Aug 07
- A’s 8, Rays 0 (click image for boxscore)
The GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.
THE GOOD: Honey Nut Chirinos. Robinson Chirinos had 2 more hits. It was almost enough to hide the fact that the A’s were 7-7 stealing bases. Wait. Nevermind. No it wasn’t.
THE BAD: Anemic O Returns. The Rays were shutout on 5 hits and 2 walks. It was the 11th time the Rays were shutout this season. That only happened 10 times in the entire 2010 season, and the Rays have 51 games left this year. The loss was also the 36th time the Rays have scored less than 3 runs…Alex Cobb. The rookie was due for one of these starts where he just didn’t have it. Cobb did have an issue with his hand that was serious enough to require a trip to the hospital after the game. But if the hand was an issue during the game, why was he allowed to throw 93 pitches?
THE TELLING: Alex Cobb had to be taken to a hospital following his start for a possible blood clot in his hand…The Rays are now 10 games back in the Wild Card.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Matt Bush has added a slider to arsenal with resounding success. The former number 1 overall pick has struck out 8 and allowed no runs in 4.1 innings since adding the new pitch. Prior, he was almost exclusively fastballs with occasional curveballs. But the fastball isn’t too shabby. Stacy Long reports that he hit 100 mph the other night. [Montgomery Advertiser]
- Evan Longoria got a private drumming lesson from the Goo Goo Dolls. [The Heater]
- Peter Gammons is reporting Read the rest of this entry »
Apr 01
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 JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Opening day is now sold out. That is the sixth consecutive opening day sellout. And unlike Replica Yankee Stadium yesterday, that looked half-empty, we expect The Trop to be full tonight.
- Marc Topkin has the opening day schedule. [TampaBay.com]
- There was a list being passed around in recent days that suggested Rays opening day tickets were an average of $6 on the secondary market. That would have been the lowest in baseball, by far. But it also wasn’t true. Here is a more accurate list. [RaysRev.com]
- If you missed the update yesterday afternoon, here is how Wade Davis’ contract breaks down. [Rays Index]
- And there is still time to submit your predictions for the Over-Unders contest. [Rays Index]
- What Manny Ramirez means Read the rest of this entry »
Mar 12
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: Jeremy Hellickson. It’s about time. They said his hammy wasn’t serious. But you know how the Rays are when it comes to pitchers with injuries. Often, 2 weeks becomes 8. And next thing you know Andy Sonnanstine is starting against the White Sox on that 2nd Saturday of the season. But crisis averted. Hellboy made his spring debut yesterday. And it was a solid 1-2-3 5th inning.
THE BAD: Wade Davis. Big Dub just didn’t have it yesterday. He gave up 7 hits leading to 4 runs throwing more balls (29) than strikes (28)…Adam Russell. Big Red (too easy?) continues to get pounded. He got through the 8th giving up only a single. But he came back out in the 9th and gave up 3 straight hits to guys with the numbers 81, 76 and 51 on their backs, before being pulled. Those guys usually aren’t very good.
THE TELLING: Manny Ramirez led off to get his ABs in early…Felipe Lopez continues to get a lot of work at 3B, getting the start yesterday. If Flip makes the roster, we wonder if Joe Maddon is hoping to get Evan Longoria some more games at DH this year to keep him fresh…However, Felipe Lopez, will have to beat out Elliot Johnson who got the start at SS.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- The first “meeting” of the RI Baseball Book Club will be up later this morning. Nothing formal. Come and go as you please. We’ll let the discussion go all weekend.
- Joe Maddon’s father-in-law passed away on Thursday. Our thoughts are with Joe and his wife, Jaye. At this time, Maddon has no plans to leave the team. [TampaBay.com]
- The Rays made their first cuts Read the rest of this entry »
Jan 13
Jon Heyman says Johnny Damon is a possibility for the Rays (not news) and that the team is interested in Andruw Jones (very interesting news). He adds that the Yankees are also showing interest in both players.
The problem with Jones is that he is just a shell of his former defensive self. In 2007 he was worth 23.1 runs defensively, but in the three years since then, he has only been worth 4.4 runs, total.
