Apr 26
THE SATURDAY MORNING REVOLUTION: Joe Maddon’s Crystal Ball Is Smarter Than You
Al Reyes, BJ Upton, Cliff Floyd, Dan Johnson, Evan Longoria, Looking for Glove 16 Comments »
DRG here again to get you through the weekend. I can be reached here…
Yesterday: Tampa Bay Rays.
- The Good: In what might be the biggest series to date in the history of the franchise, the Rays played the best defense I have ever seen. The diving catches. The diving stops. Stops in the hole. Double plays. Nobody went for a potty break without calling time with a runner on third base….Joe Maddon’s crystal ball that predicted Nathan Haynes would win the game in the 11th. Inexplicably Maddening Maddon pinch ran for Carlos Pena in the bottom of the 9th inning with a runner on third base ahead of Pena. Pena’s run means nothing, so if Maddon was worried about Pena’s recent leg issues, Pena did not have to run and he was in the DH slot so he didn’t have to play the field. There was absolutely no reason to pinch-run there and yet Papa Joe proved he is smarter than all of us. Instead of having a top 10 MVP bat at the plate with a chance to win the game in the 11th, he went with his gut and put the game on the line with guy with an OBP near the Medoza line. And Haynes came through. I bow in awe to the genius that is Joe Maddon’s crystal ball of wackiness.
- The Bad: Whiskey
- The Telling: The last time the Rays won 5 in a row was August 21, 2005. The winning pitchers in that streak were, Chad Orvella, Trever Miller, Seth McClung, Scott Kazmir and Casey Fossum. No shit.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- I love how Red Sox fans all of the sudden think it is their birthright to win. And boy do they not take well to losing to the “Devil Rays”. [Tales From The Ballpark]
- Al Reyes will start a rehab assignment in the next day or two and will be back with the Rays next Thursday. Cliff Floyd will begin a rehab assignment next week and could rejoin the Rays on May 9th after their road trip. [Rays Report]
- In an interesting twist, Dan Johnson cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to AAA Durham. Not sure who has been dropped, but Durham has some changes to make as all the recent demotions from the Rays has left the Bulls with a very crowded roster. [Rays Report]
- Marc Lancaster says Evan Longoria is struggling against lefties. Dirtbag has an OPS of .951. I can’t wait to see how well he hits once he figures out lefties. [Tampa Tribune]
- Jayson Stark looks a the lack of a long-term deal for BJ Upton and suggests that the Upton brothers may not be willing to sign at below market-value. [ESPN]
