Marc Topkin reports that the Rays activated Gabe Kapler from the DL following tonight’s game. To make room for Kapler, the Rays designated Hank Blalock for assignment, in all likelihood ending his brief stint with the Rays.

Blalock hit .254 with just 1 home run in 26 games (63 at bats) with the Rays.

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

Diamondbacks 2, Rays 1

THE GOOD: Wade Davis. Nice strong start from Big Dub. The 7.1 innings was his longest outing of the year and only the second time he has worked into the 8th inning this season.

THE BAD: Where are the Bats? Sometimes good teams get no-hit. It’s rare, but it happens. What good teams don’t do is get 7 hits in a 3-game series against a last place team. In total, the Rays went 7-81 (.086) in route to losing their 5th straight series. Some of the blame can be placed on luck as every time the Rays hit the ball hard, it seemed to be drawn right to a player’s glove. Still, luck can’t explain it all. This team just cannot hit right now. We are not ready to blame Derek Shelton. For one thing, the influence of the hitting coach at the big league level is overrated. And for all the struggles, the offense is still 4th in the AL in OPS. That being said, the Rays need to find more consistency from the bats..BJ Upton. If you missed it yesterday, Upton nonchalantly jogged after a ball as it rolled to the wall turning a routine double into a triple. That led to some stern words from Evan Longoria to which Upton reacted by absolutely losing his sh*t in the dugout and having to be restrained by Willy Aybar. He followed that up by getting picked off of first base for the 7 millionth time in his career. And with all the energy he exerted in the field and on the basepaths, Upton’s try for a walk-off 2-run home run in the bottom of the 9th came up a few feet short. Or maybe Upton just has warning track power after all.

THE TELLING: All players in the starting lineup went with the high-cuffed pants and striped stirrups…Dioner Navarro is expected to make his debut with Durham tonight.

WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays are 44-31, 3 games behind the Yankees in the East and 1 game behind the Red Sox in the Wild Card. After 75 games in 2008, the Rays were also 44-31.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Joe Maddon says it is “60-40″ that Carl Crawford will be able to DH in Boston tomorrow. But CC’s return to the outfield is less clear after he aggravated his shoulder sliding on Friday night…also Gabe Kapler is expected to be activated from the DL tomorrow and Marc Topkin wonders if the Rays will let Hank Blalock go rather than demote Matt Joyce. [St. Pete Times]
• Evan Longoria on yesterday’s incident: “It’s just a couple of guys that are frustrated with the way they are playing…it’s already buried” (VIDEO). [The Heater]
• The St. Pete Times has a timeline of BJ Upton’s brainfarts…And to be clear, we have never thought Upton was “lazy.” We just think he occasionally loses focus in critical situations. [St. Pete Times]
• Marc Topkin says it is still too early to judge the Edwin Jackson-Matt Joyce trade. [St. Pete Times]
• Michael Kruse writes about the tricky situation the Rays find themselves in with the stadium situation. It’s a good read, and not just because we were interviewed for the story. [St. Pete Times]
• Will Kline, the Rays second-round pick in 2007 missed all of the 2008 and 2009 seasons. And now he won’t play in 2010 either after suffering a torn rotator cuff. [Biscuit Crumbs]
• Rise of the Rays comes to the defense of BJ Upton. [Rise of the Rays]
• Ken Rosenthal speculates that Carl Crawford could sign with the Rangers this winter. [Fox Sports]
• Durham manager Charlie Montoyo will join Jeremy Hellickson and Desmond Jennings at the Futures Game during the all-star break. Montoyo was named as a member of the coaching staff. [Biscuit Crumbs]
• Pitcher Josh Satow and 3B Henry Wrigley have been promoted to double-A Montgomery.
• The News & Observer spoke with Dan Johnson and manager Charlie Montoyo about the slugger’s chances at making it back to the big leagues. [News&Observer]
• Rays Prospects is accepting votes for the Rays minor league mid-season all-stars. [Rays Prospects]
• The Times Herald-Record interviewed Rays roving instructor Matt Quatraro. [Times Herald-Record]
• Here is a good read on an usher at The Trop that has been going to baseball games for over 60 years and just witnessed his first no-hitter. [JordiScrubbings.com]

DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Check out Rays Prospects for boxscores and more detailed recaps. [Rays Prospects]
• DURHAM: Heath Phillips worked 6 innings and gave up 2 runs (1 earned), striking out 5 and walking 2…Desmond Jennings went 2-5 with a double and his 18th stolen base…Fernando Perez was 2-4 and hit his 3rd home run.
• MONTGOMERY: Alex Torres struck out 6, but lasted only 4 innings as his pitch count reached 89. He allowed 2 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks…Leslie Anderson went 2-4 and is now 22-75 (.293) since being promoted to double-A…Matt Sweeney was 1-4 with a double. He is hitting 25-119 (.210) since being promoted.
• CHARLOTTE: Matt Moore struck out 11 in 6 innings, walking just 2. He allowed 2 runs on 5 hits…Reid Fronk had 2 of the Stone Crabs’ 3 hits…Tim Beckham was 0-3 with a strikeout.
• BOWLING GREEN: Wilking Rodriguez gave up 6 runs, but all 6 were unearned. He gave up 7 hits, walked 1, hit 2 batters and threw a wild pitch in just 4 innings…Tyler Bortnick went 2-3 with a double and his 6th home run.
• HUDSON VALLEY: Omar Bencomo made his second start and allowed 3 runs in 4.2 innings. He struck out 3…Derek Dietrich was 1-4 with a double.
• PRINCETON: Enny Romero struck out 7 and gave up 1 run on just 2 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings…Bryan Fogle hit his first home run of the year.

Joe Maddon had some strong words on Matt Joyce’s recent domination of triple-A…

“He’s pounding on the door pretty loudly right now,” Maddon said. “So we’re paying attention.”

So the Rays have taken notice of Joyce’s production (.343 in 18 games, 7-16 vs LHP), but is there room for Joyce at the big league level?

What is interesting is that the Rays had a plan before the season and all indications were that a spot on the 25-man roster was Joyce’s to lose. But then he got hurt. And then the Rays promoted Hank Blalock.

So the question is: Is Blalock any better than Joyce? Certainly Joyce can duplicate Blalock’s .250/.304/.346. And certainly Joyce has a better shot at being a part of the Rays future than Blalock.

So why keep Blalock?

The only reason would seem to be that if Joyce is promoted, Blalock would have to be let go. With Blalock, the Rays can hoard both players, and the Rays do like to horde players.

But if Joyce is a better option than Blalock, and the Rays are set on winning this year, then keeping Blalock just for the sake of keeping him, seems kinda silly.

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: Joe Maddon. With the Rays trailing by 2, Carlos Pena struck out looking for the second out even though he attempted to call time before the pitch. Joe Maddon then came out of the dugout and conducted one of the best, most entertaining manager arguments we have ever seen. After arguing with home plate umpire Angel Hernandez and dropping several F-bombs, he was ejected. JoeMa then turned and ran towards third base ump Joe West. Maddon was pointing at West and yelling “this is your f*cking fault!” West was genuinely confused and Maddon kept yelling “yeah, this is your f*cking fault!” Maddon was blaming West because of comments West had made earlier in the season about speeding up the game. And JoeMa picked this moment to let West exactly how he felt about those comments. Classic. And amazingly, after the ejection, 8 of the next 12 pitches were balls, several of which were very close. That loaded the bases before Sean Rodriguez cleared them with a go-ahead double…Sean Rodriguez. He finally did something big. He’s finally a real Ray! Arod’d.

THE BAD: Rafael Soriano. He got the job done in the bottom of the 9th, but not before he made our heart stop momentarily. With a runner on base and 2 outs, Vernon Wells missed a game-tying home run by about 2 feet when his linedrive hit off the top of the wall. The Jays would score one, but no more…Reid Brignac. Not his best game as a pro. The runner that scored in the 9th reached base via his throwing error. That followed a missed double-play in which he was ruled too far from the bag on the turn and 3 strikeouts at the plate…Stress. This was easily the most stressful game of the year to date. It was so stressful I shit a squirrel. And now I’ve got this shit-covered squirrel running around the house. I think I’ll name it Pat the Squirrel.

