Time to bring back 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: Edwin Jackson. Nuke has a 2.60 ERA and a 35-to-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Wait. What? That’s not good? He is pitching for Detroit and the Rays are stuck with Andy Sonnanstine and Jeff Niemann and a David Price that can’t handle triple-A? What the….

THE BAD: Genius is fleeting. We could talk all about Andy Sonnanstine’s performance, but that is getting old. The Bad starts and ends with Joe Maddon. It was announced prior to the game that Pat Burrell would not start with stiffness in his neck but that he would be available to pinch hit. In the 9th inning with the Rays trailing by 2, a runner on first and 2 outs and a lefty on the mound , Maddon elected to allow Willy Aybar to bat with Burrell still sitting on the bench. Yes, with the game on the line, Maddon chose to go with the career backup over one of the best RBI guys in baseball. You want to go to a gun fight? Fine. But you can’t go down with one of your best bullets still in the chamber. Either Burrell is available or not. If he is, you use him. You don’t hope Aybar gets on. You use Burrell. We know Aybar is a good hitter. But there is a reason that Burrell is the starting DH and Aybar is not.

THE TELLING: The Rays are 9-6 against the Sox and Yankees but are only 2-4 against the Orioles. They were 15-3 against the O’s last year…Evan Longoria had another RBI last night to give him 45 through 34 games. That is the most since Roy Campanella had 47 in 1953. Campanella won the MVP that season.

SUNBURST PLAYER OF THE GAME: Evan Longoria. On base 3 times, and drove in his 45th run, literally seconds after the Orioles TV announcers said it would be difficult for Longo to maintain his RBI pace.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Around the second inning last night we got about half-dozen emails and comments abut the Rays radio broadcast. Turns out we got a nice little shout-out from Andy Freed and Dave Wills during Ben Zobrist’s first at bat in the second inning, in which they plug our new “Zorilla” t-shirt. Does this mean that we have to pay them a commission?

• Shawn Riggans does not need surgery on his shoulder, but he will be out for another month. [The Heater]
• Jeff Niemann made some changes to his mechanics in an effort to help keep his pitches down. [Tampa Tribune]
• Marc Topkin has a nice piece on Evan Longoria and how he has become one of the best players in baseball. [St. Pete Times]
• Joe Maddon was honored on Tuesday morning at the Pennsylvania State Capitol. [MLB]
• Rays the Stakes wants to know why Carlos Pena was on the bench Sunday night. [Rays the Stakes]

Time to bring back 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

No GBT today as we are a little under the weather. Comments are back on line so feel free to leave your GBTs there and of course we will be restarting the “Sunburst PoG” tomorrow.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• The Rays traded Adam Kennedy to the A’s for minor leaguer Joe Dillon. Kennedy was originally invited to spring training on a minor league deal but did not make the team out of spring training and accepted an assignment to Durham. Dillon is a 33-year old journeyman minor leaguer that has played  122 games in parts of 3 seasons with the Marlins and Brewers. [Yahoo! Sports]
• Joe Maddon called Scott Kazmir’s performance from Saturday “very positive” and Kazmir said he was doing a better job of repeating his mechanics. [St. Pete Times]
• Both the Rays and Scott Kazmir want to make it clear, there is nothing wrong with Kazmir’s arm. [St. Pete Times]
• Pat Burrell got a little spooked last night by a Big Baby. [Sox and Dawgs]
• In case you missed it in the early edition, Shawn Riggans had his rehab assignment cut short and will visit Dr. James Andrews, which is never a good sign. [Montgomery Advertiser]
• Carl Crawford tied the Rays franchise record for career RBI. [The Heater]
• The shoes Carl Crawford wore on the day he tied the record for 6 steals in one game were sent to the Hall-of-Fame and just happened to be added to the Rays exhibit on the day Ricky Henderson was being given a tour. [MLB]
• Speaking of shoes, it took a protest from Joe Nelson, whose mom is a breast cancer survivor, in order for the Rays to be able to wear the pink-accented shoes last night because the original charity of choice was not sanctioned by MLB. [Tampa Tribune]
• Jesse Spector interviewed Gabe Kapler for the New York Daily News about some of the “best” things in his life. [Daily News]
• It is fun to look at what kind of pace players are on this time of year. Nobody thinks it will happen, but it is interesting to point out that Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena are on pace to break the record for most RBI by a pair of teammates. The record is 347 but a couple of guys you may have heard of, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. [Baseball Musings]
• The campaign manager for one of the mayoral candidates has been fired for handing out Rays tickets. [St. Pete Times]
• The Rays are #8 in the latest Yahoo! Sports power rankings. [Yahoo!]
• In the MSN Travel Guide Tampa comes in at #2 for the “Best Destinations for Summer 2009,” and attending a Rays game is given as one of the reasons. (thanks Sarah) [MSN Travel]
• Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune notes that Delmon Young and Brendan Harris are starting to contribute for the Twins and the oft-talked about trade may not end up as lopsided as it has appeared. [Minneapolis Star-Tribune]

