Archive for the 'Heath Rollins' Category

Dec 10

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss The Crawford Love-Fest, The Bartlett Trade And Jason Giambi

Carl Crawford, Heath Rollins, James Shields, Jason Giambi, Matt Garza Cork Gaines 12 Comments »

One of the more bizarre things to come out the Carl Crawford signing was hearing just how enamored the national mainstream media suddenly is with Crawford.

Don’t get us wrong, it is nice to hear the media speak so highly of such a great player. But they say these things as if they have known this for years. And yet, we barely remember anybody ever saying these things when Crawford was playing with the Rays and doing all these great things.

It is almost as if signing with Boston justified his greatness. Whereas, prior to that, he was not worthy of such praise, even if deserved.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Dan Hayes of the North County Times confirms our speculation, that the only thing holding up the Jason Bartlett trade is a physical for each player. [Twitter]
  • Another name that is once again surfacing in connection with the Rays is Jason Giambi. Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post says he wants to keep playing and the Rays are interested. [Twitter]
  • The Rays also lost four players in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 Draft including Heath Rollins who won’t miss us. [Rays Prospects]
  • There was some speculation that the Rays and Cubs were closing in on a deal to send Matt Garza to Chicago. But Read the rest of this entry »
May 17

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss The Bullpen’s Delight, More Blalock And Burrell And Maddonology

Carlos Pena, Hank Blalock, Heath Rollins, Joe Maddon, Pat Burrell Cork Gaines 22 Comments »

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)
May 15

Rays Prospect Uses Offensive Term…To Describe Himself

Heath Rollins Cork Gaines 34 Comments »

Rays pitching prospect Heath Rollins was one of the surprise performers during Spring Training. He was one of the final cuts and was considered a contender for the final bullpen spot that eventually went to Mike Ekstrom.

In hindsight, maybe that was a good thing for Rollins. Because if he was in the big leagues, his Facebook page might soon become a very big story. We have no idea what prompted the following status update this morning, but his choice of words was questionable at best…

“Heath Rollins is a fag”

Of course, this could be high schoolish prank being played by a roommate or friend. If that is the case, this accentuates the dangers of athletes keeping Facebook pages or Twitter accounts. It is still Rollins’ page and it is his responsibility.

If this was Rollins own doing, we will probably never hear an apology from Rollins. The Rays, in their typical fashion, will likely talk to Rollins privately, while publicly, they will pretend like it never happened.

Rollins, the Rays 11th round pick in 2006, has made 3 appearances for Durham this year, allowing 7 runs (4 earned) in 6 innings.

Mar 31

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss The Final Bullpen Spot, Crawford’s Streak And Some More Saturday Concerts

Carl Crawford, Dale Thayer, Dioner Navarro, Evan Longoria, Heath Rollins, James Shields, Joaquin Benoit, Mike Ekstrom, Raymond Cork Gaines 8 Comments »

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: Joaquin Benoit. The odds-on favorite for the final bullpen spot showed that his arm is healthy by working 2 innings. But unfortunately we still don’t know if he can work back-to-back games. And with a 2-inning stint yesterday, he won’t work today. There are only 3 spring games remaining after today…Reid Brignac. Brignac had 2 more hits and is now 19-52 (.365) this spring.

THE BAD: Rafael Soriano. Sure he gave up 4 runs in 1 inning. And sure he gave up a 2-run double and a 2-run HR to minor leaguers. None of that is good. But what in all likelihood really pissed off Joe Maddon was the failure to cover 3rd base on a bloop base hit in which Willy Aybar had to cover second base. That allowed both runners to move up a base and started the 4-run rally.

THE TELLING: Dioner Navarro started and caught 6 innings and should be ready for opening day…David Price threw 106 pitches and worked 6.2 scoreless innings in a minor league game giving up 1 hit and 1 walk, striking out 8…Dan Johnson accepted his outright assignment to Durham…Carl Crawford will make his 8th straight opening day start for the Rays. Only 12 other players have an active streak that long with their current team…James Shields will become the first Rays pitcher to make 3 opening day starts…The Rays will be introducing a new official hot dog in the next couple of days.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • With a week before opening day there are “a couple of thousand” tickets remaining for Opening Day according to the Rays.
  • From Rays Renegade we learn that Train and Dierks Bentley have been added to the Saturday Night Concert Series this season. Dierks Bentley is a Country artist for you Gentiles. [Twitter]
  • Dale Thayer and Heath Rollins were reassigned to minor league camp leaving Joaquin Benoit and Mike Ekstrom for the final spot in the bullpen. Of course the Rays could also look outside the organization if they are worried Benoit is not ready for the regular season. [St. Pete Times]
  • Sport Illustrated picks the Rays to win the AL Wild Card and the AL pennant, but to lose in the World Series to the Phillies…So who gets the “SI Curse,” both teams, or just the Phillies? [Rays Report]
  • Dennis Maffezzoli spoke with Carl Crawford about his future and how he will approach this season, which in all liklihoodwill be his last with the Rays. [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
  • Jeff Fletcher of Fanhouse went through the Rays clubhouse asking what various members of the Rays know about Evan Longoria. [Fanhouse]
  • Yesterday we mentioned that BJ Upton helped recruit the GOP to the Trop. Now Rays Rev has a picture of Raymond sucking up to the GOP by wearing a suit. [Rays Rev]
  • Jonah Keri was interviewed by Fack Youk about the 2010 Rays. [Fack Youk]
  • Marc Topkin looks at the challenge Jason Bartlett faces working with a platoon at second base. [St. Pete Times]
  • Seth McClung has been released by the Marlins. [MLB Trade Rumors]
Jul 06