He did have his best year offensively since 2005 this past season. He hit .230-19-48 in 107 games. Yes, that was his best year with the bat in five years. So maybe the Rays can get Jones on a one-year deal and hope to catch Rays of sunlight in a bottle.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Spring Training tickets go on sale this week. [TampaBay.com]
- The Rays are one of six teams that have offeref Jose Veras a minor league deal. Veras, a right-handed relief pitcher made 48 appearances for the Marlins a year ago with a 3.75 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 48.0 innings. [MLB Trade Rumors]
- Yankees are still Read the rest of this entry »
Nov 08
The Rays added former top pick-turned-delinquent-turned-pitcher Matt Bush to the 40-man roster to avoid losing him to free agency. Bush who was the top pick by the Padres in the 2004, was converted to a pitcher in 2007. Tommy John surgery shut him down until 2009, a year that saw Bush traded to Toronto, released by the Jays and arrested twice.
Bush appeared in only six games this year (all with single-A Charlotte), striking out 12 and walking 2 in 8 innings.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Leslie Anderson won Arizona Fall League’s Rising Stars Game with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th. Here is video of the blast. [VIDEO]
- NESN says Joaquin Benoit would Read the rest of this entry »
Sep 01
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: Magic Numbers. The Rays lost, and looked bad doing it. But the good news is, the Red Sox lost also, lowering the Rays’ magic number to 24 with 30 to play.
THE BAD: Jeff Niemann. Things looked promising for the first 5 innings. It looked as though maybe Niemann shed the rust that plagued him in his first start back from the DL. But then the 6th inning happened. Niemann faced 6 batters in the 6th and retired none of them. All 6 would eventually score…Over-Aggressive. Dan Johnson’s double in the 5th gave the Rays a 3-1 lead. But with 2 outs, we still have no idea why he decided to stretch the double into a triple, considering Johnson was rounding second just as Aaron Hill fielded the relay about 20 feet in front of Johnson (Ben Zobrist was going to score easily).
THE TELLING: Andy Sonnanstine was demoted to short-season Hudson Valley to make room for Brad Hawpe. Since the Renegades’ season ends Sunday, the Rays won’t have to wait 10 days to bring him back…Grant Balfour will throw a simulated game today…Stephen Vogt, Matt Moore, Joe Cruz and Zach Quate were named to the FSL post-season All-Star team…Elliot Johnson joins Dan Johnson and Jeremy Hellickson on the IL post-season All-Star team.
WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays are 81-51, 1 game behind the Yankees in the East and 7 games ahead of the Red Sox in the AL East. After 132 games in 2008, the Rays were 81-51.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Joe Maddon on what went wrong with Jeff Niemann (Video). [Sun Sports]
- Matt Bush will have surgery on a nerve in his throwing arm. The move will require 6 weeks of rehab. [St. Pete Times]
- A scout on Jeremy Hellickson: “Minnesota, or whatever team they get [in the playoffs], would much rather see the kid [in the bullpen] than the prospect of seeing him start in a short series.” [SI.com]
- Peter Gammons is at it again. This time saying
Read the rest of this entry »
May 13
File this one under “things we didn’t see coming.” Fanhouse spoke with members of the Rays organization that think former #1 pick Matt Bush could be promoted to the Rays later this summer…
After bouncing around for several years, Matt Bush may have found a home within Tampa Bay’s farm system…Rays personnel say they wouldn’t be surprised if Bush, one of the most disappointing top picks in draft history, rises to the major leagues later this season. Now in Single-A, Bush has thrown only three innings but clocked well into the 90s. Time will tell if Bush’s comeback from alcohol abuse will hold up, but the Rays are encouraged by the 24-year-old’s overall progress. Baseball’s answer to Ryan Leaf, Bush was drafted first overall by the Padres in 2004 and quickly found trouble off and on the field.
If Bush does indeed have a big league arm, there is no reason why couldn’t help the Rays out in September. Bush is currently on the DL, but Tommy Rancel reported yesterday that the injury is “just some arm soreness and nothing considered serious.”
