Archive for the 'Joe Maddon' Category

Apr 16

Did Joe Maddon Just Accuse The Red Sox Of Stealing Signs?

Boston Red Sox, Joe Maddon 6 Comments »

Make no mistake, no manager is more careful with his words than Joe Maddon. That’s why the following quote caught our attention (via Marc Topkin)…

“They’re just really hot right now. It’s like they know what’s coming almost. They’re on every pitch.”

Now, maybe Maddon really just thinks the Red Sox came home and suddenly got really, really, hot against one of the best starting rotations in baseball.

Or maybe Maddon suspects that the Red Sox are stealing signs and wants them to know that: a) the Rays are now paying attention; and b) if true, it’s not cool.

So why didn’t Maddon just come out and Read the rest of this entry »

Apr 11

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Moore’s Struggle, McGee’s Fate, And Paying For A New Stadium

Joe Maddon, Luke Scott, Matt Bush, Matt Moore 2 Comments »

The GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.

Tigers 5, RAYS 2 (boxscore)

THE GOOD: Matt Moore. Obviously the 5 walks were ugly. And yes, he got squeezed on a couple of pitches. A look at the Pitchf/x (below) shows a few pitches in the zone that were called balls. But there are also a few outside the zone that were called strikes. And if we look at Rick Porcello’s strikezone plot (HERE) we see a couple of pitches that actually look like worse calls. In other words, the ump sucked both ways. And there was some concern with Moore’s velocity, which was 95-96 early, but was *only* 92-93 after the first couple of innings. Still, it seemed like a solid debut considering the competition and the weather.

THE BAD: Jake McGee. Poor Jake. A lot of pitchers are going to struggle facing Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder back-to-back. And in hindsight, maybe giving up just 3 bases combined is not the worst outcome. But you hope that you can get one of the guys out. McGee did not. And the lead was lost and the Tigers’ rally was on…Jose Molina. This guy is going to do more good than bad. But geez, when you hit a groundball to shallow left, you can’t get thrown out at first. And the Tigers scored their first run on what was officially a wild pitch. But Molina will be the first to tell you he should have blocked that. Just terrible…Matt Joyce. Joyce was going on a pitch in the second inning and ended up getting doubled-up on the flyball to right field. It was part bad luck. But it was also bad baserunning as Joyce didn’t pick up the ball until he was at second base.

THE TELLING: Other than Jeff Keppinger at DH for the injured Luke Scott, this was the lineup we expect to see most often, while BJ Upton is out. And that includes Reid Brignac at shortstop…Surprise! Suddenly Luke Scott’s initial diagnosis of “3-4 days” sounds less likely.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Did you see this video of Matt Moore from yesterday? [RI Videos]
  • That’s just one of the many things you can see if you follow us on Twitter during games. [@corkgaines for commentary, or @RaysIndex for links and breaking news]
  • Nick Swisher on all the shifts used by Joe Maddon during the Read the rest of this entry »
Apr 10

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Towed Cars, The Bullpen, And Joe Frat Boy

Joe Maddon No Comments »

The GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.

RAYS (off-day)

No GBT Today

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Fans parked in a parking lot designated by the city as an official lot, and still had their cars towed by the owner of the lot. [TBO.com]
  • We still think Joe Maddon will settle into more specific roles in the bullpen, but for the time being, it is all hands on deck. [TBO.com]
  • Phil Rogers has the Rays second in his latest power rankings, up from sixth. [Chicago Tribune]
  • Here’s a pic of Joe Maddon and his wife meeting with some fraternity members as hit alma mater. [Lafayette.edu]
  • Peter King shows some love for Joe Maddon in his weekly MMQB column. [SI.com]
  • Joe doesn’t sound too thrilled, but in our admittedly limited expertise, Matt Kalil is the best college offensive lineman we have seen since Orlando Pace. [JoeBucsFan]

DOWN ON THE FARM…

DURHAM 13, Charlotte 5. Matt Torra gave up 5 runs (3 earned) in 5.2 innings on 9 hits and no walks. He struck out 2…Newly acquired John Gaub pitched a scoreless inning, giving up just 1 hit…SS Tim Beckham went 2-6 but committed his second error…RF Brandon Guyer hit his second home run.

Pensacola 6, MONTGOMERY 5. Jacob Thompson gave up 4 runs in 4 innings, striking out 4 and walking 1…RF Henry Wrigley hit 2 home runs and DH Cole Figueroa added his second.

