an AL ballot. His 221 points dwarfed his nearest competition, both New York Yankees. First baseman Mark Teixeira received 115 points while shortstop Derek Jeter was third with 101.
Shelly from Seamheads wrote, "Mr. Mauer is a monster with the bat, smooth with the leather, and has proved over the last couple of years to be the rock his team leans on for guidance and leadership." Kevin at DMB Historic World Series Replay pondered, "Imagine the numbers he might put up if he wasn't a catcher!"

Due to more ballots being cast, Pujols was able to put up a higher vote total than Mauer, even though his selection wasn't unanimous. The first baseman, who put up a 1.101 OPS while smoking 47 home runs, was named first on twenty of the 21 National League ballots submitted for 269 total points. Pitcher Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants was the only other National League player to receive a first place selection.
Runners-up to Pujols in the National League race were Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez (164 points) and Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder (145 points).
Jim from Bernie's Crew asked the rhetorical question, "Do I really need to explain why Albert Pujols is your 2009 Most Valuable Player in the National League?" Jim from North Side Notch agreed, saying, "This guy is super-human."

The complete voting results are as follows (first-place votes in parenthesis):

American League
Joe Mauer, Minnesota (18) 221
Mark Teixeira, New York 115
Derek Jeter, New York 101
Miguel Cabrera, Detroit 96
Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay 74
Kendry Morales, Los Angeles of Anaheim 64
Kevin Youkilis, Boston 44
Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay 36
Zack Greinke, Kansas City 35
Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle 29
Aaron Hill, Toronto 25
Alex Rodriguez, New York 23
Jason Bay, Boston 22
Chone Figgins, Los Angeles of Anaheim 20
Adam Lind, Toronto 11
Franklin Gutierrez, Seattle 10
CC Sabathia, New York 10
Dustin Pedroia, Boston 9
Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay 7
Bobby Abreu, Los Angeles of Anaheim 6
Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston 5
Robinson Cano, New York 4
Jason Kubel, Minnesota 4
Justin Morneau, Minnesota 4
Jason Bartlett, Tampa Bay 3
Michael Cuddyer, Minnesota 3
Marlon Byrd, Texas 2
Asdrubal Cabrera, Cleveland 2
Carlos Pena, Tampa Bay 1

National League
Albert Pujols, St. Louis (20) 269
Hanley Ramirez, Florida 164
Prince Fielder, Milwaukee 145
Chase Utley, Philadelphia 110
Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado 76
Ryan Howard, Philadelphia 71
Tim Lincecum, San Francisco (1) 67
Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego 66
Ryan Zimmerman, Washington 50
Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco 42
Matt Kemp, Los Angeles 34
Ryan Braun, Milwaukee 32
Derrek Lee, Chicago 29
Andre Ethier, Los Angeles 22
Javier Vazquez, Atlanta 11
Mark Reynolds, Arizona 9
Matt Holliday, St. Louis 5
Adam Wainwright, St. Louis 5
Joey Votto, Cincinnati 4
Dan Haren, Arizona 3
Jayson Werth, Philadelphia 2
Chris Carpenter, St. Louis 1
Miguel Tejada, Houston 1

AL MVP. And The Winner Is...

2009-10-24T11:01:00.005-04:00

My duties as a member of the BBA include casting votes for all the major annual awards, and no award in all of sports is more major than the coveted title of MVP.

The BBA voting is set-up essentially like the "real" voting:

Votes are made for the top 10 candidates in a weighted vote (ie. first place votes get 10 pts, second place 9 pts, and so on).
MVP is awarded for a plethora of reasons- not always based solely on statistical standings. Other factors to be considered include, overall value to team, versatility, and sportsmanship.

Now, with a little help from my buddy Prof from over at Rays Index, here are Rays The Stakes' votes for the 2009 AL MVP (in reverse order):

10. Miguel Cabrera (1B, Detroit). Miggy put together another great season, posting 34 doubles and 34 homers to go with his 103 RBI, .324 BA, and .396 OBP

9. Zack Greinke (P, Kansas City). I don't generally consider pitchers eligible but Greinke was more valuable to his team than any other player in the league (don't believe me? His WAR (wins above replacement ) was 9.4)

8. Jason Bartlett (SS, Tampa Bay). As someone who covers the Rays I got to witness JB's magic on a nearly daily basis, and let me assure you these numbers aren't fluky: Jason had 29 doubles to go with his 30 stolen bases and his .320 BA, .389 OBP, and .879 OPS. Bartlett also played great defense from the SS position (it helps to have Longoria eating up space to your right, I'm sure), earning himself a .962 fielding percentage.

7. Kevin Youkilis (1B, Boston). Youk has shown versatility all season, playing on both corners of the infield as well as playing some outfield if necessary. Youkilis posted good numbers this season; 36 doubles, 27 HR, and 94 RBI. He also posted an OPS of .961.

6. Alex Rodriguez (3B, New York). A-Rod missed a portion of the season, and to be quite honest nearly missed this list, but The Prof from Rays Index convinced me that he belonged, reminding me that: "the Yankees were 13-15 before he made his debut on May 8th. They were a team in big trouble at that point. They went 90-44 after that, with A-Rod putting up very good numbers while playing on a hip that might still need surgery." Point well taken- A-Rod slides in at number 6.

5. Chone Figgins (3B, Los Angeles). Figgins garnered a lot of attention this season (convenient considering it's a contract year) and earned a place on the list with impressive numbers: 30 doubles, 42 steals, .298 BA, and .395 OBP. Figgins also managed to finish with a .968 fielding percentage from the hot-corner. His WAR was solid at 5.9, as well.

4. Derek Jeter (SS, New York). Jeter is the prototypical baseball player; a good clubhouse guy, plays the game the right way, is consistently one of the best players in the league, breaks decades old records every year, and does it all with a smile. What a shame that he plays for New York. Jeter finished the year with another impressive stat line: .334 BA, .406 OBP, .871 OPS, and even at the ripe old age of 35 he still managed to record 30 stolen bases (his most since 2006 (34)).

And the Big Three (drumroll please)...

3. Ben Zobrist (Everywhere, Tampa Bay). Zobrist has single-handedly redefined the term utility player. Zorilla is th edefinition of versitile as he can be a legitimate starter at 5 different positions, and played at least one game at not 4 or 5 but 7 different positions this season (that's all of them folks (except catcher/pitcher of course). Zobrist tallied 28 doubles to go with his 27 HR's and his 91 RBI. Zorilla put together a decent batting line; .260 BA, .346 OBP, and an OPS of .948. His 8.5 WAR was the highest of any position player in the majors (even Pujols).

2. Mark Teixeira (1B, New York). Tex finished the regular season with 43 doubles and tied for the league lead with 39 HR's (Carlos Pena), he also amassed a league-leading 122 RBI, all while maintaining a .292 BA, a .383 OBP, and an OPS of .948. Mark also led the league in total bases for the second time in his career (2005) with 344. Tex has been a major cog in the Yankees wheel and I'm nearly certain they wouldn't be on the cusp of World Series birth without him. And remember kids, I before E except in Teixeira.

And the winner is:

1. Joe Mauer (C, Minnesota). Mauer has amazed everyone with his performances both beside and behind home plate this season. Mauer led the league in batting average almost from the start of the season and finished with a league-leading .365 BA to go along with his league-leading OBP (.444), league-leading SLG (.587), and his league-leading OPS(1.031)... well, you get the hint. Mauer was a near lock for the MVP by August 1st, and he didn't disappoint. Congratulations Joe on a season well played!

--------

*other players receiving consideration for the top 10 included: Gutierrez, Halladay, Crawford, Morneau, and Longoria.

Crawford or Pena

2009-10-22T09:53:00.005-04:00

In a strictly hypothetical situation who would you choose?

The Rays have stated on various occasions that they're operating over budget and can not afford to maintain their current payroll. The Kazmir trade was a step in the right direction (sorry Angels, I warned ya), but the Rays still need to find ways to save cheddar.

While mulling over exactly how I thought I would save money if I were Andrew Friedman and the Rays' braintrust I stopped over at my second favorite Rays blog, Rays Index, to see what Prof's been up to, when ironically enough, he had his projected roster and payroll projections for next season posted. That really got me thinking.

Much has been made over CC's being due 10 million, and whether the Rays can afford to keep him at roughly 1/6th of their overall payroll, but the much less ballyhooed point is the fact that Pena is due 10.1 million, so some quick math; add the integers, carry the 1, check the remainder... and you'll find that CC and El Gato combine to eat-up about 1/3 of the team's overall payroll projections (you could add in Burrell, but I don't foresee any way to get rid of his payroll. Just for the record, he's eating up another 30% or so of the payroll at 9 million- which means roughly 63% of the team's payroll is headed to those 3... hmmmm, one of those 3 just isn't earning his paycheck, who could that be?).

All of that to ask this hypothetical question; so you're sitting in your high-back, leather chair at your executive desk at the Trop when the powers-that-be march in and tell you that you've got to part ways with either Crawford and his 10 million or Pena and his 10.1 million?
Crawford and his legacy or Pena and his resiliency?
CC's speed or Pena's power?

Who do you send packing?

New Hitting Coach

2009-10-21T12:30:00.004-04:00

Today the Rays announced in a press release that the organization's sixth hitting coach will be former Cleveland hitting coach Derek Shelton.

Shelton becomes the youngest hitting coach in Rays' history at the tender age of 39, and is a former major league catcher (NYY).

Here are a few quotes from the press release:

"Derek has proven himself to be one of the better minds in baseball when it comes to hitting," Rays Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman said. "He brings a fresh voice that can help our talented core of hitters reach new heights. His attention to detail and ability to communicate will be great additions to our group."

"I believe he is the kind of coach who can create a hitting program that will benefit the organization both at the minor league and major league levels," said Rays Manager Joe Maddon. "In our conversations, I found that we share the same philosophy on a number of different areas. He was very clear and concise on his intentions and in the end it was an easy decision."

BBA CY Young Winners

2009-10-21T10:51:00.002-04:00

The BBA has released it's results of their voting for A.L. and N.L. Cy Young Award winners. Unfortunately, I missed the deadline to get my votes in, but Greinke would've been my number one guy, with Halladay, and Verlander as second and third. Honorable mention would've gone to Feliz Hernandez.

Here's the BBA's official Press Release:

"The Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA), a group of 89 bloggers from across Major League Baseball, announced today that Kansas City Royals pitcher Zack Greinke and San Francisco hurler Tim Lincecum had won the Cy Young balloting among its members.

Greinke, who was unanimously selected across the nineteen blogs that voted for the American League winner, fashioned a dominating 2.16 ERA with 242 strikeouts while putting up 16 wins for a Royals squad that won only 65 games. Greinke's Cy Young case was built on non-traditional statistics, as he was only tied for seventh in the league in wins, but led in categories such as defense-independent ERA, component ERA, and WHIP along with the more traditional ERA.

"He's a magician with the baseball and when he's focused and puts his mind to it, there are games when he's untouchable," wrote Noel of The Tribe Daily. Jeff of Royally Speaking was blunt, saying "Zack Greinke was the best pitcher in baseball all season long."

In becoming the first player to garner a unanimous selection in BBA history, Greinke tabulated 90 total points. Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners came in a distant second with 37 points.
--

The National League selection was a little more varied, though not at all more dramatic. Lincecum, who won the baseball writers' Cy Young in 2008, put up a league-leading 261 strikeouts in 225.1 innings and finished second to Chris Carpenter with a 2.48 ERA. As with Greinke, his case for the award was not fashioned on the traditional bedrock of wins either, as he only was credited with 15, four shy of the league leader.

"He has the filthiest stuff in either league and has turned himself into a rock star in San Francisco," stated Matt from Feeling Dodger Blue, who overcame the innate Dodger/Giant rivalry to cast his vote for Lincecum. "It seemed a daunting task to improve on what Lincecum did last season, but he did it," said Bill from Crashburn Alley.

Lincecum totaled seventeen first-place votes from the twenty ballots cast and finished with 88 points overall. Carpenter, the league leader in ERA and one of the pitchers ahead of Lincecum in the win category, finished second with three first place votes and 47 total points.

The complete voting results are as follows (first-place votes in parenthesis):

American League
Zack Greinke, Kansas City (19) 95
Felix Hernandez, Seattle 37
Roy Halladay, Toronto 22
Justin Verlander, Detroit 14
CC Sabathia, New York 2

National League
Tim Lincecum, San Francisco (17) 88
Chris Carpenter, St. Louis (3) 47
Adam Wainwright, St. Louis 23
Javier Vazquez, Atlanta 21
Dan Haren, Arizona 1

The Votes Are In...

2009-10-16T09:33:00.003-04:00

So the BBA votes for AL Rookie of the Year are in and I couldn't disagree more with the votes of my BBA brethren.

I find it nearly impossible to bestow the award on a closer, much less a closer who only worked 26 games, but alas, that's why they vote instead of just asking me what they should do (although that might've helped during the presidential election too, but i digress).

Furthermore, despite having the least impressive stats of the bunch, a certain Texas SS garnered enough votes for third place, while the most statistically efficient pitcher missed the cut.

Oh yeah, and McCutchen won the NL vote... talk about a no-brainer.

At any rate, here's the BBA Press Release (the link to my votes with explanations follow):

Bailey, McCutchen Chosen As Rookie of the Year By Baseball Bloggers Alliance

The Baseball Bloggers Alliance announced today that Andrew Bailey of the Oakland Athletics and Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates were selected in a vote of the membership as American League and National League Rookies of the Year.
Bailey, who stepped into Oakland's closer role and recorded 26 saves with a sparkling 1.84 ERA, garnered seven of the nineteen first-place votes from the participating BBA blogs and a total of 48 points overall. Rick Porcello, who pitched for the Detroit Tigers in the tie-breaking playoff game versus the Minnesota Twins to culminate a strong season, finished second with four first-place selections and 36 total points.
"Even if Bailey hadn't been bestowed with the closer role, those numbers out of the pen put him amongst the elite late inning pitchers," stated the bloggers at The Tao of Stieb. "Too bad he plays for Oakland and has a generic name--he should be as famous as Joba [Chamberlain]," noted Lisa at Subway Squawkers.
McCutchen started the year at AAA, but was called to the majors in June and made an immediate impact. His blend of power and speed were reflected in his twelve home runs and 22 steals in roughly a half season of work.
McCutchen received twelve of the twenty first place votes on his way to 65 points overall. Atlanta Braves pitcher Tommy Hanson was the runner-up with 50 points, including five first place nods.
"The sky is the limit for McCutchen and I think the Bucs have something special with him," opined Jim at the Pirate blog North Side Notch. Larry at Wezen-Ball concurred, saying "[H]e gave the Pittsburgh crowd something to root for all season, with strong defense and a great campaign as a leadoff hitter."

The complete voting results are as follows (first-place votes in parenthesis):
American League
Andrew Bailey, Oakland (9) 48
Rick Porcello, Detroit (4) 36
Elvis Andrus, Texas (3) 28

honorable mentions:
Jeff Niemann, Tampa Bay (2) 21
Matt Wieters, Baltimore (1) 13
Gordon Beckham, Chicago (1) 9
Brett Anderson, Oakland (1) 8
Noland Reimold, Baltimore 8

National League
Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh (12) 65
Tommy Hanson, Atlanta (5) 50
J.A. Happ, Philadelphia (1) 27

honorable mentions:
Chris Coghlan, Florida (2) 20
Randy Wells, Chicago 10
Garrett Jones, Pittsburgh 6
Casey McGehee, Milwaukee 2
-----

Check out Rays The Stakes' take on AL R.O.Y.

