Archive for May 11th, 2008

May 11

[SCOTT KAZMIR] Scott Kazmir’s March To 300 Back On Track

Greg Maddux, Roger Clemens, Scott Kazmir, Victor Zambrano admin No Comments »

Last night, Scott Kazmir, shutout the Angels for 6 innings, and earned his 36th career win. Still only 24, Kazmir has already made 99 career starts and is now the Tampa Bay Rays all-time winningest pitcher, having surpassed Victor Zambrano, for whom he was traded from the Mets Organization.

The Professor laid out the reasons that Kid K will be the next 300-game winner in the original post.

To add a couple of thoughts…

  • Keep in mind that even though the Rays have an incredibly young rotation, Kazmir is the youngest of the group.
  • Also, it amazes me that so many people think we have seen the end of 300-game winners considering there are only three pitchers with 350 wins since 1920 and two of those pitchers (Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens) were active just last year.
May 11

THE SUNDAY MORNING REVOLUTION: Scott Kazmir Rediscovers His Confidence

Akinori Iwamura, Al Reyes, Buster Posey, David Price, Dioner Navarro, Gary Glover, James Shields, Joe Maddon, John Jaso, Pedro Alvarez, Scott Boras, Scott Kazmir, Tim Beckham admin 5 Comments »



DRG here again to get you through the weekend. I can be reached here..
  • The Good: The 2nd inning was Scott Kazmir’s coming out party. In the 1st inning, Kid K’d fastball was only 88-89, much like it was in his first start off the DL. However, in the 2nd inning, Kazmir struck out Juan Rivera to lead off the inning with only one fastball that broke 88. That seemed to be the at bat that gave him his confidence back, because in the next at bat, threw four fastballs that were clocked at 92. He walked that batter, but from that point forward, Kazmir was consistently 92-93 with his fastball including his 108th, and last, pitch in the 6th which was 93.
  • The Bad: Mimosas, Coronas and whatever that blue crap was.
  • The Telling: Stuart Sternberg predicted 50 home win in 2007. We laughed. They won 37. 2008 came and Sternberg predicted 50 home wins again. Again we laughed. The Rays have now won 8 straight at home (a record) and now sit at 12-7 at home this season. Brace yourselves. The Rays are on pace for 51 home wins in 2008. I can’t make it up…PS, the Rays are now in second place and 1 game back of wild card lead…PPS, take a look at those standings above and soak it in for a moment. The season is now 20% completed and the Rays are not only not in last place, but they are in 2nd place, ahead of the O’s. Ahead of the Jay. And ahead of the Yankees.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • ManRay is baaaaaaaccccccckkkkkkkkk. [Armchair GM]
  • James Shields and Joe Maddon discuss the possibility of Shields throwing a no-hitter. [Tampa Tribune]
  • Marc Topkin says that the Rays have narrowed their top choce down to 5 players…Prof loves the high school shortstop Tim Beckham. Personally, I am starting to lean towards one of the two catchers. I know the Rays do not draft for need, but with Dioner Navarro behind the plate and no obvious catching prospects in the system (John Jaso is not a catcher long-term), I love the idea of drafting a high school catcher. But hey, what do I know. [St. Pete Times]
  • Beyond the Boxscore breaks down the two most likely candidates for the #1 pick. Tim Beckham and Florida State catcher Buster Posey. My Gator allegiances aside. Um. What? nevermind. Momentary lack of respect for my alma mata. Screw Posey. [Beyond the Boxscore]
  • The New York Times takes a look at New York City native and potential #1 overall pick Pedro Alvarez. He says he would love to join David Price, his former Vandy teammate, in the Rays system…Sorry. As long as Scott Boras is his agent, he will not be drafted by the Rays. Even if the Rays thought they could afford his signing bonus demands, the bigger factor is that Boras almost always takes his clients to free agency and never signs away arbitration and free agency seasons. A key to the Rays franchise. [New York Times]
  • Gary Glover and Al Reyes threw bullpen sessions yesterday. Sounds like Reyes is still a few days away, but Glover could be back today or tomorrow. [The Heater]
  • Joe Maddon says that Akinori Iwamura is getting better at leading off and says that there are no plans to move him out of the spot. [Tampa Tribune]
  • Her Rays thinks Akinori Iwamura’s luck is a’ changin with his new haircut. [Her Rays]
  • Several Rays will use pink bats today for Mother’s Day in honor of breast cancer awareness. [St. Pete Times]
May 11

[DOWN ON THE FARM] Chris Mason Has Strongest AAA Outing

Uncategorized admin No Comments »

Durham 3, Syracuse 0. Chris Mason had his strongest outing yet in AAA with 5 shutout innings. He struc out 4 and walked 1…Grant Balfour picked up his 5th save…Reid Brignac was 0-2 with a sac fly…Justin Ruggiano was 2-4 with his 3rd home run.

Montgomery 9, Mississippi 6. Jake McGee was shaky, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks in 5.1 innings. McGee only allowed 2 singles and no walks in the first 4 innings…Rhyne Hughes had a double and 2 RBI, while Rahsad Eldridge went 4-5 and drove in 3.

Lakeland 6, Vero Beach 2. Matt Walker dropped to 0-5 after giving up 6 runs in 4.1 innings…Ben Zobrist was 1-4 with a single and an RBI…Garrett Groce had the other RBI on a sac fly.

Columbus 9, Augusta 1. Brian Flores picked up his second win with 7 Ks in 5 innings. He allowed 1 run…Emeel Salem and Greg Sexton each went 3-5, while Shawn Williams went 5-5 and raised his average to .355.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

  • MiLB takes a closer look at Shawn Williams 5-5 performance. Williams is the son of Jimy Williams, the former Blue Jays, Red Sox and Astros manager. [MiLB]