THE TELLING: With Jason Bartlett out, Joe Maddon’s “surprise” leadoff hitter was BJ Upton. We like it, but that’s not much of a surprise…Of Matt Joyce’s 58 plate appearances this season, only 4 have come against left-handed pitchers. In other words, he will never be more than a platoon player with the Rays…PECOTA gives the Rays an 84.1% chance of making the playoffs. CoolStandings.com says it is 77.7%.

WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays are 35-18 and lead the Yankees by 2.5 games in the East and the Blue Jays by 4.5 in the Wild Card. After 53 games in 2008, the Rays were 32-21.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Here is video of Joe Maddon’s ejection. [Pro Rumors]
• Joe Maddon called last night’s game a “big win” and said about the ejection that he was making a stand “for all teams” (video). [The Heater]
• Joe West defended Angel Hernandez’ decision after the game. [The Heater]
• Joe Maddon said there is now a “50-50″ chance that Jason Bartlett ends up on the DL due to his sore hamstring. [The Heater]
• Evan Longoria still has a comfortable lead at third base in the AL All-Star voting. Carl Crawford fell to third among outfielders and Pat Burrell fell to fifth among DHs. [MLB]
• Hank Blalock will start working out in the outfield. He has never played the outfield at any level. [St. Pete Times]
• John Romano writes about the upcoming draft in which the Rays have 6 of the top 100 picks. [St. Pete Times]
• Tony Fabrizio calls the upcoming draft “important.” Andrew Friedman says this year’s draft “is probably void of depth with really significant-type prospects. [Rays Report]
• Tom Buehring of Bay News 9 had a sit-down with Andrew Friedman about the early part of the season (video). [Bay News 9]
• The Rays have partnered with the Sagicor Life Insurance company to start the “Rays Kids Spirits” program to support children at All Childrens Hospital. [PR Newswire]

DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Check out “The Rundown” from Rays Prospects for boxscores and more detailed recaps. [Rays Prospects]
• DURHAM: Aneury Rodriguez allowed 5 hits and walked 4 while striking out 4. Four of those runners scored…Matt Joyce was 1-4 with a walk…Kelly Shoppach went 1-4…Desmond Jennings once again batted 7th. This time he was 0-3 with his 12th stolen base…Justin Ruggiano had 2 hits and stole 4 bases.
• MONTGOMERY: David Newmann struck out 8 and walked just 1 in 5 innings. He did give up 10 hits and 4 runs.
• CHARLOTTE: Joe Cruz gave up 1 run on 5 hits and 3 walks in 6 innings. He struck out 5…Tim Beckham went 1-4 with a walk…Leslie Anderson hit his 3rd home run in 18 games.
• BOWLING GREEN: Kyle Lobstein allowed just 1 run on 2 hits and 2 walks in 6-plus innings. He struck out 5. The first hit off of Lobstein did not come until the lead off hitter in the 7th. Only two batters reached base (walk, error) in the first 6 innings…Ryan Wiegand homered twice and drove in 5 runs. It was his 5th 2-hit game in the past 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 GOOD: John Jaso. With Evan Logngoria getting the day off, Jaso batted third and the Rays didn’t miss a beat. Jaso went 2-4 with a 2-run home run that tied the game and 4 GTMIs…Ben Zobrist. With Jason Bartlett getting the day off, Zobrist led off and was on base 3 times. For all of his early “struggles” Zobrist now has 5 multi-hit games in the last 6 and is hitting .309 with a .385 OBP, or about exactly where we would expect him to be…Hank Blalock. Blalock got the start at third and hit his first home run with the Rays…Joaquin Benoit. In his last 3 appearances, Benoit has faced 9 batters. He struck out all 9 including 3 in the 6th inning yesterday. Since being promoted, he has retired 23 of the 26 batters he has faced.

