Archive for the 'Matt Moore' Category

Apr 11

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Moore’s Struggle, McGee’s Fate, And Paying For A New Stadium

Joe Maddon, Luke Scott, Matt Bush, Matt Moore 2 Comments »

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

Tigers 5, RAYS 2 (boxscore)

THE GOOD: Matt Moore. Obviously the 5 walks were ugly. And yes, he got squeezed on a couple of pitches. A look at the Pitchf/x (below) shows a few pitches in the zone that were called balls. But there are also a few outside the zone that were called strikes. And if we look at Rick Porcello’s strikezone plot (HERE) we see a couple of pitches that actually look like worse calls. In other words, the ump sucked both ways. And there was some concern with Moore’s velocity, which was 95-96 early, but was *only* 92-93 after the first couple of innings. Still, it seemed like a solid debut considering the competition and the weather.

THE BAD: Jake McGee. Poor Jake. A lot of pitchers are going to struggle facing Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder back-to-back. And in hindsight, maybe giving up just 3 bases combined is not the worst outcome. But you hope that you can get one of the guys out. McGee did not. And the lead was lost and the Tigers’ rally was on…Jose Molina. This guy is going to do more good than bad. But geez, when you hit a groundball to shallow left, you can’t get thrown out at first. And the Tigers scored their first run on what was officially a wild pitch. But Molina will be the first to tell you he should have blocked that. Just terrible…Matt Joyce. Joyce was going on a pitch in the second inning and ended up getting doubled-up on the flyball to right field. It was part bad luck. But it was also bad baserunning as Joyce didn’t pick up the ball until he was at second base.

THE TELLING: Other than Jeff Keppinger at DH for the injured Luke Scott, this was the lineup we expect to see most often, while BJ Upton is out. And that includes Reid Brignac at shortstop…Surprise! Suddenly Luke Scott’s initial diagnosis of “3-4 days” sounds less likely.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Did you see this video of Matt Moore from yesterday? [RI Videos]
  • That’s just one of the many things you can see if you follow us on Twitter during games. [@corkgaines for commentary, or @RaysIndex for links and breaking news]
  • Nick Swisher on all the shifts used by Joe Maddon during the Read the rest of this entry »
Apr 06

2012 Opening Day Roster Breakdown

James Shields, Jose Molina, Matt Moore No Comments »

We were just looking through the opening day roster and here are a few things we noticed…

  • The average age of the players on the roster is 29.2. The oldest player on the roster is Jose Molina (36 years, 10 months). The youngest is Matt Moore (22 years, 10 months).
  • The average player still has four years until free agency
  • James Shields is the highest played player this year ($8 million)
  • 12 of the 29 players (4 are on the DL) will make at or near the MLB minimum of $480,000
  • 8 players make more than the average MLB salary in 2011 ($3.1 million)
  • 12 of the 29 players have a first or last name that begins with J. That goes to 13 if we include Joe Maddon
  • Five players remain from the 2008 opening day roster (Carlos Pena, BJ Upton, Elliot Johnson, James Shields, JP Howell). 17 players remain from last year’s opening day roster
  • The Rays’ last 165 games have been started by Read the rest of this entry »
Mar 29

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Luke Power, More Bruises, And BJ To The DL

BJ Upton, Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Bush, Matt Moore 14 Comments »

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

RAYS 6, Pirates 4 (boxscore)

THE GOOD: Luke Power. Luke Scott hit a long home run which is a good sign that not only is his bat ready for opening day, but his swing might not be feeling anymore effects from surgery…

THE BAD: Another Bruise. Fernando Rodney took a line drive off his forearm in the 9th inning. Supposedly it is only a bruise, which means we won’t see him again until May.

THE TELLING: We now know that Jeremy Hellickson will start the third game of the year followed by Matt Moore and Jeff Niemann…We’ve mentioned this before, but no non-roster position player has made the Rays opening day lineup since Eric Hinske in 2008…Desmond Jennings and Reid Brignac are expected to play in the field today.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • It’s official, BJ Upton’s soreness that was supposed to keep him out 2-3 days, will now land him on the DL to start the year. Can’t say we are surprised. [TampaBay.com]
  • The baseball season has already started for two teams. Here is a look at some of the highlights you might not have seen on SportsCenter. [BI Sports]
  • Roger Mooney writes about the non-roster players that suddenly have a shot at making the Rays opening day roster. [TBO.com]
  • Tony Tufano remains in a medically induced coma. [TBO.com]
  • Interestingly, John Sickels doesn’t include any Rays players in his list of his favorite players 25 and under. That means no Matt Moore and no Desmond Jennings. [Minor League Ball]
  • The group, “Build it Downtown Tampa” has written a letter to Bud Selig urging him to get involved in the stadium situation…Trust us folks, Selig already has his hands all over this mess. [WTSP.com]
  • An interesting look at the time leading up to Matt Moore’s decision to sign an extension with the Rays from the point of view of his agent. [MLB.com]
Mar 27

