Jun 14
So when’s the payback coming for Kevin Youklis?
The guy has run to first base how many times in his eight seasons? To break inside the baseline and spike Casey Kotchman at first in the ninth is miles from acceptable.
Nobody’s going to tell Joe that wasn’t intentional. Total BS at the end of what was a once-every-10-years play by Evan Longoria at third base.
Of course, that was all thankfully meaningless in a glorious 4-0 win for the good guys. James Shields was phenomenal with another complete game. Justin Ruggiano keeps tearing the cover off the ball. And the we’ll-take’m basehits dropped in for the good guys in the eighth.
Boston’s winning streak was buried firmly up their ass.
Despite the hatred of the Sox, Joe’s still a sentimental guy. The boos for Carl Crawford didn’t feel right. And the Crawford-Shields battle — a dozen or so pitches ending in a strikeout — stirred a lot of memories and emotion.
Just under 21k in the stands. Joe’s not one to talk attendance, but that’s got to be a very, very bad sign.
Jun 14
[Ed. note: If you hate stats, or are just not familiar, please read on and don't give up! This stuff was confusing for even the most diehard stathead at one point. There is good stuff here. And if you have questions, please ask. We don't judge around here]
We are more than one-third of the way through the season. Let’s take a look at how some of the Rays hitters are performing in terms of weighted On Base Average (wOBA). If you are not familiar with wOBA, just think OPS, but better (check this link for a quick explanation). However, typically, if a player has a good OPS, they will also have a good wOBA and vice versa.
In short, this is the best way to get a sense of who has been swinging the bat the best. Notes on the table are below…
Notes on the table…
- wOBA is on an OBP scale which makes it easier than OPS to get an idea of what is good and what is not good. The cutoffs are somewhat arbitrary but generally, .350 and above is good, .335 is average and anything below .320 is not very good.
- The Rays as a team have a wOBA of Read the rest of this entry »
Jun 13
- Rays 9, Orioles 6 (click image for boxscore)
The GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.
THE GOOD: Johnny Damon. One nice side effect of Sam Fuld’s benching is Damon in the leadoff spot. Two more hits and a walk yesterday. And in 9 games at the top of the order he is 13-40 (.325) with 4 walks…Evan Longoria. His 2-run home run in the 8th was the first inside-the-parker of his career and put the game on ice…Justin Ruggiano. You would have seen hell on these pages if Ruggiano was sent down instead of Felipe Lopez. And Ruggiano rewarded the Rays with 3 more hits and a now-6-game hitting streak…JP Howell. He’s back. After his shaky start, and the decision to revert back to his old throwing motion, Howell has now retired 7 straight batters in 3 straight scoreless outings. And yesterday he picked up his first save since 2009.
THE BAD: Should Have Been More? It is hard to look at a game in which the Rays scored 9 runs and think they underperformed. But the Rays left the bases loaded in the first, left runners on base in 7 innings, and 3 times left runners in scoring position. In the 3rd inning alone, the Rays had a single, double, walk, and at least 3 pitches that got by the catcher and yet scored just 1 run…Sean Rodriguez. We have no idea what he was thinking in the 3rd inning when he was standing 10 feet from the runner, who was heading back to 2nd base, and yet Rodriguez threw the ball to 3rd base and into the stands allowing the same runner to score.
THE TELLING: Matt Joyce, who has fallen to 3rd in the AL in hitting, was on the bench with the lefty on the mound…Justin Ruggiano has started 6 straight games…Kyle Farnsworth is the latest player to get the stomach bug making the rounds. I am currently fighting the stomach flu. Coincidence?
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
Jun 06
See what happens when the sticks come out to play?
When Joe learned Dirtbag and Bossman likely had too much sushi at the wrong shop and couldn’t play because Pepto Bismol wasn’t getting the job done, Joe was ready for a loss. Of late, the Rays and their (lack of) offense weren’t helping out David Price at all.