Mar 22
Just the links today as I attempt to recover from Mancation.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- JP Howell will miss the first month of the regular season with weakness in his left shoulder. [St. Pete Times]
- Marc Topkin looks at what JP Howell’s injury means for the bullpen. [St. Pete Times]
- The injury to JP Howell could mean that the Rays will keep both Andy Sonnanstine and Wade Davis on the opening day roster. [St. Pete Times]
- Dioner Navarro was carted off the field Saturday after a collision at home. X-Rays were negative with the only damage a bruised nerve. He is not expected to miss any of the regular season. [Tampa Tribune]
- Recent signee Leslie Anderson, from Cuba, is currently in Mexico and trying to resolve issues that will allow him into the US to attend spring training. [St. Pete Times]
- Tyler Kepner of the New York Times writes about BJ Upton‘s breakout potential and how he could be the difference-maker for the Rays this season. [New York Times]
- Evan Longoria’s star continues to rise. He recently filmed a commercial for “New Era” that will be aired during games on opening day. [Fanhouse]
- Wade Davis says he had a “little bit of a dead arm,” during yesterday’s terrible performance. [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
- Roger Mooney has 5 questions for Matt Joyce. [Tampa Tribune]
- Joe Smith writes about former #1 overall pick Matt Bush who is attempting to restart his career with the Rays. He hasn’t had a drink in 9 months and currently resides in a Clearwater treatment center. [St. Pete Times]
- Rays Prospects asked Rays bloggers who they thought was the most overrated prospect in the system. [Rays Prospects]
- Rays Prospects asked Rays bloggers who they thought would have a breakout season from the lower levels. [Rays Prospects]
- Joe Maddon says Justin Ruggiano is a big league outfielder, and he is trying to prove that this spring. [MLB]
- Bill Madden of the Daily News previews the Rays. [NY Daily News]
- Per a press release, Cal Ripken Jr will attend the home opener for the Charlotte Stone Crabs.
http://www.tampabay.com/sports/baseball/rays/tampa-bay-rays-matt-bush-climbing-back-from-the-bottom/1081400
Jan 30
In an interesting twist to the Johnny Damon situation, Jon Heyman of SI.com says Damon turned down a $6 million offer from the Yankees.
In a last-ditch effort late last week after Damon himself called the team, Cashman, one of baseball’s best dealmakers, tried floating a contract of $6 million with $3 million deferred at no interest (with the promise it would be cleared with team boss Hal Steinbrenner, who was about to return from his honeymoon). But Damon wasn’t moved enough to respond.
So, if Damon couldn’t even respond to the Yankees on a $6 million deal, a team that was obviously his first choice, there is no way the Rays would be able to sign Damon at $4-5 million. The previous consensus was that the Yankees top offer was $2 million.
Then again, maybe Damon would be willing to give the Rays an “Ooooh-I-can-go-Caveman-again discount.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- The Rays signed former top pick Matt Bush. Before people get too excited, keep in mind that no team thought Bush was the top talent in the 2004 draft. San Diego chose Bush, a local kid, because his signing bonus demands were within their budget. [via Mark Topkin on Twitter]
- Joe Maddon made his strongest statement yet about Matt Joyce: “He knows there’s an opportunity now…[the starting right field job is] pretty much if he wants to go and grab it. It’s right there for him.” This supports our contention that Joyce will be the single biggest factor in determining where Ben Zobrist plays in 2010. [Tampa Tribune]
- Via meechone of The Fightins, we learn that Pat Burrell won a 1970 454 Chavelle Malibu SS at a recent auction for $60K. [Twitter]
- PECOTA has updated their 2010 projections with the Rays projected to score 826 runs and allow 712. That translates to 92 wins, which would be third in the AL East, but only one game behind the Red Sox and the Yankees. It is unclear what the standard deviation is for these numbers, but it is safe to assume that the Rays, Yankees and Red Sox are statistically even heading into the 2010 season. [Baseball Prospectus]
- The Blue Jays may have also expressed interest in Johnny Damon. [Twitter]
- Once again, don’t count on being able to watch too many Saturday games on TV. [Rays Report]
- The Rays are looking for a new PA announcer. If any of you apply, we would love to hear if you get a call-back and interview. [Rays Report]
- Rocco Baldelli’s list of suitors includes the Yankees, Rangers, Mariners and a fourth unidentified team. [Providence Journal]
- Fanhouse ranks the Rays as the top farm system. [Fanhouse]