A.L. Rookie of the Year

2009-10-15T10:07:00.002-04:00

It's time for us to fulfill our duty as a member of the BBA, and cast our ballot for American League Rookie of the Year.

How it works:

It's a weighted ballot, meaning that we'll rank our top three candidates with first place votes receiving 5 points, 3 for second, and 1 for third.

The results will be released to the press later this week or early next week.

Now without any further ado:

Honorable Mentions:

Elvis Andrus (SS, Texas)

Andrew Bailey (RP, Oakland)

Finalists:

3. Nolan Reimold (LF, Baltimore)

2. Rick Porcello (SP, Detroit)

1. Jeff Niemann (SP, Tampa Bay)

Okay, before you give up on me and chalk this up to "homerism", hear me out.

First, in the case of Andrus; of all the viable candidates listed above his stats were the most pedestrian. The sole reason he's getting so many looks for ROY is because he plays a premier position. He had a nice season, and may very well win the vote, but to me his numbers (which I'll compare to third place Nolan Riemold's below) don't show me enough.

3. Nolan Reimold (LF, Baltimore).
Reimold had the best statistical season of the rookie fielders, including Elvis Andrus. Reimold outperformed Andrus in every major offensive category:

	AVG	OBP	SLG	2B	RBI	HR	SB
Reimold	.279	.365	.466	18	45	15	8
Andrus	.267	.329	.373	17	40	6	33

2. Rick Porcello (SP, Detroit).
Porcello had a stellar season for Detroit and looks as if he'll be a quality pitcher for some time. Why didn't he win? Well, keep reading and I'll show you.

1. Jeff Niemann (SP, Tampa Bay).
I almost went out of my way to not vote for Niemann just to make sure that I wasn't being a homer, but then I delved into the numbers and realized that anyone who looks at it from a statistical standpoint can't list any other rookie pitcher above Niemann. Here are Niemann's numbers against the other major ROY pitching candidate Rick Porcello:

	W-L	ERA	IP	K	BB	OPP AVG	WHIP
Niemann	13-6	3.94	180.2	125	59	.266	1.35
Porcello	14-9	3.96	170.2	89	52	.267	1.34

As you can see the numbers are very similar, with Niemann gaining the slightest edge in ERA, IP, K's, and opponents' average. He also had a better winning percentage ( 68% versus 61%).

So call me a homer if you'd like, but the numbers don't lie.

TRACY, SCIOSCIA NAMED BBA MANAGERS OF THE YEAR

2009-10-14T09:22:00.002-04:00

The Baseball Bloggers Alliance named their inaugural Managers of the Year today, selecting Mike Scioscia of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Jim Tracy of the Colorado Rockies as the best managers in their respective leagues.

Scioscia, who lead the Angels to the American League West division title and into the American League Championship Series despite the tragic loss of Nick Adenhart early in the season, garnered eight first-place votes and 58 total points from twenty ballots cast by bloggers from across baseball.
“Scioscia found a way to keep this team together at every single defining point of the season,” said Joe at Motor City Bengals. Ian at The Blue Jay Hunter agreed, stating, “Scioscia is the cream of the crop when it comes to managers in the American League. ”

Scioscia and the Angels fashioned a 97-65 record in 2009, winning the AL West by 10 games over the Texas Rangers. Ron Gardenhire, who led the Minnesota Twins to a comeback over the Detroit Tigers to take the AL Central crown, received 46 points and six first-place votes. The skipper of the Rangers, Ron Washington, placed third with 30 points and two-first place votes.
Tracy, in comparison, was not even a manager at the beginning of the season, taking over for Clint Hurdle when the Rockies struggled out of the gate. The change in leadership sparked an almost immediate turnaround in team fortunes, as they charged back to respectability and beyond, locking up the National League Wild Card and were not eliminated from the NL West divisional title until the last weekend of the season. The Rockies were bounced from the playoffs by the Philadelphia Phillies in four games.

Tracy was the overwhelming selection of the nineteen bloggers who cast National League ballots. He received fifteen first-place votes and 84 points overall. St. Louis manager Tony LaRussa was a distant second, with 27 total points and one first-place selection.
“Jim Tracy not only had his players buy into his system, but he also helped them buy into themselves as a ballclub,” said Jim at Bernie's Crew. “I have no idea how he managed to create that spark, nor was I happy about it happening, but it’s hard to argue with the facts”, added Brian at Raise the Jolly Roger.

The complete voting results are as follows (first-place votes in parenthesis):

American League
Mike Scioscia, Los Angeles (8) 58
Ron Gardenhire, Minnesota (6) 46
Ron Washington, Texas (2) 30
Don Wakamatsu, Seattle (4) 29
Joe Girardi, New York 8
Terry Francona, Boston 4
Jim Leyland, Detroit 4

National League
Jim Tracy, Colorado (15) 84
Tony LaRussa, St. Louis (1) 27
Bruce Bochy, San Francisco (1) 20
Freddi Gonzalez, Florida (1) 20
Joe Torre, Los Angeles 9
Charlie Manuel, Philadelphia (1) 7
Bud Black, San Diego 3
Bobby Cox, Atlanta 1

The Baseball Bloggers Alliance was formed in the fall of 2009 to encourage cooperation and collaboration between baseball bloggers of all major league teams as well as those that follow baseball more generally. As of this writing, the organization consists of 82 blogs spanning 28 of the 30 major league squads as well as general baseball writing.
The BBA is organized under a similar structure as the Baseball Writers of America, where blogs that follow the same team are combined into “chapters” and only two votes from the chapter on an award are counted. Those blogs that are not dedicated to a specific team are allowed to vote on either the American League or National League award, but not both.

Ballots are posted on the respective blogs and tabulated on a 5-3-1 point scale for first, second and third.

Here is the link to Rays The Stakes' vote post. AL MOY.

Do you agree? Disagree? Let us know.

Worst Case Scenario

2009-10-13T12:02:00.004-04:00

Last night after the Phillies came back to eliminate the Rockies a terrorizing thought crossed my mind:

What if the Fall Classic turns-out to be the Yankees v. the Phillies?

How could I enjoy a World Series where I couldn't possible want either team to win?

I'm not one of those guys who can watch a game (in any sport) without hitching my wagon to one side or the other, and I certainly could never cheer for the Evil Empire or the Phrauds in Philly.

So, in the interest of wanting to enjoy the Series and for trying to bring bragging rights back to the AL where they belong- I'm officially throwing my hat into the corner of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim near Disney.

If it can't be us...

2009-10-11T17:04:00.003-04:00

...at least it won't be THEM either. Congrats to the Angels on their sweep of the Red Sox.

- Dustin

AL Manager of the Year

2009-10-09T15:50:00.002-04:00

One of the duties/privileges of being a member of the BBA is that you get to cast votes for the major awards at the end of the season (and people actually count them... crazy, I know).

The first award of the year is AL Manager of the Year.

Honorable Mentions:

Joe Girardi
Jim Leyland
Terry Francona

We've ranked the top 3 in the following (reverse) order:

3. Ron Washington

Washington had to deal with injuries and scandals (both related in some way to Josh Hamilton (former Devil Ray)), and had a mediocre team playing very well and competing for a playoff spot as late as mid-September.

2. Mike Scioscia

Scioscia is a wizard. I've heard the whole AL West is a breeze argument, but year in and year out Mike has his guys ready to roll into the post-season. A great manager surrounded by great talent.

and the winner is (drumroll please):

1. Ron Gardenhire

Gardenhire has put together a great line-up, and was able to win games when it mattered as his Twins chased down, and ultimately beat the Detroit Tigers to win the AL Central. A manager who can help his team win down the stretch when every pitching change/match-up matters is what qualifies him for manager of the year in my books.
--

*side note in regard to our very own Joe Maddon: In my rankings he fell somewhere around the 10 to 12 range... his bullpen decisions, and occasionally ridiculous rest-days for starters really cost him and ultimately the Rays.

Repost: Win a Jason Bartlett Autographed Card

2009-10-06T14:07:00.006-04:00

**UPDATE (Oct 6)

Hey gang, get in while the gettin's good.
There's still time to win. Enter now.
----

**UPDATE (Sept 19)
The entries keep rolling in, so get in while you still can- and tell your friends... its free.
----

Rays the Stakes in conjunction with our good friends over at Sports Memorabilia are proud to announce some good news:

We are having a giveaway contest:

Win this Jason Bartlett Autographed Card (with C.O.A.)

THE CONTEST:

Send an email to raysthestakes@gmail.com telling us who you think will win this season's AL MVP award.

Good Luck.

*Click here for more detailed info in regard to the card you could win.

That's a Wrap!

2009-10-05T10:58:00.003-04:00

With the 2009 regular season in the books, let's go ahead and forget about yesterday's 13-2 loss to the Yankees and instead remember some of the nice things that happened this season. And hey, at 84-78 this is the Rays' second best record ever. Plus, think of all the history they got to participate in: Mark Buehrle threw that perfect game, Jeter tied Lou Gehrig's career record for hits as a Yankee, and A-Rod moved into the number two spot for most RBI's in a single inning, thanks in part to Andy "Five Runs" Sonnanstine. I know I shouldn't be mad, but I just can't help it.

Hopefully I can make some kind of thoughtful contribution sometime soon, but I just can't right now. Here are some happy things to help ease the sting of the season's end

1) Three Rays finished in the top 25 for home runs (Peña, Longoria, and Zorilla) and triples (Crawford, Bartlett, and Zobrist again).

2) The Trop was almost 80% full for the Rays' final game (though not necessarily with Rays fans).

3) If you click here, you'll hear a pretty interesting interview with Fernando Perez and Gabe Kapler, and if you click here, you'll get one with Maddon. I highly recommend clicking on both (though not at the same time, as that'd probably get confusing).

- Dustin

Crawford Could be Playing His Final Games as a Ray

2009-10-03T11:51:00.008-04:00

Carl Crawford has been the face of the Tampa Bay Rays for 8 seasons.

Carl Crawford was the cheese that stood alone for a long, long time.

Now, Carl Crawford may be in his last series as a Tampa Bay Ray.

Although the sudden and unexpected Kazmir trade was a definite indication that the Rays are trying to find ways to keep their key guys (namely, Crawford and possibly Aki, and I'm sure they'd like to extend Pena while he's still affordable too), it by no means assures us that Crawford won't be moved.

After last season everyone and their cousin wanted the Rays to move Crawford while he still had value, but a stellar 2009 campaign has snapped everybody back to the other side of the line, and the screams that "the Rays better keep Crawford... or else" can be heard from Tallahassee to Sarasota.

Crawford had what most would call a career year this season; .306 BA, .365 OBP, .453 SLG, .818 OPS, and 60 steals which, in my humble my opinion, has done all but force the organization's hand, but I still don't think that keeping CC is a given at all. In fact, I would say there is still a 40% chance that Crawford is wearing a different uni next season (heaven help us if that uni has colored hosiery or pinstripes!)

The Rays are operating over-budget and need to find creative ways to maintain an entire roster of major-league caliber players. They can't dump large percentages of their payroll into 1 or 2 players, regardless of how great they are, were, or may be. It's simple math.

Moving Kazmir was a start (and a smart move), but there's still a good portion of money-moving that has to be worked-out.

I rarely cross-over from one sport to the next, but as a lifelong Steeler fan I've seen exactly how a "small-market" team makes the most out of a little on a nearly annual basis. They (the Steelers) never, ever, under any circumstances take a flyer on ridiculously over-priced free agents (which the Rays have emulated well), they promote from within and hoard talented depth (much like the Rays have done) and perhaps the most important; they are always willing to let a player go if his potential payroll takes too much of a chunk out of the overall salary (i.e. Alan Faneca). The Steelers live and die by the belief that it's always better to let them go 1 year too early than 1 year too late.
Sadly, I think that if the Rays approach the CC situation with that same mindset they may have to cut ties with the best player in franchise history (for now at least (Longoria's just getting started)).

Crawford is due $10 million next season and Rays ownership has already said they can only operate at around $65-70 million next season. Simple math tells us that CC's salary would take a significant piece of the pie, which would mean that keeping Crawford would potentially mean saying goodbye to some other integral parts of the puzzle.

Another playoff run would've helped generate more revenue and perhaps convinced ownership to loosen the purse-strings a bit next season, but alas, we've already woken from that fever dream.

I would love to see Crawford stay a Ray, and CC himself has stated that he'd like to stay with Tampa if at all possible, but I wouldn't be surprised or angry, or bitter to see him go. Baseball, after all, is a business, so the bottom line counts; and beyond that, the future success of the franchise may be at stake. No one wants to see a Rays team that was ripped to shreds just to accommodate CC's salary. I'd bet real American money that CC wouldn't want that either.

The powers-that-be (Sternberg, Friedman, etc.) have to weigh the value of Crawford and the possible ire of the Tampa faithful against the long-term potential of a host of young players or less expensive alternatives.

For the past four years current ownership has hit home runs on just about every move they've made, so whatever decision they make in regard to Crawford will be fine by me.
I'll consider it the right move. They've earned that respect.

Strictly as a fan, I'll be watching these last few games with one eye constantly focused on Carl Crawford, because there's a fair chance that they're the last he'll play as a Ray.

-JS

CHEESE & WHINE: Upton for the Cycle

2009-10-03T09:07:00.006-04:00

Rays: 13

Yankees: 4

CHEESE:

BJ Upton. Bossman was at the top of his offensive game last night; becoming the first Rays' player ever to hit for the cycle, and it took only 5 innings to do it. Upton finished the night with ridiculous numbers; 5 for 5 with 6 RBI and 3 runs scored. What better way to wash away the stains of a cruddy year then to finish the season by working your way into the franchise history books. The beauty of being the first to do something is that no one can take that away or break that record- it's there to stay, and for the rest of his family's existence BJ's family will always be able to boast that their grandpa/daddy/uncle/brother/son was the first Rays player ever to hit for the cycle.
David Price. Even without the copious amounts of run-support Price would've won this one, pitching a phenomenal game to wrap up his rookie season. King David lasted 7 innings, allowing just 1 run on 2 hits while striking-out 5 and walking 2. Oh, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if that pitch toward Teixeira's head in the first wasn't courtesy of Carlos Pena's broken finger. Price finishes the year with a record of 10-7 and an ERA of 4.42, not too bad. I guarantee it'll be better next year.
Ben Zobrist. Here's a shocker, Zobrist had a nice offensive game... again. Hard to believe, I know. Last night Benny-Boo finished up 3 for 5 with 2 RBI.

WHINE:

Dale Thayer. I know he came-in in a fairly meaningless position, but come on man. Thayer lasted 1 inning, giving-up 2 runs on 2 hits.
Willy Aybar. 0 for 5 with a K, and get this; 8 men left on base, 8!

CRACKERS:

Despite scoring 13 , only 2 of the Rays' runs came by way of the homer ( the 2-run homer by Upton in the 4th).

CAVIAR (game ball):

BJ Upton. Obviously, hitting the team's first ever cycle earns you the Rays The Stakes caviar game ball every time.

CHEESE & WHINE: Losing Effort

2009-10-02T10:19:00.004-04:00

Rays: 2
O's: 3

CHEESE:

Ben Zobrist. Benny-Boo seems to be the only player still running on all cylinders. Last night Zobrist lead-off the Rays scoring with a solo-homer in the 4th, and started a 9th inning rally with a double, but one man a team does not make.

