PARENTAL ADVISORY: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE AHEAD. We have our editors bound and gagged in their office, so some explicatives might not get deleted...

THE BAD: Shawn Riggans. This is just one reason why if (and that is a big IF), the Rays make the playoffs, we feel Mike DiFelice should be the Rays' backup catcher. With 2 outs in the 9th and the Rays up 1 run, a single to left was fielded by Ben Zobrist who made a throw to the plate that 2-hopped Riggans, but still beat the runner by 10 feet. Riggans let the ball bounce off his mitt tying the game. Does Dioner Navarro miss that throw? Maybe. Does DiFelice miss that throw? We doubt it.

THE WORSE: BJ Upton. In 9th inning of a 1-run game take nothing for granted. With AJ Pierzynski on first base and no outs in the 10th inning, Upton went back on a flyball and allowed Pierzynski to tag up up and move to second. Before we bash Upton too hard, we noticed earlier in the game that the wind was playing havoc with flyballs, all the more reason for Upton to go back harder and then come in if needed. And Upton claims he was aware there was a chance of the tag-up saying: "Obviously, there was a chance he might tag. I just didn't get my feet under me to get the ball in…I couldn't get my feet set under me to make a strong throw." We call bullshit. After he catches the ball, he takes two more steps towards the wall before even thinking about throwing it back in. It was just another case where Upton had his head stuck up his ass...And of course the Upton-apologists are at it again. You guys have to stop. And we are not saying that the people who think Upton is somehow responsible for children with cancer are any better. But Upton sometimes makes boneheaded plays. Occasionally...rarely even...he doesn't hustle. To say otherwise is to ignore the obvious and suggests that either you are related to Upton or just aren't watching the games...Not exactly the best timing for this article.

THE WORST: The Grim Reaper, Jason Hammel. We know Hammel has pitched better recently, but we call him the Grim Reaper for a reason. He should only be coming into games when death is imminent. We do not want Hammel within 500 feet of the mound when the game is still undecided. And we know we was hosed a bit but he still allowed AJ Pierzynski to get on base and he still gave up the winning hit.

THE WORSTEST: Doug Eddings. In the history of bullshit made up c***-sucking calls that was the bull-shitiest most made up c***-suckiest off all calls. It was like calling travelling with 3 seconds left or like a pass interference call on a hail Mary. Even if there is contact...and we still aren't sure there was...you swallow the mother-effin whistle unless you are absolutely certain. Really, Doug? An obstruction call in extra-innings? Really? Did you really see that, or did you let AJ Pierzynski make the call for you?

THE MOST WORSTEST: Our first-ever stomach punch game as a Rays fan. It is the next morning and we still feel sick to our damned stomach. And there is no game tonight so we have to deal with this stench another day. We feel like the ump kicked us in the groin and then clubbed a baby seal while we were curled up in fetal position. This is maybe the worst we have felt since the Bert Emmanuel play in the 1999 NFC championship game.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks posted a list of "206 Things We Like About Joe Maddon". One for every victory he has as manager of the Rays and apparently one for each of the two games the Rays won when Maddon took a vacation (and yes, we are still bitter about that). The list includes contributors from throughout the Rays blogosphere, including us...To the list we would add, "Able to recognize importance of Sunday's game and somehow keep his cool enough to not get thrown out." If we were in his shoes, we would have been ejected 3 times and would probably be facing a hefty suspension. [Bugs and Cranks]
• This wasn't the first time that Doug Eddings has made a bone-headed call that cost a Joe Maddon squad against the White Sox. [Tampa Tribune]
• The Rays are now #2 in the Chicago Tribune power rankings. [Chicago Tribune]

THE GOOD: Rocco Baldelli hit his first major league home run since May '07.

THE BAD: Edwin Jackson. How in the world Jackson got through 6 innings with only 2 runs is either an indictment on the White Sox offense or the Rays just got lucky last night.

