THE GOOD: The Rays still lead the Red Sox by 1 game in the loss column and the Twins by 8 games in the loss column…That translates to a 99.9% chance of making the playoffs.

THE BAD: Do people not understand that the Rays still lead the Sox by 1 in the loss column and the Twins by 8 in the loss column for the Wild Card? They must not, or we would not see headlines with the words “Collapse“, or references to the Rays’ season as “Gloomy“, or as “striking midnight“. THERE ARE ONLY 14 GAMES REMAINING! And the Twins only have 12 left. If the Twins go 12-0, the Rays still only need to finish 5-9 to force a 1-game playoff. That is because the Twins and the White Sox play each other 3 times. So even if the Twins win all three, the White Sox will have at least 69 losses (they have 60 now). 5-9 GUARANTEES AT LEAST A 1-GAME PLAYOFF.

THE TELLING: After walking the first two batters on 8 pitches Scott Kazmir gave up his first home run to a left-handed batter since 2007. Game Over.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• BJ Upton still does not know when he will be able to return noting that when he suffered the same injury last season he was out 36 days even though he thought it would only be 5. [Tampa Tribune]
• Carl Crawford still is not close to being able to swing a bat but says his surgically repaired finger is progressing well and he hopes to be back in two weeks.” [Bradenton Herald]
• Gary Shelton says Scott Kazmir sure didn’t look like an Ace last night. [St. Pete Times]
• One of our commenters from the Blog-A-Baloo last night (Scot), was quoted today in the Providence Journal. [Providence Journal]
• Her Rays tries to divert our attention from the car wreck that is the Rays, with a picture…She is cute. [Her Rays]
• Jeff Niemann and Mitch Talbot will only be used if the Rays are beset by unforeseen circumstances, such as a starter getting knocked out early due to incompetency or injury. [St. Pete Times]
• Brittany Ghiroli reports that the Rays are still maintaining a loose atmosphere despite the recent struggles. [MLB]
• Jayson Stark says the Rays played “like a team that looked exhausted” and feels that not winning the division would be a “gigantic letdown” let down for the Rays. [ESPN]
• Stuart Sternberg is confident that attendance will pick up in 2009 noting that season ticket sales will help fill the park next coming off the winning season and business partnerships will increase during the off-season. [MLB]
• Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald wonders if Rays’ payoff games should be moved to “a place where fans actually care about the product.” [Boston Herald]
• We previously heard that Cliff Floyd was contemplating retirement after the season. Now he sounds like he has already decided to come back next season. [SI.com]

Only a few months ago, Floyd was sure that he was going to retire. Now he wants to return as a Ray. “I’m going to play,” Floyd said. “I don’t think you can break this unit up.”

• Outs Per Swing breaks down how everybody has performed since the all-star break…The are some surprising numbers. [Outs Per Swing]

Related posts:

1. [THE HANGOVER] Jonny Gomes Never Even Got To Hit Against Right-Handers In Batting Practice
2. [THE HANGOVER] No Scott Kazmir Today, But Kid K Is On Track For Return
3. [SCOTT KAZMIR] Sternberg Hints That Rays Are Currently Negotiating Long-Term Deal With Scott Kazmir