Earlier this week we wished openly begged for for just one win from the Royals in Minneapolis. After getting pummeled in the first two games, our wishes came true on getaway day as the Royals beat the Twinkies in 10 innings today, 3-2.
Yes RAYSHEADS, the Magic Number is now 10 to clinch a playoff spot.
The Rays Confidence Graph will appear every Wednesday and is a look at how much confidence Rays fans have in the Tampa Bay Rays. The graph is designed to give us a look at how our emotional bias as Rays fans fluctuates through time. The “confidence” in the team is an inexact measure of how fans feel about the team’s current strength as well as how much confidence fans have in the franchise for the next 3-4 years. Notes on this weeks agida-level can be found after the graph..
Notes on the RI Confidence Graph…
Marc Topkin reports that when Joe Maddon was asked who would start the second game of a September 23rd double-header against the Orioles, he said a decision had not been made, but did note that the Orioles “have a lot of left-handed guys that are pretty good.”
The only left-handed starter that would be available to start that game is David Price, the top pick from the 2007 draft. The only other option would seem to be Jeff Niemann, a right-hander.
The problem with this scenario is what Price does between now and then. Price made his final minor league appearance on September 9th. If he does not make an appearance prior to facing the Orioles, that would be 14 days without facing opposing hitters.
More likely, the Rays will promote Price and have him make a few appearances out of the bullpen to keep him sharp. A promotion could happen as early as today, or the Rays may choose to wait until after the Bulls have concluded their series. The Bulls trail 2-0 in the best-of-5 with game 3 tonight.
Earlier this week, Price was named USA Today’s Minor League Player of the Year.
Rays alter rotation [St. Pete Times]
THE BAD: Troy Percival. Percy struggled once again. We were relieved at the beginning of the inning that the lead was 3 and not 1 and yet, even that didn’t seem safe 5 minutes later. Turns out Percy’s back tightened up on him when he was warming up. Which begs the question: Why did he allow himself to go into the game in the first place? It is one thing to be a “gamer”, but it cannot be done if it hurts the ballclub. Right now, Troy Percival is hurting the ballclub…The Rays were 0-13 with runners in scoring position before Carlos Pena’s home run.
THE TELLING: On the season the Rays have been walked 17 times and been hit by a pitch 4 times with the bases loaded. The 21 total “free” runs is second only to the Red Sox who have 17 walks and 5 hit batters…James Shields will now pitch on Saturday against the Yankees, rather than his originally scheduled Friday start. Matt Garza will be moved up one day and will make the start on Friday. This means Shields will not be available in the Red Sox series next week. Also, Mike Mussina has been pushed back a day to give him an extra day of rest and he will now face Shields on Saturday…The Rays magic number to win the division is now 16 and the magic number to clinch at least a wild card is 11*…The chances of the Rays making the playoffs is now 99.8% according to Baseball Prospectus and 75.5% to win the division.
*The White Sox and the Twins play each other 3 more times. The most wins the second place team in the Central can have is 96. So technically, the Rays magic number is 10. We could mark off the “guaranteed” loss now or we can do it when it actually happens…We choose the latter.
DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…
Scranton/WB 1, Durham 0 (13; Scranton/WB leads 2-0). Two nights ago, both the Bulls and the Rays played a dramatic game that was decided in the 9th inning. Last night both the Bulls and the Rays both played extra innings. While the Rays won both matchups, the Bulls dropped their second straight. Mitch Talbot pitched 8 strong innings, striking out 8 and allowing only 3 hits and 3 walks. But the game was still scoreless at the end of 9. After Heath Phillips and Dale Thayer threw 4 more scoreless innings, Ben Hendrickson walked the first batter he faced in the 13th. The runner was sacrificed to second and then scored on a single to end the game…The Bulls had chances to score, loading the bases in the first, only to have Elliot Johnson strike out to end the inning…They also had 2nd and 3rd with only 1 out in the 2nd inning, and even loaded the bases with 2 outs before Jonny Gomes struck out. In the 4th, the first 2 batters walked, but Gaby Martinez was picked off 2nd base. The next batter singled which would have scored Martinez. Instead it was 1st and 3rd with 1 out, which was followed by a double play. In the 5th, the first 2 batters reached on singles, but the next 3 batters struck out. In the 7th, the Bulls had 2 on with only 1 out and failed to score. However, then the bats went cold. Over the last 6 innings, 13 Bulls in a row and 17 of the last 18 batters failed to reach base. The only baserunner after the 7th was a 2-out walk in the 12th. Jeff Niemann will pitch tonight in game 3 as the series shifts to Durham.
NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…
