Sep 08
[Update] Marc Topkin is reporting that Rodney will receive a 3-game suspension for throwing the ball into the press box.
[9:00am] On Saturday, the St. Pete Times wrote about an incident involving Fernando Rodney following Friday’s game at the Trop against the Tigers.
Tigers closer Fernando Rodney said he was acting on emotion when he celebrated Friday’s win with an unusual and dangerous maneuver: throwing the ball from the field into the press box…The ball bounced near several working writers. No one was hurt.
Tigers manager Jim Leyland, most likely in between puffs of a cigarette, tried to poo-poo the incident (scroll to bottom).
“It doesn’t bother me at all,” Leyland said. “Obviously there was no intent to do anything wrong. I’ve seen 30 balls thrown into the stands during batting practice every night. I’ve seen third-base coaches throw them into the stands over the dugout.”
Yes folks, Leyland just compared underhanding a ball to a 12-year old behind the duguout to firing a ball 150-feet into the press box. Why didn’t this guy try that defense.
Luckily for the reporters, Rodney’s aim was about as good as normal.
Detroit Tigers reliever celebrates win over Tampa Bay Rays by tossing ball into press box [St. Pete Times]
Carlos Peña becomes first Tampa Bay Rays player to reach 100 RBIs in three seasons [St. Pete Times]
Aug 06
Akinori Iwamura, BJ Upton, Carl Crawford, James Shields, Jason Hammel, Jason Tyner, Jim Leyland, Jonny Gomes, Jorge Cantu, Papa Joe Maddon, Rocco Baldelli Cork Gaines
Devil Rays @ Detroit Tigers
A 3-game set…Tampa Bay is 42-68, 25.5 games back in the AL East…Detroit is 61-49, a half game back in the AL Central…The Rays are 16-35 on the road…Justin Verlander pitches for Detroit tonight. He is 11-4 with a 3.49 ERA…Edwin Jackson takes the mound for the Rays. He is 2-11 with a 6.56 ERA.
(a conversation between Joe Maddon and Jim Leyland in Leyland’s office before tonight’s game)
Papa Joe: What are the chances that my team can beat you guys tonight Jim?
Papa Jim: (taking a long slow drag on a cigarette) Well, that’s pretty difficult to say.
Papa Joe: (sporting a giddy school girl smile) Hit me with it! I’ve come a long way to see you, Jim. The least you can do is level with me. What are my chances?
Papa Jim: (lighting another cigarette) Not good.
Papa Joe: You mean, not good like one out of a hundred?
Papa Jim: (lighting up his third cigarette since the conversation started) I’d say more like one out of a million.
Papa Joe: (looking confused, and then breaking out in a big smile) So you’re telling me there’s a chance.
(Joe Maddon turns and skips his way out of Leyland’s office)
Papa Jim: (blowing smoke rings) There is no way this ends well.
(Jim Leyland shakes head and pulls out another cigarette)
DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…
- After Joe Maddon’s latest comments on BJ Upton we have to wonder if Rocco Baldelli has a future with the Devil Rays. Maddon expressed that Upton is clearly a better hitter and a more confident player while playing the outfield. [Devil Rays]
Because Upton looks so athletic in center field, Maddon was asked if Upton is wasted when he plays second base…”Not so much wasted, he’s looking very natural out there,” Maddon said. “I think from what I’m seeing, he will always hit better because that’s a mentally easier position for him to play.”
- We applaud Carl Crawford’s latest comments in which he expressed his frustration with this season. While some take the comments to mean that CC wants out, we see a young player that is growing into a team leader and letting it be known that the status quo is unacceptable. [tampabay.com]
“This year hasn’t went as planned, so I don’t know anymore,” Crawford said. “I’m just trying to wait and see what happens toward the end. Every year is a new year now…This year has been a setback, and I’m not used to setbacks. I’m frustrated with this season. It ain’t been a good year.”
- Jason Hammel threw a bullpen session on Saturday and he believes he will be able to make his next scheduled start on Tuesday. Joe Maddon is waiting to see how the shoulder feels today and tomorrow before making a decision. [Herald-Tribune]
- We may have been a little quick on the trigger earlier this season when we anointed James Shields as the Rays’ ace. [The Ledger]
- Jonny Gomes has done what Jorge Cantu could not. When benched, he kept his mouth shut and performed when given the opportunity and worked his way back into the everyday lineup with strong numbers. [tampabay.com]
- Don’t look for Akinori Iwamura to make any appearances at second base this season. Joe Maddon believes that is a move better suited for Spring Training. [TBO]
- BJ Upton’s younger brother Justin, made his major league debut for the D-Backs, 4 days younger than BJ made his debut. [TBO]
- The Devil Rays are expected to announce their new name and colors on Nov. 11. [tampabay.com]
- Former Devil Ray Jason Tyner finally hit his first major league home run after 1,220 at bats. [SFGate]
Jun 30
Indians 2, Devil Rays 1.