WHINE:

Matt Garza. Although last night's performance was acceptable by any means, (6 IP, 6 hits, 3 runs, 4 K's, and 2 BB's) Garza's season can be viewed as nothing but a little disappointing. Coming into the 2009 campaign I (and many others) viewed Garza as the Rays' best pure pitcher, but 7 months later Garza finishes-up his sophomore season with the Rays with a record of 8-12. Garza had a nice ERA of 3.95, but a lack of consistency cost he and the team some W's and cost the bullpen some valuable innings. In his defense, his team didn't always do him a lot of favors through run support, but a good pitcher finds ways to win regardless. Hopefully next season we'll see a 15 win season.
Evan Longoria. I find it nearly impossible to believe that he's in a natural slump right now, which means he's just not mentally there anymore. I know he's just a kid, but the heart of a true champion or leader never goes away- even when his team (and by team I mean bullpen, primarily) was wildly disappointing down the home-stretch. Longo was 0 for 4 again and is now 2 for 15 over the last 4 games.

CRACKERS:

Garza surpassed the 200 innings pitched mark last night for the first time in his career, and finished the season having pitched 203 innings.

CAVIAR (game ball):

Ben Zobrist. This may end-up just being called the "Ben Zobrist Player of The Game Award" next year instead of "Caviar".

Random Poll

2009-10-01T12:36:00.003-04:00

With the season quickly winding-down there's not a lot left for we Rays' fans to look forward to, but in the nature of good fun I've decide to do a random poll to see which player you think will reach their particular "milestone" first during the next 4 games.

Online Surveys & Market Research

CHEESE & WHINE: 4 In A Row

2009-10-01T10:01:00.011-04:00

*Wade Davis' shoe in the dugout during the 7th inning of last night's game (courtesy of Matt Garza).

Rays: 5

O's: 3

CHEESE:

James Shields. Big Game looked sharp last night; lasting 8 innings, allowing 3 runs on 8 hits, striking-out 8 and walking.... 0. That's more like it. Save that for next season would ya. Shields finishes the '09 campaign with a disappointing record of 11-12 and an ERA 4.14
Ben Zobrist. Zorilla did his best Zorilla impression and finished the night 2 for 4 with 3 RBI ( a 3-run homer in the 3rd).
Akinori Iwamura. Aki was 2 for 3 with a walk. It's good to see Aki back to mid-season form.

WHINE:

Evan Longoria. Dirtbag went 0 for 3 last night and is 1 for 11 over the past 3 games. Mailed it in, have ya?

CRACKERS:

Four straight wins, and wins in 9 of the last 12 just serves to make the crappy stretches that much more painful.

CAVIAR (game ball):

James Shields. Shieldsy was that close to his first complete game of the season. Eight K's and 0 walks is more indicative of the Shields we've known in the past.

CHEESE & WHINE: Wade-ing In Victory

2009-09-30T11:04:00.003-04:00

Rays: 3
O's: 1

CHEESE:

Wade Davis. Davis pitched 7 innings, allowing just 1 run on 7 hits while walking 3 and striking-out 3. Despite the poor K to BB ratio Davis looked good. I'm excited for next season with Davis in the rotation (presumably).
Willy Aybar. Say 'ello to my lil friend. Aybar is on fire over the last several weeks, and last night was no exception. Willy was 3 for 4 from the plate with 1 RBI.
Reid Brignac. The ragin' Cajun looked fairly comfortable at he plate last night going 2 for 3 with a triple and scoring a run. Brignac has also started to show how solid a fielder he can be as well, I'm just not sure where he fits into the Rays' short-term (2010-2011) plans.
The Laugh Staff. Amazingly, the troop of Springer, Cormier, Wheeler, Choate, and Balfour managed to pitch a total of 2 innings and did not allow a run, and some people say there's no God.

WHINE:

AL Wildcard. It was inevitable, but seeing Boston clinch the AL Wildcard stings nearly as much as watching the sad shell of a show that SNL has become, but I digress.

CRACKERS:

Carl Crawford recorded his 60th steal of the season and set a new franchise record.
The Rays now stand at 81-76 which ensures at least a .500 season. If they can dig-out 4 wins in their final 5 games they'll be able to hang their hats on an 85 win season in the AL East which, all things considered, is quite an accomplishment.

CAVIAR (game ball):

Wade Davis. The kid has good stuff, and I dream of a 15 win season next year and officially deem 2010 Wade Davis' coming-out party.

CHEESE & WHINE: Zo, Zo, Zorilla

2009-09-29T10:43:00.004-04:00

Rays: 7
O's: 6

CHEESE:

Ben Zobrist. Benny-Boo is officially ridiculous. He has played every position but homeplate ump this season and is good at them all. Last night Zo played some firstbase before moving to more familiar territory in the OF late (where he made a great catch to record the 2nd out in the 9th inning). Zobrist finished the game 2 for 4 with a double and a homer (his 25th).
Willy Aybar. Aybar came in as a pinch-hitter and delivered a 3-run homer to tie the game in the seventh. It was reminiscent of last season's magic.

WHINE:

Jeff Niemann. How can I vote for you for AL R.O.Y. if you have foolish outings like that? Niemann was bad from the start last night, going only 3 and 1/3, surrendering 4 runs on 7 hits while walking 3 and striking-out 3. Its an understatement to say that the Rays won in spite of Niemann last night.
Andy Sonnanstine. To me it's official; Sonny is done. I always thought he'd be a good reliever, and so far he has done all he can to prove me wrong. Hopefully he's just not mentally adjusted to being in the 'pen, but I'm pretty close to being done making excuses.
Fernando Perez. Perez is obviously not a major league hitter... yet.

CRACKERS:

Holy Homers. Last night's 4 home run performance gave the Rays a season total of 193 which is a new team single-season record. Imagine if Pena were still in the lineup throughout the last 6 weeks- they would've had a chance at 210.
Don't forget to enter to win a Jason Bartlett autographed card from Rays the Stakes and Sports Memorabilia. Enter Here to win.

CAVIAR (game ball):

Ben Zobrist. Zobrist is the definition of a utility player.

JP will Howell No More

2009-09-26T13:37:00.000-04:00

According to Joe Smith (no relation) of the St Pete Times the Rays have decided to shut-down JP Howell for the rest of the 2009 campaign.

Howell has pitched more relief innings than any pitcher in the majors over the last two seasons, and has been struggling as of late, presumably due to arm fatigue.

In the home-stretch of the season Howell has struggled quite a bit; going 1-3 with a Sonnanstine-esque 6.75 ERA, surrendering 4 homers and 13 walks over just 13 and 1/3 innings.

Howell jokingly replied to being shut-down by saying, "I'm on vacation, a paid vacation."

Rest-up JP, 2010 is just around the corner and I have a feeling that the Rays are going to need you more than ever.

CHEESE & WHINE: Texas Toast

2009-09-26T11:15:00.002-04:00

Rays: 3
Rangers: 8

CHEESE:

No one got hurt.

WHINE:

BJ Upton. Upton was 2 for 3 from the plate, but made 2 base running blunders that were costly. Bossman was picked-off at first and was caught taking a big turn around third on a hit that he presumably thought had gotten past Texas' SS Andrus... it hadn't.
Grant Balfour. Balfour came-in in the 8th and managed to walk 2 before giving-up a 3-run homer to Ian Kinsler. Well done Grant, well done indeed. Apparently Shouse and Springer are contagious.

CRACKERS:

Kinsler's 3-run dinger off of Balfour put him in the 30/30 club (30 homerS and 30 steals). Congrats to Kinsler.

Baseball Bloggers Alliance

2009-09-25T10:05:00.003-04:00

Over the past month or so Daniel Shoptaw of C70 At The Bat, has been working extremely hard at putting together a network of baseball blogs.

His hard work is paying off; by bringing at least 2 blogs representing each major league team into the fold Daniel has indeed created a vast database of MLB blogs which was designed to promote cross-communication between the bloggers as a means of enriching each member's content.

An obvious byproduct of this network is that the faithful blog readers of enlisted blogs will benefit form the expanded knowledge/contacts of the blog writers.

Several members of what is being termed the BBA (baseball bloggers alliance) have also come together to create a BBA website as an arena for all the alliance bloggers to post hot topic pieces or pieces of interest.

Rays the Stakes is a proud member of the BBA, and joins Rays All Day (which I had previously not been aware of) as the BBA representatives of our Tampa Bay Rays.

You can check out the BBA website here.
You can also use the link to the BBA which has been added to the sidebar.

CHEESE & WHINE: 10 to Go

2009-09-24T09:55:00.001-04:00

Rays: 5
Mariners: 4

CHEESE:

BJ Upton. Bossman's 2-run single in the 8th put the Rays in the lead for good. Upton was 2 for 3 from the plate with 3 RBI and a walk, add-in the amazing game-ending catch in CF and BJ was at his best last night.
Ben Zobrist. Zobrist was only 1 for 3 from the plate and left 3 on base, but his defensive efforts made up for his lack of offense; Zorilla made a tough straight-at-ya catch in RF in the 6th, and kept the Rays within 1 after cutting-down Saunders at home to end the seventh.
Shouse, Springer, and Choate. The "laugh staff" found a way to actually not lose the game. I'm thoroughly impressed.

WHINE:

The Top. Bartlett and Crawford were a combined 0 for 7. Pretty sure the top o' the lineup is supposed to do a wee-bit more than that.
Dioner Navarro. What a shame that last year was the exception and not the rule in terms of Navi's hitting prowess. Last night, 0 for 4. Again. Moving his average to an abysmal .219 (the lowest among the starters).

CRACKERS:

The Rays are sitting at 78-74 with 10 to play, which is good enough for 8th best in the American League (1 game behind both Minnesota and Seattle (79-73)).
Wade Davis was fairly good last night, pitching 5 and 2/3 innings (96 pitches- 64 for strikes), allowing 4 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits, while striking-out 6 and walking 1.

CAVIAR (game ball):

BJ Upton. Bossman came through in the clutch... twice.

I'm Back

2009-09-23T14:21:00.004-04:00

After another mini-vacation to Pennsylvania for my high school reunion, I'm back.

So Rays The Stakes will get back to some semblance of normalcy for the rest of the season.

Thanks again to our friend Dustin for filling-in while I was gone.

The Rays were 4-1 while I was gone... hmmm, if they start losing again maybe I should just fly back out of town again.

It's Finally Official

2009-09-23T02:57:00.004-04:00

After tonight's 4-3 loss to the Mariners, the Rays' chances at the post-season are now quite clearly, undeniably, officially dead (courtesy of yet another bullpen malfunction). Let's all take a moment to mourn the arrival of the inevitable.

- Dustin

Win a Jason Bartlett Autographed Card

2009-09-19T13:42:00.001-04:00

**UPDATE (Sept 19)**
The entries keep rolling in, so get in while you still can- and tell your friends... its free.
----

Rays the Stakes in conjunction with our good friends over at Sports Memorabilia are proud to announce some good news:

We are having a giveaway contest:

Win this Jason Bartlett Autographed Card (with C.O.A.)

THE CONTEST:

Send an email to raysthestakes@gmail.com telling us who you think will win this season's AL MVP award.

Good Luck.

*Click here for more detailed info in regard to the card you could win.

A Sight for Sore Eyes

2009-09-18T11:14:00.006-04:00

Baltimore 0, RAYS 3

Wade Davis, welcome to the big leagues. Last night, Davis's third start of the season, was a 10-K complete-game shutout that was so good, it almost erased the past week and a half from my memory (though looking at this suggests that he was getting a little help from the umpire). Who'd have thunk that the best pitching performances all year would have come from rookies Niemann and Davis?

Deja vu all over again

2009-09-17T15:47:00.003-04:00

Remember last May, when Jonny Gomes scored the winning run against the Yankees in extras at the Trop. Still out of breath when a reporter asked him how it felt to be a Ray, Gomes responded: "I tell you what, it doesn't suck." Remember that game? Why couldn't we relive THAT one over and over again instead of this 2007-ish bullpen-implosion script?

2010 Schedule... Same old, Same old.

2009-09-16T11:00:00.004-04:00

Here's the Rays' press release in regard to 2010's schedule:

"The Rays will open the 2010 season at home vs. the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday, April 6, according to the Major League Baseball schedule released today. The schedule is subject to change.
The Rays have not played at home on Opening Day in five years, since they hosted the Toronto Blue Jays on April 4, 2005. The season-opening six-game homestand includes three games vs. Baltimore (April 6-8) and three games with the New York Yankees (April 9-11), the first of two weekend series the Yankees will play at Tropicana Field in 2010.
On the Interleague schedule, the Rays host the Florida Marlins (June 11-13), San Diego Padres (June 22-24) and Arizona Diamondbacks (June 25-27). They visit the Atlanta Braves on June 15-17, their first trip to Atlanta since 2001, and travel to play the Houston Astros (May 21-23) and Florida (June 18-20).
As it was in each of the last nine seasons, the 2010 major league schedule follows an unbalanced format, meaning each team will play more games against teams in their own division. The Rays will play 72 games against the four American League East opponents: 18 each against the Boston Red Sox, Yankees, Orioles and Blue Jays.The Rays host Boston on May 24-26, July 5-7 and a weekend series, August 27-29. The Yankees visit Tropicana Field on April 9-11, July 30–August 1 and September 13-15.Tampa Bay’s 2009 home schedule concludes with the Rays hosting the Orioles, September 27-29, followed by a four-game series at Kansas City, September 30–October 3.
While each AL East team will make three visits to Tropicana Field, all other AL teams will make one trip to Tampa Bay except for the Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners, who each come in for two series.
Season tickets for 2010 may be reserved by calling 888-FAN-RAYS or
online at raysbaseball.com."

CHEESE & WHINE: Losing My Religion

2009-09-16T09:37:00.003-04:00

Rays: 5
O's: 10

CHEESE:

Pat Burrell. The Bat had a nice night, going 2 for 4 with a 3-run homer and 4 RBI total. Where was that all season?
Ben Zobrist. Benny-Boo was 3 for 4 with a double, a triple, and an RBI. Well played, sir.
Low-K. The team, as a whole, only struck-out twice. That's quite the improvement from the team average which hovers somewhere around 672 per nine innings (or so it seems).

WHINE:

Jeff Niemann. The Rays' most consistent starter and AL R.O.Y. candidate didn't do himself any favors last night; lasting only 4 and 1/3 innings, allowing 6 runs on 11 hits. However, he did manage to strike-out 6 while only walking 1.
Brian Shouse. I consider myself a good Christian man, but if I ever see Brian Shouse on the street I'm going to walk up and punch him in his lip. He comes in as a lefty specialist v. Scott and promptly surrenders a solo homer followed by a 4-pitch walk. Ridiculous amounts of anger.
Russ Springer. The same punching possibility applies.

CRACKERS:

The Rays are now only 1 game over .500 for the season, which is an absolute travesty considering where they stood just 3 short weeks ago (69-56).

CAVIAR (game ball):

Pat Burrell. The Bat came through with some serious run-production.

CHEESE & WHINE: Thank Heaven For Small Miracles

2009-09-15T10:34:00.004-04:00

Rays: 8
O's: 4

CHEESE:

The Law of Averages said that it had to happen eventually. The O's were just the salve the Rays needed for their weeping wounds.
David Price. After a bad start, giving-up 4 runs in the 1st (3 earned), David settled-in and shut 'em down. Price lasted 7 innings, recording 4 K's and walking 2.
Reid Brignac. 4 for 4 with a homer, a steal, and 3 RBI. That's more like it young man.
Carl Crawford. 3 for 5 with a double, an RBI, and his 57th steal.

WHINE:

Evan Longoria. Dirtbag was 0 for 5 from the plate with 3 K's and leaving 5 runners on-base, oh and he had a throwing error from the field. It was not one of his better days.

CRACKERS:

The losing streak ended at 11... thank God.
The Rays are now 73-71 and will have to go on a real tear in order to reach 90 wins. Perhaps they should aim for 80.

CAVIAR (game ball):

Reid Brignac. Great performance.

