DRG here again to get you through the weekend. I can be reached here..
The Good: The call by the White Sox announcers on Cliff Floyd’s walk-off home run to lead off the 9th inning. “That ball hit way back…DeWayne Wise at the fence…jumps…AND MAKES THE CATCH…no…that ball is outta here and this ball game is over.” For the record, Wise missed that ball by about 8 feet. I mean he was in the neighborhood, but anybody with a pulse knew he didn’t catch it. Hawk Harrelson is such a homer, that he wishes the ball into White Sox gloves.
The Bad: Rays got the first 2 batters on in the 1st inning. What are the chances of BJ Upton grounding into a double-play with Carl Crawford on first? If they play together for the next 10 years, I would be surprised if it happens 5 more times…Hawk Harrelson’s grandson proposed to his girlfriend at the game. Hawk knew it was going to happen and made sure the camera’s were focused on his grandson so all the friends and family could watch back home. Why do guys think this is OK? For those of you that are yet to propose…TRUST ME…they want a private moment. Just the two of you. She doesn’t want to share this with your grandfather or thousands of people on the big screen or the little screen at home.
The Telling: How fast is Carl Crawford? In the 9th inning somebody hit a line drive down the left field line that was 15 feet foul and with CC playing pulled over to left-center. There shoudn’t have even been a play, but Crawford actually dove for the ball. He missed it. But he and NOBODY else would have even been close to the ball.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
Tyler Hissey from Rays Digest will be on 1220 AM talk radio today at 3:40 to discuss the Rays. [Rays Digest]
Marc Lancaster takes a none too subtle shot at Rays fans and their lack of support for the Rays. Tonight’s game is a near-sellout and Lancaster attributes it all to the post-game concert, and the the apparent eager anticipation of people that will go to the game just to get their free trucker hat. According to Lancaster, 10,000 people will be there for baseball and 20,000 people will be there for a few country songs and a free trucker hat. [Rays Report]
I wasn’t the only one that thought Hawk Harrelson’s call on Cliff Floyd’s home run was atrocious. UmpBump has a link to the video with the call. [UmpBump]
UmpBump also has a post comparing Dioner Navarro to Tony Gwynn and shows why this season might not be a fluke. [UmpBump]
Could David Price still be in the plans for the Rays this season? As a Joba Chamberlain-type?…Interesting idea, but I have to think that there is a better chance of Wade Davis or Jake McGee being called up as a dominant 8th inning guy. [Outs Per Swing]
Mayor Rick Baker and the city of St. Pete have recommended to the city council that they vote for the new stadium on June 5. This is just the first step in the process to put the new stadium on the ballot in November. [Ballpark Frankness]
Desmond Jennings, who had yet to play this season, has been participating in extended spring games and could be activated today or tomorrow. [Biscuits Batter]
No surprise here. King David Price makes the weekly installment of Baseball America’s “Prospect Hot Sheet”. Unfortunately, Glenn Gibson makes the “Who’s Not” list. [Baseball America]
After making his much-anticipated debut on May 22, Price came out for his second start and beat a three-time Cy Young Award winner. Martinez praised Price’s performance and ability after watching him fan nine guys and allow just two hits. On the season, he is now 2-0, 0.00 in 11 innings with 13 strikeouts, one walk and five hits. At this rate, Price won’t be in the Florida State League for long.
Might the Rays actually draft a ‘nole? Oh god, please no. [ESPN]
Baseball America says Tim Beckham is the bestest in the land! Or Pedro Alvarez who comes in at #2. Buster Posey is only #4 on their list. Listen to them. They are smart. [Baseball America]
We are always curious about the music that players choose to have played as they are walking to the plate for an at bat. The songs are like tattoos. For some they have a special meaning, while for others it is just something they really like.
We attended a Round Rock Express (Astros AAA affiliate) game recently and one of the players would come to the plate while The Mighty, Mighty Bosstones’ “Knock on Wood” would play over the speakers. We found this ironic as baseball players are some of the most superstitious people in the world.
Well, with so little playing time this season, we hadn’t noticed Jonny Gomes’ selection before last night. When he comes to the plate, we get a few seconds of rock instrumental and a bit of a wail from the lead singer, but we don’t get any lyrics. We thought the song sounded familiar, but we couldn’t place the tune without the lyrics.
By his third at bat, it finally hit us. We remembered a Buckcherry concert we had been to recently in NYC…
THE GOOD: Jason Bartlett stole 3 bases, including 3rd base twice…BJ Upton threw a runner out at third base on the fly…
THE BAD: The Golden Sombrero for Jonny Gomes…Edwin Jackson being Edwin. After 27 pitches in the 2nd inning we knew it was going to be a long night…Rays batters had 11 strikeouts and only 2 walks…Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria combined for 9 runners left on base…Aki Iwamura just missed tying the game in the 5th when a drive down the leftfield line was foul by less than a foot. Jason Bartlett would end up stranded at 3rd.
THE TELLING: In the 6th inning, they zoomed in on Jason Hammel as he scurried to get loose quickly. You can just read the expression on his face, “God, I hate this shit”…Jonny Gomes got the start in right field against the left-handed pitcher, while Willy Aybar got the start at DH.
DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…
Don’t forget to VOTE for Carl Crawford to start the all-star game. If you haven’t voted yet today, go NOW! [MLB All-Star Voting]
Troy Percival’s injury is not serious, but not surprisingly, he is being given a 2-week break in the form of a trip to the DL to make sure he is 100% when he returns. Willy Aybar was called up to take Percival’s spot on the roster. After the game, Ben Zobrist was demoted and replaced by Grant Balfour…As we have said before, demoting Zobrist is certainly only a temporary move, until a better solution presents itself. We can’t imagine that Joe Maddon wants to go too deep into the season with Evan Longoria as his backup shortstop. Or maybe he likes having 1 shortstop on the roster and 4 guys that can play right field. [The Heater]
Joe Maddon will go with closer-by-committe for the next two weeks…Of course, let’s hope he was just being kind when he included Gary Glover’s name in that group. [Tampa Tribune]
Richard Justice says what we have been screaming for a long time. Be patient. The fans in the Tampa-St. Pete area deserve the benefit of the doubt and it is way too early to be screaming about low attendance. And a big part of this is that baseball owes Florida because they used the state for so long. Many teams used the state of Florida as a bargaining chip in their quest to get public funding for their own stadiums. [The Sporting News]
Rocco Baldelli got some hacks in an extended spring training game as a DH. He went 1-5. [The Heater]
There is a new blog in the area and with their first post, they take a look at the Rays why the best is yet to come. [The Emerging Voice on Sports and More]
Gary Thorne says that Don Zimmer and his experience are a very valuable piece for the young Rays roster. [USA Today]
Durham 10, Norfolk 7. Jon Weber tied the game with a 2-out single in the top of the 9th, and the Dan Johnson put the Bulls ahead for good with a 3-run home run, 2 batters later. Johnson finished 3-6. Weber was 5-6 with 2 RBI…Ben Hendrickson started and gave up 6 runs in 4 innings…Justin Ruggiano was 3-5 and Reid Brignac did not play.
Chattanooga 4, Montgomery 2. James Houser struck out 5 in 5 shutout innings. He was touched for 2 hits and 3 walks…Rhyne Hughes was 3-4 while Gabby Martinez and Chris Nowak were each 1-4 with an RBI.
Vero Beach 6, St. Lucie 4. Joey Callender tied the game with a 2-run single in the 9th with no outs. Garrett Groce put the D-Rays up with a 1-out RBI single and Neil Walton would stretch the lead to 2 with a ground ball to short…Heath Rollins allowed only a single unearned run in 7 innings. He gave up 3 hits and no walks. He struck out 4, but picked up the no-decision…Ryan Reid pitched the final 5 outs allowing only 1 hit and no walks. He struck out 3 and now has 45 strikeouts to 3 walks on the season.
Greenville 7, Columbus 5 (10). Glenn Gibson started and gave up 4 runs in 5.2 innings…Shawn O’Malley had 2 of the Catfish’ 3 hits. 4 of Columbus’ 5 runs were unearned.
NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…
Seven members of the Vero Beach Devil Rays have been voted to the FSL All-Star game, including Jeremy Hellickson, Heath Rollins and Ryan Reid. [MiLB]
With 1 week until the draft, nothing has changed as far as the Rays are concerned. According to RJ Harrison the Rays are still considering 5 players for the top pick…Let’s hope this is a negotiating tactic, because there is little reason to not have narrowed their choice down to at least 2 or 3 at this point. Nobody is drafting ahead of the Rays so there is no need to play games. But certainly they have a plethora of scouting reports on all 5 kids and have in their mind 1 or 2 that are at least a head better than the rest. [Rays Report]
MiLB interviews the GM of the Vero Beach Devil Rays in their weekly profiles on minor league clubs. [MiLB]
On Sept. 23, 2007, Delmon Young hit a 2-run home run against the Red Sox in the 2nd inning. After being traded to the Minnesota Twins for Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett this past off-season, little did anybody know that 8 months later, Young would yet to have hit another. The Twins and their fans were certainly hoping for a little more production from the young “slugger”.
We have already made our feelings known about Young’s performance in Minnesota (it’s not good). However, in light of Garza’s 4th win of the season (5th since Sept. 23, 2007) we feel like we should start tracking how long Young can go beforeDishin’ Out A Delmon to an opposing team. For his sake and their fans, let’s hope this will jinx an opposing pitcher sooner, rather than later.
We understand the temptation. The Cardinals are in rebuilding mode and are pitching-thin. The Rays have a set rotation, and a top pick that so far appears to be toying with minor league hitters. A Pujols in the Rays lineup would instantly make them a legit World Series contender. In addition, Pujols is the type of player that would brings fans to the Trop. And while we believe the Rays still have some flexibility in the payroll, are they willing to add a player that makes $16MM a season over the next 3 years? In today’s market, that is a bargain, but it still isn’t cheap. And they still owe Carlos Pena $18MM over the next 2 years. Not to mention, can the Rays give up already on Price who looks like an Ace in the making?…0.1%
TOSS UP
If Troy Percival goes on the DL…Grant Balfour, Juan Salas or Kurt Birkins?
