Up until first pitch, use the comments section to predict who you think will be the Sunburst Player of the Game. (be sure to use a valid email address while leaving the comment). The commenter that correctly predicts who we will name the Sunburst Player of the Game the most times prior to the all-star game, will win two tickets to a second-half game. Runners-up get their choice of a t-shirt. [Click HERE for rules]
Check Marc Topkin’s blog for the starting lineups.
One year ago on Rays Index we told you that many in Red Sox Nation were unhappy about the Rays use of “Sweet Caroline” after the Rays swept the Red Sox. However, we thought it was a slightly different song the Rays played.
Sweep Caroline…Good Times Never Felt So Good [Rays Index]
click above image for boxscore
The image at right comes via National Geographic (thanks Jordi).
For those that missed the Twitter update, Mrs. Prof planned an anniversary trip for us to Big D to catch some Rays. I am not even lyin’. Totally her idea. The schedule here is a bit up in the air. But we will be sure to keep things updated on the Twitter feed.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
Durham 8, Charlotte 6. Andy Sonnanstine, in his first start for Durham since 2007, allowed 2 runs in 6 innings on 7 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 3…Dale Thayer picked up his 12th save…Reid Brignac went 0-4…Matt Joyce went 2-3 with a double and his 10th home run. It was the 4th straight game in which he homered and 5th in the last 8.
Montgomery 5, Jacksonville 4. Desmond Jennings was 1-3 with 2 walks and his 29th stolen base…Joe Gaetti hit his 2nd home run.
Brevard Co. 9, Charlotte 4 (gm 1). Cody Cipriano went 1-3 with a walk and an RBI…Henry Wrigley drove in 2 with a single and a double in 4 at bats.
Charlotte 2, Brevard Co. 1 (gm 2). Austin Hinkle allowed just 1 run in 5 innings…Cody Cipriano was had a single and 2 walks in 3 plate appearances.
Bowling Green 5, Rome 0. Nick Barnese allowed just 2 hits in 6 shutout innings. He struck out 3 and walked 3…Tim Beckham was 1-5 with a triple and an RBI.
Vermont @ Hudson Valley. (ppd. rain)
Notes from Down on the Farm…
Two nights ago, Joe Maddon decided to give Evan Longoria a night off to rest his sore hamstring. Finding a replacement was easy, as Maddon had Willy Aybar sitting on the bench. And figuring out where to bat Aybar was apparently easy also, as Maddon slotted him right into Longo’s #3 spot. Maddon’s move paid off as Aybar had 3 hits including his 7th home run. Not bad for a guy that was making only his third start in the past two weeks.
Such is life for the manager who was handed the best bench in baseball at the beginning of the year. A bench that included Aybar and Ben Zobrist.
And who can argue with the numbers. If Aybar’s and Zobrist’s stats are projected over a full season (600 plate appearances each), Aybar would hit .285-25-88 with .380 OBP and an .859 OPS. Zobrist’s numbers would be even more impressive at .297-37-107 with a .419 OBP and a 1.052 OPS. Add to that the fact that both players can solid defense at multiple positions. Aybar has started games this season at 3 of the 4 infield positions, while Zobrist has started a game at every position except catcher and first base.
The advantage of big payroll teams is not their high-priced starting lineup, although that certainly helps. No, it is their ability to overcome injuries and free agent mistakes. Low payroll teams can’t afford too add payroll or give big money to non-starters.
In a world where the Yankees have a payroll ($201 million) three times as big as the Rays ($63 million) and the Red Sox have a payroll ($122 million) twice that of the Rays, the Rays bench has been one of the great equalizers.
How many teams have a Ben Zobrist who can fill in as an everyday second baseman as he did when Aki Iwamura went down with a knee injury? And Joe Maddon still has Will Aybar on the bench who would start for most teams.
Meanwhile, the Yankees find out that Alex Rodriguez can’t play everyday, so they traded two prospects so Eric Hinske can start one game a week. And later this month, the Yankees will ship out more prospects and assume more payroll to fill the holes in their bullpen. These are moves a small market team cannot make.
But with the depth of the pitching on the Rays and in their organization, and the emergence of The Wonder Twins, Aybar and Zobrist, the Rays can now compete with the Big Boys without taking on more payroll or trading away the future.
It is no secret that Minor League teams will do just about anything, in the form of a promotion, that will bring fans to the ballpark. But this latest one put forth by the Rays’ own low-A affiliate, Hudson Valley Renegades, is definitely one of the stranger promotions we remember.
On July 7th, the Renegades will be hosting “Ball-Less Baseball.” How does a minor league team play a game without any balls? Simple, no men allowed. Get it? No balls. We’ll let the aptly named small ball usa provide the details…
History will be made this July 7th, as the Hudson Valley Renegades defy convention and possibly even common sense when they welcome only the “better half” into their ballpark. On this evening, all men will be greeted in their own separate zone outside the gates, with only female fans permitted inside until the game is official at the 5th inning mark . All boys, seven and under, will be allowed entry at any time…
We are still awaiting official word as to whether or not transvestites will be allowed in prior to the 5th inning, but we are fairly certain Julian Tavarez is safe.
Hudson Valley Renegades Announce “Ball-Less Baseball” Night (July 7) [small ball usa]
The Rays Confidence Graph will appear every Thursday and is a look at how much confidence Rays fans have in the Tampa Bay Rays. The graph is designed to give us a look at how our emotional bias as Rays fans fluctuates through time. The “confidence” in the team is an inexact measure of how fans feel about the team’s current strength as well as how much confidence fans have in the franchise for the next 3-4 years. Notes on this week’s agida-level can be found after the graph..
Notes on the RI Confidence Graph…
Time to bring back the GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.
click above image for boxscore
THE GOOD: Winning Series. On the plus side, the Rays took 2 of 3 from the Jays in Toronto and now have a bit of a cushion between themselves and the Jays.
THE BAD: Getaway Day Fever. 6 of the Rays first 12 batters struck out. And the Rays had 3 baserunners in the first 6 innings. 2 of those baserunners were picked off, including BJ Upton for the eleventy-first time this year and Ben Zobrist for the second time this week…One Inning Too Many. Shields had 101 pitches after 7 innings. The bullpen had only pitched 2 innings the night before and the Rays have an off-day today. So why was James Shields back on the mound in the 8th inning with a dominant and well-rested bullpen? 2 home runs allowed in the 8th suggest he shouldn’t have been…Rally Killa. The Rays struggled for baserunners all day, but did load the bases with 1 out in the 7th and the score 2-0. Pat Burrell took care of the fleeting moment of hope with a 6-4-3 double-play.
THE TELLING: Evan Longoria was back in the lineup after missing one game with a sore hamstring…
SUNBURST PLAYER OF THE GAME: Ben Zobrist.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
Some may point out I’ve written I wouldn’t vote for Sammy Sosa for the Hall of Fame despite a lack of hard evidence he took steroids, but this Ibanez controversy isn’t about the Hall of Fame, and there is no reason to suspect Ibanez beyond his out-sized performance. Sosa had the corked bat, the lack of English at an opportune time and a ridiculous homer total smack in the steroid era.
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