Eventually, this is gonna stop, right?

2009-09-13T10:35:00.004-04:00

Not only does the above cartoon sum up my feelings about the past week or so, but it works thematically with the last post. The Rays load the bases with one out in the first? Rainout. The Rays give up 8 runs in the third? The umps hold on long enough to make the game official.

There are really only a handful of reasons to watch the Rays right now. One is the chance to see young players, like Wade Davis and Fernando Perez, play. Another is the hope of beating the Red Sox, thereby affording the citizens of Pink Hat Nation the opportunity to turn their attention to that charming NFL team of theirs this October. Of course, Perez sports a .316 OPS on the season, Davis looked lost last night, and the Sox thumped the Rays. Maybe things will work out better for today's double-header. Yeah, I know...

CHEESE & WHINE: Rain Delay... Postponed

2009-09-12T09:31:00.004-04:00

That sums it up.

Rays:

Red Sox:

Postponed

CHEESE:

The Rays didn't lose.
No one got hurt.
There's nothing I'd rather do on the NFL's opening Sunday than to try to navigate through 14 NFL games... and 2 Rays games.
Boston fans got all wet. What a shame.

WHINE:

Knowing that God is against your favorite team. Having the bases loaded in the top of the 1st in Boston with one out just to have the game postponed due to rain. Thanks a lot Big Guy! If I find out you're a Sox fan I may just have to switch to Buddhism.
I really wanted to watch the game.
Did I mention the Sunday doubleheader vs. NFL thing?

CRACKERS:

Wade Davis will get his scheduled start today with Garza pitching the first game Sunday and Shields pitching the second half of the double header according to Marc Topkin over at The Heater.

We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Program...

2009-09-11T10:08:00.002-04:00

...To remember the innocent Americans who were robbed of their lives by the selfish and pointless acts of others, and to remember the heroes of the NYPD, NYFD, Red Cross, and other organizations that either risked or lost their lives while trying to help the victims in and around the towers.

We also want to remind the families who were ripped apart, and who's lives are forever changed, that we are still thinking of and praying for them. And lastly, we remember the heroism of Jeremy Glick and the fellow passengers of flight 93 who selflessly sacrificed their lives to save the lives of others.

God Bless America!

Post from last season- Randomly re-posted today (totally random, I swear)

2009-09-10T11:27:00.005-04:00

***REPOST original post June 25, 2008***

Welcome to Lazytown, population: 1, founded in early summer 2008 in the heart of center field at Tropicana Field (but not to worry- it travels around the country from one ball park to another-- it was last seen in Miami on the evening of June 24th).

I'm talking about our own dear, beloved Bossman Junior (BJ, for you folks who love to initialize everything) Upton.

As a fan who has only missed watching 2 games this year, I feel that I am more than qualified to chime in against one of our beloved Rays if I deem it necessary, and I do.

Let me expound:

Over the last several weeks I've noticed a decided difference in the defensive play of Mr. BJ Upton, in that he suddenly feels that it is no longer necessary to run at full speed or cover anything more than a 20 foot radius in CF.

While the rest of his teammates are bustin' their tails for every win it seems that Bossman has lost his will to compete. I guess winning a couple of games entitles him to acting like he deserves to be on the roster- regardless of his obvious lack of effort.

Mr. Upton will jog over in the direction of a soft blooper to middle center and watch it drop then once he finally finishes his stroll over to the ball, that inevitably dropped 6 feet in front of him, he grabs it and proceeds to throw a blooping hailmary to the plate... everytime! Hey BJ, throw it to the cutoff man sometimes! Or here's a novel idea: hustle after the ball and maybe you could catch it and record an out- or at least catch a runner at third and not have to throw a looper to the plate because you reacted so slowly... everytime! Yeah-yeah we know, "You're sooo talented..." , blah, blah, blah... I've seen tons of below average players have amazing years (or even careers for that matter) because they put forth the effort that "superstars" are too good to bother with, and we've all seen "superstars" get sent packing because they were "too good" to be benched or told what to do....

Okay, slow down... I am not implying that I want Upton shipped out of town or DFA'd or anything silly like that, but I am lobbying for a stern talking-to from management and a few days on the pine to think about it.

In case you haven't noticed, BJ's numbers at the plate are down as well, so its not like he's countering his laze-fair defense with superb offense either (stay tuned, I may just present statistical evidence to support that).

Case and point: BJ's gotten lazy. Winning's coming easily, so there's no pressure. How fast our beloved Bossman has forgotten how life as a Devil Ray was, or how much winning meant to The Rays as recently as this May. I think the whole team has lost some intensity as of late, but the "good ones", like BJ, are supposed to learn how to keep winning not how to rest on their laurels.

Here's Upton's batting numbers at this point this year vs. last year:

YEAR AVG OBP SLG OPS HR
2007 .320 .402 .545 .947 9

2008 .284 .397 .424 .821 5

Don't get me wrong, I still love our little buddy BJ, but I'm getting tired of the nonchalant, lack-luster performances as of late. I honestly believe that he needs to be humbled a little, and I think the Pittsburgh series would be the perfect time.

Maddon could even spin it to the press that he's just giving BJ a "well-deserved rest"...

Well deserved, indeed!

CHEESE & WHINE: It Hurts.

2009-09-10T10:00:00.003-04:00

Rays: 2
Yankees: 4

CHEESE:

Jeff Niemann. Niemann continues to prove why he belongs at the top of the rotation, and has quickly become the Rays' most consistent pitcher. Last night Jeff pitched a great game and was rewarded by his bullpen with a no-decision. Niemann lasted 7 innings, allowing 1 run on 8 hits while walking 1 and striking-out 8, several of which were swinging K's thanks to the addition of his new toy, the splitter.
Jason Bartlett. His lead-off homer would've been enough for the win if the Rays had anything that remotely resembled a major league bullpen. JB is hitting .331 for the season.
Watching History. Even if it is Yankees' history. Seeing Jeter tie Gehrig as the all-time Yankees' hits leader was a treat. When you see Jeter at the top of a list that includes Mantle, Ruth, and Gehrig it puts how good he really is into perspective. Jeter represents all that is good in baseball (except for the fact that he plays for the Yankees, of course).

WHINE:

Grant Balfour. Balfour allowed a 3-run pinch-hit homer (Posada) which allowed the Yanks to complete the comeback win. This was Balfour's third blown-save in a week.

CRACKERS:

Congrats to our friend Prof (aka Cork) over at Rays Index. Who welcomes a new Rays' fan to the world.

CAVIAR (game ball):

Derek Jeter. Well done.

Dirtbag Gets "Player of The Week" Award, but has to Share

2009-09-09T13:54:00.003-04:00

Rays third baseman and resident stud Evan Longoria received the AL Co-Player of the Week Award for the week which ended Sept 6th.

During the 7 games included in the week Dirtbag led the league with a .467 batting average, he also recorded 5 doubles, 10 RBI, and 3 HR's. On top of that he boasted a slugging percentage of .933 over that span.

Evan had already received the award twice this season, 4/13 and 5/4.

He shares the award with Toronto outfielder Adam Lind.

CHEESE & WHINE: And Yet Again...

2009-09-09T10:08:00.002-04:00

*a picture truly is worth a thousand words:Rays: 2
Yankees: 3

CHEESE:

David Price. King David looked solid, pitching 6 innings allowing 2 runs on only 3 hits while walking 2 and striking-out 6. Price looked like we expected him to look all season, and hopefully he can finish strong and head into next season with all the confidence he lost when he was sent down to Durham to start this season.
Evan Longoria. Dirtbag is ridiculous. Another day, another homer. Dirtbag now has 30 homers.
Chris Richard. Richard played a solid 1st base, making some nice stops on tough hops, and also managed to record his first major league hit in 6 and a half years.

WHINE:

RISP. Team RISP 0 for 5.
Beating Dead Horses. I'm tired of complaining about the bullpen. Every day its a new scapegoat, this time it was Wheeler who surrendered the walk-off homer. A little offensive help would've been appreciated though. When your bully has been struggling the guys in the dugout should work extra hard to put runs on the board to make certain that no matter how bad the relievers are- they'll still have a shot at the W.
Tailspin. The fall into the abyss continues as this is the Rays' 7th straight loss- their longest skid since their pre-all-star break meltdown last season.

CRACKERS:

Evan Longoria is just the ninth player in MLB history to finish a season with 30 homers, 40 doubles, and 100 RBI while under the age of 25.

CAVIAR (game ball):

David Price. Quality start under pressure in the Bronx. Dirty, rotten shame his team couldn't get him the win.

CHEESE & WHINE: Hold the Cheese... Double Duty

2009-09-08T09:45:00.003-04:00

Game 1
Rays: 1
Yankees: 4

Game 2
Rays: 1
Yankees: 11

Whine:

Carlos Pena. El Gato is gone for the season thanks to a pitch that broke two of his fingers. Ouch. Its a darn good thing for the Rays that they're not playoff bound because they'd be lost without Pena's big bat.
The Unnamed Feeling. I borrow a term form Metallica (the best song on their St Anger Album) when I call the sadness and frustration and anger that I feel from watching the Rays over the last 2 weeks the "Unnamed Feeling". The bullpen literally makes me ill. If you were a Rays fan waaaaay back in 2006 and 2007 you're very very familiar with the sinking feeling you get every single time a starting pitcher gets the hook. Its a foregone conclusion that no matter what the scoreboard reads when the call goes out to the laugh staff, the Rays are headed toward a loss. Suddenly, as of late, the names Stokes, Corcoran, Lugo, Fossum, Ryu, Seo, and Camp have come back from the dead to haunt me. They're laughing at the frauds currently hiding in the bullpen on a supposed contending team; Springer, Cormier, Shouse, Bennett... they whisper their names into my ear while I sleep and every day I wake to find that its actually true; they really are on the Rays active roster and the Rays really are no longer in contention in large part because of these clowns- and a little piece of my heart breaks off and floats slowly down to the depths of my blackened soul, and the unnamed feeling comes again.
Andy Sonnanstine. 2.2 innings, 6 hits, 8 runs, 3 walks... whatever dude.

Well, THAT was almost fun

2009-09-06T18:15:00.003-04:00

Instead of complaining about another bullpen meltdown, a sweep at home at the hands of the solidly mediocre Tigers, and the obvious and, by now, undeniable sinking of the Rays' post-season hopes, I'm gonna be excited about the performance Wade Davis turned in today. One walk, one run (off a dinger to, of course, Aubry Huff), three hits, and nine strikeouts over seven innings is a very nice bit of work. Welcome to the bigs, Wade. Too bad they couldn't get the win for you.

CHEESE & WHINE: Paging the Real JP Howell

2009-09-05T10:40:00.004-04:00

Rays: 3
Tigers: 4

CHEESE:

Evan Longoria. Dirtbag is a stud. Two more doubles brings his season total to 40. That certainly helps detract attention away from his league-leading double play numbers. Last night Longo was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI.
Carlos Pena. El Gato was 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI.
Jeff Niemann. Niemann was good again (which makes me wonder why I'm still pleasently surprised everytime he turns in a good performance), lasting 7 and 1/3 innings allowing 1 run on 6 hits while striking-out 6 and walking 2.

WHINE:

JP Howell. 2/3 of an inning. 2 walks. 2 K's. 1 hit. 3 runs. Unacceptable.
Randy Choate. 1 batter- 1 hit. Again.
If there was any hope left for a playoff run last night closed the door. A win last night would've made-up a game on Boston who lost v. the ChiSox (and the dying dream may have stayed alive), but as has been the case all season, when it mattered most it just didn't happen.

CRACKERS:

Happy Labor Day weekend.
I'm not going to complain about Tom Foley, neither should you.

CAVIAR (game ball):

Jeff Niemann. Another start, another solid performance.

CHEESE & WHINE: I'm Calling It

2009-09-04T10:00:00.007-04:00

I'm calling it:

Rays time of death, September 3, 2009 @ 10:23 pm.

Rays: 3

Red Sox: 6

CHEESE:

Gregg Zaun. Zaun is a great addition to this team. I really hope they keep him around through 2010, so he can, at the least, mentor the young guys behind the plate. Zaun has also been a force from beside the plate, last night he finished just 1 for 4, but his 1 hit was a nice RBI double.
Evan Longoria. Longo has been on fire from the plate again. This time he went 2 for 4 with 2 doubles and an RBI.
Young Guys. The sadness of knowing that the postseason is just not gonna happen is somewhat off-set by the excitement of getting to see what some of the top minor league prospects have to offer over the next several weeks. Wade Davis makes his major league debut on Sunday, and several other players are on their way soon. I'd love to see the Rays find a way to make room for Desmond Jennings also.

WHINE:

Flippin' Bullpen. Springer, Bennett, Shouse... you can have 'em. I'm done with 'em. Russ Springer is completely useless and Shouse makes even him look good.

CRACKERS:

The Rays are now 6 games behind Boston in what I call an already-over playoff race. But I do believe in miracles, so there's that. Its gonna take God's help to make it happen, because these guys sure aren't going to do it themselves.

CAVIAR (game ball):

Longoria. 2 more doubles (37,38) and an RBI (94)

BJ Down-ton

2009-09-03T15:04:00.001-04:00

BJ Upton has had a down season.

BJ Upton is just as disappointed in himself as we are in him.

BJ Upton is still the real deal.

That being said, at what point does his liability at the plate (and on the basepaths) supersede his ability in the outfield?

Is it time for BJ to take a seat for a few games, again? would it benefit the team to plug in someone else who could be a potential sparkplug much as Zaun has been from the catcher position?

Online Surveys & Market Research

Holding-out Hope

2009-09-03T13:54:00.002-04:00

Okay, so in the interest of trying not to completely throw in the towel, here is some fat to chew:

We've known all along that, whether they were in the hunt or not, the Rays would be limiting David Price's innings this season, so as not to put the team's present ahead of it's future.

I say what better time then right now to stick Price in the 'pen, and help solve several problems at one time... you know, two birds- one ball.

First, moving King David to the bully helps save his arm for future campaigns- which is of the greatest importance (obviously).

Second, moving Price to the 'pen would put a legitimate arm out there, so that if the game is on the line in the 6th or 7th inning of a must-win game the Rays can call-on someone with gas and a live, major league arm to come preserve the win.

I can't think of a more opportune time to make the move. Can you?

CHEESE & WHINE: They're Alive... Barely.

2009-09-03T09:30:00.002-04:00

Rays: 8
Red Sox: 5

CHEESE:

Resiliency. The Rays struck early, but Boston crept back into the game. Despite a complete momentum shift the Rays battled back to take the lead for good in the 8th.
Gregg Zaun. Zaun finished the night 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and an RBI.
Evan Longoria. Longo was 2 for 4 with 3 runs and a 2-run homer that was absolutely crushed into deep left field.
Not waving the White Flag. Despite knowing that their playoff chances are slim at best the Rays came out ready to play, and it seems as if they still think there's hope. I don't think they have a prayer, but what do I know- I'd love to be wrong.

WHINE:

Ben Zobrist. Zo was 0-4 on the night and left 3 men on base.
The 'pen. Even if the Rays find a way into the post season these guys will sink the ship. How confident do you feel when you hear these names; Bennett, Springer, Shouse, Balfour, Choate? And as of late Howell seems to have lost his feel a bit as well. I was actually happy to see Wheeler yesterday... file that under "signs of the apocalypse".
Staats & Kennedy. Every flippin' time Joe West is the home plate ump we have to listen to these two go on, and on, and on about how Joe West is still a National League ump who won't expand his strike-zone, but isn't afraid to ring people up. Yawn.