The Rays have an open spot on the 40-man roster, so the fact that Balfour is not on the roster should have little bearing. Salas has been solid since his first outing of the year in Durham, but he still only has 6 games and 11.2 innings under his belt since finally resolving his Visa issues. This is basically his spring training and we have to imagine the Rays will like to get him a couple of more weeks in Durham before a call-up. Birkins was solid for the Rays when he made 6 appearances (0.90 ERA) earlier this season, but he has been knocked around in Durham since his demotion (9.45 ERA), and the Rays already have 2 lefties in the bullpen. That leaves Balfour who is toying with IL batters so far. 23.2 ip, 5h, 10bb, 39Ks, 0.38 ERA…GRANT BALFOUR
If Andy Sonnanstine is relegated to the bullpen at any point…Jason Hammel, Jeff Niemann or David Price?
Since the beginning we have been very bearish on Price. Everything the Rays say and do suggests that it is longshot for Price to make his big league debut before 2010(!) much less sometime this season. But after seeing him mow down FSL batters in his first 2 starts, it is very clear that he is the real-deal. Still, the Rays are going to be patient. Last week we said 10 starts at Vero Beach. We are sticking to it, but it will be less before it is more. As for Niemann, he has battled a bit of shoulder soreness and if the Rays need a starter in the next couple of weeks, it will not be Niemann as he was limited to 75 pitches his last outing. That means Hammel if there is a need in the next few weeks, but in the long-run we have to believe that Hammel’s career as a starting pitcher with the Rays is over. That means Sonny’s job is safe, at least until Niemann is ready…Jeff Niemann
OVER/UNDER
15 wins for Matt Garza:
He has about 20 starts left in the season, assuming he can stay healthy. Garza seemed to finally be putting it all together in his last 2 starts. His season-high strikeouts prior to last night was 4. Last night he had 10. This one is going to be close. We have to assume there will be a few bumps in the road along the way, but this kid has nasty stuff. In fact he probably has the best stuff on the staff, which is saying a lot. It has always just been a question of location and not being so cocky with the fastball. He is going to end up somewhere within the 14-16 range. But if we have to pick one or the other…OVER
20 games for Rocco Baldelli this season:
There were reports earlier this week with quotes from Baldelli that he is still planning on playing for the Rays at some point this season. Rocco has a little extra incentive now to get on the field. After the Rays bought out his 2009 option, he is now scheduled to be a free agent after the season. Will any team be willing to offer a major league contract to Rocco if he spends the entire season on the DL? The most-likely scenario has Rocco signing a incentive-laden, minor league deal with the Rays. But keep in mind that the doctors still haven’t pinpointed the problem. And if Rocco does attempt a comeback he will have to spend at least 2-3 weeks on a minor league rehab assignment to show that he can at the very least DH against lefties. Until we hear a confirmed diagnosis and a scheduled rehab assignment, we are very skeptical…UNDER
2.5 wins for Rays in this 4-game set versus the White Sox:
Who woulda thunk that this would be a battle of first-place ballclubs at this point in the season. In fact, if the playoffs started today, these two teams would face each other in the first round of the playoffs…After winning 8 straight games, the Sox are only 3-3 in their last 6 games, having dropped 2 of 3 to the Angels at home and winning 2 of 3 in Cleveland. The White Sox are winning with their starting pitching, sporting 4 starters with ERAs below 4, although only 3 of those will face the Rays. At the same time, the Rays get 2 of their big 3 in this series. The biggest question mark is Andy Sonnanstine. We just don’t know which Sonny will show up. The good news is he is facing Mark Buehrle in the 4th game, and he has been bad all year. Still. At this point we have zero confidence in The Duke. If that game is an L, can we count on W’s from Edwin Jackson, James Shieldsand Scott Kazmir? That is tough. This is a good squad, and we know Ozzie Guillen will be fired up…UNDER
Just wanted to take a moment to thank everybody that has ordered a shirt from the Rays Index Store.
In an effort to reconcile our love of the past and move forward with the team, we declared ourselves RAYSHEADS and asked you to join us and many of you did pledge your allegiance to THE RAYSHEAD ARMY.
Thank You.
Thank you for supporting our site and thank you for giving us at least a little justification to Mrs. Professor for the amount of time we spend doodling in this little corner of the Raysiverse.
One year ago on Rays Indexwe saw exactly why it is never a good idea for a sports team to be involved in a partenership with a newspaper that covers the team.
St. Pete Times Reports The News, But They Don’t Want You To Read It [Rays Index]
[Update] Nice pick-up by Steve…If you watch the ticker at the bottom of the screen, not only does it happen to be on the Rays-Rangers numbers, but they also give us the pitching line from David Price in his second professional start.
In the 7th inning yesterday the Rays ballboy down the left field line made a great snag, proving that great defense truly is contagious. It was so great that John Adams made “Web Gems” last night as a “bonus baby” on Baseball Tonight. BJ Upton’s diving grab in the 9th made the list also at #5.