THE TELLING: For all the good things that have happened this season, the Rays really haven't been the recipients of too many breaks. And we don't remember another game this season the Rays won in which they really didn't deserve the W. Last night the Rays did not deserve to win. In 6 innings, Edwin Jackson walked 5 batters and allowed 7 hits. 12 base runners in 6 innings and only 2 runs. How does that happen? The White Sox had the leadoff batter on base in each of the first five innings and yet only 1 of those runners scored. The Rays caught a huge break. And things weren't going any better on the offensive side of the ball. In the second inning the Rays had not one, but two runners called out at home. So when the Rays finally fell behind 2-0 in the 4th inning, we thought the game was over. It just looked like one of those nights.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• JP Howell pitched for the first time in 6 days due to stiffness in his back and legs. Howell says the grind of his first full major league season led to fatigue and he is now feeling much better. [Tampa Tribune]
• Buster Olney speculates on what David Price's role would be with the Rays if and when he is called up. Price says he doesn't care and would be willing to "be the batboy, if that's what they need." [ESPN]
  
• Joe Maddon will not have a strict pitch count on Scott Kazmir. The idea is to keep Kid K from worrying about mechanics and pitch counts and just concentrate on the batters. In his last start, Kazmir was able to work 6 innings as Papa Joe let Kaz accumulate 114 pitches. [MLB]
• John Romano takes a look at the perception of BJ Upton's lack of effort and says what many of us have been saying for a while...That the game is so easy for Upton that it masks his effort. Romano also wants to lay some blame on the previous front office for rushing him through the minors. [St. Pete Times]
  

THE GOOD: James Shields. Shields is the gamer in the Rays rotation. More than any of the other 4, Shields is able to overcome nights when he has less than his best stuff. Of course, he was aided by some stellar defense in the first couple of innings or else he would have given up more than 2 runs. But he survived those patches and was able to adjust the weapons he did have and work around the ones he didn't...Defense at key moments. Early in the game James Shields was struggling and the defense came up big when it needed to. In the first inning, with a man on first, a looping liner up the middle was snagged by Jason Bartlett who then doubled the runner up at first. That play was followed by a leaping catch at the wall by Gabe Gross to end the inning. Then in the second, BJ Upton fired a laser to home to gun down Torii Hunter trying to score...Willy Aybar. Evan Longoria has not played since Aug. 7. In that span of 11 games, Aybar is 16-44 (.364) with 6 multi-hit games, 7 runs scored, 7 extra-base hits, including 3 home runs, 9 RBI and 5 walks to only 4 Ks. He also has posted a 1.111 OPS (.429 OBP/.682 SLG) over that time period.

THE BAD: In the 6th inning with the Rays trailing 2-0, with men on first and third with 1 out, BJ Upton reached on an error scoring 1 run. As Upton passed first base, the ball bounded away and Upton thought about going to second. Well, the thought manifested as a shoulder juke before thinking better of it. Howie Kendrick tagged Upton and the umpire ruled that Upton had made a move towards second base later saying he's called guys out "for less". Dwayne Staats summed up the play best: "One of the worst calls I have ever seen in 35 years in baseball." Joe Maddon was ejected, getting his money's worth, dropping about 76 F-bombs on both the offending umpire and the crew chief.

THE TELLING: By our unofficial count, Joe Maddon has now been ejected 10 times since becoming the manager of the Rays. 5 of those were against the Angels...The Rays are 10-2 in James Shields last 12 starts...The Rays have now won 8 games in which they trailed after 7 innings...

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Let's do the Live Blog-A-Baloo! Tonight's contest is on ESPN. If we are lucky, Steve Phillips will broadcast the game providing plenty of unintentional comedy factor. We will see you back here at 6:00 sharp.
• Marc Lancaster provides the blow-by-blow of Joe Maddon's post-game rant concerning the play at first base...The interesting piece is the use of the word "unconscionable". Dwayne Staats used the same word in his description of the play. That's a big word and we are not exactly sure what it means. But considering the usage, it must mean "horseshit call by a lousy friggin' umpire." [Rays Report]
  
• BJ Upton apologized yesterday, one day after his latest baserunning gaffe. [The Heater]

"There's no excuse for it. It can't happen. Especially in the middle of a pennant race. Every run matters, every out matters. So I want to apologize for it. It's just something that can't happen...I know that's not me,'' he said. "I feel like I go out and play hard every day. I want to win as much as anybody in this room. Once again, things like that can't happen. It just so happens they're magnified a little bit more now than they have been in the past. It's something I've got to deal with and not let it happen again.''