It’s Official: Wade Davis Is Out Of The Rotation, And Matt Moore Is In

Jeff Niemann, Matt Moore, Rotation, Wade Davis No Comments »

According to Marc Topkin of TampaBay.com, the Rays have set their starting pitching rotation and as expected Wade Davis is the odd-man out.

The exact order of the rotation is not yet known beyond James Shields on opening day and David Price in game two. The choice between Jeremy Hellickson and Matt Moore in game three will be dependent on whether the Rays would prefer a left-hander to face the Yankees.

As for Davis, we can assume that the Rays will be talking to other teams over the next week looking to make a deal as they would love to upgrade at shortstop and behind the plate. If a deal cannot be made, Davis will move to the bullpen.

Mar 26

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Everyday Joyce, Cold Bats, And Lingering Injuries

Ben Zobrist, BJ Upton, Matt Joyce, Matt Moore, Reid Brignac, Wade Davis 10 Comments »

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

Miami 5, RAYS 1 (boxscore)

THE GOOD: Matt Joyce. Of the players expected to be regulars in the lineup, no player has more at bats this spring than Matty Joyce (40). He is only hitting .225 with a .295 OBP, but that doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that it looks like he is finally going to be an everyday player for the Rays. Well, a most-days player anyway. He will still sit against the occasional tough lefty. And he will occasionally struggle against other lefties. But if he does get to play 130+ games this season, look for a 30 HR season.

THE BAD: Cold Bats. The Rays have only 9 home runs this spring. Of those, only 4 have been hit by players expected to be on the opening day roster (Joyce 3, Longoria 1)…Record. OK, spring records mean next-to-nothing, unless you are doing really well, then everybody wants to talk about how everybody is clicking and ready for opening day. But when you are 6-14-1 like the Rays, then it is nothing to worry about, right? Typically, yes. But keep in mid, the Rays have a brutal opening month of the season. After their opening series against the Yankees, they go on a 10-game road trip against good teams (Bos, Det, Tor), followed by two good teams at home (LAA, Min) and finally a 3-game set on the road against the 2-time defending AL Champs (Tex). So the Rays need to be ready on opening day or they could be in a big hole come May. Then again, the Rangers are 6-16. So never mind (maybe).

THE TELLING: Reid Brignac is still in pain, but played in a minor league game yesterday without incident…Wade Davis has pitched 15.1 innings this spring. Matt Moore has tossed just 4 innings in big league spring training games…With BJ Upton still sore, Matt Joyce is seeing a lot of time in left field recently. If BJ must start the season on the DL (as well as Sam Fuld), look for Flash Jennings in center and Joyce in left and Ben Zobrist in right field.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Remember when you guys thought we were joking when we said BJ Upton’s soreness after colliding with Desmond Jennings is the exact type of injury that often ends up being a few weeks instead of a few days? Well, even though we are still 11 days from opening day, Upton is may not be in the lineup that day. [TampaBay.com]
  • The Rays demoted five non-roster invitees down to minor league camp. The only names of consequence might be OF Brad Coon and 1B Matt Mangini. Both players received a lot of playing time this spring which could be an indication that Joe Maddon has confidence that they can fill in if needed at some point this season. [TampaBay.com]
  • The Rays are expected to finalize their Read the rest of this entry »
Mar 23

Rays 2012 Opening Day Roster Nearly Set

25-man Roster, Brandon Gomes, Burke Badenhop, Cesar Ramos, Jeff Keppinger, Jeff Niemann, Matt Moore, Reid Brignac, Sean Rodriguez, Wade Davis No Comments »

With just two weeks until opening day, the Rays opening day roster is nearly set. Let’s take a look (notes on the projection are below)…