Down On The Farm: Elliot Johnson Back From DL

Heath Rollins Cork Gaines No Comments »

Durham 5, Charlotte 1. Wade Davis only allowed 1 run but needed 96 pitches and was pulled after just 5 innings. He struck out 5 and walked 2…Three relievers combined to pitch 4 perfect innings…Justin Ruggiano and Ray Sadler each homered for the Bulls…Reid Brignac went 1-5 with 3 strikeouts…Elliot Johnson was activated from the DL and made his first appearance since May 5th. He went 1-4…Matt Joyce did not play.

Birmingham 5, Montgomery 3. Heath Rollins dropped to 7-7 after giving up 5 runs (3 earned) in 6 innings…Desmond Jennings went 0-4…Matt Fields was 1-3 with 2 RBI and Joe Gaetti hit his 3rd home run.

Charlotte 5, Sarasota 2. Jeremy Hall allowed 2 runs (1 earned) in 7 innings…Shawn O’Malley went 2-3 with a walk and his 30th steal…Cody Cipriano was 0-2 with 2 walks.

Augusta 4, Bowling Green 3 (gm 1). Joe Cruz allowed 4 runs (3 earned) in 5 innings…Tim Beckham was 0-3 with a strikeout. He also committed his 28th error…Jake Jefferies hit his 6th home run.

Augusta 3, Bowling Green 1 (gm 2). Tyree Hayes allowed 2 runs in 3 innings and Chris Andujar backed him up with 3 scoreless innings…Tim Beckham had 2 of Bowling Green’s 3 hits, going 2-3 with an RBI.

Hudson Valley 5, Vermont 1. Kyle Ayers allowed just 1 hit, a home run, in 6 innings.

Princeton. (ppd. rain)

Notes from Down on the Farm…

  • Heath Rollins was pulled from yesterday’s game after being hit in the pitching hand with a line drive. It is thought to be a “minor injury” but he will have x-rays today. [Montgomery Advertiser]
Sep 24

[HAPPY HOUR] Crawford Admits First Round Is ‘Iffy’

Carl Crawford, Fernando Perez, Heath Rollins, Jason Bartlett, Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Silverman, Mitch Talbot, Stuart Sternberg, Terry Francona, Victor Zambrano Cork Gaines 3 Comments »

[UPDATE: 11:32] The Red Sox beat the Indians, but the Rays overcame a first inning that saw the O’s score 5 runs before an out, to get the win. With the victory, the Rays magic number to win the division is now 1. The Angels are currently losing in the 5th inning, 4-2. An Angels loss and the Rays be 1 game behind for the best record in the AL. The Rays won the season-series with the Angels 6-3.

As we get closer to the playoffs, the links are going to start coming fast and furious…On certain days we will provide a late afternoon “Happy Hour” to try and keep the pace…

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Marc Lancaster has a quote from Terry Francona that suggests the Red Sox will concede the division. [Rays Report]
  • Carl Crawford is now ceding that he probably will not be ready for the first round of the playoffs…If there was any doubt, this should solidify Fernando Perez’ spot on the roster for the ALDS. [Rays Report]
  • Curious as to who will throw out the first pitch in the Rays home playoff games? Well, it won’t be any former members of the organization according to Matt Silverman. “MLB asked us who it’d be. We realized nobody in the history of the franchise had done anything to be worthy of the honor.”…Ouch. The truth hurts. [Washington Post]
  • Deadspin suggests Victor Zambrano. [Deadspin]
  • Outs Per Swing has an exhaustive list of candidates. [Outs Per Swing]
  • Bugs and Cranks offers 5 suggestions…We like the idea of Mr. T. [Bugs and Cranks]
  • Jason Bartlett should hire Brittany Ghiroli as his publicist. Ghiroli breaks down exactly how valuable Bartlett has been to the Rays and she does it much better than we did. [MLB]
  • MLB Trade Rumors breaks down all of playoff teams/contenders to see which teams have benefited the most from their own first-round picks. The Rays come in 4th behind the Mets, Brewers and Phillies. [MLB Trade Rumors]
  • Tampa Bay Rays Prospects has compiled a nice list of the organization’s top strikeout-to-walk ratios from this past season. The top two players are from the Venezuelan and Dominican Summer Leagues which is even below rookie league, so don’t put too much weight in those numbers. The truly impressive numbers are from Jeremy Hellickson (8.1 at high-A and AA), Heath Rollins (4.2 at high-A and AA) and Mitch Talbot (4.0 at AAA). [Tampa Bay Rays Prospects]
  • Joe Bucs Fan is not happy with Stu Sternberg for leaving the tarps on the upper deck for the first two rounds of the playoffs…For the record, MLB has final say in the World Series. If the Rays make it that far, MLB has already told the Rays to have the tarp removed. [Joe Bucs Fan]
Aug 14