Durham 4, Gwinnett 3. James Houser allowed 3 runs (2 earned) in 5.1 innings…Justin Ruggiano (7), Matt Joyce (4) and Ray Sadler (3) homered for the Bulls. Joyce was 2-4 and is now hitting .330…Reid Brignac was 1-4 and committed his 7th error.

Montgomery (no game scheduled).

Charlotte (no game scheduled).

Bowling Green (no game scheduled).

Notes from Down on the Farm…

• Shawn Riggans had his rehab stint in Montgomery come to an early end after he once again experience pain in his shoulder. He is now scheduled to Dr. James Andrews today. [Montgomery Advertiser]
• On this week’s “Prospect Hot Sheet,” Matt Moore, part of that next wave of top prospect pitchers in the Rays system, comes in at #11 and Desmond Jennings receives honorable mention. On the other hand, David Price is on the “Not-So Hot Sheet.” [Baseball America]

In an organization overflowing with prospects, Moore could easily get lost in any conversation. But he’s hard not to notice lately. The Rays’ eighth-round pick from the 2007 draft, Moore won the Rookie-level Appalachian League’s ERA title last summer and is starting to pick up steam after shaking off some erratic command issues. He issued 16 walks in April, but is narrowing that figure while bumping up his strikeouts. By the way, he has a .151 opponent’s average for the season.

• Jeremy Hellickson is hoping to return to the mound on May 23. [Montgomery Advertiser]
• Desmond Jennings was 5-6 in Friday’s game. [MiLB]
• Wade Davis allowed 3 runs in 5 innings on Friday. [MiLB]
• Carlos Hernandez struck out 5 in 6 scoreless innings on Saturday. Justin Ruggiano was 3-4 with 3 home runs and 4 RBI. [MiLB]

Charlotte 10, Durham 2. Last night may have been David Price’s worst start yet. In 4 innings, Prince David allowed 4 runs on 6 hits and 5 walks. He did not strike out a batter. Of his 79 pitches only 39 were strikes. In 24.2 innings, covering 6 starts, Price has a strikeout to walk ratio of 21 to 16 and an ERA of 4.74…Chad Orvella got roughed up for 6 runs in 2 innings. He has now allowed 17 runs in his last 4 appearances…Matt Joyce was 2-4 with a double and is now hitting .329…Reid Brignac was not in the lineup.

Birmingham 9, Montgomery 2. Heath Rollins dropped to 2-2 after giving up 6 runs in 4.2 innings…Desmond Jennings was 0-4 with a walk and is now hitless in the past 2 games…Jason Perry homered in just his second game since being plucked from an independent league. Perry, a left-handed hitting outfielder appeared in 4 games with the Braves last season.

Charlotte 11, Palm Beach 5. Jesse Darcy gave up 3 runs in 4 innings…Shawn O’Malley was 3-5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI…Matt Fields had 3 hits including a 3-run home run, his league leading 6th.

Augusta 2, Bowling Green 1. Matt Moore struck out 9 in 4.2 innings, allowing 1 run on 3 hits and 3 walks. He has now struck out 38 in 25.1 innings…Tim Beckham got the night off.

