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: DL Management. We like to tease them, but does any team work the DL as a roster spot as well as the Rays? Needing a roster spot for Carlos Pena and not wanting to risk Dan Johnson or Gabe Kapler on waivers or going with a short bullpen, Kapler walked into the trainers room and came out with a sprained ankle and a trip to the DL…David Price. King David went toe-to-toe with the guy many consider the best pitcher in the AL and held his own. He lasted only 6 innings, but held the Rangers to 2 runs and struck out 8. He did struggle with his control at times, but his fastball averaged 96 mph and he picked up 13 swinging strikes on that pitch alone…Top of the Lineup. With the Rays trailing 4-2 in the 8th, the top 5 guys in the lineup went a combined 4-5 in the inning and scored 4 runs to put the Rays ahead for good.

THE BAD: Luck o’ the Rays. The Rays seemed to get some lucky bounces last night. None luckier than Benjie Molina’s weight and warning track power. Twice Molina missed home runs late in the game by inches. The second came in the 8th and he ended up with a single and did not score…The Brayser. From Marc Topkin’s Twitter account we get the image above which is what the Rays will be wearing on the next roadtrip.

THE TELLING: Both Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann had successful bullpen sessions yesterday and are on track to return next week…The Rays are now 3-0 this season when Cliff Lee starts for the opposing team. The Wild Card winner will likely have to face the Rangers and Lee in the ALDS…If the Rays play .500 the rest of the way (22-22), they will finish 94-68. The Red Sox would have to play 11 over (27-16) just to tie.

WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays are 72-46, tied with the Yankees in the East and 5.5 games ahead of the Red Sox in the Wild Card (6 in the loss column). After 118 games in 2008, the Rays were 71-47.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • The Rays signed left-handed pitcher Bobby Livingston to a minor league deal. He last appeared in the majors with the Reds in 2007, making 10 starts. He posted a 5.27 ERA that season.
  • David Price talks about last night’s performance (Video). [The Heater]
  • The pitching injuries continue to mount
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