But look at what happens when you get your ace an early lead. With a two-run lead, Price seemed to lock in and until the eighth was damned sharp.
Wait a minute! The Rays got some offense from an outfielder not named Matt Joyce? Hard to believe but it happened. Justin Ruggiano – Justin Ruggiano?!?! — belted a two-run homer that pretty much ended the game.
Speaking of sharp and ending the game, Kyle Farnsworth was Hammer of God-like. Five pitches for the first two outs? That’s damned solid. Joe’s of the mind that Farnsworth isn’t getting enough street cred for what he has done this season.
May 20
The Rays have announced that Dan Johnson has been designated for assignment and has been replaced by Justin Ruggiano. In addition, JP Howell has been activated, with Rob Delaney, being sent back to Durham as expected.
Of players this season with at least 50 at bats, only two players have a batting average lower than Johnson’s .115. He also has just one home run and a .165 wOBA (that’s not good). Ruggiano was hitting .301 with 6 home runs and a .398 wOBA at triple-A.
May 10
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 JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- My Chart of the Day over at Business Insider looks at how baseball’s steroid testing has affected power numbers. In other words, this isn’t the Year of the Pitcher part 2. It is the Year of Steroid Testing part 6. [Business Insider]
- Might we see a shake-up in local sports radio? Steve Duemig’s contract at WDAE is up this Sunday. [Tom Jones' 2¢]
- Casey Kotchman thanks the removal of pus, yes pus, from his tear ducts for his success so far this season. [TampaBay.com]
- Justin Ruggiano has been named Read the rest of this entry »
Feb 14
While the Yankees ended up signing Rafael Soriano, Brian Cashman first had his eyes set on Grant Balfour. But Cashman made it clear in the aftermath of signing Soriano, that he didn’t want to give up the Yankees first round pick. And as a Type A free agent, Balfour would have cost the Yankees their top pick.
To get round this, Cashman was working on a sign-and-trade with the Diamondbacks. Arizona would sign Balfour, and then trade him to the Yankees. Since the D-Backs have the no. 3 pick overall, their first round pick is protected. If the Yankees had signed Balfour, the Rays would have received the no. 31 pick (which they ultimately picked up anyway). But by going through the Diamondbacks, the Rays compensation would have been the no. 63 pick.
Balfour eventually signed with the A’s and the Rays received their second round pick, no. 75 overall.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- We’ve updated the Cork-Board (located on the right side of the screen). The Rays roster now reflects all 60 players that are in big league camp to start Spring Training. [Cork-Board]
- The Rays have signed relief pitcher Read the rest of this entry »
Feb 08
Marc Topkin is reporting that the Rays have designated Leslie Anderson and Justin Ruggiano for assignment. The move clears space on the 40-man roster for Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez. The Rays now have 10 days to trade Anderson and Ruggiano or have them subjected to waivers.
Moving Ruggiano means Read the rest of this entry »
Jan 05
Jon Heyman adds some clarity to the possibility of Rafael Soriano signing with the Yankees, something that has produced conflicting reports recently. Heyman says the Yankees interest likely hinges on Andy Pettitte. If Pettitte retires, Heyman says the Yankees “could go for Soriano.” But if Pettitte comes back for another year, the Yankees will pass.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- If you missed our post late last night, the Rays could be close to dealing Matt Garza to the Cubs. [Rays Index]
- In the same report, the Rangers are reportedly pursuing Rafael Soriano. [Sun-Times]
- If the Rays can’t Read the rest of this entry »
Jun 16
Following last night’s game, the Rays activated Jason Bartlett from the DL and announced he would start tonight’s game in Atlanta. To make room, Justin Ruggiano was sent back to Durham.
This means the Rays will keep three catchers (John Jaso, Dioner Navarro, Kelly Shoppach) for the time being.
It is no surprise that Bartlett will get the start tonight with Sean Rodriguez or Reid Brignac possibly needing a day off. But we would be surprised if Bartlett is once again the everyday shortstop.