THE BAD: David Price. The Rays have dominated this season with big innings offensively and by their pitchers avoiding big innings. Price put the Rays in a big hole early by giving up 4 runs in the first. In the inning, the Astros batted around with 3 hits and 3 walks. The big blow was a 3-run home run by Pedro Feliz.

THE TELLING: The cap above is what the Rays will be wearing next Monday (Memorial Day), and on the 4th of July…Evan Longoria had the day off ending a streak of 131 consecutive games played. Hank Blalock started at third base…The Rays 6-game lead is the largest in franchise history surpassing the 5.5-game lead on August 31, 2008,

WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays are 32-12, with a 6-game lead in the East over the Yankees and a 7-game lead over the Tigers and Blue Jays in the Wild Card. After 44 games in 2008, the Rays were 25-19.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• A correction to a comment we made on Saturday. Dioner Navarro does have one option remaining and can be sent down without having to clear waivers (thanks Marc).
• John Jaso talks about his big day on Sunday (video). [The Heater]
• Tony Fabrizio writes about the suddenly surging Red Sox. [Rays Report]
• The BuildItDowntownTampa group has its eyes on two tracts of land in downtown Tampa for a new stadium. [Tampa Tribune]
• We’re still not sure if this comic makes us feel better or worse about the perfect game. [ArcaMax]
• Dock of the Rays made an appearance in Houston this weekend and has the pictures to prove it. [Dock of the Rays]
• The top 10 moments in the Rays-Red Sox rivalry. [WEEI]
• Rise of the Rays argues for a 6-man rotation. [Rise of the Rays]
• Murray Chass writes about the Rays rise to the top of baseball. [Murray Chass...On Baseball]
• John Romano writes about Dan Johnson, as he waits in triple-A for another shot with the Rays. [St. Pete Times]

DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Check out “The Rundown” from Rays Prospects for boxscores and more detailed recaps. [Rays Prospects]
• DURHAM: Aneury Rodriguez started and worked 2 innings before the game was suspended. Richard de los Santos picked it up in the 3rd and worked 5 innings, giving up 1 run…Desmond Jennings was 2-4 with a walk, a stolen base and 4 runs scored…Dan Johnson hit 2 home runs including a grand slam and drove in 8…Elliot Johnson had 2 singles and a double…Fernando Perez stole his 13th base.
• MONTGOMERY: Alex Torres allowed just 1 run in 6.2 innings. He struck out 7 and walked 1…Matt Sweeney went 1-3 with a double and an RBI.
• CHARLOTTE: Shane Dyer allowed 2 runs in 6 innings…Matt Joyce was 2-3 with a double and 2 walks…Tim Beckham was 1-3 with 2 walks and 2 stolen bases.
• BOWLING GREEN: Alex Colome gave up 2 runs in 6 innings on 6 hits and 3 walks. He struck out 4…Julio Cedeno hit his first home run…Christopher Murrill had 3 hits and now has 10 hits in the last 5 games.

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 Bullpen. It has been a while, but most remember that the key to the ’08 Rays was the bullpen. The outstanding bullpen in ’08 led to a league-best 29-18 record in 1-run games which was a big reason the Rays played 5 games better than their Pythagorean record. Last year, the Rays bullpen was not as strong and the Rays were only 20-25 in 1-run games. So far in 2010, the Rays 7-5 record in 1-run games is second only to the A’s (6-2) and shows that the bullpen is back to ’08 levels even without JP Howell. Yesterday, 4 pitchers combined for 3 shutout innings allowing just 2 baserunners and Rafael Soriano picked up his 10th save in 10 opportunities…Gonzo. Matt Garza struggled early with his control but the M’s were unable to breakthrough. And Garza and his defense did a good job of surviving the 5th inning having allowed only 1 run. A 6-4-3 killed the bases loaded situation.