THE GOOD: Andy Sonnanstine. All The Duke does is win, improving to 13-6 on the season. Show of hands: Who thought Sonny would be leading the Rays in wins in the middle of August? Put your damn hands down. Of course, Duke did his best Scott Kazmir impersonation last night, lasting only one out into the 6th inning and needing 104 pitches to get there...Joe Maddon's use of Trever Miller. Miller was signed to be 1 or 2 batter per game lefty specialist. In his first 52 appearances this season, Miller faced more than 2 batters 26 times. That is not necessarily Papa Joe's fault. Injuries have forced him to alter his ideal bullpen. But in the last two games, Miller has faced 3 batters, including his 1 out performance last night, coming on getting the all-important leadoff hitter in the 8th inning...With Jason Hammel doing his best job trying to give us a heart attack, Jason Bartlett started a georgeous double-play, going up the middle behind the bag and back-handing the ball to Aki Iwamura who stepped back out of the path of the runner and fired a one-hopper to Carlos Pena who made a slick scoop to end the inning and the threat, preserving a 5-4 lead...Sac Bunts and ignoring signs. The Rays are last in baseball in sac bunts, yet, with a 5-4 lead in the 8th and Justin Ruggiano on first and no outs, Dioner Navarro bunted Ruggy to second. Gabe Gross followed with a single in which Ruggiano ran through Tom Foley's stop sign to score the Rays' 6th run and give the Rays a little breathing room.

THE BAD: There was a big difference between BJ Upton's baserunning gaffe last night and the incidents that led to his benching this past weekend. Upton who hit what should have been an easy double, got caught jogging into an uncovered second base, when Mark Teixeira came from behind to field a throw and tag Upton out. According to Joe Maddon (and we agree), this was "not a lack of effort." Rather it was "a mental mistake." That doesn't make it OK, but does explain why Upton will not be disciplined...Our stress level. Jason Hammel relieved Trever Miller with 1 out and nobody on in the 8th inning with the Rays nursing a 5-4 lead. Hammel walked the first batter and then settled down to retire the next 2 to get out of the inning. But, just seeing Hammel in that situation gives us agida. And he needed the double-play to survive. It has been a while since we needed to take Papa Joe Behind the woodshed, but if Hammel blows that lead...

THE TELLING: With 4 teams still in contention for 3 playoff spots, the Rays now have a 6-game cushion over the 4th team, the Twins. The Rays magic number for the playoffs is 33. The Rays are also now only 1 game back in the loss column behind the Angels for the best record in baseball.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• As of last night, the Rays are planning on playing tonight's game, but are obviously monitoring the situation with Tropical Storm Fay very closely. [The Heater]
• Cliff Floyd said that BJ Upton's baserunning brainfart made "his heart hurt," and added that Joe Maddon doesn't need to address the situation because the players will take care of it. [MLB]

"You've got a guy who, in my opinion, is going to be different," Floyd said. "I'm going to put my butt on the line by saying that. I'm going to do everything possible, and I think everybody in here is going to do everything possible to make sure it don't happen again. It's not in Joe's hands anymore. It's not in anybody else's hands but ours as players."

• Troy Percival will not need arthroscopic surgery on his knee. Even without the surgery, he is still scheduled to be out 2-4 weeks. [Rays Report]
• Tony Massarotti of the Boston Herald calls the Red Sox a "mystery", saying that "suddenly, [the postseason] doesn't seem so certain," and that we "don't know a thing about these Red Sox yet." [Boston Herald]
• Brittany Ghiroli reports that Evan Longoria is progressing well and is still on schedule to return to the Rays on or around Sept. 1. [MLB]
  
• Al Reyes has cleared waivers and declined a minor league assignment. He is now a free agent. [The Heater]
• Rocco Baldelli who played the field in 2 of his first 3 games, said it was not easy on his body. [MLB]

"It was something I hadn't done yet. It was difficult, not going to say it was easy, but I came out of it feeling good."

• The Rays make a return appearance at The Dugout with Barry Bonds trying to convince Joe Maddon to give him a job, any job. [Fanhouse]
  
• Her Rays thinks Grant Balfour may need to visit the same psychologist that helped Matt Garza. [Her Rays]
  
• The odds of the Rays winning the World Series has dropped from 65:1 in the spring to 3:1 now. [Gambling911]
  

THE GOOD: Carlos Pena continues his torrid pace, hitting another home run, his 25th and 10th in last 22 games...BJ Upton returned to the lineup and took out his frustrations on the Rangers, hitting a line drive double down the left field line and following later with a home run to right-center. It was only his 2nd HR since the All-Star break. He drove in 3...Winning series. After getting shutout on Saturday by the worst pitching staff in baseball, the Rays bounced back to take the rubber-match. The Rays are now 8-0-1 in series since the All-Star break and have stretched their lead in the East to 5 games in the all-important loss column. Remember, the Rays were a half-game behind the Red Sox at the All-Star break. So, while everybody has been predicting the imminent doom of the Rays, they have actually played 5 games better than the Sox in the last 29 games...Winning on the road. The Rays just finished their longest road trip of the year at 7-3 and are now 11-6 on the road since the All-Star break after finishing the first-half at 19-25 away from the Trop.

