Sometimes, Joe has to doff his cap to the other guy. That “Other Guy” today was Braves hurler Tim Hudson. The guy was a simple Bulldog, keeping the Rays off the scoreboard as the Rays suffered their first shutout this season.
Of course, the way Carlos Pena has been playing, and played today, surely didn’t help. Pena is in a terrible slump at the plate, and judging by his play in the field and on the basepaths, Pena is in dire need of a short-vacation.
Pena hasn’t been playing his normal solid defense lately and today he dropped a ball. Sure, Will Rhymes got a throwing error on the play, but Pena still had his glove on the ball and didn’t secure it.
Pena’s bumbling baserunning in the eighth inning was simply inexcusable. With the bases loaded and two outs down by two runs, Wolverine blasted what appeared to be a potential game-tying two-run RBI single. Pena initially watched the ball come toward him near second base, then instead of trying to dodge the ball, began looking at second base and got hit by the ball for the third out.
Now if Pena was trying to shield the ball from Braves second baseman Dan Uggla, Joe could live with that. But Pena wasn’t even looking at the ball. That’s a Little League stunt.
Yes, Joe knows the Rays are razor-thin thanks to so many injuries. But it’s clear to Joe that Pena is in dire need of a couple of days off.
Sure, Joe knew when Dirtbag went down with his knee injury the Rays offense might take a step back or two. That’s understandable. But for the Rays to cower and run away when there are runners in scoring position as bad as they did tonight, well, there really is no excuse.
Good grief, just tonight alone Wolverine stranded six runners, and he’s supposed to be the Rays big RBI guy.
Rather than just losing Dirtbag, it’s a series of players the Rays have lost to injury that may be catching up to them. Desmond Jennings’ absence doesn’t help. Guess Rays fans are seeing all of these injuries starting to creep up.
Not an awful night for Matt Moore, but without some offense, unless Rays pitchers pretty much hold opponents scoreless, Joe guesses this is what fans may expect from the Derek Sheltons in the near future.
Now this is Joe’s kind of a game. Hellboy and the bullpen, capped by the crooked cap-wearing, Kung Fu Fernando Rodney, who held the BoSux to one run while wrapping up a 2-1 win.
This is the type of game the Rays are going to need from their pitching staff, and are capable of getting night in and night out, short of whoever is now the No. 5 pitcher.
And, man, was Rodney mowing down the BoSux. Fantastic.
If somebody ever asks us why the Rays are successful, we will tell them about Stuart Sternberg and Andrew Friedman, and then we will show them this interview with Joe Maddon.
Our favorite line? “You’ve gotta go under the hood to find the edge man”
Was Matt Joyce out diving head first into first base?
Probably. But Joe will file that safe call away so he’s not as angry about the ones that inevitably will screw the Rays later this season. Joyce’s two-out fortune — and hustle — opened the flood gates for the Rays’ sixth-run fifth inning enroute to the 7-1 victory against Toronto.
What clutch, quality strokes by Luke Scott and Sean Rodriguez to blow the game open. Very impressive stuff, considering how hot Jays starter Brandon Morrow was entering this game.
Cesar Ramos gets a gold star and the win after coming in for Jeff Niemann, who got plunked on the ankle by a line drive in the first inning. What a way to seize an opportunity. Ramos hadn’t pitched in eight days. Starting in the fifth inning, Wade Davis, Jay Howell, Burke Badenhop and Jake McGee brought the victory home flawlessly.
It was about time the Rays had an easy one. Those late rallies in Baltimore were too hard on the nerves.
Finally seeing some offense in this Dirtbag-less, Desmond Jennings-less lineup, the Rays handed Big Game a six-run lead in the fourth.
Cool. Game’s all but won with the Rays’ No. 1 starter on the mound.
Not so fast. Partially thanks to Rays nemesis Matt Wieters, the Orioles climbed back twice and appeared about to win the game in the ninth. But this game was not saved by Shields or even Kung Fu Fernando Rodney, but by the glove of Sean Rodriguez.
Playing third base today, Rodriguez made a couple of plays with the leather that would have made Brooks Robinson nod in approval. If not for SRod diving all over the infield and making crazy plays, the Rays lose this game.
Props to Zorilla for breaking out with the bat and Elliot Johnson putting a pitch over the fence in left field as well. But if not for SRod’s defense, those homers are lost in a loss.
Joe has nothing against David Price. But one of the most talented pitchers in baseball sometimes is a big tease. Just when Joe thinks the guy has turned the corner to be a dominant starter, Joe is quickly slapped in the face just like some hottie at Hooters does on a regular basis.
Price is simply not a big-game pitcher. Not yet. When the Rays really, really, really need him to be a lockdown stopper, he comes up short.
Sure, against the Oaklands of the world Price looks like the second coming of Steve Carlton. Tonight when the Rays sorely needed a win in Gotham to lock up a series win … blech.
A pair of homers did Price and the Rays in tonight. And 11 hits in seven innings? That’s not the stuff of an ace.
Until Price can regularly lock up opponents’ bats, and bats of strong teams like the Yankees, he will be no better than the Rays’ No. 3 pitcher behind Big Game Shields and Hellboy.
It’s always a fun time watching Rays baseball at Hooters, but it gets a lot more special on Wednesday. And it’s not just because the Rays are playing the hated Yankees.
Hooters at 4125 4th St. North in St. Pete will host an official Rays watch party, which means the Rays pregame and postgame radio crew will be there giving away all kinds of prizes and there will be food and drink specials, including $5.99 boneless wings and fries.
This is the place to be on Wednesday. Cold beer, baseball and Hooters Girls, it’s a no-brainer.
It’s always a fun time watching Rays baseball at Hooters, but it gets a lot more special on Wednesday. And it’s not just because the Rays are playing the hated Yankees.
Hooters at 4125 4th St. North in St. Pete will host an official Rays watch party, which means the Rays pregame and postgame radio crew will be there giving away all kinds of prizes and there will be food and drink specials, including $5.99 boneless wings and fries.
This is the place to be on Wednesday. Cold beer, baseball and Hooters Girls, it’s a no-brainer.
Geez, the way the Rays are pitching, Joe’s going to get sick of pizza.
Fans again will be grubbing out on the Rays’ dime after David Price mowed down Oakland like Joe does slices of free pizza after a few beers. Price racked up 12 strikeouts while finishing eight innings. Somewhere, Astro was smiling while hovering over a puddle of drool.
This was one of Price’s best outings. He continues to pitch like that, along with Big Game Shields and Hellboy, Joe’s not sure the Rays would miss Dirtbag.
Now 13-1 at home, the Rays are starting to put up some scary numbers. Hell, even Bossman is hitting like a savvy veteran rather than an indifferent strikeout man.
Just remember: Every win from now through probably July 4th, is one game closer to the return of Dirtbag.