THE BAD: Maddonology. With no Ben Zobrist and no Carlos Pena, Joe Maddon went with Gabe Kapler in the 3-spot against the lefty. JoeMa said he chose Kapler because he is good against lefties and wanted him setting the table for Longoria. If that is the case, then why isn’t Kapler always higher in the order against lefties? Kapler has struggled against lefties this season (.302 OBP) and he was a 1-8 with 4 Ks versus Cliff Lee in his career. There was nothing to suggest Kapler was the best option. And yes, Kapler drove in the go-ahead run with a sac fly, but BJ Upton who actually has table-setting skills had 2 doubles…The Bullpen. Yes, we just got done praising the bullpen above. And yes Randy Choate and Dan Wheeler got the job done. But does anybody feel good about Choate and Wheeler pitching the 8th inning of a tie game? Please hurry back JP Howell.

THE TELLING: Carlos Pena and Ben Zobrist were not in the starting lineup with Hank Blalock making his Rays debut at first base. It was Blalock’s first appearance at first base this season, having only played third base and DH in triple-A…Andy Sonnanstine hasn’t pitched in a week. This is in part due to the sudden lack of runs scored by the Rays. In his last 6 appearances, The Duke has recorded the final outs for the Rays. The average margin of victory in those 6 games was 6.5 runs. Sonny is now officially the “Even you can’t eff this up” guy.

WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays are 26-11 and lead the AL East by 2 games over the Yankees. They are 4 games ahead of the Blue Jays in the Wild Card. After 37 games in 2008 the Rays were 21-16.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• If you missed it on Saturday, Heath Rollins caused quite a stir around here. [Rays Index]
• The Yankees will skip Javier Vazquez today. That means the Rays will face AJ Burnett and Andy Pettitte on Wednesday and Thursday and not CC Sabathia who almost no-hit the Rays in week 1. And why the switch? Because apparently Sabathia’s bat during interleague is more important than facing the team the Yankees are chasing in the standings. [New York Post]
• According to Andrew Friedman, Pat Burrell was the reason for the move, not Hank Blalock’s demand to be promoted. In fact, Friedman says the Rays considered replacing Burrell with Dan Johnson. [The Heater]
• Hank Blalock-for-Pat Burrell is just the first of several roster moves that will be made in the near future. [St. Pete Times]
• Rise of the Rays argues for trading Hank Blalock now. [Rise of the Rays]
• A look at where Pat Burrell could end up. [MLB Trade Rumors]
• Might Pat Burrell be a good fit for the Mets? Only if they return to Shea (thanks Beth). [New York Times]
• The lesson of Pat Burrell: sometimes projections are wrong…Something to keep in mind. As you know, we are not afraid to take shots at the Rays. But we are not going to blame Andrew Friedman for this one. At the time, the Burrell deal was considered a steal by most. So much so, that some were blaming Burrell for lowering the going rate for other free agents that off-season. There were some red flags (old man skills). But nobody predicted The Bat to be this bad. [Fangraphs]
• Rays Renegade feels the Rays unnecessarily caved to Hank Blalock’s demands when they had Willy Aybar available. [Rays Renegade]
• Ken Rosenthal thinks the market for first basemen might lead to Carlos Pena staying with the Rays…This is just a hunch, but we have a feeling that Pena has already told Scott Boras he is re-signing with the Rays and that Boras can do whatever is necessary to get the most money. But that at the end of the day, Pena will be a Ray next year. [MLB Trade Rumors]
• Why are pitchers better against the Rays the second time they face them this season? [Dock of the Rays]
• Oh dear Lord, Raymond is multiplying? Picture via RaysRenegade. [TwitPic]

DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Check out “The Rundown” from Rays Prospects for boxscores and more detailed recaps. [Rays Prospects]
• DURHAM: Aneury Rodriguez allowed 5 runs on 7 hits in 6 innings. He did not strike out a batter and gave up 2 home runs…The Bulls had 10 hits but did not score a run…Dan Johnson was 4-4 to raise his average to .325…Desmond Jennings was 1-3 with a walk.
• MONTGOMERY: Jake McGee was pounded for 8 runs on 10 hits and a walk in 3.2 innings. He struck out 5. For those that believe McGee is a future closer, he did retire the first 7 batters he faced with 3 Ks…The Biscuits managed just 1 hit in the 7-inning game.
• CHARLOTTE: (postponed)
• BOWLING GREEN: (postponed)

Per Marc Topkin:

The Rays have designated DH Pat Burrell for assignment, and selected Hank Blalock from Triple-A Durham.