Notes from Down on the Farm…

• We still don’t know much else on Jeremy Hellickson’s injury other than he has officially gone on the DL. In and of itself, that means little, as we already knew Hellboy would miss one start and the minor league DL is only 7 days. [Biscuit Crumbs]
• Shawn Riggans was pulled early from his first rehab start after getting hit with a foul ball. [Biscuit Crumbs]

Durham 8, Charlotte 2. James Houser picked up his first win, giving up 2 runs in 5 innings. He struck out 4 and walked 1…Jason Isringhausen made his second appearance with Durham allowing 2 hits in 1 inning…Reid Brignac homered, his second, and walked in 5 plate appearances…Adam Kennedy was 2-4 with a walk to raise his average to .295 and Matt Joyce was 2-3 with a double and 2 walks and now has an OBP of .429…Justin Ruggiano hit a 3-run home run and drove in 4.

Montgomery. Jeremy Hellickson was pulled after 2 innings with an injury (see below)…Desmond Jennings was 2-3 with a triple and a pair of sac flys. He drove in 3, but was caught stealing. He is now hitting .402. We sure hope Jon Weber isn’t too comfortable with his starting job in Durham…Shawn Riggans made his first rehab start, playing 5 innings behind the plate and going 1-2 with a walk and an RBI.

Charlotte 6, Jupiter 0. Darin Downs pitched 8 shutout innings to improve to 5-0 with a 1.34 ERA. He struck out 6 and walked none…Matt Hall hit a 3-run home run in the 3rd that put Charlotte up for good.

Rome 6, Bowling Green 4 (gm 1). Frank de los Santos gave up 5 runs (2 earned) in 3.1 innings…Tim Beckham was 2-3 with a triple and 2 RBI.

Bowling Green 3, Rome 2 (gm 2). Joe Cruz struck out 7 and walked none in 4.1 scoreless innings…Tim Beckham was 2-4 with a 2-run home run, his second. He is hitting .307.

Notes from Down on the Farm…

• Jeremy Hellickson suffered a mild sprain in his throwing shoulder and had to be removed after 2 innings. He is expected to only miss one start. Hellboy said that he just felt a little discomfort on a pickoff attempt and that it “feels good now.” He will be reevaluated in a few days. [Montgomery Advertiser]
• Shawn Riggans is expected to DH today, catch 5 innings on Thursday and 7 innings on Saturday. Riggans is hopeful to be promoted in time to start Sunday at Fenway. [Montgomery Advertiser]
• Triangle Offense takes a closer look at Dale Thayer and his status as a prospect. [Triangle Offense]

Time to bring back 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: Evan Longoria. Hit his 8th home run in the first inning.

THE BAD: Scott Kazmir. It is never the home run that kills you. It is the walk, or in this case, the walks (2) before the home run…Joe Maddon’s Faith In Joe Nelson. We are not sure what Maddon saw in Nelson in the 7th inning that convinced him that Nelson was a good choice for the 8th inning. Maybe it was the walk or the double or the stolen bases…Carlos Pena. He must have left his gold glove at home as he committed 2 errors in a game for the first time since 2003…Dioner Navarro. We appreciate that he is trying to help, but is he so lost that he won’t even try to get a basehit? It seems like he is bunting every time up…BJ Upton. Amazingly, Navarro doesn’t even have the worst batting average in the lineup. That belongs to Bossman who is now hitting .152 after an 0-5…Grant Balfour. Maybe he was holding back in an 8-4 ballgame. But The Mad Australian’s velocity was once again down in the 90-92 range. He pitched 4 perfect outs last night, but this has to be worrisome moving forward.

THE TELLING: Pat Burrell had the day off after being hit in the ribs with a pitch on Sunday.

SUNBURST PLAYER OF THE GAME: Evan Longoria.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• We are mesmerized by this photo at Her Rays. It looks like four guys tried to set their own personal records at White Castle and then…we have no idea. Are they supposed to be superheros? Knights?  [Her Rays]
• Scott Kazmir isn’t happy with his mechanics…This is where we grow sour on Kaz. Most pitchers when their mechanics are off, they are missing their spots by an inch. A foul ball becomes a base hit. The occasional borderline pitch is a ball. When Kazmir’s mechanics are off, he is toilet and he doesn’t even look like a big league pitcher. [St. Pete Times]
• John Romano writes about the importance of the stolen base to the Rays and Joe Maddon comments about the statistical implications (something we addressed a while ago). [St. Pete Times]

“I know the sabermetrics, in regard to how ineffective base-stealing actually is, but I disagree because I don’t think you can evaluate the importance of it just based on if you’re successful or not,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “It’s about the mind-set. It’s about what you do to the other team, it’s about the better pitch you get as a hitter at a specific moment, it’s about the pressure applied on the defense, it’s about the error that you create, it’s about the extra bases you take. There are so many other ways to look at it…It is really generalizing one little bucket way too easily, and I never really agreed with that component of the numerical world.”

