Archive for May 10th, 2008

May 10

[CARL CRAWFORD] Carl Crawford Is Featured On ESPN’s Top Plays

Carl Crawford admin No Comments »

Carl Crawford may throw like a girl, but he has mad speed.

May 10

[THE ARCHIVES] Two Years Ago On Rays Index

The Archives Cork Gaines 1 Comment »

Two years ago on Rays Index we realized that the Tampa Bay Devil Rays were going to be changing their name. We came up with a suggestion that had a chance to please everybody.

Name Change Suggestion? [Rays Index]

May 10

THE SATURDAY MORNING REVOLUTION: James Shields 1 Hit Gem; Even Longoria With The Walk-Off Bomb

Cliff Floyd, Nathan Haynes, Troy Percival admin 10 Comments »



DRG here again to get you through the weekend. I can be reached here..
  • The Good: Best. Rays. Game. Ever…James Shields, 1 hit and one controversial hit batter short of a perfect game…Evan Longoria a 2-run walk-off home run with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th…Diving catches from Carl Crawford and BJ Upton…And let me point out one at bat at this point. Gabe Gross leading off the bottom of the 8th, may have been the best at bat I have seen from a Rays hitter this season. Gross had in mind getting on base at any cost. He was taking until he had a strike. He got ahead 2-0 before the first called strike. A foul ball on the next pitch and it was 2-2. Outside of the first pitch, everything was up-and-away. On the 5th pitch he fouled off a tough fastball. Next pitch he laid off a fastball off the plate. He then fouled off another fastball away. The 8th pitch was in very much the same spot as the last pitch, and Gross drove the pitch to left-center for a double. He didn’t score, but that at bat sold me on Gabe Gross.
  • The Bad: Did you guys see Joe Magrane’s suit? Pinstripes with a diagonal striped tie. Doesn’t he know that diagonal stripes clash with Dwayne Staats hair?…
  • The Telling: James Shields only needed 92 pitches to pitch the 1-hit shutout. If the Rays do not score in the bottom of the 9th, Shields would have come out for the 10th inning…In his last 2 starts at home, James Shields has thrown 2 shutouts. In those two starts combined, 3 hits, 1 walk, 15 strikeouts…The Rays are 2 games back in the wild card chase…With the Rays winning this year, these out of division games have a different feel. In years past, I would look forward to these series, because I got a chance to watch some other teams and it was a respite from the grind that is the AL East. This year, I find myself dreading out of division series. The Rays are good, and I want every game to be a divisional rival.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • My fellow RAYSHEADS, you have been heard. Nathan Haynes has been DFA’d. The move comes with the Rays activating Cliff Floyd from the DL. [Rays Report]
  • The Rays effort last night inspired the poetic side of Her Rays. [Her Rays]
  • The Mockingbord takes a look at Troy Percival’s pitches from Thursday when he blew a 3-run lead in the 9th. [The Mockingbird]
  • Fire Joe Morgan questions why the Rays are on the list of the 10 worst franchises, considering that the team looks pretty darned good this year. [Fire Joe Morgan]
  • Rays of Light argues that the Rays should no longer seek outside help for the lineup noting that the Rays are ahead of schedule and should just play out the 2008 season as is. [Rays of Light]
May 10

[DOWN ON THE FARM] Jeff Niemann And Juan Salas Make Appearances For Durham

Emeel Salem, Jeff Niemann, Jeremy Hellickson, Juan Salas admin 1 Comment »

Syracuse 7, Durham 2. Jeff Niemann made his first start since being demoted on April 20th. He was limited to 3 innings, and allowed only 1 hit. He struck out 4 and did not walk a batter…Juan Salas made his first appearance of 2008, giving up 5 runs in 2 innings…Justin Ruggiano was 2-4 and hit his 2nd home run…Reid Brignac was 0-3 with 2 strike outs.

Montgomery 4, Birmingham 3 (gm 1). Gabby Martinez led off the bottom of the 7th with a home run to win the game, his second of the game. He drove in 3…Richard De los Santos gave up 2 runs in 5 innings…

Birmingham 9, Montgomery 5 (gm 2). Wade Townsend made his first start of 2008 and took the loss, as his defense let him down. He gave up 4 runs in 3 innings, but only 1 was earned…John Jaso was 2-4 with his 3rd double.

Vero Beach 5, Lakeland 2. Ryan Morse gave up 2 runs, but was not around long enough to pick up the win…Garrett Groce was 3-5 and is now hitting .330…Matt Fields was 2-3 with his 7th home run.

Columbus 5, Augusta 3. Jason Ragan picked up his 5th win, on 6 innings of work. He gave up 3 runs…Emeel Salem and Maiko Loyola were each 2-5 and Loyola stole his 15th and 16th bases.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

  • Jeremy Hellickson and Emeel Salem were the pitcher and player of the month, respectively, for the Rays minor league system. [Biscuits Batter]