[DOWN ON THE FARM] Price Shaky In AAA Debut; Rollins Solid In AA Debut

Craig Albernaz, David Price, Heath Rollins Cork Gaines 2 Comments »

Norfolk 7, Durham 6. David Price made his triple-A debut and picked up his first professional loss. In 4 innings, he struck out 6 and walked none, but did allow 3 runs on 7 hits (6 singles and a double). For a more detailed recap of Price’s performance, see the first bullett below…John Jaso drove in 4 with a pair of doubles. He also stole a base and threw out a base stealer…Joel Guzman also had 2 doubles in 4 at bats…Jonny Gomes was 0-4 with 3 strike outs and Fernando Perez was 0-5.

Jacksonville 3, Montgomery 2. Heath Rollins double-A debut was overshadowed by the triple-A debut of David Price. But Rollins did not disappoint, striking out 9 and walking none in 7 innings of 1-run ball. He gave up 4 hits. The only blemish was a first inning, solo home run. He retired the final 8 batters he faced…Eddie Morlan blew the save, giving up a 2-run home run in the 8th…Gaby Martinez provided all the offense with a 2-run home run, his 20th, in the 1st inning…Rashad Eldridge was 1-3 with 2 walks and his 21st stolen base. Eldridge is quietly posting a solid season, with a .301/.397/.402 line. Eldridge is 26, in his 9th minor league season and his 5th organization.

Jupiter 7, Vero Beach 5 (11). Jupiter scored 4 in the top of the 11th and held on for the win…Ryan Morse allowed only 2 unearned runs in 5 innings. He struck out 5 and walked 2…Ryan Royster was 2-4 with a walk and his 9th home run. He drove in 2 and scored twice.

Lake Co. 4, Columbus 1 (gm 1). Brian Flores allowed 4 runs and was pulled before the end of the 4th.

Lake Co. 5, Columbus 1 (gm 2). Jeremy Hall held Lake County to 1 run in 5 innings, but did walk 4 batters and hit a 5th. He struck out 4…Henry Wrigley was 2-3.

Hudson Valley 5, Jamestown 4.

Burlington 3, Princeton 0. Tim Beckham was 1-3 with a single, walk and a strike out.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

  • The Immaculate Inning was on hand last night for David Price’s triple-A debut and wrote a detailed account. [The Immaculate Inning]
  • Montgomery catcher Craig Albernaz has overcome all the doubters to make it 2 stops from the majors. [The Herald News]
Aug 12

[DOWN ON THE FARM] David Price Will Make Triple-A Debut On Wednesday

Austin Hinkle, Chris Nowak, David Price, Heath Rollins, Jeremy Beckham, Tim Beckham Cork Gaines No Comments »

Richmond 4, Durham 2. Ben Hendrickson allowed only 2 runs in 6 innings…Fernando Perez hit his 4th home run.

Montgomery (off-day)

Vero Beach 6, Brevard Co. 0. Wilton Noel allowed only 1 hit in 6 shutout innings. He struck out 5 and walked 3. Noel had a no-hitter through 6 innings, but was pulled after the leadoff hitter in the 7th singled…Ryan Royster was 2-5 and Nevin Ashley drove in a pair.

Lake Co. 11, Columbus 8. Alex Cobb struggled with his control, walking 5 and hitting another batter, allowing 4 runs in 6 innings. He struck out 4…Maiko Loyola and Greg Sexton were each 3-6. Sexton hit his 6th home run and drove in 3…Chase Fontaine was 2-3 with a double and 2 walks. He added his 2nd stolen base.

Hudson Valley 14, Lowell 10 (10).

