TRays Angels Baseballhe 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: Jason Bartlett. Hey BJ Upton, still not sure why you aren’t batting leadoff anymore? Bartlett had 3 hits, just missing a cycle, with a double, triple and a HR. The HR was his 11th, doubling his career total from before the season…Ben Zobrist. He was 2-3 with a walk. The one time he was retired, he was robbed of a game-tying HR with 2 outs in the 9th.

THE BAD: The Trifecta Of Craptastica. What’s the worse thing that can happen to a team in the playoff hunt? Have another pitcher throw a perfect game. What’s the next worst thing? Other team hits a 2-out, 2-strike 2-run walk-off HR. How about the third worst thing? Have the Rays hit a 9th inning two-out game tying HR only to have it robbed to end the game. Check, Check annnnddd Check…Matt Garza. A 2-run lead before he even takes the mound? No thanks. Offense bails him out by tying game at 3 in the 3rd? Nahhhh. 6 hits (2 HR), 4 walks and a hit batter. All for the low, low price of 3.1 innings and another game in the standings.

THE TELLING: The Rays are now 2.5 games behind the Red Sox in the Wild Card and 2 behind the Rangers. They trail both teams by 3 games in the ever-important loss column.

SUNBURST PLAYER OF THE GAME: Jason Bartlett

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Gary Shelton doesn’t understand why BJ Upton doesn’t understand why BJ Upton is hitting ninth. Shelton says Upton has hit a new low…Personally, we are not sure this is as low as the time Upton called up to the pressbox during a Durham game to yell at the PA guy for not playing his walk-up music. But it’s close. [St. Pete Times]
  • This year, the Rays are in an advantageous position when it comes to the waiver-wire, but Marc Topkin points out that it can be “challenging” and that the Rays may end up with a player they don’t necessarily want. [St. Pete Times]
  • Andrew Friedman says the additions of Russ Springer and Gregg Zaun filled the two needs the club had. Friedman suggests that the Rays don’t have any other areas that can be upgraded through the waiver-wire, but will continue to look. [Tampa Tribune]
  • The Rays Party would like to see the Rays add some speed to the bench (when Dioner Navarro is the tying run on first base in the 9th inning and there isn’t a speed upgrade on the bench, that is a problem. Not last night, but it has happened). [The Rays Party]
  • Marc Lancaster writes about how Evan Longoria got his groove back, just in the nick of time. [Tampa Tribune]
  • Marc Topkin writes about the pressure Evan Longoria is putting on himself to carry the Rays to the playoffs. [St. Pete Times]
  • Joey Johnston has a Q&A with the man Kent Hrbek should have bought a vowel from, Dewayne Staats. [Tampa Tribune]

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