Archive for April 20th, 2008

Apr 20

[TWO STEPS OR DIE] Rays Still Making Too Many Mistakes; Still In Last Place

Joe Maddon, Two Steps Or Die admin 2 Comments »

I do not want to place a number on how many wins Papa Joe needed in order to earn an extension. Obviously Stuart Sternberg and Andrew Friedman will judge a number of factors before making a decision. Each week I will take a look at how Maddon is performing in each of five categories. While this list is likely not complete, I do believe these are the most important factors in determining whether or not Joe Maddon can be a winning baseball manager.

  • Wins: 8-10, 3.5 games behind, last place in AL East
  • Fundamentals on the field: This is the one spot that the Rays have shown absolutely no improvement from last year to this year. I can’t even count how many times a player has been thrown out on the base paths. The Rays are third in the AL in steals, but lead the league in caught stealing. Things are not much better at the plate. The Rays are 3rd in the AL with 118 strikeouts, but only have 60 walks (11th in AL). Things are a little better on the mound where only two teams in the AL have given up fewer walks than the Rays’ 54. Only 3 teams in the AL have committed more errors, but the Rays are 2nd in the AL with a .724 Defensive Efficiency Rating. Rays catchers have yet to have a passed ball, but they have only thrown out 3 of 18 base stealers.
  • Consistently competetive: Only 4 losses have been by more than 2 runs, so the Rays have been in 14 of the 18 games so far this year.
  • Avoid prolonged slumps: The Rays already have a 4-game losing streak and a 3-game skid. They have yet to win more than 2 in a row.
  • Control the clubhouse:No stories have surfaced
  • Summary: I love the patience of the Rays even if we have to deal with stories like this. But I have to wonder how much patience they will have if the Rays finish in last place again after spending as much money as they have and with the new stadium still awaiting approval. To me it just seems fitting that Maddon’s Chernoff Face is frowning. And while the Rays have dealt with a slew of injuries including to two of the top three pitchers, the Rays are underperforming. Keep in mind that the Rays have won one of Jason Hammel’s three starts. How many of those would Scott Kazmir won? Two? So the injury has cost the Rays 1 win. There are just still way too many blunders in the field from the entire team. When the Rays start getting healthy in the next few weeks, they better start winning games or Maddon’s career in blue will be a short one.
Apr 20

[DOWN ON THE FARM] Minor League Pitchers Fear Dioner Navarro

Dioner Navarro, Jake McGee, Matt Garza, Rhyne Hughes admin 2 Comments »

Durham 2, Norfolk 0.

Jacksonville 11, Montgomery 7.

Vero Beach 10. St. Lucie 5. Dioner Navarro had a double and 4 walks in 5 plate appearances as the DH. Geez. Navi goes to Vero Beach and suddenly transforms into Barry Bonds. In 2 games he has walked 6 times…Matt Garzagoes today for the DEVIL Rays with Navi behind the plate.

Charleston 6, Columbus 0.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

  • Jake McGee was scratched from his start last night due to a sore forearm. The move was precautionary as McGee says he could have pitched. [Biscuit Batter]
  • Rhyne Hughes is scheduled to see a doctor concerning headaches he is experiencing since a collision with teammate Matt Spring. [Montgomery Advertiser]
Apr 20

THE SUNDAY MORNING REVOLUTION: Sonnanstine Is Masterful

Andy Sonnanstine, Carlos Pena, Dan Johnson, Jason Bartlett, JP Howell, Justin Ruggiano admin 1 Comment »



DRG here again to get you through the weekend. I can be reached here..

The Good: Andy Sonnanstine. The End.

The Bad: Baserunning. The End.

The Telling: I don’t know if you have ever had an opportunity to watch a White Sox broadcast, but if not, you should put that on your bucket list. There has never been a bigger pair of homerific broadcasters. At times it is painful and at times it is just downright hillarious. It is very rare for Hawk Harrelson to ever admit that another team actually beat the White Sox. 99% of the time the White Sox lost the game. Last night was as close as it ever gets. They repeatedly talked about how Andy Sonnanstine’s performance was the best they had seen this season. But they couldn’t give all the credit to the Rays. They also repeatedly spoke about how the White Sox “just gave the Rays 3 runs in the second”…”just gave it to them”.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Dan Johnson is supposed to be with the Rays today. Still not sure who is being demoted, although if I were Justin Ruggiano I would go ahead and start packing…Jason Bartlett says he is batting a sore shoulder which is affecting his throws. So basically, both players that came over from the Twins were damaged goods. Nice…Carlos Pena was the DH last night and will be again today. [The Heater]
  • John Donovan has a more realistic Power Ranking with the Rays at #20. [SI.com]
  • Rays Digest takes a closer look at one of the Rays big surprises this year, JP Howell as a welcome addition to the bullpen. [Rays Digest]