Burrell, who signed a two-year, $17 million deal before last season, had been a disappointment, with his struggles continuing this season (hitting .202). Blalock is expected to be here at the Trop around gametime.

He sucked. But for a blogger that feasts on crapisms, The Bat will be missed.

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: PECOTA gives the Rays a 91.2% shot at making the playoffs including a 62.3% chance of winning the AL East. The Red Sox only have a 17.6% shot at making the playoffs.

THE BAD: Ben Zobrist has gone 162 plate appearances since his last home run. He is the only regular #3 hitter in the AL without a home run.

THE TELLING: JP Howell will throw a batting practice session today for the first time since going on the DL.

WHERE THEY STAND: Despite a recent 3-game losing streak that included a perfect game, the Rays still have the best record in baseball at 24-10, 2 games ahead of the Yankees and 4.5 games ahead of the Tigers in the Wild Card race.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• We have no idea what “Team Supreme” is (are those the werewolves or the vampires?), but Andy Sonnanstine is now an “official” member. [Twitter]
• Ben Zobrist will continue to serve as the backup first baseman instead of Willy Aybar…The same article also includes quotes from Scott Boras on the value of Carlos Pena. You would think ‘Los was a 6-time AL MVP. [St. Pete Times]
• Shane Dyer has been promoted to Charlotte. [Twitter]
• One reason Shane Dyer was promoted was his outstanding strikeout-to-walk ratio. Rays Prospects looks at the ratio for all the Rays minor league starters. [Rays Prospects]
• Roger Mooney believe the Rays will eventually release Pat Burrell. [Rays Report]
• If you were wondering what Pat Burrell is doing while he is waiting to be DFA’d, here is your answer. [TAUNTR]
• Marc Topkin writes about the Rays success in spite of the struggles of some of the team’s best hitters. [St. Pete Times]
• Despite a recent 3-game losing streak, the Rays are still #1 in Tim Brown’s Power Rankings. [Yahoo! Sports]
• Drays Bay looks at whether the Rays should promote Hank Blalock. [DRays Bay]
• Dock of the Rays examines the evolution of Jeff Niemann. [Dock of the Rays]

DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Check out “The Rundown” from Rays Prospects for boxscores and more detailed recaps. [Rays Prospects]
• DURHAM: Carlos Hernandez allowed just 1 unearned run in 7 innings on 3 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 5…Dan Johnson continues his torrid pace with 3 more hits including a double and his triple-A leading 11th home run. His 1.037 OPS ranks second in the IL…Desmond Jennings was 3-5 with a double and his 8th stolen base.
• MONTGOMERY: Alex Torres pitched 7 shutout innings. He allowed 3 hits and 2 walks with 3 strikeouts.
• CHARLOTTE: Joe Cruz gave up 4 runs in 5 innings, striking out 4…Matt Sweeney was 2-4 with his 5th home run. He also committed his 8th error…Tim Beckham went 1-5 with a strikeout.
• BOWLING GREEN: Jason McEachern allowed 4 runs (3 earned) in 6 innings…Tyler Bortnick hit his 1st home run of the season…Mayobanex Acosta had 3 singles and 2 RBI in 6 at bats.

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: Carlos Pena. Yes he has been in a funk (a realllly bad funk) but he has always been streaky and the defense will always be there. First there was the catch to end the 7th with the tying run on second. And there was the 8th inning double to end a 1-42 skid…BJ Upton. Bossman has got to be tired after flying back to Florida for the birth of his son and then returning to LA the next day. And yet he can still make a long run and sliding grab with 1 out in the 9th of a 1-run game look so easy (if not pretty).

THE BAD: Swingin’ And Missin’. 14 strikeouts by Rays hitters. 12 from the right arm of Jared Weaver in 7 innings.