CRACKERS:

JP Howell was tagged with the blown-save and the win. Pretty sure that doesn't happen often. $1 to anyone who can site the last time.

CAVIAR (game ball):

Longoria. 3 runs and a monster homer when it mattered.

Nuff Said?

2009-09-02T08:27:00.002-04:00

Reality Check: Here Comes Boston. Right... Now.

2009-09-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

One series to rule them all.
One series to define them.
One series to make a push-
or in the playoffs we won't find them.
---

The gravity of the Rays' situation cannot be overstated.
Boston heads into town for a three-game set in what now becomes a do-or-die situation for the Rays.

I'm going to go out on a fairly short limb here and say that if the Rays don't sweep Boston at the Trop then Durham will soon be losing half their roster. In other words, the fat lady will have sung, and it'll be time to give some of the prospects a shot at some major league playing time (which could be exciting in and of itself, but not nearly as exciting as a late season playoff push would be).

As I'm sure you're already aware, the Rays trail Boston by 5 games in the AL wildcard race so a sweep would put them within 2 games with 25 to play- 3 of which would be against Boston.

This could be the most important 3 game stretch in franchise history (yes, it'd be easy to argue that 3 games of the World Series were bigger, but hear me out).
Although last season's fall classic was gargantuan the reality of the matter is that the Rays had already garnered tons of attention, new fans were arriving by the truckload regardless of the outcome v. Philly, and the Rays had finally after more than a decade made a splash,whereas losing this upcoming series to Boston, and there by extinguishing any chance at a playoff birth, would have an amazingly adverse effect on the national fan base. It would prove every naysayer right (or so they would think- I'd still beg to differ), that the Rays can't hang with the big boys, that 2008 was a fluke, and that the fair-weather/newbie fans would drop like flies.
Oh, and Bostonians would just be laughing their tails off all the way to Fenway, or at least back to their condos in St Pete (which may just be the worst part of all).

One series to rule them all.
One series to define them.
One series to make a push-
or in the playoffs we won't find them.

Why No C&W and Here Come the Call-ups.

2009-09-01T09:59:00.004-04:00

Okay, Back from my typical, but odd, weekend (Sunday and Monday), and ready to roll.

No Cheese & Whine today (please don't TP my house again!) due to the fact that yesterday's game ended nearly 20 hours ago. If you're still somehow in the dark, let it be known that the Rays won a game, on getaway day nonetheless, despite Brian Shouse's best efforts. The Rays roll out of Detroit having split the series at 2 apiece (a series which for all intents and purposes should've been a 3-1 Rays victory on the strength of Niamann's nice outing Sunday, but alas was just not meant to be).

First round of September call-ups are here, and it includes the following players:

Fernando Perez. Welcome back Mr Perez-ident. Your speed is what we desire.
Jeff Bennett. What? Maddon says his arm is stretched and he can be used as a long reliever if need be. The mere possibility scares me.
Shawn Riggans. Navi has to feel great.
Andy Sonnanstine. Please, please, please don't come out as "hittable Sonny", because when Sonny is hittable its like BP for the bad guys. Conversely, when he comes out sharp he's a darn valuable fella. I'm not a big fan of coin tosses though.

I would've bet someone else's money that Joyce, Nelson, and Davis would've been here a.s.a.p., but no dice.

-------

Monday Blues

2009-08-31T10:10:00.004-04:00

Short post from me today, as I am too depressed about yesterday's game to muster much analysis, wit, or whatever. Though I am not yet ready to call the season over (as the folks over at Rays Index have done), the odds are certainly long. It's too bad. David Price threw an absolute gem of a game on Saturday, and Jeff Niemann was his usual, consistent self, going strong through seven full on Sunday. Even Balfour, who might oughtta be the goat here, looked great through two batters. But keeping him in, walking Granderson, bringing up Polanco with a chance to win it...these things are baffling. I'm not going to rage on Joe Maddon or anything. That guy's done too much good for the team and deserves some slack, even when he does things that are totally boneheaded and end up in disastrous, season-ending taters.

Here're Curtis Grandersons lefty/righty splits: AVG.181/.288; OPS .509/926. Why not bring in Choate or Shouse? Why not let Balfour go after Granderson, instead of putting him on first? Why not win the game? After Niemann turns in an effort like that, after the Rays have a lead in the 8th against a very good pitcher, it sucks to lose. I don't mean to be alarmist or defeatist, but it does start to feel like this is happening to the Rays' season.

Shields vs. Washburn today in a game the Rays need to win if they want to keep things interesting into September.

- Dustin

How Much Will the Kaz Deal Cost the Rays This Season?

2009-08-29T10:56:00.004-04:00

Let's gather some perspective on whether or not dealing Kazmir is a matter of waving the white flag for the 2009 season:

The facts:

Kazmir would have made 7 more regular season starts- at the most. More likely 6 due to the possibility for a 6th starter in September or a reshuffling of the rotation in order to make a playoff push.
Kazmir's career numbers show us that he wins about 55% of his starts.

Assumptions:

Lets assume Kaz would've won 4 of those 6 or 7 remaining starts (as per his career numbers).
Lets also assume, for the sake of argument, that Sonnanstine gets the call-up. Sonny's career numbers show us that he wins 49% of his starts.
So given those numbers can't we assume that he (Sonny) would be most likely to win 3 of those 6 or 7 starts?

Given that set of facts and using a very reasonable set of assumptions isn't fair to say that trading Kazmir should potentially only cost the Rays 1 game?

Most likely the Rays now have the salary space to excercise their option on CC for next season and all it cost them in terms of success was 1 game in 2009 (a campaign which is holding-on by a thread anyways). From that angle it looks like a smart move.

Its hard to argue with that logic, but go ahead and try, I dare ya.

CHEESE & WHINE: Whatever

2009-08-29T10:28:00.002-04:00

Rays: 2

Tigers: 6

CHEESE:

Nope.

WHINE:

Matt Garza.

CRACKERS:

Grab hold of the towel and prepare to throw it in.

Holy K-rap

2009-08-28T16:26:00.006-04:00

UPDATE (Sat. 10:20 AM)
After the deal kept coming and going, and no one could make up their mind I decided to back off of the story until it unfolded more clearly. Now it has:
Kaz has been traded to LAA who are now responsible for the remainder of his contract. The Rays receive the aforementioned prospects as well as a player to be named later (more info about the PTBNL over at Rays Index).

Thus ends the Scott Kazmir era in Tampa Bay. Thanks for all the great games and all the joy that you brought us just 5 innings at a time.

The most significant part of this deal is that it now seems very likely that the Rays will be able to exercise their option on CC and keep the face of the franchise around for a while longer. Desmond Jennings and Fernando Perez just had some air let out of their tires since the opportunity to take CC's roster spot next season now seems less likely than ever. Time will tell.

UPDATE (4:50 PM)
Several sources are now reporting that the deal has been finalized, despite the fact that Kazmir was completely in the dark as of approximately 20 minutes ago. If Kaz was truly blindsided by this move I am extremely disappointed with the Rays on several levels.
-------

Just popped-in over at Rays Index to get smacked in the face by this headline:

"Angels close to deal for Kazmir"

WHAT?!

I'm baffled.

Anyways, here's the article (per mlb.com):

By Lyle Spencer / MLB.com
08/28/09 3:28 PM ET

ANAHEIM -- The Angels are on the verge of bolstering their beleaguered rotation for the stretch run by trading for left-hander Scott Kazmir from the Rays for a
pair of prospects, a club source told MLB.com.
The Rays will get pitcher Alexander Torres and third baseman Matthew Sweeney in return in the deal, which is expected to be announced later today.
Kazmir is 8-7 this season with a 5.92 ERA in 20 starts for the Rays.

With Price ready to be shutdown or bullpen bound what is the next move? Wade Davis? Angels (now Rays') prospect Torres? Andy Sonnanstine? I'll sleep on it, or see what moves the Rays make tonight. Maybe the TV guys will have the answers.

Here there be Tigers

2009-08-27T13:04:00.002-04:00

With the off day today and the depressing loss last night, I thought it might be nice to look towards the near future. So, here are some thoughts on the upcoming pitching match-ups in the Rays-Tigers series.

Friday: Matt Garza vs. Rick Porcello

It's hard to overstate the importance of a win on Friday, and, if Garza brings his Good Garza stuff, he's the guy to make sure the Rays get it. On the other hand, if Bad Garza shows up it means trouble for the often offensively challenged Rays. The Rays will probably need Good Garza because they're up against a rookie pitcher who they've never seen before, which means they're likely to make the kid look like a Cy Young contender. Porcello has been a major contributor to the "success" the Tigers have had this year, and after a shaky July he seems to have righted the ship in August. He has a 4.60 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP at home this year, which means that, if the Rays can avoid flailing wildly away at the plate, they might get a few free base-runners from him. The key to this game, however, is probably Garza, who is 0-3 in five starts against the Tigers with a 4.94 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP (at Tigers Stadium: 0-1 in two starts, 6.10 ERA, 1.68 WHIP). Let's be optimistic and assume Good Garza shows up and the Rays take the opener.

Saturday: David Price vs. Nate Robertson

Armando Galaraga was sent down to AAA to rest an inflamed elbow, so the Rays will see Nate Robertson, who is himself returning from the DL. The bad news about this is that Robertson is a leftie, and it's said he's pitched very well in his rehab starts. The good news is that Robertson is a poor fielder who was awful out of the pen for most of the year and who hasn't started yet this season. Maybe, just maybe, the Rays can get to him in a big way (instead of making him look like a freaking ace like they did for Rzepczynski). They'll probably need to do exactly that if Price brings the 8.07 ERA, 2.27 WHIP stuff he's brought on road trips so far this season. I'll be pleasantly surprised if the Rays win this one, but I'm not gonna hold my breath.

Sunday: (tba) vs. Justin Verlander

Verlander is a hard-throwing strikeout machine who needs no introduction. He's the kind of pitcher who's capable of killing Rays hitters, but they're also capable of hitting hard-thrown stuff. The Rays' pitcher TBA is probably Niemann (at least, it's Niemann's spot and I'd be shocked if someone else took it), so I actually like their chances of winning this one.

Monday: James Shields vs Jarrod Washburn

Washburn is a flyball pitcher, so it's no surprise he's struggled since coming over from flyball-friendly Safeco Field. That said, in April Washburn beat the Rays soundly, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks over seven innings of work (with a season-best nine strikeouts to boot). Shields has struggled at times with his stuff and his command, but his poor win-loss record this year is mostly due to the lack of offensive support his teammates have given. If Shields has a good game, the Rays ought to be able to at least outlast Washburn and get into the soft underbelly of the Tigers relief corps.

- Dustin

C'Mon Blue!

2009-08-27T11:37:00.005-04:00

You see the green box labeled with the number six, sitting there right in the middle of the strike zone? That was the third strike, thrown by J.P. Howell to Vernon Wells, that should've ended the ninth and sent the game into extra innings. As you can see by the rest of the pitches charted here (retrieved from this website), and as is obvious from the result of the game, Howell was struggling with his control. But c'mon. That pitch was so clearly, so obviously a strike that even Wells was surprised that the ump sent him to first. Who knows what might have happened if things had gone, the way they should have, to the tenth inning.

- Dustin

CHEESE & WHINE: The Rays Can't Get Out of Their Own Way

2009-08-27T11:07:00.003-04:00

Rays: 2
Jays: 3

CHEESE:

Scott Kazmir. Kaz delivered his second consecutive solid start (with Zaun behind the plate). Kaz threw 6 solid innings allowing 1 run on 4 hits while striking-out 10 and walking just 1. Do you remember those days when Kazmir was capable of striking-out 10 every time out- wouldn't that be nice if he could be that guy again? I think in the case of Scott Kazmir, Gregg Zaun is just what the doctor ordered. If Kaz continues to pitch this well with Z-man behind the plate Mr. Zaun may just get resigned specifically for his ability to keep Kaz under control.

WHINE:

JP Howell. Howell is still the man, but last night's performance was unacceptable, especially in a game in which the Rays could have made up a game on Texas who had just lost to NY earlier in the night. JP retired 1 in the 8th, but came back in the 9th and was not sharp, to say the least. Howell pitched 1 inning, giving-up 2 earned runs on 1 hit (a homer) and 3 walks. Howell spiked the last pitch of the night into the ground so far in front of the plate that it got away from Zaun and led to the final run strolling across the plate for the literal walk-off win.
Star-Making. This Rays team has a propensity for making mediocre pitchers look like super stars. Once again the Rays made Mark Rzepczynski look like Pedro Martinez. They allowed Rzepczynski to pitch a no-hitter into the 6th before finally doing some damage (a Gabe Kapler, 2-run homer).
Evan Longoria. Dirtbag grounded into yet another double play and leads all of baseball in hitting into double plays with an astounding 28.

CRACKERS:

Tonight is an off-night for the Rays who resume play tomorrow in Detroit.

CAVIAR (game ball):

Scott Kazmir. Another solid start from the former ace. If he can keep it up it will go a long way in helping the Rays make the postseason.... Zaun gets the assist.

El Gato es En Fuego

2009-08-26T11:20:00.008-04:00

Carlos Pena is on fire. Pena is hitting home runs at such a torid pace that I can't even keep up anymore- what does he have now, 64?

Okay, I exaggerated, I can keep up and he has an AL-leading 37 homers so far this season. Amazingly, he holds that lead despite having had 3 different HR droughts that have lasted 10 or more games (June 8-19, June 28-July 9, and July 11-24).
In fact, from June 28 through July 24 (a total of 27 days) El Gato hit a grand total of 1 home run, which only serves to make his league-leading 37 long-balls that much more impressive.

So far during the 2009 campaign Pena has 4 multi-homer games, including last night's two-homer effort.

Pena is the pulse of the Rays, when he struggles the team struggles. I know that there are tons of other variables attached and that it's difficult to correlate individual performance with team performance, but in some cases the numbers are just too hard to argue.

Here are some of the numbers which I find interesting:

Over the last 10 games Pena is 11 for 32 which translates to a batting average of .344 and the Rays are 8-2 over that same span.
Over the previous 10 games Pena was 7 for 37 good for a .189 batting average and the Rays were an abysmal 4-6.
Carlos' statline in games which the Rays win: .259 BA/.390 OBP/.676 SLG/1.066 OPS
Carlos' statline in games which the Rays lose: .175 BA/.307 OBP/.361 SLG/.668 OPS

The numbers speak for themselves. If Pena stays hot the Rays stay hot. If not...well, I don't want to talk about that right now- I'm in a good mood (thanks to El Gato).

CHEESE & WHINE: That Cat Can Hit

2009-08-26T09:32:00.004-04:00

Rays: 7
Jays: 3

CHEESE:

Carlos Pena. El Gato is about as hot as a hitter can be right now, and he belted 2 more homers last night; finishing the game 2 for 5 with 4 RBI. He did strike-out twice but if he maintains the ratio of 1 homerun for every K I'll be okay with that.
Jason Bartlett. Who could ask for a better lead-off hitter? JB is batting .346, has an OBP of .397, and a slugging percentage of... wait for it... .530! Last night JB was 3 for 5 and scored a run.
The 'Pen. Choate, Bradford, Shouse, and Wheeler combined to pitch 2 and 1/3 innings allowing 2 hits (both on Bradford) while combining to strike-out 4, issuing 0 walks and allowing 0 runs.

WHINE:

Treading Water. Its seems as if whenever the Rays lose Texas and Boston win and whenever the Rays win Texas and Boston win. Infuriating.

CRACKERS:

Not having the game televised was annoying, but being able to see Saturday's game in its stead will help mend the wound.

CAVIAR:

Carlos Pena. This is the type of streak that helped invent the phrase, "He's on Fire!".

