Sep 19
- Rays 8, Red Sox 5 (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: GAME ON! We will be the first to admit it. We wrote this team off weeks ago. Hell, we wrote them off about five times, with the most recent happening a week ago when this same team lost 2 of 3 to the Orioles. But here we are. The Rays did what they needed to do. They won 3 of 4 in Fenway. And now there are ten (10!) games left and the Rays are just 2 back. That is still a lot with so few games to play and none head-to-head. CoolStandings.com still gives the Rays only an 8.5% chance to make the playoffs. But as a great man once said, “Never tell me the odds!”…Speed Kills. After the Red Sox had just cut the lead in half to 4-2. Desmond Jennings led off the 5th with single. He stole second, move to third on a wild pitch and then scored on a passed ball…Bullpen. Or specifically, Jake McGee. With David Price pulled early, McGee came in and gave his teammates 2.2 innings of relief, retiring the first 8 batters he faced and keeping the explosive Red Sox lineup in check…Terry Francona. Tito left Tim Wakefield in the game for a long time. After the Red Sox cut the lead to 4-2, Francona stuck with Wakefield in the 5th, when he gave up 2 more runs, effectively killing the Red Sox hopes. Boston does have a double-header today, and you have to wonder if Francona was more concerned about saving his bullpen for those games than he was about winning this game.
THE BAD: Taking a Bullet. David Price took a shot off his right shoulder/chest area in the 3rd inning. He stayed in the game, and his fastball was still touching 96. But he did not look comfortable on the mound and was pulled after the 4th. Let’s hope there are no lasting effects…Still A Lot Of Work Left. There are only 10 games left, but 7 of those are against the Yankees. Meanwhile, the Red Sox have 7 left against the Orioles. Realistically, the Rays need the Sox to lose at least 4 games. It won’t be easy.
THE TELLING: The Red Sox had 2 wild pitches, 4 passed balls and a hit batter…The Rays are now 12-6 against the Red Sox this season, their best mark ever against Boston…The Rays are now 43-2 when they score at least 6 runs…The Rays are 17-15 in games started by David Price. Last year they were 24-8…Both Rob Delaney and Mike Ekstrom accepted their minor league assignments after being removed from the 40-man roster last week…Rays pitchers held the Red Sox to a .189 average this season. That is the worst mark for the Red Sox against a single AL foe since 1901…Ben Zobrist will miss Tuesday’s game to attend the birth of his second child.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Joe Maddon says David Price is “fine” and is expected to make his next start. [The Heater]
- Roger Mooney writes about Joel Peralta and how he is thriving as the Rays newest non-closer closer. [TBO.com]
- The Devil Rays drafted Jacoby Ellsbury in 2002, but he turned them down and went to college. [Projo.com]
- That other team. You know, the one that actually plays in Tampa, also had a big win yesterday. Don’t forget to check in with Joe for all the news you need. [Joe Bucs Fan]
Sep 12
- Rays 9, Red Sox 1 (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: Sweep Caroline. If the Rays wanted to convince us they were a playoff contender, they need to sweep the Red Sox. Not only did they sweep the Sox, the spanked them, outscoring Boston 22-8 in the 3 games. Mission Accomplished…James Shields. He didn’t get complete game number 12, but he did work into the 9th inning, giving up just 1 run on a 3rd inning home run. More importantly, Shields was able to work out of a bases loaded, 1-out jam later that inning to keep the score 3-1 and keep the Red Sox from getting back in the game. Then later in the game, it was Shields other weapon, his pick-off move, when he picked off Mike Aviles after he led off the 5th with a single. That turned out to be the Sox last threat…BJ Upton. He had a walk, 2 singles and a double. But it was the 5th inning grand slam that slammed the door on the Red Sox, making the score 8-1.
THE BAD: The Big Letdown. The Rays have the next 11 games on the road starting with 3 in Baltimore. The most important thing right now is that they cannot give any ground back to the Red Sox. The Red Sox have a 2-game set with the Blue Jays. If the Rays are still trailing by 3 in the loss column come Thursday, that’s fine. But they cannot be trailing by more than that.
THE TELLING: The Rays had less than a 1% chance of making the playoffs a week ago. It is now 11.6 percent, and feels like more…As suspected, Kyle Farnsworth is still having problems with his elbow and is now out “indefinitely”…To make room for Russ Canzler on the roster, the Rays designated Mike Ekstrom for assignment…With BJ Upton’s home run, he and his brother Justin Upton became the first siblings ever to both hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases…
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Matt Moore has been promoted. We’ll have more on this shortly.