• Shawn Riggans will begin a rehab assignment with Montgomery this week. [Biscuit Crumbs]
• Evan Longoria was named AL Player of the Week for the second time this season. [The Heater]
• Buster Olney argues that Carl Crawford has a shot to reach 100 stolen bases. [ESPN]
• David Chalk defends the actions of Evan Longoria and Joe Maddon from Sunday’s game. [Bugs and Cranks]
• In the latest “Rank the Rays,” the Rays jumped up a couple of notches. [The Rays Party]
• Here is an interview of Rocco Baldelli for a Rhode Island newscast. [ABC6]
• Tampa Bay Rays Fan explains their selections for the “Trade Pool” contest. [Tampa Bay Rays Fan]

Welcome to the 1st Annual Tampa Bay Rays Trade Pool where we determine who is the best at predicting which members of the Rays organization will be traded this season (this contest is based loosely on the “Dead Pool“).

We have invited all members of the Tampa Bay Rays Blogosphere as as well as a couple of outside bloggers.

The Rules:

• Each blogger submitted a list of 5 players they believe have the greatest chance to be traded this season. All players in the organization are eligible.
• The bloggers ranked those 5 players, giving the highest rank (#1) to the player they think is most likely to be traded.
• If one of the players they chose is traded prior to the end of the season, that blogger will receive points based on where the blogger ranked the player. If Aki Iwamura is traded and a blogger has Aki ranked first, they will receive 5 points. If they have Aki ranked second, they will receive 4 points and so on.
• The blogger with the most points at the end of the season wins.
• We also want YOUR lists in the comments. Let’s see if you guys can beat the experts. And by “experts” we of course mean 11 people with too much free time on their hands.

Notes on the rankings can be found after the tables…

Notes on the rankings

• We have invited the individual bloggers to provide comments on their individual rankings in either the comments section here or on their own blogs. We will provide those links as they happen.
• The difficulty in these rankings is predicting whether the Rays will be “buyers” or “sellers” this season. If they are in the playoff hunt, they are more likely to trade prospects. If they fall off the pace they are more likely to try and move expensive veterans.
• Below we gave each player an MVP-style point total. That is, every time a player was given a rank of 1, we gave them 5 points. Every time a player was ranked 2nd, we gave them 4 points, and so on. This gives us a sense of which players the Blogosphere thinks is most likely to be traded.
• As we can see, Reid Brignac and Chad Bradford lead the way with the most first-place rankings (3), but Gabe Gross leads the way with 24 points total and is deemed the most likely to be traded by the group as a whole.
• Gabe Gross appeared on the most lists (7).
• 10 different players appeared on more than one list.

Thanks to all who chose to participate including…

• Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors
• Rays Prospects
• Her Rays
• Rays the Stakes (LINK to their ballot explanations)
  
• Tyler Hissey of Around the Majors
• Rise of the Rays
• Trop Talk
• Tampa Bay Rays Fan (LINK to their ballot explanations)
  
• The Rays Party (LINK to their ballot explanations)
  
• David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks
• Rays Revolutionary

Also, you might be asking “What does the winner receive?” We have no idea. Any suggestions?

Time to bring back 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: The Offense. 26 runs in last 2 games. Where was that in the first 2 games against the O’s? 17 hits and 8 walks. 6 different starters had at least 2 hits…BJ As Willie. Even more impressive than BJ Upton’s over the shoulder catch at the wall was how easy he made it look. It was as if he was playing catch in the backyard. We are still in awe…BJ As Ricky.7 stolen base attempts in 3 rehab games. 2 steals in the first inning of his first game of the season. What is his over/under now? 60?…Bartlett’s Big Blast. Wait. Did Jason Bartlett just hit a home run in his second straight game? After only 1 last year? Those 2 home runs raised his career total by 16.7% to 14…Carlos Pena. The grand slam was great, but we loved his double even more as it was to right center indicating that he wasn’t trying to pull it down the line…Scott Kazmir. He kept his pitch count in check (only 71 through 5) and worked into the 7th inning for the first time since last July 21, a span of 20 starts (including playoffs).