St. Lucie 6, CHARLOTTE 5. Braulio Lara gave up 4 runs in 3.2 innings…LF Ty Morrison went 2-3 with a triple and 2 walks…BJ Upton played center field and went 0-2. He was pulled after 4 innings…RF Mikie Mahtook was 0-2.

West Michigan 4, BOWLING GREEN 0. Ryan Carpenter gave up 4 runs in 6 innings, striking out 3 ans walking none…Andrew Bellatti tossed 2 scoreless innings, with 1 strikeout and no walks…RF Drew Vettleson was 0-4…DH Cameron Seitzer went 1-4.

Apr 08

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Cleaning Up, Shifting, And Bullpen Work

David Price, James Shields, Joe Maddon, Matt Joyce, Stuart Sternberg 19 Comments »

The GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.

RAYS 8, Yankees 6 (boxscore)

THE GOOD: David Price. OK, it wasn’t his best outing ever. He gave up 5 hits and 4 walks in less than 7 innings. But when staked to an early lead, he didn’t blow it *cough* James Shields *cough*…Matt Joyce. After going 0-4 with 4Ks in the opener, Joe Maddon moved Joyce to the cleanup spot, and Joyce delivered, with his first home run of the season, a no-doubt-about-it shot and also added a 2-run single in the 7th that put the game out of reach…Luke Scott. In his first start for the Rays, he delivered 3 hits, including a 2-run single in the first…Shifting. Nobody shifts more than Joe Maddon. And in the 8th inning, after the Yankees put men on 2nd and 3rd with no outs, the Rays ended the inning when Mark Teixeira lined out to Sean Rodriguez in shallow right field, who then doubled-up the runner at second to end the rally.

THE BAD: Josh Lueke. One day after Joe Maddon used everybody else in the bullpen, the Rays needed Lueke to pitch two quiet innings in an 8-2 ballgame. But after a decent first inning, things fell apart in the 9th. The Yankees scored 4 more runs, and eventually had the tying run at the plate in the form of Alex Rodriguez. In all, Maddon needed 4 relievers to get the final 3 outs…No Home Run. Evan Longoria nearly had his second home run of the season, but a fan appeared to reach over and grab the ball. The call was later changed to a double. What’s worse is seeing that the fan that interfered was wearing a Rays cap, and a Yankees jersey.

THE TELLING: Both the Yankees and Red Sox are 0-2, so all is right in the world. Of course, the Blue Jays and Orioles are both 2-0, so maybe this is bizarro season…Luke Scott says his teammates won’t let him shave his Wolverine beard…James Shields will move up in the rotation in the next series to stay on normal rest…BJ Upton will begin a rehab assignment this week and is not expected to join the team on the road trip.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • If you want to see some of the highlights from last night, including Stuart Sternberg calling Matt Joyce’s home run, check out our video page. [RI Videos]
  • James Shields says the incident in the dugout with Read the rest of this entry »
Apr 04

‘Who Will Close For The Rays?’ Is A Complicated Question

Joe Maddon, JP Howell, Kyle Farnsworth 12 Comments »

With Kyle Farnsworth off to see a doctor about his elbow, this opens the door for somebody else to take over the ninth inning duties. Or does it?

Some are predicting that the Rays will turn to a closer-by-committee. And this may be true to an extent, but eventually, somebody will settle into the role.

Joe Maddon vs The Front Office

The funny thing about the closer’s job, is that it has always appeared to be the one thing that Joe Maddon and the front office have a strong fundamental disagreement, even if publicly, they claim to be on the same page.

The front office clearly doesn’t believe in having a defined “closer,” preferring instead to have the best pitchers work the highest-leveraged situations no matter what inning that occurs. And on paper, this is smart baseball.

Closer-by-Committee is difficult to implement

But JoeMa knows things are occasionally more complicated than bringing in his best pitcher for the most important outs.

Using your best reliever in the most important situations requires that a manager know ahead of time when those will occur. And that is not always easy to predict. Sure, you know when Alex Rodriguez is coming up. But facing A-Rod with two runners on in a 2-run game is much different from facing A-Rod with the bases empty.

So if A-Rod is coming up in the 7th inning, Maddon could warm up his best pitcher. But what happens if he the situation turns out to not be a high-leverage out? Does he bring the pitcher in any way? Or does he sit the reliever and warm him up again later, something that can be taxing on a pitcher’s arm?