- John Romano writes about the Rays reemergence. [TampaBay.com]
- Be sure to check in with Joe for all the coverage you need on the Bucs. [Joe Bucs Fan]
- MLB Trade Rumors takes a look at Read the rest of this entry »
Apr 07
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: Silver Lining. Let’s assume that the Wild Card will ultimately come from the AL East. And let’s assume that the Orioles are not the real deal (yet). Then at least one playoff spot will go to either the Rays or the Red Sox. Well, the Rays are 0-5. But they are still tied with the Red Sox in the standings who also are 0-5 after losing last night. And both teams are only 3 games behind the Yankees. Those numbers are far more important right now than actual win-loss record.
THE BAD: No Manny. One day after being booed, Joe Maddon gave Manny Ramirez the afternoon off after originally penciling him as DH (he did pinch-hit in the 8th, and was cheered). This despite being 19-38 with 3 HR and 6 walks against Dan Haren in his career. Manny will also sit on Thursday to tend to the same “personal matter” that kept him out of the lineup the last spring training game. Maddon also mentioned that he thought Manny was pressing too hard and that he thought he needed a break…Getting Ugly. For the 4th time in 5 nights, the Rays had 1 run on 4 hits. And in doing so, they became just the 4th team in the last 25 years to have 5 consecutive home games with 5 hits or fewer. The other 3 teams: 2001 Orioles (finished 63-98), 1989 Tigers (59-103) and the 2009 Mets (70-92).
THE TELLING: According to CoolStandings.com the Rays still have a 25.1% shot at the postseason, which is actually greater than the Red Sox (14.7%). Although, to be fair, early in the season, some of the CoolStandings calculations are influenced by last season’s results…Mike Ekstrom has cleared waivers and will report to Durham. He was Designated For Assignment to make room for Felipe Lopez on the 40-man roster…JP Howell could be ready to throw live batting practice in the next week or so.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
Apr 04
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: Pitching. For all the pain inflicted by the bats this weekend, it easy to overlook just how good the pitching was. 21 Ks and only 4 walks is outstanding. And outside of Jake McGee’s batting practice fastball to Brian Roberts on Saturday, the bullpen has been solid…Minimized Suffering. One benefit of not being able to hit a lick is that the games go much faster. In the first series of the season, the games averaged a brisk 2 hours 33 minutes…It’s Early. CoolStandings.com still gives the Rays a 32.6% shot at making the playoffs. And there is more than 98% of the season left to play.
THE BAD: Going Batty. 3 games. 3 runs on just 12 hits, and only 1 stolen base (can’t steal first base). How many ABs do you need to judge a hitter? About 100? Well, the Rays have 91 at bats and are hitting .132 with a .225 OBP. We knew this team was going to struggle at times offensively. But this is the so-called worst case scenario. And it could continue for a while with Evan Longoria on the shelf for the next few weeks.
THE TELLING: The last team to start the year 0-3 and make the playoffs was the 2007 Phillies…The Orioles are 3-0 for the first time in 14 years…Wade Davis went bald after the game and Evan Longoria cut his mullet before the game (see videos below). So much for Joe Maddon’s wish that players let their hair go.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Mike Ekstrom was designated for assignment to make room for Felipe Lopez on the 40-man roster.
- This isn’t the first time he has mentioned this, but David Price says he is open to a long-term extension with the Rays. What is really interesting is that Price previously mentioned that the two sides have never discussed a long-term deal. [TampaBay.com]
- $142 million is a lot Read the rest of this entry »
Mar 21
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: Reid Brignac. On the same day his family served up a cajun feast for the players and staff, Briggy Baseball went 2-3. He is now 13-30 this spring. His .433 average is the best among players with at least 20 at bats…Filling Out The ‘Pen. Two of the leading candidates for the final spots in the bullpen, Rob Delaney and Cory Wade have combined for 19 Ks and just 2 walks in 20.1 innings this spring.
THE BAD: Adam Russell. The reliever acquired from the Padres continues to struggle this spring. This time he gave up 3 runs on 4 hits, retiring just one batter. This was Russell’s 8th appearance. He has allowed at least 2 hits in all but one…Mike Ekstrom. It could be argued that Ekstrom has had the worst spring of any player on the Rays. He entered March with a good chance of being on the opening day roster. And now we are not even sure he is a candidate. The latest implosion was giving up 2 runs in the 9th inning, blowing a 1-run lead. He has now given up a run in 5 of his 7 appearances.