THE BAD: Unlike the rest of the league, the Rangers schedule Sunday home games at night, due to the unbearable heat of Texas in the Summer. But ironically, the high yesterday was only 88. But thanks to the scheduling, the Rays likely did not get home until about 5am...The Red Sox are on the road for the next 9 games, but unfortunately, they get the Orioles starting today, while the Rays must take on the best team in the AL.

THE BAT-SHIT CRAZY: Joe Maddon deciding to walk Josh Hamilton with the bases loaded in the 9th inning. It was good because it worked. Dan Wheeler got Marlon Byrd to strike out. It was bad, because it brought the winning run to the plate in the form of a player that had just hit a walk-off grand slam against the Yankees two weeks ago. It was bat-shit crazy, because it was only the second time in 60+ years that a player had been intentionally walked with the bases loaded. Not to mention, for about 0.04 seconds we thought Grant Balfour was going to go kangaroo on Papa Joe when Maddon came out to the mound following the walk.

THE TELLING: Juan Salas looks like he ate Troy Percival...Juan Salas is now the only member of the 2007 opening day bullpen that is still with the organization...BJ Upton was back in the lineup, and batted leadoff with Aki Iwamura getting a day off...Was anybody else worried about the safety of inanimate objects in the clubhouse after Joe Maddon pulled Grant Balfour?...The Rays now have a 96.6% chance of making the playoffs according to Baseball Prospectus, with a 74.0% chance of winning the division...Don't look now, but the Rays are only 1.5 games behind the Angels for the best record in the AL...The Rays magic number for the playoffs is now 35 with the Red Sox, White Sox and Twins all sharing the same number of losses...

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• We had the honor of writing a "Rest of the Season" preview for the Rays at The Hardball Times...Most of the thoughts have been seen here previously, and it is a bit more long-winded than you guys are used to, but if you ever have a desire to see what Rays Index on amphetamines would look like, head on over. [The Hardball Times]
• So this is what BJ Upton apologists have turned to? They are sitting at home timing Rays batters to first base. We assume they are trying to show that Upton is not the only player that doesn't hustle. Seriously. We can't make this shit up. [DRays Bay]
• Troy Percival says his knee is feeling much better and he may not need the arthroscopic surgery originally scheduled. If this is the case, he could be back sooner than previously thought. [MLB]
• Marc Topkin does a nice job of breaking down the Rays and their remaining schedule. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Rake Blog wonders if the Rays should trade Carl Crawford this off-season, noting that CC may have a perceived value that is much higher than his actual value. [Rake Blog]
  
• The Rays say that today's game will be played, but tomorrow's contest is "in doubt", due to Tropical Storm Fay. [The Heater]
  
• Gary Glover has landed a major league job with the Tigers. [Detroit Free-Press]
• The Rays are only the 4th team in MLB history with 5 starters 26 or younger with at least 20 starts. [Bradenton Herald]
  
• Bill Chuck agrees with us...The Yankees are roadkill. [Fox Sports]
  

THE GOOD: The "Good" starts and ends with Matt Garza who pitched a 2-hitter for his second shutout of the season. One night after Joe Maddon was forced to use all 7 of his relief pitchers in an extra-inning contest, it was imperative Garza work deep into the night and he did not disappoint. Garza did not allow a hit until 2 outs in the 6th, when a blooper fell between Justin Ruggiano and Aki Iwamura...We should also point out that every starter had at least 1 hit, and the Rays "weak" offense produced 4 home runs, including number 24 for the red-hot Carlos Pena, who has now homered in 3-straight games and for the 9th time in his last 20 games.

THE BAD: BJ Upton. How angry was Joe Maddon that Upton failed to run hard twice last night? Papa Joe employed the harshest punishment a manager can do to a player. He embarassed him in the middle of the game. Having already decided to remove Upton from the game in the middle of the 6th inning, Maddon let Upton take the field in the bottom-half of the inning. Before Matt Garza was able to throw a pitch, Papa Joe sent Justin Ruggiano out to the field to replace Upton, foricing Upton to make the baseball-equivalent of the "Walk of Shame" back to the dugout.

