Archive for June 1st, 2008

Jun 01

[THE SUNDAY MORNING REVOLUTION] Kazmir Picks Up 5th Win In May

David Price, Delmon Young, Jason Bartlett, Joba Chamberlain, Matt Garza, Rocco Baldelli, Scott Kazmir, Troy Percival admin 3 Comments »




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

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Marc Topkin is up to his over-dramatic ways. According to Topkin the Rays success is mostly due to having Eric Hinske, Al Reyes and Dan Wheeler. Don’t get me wrong. Those players have been great and the Rays do have nice depth for the first time. But everybody else with half a brain knows that the starting pitching and defense and the bullpen as a whole are the reasons the Rays are winning. [St. Pete Times]
  • Rocco Baldelli played in his second extended spring game and went 0-5. Rocco will continue to play extended spring games for the next 10 days. After that he could join a minor league affiliate (most likely Vero Beach) for a rehab assignment. [USA Today]
  • Troy Percival has a lower than expected BABIP for his career. This author says this statline is a “little myterious”. I don’t think there is any mystery at all. This just says that when batters are making contact, they often don’t make contact well. In other words, Percival’s pitches have enough movement to miss the sweetspot of the opposition’s bats. [Statistically Speaking]
  • The Boston Globe says that the Rays are the team that other General Managers will be jealous of for the next 10 years. [Boston Globe]
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post says that the Rays are contenders, and gives 5 reasons why the Rays are here to stay. The wild-card reason is that he thinks David Price can have a similar impact as Joba Chamberlain did last year. He also polled 5 AL exaecutives and asked them to pick any 15 players from the Rays and the Yankees rosters with the intent of winning this year. The consensus seemed to be that they would select just as many Rays as Yankees, suggesting salaries aside, the talent levels of the two franchises are almost equal. [Fox Sports]
  • For all the good things the Rays are doing this year, the Rays have struggled with Runners in Scoring Position. [MLB]
  • Tampa Bay Sports Blog thinks that Scott Kazmir should be the favorite for the Cy Young award. [Tampa Bay Sports Blog]
  • The success of Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett and the Rays may be adding pressure to Delmon Young. [Minneapolis Star-Tribune]
Jun 01

[DOWN ON THE FARM] Talent Or Need? Posey Or Alvarez? Rays Undecided?

Buster Posey, James Houser, Jeremy Hellickson, Pedro Alvarez, RJ Harrison admin 1 Comment »

Pawtucket 14, Durham 7. Jeff Niemann gave up 10 runs in 4.2 innings including 4 home runs. Jon Weber, Justin Ruggiano and Elliot Johnson homered for the Bulls. Reid Brignac was 1-3 with his 20th double.

Carolina 7, Montgomery 6. Chris Nowak and Gabby Martinez homered for the Biscuits. Martinez’ shot was a grand slam. Mike Prochaska gave up 6 runs in 5 innings.

Brevard Co. 3, Vero Beach 2. Jeremy Hellickson took his first loss of the season and drops to 5-1 after giving up 3 runs in 6 innings. He struck out 5 and walked 1.

Greenville 6, Columbus 2.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

  • Jeremy Hellickson spoke to his hometown newspaper, and said he is hoping for an all-star break promotion. [Des Moines Register]
  • James Houser is battling a knee injury and will be skipped the next time through the Biscuits rotation. [Biscuits Batter]
  • The Sporting News previews the MLB Draft. Gerry Fraley says that one NL Executive says that RJ Harrison is being pressured to select Buster Posey suggesting that the Rays are more concerned about drafting need over talent. This goes against everything the Rays have ever said about the draft process, so it will be interesting to see if the Rays do pass on a more talented player. [The Sporting News]
  • However, DRays Bay has a quote from RJ Harrison that suggests that he prefers Pedro Alvarez. [DRays Bay]
  • According to Marc Lancaster the Rays have not even narrowed down the top pick, having spent more time trying to figure out who will be available in the second round and beyond. [Tampa Tribune]