The entire evening you could sense the impending doom. It didn’t come in the first 6 innings as Edwin Jackson pitched his way around trouble with his third straight decent outing. We were sure it would come in the 7th inning when Jay Witasick walked two batters but Casey Fossum was able to kill the rally by getting Travis Hafner to ground out to end the inning. We thought it might come in the 8th inning, when Gary Glover gave up a single after striking out the first two batters. But Glover got out of the inning by getting Josh Barfield to pop up to Ty Wigginton.
But that was when the axe fell. We thought about who was left in the bullpen. Joe Maddon had already used three relievers. That meant that only three relievers were left in the ‘pen. With the Rays on the road, Al Reyes needed to be saved in case the Rays were to take the lead and a save opportunity arose. Maddon could have gone to Jason Hammel, but he faced 7 batters the night before and is not yet used to pitching on consecutive days. In addition, Maddon needed to keep Hammel in the back pocket in case the game went extra innings.
This is why we hate the definition of a “quality start”. Six innings from your starting pitcher is NOT a quality start. A quality start should be a minimum of 7+1+1, meaning the team gets 7 innings from the starter and then he hands the ball to the set up man for 1 and then to the closer for 1. With Jackson only going 6 innings, it forces the manager to use the entire bullpen to get through the game. In this case, if Maddon was going to pull Glover after one inning, that left one relief pitcher to come out for the ninth inning. Shawn Bleepin’ Camp. As soon as we saw Camp come into the game, our heads dropped and we heard millions hundreds of Rays fans everywhere scream out in pain. The game was over, the players just didn’t know it yet.
Shawn Bleepin’ Camp. He makes us want to hurt baby stuffed animals.
DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…
- Last night? We started with a little A, mixing in the occasional C and D, mostly when the Rays were hitting. When Joe Maddon brought in Shawn Camp we moved into full-fledged B with lots of C and D. When the home run was hit, we fell deep into E.
- Why is all of the Devil Rays’ media obsessed with the idea that A Devil Ray could still be elected to start the All-Star game? On Friday afternoon, AL All-Star manager Jim Leyland called Joe Maddon to seek his opinion on which Devil Ray was most deserving of being an all-star. Leyland was scheduled to call ever manager for a team that did not have an elected representative. That’s nice, but then Carter Gaddis throws in this rediculous line…
But, Maddon said, Leyland hadn’t learned the elected players’ names by the time the two spoke Friday afternoon. So the phone call didn’t necessarily mean the Rays had no players elected.
- Technically true.
- NO DEVIL RAYS ARE GOING TO GET ELECTED TO START THE ALL-STAR GAME…
- If Carter Gaddis thinks that a player that got 450,000 votes in the first 62 days of voting, might somehow get 800,000 in the last 3 days of voting, then Carter Gaddis is an idiot.
- In the Rays last 540 games, Rocco Baldelli has played in 263 and missed 277.
- The Devil Rays had an awful second half in 2006. The Rays second half schedule could mean we are in for a repeat. And if the Rays trade Al Reyes...I just threw up in my mouth a little. If we have to reintroduce the “The David Price Sweepstakes” we will hurt a stuffed animal named Shawn Camp.
Jun 06
Blue Jays 12, Devil Rays 11.
It hurts. real bad. But it would hurt a lot worse if we were surprised. Is there anybody out there that didn’t think, with Al Reyes unavailable, that this bullpen was capable of blowing a 5 run lead? Bullpens are supposed to put out fires. That’s why closers are referred to as “Firemen”. The Devil Rays bullpen starts fires. Some pitchers have lightning bolts for arms. The Devil Rays relievers have arms made of lighter fluid.
And the worst Arsonist of the group? Shawn Camp. Hands down. Of course we could also make an argument for Joe Maddon for once again putting Camp in a situation to hurt the ballclub. Supposedly Papa Joe is a computer guy and a statistics guy and loves to look at trends and matchups. If that is the case we obviously don’t need to remind Papa Joe that Camp is THE WORST PITCHER IN BASEBALL WHEN IT COMES TO INHERITED RUNNERS. He has now inherited 40 runners (5 more than anybody else in baseball) and allowed 17 of those runners to score (42.5%). The major league average is about 30%. So not only is Camp horrible in these situations, but for some reason Papa Joe keeps bringing him in with runners on more often than any other pitcher in baseball. We can’t make it up.
And when we think about it, the bullpen is lucky that the Rays were only up 5 runs in the 9th. Last night the Arsonists would have blown a 15 run lead. We are still waiting for one of the 4 relief pitchers to record the second out of the 9th.
If there is a silver lining from last night’s game it is that this is the sort of performance that could lead to a shake up that is long overdue.
DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…
After a rough start to the season, the Rays’ bullpen is starting to establish itself as one of the strengths of the team
- Is James Shields deserving of a spot on the All-Star team? At this point you would have to say ‘yes’. But BJ Upton and Al Reyes are also deserving and it is hard to imagine the Jim Leyland will take more than one member of the Devil Rays.
- One fan has had enough of the 2007 Devil Rays, and this latest implosion was the final straw. We understand the frustration but we have to say we knew this team had a terrible pitching staff when the season started.