THE TELLING: Jason Bartlett was back at SS last night for the first time in 12 days...Matt Garza and James Shields each have 2 shutouts which is tied for the major league lead. The Rays' 4 complete game shutouts is tied with the Dodgers, Milwaukee and Cleveland for the most in baseball. The pitching staff now has 7 complete games and this was the 11th time the team has shutout an opponent. That is second only to the 12 shutouts by the Red Sox and the Indians...The Rays magic number for the playoffs is now 36 over the White Sox/Twins. And the Yankees lost. Again. They should be ashamed of themselves. It is not even September and they are very close to being an afterthought even for the Wild Card.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Thank you Marc Lancaster...Finally a local media member stood up and emphatically said Barry Bonds is not going to play for the Rays. Of course it took a telling report from Ken Rosenthal at FoxSports in which Bonds agent says he sent Andrew Friedman a text message asking if the Rays would be interested in Bonds and the message went unanswered. [Rays Report]
  
• BJ Upton will also be benched on Saturday. Joe Maddon would not talk to Upton on Friday after the game for fear of saying something he would regret...That is a side of Papa Joe we haven't seen before. [The Heater]
  
• Troy Percival went on the DL with an injury to the cartilage in his knee. Juan Salas was recalled from Durham. Percival will miss 2-4 weeks. [The Heater]
• Joe Maddon said Grant Balfour will not be the de facto closer, instead choosing to go closer-by-comittee. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Andrew Friedman says Juan Salas has been prepped in Durham to give the Rays more than 1 inning at times. [MLB]
  
• The Rays finally signed their 2nd round pick, LHP Kyle Lobstein avoiding the possibility of losing him to the University of Arizona basketball team. Lobstein received a $1.5 million signing bonus. Of the players signed as of yesterday morning, that is the highest bonus given to any player outside of the first round, including supplemental picks between the first and second rounds. The Rays will will wait until next season for Lobstein to make his pro debut...The Rays signed 26 of their top 28 picks. [Rays Report]
• Joe Maddon, a former catcher, spoke with Peter Gammons about what makes a good catcher. [ESPN]

"A well above-average catcher for me would be Mauer," says Rays manager Joe Maddon, a former catcher and noted catching mentor. "An average catcher would have to have the mental acumen to take charge of your staff and display a caring that can be felt by all the pitchers. Next, he has to have the receiving ability and stamina to play at least five games a week. Throwing, I would like to have at least average arm strength with a quick release and accuracy. He has to block balls well and is fearless on plays at the plate. He should be the best worker on the team, and hitting, I would settle for .250 hitter with around 10 home runs or better." "We are," says Maddon, "describing the player who wears 'the tools of intelligence.'"

• One Red Sox blog feels the Rays are upsetting the natural order of things in the AL East and they are not happy about it. [RedSoxSoul]
  

THE GOOD: Cliff Floyd's knees. Somehow Floyd's legs were still intact after the game, despite having to run the bases a whopping 5 times. Twice Floyd had to score all the way from first base on extra-base hits by Willy Aybar. Floyd scored 4 runs in total.

THE BAD: James Shields. Shields walked a season-high 5 batters in only 5 innings...The Bullpen. No they were actually pretty good yesterday. Even though Grant Balfour blew the save after relieving the injured Troy Percival, as a group they only allowed 2 runs (1 earned) in 7 innings. However, Joe Maddon had to use his entire bullpen, all 7 relief pitchers, to get through the extra-inning affair. And while they performed well, some will be tired tonight in Texas and some may be unavailable. That puts a lot of pressure on Matt Garza tonight to work deep into the game...BJ Upton's absolute lack of any baseball instincts on the basepaths. In the first inning, with Upton on first, Carlos Pena flied out to deep right-center. Upton thought the ball would drop and took off, rounding second on his way to third. When he realized the ball was caught, he ran straight back to first base without even pretending to touch second base on the way. Upton was doubled-up on the appeal.