THE TELLING: In the 8th inning of a 1-run game with a runner in scoring position, Joe Maddon had Willy Aybar pinch hit for Pat Burrell against a right-handed batter. Ouch. One has to wonder why Burrell is even on the roster if he isn’t even trusted in that situation…The last time the Rays won a series in Anaheim, Wilson Alvarez was the starting pitcher and Jose Canseco and Dave Martinez hit home runs (May, 1999)…For all the heartaches of this road trip, the Rays still went 6-3. And their 1.5 game lead at the start of the trip, is still 1.5 games. Not bad for a west coast swing. Not bad at all.

WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays are 24-10, 1.5 games ahead of the Yankees and 5 games ahead of the Blue Jays and Tigers in the Wild Card. After 34 games in 2008, the Rays were 18-16.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• For those of you that submitted questions for The Sporting News interview with Matt Garza, we have been told that Rays Index readers “will be well represented.” You make us proud.
• We shouldn’t be surprised but it is still a bit of a letdown to hear Joe Maddon essentially say John Jaso will be sent packing when Kelly Shoppach returns. [St. Pete Times]
• John Romano calls for the Rays to finally rid themselves of Pat Burrell and replace him with Hank Blalock. [St. Pete Times]
• Tim Brown takes a closer look at the Rays rotation. [Yahoo! Sports]
• Nicole Johnson (Elliot’s wife): “Something you may not know about baseball families is that they *try* to get pregnant during spring training.” [The Life of the Baseball Wife]
• Shane Dyer and Henry Wrigley were named the Rays minor leaguers of the month. [Tampa Tribune]
• Andrew Friedman spoke with WRAL in Durham. Nothing earth-shattering here, but if you have 10 minutes to kill… (audio) [WRAL]
• Yesterday was apparently “Delmon Young Day.” Whatever that means. [Twins Target]
• DRays Bay looks at why we might not have to worry about Carlos Pena. [DRays Bay]
• John Jaso spoke to Roger Mooney about the first month and taking responsibility for Monday’s loss (video). [Tampa Tribune]
• Brian Shouse hasn’t retired, but he is now working as a coach for a high school in Illinois. [Peoria Journal-Star]
• You can count the nose hairs in this interview of Reid Brignac…Pan out, PAN OUT! (video) [Tampa Tribune]

DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Check out “The Rundown” from Rays Prospects for boxscores and more detailed recaps. [Rays Prospects]
• DURHAM: Richard de los Santos made his 3rd start and worked into the 6th inning, allowing 2 runs. He struck out 5…Ryan Shealy and Angel Chavez homered for the Bulls…Desmond Jennings was 1-4 with 2 strikeouts and is hitting .270…Hank Blalock went 1-4.
• MONTGOMERY: Alex Cobb allowed 2 unearned runs in 4 innings. He struck out 4 and walked 1…Nevin Ashley was 3-4 to raise his average to .294…Greg Sexton hit his 1st home run and John Matulia added his 3rd.
• CHARLOTTE: Nick Barnese struck out 9 and walked just 1 in 5.2 innings, but dropped to 3-2 after giving up 3 runs on 7 hits…Leslie Anderson hit his first home run as a pro…Tim Beckham went 1-4 and Matt Sweeney was 0-4.
• BOWLING GREEN: Ryan Wiegand hit his first home run.

Scott Boras is forcing the Rays hand, stating that Hank Blalock will ask for his release within the next week if the Rays do not promote him to the big leagues…

Agent Scott Boras indicated Tuesday that Blalock would activate the out clause in his Triple-A contract within the next week, forcing the Rays to either promote him to the big-league team or allow him to become a free agent and sign elsewhere.

“I would imagine that we’ll probably know something about Hank in the next seven days,’’ Boras said at Angel Stadium. “The time has come. The time has come. He’s playing third base, obviously he’s hitting well, he’s a young guy…The thought many teams had about players have come to fruition as we expected in the first five-six weeks. I think a lot of people understand Hank’s a better choice for them, so we’ll see. Obviously the first hurdle is that Tampa Bay has to make their decision.’’

Marc Topkin speculates that the Mariners could be interested in Blalock. Of course, the Rays could decide to finally release Pat Burrell now that he has essentially been benched by Joe Maddon.