Burlington 5, Princeton 2. Tim Beckham went 1-4 with a single and a walk. He struck out twice…We usually only comment on Beckham’s performance at Princeton, but we couldn’t pass up a chance to point out that Burt Reynolds committed his 26th error. That is in 44 games. Yikes. On the positive side, the third baseman is hitting .295/.355/.460.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

  • David Price was promoted to triple-A Durham, and is scheduled to make his first start for the Bulls on Wednesday. [Tennessean]

“I guess I’m a little anxious (about reaching the Major Leagues),” Price said Monday. “It’s like a kid getting ready for Christmas and you count down to Christmas Day. The anticipation is building up, but I’m enjoying myself…I haven’t talked to anyone from the (Rays’) front office all year,” Price said. “ … I’m just going to keep doing what I’ve been doing. My last start wasn’t as good as I would have liked, but the two before that I threw really well.”

  • Chris Nowak and David Price were named the Rays’ minor league player and pitcher of the month. [Montgomery Advertiser]
  • Austin Hinkle of Columbus was named the SAL pitcher of the week. [MiLB]
  • Despite only being 5-11, Heath Rollins and his 3.30 ERA were promoted to double-A Montgomery to take David Price’s vacant spot.
  • Jeremy Beckham recently got to play in Fenway Park and spoke to Mark Remme about being able to pave the way for his younger brother, Tim Beckham. [MiLB]
Jun 15

[DOWN ON THE FARM] JT Hall Wins FSL Home Run Derby

Cesar Suarez, Garrett Groce, Heath Rollins, Jeremy Hellickson, JT Hall, Ryan Morse Cork Gaines No Comments »

Durham 4, Buffalo 3. Ben Hendrickson improved to 5-4, holding Buffalo to 3 runs in 6.2 innings…Scott Dohmann struck out 5 in 2 perfect innings for the save…Dan Johnson was 3-4 with an RBI to improve his average to .292…Chris Richard’s 3-run home run, his 11th, gave the Bulls the lead for good in the 5th inning…Reid Brignac and Joel Guzman combined to go 0-7 with 3 strike outs. Brignac walked once.

Montgomery 9, Mobile 7. James Houser cruised through the first 5 innings, allowing only 2 singles, until the defense let him down in the 6th when 3 hits and 2 errors led to 5 runs…Ryan Reid struck out 2 in the 9th for his 2nd save…Gabriel Martinez was 2-5 and hit his 10th home run…Chris Nowak was 3-4, scoring 3 times.

West 9, East 3 (FSL ALL-Star game). Four members of the Vero Beach D-Rays started for the East squad, including starting pitcher Ryan Morse, who gave up 2 runs (1 earned) in 1 inning of work…Heath Rollins also pitched 1 inning, giving up 3 hits and 1 run…Cesar Suarez, a third baseman, started at short, JT Hall was the DH and Garrett Groce started in right field. The three went a combined 0-10. Suarez drove in a run with a ground out…Jeremy Hellickson likely would have started but was held out with a blister on his throwing hand.

Columbus v Rome (ppd.)

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

  • JT Hall won the FSL All-Star game home run derby. [TCPalm]
Jun 14

[DOWN ON THE FARM] Wade Davis Has Strongest Outing Of ’08

Burt Reynolds, Heath Rollins, JT Hall, Wade Davis Cork Gaines No Comments »

Rochester 1, Durham 0. After his first bad start with the Bulls in his last outing, Jeremy Cummings rebounded nicely, throwing 4 shutout innings, allowing only 2 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 4…Juan Salas gave up only his 2nd run in his last 18 innings. He worked 2 innings, striking out 2…The Bulls had only 2 hits, one from Chris Richard and one from Mike DiFelice, both singles…Fernando Perez stole his 18th base.

Montgomery 1, Mobile 0 (13). Wade Davis threw 7 shutout innings, striking out 4, giving up only 4 singles and a walk…In the 13 inning, the Biscuits took advantage of a throwing error on a sac bunt to move a runner to third. After an intentional walk, Montgomery scored the winning run when Chris Nowak grounded to the third baseman who tried to force Rashad Eldridge at home. The catcher dropped the throw to end the game…John Jaso was 2-4 with a walk.

Vero Beach (All-Star break)

Columbus 7, Rome 6. Jeremy Hall was roughed up for 5 runs in 3 innings…Glenn Gibson pitched 2 scoreless innings of relief…Reid Fronkhad 2 doubles and a 3-run home run in 4 at bats.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

  • Biscuits manager Billy Gardner said that last night’s performance by Wade Davis was his best with Montgomery. [Montgomery Advertiser]
  • We now know where Burt Reynolds will make his Rays debut. The Princeton Rays announced their roster. [Bluefield Daily Telegraph]
  • No Rays are on this weeks Baseball America “Prospect Hot Sheet”. However, Heath Rollins is on the list of guys that just missed. [Baseball America]
  • Vero Beach’s JT Hall will participate in today’s FSL All-Star game home run derby. [MiLB]
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