Just a Quick Word

2009-08-25T13:22:00.002-04:00

After yesterday's game looked like it was becoming unwatchable, the Rays tightened up at the plate and in the field and managed to pull off an unlikely slugfest-type win against Halladay. After giving up a grand slam and looking almost sick, Jeff Niemann locked in after the third and retired ten Blue Jays in a row. What a weird game that was. Did I just fail to notice before how that infield turf at the Rogers Centre eats up ground balls? Can anybody explain why both defenses (but especially the Rays) looked half asleep, particularly at the beginning of the game? It wasn't the prettiest win, by a long shot, but I'll take it.

GO RAYS!!

- Dustin

Monday Weekend Wrap-Up: Yo-Yo Edition

2009-08-24T10:59:00.003-04:00

These two games really couldn't have made me feel more different. Saturday's elation was followed, sadly, by Sunday's deflation. On Saturday, the Rays reminded us of the scrappy team they were last year, the team you could never count out of a game. On Sunday, the Rays were out of it before the game started.

Saturday: RAYS 5, Texas 4

Let's start with the good news, shall we? Carlos Peña's performance on Saturday, including two homers, four RBIs, and a game-winning single in the tenth, was the brightest of bright spots for the Rays this weekend. It was truly 2008-esque. Also nice and worth noting: on Saturday, the big bats of Peña and Burrell accounted for all the Rays runs (Burrell doubled in Peña in the 8th).

JP Howell blew his sixth save of the season (his first since early June) when Marlon Byrd hit one out in the ninth. Howell held on and got Josh Hamilton to pop out, and the Rays won it in the bottom of the tenth after Grant Balfour worked a 1-2-3 top of the inning.

Overall, it was a good game from the Rays pitching staff. Garza was a little shaky but good enough to get through seven while surrendering only three, and, except for the hickup by Howell (he'd successfully converted 13 of his last 13 chances, so I'm inclined to cut him some slack), the bullpen held strong. This game felt like progress, like the kind of gutsy, never-say-die performances we grew accustomed to last year. Then, Sunday happened.

Sunday: RAYS 0, Texas 4

Ok, so first thing worth noting is that David Price pitched pretty well. The one complaint is that two of the three men he walked made it home, but, in fairness, three runs over seven innings is good enough to figure to be in line for the win.

Now, maybe the Rays walked into a guy, in Feldmen, who turned up his stuff and pitched a great game. That kind of thing happens. It happens against you particularly often when you strike out eleven times against the starter (and fifteen times in the game), leave seven men on base and go 0-8 with RISP as a team (BJ alone was 0-3 with RISP). The Rays offense was awful, with the exception of Pat Burrell, who had another multi-hit game and another double.

I wish I could've seen successful work by former Gator Darren O'Day, who I enjoyed watching when he was in Gainesville, in some other context.

MOVING FORWARD

I and others said last week that the Rays could afford two losses over their homestand against the Blue Jays, Orioles, and Rangers. They had three, winning all three series but sweeping none. I hope that doesn't come back to hurt the Rays, but I think it probably will.

According to Coolstandings, the Rays have a 14% chance at winning the Wild Card, and, since they're not gonna win the division, that's the number that matters. Compared to Texas (20%) and Boston (51.7%), the Rays aren't looking too good. What they need is the kind of statistically unlikely (or at least unpredictable as far as timing is concerned) hot streak that they haven't been able to put together all season. I know we all keep saying that, which we do because it's true. The Rays need (as in NEED) to rattle off a long win streak--not series wins, but sweeps.

Boston welcomes the White Sox to Fenway tonight for a four-game series before facing the Blue Jays, also in Fenway, over the weekend. Hopefully, the Red Sox are heartbroken over the fact that in spite of scoring 29 runs over the weekend, they still lost the series to the Yankees (who also scored 29 runs). Meanwhile, the Rangers visit the Bronx starting Tuesday before they swing into Minneapolis for the weekend. The Bombers are very-freaking-red hot right now, which bodes well for the Rays' chances of overtaking the Rangers.

In Toronto, the Rays are up against Halladay, Cecil, and Rzepczynski. In Detroit, we'll likely see Galarraga, Porcello, Verlander, and Washburn. I don't like our chances to rattle off a major win streak against those guys.

Halladay is, well, Halladay. He's among the best pitchers in baseball, easily amongst the top five. Cecil has a 1.17 ERA against the Rays and one win. Rzepczynski has a 1.50 ERA, but no decisions, in two games against the Rays this year. Further (and probably not surprising) Peña (.179 OBP; .549 OPS) and Burrell (.231 OBP; 492 OPS) have struggled at the Rogers Centre this year.

As for the Tigers, unless I'm mistaken the Rays haven't seen them yet this year. Of the four Detroit pitchers, the only one the Rays have faced this year is Washburn, who beat them in Seattle back in April. He's 3-1 over the past three years against the Rays with a 1.85 ERA and a 14:6 K:BB ratio. Verlander, probably the scariest pitcher of the group, is 2-0 in four starts against the Rays since 2006 with a 4.50 ERA and a 20:8 K:BB ratio, which means you should start him against the Rays if you've got him on your fantasy team.

I don't mean to say that the Rays are cooked, far from it. In fact, if Burrell, Peña, and Upton can come through--if the three of them get hot--then the Rays will be very hard to close out of games, regardless of how shaky their starting pitching or how strong the opponents.

It's such a no-brainer to say that the Rays need more consistent offensive production and better starts that there's really no sense in repeating it. So I won't, and instead I'll just cross my fingers and hope for the best.

GO RAYS!

CHEESE & WHINE: Who Was That Pitcher?

2009-08-22T09:26:00.003-04:00

Rays: 5
Rangers: 3

CHEESE:

Gregg Zaun. Kazmir will get all the love, but I'm going to have to go out on a limb here and agree with Kevin Kennedy and say that Gregg Zaun had as much to do with Kaz' efficiency as Kazmir himself did. Zaun called a game that played to Kaz' strengths, and when things got a little hairy (men on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out) Zaun imposed his will, worked the batters, and helped Kaz get out of a jam. I was a little critical of the Zaun signing, but all I've seen so far is the glaring difference between Zaun (a hard worker and intelligent game caller) and Navi (a lackadaisical youngster who's got a lot to learn). If the Rays are able to squeeze into the wildcard a good portion of the credit may go to 38 year old Gregg Zaun- and rightfully so.
Scott Kazmir. Kaz was efficient, I repeat Scott Kazmir was efficient! Kaz lasted 7 and 1/3 innings,his longest outing of the year (some will call it coincidence, I'll call it Gregg Zaun's game calling ability), allowing 3 runs on 5 hits, striking-out 4 and walking 2. Kaz threw 67 of his 106 pitches for strikes.
Ben Zobrist. Zobrist finished the night 2 for 3 with a walk...oh, and another homer; a 2-run shot which was his 22nd of the season. Zobrist is hitting homeruns at a clip of 1 every 16.4 at-bats. To put that into perspective, your league leading HR hitter (Carlos Pena) is hitting a homer every 13 AB's. Impressive for a utility guy. If the Rays are able to squeeze into the playoffs we'll all know that Zorilla played an unexpectedly huge role.
JP Howell. At what point do we start saying that this kid is money?

WHINE:

RISP. As a team, the Rays were 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position. If you think you're going to win games against tough teams without pushing runners across the plate via productive outs you're wrong... I'm talking to you Carlos Pena, sometimes you just have to put the ball in play with 2 men on and 1 out, I understand you're a power hitter and you should dance with who brung ya, but swinging for the fences in that situation is busch-league.

CRACKERS:

With this win over Texas and the Yankees beating Boston, the Rays are once again 3 back of Boston and 2 back of Texas in the AL Wildcard hunt.

CAVIAR (game ball):

Scott Kazmir. The Rays could use more quality starts like that. Well done.

CHEESE & WHINE: Put Away The Brooms

2009-08-21T09:52:00.003-04:00

Rays: 7
O's: 8

CHEESE:

The Beef. Batters 1 through 5 were a combined 10 for 23 with 4 RBI (all belonging to Zobrist).

WHINE:

The Beef. Batters 1 through 5 struck out a combined total of 8 times.
BJ Upton. 0 for 4... again.

CRACKERS:

Both Texas and Boston won their games leaving Tampa 4 behind Boston and 3 behind Texas in the AL Wildcard hunt. Simple math tells us that it'll now take a sweep just to pull even with Texas.
The Rays have just 2 players batting over .300, Crawford (.321) and Bartlett (.344), and 4 starters batting under .240, Pena (.213), Navi (.221), Burrell (.232), Upton (.239).

CAVIAR (game ball):

Ben Zobrist. Zorilla hit his 21st homerun of the season, and did all he could to keep the Rays close.

Wins are Bigger Vs Texas

2009-08-20T15:49:00.004-04:00

One more game against Baltimore, which I'm looking past, but hopefully the Rays are not, and then in comes Texas.

Texas is currently trailing Boston by 1 game and lead the Rays by 2 games in the AL Wildcard race.
Let's say hypothetically that the Rays, Sox, and Rangers all win tonight so Texas rolls into town with a 2 game lead over the Rays.

Here's the pitching match-ups for the 3-game set:

GAME 1
Dustin Nippert, RHP (4-1, 3.52) vs. Scott Kazmir, LHP (7-7, 6.36)
Despite Nippert's impressive ERA, the sample size is fairly small considering that he's only started 6 games this season. He was quite hittable in his only start v. the rays last season, giving up 7 runs in just 4 innings of work.

GAME 2
Tommy Hunter, RHP (6-2, 2.64) vs. Matt Garza, RHP (7-8, 3.73)
Hunter has been on a tear as of late, winning 6 of his last 7 decisions, and has held opponents to a BA of below .220. This is the match-up that intrigues me the most as we're never sure what to expect form Matty G. It'll take a solid outing to keep the Rays in this one.

GAME 3
Scott Feldman, RHP (12-4, 4.06) vs. David Price, LHP (6-5, 5.03)
Feldman at 12-4 has been very good for the Rangers thus far and has a career ERA of 2.50 against the Rays. A win by the Rays in this game would be a nice accomplishment and could go a long way in helping the Rays secure a wildcard spot.
---

All three games are wide open, and a sweep in either direction is by no means out of the question, but I'm feeling optimistic in light of JoeMa's black hair and think that the Rays will win the first 2 before dropping the third game to Feldman.

If that theory holds true, at the end of the series the Rays would trail the Rangers by just 1 game, and should I dare to dream that Boston were to drop 2 out of 3 during that same time span (v. New York), only 2 games behind the Sox with 39 games to go.

No El Gato

2009-08-20T15:03:00.000-04:00

According to Joe Smith over at The Heater the Rays will look to complete the sweep tonight without gold glove first baseman Carlos Pena.

No word as to whether its just a day off or related to an injury/illness.

Willy Aybar will fill-in at first for tonight's 7:07 start.

CHEESE & WHINE: One Run(g) At A Time

2009-08-20T09:25:00.005-04:00

Rays: 3

O's: 1

CHEESE:

Pat Burrell. Pat has found his bat. Burrell hit his 12th homerun of the season last night, his third in 4 games. We've waited very patiently for Pat to get on one of his famous streaks, and hopefully this is just the beginning. PB finished the night 2 for 4.
BJ Upton. Speaking of waiting patiently, we've been more than patient with the junior Bossman as well, and he too seems to finally be putting together a little hot streak. Last night BJ was 1 for 3 with a solo homer, his second consecutive night with a dinger. If BJ and Pat can get hot and the pitching can hold up... look out.
Ben Zobrist. While we're giving praise for solo homers let's not forget that Zorilla also knocked a solo shot in the 6th inning, his 20th of the season. Zobrist finished 1 for 3 with a homer and a walk.
Jeff Niemann. The big man worked 7 and 1/3 allowing just 1 run on 7 hits while striking-out 5 and walking 1. Niemann is now 11-5 with an impressive 3.71 ERA. Unfortunately his name isn't even being bandied about in AL R.O.Y. circles while David Price's (6-5, 5.03 ERA) name is... sad.
JP Howell. The gift that keeps on giving. Another converted save for the closer who isn't a closer. Howell pitched the 9th and allowed no runs on zero hits.

WHINE:

Roy Halladay. Come on man, you can't do us one little favor and pitch lights-out against the Red Sox like you do v. everyone else. Allowing 5 runs on 8 hits and only lasting into the 5th... thanks for nothing.
Evan Longoria. Dirtbag is slumping. Longo was 0 for 3 last night and is 1 for 11 over the last 3 games. Evan also hasn't his a homer since August 8th. BJ getting hot doesn't help if Longo goes cold.

CRACKERS:

Wild Card. Texas lost again, so Boston now takes sole possession of the wild card spot leaving Texas 1 back and Tampa Bay still 3 behind Boston and 2 behind the Rangers with the Rangers headed to town tomorrow. Oh man, how exciting is this series going to be?

CAVIAR (game ball):

Pat Burrell. PB Blaster is back on track and may still be able to pull-off 20 homers before all is said and done.

Cheese & Whine: Orioles @ Rays, Part 1

2009-08-19T10:12:00.003-04:00

RAYS 5, Baltimore 4

CHEESE

Probably the most exciting thing about last night's game (other than the W, of course), for me, was watching BJ Upton go 3-4 with a run and a ribbie while hitting a double short of the cycle.

It was also nice to see Burrell have a little success with the bat (though he had two K's to go along with his two hits). The taters he and Gabe Gross hit were absolute no-doubters.

Once again, the Rays' bullpen turned in a strong performance (except for Randy Choate, whose name suggests at least two jokes, neither of which I'll make here). Cormier, Springer, Balfour, and Howell took care of four innings without giving up a run.

WHINE

Can someone explain why Reid Brignac swings for the fences on every pitch, even when there's a man on third and pretty much any ball in play will score a run? Sheesh.

Nick Markakis robbed Ben Zobrist of extra bases and an RBI in the fourth, which actually upset me somewhat less than did his head-first slide into first base to lead off the third. Now, don't get me wrong. I love the hustle, but that's a great way to get hurt. The Rays need Zorilla in the lineup more than they need him on first base in that situation.

The Rays were 2-8 with RISP.

CRACKERS

The Rays are now three games back of both the Rangers and the Red Sox who, with a loss and a win respectively last night, are tied. It's definitely scoreboard-watching time. Hopefully it's less distracting to the Rays than it is to me.

Jeff Niemann is going for the Rays tonight, and he's up against right-handed rookie Chris Tillman. Tillman was ranked the Orioles' number two prospect coming into the season (behind Matt Weiters), and finished last year with a ridiculous 10.2 K/9 ratio at AA Bowie. So far, that hasn't translated to the big leagues, but in combination with the Rays' tendency to strike out and their tendency to stink against pitchers they've never seen before, it's cause to worry.

In two games against the Orioles this year, Niemann is 1-1 with a 6.97 ERA. Let's bring that last number down and the first one up.

GO RAYS!!

- Dustin

Odds & Ends

2009-08-18T13:41:00.004-04:00

The Rays, as expected, failed to sign either of their first two picks. Second-rounder Kenny Diekroeger has committed to play baseball at Stanford, in spite of the "real sales job" the Rays attempted and the "really, really very good" relationship between the organization and the Diekroeger family, according to Rays scouting director RJ Harrison via Marc Lancaster. First-rounder Levon Washington, a Scott Boras client, is not academically eligible to play for his hometown Florida Gators, and will likely spend the year at a junior college. That one's kind of a head-scratcher. Apparently, the Rays and Washington were so far apart on their initial offers that the parties were unable to get together in time to make a deal work logistically.