THE TELLING: Paul Byrd will make his Red Sox debut tonight. They might score 19 runs and win, but it won't be because of Byrd.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Troy Percival was once again injured during a play. This time he fielded a sac bunt and rather than flip it first base for the out, he instead chased the runner into foul territory, spraining his knee. Marc Topkin reported Percival was on crutches last night and is likely headed to the DL after further evaluation today. [The Heater]
• Carl Crawford had sugery on his injured finger yesterday and it "went well". [MLB]
  
• MLBTradeRumors takes a look at some of the waiver-wire possibilities for the Rays. Does Rich Aurelia get anybody excited? [MLBTradeRumors]
• Looks like the Pirates might not be able to sign Pedro Alvarez prior to Friday's deadline. If that happens, there won't be any second-guessing on the Rays' selection of Tim Beckham. The sticking point appears to be a spot on the 40-man roster, which of course would move Alvarez closer to the majors and free agency. [MLBTradeRumors]
  
• This should about seal the Mets fate...And by fate we of course mean death. [MetsBlog]
• Bob Nightengale agrees with us that the Yankees are roadkill...OK. Not the word he used, but close enough. [USA Today]
  

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• BJ Upton was benched for this afternoon's game for not running out a ground ball back to the pitcher in the 9th inning of last night's game. Joe Maddon did not rule out using him late in the game. [The Heater]
  
• As we expected, Rocco Baldelli is waiting for a roster spot to come available. Marc Lancaster speculates that Ben Zobrist will be sent back to Durham tomorrow when Jason Bartlett is ready to play SS. However, we wonder if Zobrist will stick around as a utility-guy for a few more days as the Rays are not scheduled to face a lefty until at least next Tuesday. [Rays Report]
• Jason Bartlett and Carl Crawford are both expected back in their familiar positions on Thursday. [MLB]
• The Tampa [sic] Rays have become the business-model for at least one non-sports entity. [tvnewsday]
  
• Remember way back in Spring Training when RF and DH was supposed to be a 3-headed monster, with Jonny Gomes, Cliff Floyd and Rocco Baldelli? Yeah, us neither. [Herald-Tribune]
• Jonny Gomes is starting to wonder aloud if his career with the Rays is over. [Herald-Tribune]
• Last night was only the 5th time in franchise history that the Rays posted win #67. Bugs and Cranks compares last night's win to the previous 4. [Bugs and Cranks]
  
• Jerry Crasnick says the Rays are only the 9th best bullpen of all the teams still in contention. [ESPN]

THE BAD: We were orignally planning to bring back the Live Blog-A-Baloo of the week on Wednesday. We are long overdue for an installment and Wednesday could be the '08 debut of Rocco Baldelli. But, when the casting director for a very popular NBC drama calls and asks if you are available on Wednesday to film a scene, you guys get shafted...Sorry.

THE TELLING: With Jason Bartlett limited to pinch-runner availability, Willy Aybar made his first major-league start at SS. Eric Hinske started in LF in place of Carl Crawford. Shawn Riggans made his first professional appearance in the OF after pinch-hitting, and replacing Hinske in LF...

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• In a move that could have a big impact on how soon Rocco Baldelli is activated, Jonny Gomes has been demoted to Durham and Ben Zobrist has been recalled. Clearly, Joe Maddon was not happy with Willy Aybar starting at SS. Gomes was expected to be demoted when Rocco was ready. Now Rocco will have to wait until Jason Bartlett is ready to be inserted back in the lineup. At that point, we expect Zobrist will be demoted and Baldelli will be activated. [SI.com]
• Sixty Feet, Six Inches recaps an interview with Rocco Baldelli in which he addresses various topics including the fate of his beard. [Sixty Feet, Six Inches]
  
• Carl Crawford missed last night's game with a sore hamstring and could be out again tonight. [The Heater]
• Tom Verducci of SI.com tells us why the Rays are here to stay...Of course, you would think a 3-game lead in August is enough evidence to show that the Rays "have what it takes to stay in AL East race." Just shows you how little people outside of the Bay Area think of the Rays. Even if the Rays took a nose-dive over the next 3 weeks, they would at worst be 2-3 games out of the division lead with a month to go. And that alone is "still in the race."[SI.com]
  
• Not the first time we have heard this one...Buster Olney compares the '08 Rays to the '69 Mets...Olney is hidden behind the evil password wall called "Insider" at ESPN, but Marc Topkin has the details. [ESPN via The Heater]
• BJ Upton may or may not have met the president of his fan club. [Her Rays]
  

THE GOOD: Carl Crawford and the Royals defense. With 2 outs and Aki Iwamura on first, BJ Upton hit a lazy bloop to shallow right field that fell in for a double. Aki should have scored, but was held up at third. CC then hit a flyball in foul territory down the left field line that was dropped before hitting his 2nd triple of the game to drive in 2 and give the Rays the lead...Carlos Pena homered for the second straight night.