THE BAD: No Bads last night. We won’t even mention Gabe Gross getting thrown out between first and second on his single in the first with a runner on third and only 1 out, which likely cost the Rays a run. Nope. Won’t mention it….But we will mention that Gabe Kapler struck out against Nick Swisher. Yes, that Nick Swisher. The fielder. Gabe Kapler, you are dead to us.

THE TELLING: Just when you thought the evening couldn’t get any better, the Red Sox got smoked by the A’s 8-2 and fell to 2-5…The Yankees were forced to get 6 innings from their bullpen (Nick Swisher worked the 8th) without a true long reliever on the roster. With AJ Burnett going tonight, the Yankees need at least 7 innings, so look for the Rays to take a few more pitches than normal…After contemplating a start for Ben Zobrist in right field, Joe Maddon went with Gabe Gross.

SUNBURST PLAYER OF THE GAME: Carlos Pena. BJ Upton was on base 4 times and stole 2 bases and made one of the most amazing catches you will ever see. Pat Burrell hit his first home run as a Ray and Scott Kazmir is back as he worked into the 7th inning. But 6 ribbies are 6 ribbies. And it was Pena’s grand slam in the 2nd that got the Fat Lady singing.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• One of the all-time greats passed away yesterday. Harry Kalas, father of the Rays’ Todd Kalas died after collapsing in the broadcast booth. Our thoughts go out to the Kalas family. We will absolutely miss him. [MLB]
• We have updated the Cork-Board in the sidebar with the most common lineups used so far as well as a number of additions to the minor league DL.
• Shawn Riggans has been placed on the DL with shoulder tendinitis. Michel Hernandez has been recalled from Durham. [Rays Report]
• Tony Fabrizio was with Stuart Sternberg when BJ Upton made his catch and Joe Maddon says it is going to take Upton a while to grow into his new role and compares him to Ricky Henderson. [Tampa Tribune]
• Evan Longoria was named the AL Player of the Week. [MLB]
• Last night the Rays raised their championship banners. Boy those look nice hanging from the rafters. [MLB]
• One of Stuart Sternberg’s main goals for the season is to be league average in attendance. That was 2.6 million last season. [Tampa Tribune]
• Does this mean that Vince Naimoli has written a book called “Let the Truth Be Known”? [YouTube]
• Apparently Orioles fans fear the Cowbell. [Bugs and Cranks]
• Jeff Niemann was named the top rookie of spring training. [Biscuit Crumbs]
• Tonight’s game is also a sellout. [The Heater]
• Jason Isringhausen is scheduled to throw two innings today in an extended spring game, but says he is “not getting anything out of facing high school kids.” [St. Pete Times]

Time to bring back 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: The Garza Complex. You hold the Red Sox to 1 run in 7 innings at Fenway, that is always good. But he did struggle at times, walking 3 and needing 22 pitches to survive the first. We were impressed that he managed to make it through 7…Matt Joyce. Boy, that kid has a swing that was born to hit home runs, and yesterday he hit his first for the Rays. Might he earn a start against a lefty?…Carl Crawford. Stellar defense all-around. We have been hard on CC because he doesn’t have the best arm in the world, but we have always said he is one of the best from the time the ball leaves the bat, until the time it reaches his glove. He made two great running grabs, one each way yesterday…Defensive Shifts. We are all familiar with Joe Maddon’s shifts against lefties, but what about the shift yesterday against Mike Lowell in which he lined out right to Aki iwamura who was standing behind second base. With a runner on third, that shift saved a run.

THE BAD: Heartburn. As in that is what Troy Percival gives us every time he steps on the mound. He got the job done, but why can’t it ever be easy?…Umpiring. For the second time this series an automatic ball was called on the Rays starting pitcher for putting his hand to his mouth while on the mound. Yes, it is a rule that the pitcher must ask permission to do so. But in years past, it was just assumed that permission had been granted on cold days. It appears as though this is a point of emphasis this season in MLB to make sure pitchers start asking. Let’s hope this doesn’t turn into the balk-circus that occurred back in 1988, in which 26 kazillion balks were called as umpires were told to abide by the letter of the law…Missed RBI. The Rays stranded a small army yesterday on the basepaths, including 4 separate innings in which a runner was stranded at third.