Maddon knows numbers and players

Maddon also understands that players are Read the rest of this entry »

Apr 02

Shields And Price Tour The Rays’ Clubhouse At Andrew Friedman’s Expense

Andrew Friedman, James Shields, Joe Maddon No Comments »

How many other team’s have a clubhouse atmosphere where it is OK for a player to tell his vertically-challenged team vice president to “stand up!”? Well, that’s exactly what David Price says to Andrew Friedman, whom Price sarcastically referred to as the “tallest GM in the league.”

This is just part of a fun scene in which Price and James Shields offer their 25-cent tour of the Rays’ spring training clubhouse (via MLB Network)…

Apr 02

Here’s The Funny Scene That Ended Up With Joe Maddon Wearing Cut-off Baseball Pants

James Shields, Jim Hickey, Joe Maddon No Comments »

There were some photos floating around yesterday of Joe Maddon in some cut-off baseball pants. Well, via the MLB Network, here is the funny story of how it happened…

Apr 02

Joe Maddon On Demoting Wade Davis: ‘It Was One Of The More Difficult Things We Have Had To Do’

Jeff Niemann, Joe Maddon, Wade Davis 1 Comment »

Here is Joe Maddon discussing the team’s decision to move Wade Davis to the bullpen…

 

Apr 02

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss A Surge In Power, A Surge In Injuries, And The 25th Spot On The Roster

Desmond Jennings, Evan Longoria, Jeff Salazar, Joe Maddon, Matt Bush 1 Comment »

The GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.

RAYS 8, Orioles 5 (boxscore)

THE GOOD: Flash of Power. If you missed our post yesterday afternoon, Desmond Jennings belted three home runs (CLICK HERE TO SEE THE HOME RUNS). Also, Evan Longoria is heating up at the right moment, hitting his fourth home run. And remember when we said Longo’s new swing should generate more power and help him attack inside pitches? Well, yesterday’s bomb came on an inside pitch that he hit to centerfield (many would have yanked it foul), and Longoria was actually surprised the ball cleared the wall. And all of a sudden, the Rays don’t seem to have much of a power problem.

THE BAD: Depth and Injuries. Unless the Rays make a trade in the next couple of days, Jeff Salazar is going to be the fourth outfielder. Jeff Salazar…More Injuries. Jeff Niemann is battling a blister on his finger, but did throw a bullpen session yesterday and is expected to pitch in Wednesday’s game at The Trop.

THE TELLING: Desmond Jennings was the first Rays player to hit 3 home runs in a spring game. And he joins Evan Longoria and Jonny Gomes, who both did it in regular season games…Jesus Feliciano and Will Rhymes were cut over the weekend…Carlos Pena batted second again yesterday and Matt Joyce was once again in left field.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • This is what I do at my other gig. And a hint at what we might see around here this season at the new RI. [BI Sports]
  • It sounds like Matt Bush wasn’t alone prior to his arrest for DUI. The second person is described as “a fit, good-sized [African-American], who looked to be in his 30s”…Was it another player? [TampaBay.com]
  • The Boston Globe ranks Joe Maddon as the best manager in baseball. How else do you explain the Red Sox’ 2011 collapse? [Boston Globe]
  • Jose Molina gave Matt Moore a stern lecture and it appeared to pay off. [TampaBay.com]
  • Be sure to check out Toby David’s latest podcast discussing the Rays. [TobyDavid.com]
  • Will Josh Freeman improve under Greg Schiano? [JoeBucsFan]
  • Finally, here’s Ken Rosenthal discussing the Rays.

 

<a href='http://msn.foxsports.com/video?videoid=560e89c2-0498-4cc1-9f99-bd9d0423025e&#038;src=v5:embed::' target='_new' title='Rosenthal: AL East preview' >Video: Rosenthal: AL East preview</a>

Mar 23

Fortune Favors The Bald T-Shirts

Joe Maddon, The Professor revealed No Comments »

Last week, many of the Rays players, coaches, and staff shaved their heads in support of pediatric cancer research. And starting today, the same “Fortune Favors the Bald” t-shirts seen in the image below (click on image for a larger version) will go on sale at both Tropicana Field and Charlotte Sports Park.

The shirts will sell for $15.99 with all proceeds benefitting the Pediatric Cancer Foundation, Moffitt Cancer Center and All Children’s Hospital.

And because it is such a good cause, and because Joe Maddon is probably one of the only people in the world that could tell me to jump and I would ask “how high?” I decided to chop off about 6 inches of brown waves (image above)…

 

Previous Entries Next Entries