THE TELLING: Other than Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez swapping DH and LF, yesterday’s lineup could be the one used on opening day with Ben Zobrist at 2B, Dan Johnson at 1B and Matt Joyce in RF…John Jaso won’t be back behind the plate until at least Thursday after taking a foul tip to the family jewels…Reminder: Todd Kalas will host a 30-minute season preview tonight on Fox Sports Florida at 6:30.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Joe Maddon had a fan in an Orioles jersey ejected from Port Charlotte stadium after the fan yelled a racial comment at BJ Upton…We spoke with somebody at the game that was told what the fan said. There was no grey area. It was definitely bad. [Marc Topkin]
- In addition to letting his hair grow long, Joe Maddon has dumped his iconic glasses. [TampaBay.com]
- The scary history of Read the rest of this entry »
Mar 05
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: Manny Ramirez. File this one under “things that Dodgers and Red Sox fans will not understand”: Manny requested to be in yesterday’s lineup so that he could get more work in left field just in case he is needed there during the regular season…Alex Torres. Part of the next wave of pitching talent after Jeremy Hellickson, the lefty got the start and pitched 2 scoreless innings, with a pair of strikeouts and 1 walk…Rob Delaney. Delaney got another look early in a game, this time pitching a 1-2-3- 4th inning.
THE BAD: Mike Ekstrom. At one point early in the off-season we had Ekstrom as a near-lock for a bullpen spot. But 832 minor league contracts later and now some shaky spring performances, and we are starting to think it is a long-shot at best. Yesterday Ekstrom allowed 1 run in his 1 inning of work. He has now allowed 6 runs (5 earned) in 1.2 innings.
THE TELLING: Jeff Niemann pitched 2 innings in a “B” game on a side field. He allowed 6 runs (4 earned)…Ben Zobrist was originally in the lineup but was scratched with a sore ankle…Jeremy Hellickson will throw two batting practice sessions prior to making his spring training debut next Friday.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: The Rays are still hacking away. Six regulars played yesterday and they drew no walks…We really wish Joe Maddon wouldn’t have placed BJ Upton at the top of the lineup on the same day that we ripped ESPN for projecting Upton as the leadoff hitter (among other things). Way to have our backs Joe. Sheesh.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Chris Richard, the Durham Bulls all-time home run leader (84) has retired. [IndyWeek.com]
- Jason Isringhausen announced that he will retire if he doesn’t make the Mets opening day roster. [StlToday.com]
- Prior to last season, the Rays had tentatively accepted an offer from the Red Sox Read the rest of this entry »
Oct 18
Before we jump into the 25-man and 40-man roster projections, let’s take a look at the one area where we can expect the most change, the bullpen. But before we start thinking about who the Rays may add to the mix, let’s take a look at who might be back in 2010…
WHO’S IN?
- JP Howell, Andy Sonnanstine and Mike Ekstrom look to us like the only sure-things. We suppose the Rays could dangle Sonny and see if anybody still thinks he can be a big league starting pitcher, but we have a feeling that the Rays see Sonnanstine as worth more in their bullpen than on the trade market.
- We are not completely sold that Jake McGee is ready. But with so many spots available, he is certainly close.
WHO’S OUT?
Sep 19
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: Reid Brignac. His 2-run home run in the 5th game the Rays the lead, and then he led off the 10th with a double. Jason Bartlett pinch-ran and would eventually score the winning run on a 2-out throwing error.
THE BAD: Postgame Concerts: If there is a downside to the postgame concerts it is that some of these shows will attract non-sports fans. And when that happens, the Rays will get a late-arriving crowd in which 5-10K people won’t start filtering into The Trop until the 7th inning and have no interest whatsoever in the game…Steinbrenner Monument. Tomorrow’s game time has been pushed back to 7:35 due to a pre-game ceremony unveiling George Steinbrenner’s plaque in Monument Park at Replica Yankee Stadium. Anybody think it is a coincidence that the Yankees waited until they were playing the Rays?
THE TELLING: Scott Kazmir will start today for the Angels. This will be his first start at Tropicana Field as an opposing player…Mike Ekstrom was recalled from Durham following last night’s game…According to CoolStandings.com the Rays have a 99.9% chance at making the playoffs.
WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays are 89-58 one-half game behind the Yankees (tied in the loss column and the Rays hold the tie-breaker) and 7.5 games ahead of the Red Sox in the Wild Card (8 in the loss column). After 147 games in 2008, the Rays were 88-59.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- The Durham Bulls season ended on Friday night when they lost game 4 of the Governor’s Cup Finals. [Indy week]
- It sure looks like winning the division is much more important to the Rays than it is to the Yankees. [Tampa Tribune]
- Justin Bieber does seem much more appropriate for “DJ Kitty.” [TAUNTR]
- SBN Tampa Bay makes the case for Dan Johnson on the postseason roster. [SBN Tampa Bay]
- Rob Bradford of WEEI makes a case for the Red Sox signing Carl Crawford this offseason. One interesting quote from Crawford in the piece: “I feel like if I didn’t have to run as much my offense would be better.“ [WEEI]
- This week Read the rest of this entry »
Sep 08
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. King David picked up his 17th win, a Rays record (ties the franchise record) and lowered his ERA to 2.87. With CC Sabathia getting pounded by the Orioles at home, Price might have just snuck back into the CY Young race. And he did it in dominating fashion, hitting 100 with one of his fastballs and averaging 97.3 for his 46 4-seemers. And knowing he had a dominant fastball, he didn’t mess around. Of his 95 pitches, 79 were fastballs…Power. This Rays offense can be downright pathetic when everybody goes cold at the same time. But they can also be world-beaters when the offense is clicking. Last night they clicked to the tune of 5 home runs. The biggest was Ben Zobrist’s 2-run blast in the 3rd that tied the game and seemed to help the Rays relax…Carl Crawford. For the 8th time this season (most in MLB) CC had 4 hits. And for the first time in his career, he had 3 doubles in 1 game.
THE BAD: Early Price. If David Price has a flaw, it is his first inning struggles where he has a 3.81 ERA (only the 7th inning is higher). He also has 19 walks in his 26 first-innings. And last night was no exception as both Red Sox runs came in the first (1 earned).
THE TELLING: Mike Ekstrom has been recalled from Durham…According to CoolStandings.com the Rays have a 97.8% chance of making the playoffs. The Red Sox are at 1.1%…If the Rays go just 12-12 in the final 24 games, they will finish 96-66. To tie, the White Sox would have to go 19-5…The Rays magic number to clinch the Wild Card is 18 with 24 to go.
WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays are 84-54, 1.5 games behind the Yankees (1 in the loss column) and 7 games ahead of the White Sox in the Wild Card. After 138 games in 2008, the Rays were 85-53.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- David Price on his 17th win (Video). [The Heater]
- Jim Hickey on David Price: “He’s really, really good, but he can be really, really better. I’m not exaggerating.” Ed Price writes about how Price is just “scratching the surface.” [Fanhouse]
- If you thought Joe Maddon was done with his wild roadtrip clothing ideas, you’d be wrong. Marc Topkin introduces the “Loudmouth Pants Rowland Roadtrip.” [The Heater]
- Gordon Edes on the Red Sox: “Sox manager Terry Francona, ever the realist, symbolically pulled the plug on the 2010 season…” Francona will not pitch Clay Buccholz on 3 days rest as originally planned.[ESPN Boston]
- Jeff Niemann will make his next start. Wait until you read how
Read the rest of this entry »
Aug 24
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: Follow MFIKY, He Knows The Way. Rafael Soriano came in a shut down the Angels 1-2-3 in the 9th for his 38th save. But even more impressive was how he did it. 9 pitches. 3 strikeouts. He is the first pitcher to accomplish that feat this season…Bossman. BJ Upton stepped up to the plate against the guy that was his best friend on the Rays, Scott Kazmir. Upton didn’t waste any time, hitting the first pitch of the game for a home run…James the Better. Two runs and 8 hits got his pitch count up there (103) and he had to be pulled after 6 innings. But he did have his good stuff at times striking out 10 and walking just 1. His changeup spent a little too much time in the strikezone (20 of 25) but he did get 4 swinging strikes on the change. And that is what he needs to be successful…Chasing 95. The Rays now need only go 18-19 in their final 37 games to reach 95 wins. In the Wild Card era, every AL team that has won at least 95 games, went on to the playoffs.
THE BAD: Letting Kazmir Off The Hook. Once again the bats went cold. After getting 3 runs off of Scott Kazmir in the first, the Rays let the Angels off the hook, allowing Kaz to work into the 6th inning. In the Rays last 25 plate appearances, the Rays went 1-21 with 4 walks.
THE TELLING: The Rays magic number is 32 with 37 left to play…Mike Ekstrom was sent back to the minors to make room for Wade Davis who will start tonight…Evan Longoria was named AL Co-Player of the Week, sharing the award with Robinson Cano….For the first time this season, Joe Maddon used the same lineup for the 3rd consecutive game…Look for Manny Ramirez to be placed on waivers today by the Dodgers.
WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays are 77-48, tied with the Yankees for first place in the AL East. They are 5.5 games ahead of the Red Sox in the Wild Card (6 in the loss column). After 125 games in 2008, the Rays were 77-48.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Johnny Damon was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox, blocking the Rays from making a claim. But Damon does have a no-trade clause to Boston and is still deciding whether to accept the move. [The Heater]
- The best question to arise from the leaked MLB financial documents is: Read the rest of this entry »
