Aug 06
Last night David Price made his 13th start for the Rays and now has thrown 66 innings. Combined with his 8 starts in triple-A, Price now has 100.1 innings on his arm this season. This is significant because last year he threw only 129.1 innings and the Rays want to limit him to a 20% increase this season (155-160 ip).
With 54 games remaining in the regular season, the Rays will go through the rotation 10 more times. If Price stayed in the rotation for the last two months, and averaged 6 innings per start, he would finish the season with 160.1 innings pitched, right at his limit for the year. But what if the Rays make the playoffs?
This leaves the Rays with two options:
- The Rays can leave Price in the rotation for the rest of the regular season, knowing he is one of the 5 best starting pitchers needed or the playoff push. The problem with that scenario is Price would likely be unavailable for the playoffs, even as a relief pitcher, should the Rays win the East or the Wild Card.
- The Rays could give Price about 5 more starts and then move him to the bullpen, replacing him with Andy Sonnanstine in the rotation when rosters expand on September 1st. The downside here is the Rays would risk going without one of their five best starting pitchers for the final month of the season. The upside is the Rays get the extra bullpen arm they have been looking for and they would still have Price available for the playoffs, albeit in a relief role.
Which path will the Rays choose? If the Rays are true to their word…and this is an organization that rarely deviates from the script…we have a feeling #2 is more likely. The Rays just aren’t an organization that is willing to risk too much of the future for the chance to win in the present. We present the last two trade deadlines as exhibits 1 and 2.
Also keep in mind that Price in the bullpen is a known commodity…
King David. It was he who was the favored son despite being the youngest and it was his late appearance (in game 7 of the ALCS) and ability to defeat Goliath that led the Rays over the heavily favored and steroid-ridden Philistines (Red Sox).
Aug 06
In the 5th inning Todd Kalas did one of his “sideline” reports, in which he interviewed Rays bullpen coach Bobby Ramos. But what was really interesting about the interview is who was sitting behind Ramos. Original Devil Ray Roberto Hernandez. And he was rocking the old school Devil Rays cap…
Hernandez, who saved 101 games for the Devil Rays from 1998-2000 and represented the Devil Rays in the 1999 All-Star game, last played in the big leagues in 2007.
Anybody think it is a coincidence that Hernandez just happens to show up to the Trop on the night after the Rays played 13 innings and needed 6 innings of relief from the bullpen? And he just happens to get a seat right behind the bullpen? If Hernandez was making himself available in case of emergency, next he should update his uniform.
Aug 06
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: David Price. Two straight strong starts and he just looks like a different pitcher on the mound now. Something has clicked and King David has found his MoJo. He did give up two home runs. But as last night proved, it is not the home runs that kill you, it is the walks before the home runs. And last night Price walked none…Jason Bartlett. He hit his 9th home run in the 7th and then came back in the 8th and saved a run with an over-the-shoulder catch. If he doesn’t make that catch it is a 1-run game and the inning is still going…Carlos Pena. This is how Pena got his groove back. Everybody should have seen the home run coming after his at bat in the 10th the night before. He didn’t hit last night’s home run any harder. He just got under it a bit more…Pat Burrell. Extra BP paid off and Pat the Bat looked more determined than we remember him being in a Rays uniform.
THE BAD: The Trop. A little surprised how indifferent fans were to Rocco Baldelli’s first game back at the Trop. No boos. No applause. Just complete indifference…Jeff Bennett. Well, that warm and fuzzy feeling from his first outing went away pretty quick. He faced 2 batters and retired neither.
THE TELLING: The Rays are now 3 behind the Red Sox (4 in the loss column) in the Wild Card race…The Rays are now 14-2 in the last 16 against the Red Sox at the Trop…Hit Tracker had Carlos Pena’s home run at only 407 feet, which comes up 59 feet short of the one he hit back in June against the Nationals.
SUNBURST PLAYER OF THE GAME: David Price.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- On a sad note, Dodgers announcer Vin Scully has announced he will retire after next season. I have said this before…The best thing about MLB’s Extra Innings package is that during the summer, I get to fall asleep every night to Vin Scully telling me a bedtime story. [Chicago Tribune]
- Rob Dibble was on a radio show and was critical of Evan Longoria’s celebration following his walk-off home run on Tuesday night. If it was the 3rd inning, fine. But it was extra-innings against the Rays chief rival. And it wasn’t like he stood at home plate for 10 seconds jumping up and down. And since when is Rob Dibble the voice of all that is “right” in baseball? Rob Dibble is and always will be, a blowhard. [Biscuit Crumbs]
- Gary Shelton says the Rays are “finally they’re playing like the contender everyone expected them to be.” [St. Pete Times]
- Joe Henderson says the Rays did exactly what they needed to do to get back in the race. [Tampa Tribune]
- Marc Lancaster spoke with Carl Crawford about how he feels. In years past, CC would start to break down this time of year. This year is different. [Tampa Tribune]
- Dan Barbarisi talked to some of the Red Sox about whether the Trop is a tough place to play or if the Rays are just that good. [Providence Journal]
- The Rays admit they have been warned previously about having bags in the bullpen area. It was one of these bags that cost the Rays a run on Tuesday night. [St. Pete Times]
- Joe Dillon talks about his role as 25th man on the roster. A role that off limits his action to once a week. [MLB]
Aug 06
Durham. (no games scheduled)
Montgomery 6, Mississippi 3. Rayner Oliveros pitched 6 innings and gave up 2 unearned runs on 4 hits and a walk. He struck out 2…Rashad Eldridge and Fernando Cortez each drove in 2.
Charlotte 7, Fort Myers 6 (12). The Stone Crabs won on a Drew Anderson one-out single in the bottom of the 12th. Charlotte had trailed 6-0 after the first inning…Jake McGee started but did not record an out, giving up 4 hits, including a home run, and a walk. All 5 runners would score…Darin Downs relieved McGee. He gave up a home run to the first batter he faced and then back-to-back hits to start the second. But then he settled down and allowed only 2 hits over the next 6 innings striking out 5 and walking none…Shawn O’Malley was 2-4 with 3 walks and an RBI. O’Malley is hitting .263/.384/.306 with 36 steals…Mike McCormick hit his 3rd home run.
Bowling Green @ Asheville. (ppd. rain)
Lowell 6, Hudson Valley 3.
Princeton @ Danville. (ppd. rain)
Notes from Down on the Farm…
Notes on the RI Confidence Graph…