THE BAD: Troy Percival was shaky again, allowing 2 hits and a run. But he did seem to have a little more life on his fastball and he was finding the strikezone. In his previous 2 starts, he threw 29 pitches, only 14 were strikes. Last night it was 14 of 22.

THE TELLING: If there is still any lingering doubt that Joe Maddon has not turned the corner this season, then take this quote from last night in reference to the bloop double from BJ Upton:

“We should have scored on the bloop,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “That was the wrong part about it. We got a break, and then Carl had to come up with a triple to take advantage of the break that should have been taken advantage of prior to that. If we are going to win this thing, we can’t make plays like that. We have to beat everybody to the punch. We just got lucky tonight.”

Keep in mind that both Aki Iwamura and BJ Upton would later score on a triple by Carl Crawford. And yet, Papa Joe takes either Aki or third-base coach Tom Foley to task for not scoring earlier. And Maddon is right. With two outs Aki has to try and score in that situation.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• As usual, Outs Per Swing has a nice roundup of the recent trade rumblings involving the Rays. [Outs Per Swing]
• Did he? Yes. Yes he did...This should be exhibit one when people ask why writers don't write their own headlines. *shaking head in shame* [Rays Report]
• Not to be outdone by Marc Lancaster's headline writing skills, Marc Topkin wonders what the Rays would look like as a football team...RAYSHEADS...This is your PAID Tampa Bay Rays media coverage. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Cliff Floyd's wife gave birth to a daughter on Saturday...Our congrats and best wishes. [MLB]
• The Rays are now just 10 wins shy of breaking the franchise record for wins in a season. Bugs and Cranks will be counting down, and in doing, will compare this season's 61st win with every 61st win in franchise history. [Bugs and Cranks]
  
• To say that TBSB is unhappy with BJ Upton would be an understatement. [Tampa Bay Sports Blog]
  

THE GOOD: Akinori Iwamura's defense. We can't stop praising how seamlessly he has moved to his new position. If he does not win the gold glove, it would be a bigger injustice than Evan Longoria not winning the rookie of the year. Last night, the Rays turned 2 double-plays in the first two innings. Most teams would have only been able to get the lead out. Not with Aki. Aki's turns at second base are as quick as anybody we have ever seen and he always has zip on his throws to first. Those double-plays probably saved Matt Garza at least 1, and maybe more, runs. It also got Garza out of the first two innings with 14 pitches total.

THE BAD: Matt Garza. The Garza Complex, who seemed to have turned his season around, walked 4 and did not strike a batter out. A pitcher with Garza's stuff, should be able to strike out at least 3 batters in 5 innings based on chance alone. His 4 walks matched his season-high and was the first time he had more than 2 since May 23.

THE TELLING: Can we stop with the "struggles versus lefties" nonsense. This team is in an offensive funk, no matter who is on the mound...Jason Bartlett returned to the lineup and went 3-3.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Jayson Stark says the Rays are telling other teams that David Price, Wade Davis and Jeremy Hellickson are not available at any price...He also says that their first choice is to use David Price or Rocco Baldelli, rather than trade for a rental. [ESPN]
• Joe Maddon continues to bat BJ Upton in the 2-hole to break-up the lefties in the lineup and offer them a bit of protection against left-handed relievers. [MLB]
  
• Joe Maddon was very hesitant but did acknowledge that Rocco Baldelli could be the right-handed bat the Rays need. [St. Pete Times]

"You don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves," Maddon said. "It's possible, but I don't know when. He's still going through this process. I don't want to say we're going to hang our hat on that quite yet. But it's possible."...Maddon said it was important that Baldelli felt good the day after, but also that he felt good about it in a conversation with head trainer Ron Porterfield..."He spoke really well, he spoke in a very encouraging, positive way," Maddon said. "It was the kind of script we haven't heard, so it's good."

• Just curious...does anybody find "The Sports Comedian" at Fox Sports funny? Anybody? [Fox Sports]
  
• The Rays are back on top of Bugs and Cranks "Top 30". [Bugs and Cranks]
• First he brought us an interview with Reid Brignac, now we have one with Dan Wheeler. This guy at the New York Daily News will interview anybody. [New York Daily News]