A few notes on this projection…

  • LINEUP: Obviously Joe Maddon will still play matchups this season, but SS and C would appear to be the only natural platoons. Ben Zobrist will get an occasional start in RF, but he has been used almost exclusively at 2B this spring. And Matt Joyce has received the bulk of the playing time in RF. Also, Jeff Keppinger will get an occasional start at 1B against a tough lefty. The only real questions left would appear to be injuries. Will Reid Brignac start the year on the DL? Same goes for Luke Scott. 
  • BENCH: Outside of the two platoons, the final two bench spots will almost certainly be Read the rest of this entry »
Mar 22

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Crying Baseballs, Dude’s Redemption, And Missing Equipment

Evan Longoria, JP Howell, Luke Scott, Matt Moore 4 Comments »

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

Yankees 5, RAYS 2 (boxscore)

THE GOOD: Matt Joyce. We are pretty sure Sweet Swingin’ Matty made a ball cry yesterday when he hit a home run well over the center field fence (you can see the home run below)…JP Howell. The Dude retired all five batters he faced and looks to be healthy for the first time since 2009.

THE BAD: Evan Longoria. We are not worried about the bat. But considering his late start, it is a little worrisome that Longo already has four errors…BJ Upton. Upton was scratched from the lineup and Joe Maddon sounded like this could become a concern if Upton is unable to play today…Equipment. Luke Scott is apparently still wearing his orange sunglasses (see them here) from his time with the Orioles because he is still waiting for his new blue sunglasses. How does this happen in 2012? It has been two months since Scott signed with the Rays. We can go on Amazon and order band-aids that look like bacon and have them in two days!

THE TELLING: Kyle Farnsworth started so that the Yankees wouldn’t get an extra look at the Rays’ starting pitchers. On the flip side, the Rays lineup had a very opening day feel to it, presumably to get the bats a good look at the Yankees pitchers…Jose Molina worked all 9 innings as he preps for what may be the busiest season of his career.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • We know this scares some of you, but be prepared for JP Howell to be leaned on heavily this season. [TobyDavid.com]
  • Here’s Toby David’s podcast from yesterday with stuff on the Rays. [TobyDavid.com]
  • A lot is going against Wade Davis early on, and Joe Maddon not wanting the Yankees to see Jeff Niemann yesterday was just the latest bad sign. But Big Dub is still hoping to land in the rotation and a decision could come this weekend. [TBO.com]
  • No surprise to Rays fans that are well aware of the bias in sports news coverage at ESPN. [BI Sports]
  • ESPN.com ranked the top 500 players in baseball, and the Read the rest of this entry »
Mar 14

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Moore’s Pop, Lee’s Bat, And The Other Catcher

Hak-Ju Lee, Matt Moore, Stephen Vogt, Tim Beckham 2 Comments »

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

RAYS 7, Orioles 7 (boxscore)

THE GOOD: Matt Moore. Moore looked good and did not appear to be holding back, consistently hitting 95-97 on his fastball. He struck out 3 and walked 1 in 1.2 innings…Hak-Ju Lee. It was just during scrub time late in the game, but Lee went 2-2. But what was really interesting is that Lee was in the game as a DH, again. Not that the Rays would ever use Lee as a DH, but it shows that they want to get a good long look at his bat this spring. He already has 17 at bats this spring which is a lot considering he only has 24 games above single-A under his belt…Stephen Vogt. Kid can rake. He leads the Rays with 8 hits this spring including 3 doubles and a triple. He also has 3 walks and can play several positions. You can tell Joe Maddon likes him and we will probably see him in the big leagues at some point this season, but like Lee, he is still inexperienced, with only 31 games in triple-A at the end of last season.

THE BAD: Tim Beckham. 1-19 is not how you impress in Spring Training. And while Hak-Ju Lee is not exactly killing baseballs, it has been Beckham that has seen extended time at second base. The team says that is just to give him more flexibility defensively, but you can read the writing on the wall. At some point, Lee will need to be in triple-A and he will be playing shortstop…Chris Gimenez. The second catchers spot appears to be a battle between Gimenez and Jose Lobaton. And while Gimenez already has 5 hits, he also has 8 strikeouts and no walks in just 22 at bats. That’s not good.