THE TELLING: This was the first opening-series loss by the Red Sox since 1988, and it was the first opening series win by the Rays since 2002…Shawn Riggans may soon become Matt Garza’s personal catcher. Riggans was the catcher when Garza 1-hit the Marlins last season and he was the catcher when Garza threw a 2-hit shutout against the Rangers…Rain is in the forecast for Baltimore this evening.

SUNBURST PLAYER OF THE GAME: Evan Longoria. We know that yesterday we said that a strong pitching performance at Fenway gets your name here, but it did seem that part of Matt Garza’s “good” was luck as 43 of his 106 pitches were balls. And we did not like when he appeared to be worried about his pitch count in the 6th and instead of wasting a pitch, he grooved an 0-2 fastball that turned into an RBI triple. No, Longo is the one, literally. Another home run. Another double. Three more hits. But what we loved the most was the defensive play he made in the 9th, when he saved Percival’s arse. And the best part was how the crowd was chanting “M-V-P” for Dustin Pedroia when the play was made by Longoria. Foreshadowing of things to come?

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• We are once again running the “Down on the Farm” segment, looking at the Rays minor league affiliates. That post has its own “Webtopia” for minor league news. It will run daily in the AM, just before “The Hangover.” If you missed today’s, it can be found below this post.
• A new Rays blog. Go on over and welcome them to the neighborhood. [TheDevilSlips]
• “It doesn’t have to be an oil painting to be successful.” Joe Maddon on Troy Percival. [Tampa Tribune]
• Joe Maddon says there is “some kind of mental vibe” going on between Matt Garza and Shawn Riggans and Marc Topkin points out that Garza works well with Riggans because Riggans offers Garza a lower target. [St. Pete Times]
• We forgot to mention this a couple of days ago, but now that Matt Joyce has hit a home run, maybe it is a little safer today…When we first saw that Edwin Jackson was the Tigers #2 starter, our first reaction was to bet the under on the win total. Then we saw his first start and we thought, yep, could have seen that coming. A 1-hit shutout through 7, left after 8 having allowed only 1 run on 2 hits. [Detroit Free-Press]
• In their own unique way, Babes Love Baseball previews the Tampa Bay Rays. [Babes Love Baseball]
• Tim Brown keeps the Rays in the top spot in his latest power rankings…Normally we are a little more cautious (some would say pessimistic), but if the three best team in baseball reside in the AL East and the Yankees just lost 2 to the O’s and the Rays took 2 of 3 at Fenway, then it is hard to argue at this point. [Yahoo! Sports]
• Marc Lancaster has the Summer concert series schedule. [Rays Report]

With the Rays fighting for their first division title early last September, Shawn Riggans underwent a knee surgery that was to sideline him for 2-4 weeks. Our biggest concern at the time was whether Riggans would be back in time for the playoffs (he wasn’t). What we didn’t realize at the time, was just how serious Riggans’ injury really was. How serious? Life threatening.

What appeared to be a simple bruise incurred while blocking a ball in the dirt on a Sunday afternoon in Toronto had by Tuesday in Boston become an infection with the potential to do serious damage to his leg – or worse…The Rays’ medical staff immediately noted the turn Riggans had taken, failing to respond to oral antibiotics they hoped would do the trick after the initial signs of an infection emerged, and decided to put him on a plane home to Tampa on Wednesday morning, Sept. 10. He underwent surgery to clean out the infection that had developed around the bursa sac in his right knee that afternoon…”It could have really turned ugly,” Riggans said. “It could have been a life-threatening situation had I not gotten there when I did.”…A delay of even 24 additional hours could easily have led to permanent tissue damage, and as it was Riggans had to spend four days cheering on his teammates from a hospital bed.

We have commented previously about how we were surprised the Rays didn’t bring a veteran catcher into camp to at least push Riggans for the backup job. Now that we know Diesel stared death in the face and won we have discovered a new level of respect for a player that plays the one position we judge the hardest.

Riggans Eager To Get Back Behind The Dish [Tampa Tribune]