Montgomery Biscuits' left-handed pitcher Darin Downs took a line drive off his head last night in his second start for the AA team, and though he's still in an Alabama ICU with a fractured skull, he's apparently recovering nicely and only hospitalized for monitoring purposes.

Also, Brett Favre will play for the Vikings this year. What? Wait, sorry. I don't know what came over me. Guess it's just not possible to talk about sports right now without bringing that guy up.

The Rays throw David Price tonight against Jason Berken, a rookie righty who's lost ten of his last eleven decisions and sports a 6.63 ERA. He had a 3.58 ERA and 1.23 WHIP last year with AA Bowie with 7.7 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9. He's never faced the Rays, which hopefully works in their favor more than it does his.

In this article, Joe Maddon is quoted saying "I still believe in these guys. I still believe we have a really good hot streak that we haven't seen all year. It lies beneath the surface. We've just got to bring it out." Right freaking now would be a great time to find that hot streak, don'tcha think?

LET'S GO RAYS!!

- Dustin

Monday Weekend Wrap-Up: Glimmers of Hope Edition

2009-08-17T11:40:00.005-04:00

Saturday: RAYS 8, Toronto 3

Rays fans have to be happy about getting another quality performance from Scott Kazmir who, though he still threw too many pitches over too short a period (103 over 6.1 innings, or almost six-and-a-half per out), struck out seven Jays and gave up only three runs and qualified for the win. His record now stands at 7-7 on the year, and though his ERA is still well over six, he's been better since the break. How great would it be for the Rays if Kaz found a way to get back to form? Even if he never becomes a legit front-end starter, even if he continues to walk people and struggles to get past six innings, he could definitely either (1) hold down the middle of the Rays' rotation or (2) convince some well-heeled team out there that he's worth trading for. Anyhow, it's veeeery nice to see something good from Kid K.

The Rays got good offensive production up and down the order on Saturday. Even Navi showed up, and BJ Upton, though he went hitless, was on base twice and scored a run. If there was anything to complain about on Saturday, it was Carlos Peña's 0-2 with RISP on the day. But, since he did manage to get on base and score a run, and since the Rays collectively went 7-13 with RISP, I'll let it slide.

Sunday: RAYS 5, Toronto 2

Today was yet another shaky performance from Matt Garza, who spent most of the day working, Houdini-like, out of trouble. It started in the first with men on first and third and one out, after which Garza promptly struck out two of the Jays' best hitters to get out of the inning, and it pretty much stayed that way through five innings. The Blue Jays had men in scoring position with fewer than two outs in every inning but the second against Garza, who got them to go 2-13 with RISP on the day. He did that by enacting the Tale of Two Garzas that we've seen all season over and over again, starting out poorly and then becoming untouchable. Man, if he could only figure out how to be always Good Garza and never Bad Garza...

Of course, Greg Zaun's game-winning grand slam in the eight merits a mention too, as does Gabe Gross's ultimately failed but long (ten pitches) at-bat that must've helped to soften up League. Sitting alone in an empty house, I actually jumped up off the couch and looked around for somebody to high five when that tater jumped off Zaun's bat.

The star for the weekend has to be Carl Crawford, who went 3-8 at the plate over the weekend with three runs scored, three batted in, a stolen base, and a sacrifice bunt. Crawford's OPS against the Jays is now 1.103 in 51 at-bats on the year, which rules. Greg Zaun deserves an honorable mention as well for having brought the salami to the Rays picnic this weekend. Plus, alongside Gabe Gross's RBI single on Saturday, it represents something--namely excellent performances in big spots by Rays role-players--that, it seems to me, has been in relatively short supply this year.

Speaking of big performances, we must point out that the Rays' bullpen was sparkling this weekend, giving up only one run in 6.2 innings of work (and that only a solo shot against the long-dormant JP Howell on Sunday). One worries about overworking them, but hopefully the day off will help with that.

THE WEEK THAT WAS

I have decided to forget that the Rays ever went to the west coast, so I'm not gonna talk about it. The Rays managed to take two of three from the Jays, and there's really no shame in dropping one to a guy who's among the league's best pitchers. It's too bad that Shields couldn't have locked down earlier in the game than he did, but there's no use crying about it (though if you'd told me after the second that he was going to make it through eight, I'd have called you crazy). Upon returning to St. Pete, the Rays did what they had to do, but...

THE WEEK THAT WILL BE

Having dropped a game to the Blue Jays, the Rays' margin for error is somewhere in the vicinity of zero. This week, they welcome first the Orioles and then the Rangers to the Trop. They can probably afford to drop one of those six games, and no more.

One has to wonder whether Zaun's (and Springer's) veteran presence might give the Rays the kind of lift they seemed to get from having Percy and Floyd around last year. Speaking of guys I miss, Jonny Gomes is hitting a home run every 11.5 at-bats for the Reds. To put that in perspective, Albert Pujols hits one every 10.7 at-bats. Given the extent to which the Rays have struggled at the DH position, it's easy to wish they still had that kind of pop on the bench.

Jason Bartlett is now batting .377 from the lead-off spot with a .449 OBP and an absolutely torrid 1.101 OPS. We like.

The Rays have are eating healthy these days. It'd be nice if digestive regularity made their on-field performances more consistent. I wonder which of the players "still smuggle in greasy bags."

Midnight tonight is the deadline for the Rays to sign their top two draft picks, LeVon Washington and Kenny Diekroeger.

The coming week is huge for the Rays. Starting tomorrow, they have three games against the highly beatable Orioles, followed by three against the Texas Rangers. Meanwhile, the Red Sox go to Toronto, where they'll face Halladay on Wednesday, before hosting the Yankees over the weekend. This means the Rays have a legitimate shot at closing the gap in the Wild Card race, in which they trail the Sox by three games and the Rangers by 3.5. Helping the cause, the Orioles and Rangers will only send one left-handed starter against the Rays. There's a real chance that the Rays will finish the week at or close to the lead for the Wild Card, thus improving their chances at playing baseball in October (which, according to Coolstandings, is currently at 17.2%). There's no reason to think they won't do it, but I'll be crossing my fingers and holding my breath anyway.

GO RAYS!!

- Dustin

P.S. In the comments over at Rays Index, somebody linked to this article, which offers some evidence in favor of the "Zaun brings much-needed veteran presence to the Rays" thesis.

P.P.S. The Rays' website is reporting that Washington and Diekroeger will not sign by the deadline. Diekroeger will play college ball at Stanford (understandably, I suppose, tho as a ten-year college student holding an advanced degree and a whole lotta debt, I'm not sure the money makes sense), and Washington--a Boras client, so who knows what'll actually happen--will likely find a college program (hopefully one close to home) as well.

CHEESE & WHINE: Losing ground

2009-08-15T10:22:00.003-04:00

Rays: 2
Blue Jays: 5

CHEESE:

Carl Crawford. CC was 4 for 4 with 2 doubles and 6 total bases.
BJ Upton. Bossman managed to go 2 for 3 and seemed just a smidge more comfortable at the plate. He still made a poor base running decision, but babysteps are all I'm asking for.

WHINE:

Losing. For years everytime we'd turn on the Rays game we expected a solid start to each game but fully expected a loss each time out. A win was a welcomed surprise. Then around the middle of 2007 things started to look a little more promising- we dared to believe that the Rays actually could win any given game. 2008 was pure euphoria, and by the all-star break even if the Rays were behind in the 7th inning we still had this confidence that we knew the Rays were still going to win. This season started with the same confidence; convinced that the Rays could match-up with anyone and with the general knowledge that the Rays would win in the end even if they started slowly. It was an amazing feeling. Its gone. I just can't fool myself into believing that the Rays are going to win a game once they fall behind now. A team which was once at the top of the league in patience at the plate is now reckless at the plate, and they're making the opposing teams' pitching duties very easy. How can I put this in proper literary terminology?... This sucks.

CRACKERS:

The Rays have now lost 5 straight, 6 of the last 7, and find themselves a mere 11.5 games behind NY and 5 games behind Boston.

CAVIAR (game ball):

Carl Crawford. CC is doing all he's able.

JB & BJ: A Tale of Two Seasons

2009-08-13T11:47:00.000-04:00

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

For Jason Bartlett times are good.
For BJ Upton, not so much.

The Best Of Times
One year ago we were all just learning to appreciate Bartlett's ability to play SS, and we were all pleased with the obvious upgrade at the position (formerly occupied by Brendan Harris), but offensively Bartlett had just begun to break out of his shell.

I, for one, was still not sold on Bartlett as a legitimate, long-term solution due to his lack of throwing power, and couldn't wait for Reid Brignac to break the line-up in 2009.
I even went so far as to coin the nickname Ol' Noodle Arm whenever I referenced JB (turns out he was having some minor shoulder issues).

At first, I wasn't impressed to say the least.

After the first half of last season Bartlett's stat line was acceptable, but nothing to write home about:
.256 BA/.299 OBP/.293 SLG/.592 OPS with 0 HR's and 20 RBI

Bartlett was essentially a role player. Filling his spot in the lineup and proving that he deserved a starting job, but he had only just begun:

Then came August. JB's line suddenly skyrocketed:
.389 BA/ .413 OBP/ .583 SLG/ .997 OPS with 1 HR and 17 RBI

Bartlett caught lightning in a bottle and he's been riding that wave ever since.
In the last year not only has JB proven to me and everyone else who watches the Rays on a daily basis that he's an All-Star caliber shortstop, but he's also shown that last fall's offensive explosion was not a fluke.

In fact, in the last 365 days Bartlett's numbers are as good as anyone else in the league:
.343 BA/ .396 OBP/ .523 SLG/ .919 OPS with 12 HR's and 72 RBI. Those numbers are all-world. Not bad for a player who was a side-note in the Delmon Young for Matt Garza trade.

Jason Bartlett has arrived. He is at the top of his game. He has become a very good, well-rounded middle infielder, who is a legitimate contender for AL MVP, and has a real shot at winning the batting title this season. At 29 years old he has finally hit his stride.

For Jason Bartlett it is the best of times.

The Worst Of Times
One year ago BJ Upton was taking heat for being a bit of a "slacker", but none of us really cared because he was "fluid" and his natural talent was spilling out all over the place. He was hitting decently, despite the fact that he was playing with a major shoulder injury, and he was playing a darn good center field.

BJ was coming off of a stellar year in 2007 during which he compiled an impressive stat line:
.300 BA/ .386 OBP/ .508 SLG/ .894 OPS with 24 HR's and 82 RBI, and most believed that the drop in power from one season to the next was directly related to the injury, so we gave him a pass for a sub-par 2008.

Then came the playoffs. Cliff Floyd supposedly pulled BJ aside and told him that he had to either man-up and ignore the pain or sit down and let someone else help the team. Upton chose the former. He was an offensive juggernaut during the post season, helping 7 balls over the wall and playing an important role in getting the Rays to the World Series.
Life was good.

Cue the rain clouds.
Upton underwent offseason surgery to repair his damaged shoulder (torn labrum), and was cleared to play shortly after the 2009 season began.

He struggled mightily in April and May, but the baseball world was patient, giving BJ the benefit of the doubt after not having the opportunity to practice in the offseason or spring training due to the shoulder surgery and subsequent rehab.
The season progressed and BJ continued to struggle. The more BJ struggled the more Joe Maddon stuck his neck out for him, "He's my lead-off guy. Period."
The days, then weeks, then months rolled by.
No improvement.

Then out of the blue, in June, the BJ we've all come to know and love, and whose return to glory we had all so patiently awaited, finally came screaming back to stardom.
In June Upton's stats were spectacular: .324 BA/ .395 OBP/ .562 SLG/ .957 OPS with 5 HR's and 22 RBI, and earned him the title of AL Player of the Month. Finally! Upton was back, and the world was right again.

But just as quickly as his talent had reappeared it slinked away into the dark corners of the Trop again. Upton's numbers suddenly dropped back to earth, and have continued to plummet as the season crawls forward.

BJ's mojo has left the building. Since June, Upton's numbers are utterly despicable, and August's embarrassingly slow start: .143 BA/ .189 OBP/ .143 SLG/ .332 OPS with 0 HR's and 1 RBI
has finally triggered Joe Maddon to remove Mr. Upton from the lead-off spot.

Everyone knows the rest of the story; BJ complains about being moved down in the lineup. The whole world turns their back on BJ. BJ complains some more. Joe Maddon is left with no choice but to sit Upton down- give him a few days off so he can clear his head, you know, just in case the Rays want to make a playoff run and need the help of their ultra-talented centerfielder.

It all boils down to this:
BJ Upton is in a slump. Its as obvious as anything we've ever seen. Its painful to watch.
Mark my words though, he will recover.
He will return to the all-star caliber player that he is. I guarantee it.
The only true question is this: will he learn from this?
The difference between a talented player and a great player is not always determined by what happens between the lines- sometimes its about what happens between the ears.

It's always darkest before the dawn.
Right now it's pitch black, and for BJ Upton it's the worst of times.

-JS

CHEESE & WHINE: Get Out The Dustpans

2009-08-13T09:27:00.003-04:00

Rays: 5
Angels: 10

CHEESE:

Carlos Pena. El Gato managed to record his league-leading 30th and 31st homeruns yesterday afternoon, but alas it wasn't enough.
Jason Bartlett. JB finished 4 for 5 with a double hitting out of the lead-off spot. He did have an ugly throwing error which was very Bad-News-Bears-esque, but 4 hits in 5 tries helps with the forgiveness of sins.
Joe Maddon. Should've benched Upton 5 days ago, but at least he did it. Wasn't it around this time last season when Upton was benched for jogging to first? Hopefully he responds the same way. The only problem with Maddon's decision to sit BJ was that he replaced him with Gabe Kapler who, although I didn't think it possible, looked worse at the plate than BJ.

WHINE:

Losing. 4 in a row. Instead of smelling blood in the water when Boston lost 4 straight v. NY the Rays decided to show Boston that anything they can do we can do better; even when it comes to losing.
Gabe Kapler. You want to know the turning point of this game? Do ya? It was in the 6th inning just after Pena had hit his second homer of the day. With 2 on and 1 out Kapler was ahead in the count 3-1 against a pitcher (Bulger) who had only thrown 1 strike since coming into the game. Instead of waiting for his pitch, Kapler hits into a double play. Inning over. Momentum switches tracks, and BJ Upton smiles knowingly in a dark corner of the dugout, thinking, "Ha, at least all I would've done there was strike-out- I should totally be in the game."

CRACKERS:

The Rays are now 10 games behind NY and 4.5 behind Boston. The time to start winning is right...now!

CAVIAR (game ball):

Carlos Pena. Pena hit 2 more homers, and just missed a third.

CHEESE & WHINE: I'd Like to Buy a Run Please

2009-08-12T09:44:00.004-04:00

Rays: 0
Angels: 6

CHEESE:

David Price. King David looked good, very good in fact, until he didn't. Price was working on a no-no until the 5th, at which point he did his best Matt Garza impression and watched helplessly as the wheels fell off. Price finished the game having pitched 6 innings, allowing 6 runs on 8 hits while striking-out 4 and walking none (he did hit a batter (Izturis)). I've decided to put him in the "cheese" section because for half a game he looked the part of the ace most scouts and pundits have always considered him to be.
Gregg Zaun. Zaun is doing everything Navi is supposed to do; call a smart game from behind the plate, and put balls in-play when standing next to it. Zaun finished the night 2 for 3 with a double. I was fairly sceptical about the Zaun signing, but have absolutely loved what I've seen so far especially two nights ago when he cut Garza off at the pass when Matty G was trying to escape down the tunnel during a tough inning. Zaun put a comforting hand on his shoulder and brought the temperamental Garza back down to earth. Priceless.