THE TELLING: Carlos Pena batted second again…Both Sean Rodriguez and Reid Brignac played shortstop yesterday, but not at the same time. That would have been weird…Jeff Keppinger will play first base today.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Matt Moore has a great fastball, but Roger Mooney writes that it is his changeup that separates him from other hard throwers. [TBO.com]
  • No expanded replay for Major League Baseball this season. [MLB.com]
  • Evan Longoria’s significant-other is running a Read the rest of this entry »
Mar 13

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Moore’s Debut, More Twins, And An Opening Day Scenario

Alex Cobb, Joe Maddon, Matt Moore 2 Comments »

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

Twins 2, RAYS  1 (boxscore)

THE GOOD: James Shields. The starters are already starting to ramp it up a bit. Shields tossed 4 shutout innings on 3 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 2…Matt Moore. The best prospect in baseball will make his spring debut today. Interestingly, this will be Moore’s first spring training appearance despite having already pitched in the majors….Kyle Farnsworth. Farnsville made his first appearance of the spring. He allowed an unearned run (his own throwing error) in 1 inning. But considering it was his first outing, it was nice to hear he was 93-94 with the fastball.

THE BAD: The Twins Again? This is getting ridiculous. We know teams are leaving Florida for Arizona, but we didn’t realize the Twins and Rays were the only two teams left.

THE TELLING: With a lefty on the mound, Ben Zobrist made his first start of the spring in right field and Jeff Keppinger was at second base. This will likely be the opening day scenario with CC Sabathia pitching for the Yankees…Carlos Pena will hit second again today…Sean Rodriguez is expected to play today…The number of players that will join Joe Maddon in shaving their heads on Thursday is now 20. And in his typical forward-thinking Maddon said he may hold hatless workouts so that the players can adjust to their new shaved heads…

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • If you want a fun place to go and hang out and chat with some fellow Rays fans, check out OTTOTD.com. Those guys pretty much hate this website, but that’s cool. We get a kick out of it. Although we do warn you, if you have a heart condition or think you might be pregnant, you should consult a doctor first. [OTTOTD.com]
  • Alex Cobb talks about the disappointment of being sent down so early in camp. [TampaBay.com]
  • When we first read this headline, we thought Matt Joyce was “dedicated to not being left-handed.” And as you can imagine, we were confused. [FoxSportsFlorida]
  • If you are filling out your brackets today, you might want to keep this chart handy. [BI Sports] Or this list. [BI Sports]
  • Free agency hits the NFL today. Be sure to keep checking with JoeBucsFan to see what the Bucs are doing. [JoeBucsFan]
Mar 06

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Big Dub’s Big Start, Longo’s Hand, And Moore’s Debut

Alex Cobb, BJ Upton, Carlos Pena, Evan Longoria, Matt Moore, Wade Davis No Comments »

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

Orioles 3, RAYS 1 (boxscore)

THE GOOD: Wade Davis. Big Dub is battling for a spot in the rotation, so there is no time to mess around and work on things. And his first outing showed that he is not messing around. One thing Davis can do is show that he is back to be more of a groundball pitcher like he was earlier in his career. And while it was just two innings yesterday, he had 3 groundballs, 2 flyballs and a strikeout, giving up just one hit. Good start.

THE BAD: Offense. Rays starters went 1-17, and the team as a whole didn’t pick up their second hit until the eighth inning. They finished with just 3 hits and 3 walks…Alex Cobb. 3 hits and 2 walks and had to be pulled with just 1 out in his second inning…Reid Brignac. His bat is what is keeping him from being an everyday shortstop. So it doesn’t help when Briggy boots an easy double-play ball. His glove is supposed to be his superior weapon.

THE TELLING: Now it is not even certain if Evan Longoria will be ready tomorrow. Longo says he needs another “day or so more“…Carlos Pena is expecting to play today…Sam Fuld and Luke Scott are both still on track to play by the end of the week…Matt Moore is expected to make his spring debut sometime next week…The Rays will be hanging a Wild Card 2011 banner to The Trop.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • We made an appearance on Justin Pawlowski’s debut show on 1010 Sports. You can listen to it here (we were in the “Around the Bay” segment. [CommishOnline]
  • Evan Longoria shut down his batting practice early today. It looks like he won’t be ready to play today with Wednesday now more likely. [TampaBay.com]
  • The Rays are no longer the only stadium in the big leagues with a fish tank. [BI Sports]
  • The Rays are projected to have the best Read the rest of this entry »
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