Up until first pitch, use the comments section to predict who you think will be the Sunburst Player of the Game. (be sure to use a valid email address while leaving the comment). The commenter that correctly predicts who we will name the Sunburst Player of the Game the most times prior to the all-star game, will win two tickets to a second-half game. Runners-up get their choice of a t-shirt. [Click HERE for rules]
Check Marc Topkin’s blog for the starting lineups.
Last week’s Rays Confidence Graph results.
Below you will see two polls that ask about your confidence in the Tampa Bay Rays. We will present these same polls every Tuesday. The results will be presented in graphical form on Thursday, and will be displayed permanently in the sidebar. The goal of the Confidence Graph is to get a feeling of how Rays fans feel about the team and the franchise and track how that level of confidence changes through time.
Raysiverse events of the past week that could impact confidence levels…
One year ago on Rays Index we voiced our disdain for using batting practice jerseys during a regular season game.
Time to bring back the GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.
click above image for boxscore
THE GOOD: Jeff Niemann. A strange but pleasant start. At no point did we think Niemann was pitching that well, but next thing we knew, he was in the 8th inning and had only allowed 2 runs. It was just the second time this season a starter went 8 innings, and the big number was Zero, as in zero walks. And the big moment came in the first when he got out of the inning having allowed only 1 run. If the A’s put up a crooked number there, it could have been a different game…Jason Bartlett. We guess we should stop being surprised. 3 more hits and 5 RBI. It was Barty’s 10th 3-hit game of the year…Ben Zobrist. The catch in which Zorilla flipped over the wall in right field and held on to the ball was very good. But what made it great is that he did it in a blowout. Peter Gammons on Zorilla last night: “Is there another player in baseball that can play 7 positions well, hit home runs and run?”…Jason Isringhausen. 17 pitches, 14 for strikes. But man, he looks like Troy Percival’s little younger brother. Is that a good thing?
THE BAD: Unfortunately, the Devil Rays ($19) have been unable to pick up any ground during the 4-game winning streak as the Jays have also won 4-straight and the Yankees have won 6 in a row.
THE TELLING: Dioner Navarro was on the bench for the second straight night battling pink eye…The Devil Rays ($20) did not steal a base last night for the first time in 20 games, ending the longest streak in the AL since 1914…
SUNBURST PLAYER OF THE GAME: Jason Bartlett. With Joe Maddon managing the AL All-Star squad, Bartlett is a near-lock to make his first all-star team
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
“That book needs to be burned because the game has totally changed since that particular moment,” Maddon said. “To me, rewrite the book. Do what you think is right as an organization. … And it’s not necessary for another organization to tell the other organization how to do their business – ever.”
Durham 1, Rochester 0. Wade Davis’ start wasn’t quite as good as David Price’s but at least he was allowed to stay up past curfew. Davis threw 93 pitches (61 strikes) en route to 6.2 shutout innings. He allowed only 2 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 3…Chris Nowak provided all the offense with his 2nd home run…Reid Brignac was 0-2 with a walk and Matt Joyce was 0-3.
Montgomery 5, Mississippi 4 gm 1. Heath Rollins picked up his 4th win, allowing 2 runs in 5 innings…Rhyne Hughes hit a 3-run home run, his 13th and drove in 4…Desmond Jennings was 1-3 with a double.
Mississippi, Montgomery gm 2. Aneury Rodriguez struck out 7 in 5 innings, allowing 4 runs (3 earned)…Jason Perry was 1-2 with his 4th home run in 11 games…Desmond Jennings finished 1-2 with a walk and 2 runs scored. He also stole 3 bases, giving him 13 on the year.
Charlotte vs St. Lucie gm 1 (ppd. rain).
Charlotte vs St. Lucie gm 2 (ppd. rain).
Bowling Green, Charleston. Chris Andujar made his 3rd start, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) in 4 innings…Tim Beckham was 0-4…Jake Jefferies was 2-4 and hit his 4th home run.
Notes from Down on the Farm…