WHINE:

Everything Else. Santana looked good, but the entire Rays lineup made his job as easy as possible.
Reality. The pain of having to realize that perhaps these Rays aren't a playoff caliber team. Watching other playoff contenders is starting to make this painfully obvious. The Rays' lineup has more holes than an afghan.

CRACKERS:

Tom Verducci of S.I. wrote an article about the AL wildcard race which seemed fairly accurate and informative- until he mentioned Andy Sonnanstine's crappy ERA as a reason why the Rays can't contend. He also mentions Price as having a great rookie campaign, but failed to mentioned Niemann at all. Last I checked Niemann has been by far the better rookie. Darn professional writers.

CAVIAR (game ball):

No game ball.

CHEESE & WHINE: Something In The West Coast water

2009-08-11T09:53:00.003-04:00

Rays: 7
Angels: 8

CHEESE:

One Player To Rule Them All. Jason Bartlett is doing everything he can to try to lead this team to the promised land, but apparently not everyone's on-board (I'm talkin' to you Melvin). JB finished a single shy of recording the Rays' first ever cycle; going 3 for 5, with a double, a triple, a HR, 2 RBI, and 9 total bases. Come on JB, is that all you got?
Ben Zobrist. Zorilla finished the night 2 for 3 with 2 RBI, and was robbed of a game-tying homer in the 9th.
Randy Choate. On a night where everyone else was giving up runs like they were going out of style Randy manned-up for 1 and 2/3 innings, allowing just 1 hit and no runs. Choate's ERA is an impressive 2.21 over 36 games with the Rays.

WHINE:

Matt Garza. Matty-G's team kept giving him forgiveness for his sins. They spotted him 2 runs right off the top, but that wasn't good enough. They gave him back the 3 runs he had so hastily given away, but it wasn't enough. Garza lasted an abysmal 3 and 1/3 innings, allowing 6 runs (4 earned) on 6 hits, while walking 4, hitting a batter, and surrendering 2 HR's. Do me a huge favor- stop hanging out with Scott Kazmir!
BJ Upton. Still not sure why you're not leading-off? Another 0-fer for the junior Bossman. 0-4 with 1... 2... 3 more strike-outs in the old ball game. Thanks for all the help.
Willy Aybar. Maddon has tried his best to get Aybar consistent AB's, but it seems that he's a much more effective batter from the bench. Aybar was 0 for 3 with 2 K's. Do me a favor and stop hanging-out with BJ.
Russ Springer. A few reports have said that Springer is just what the Rays needed. Ummm.. really? Last night Jerry's brother pitched to 2 batters, allowed 2 hits, one of which was a homer, and was quickly yanked before Rays' fans mistook him for Shawn Camp or Brian Stokes.

CRACKERS:

Despite the fact that the Red Sox have done everything in their power to help the Rays slide into the wildcard slot the Rays' inability to win in the Pacific Time Zone still has them 2.5 games back of Boston and 2 games behind the Rangers with 50 games to go.

CAVIAR (game ball):

Jason Bartlett. I bet Maddon wishes he'd have listened to the informed masses and made the lead-off switch about 2 months ago. Hey Joe, I told ya so (so did everyone else)! JB is batting .340 over the last 365 days- not bad for an add-on to the Delmon Young trade. No single player has ever re-formed my opinion about them as much as Mr. Bartlett.

Monday Weekend Wrap-Up, West Coast Edition

2009-08-10T10:49:00.003-04:00

This post is mostly a place-holder--I'm staying at my parents' house for a couple of days, and as such don't have very good internet access--that I hope to fill in later this afternoon. I've been trying to think of a single sentence to describe the Rays' weekend. I've been unsuccessful, but the onomatopoeic "thbbbbbbt!" which I think covers both the improbable five-inning, four-run, first-win-since-forever outing from James Shields on Saturday (RAYS 10, Seattle 4) and the unpolishable turd of a game on Sunday (RAYS 2, Seattle 11). I mean, I know Kazmir didn't have his best stuff (does anybody remember what his best stuff looked like?), but this Jeff Bennet fellow needs to be either (a) investigated for industrial espionage or (b) DFA'd. Russel Branyon hit a grand slam against the Rays? THAT Russel Branyon? Ugh.

This site would like to echo the Professor's irritation at the Rays' inability to win getaway games.

Fangraphs has an interesting two-part piece breaking down the AL East. Given how the Red Sox have looked lately, you have to like the Rays' chances for second in the division and the Wild Card. I'd like their chances better if they didn't lose 11-2 to the freakin' Mariners, but whatever.

Coolstandings projects a 24.2 percent chance for the Rays to win the Wild Card. We might as well, at this point, consider that number identical with their overall chances of making the playoffs (coolstandings combines the Wild Card chance with the team's chances of winning the division to get the overall number, but the Rays' shot at winning the East this year, barring a total collapse in the Bronx, is functionally zero).

The Rays swing into L.A./Anaheim/the greater Southern California area to face the Angels. The Rays, according to this article and my recollection, have not won a series there since May of 1999, and will have to do better than the past decade's 8-34 record in L.A. if they want to hold on to hopes of competing for the Wild Card. The Rays are sending Garza, Price, and Niemann against Sean O'Sullivan, Ervin Santana, and Trevor Bell, respectively. Neither O'Sullivan nor Bell have faced the Rays before, and, as we all know, the Rays have struggled mightily against young pitchers this year. The good news, however, is that all three pitchers are righties.

If the pitching comes through for the Rays, they've got a shot at this series. Let's all cross our fingers!

GO RAYS!!

- Dustin

P.S. Belatedly (things have been busy, but the problem's mostly that I'm a flake), many thanks to the proprietor of this here site, Mr. DirtbagFan, for trusting me to run things last week, and glad to hear he didn't think I did too bad a job. Welcome back!

Michel Hernandez gets DFA'd

2009-08-08T12:32:00.003-04:00

OUT............................ IN..................................

Wow.
That's all I can come up with. The Rays recently signed veteran back-up catcher Gregg Zaun, so we knew a change was imminent, but I did not see this as the potential change.

Hernandez has had a very good season in terms of what he's done beside and behind the plate, and seemed to be quite good in the back-up catcher role (242, 292, 323 in 35 games).

My first guess when I heard of the Zaun signing was that perhaps Riggans would be sent back to his favorite place on earth, the DL, to make room for Zaun, my second guess was... well I didn't have a second guess, but I can assure you that it wouldn't have been Hernandez to be DFA'd.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the Rays know something I don't know because I can't seem to make heads or tails out of this decision.

It is what it is, and time will tell.

CHEESE & WHINE: Stayed Up For Nothin'

2009-08-08T09:34:00.004-04:00

Rays: 6
Mariners: 7
(11 innings)

CHEESE:

Jeff Niemann (innings 1 - 6). Niemann once again looked great for most of this start, but wasn't able to hold-on in the 7th. After allowing a hit in the 1st Jeff retired 17 of the next 18 batters, but then came the 7th inning (see "Whine").
Carl Crawford. CC was 3 for 6 with 1 RBI and his 52nd stolen base of the year.
Gabe Gross. Beautiful diving grab in the 9th to help ensure that the game would go to extras. Check it out here.

WHINE:

Felix Hernandez. Respect the game son, turn your flippin' hat back to where it belongs- this ain't the hood!
Jeff Niemann (7th inning). Niemann had the M's at his mercy, and was in-line for the win, but along came the 7th: Jeff had all but shut the Mariners down, but gave up a lead-off homer to Griffey Jr before giving up a walk and 2 singles. That was all Maddon had to see to pull the plug on the R.O.Y. contender, but the damage was done (or was about to be)...
Grant Balfour. The Mad Aussie inherited Niemann's runners, but did nothing to help his starter; giving up a hit, recording a hit batsman, and allowing the M's to tie it up at 5 apiece. Yes, homeplate ump, Mark Carlson, missed a call that would've struck-out Sweeney (who was hit by the following pitch to load the bases), but Balfour's job is to get out of trouble, not create it.
The Trains. I complained about them back in April and I'm complaining again. Nearly a dozen trains rolled past Safeco Field during the game, background noise at a ballgame should entail cheering, jeering, beer guys hollering, and crackerjack salesguys, not trains.

CRACKERS:

These West Coast swings kill me. Getting out of bed at 7 to come to work today after staying up to watch the Rays last night was pure hell. Would've been easier had they won.

CAVIAR (game ball):

Jason Bartlett. I know, he didn't even make the "Cheese", but his only hit should've been the game-winner. He did his part, and the Rays were only 1 strike from the W thanks to his solo-homer in the 11th.

Catching Depth

2009-08-07T16:15:00.004-04:00

Our friends over at Rays Index in conjunction with several other sources are reporting that the Rays have acquired Gregg Zaun from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for a player to be named later and a bag of used BP balls (okay- just the PTBNL).

Zaun's stat line is as follows:
.244/.355/.375 in a total of 56 games.

He has thrown out 10 of 39 base-stealers.

More Bullpen Help

2009-08-06T16:16:00.003-04:00

The Rays have re-acquired RHP Winston Abreu according to Joe Smith over at The Heater.

Abreu was released by the Rays earlier in the season, was picked up by Cleveland and was then DFA'd by the Indians' organization last week.

In his brief stint with Tampa earlier this season, Abreu pitched 3.2 innings over 2 games, allowing 1 run on 3 hits, striking-out 3 and walking 2.

He will join Triple-A Durham tomorrow.

Root for The Yankees?

2009-08-06T11:22:00.003-04:00

Four words I never envisioned myself saying, or even thinking, but with Boston and New York preparing to square off on a 4-game set I find it most logical to... gulp... root for the Yankees.

Why?
For several reasons actually:

Most importantly, the Rays need to start making up ground in the wildcard hunt, so that means catching Boston and Texas. Even if that means New York starts to run away with the AL East. As things stand now, the Rays have to stop dreaming about retaining their title as AL East Champs and start worrying about finding a way past their mediocre start and into the playoffs.

Plus, look at it this way; if you had to decide between playing at Fenway or New Yankee Homerun Derby Stadium in October which venue would you choose?
I'd say, without a shadow of a doubt, "See ya in the Bronx".
--
Let's dare to dream and say that the Yankees sweep the 4-game set. If that were the case, the standings would have New York at 69-42 and 6.5 games ahead of Boston. Let's also assume that during that 4 day time frame the Rays manage to win 2 out of 3 in Seattle. That would leave Tampa Bay at 62-49, just 1/2 game behind Boston, and left with nearly 20% of their games versus Baltimore.

But on the other hand, if Boston and New York split their series and the Rays manage to win the same 2 out of three in Seattle, that would leave the Rays 2.5 games behind the Sox and 5 games behind New York with exactly 50 games to go-- which isn't horrible either.

The reality is this; the Rays need to pass 2 teams in the standings to make it into the playoffs. Right now those teams are Texas and Boston, so until something changes all Rays fans (in my opinion) should be rooting for whomever those 2 teams are playing against.
The Rays have 6 games against Texas and 6 games against Boston left on the schedule, so they (the Rays) need look no farther than the mirror to see what it'll take to make the post-season, and then all bets are off.

What do you think? Should we be rooting for the Yankees, the Red Sox, or a split?

Online Surveys & Market Research

CHEESE & WHINE: Long Ball - Short Sweep

2009-08-06T09:30:00.002-04:00

Rays: 6
Red Sox: 4

CHEESE:

Sweeping. Although it was only a two-game set, getting the sweep of Boston could turn out to be paramount in the grand scheme of things.
The Long Ball. Crawford, Pena, Burrell, and Bartlett all managed to put one over the wall.
David Price. King David had a solid outing, lasting 6 innings, giving up 2 runs (2 solo homers), on 6 hits, striking-out 5 and walking 0. That'll do.
Setting 'em up and Knocking 'em Down. Dan Wheeler and JP Howell continue to work well together to finish games, and last night was no exception. Wheels came in after the Rays newest bullpen arrival, Bennett, promptly put 2 men-on in the 8th with no outs, and managed to limit the damage to just 1 run. Howell came-in in the ninth and after walking the lead-off batter managed to retire 3 in a row to seal the victory and record the save.

WHINE:

The Yankees won.
Jeff Bennett. Hmmm... must've been a reason he was just floating around unnoticed and unsigned. Bennett came-on in the 8th and managed to put runners on second and third in a grand total of 7 pitches. Thankfully he got a little help from his friends. Oh, he'll get by with a little help from his friends.

CRACKERS:

All of the Rays' runs were scored via homerun (Crawford (2), Pena (2), Burrell (1), Bartlett (1)).
No Rays' player had more than 1 hit.

CAVIAR (game ball):

Carlos Pena & Pat Burrell. Both of these cats needed something to jump start their offense. Hopefully the monster homers they launched last night will be the catapult they needed; for Pena that means better hitting for average, for Burrell that means better hitting for power.

Lead-Offs & Walk-offs

2009-08-05T11:37:00.004-04:00

LEAD-OFFS:
In an amazing act of humility Joe Maddon finally stood-down from his stubborn and illogical insistence that BJ Upton lead-off for his defending American League Champion Rays, and for the first time (since Upton returned from injury early in the season) he finally broke-down and put Jason Bartlett in his rightful place in the lineup; leading-off.

Bartlett responded immediately with patience at the plate and consistent at-bats.

Upton responded by saying he was "a little upset". Now you know how the average fan feels when, as the lead-off hitter, you swing first pitch or strike-out on 3 or 4 pitches on a consistent basis. Upton sounds more and more like CC everyday; you don't get to decide where you hit in the lineup, you aren't entitled to anything- you fill your roll, collect your inflated paycheck, and hopefully have some fun along the way, and maybe, maybe if you're lucky you can EARN your way back up to the top of the lineup.

WALK-OFFS:
Evan Longoria is a stud. Dirtbag once again proved his worth, not once but twice, coming through in the clutch v. arch-rival Boston.
Longo hit a solo homer in the 8th to tie the game, and eventually push it to extra innings, but that's not the even the good part:
The good part came with one on and two out in the bottom of the 13th when Dirtbag tee-d off on a 1-0 pitch from Boston's Takashi Saito and sent it deep into left-field for a walk-off homer, his 23rd of the season, and quite possibly his most important.
This may seem overly-dramatic, but this may've been the biggest hit of the year for the Rays. Time will tell.

Back from Vacation

2009-08-05T10:30:00.003-04:00

A quick shout-out to let everyone know that I'm back from vacation... okay, okay, relax-- oh, thank you, thank you, you're too kind... please hold your applause.

The weather in Pa was nice, the golf not too shabby, and the break from the interwebs was like a cleansing shower (after a few days of horrible withdrawal symptoms, such as, Rays Index-itis, and facebook-ulosis).

Also, just wanted to send a public thank you to our friend Dustin who filled-in remarkably well in my absence, and who has shown over time that he could probably run this ship better than anyone (bear in mind that Dustin does this pro-bono, with no compensation what-so-ever).

Thanks Dustin, we're very appreciative.

Cheese and Whine: Royals @ Rays Part 3

2009-08-03T12:19:00.002-04:00

RAYS 1, Kansas City 4

Aside from wondering whether James Shields did something to deserve the utter lack of support he gets from his position-playing teammates, I've got very little to say about this game.

CHEESE

James Shields threw seven excellent innings.

WHINE

Everything else about the game.

CRACKERS

Game four of this series, in which the Rays should have been looking for a sweep of the Royals prior to welcoming the Red Sox, is currently in progress (as of now, I'm listing to Dave and Andy over the internets). Though it is still mathematically possible for the Rays to make the playoffs this year, they're gonna need to play better than they did yesterday, and they're gonna need some help from the rest of the division. And from the Rangers.