With the Red Sox loss last night, the Rays pull even with Pink Hat Nation in the loss column. The Rays still maintain their 2 game lead in the Wild Card race over the A's.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Don't forget to VOTE for Carl Crawford to start the all-star game. If you haven't voted yet today, go NOW! [MLB All-Star Voting]
• The Rays still have not received official word as to when Edwin Jackson will begin his suspension, which will likely be either tonight or Thursday (at the conclusion of James Shields' suspension). Tonight is also the last game of Carl Crawford's suspension with Aki Iwamura to begin his tomorrow. [St. Pete Times]
• "No one could have imagined the Cubs-Rays series would be a possible World Series preview"...Those are the Chicago Tribune's words. Not ours. Reading that and something comes to our mind. Something about a "cart" and a "horse"?? [Chicago Tribune]
  
• The Cubs are just the latest good team to face the Rays. They will be the fourth series of the last six that featured a team in first place and 26 of the Rays last 28 games have been against a team with a .500 record or better. [Tampa Tribune]
• In addition to the first to the Trop for former Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella, tonight's game also marks the first return to the Trop for the Devil Rays original manager Larry Rothschild, who is now the Cubs pitching coach. [St. Pete Times]
• Lou Piniella said that if he had stayed with the Devil Rays for another year or two, he probably wouldn't be the managing today. [Southtown Star]

''I was crazy enough to think I could win anywhere with anything,'' said Piniella, who won two World Series rings as a player in New York and another as a manager in Cincinnati. ''Not crazy, but confident in my ability...At that time, you go on a road trip to New York, Boston and Toronto, and if you win one game in each city, it's a good trip,'' Piniella said. ''From a professional standpoint, I wasn't prepared for that. I'd won everywhere I'd been. I didn't enjoy the losses. And it wasn't going to get any better, so I got out.''

• Gerry Hunsicker was on The Show with Rob Dibble and Kevin Kennedy and talked about making deals at the trading deadline...Hunsicker said "...deals arent easy to make, atleast significant deals and you’re probably going to have to overpay regardless of what you get because of the supply and demand factor..." Overpaying is not something the Rays ever want to do, so don't expect any major deals from the Rays before the trading deadline. [MLB on XM]
  
• Cubs f/x breaks down the pitchf/x of Scott Kazmir. [Cubs f/x]
  

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Don't forget to VOTE for Carl Crawford to start the all-star game. If you haven't voted yet today, go NOW! [MLB All-Star Voting]
• Why go against the odds? Before this series we predicted that Joe Maddon would not be ejected during this series despite having 3 of his 7 career ejections against his former team. We thought the Rays had enough drama on this roadtrip and Papa Joe wouldn't want to add to it....Sure enough. Papa Joe was ejected yesterday. That is his 8th career ejection and 4th against the Angels, which is amazing considering the Rays have only faced the Angels 23 times with Maddon as manager. [The Heater]
  
• The City of St. Pete released a 45-second 3-D video rendering of the proposed waterfront stadium. [Ballpark Frankness]
• Jonny Gomes served the last day of his suspension and James Shields has dropped his appeal and will now make his next start on June 19th versus the Cubs. When he returns, the Edwin Jackson will begin serving his suspension and the Rays will need a spot-starter on June 21. [St. Pete Times]
• Rocco Baldelli played in his final extended spring game, going 0-5. He may be ready to join Vero Beach for a rehab assignment. [AP]

"This is probably the first time since the beginning of spring training where I actually felt that I was going to be coming back and playing," Baldelli said after going 0-for-5 as the designated hitter in his final extended spring training game on Wednesday. "We're going to sit down and decide what the next step is. Hopefully go out and get some (at-bats) on some kind of rehab assignment."

• Brittany Ghiroli notes that the Rays-Marlins interleague matchup matters for the first time. [MLB]
  

THE GOOD: 8, 13, 12, 13, 20, 14, 10. That is how many pitches Scott Kazmir threw in each of the first 7 innings for a total of 90. That allowed Kid K to come out for the 8th inning. Only one inning with 15 or more is a very good sign. Kazmir averaged 17.5 pitches per inning in '07 and was at 16.2 pitches per inning this season, prior to last night...Rays batters walked 4 times and struck out only 5 times against one of the better starting pitchers in baseball. In the Red Sox series the Rays struck out 28 times in 3 games with only 8 walks.

THE BAD: BJ Upton did hit a home run and Carl Crawford had a rare triple, but the top 4 batters in the lineup were only a combined 3-19.

THE TELLING: Evan Longoria's home run in the 5th inning landed in the club-level, an area that had only been reached 13 times previously. It was fun watching the left fielder take one step back and then realize it was wasted effort...

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• In case you missed it yesterday, Rays Index is now on Twitter. [Rays Index]
  
• Don't forget to VOTE for Carl Crawford to start the all-star game. If you haven't voted yet today, go NOW! [MLB All-Star Voting]
• The suspensions were handed for Thursday night' brawl. James Shields (6 games), Jonny Gomes (5), Edwin Jackson (5), Carl Crawford (4) and Akinori Iwamura (3). The suspensions are staggered so that the Rays will not be without more than 1 position player and 1 pitcher at a time. However, Shields and Gomes were start their suspensions last night, but chose to appeal. The other will likely do the same when their suspensions are set to begin. Three Sox were also suspended including Jon Lester (5 games), Coco Crispy (7) and Sean Casey (3). [St. Pete Times]
• With off-days before and after the Marlins series, the Rays will be able to rework the rotation so that only one emergency starter is needed (most likely Jason Hammel) despite losing 2 starting pitchers to suspension. [MLB]
  
• Bugs & Cranks has a video clip showing the heated history between the Rays and the Red Sox. Of course the one not mentioned is the unprovoked punch by Julian "I am crazeeee" Tavarez thrown at Joey Gathright in spring training. [Bugs and Cranks]
• Bugs and Cranks purveyors of all Devil Rays videos, also has CooCoo Crisp's postgame comments. [Bugs and Cranks]
• Rays the Stakes wrote an open letter to CooCoo Crisp. [Rays the Stakes]
• Troy Percival will be ready to come off the DL when he is eligible on June 13, while Carlos Pena will need more time than his June 19 return date. [St. Pete Times]
  

(click on image for a larger version)

By now everybody has seen the image on the left (above). We knew there was something familiar about it, and now we know. James Shields threw a pitch at Coco Crisps leg and then when Crisp charged the mound, Shields threw another "pitch" at Crisp's head. Luckily for Crisp, it was either a change up or his head wasn't in the strike zone.

THE GOOD: Playing the game the right way. The Rays did everything right in the last two games. Coocoo Crisp did everything wrong. If Crisp walks to first base the situation is over.

THE BAD: Giving Coocoo Crisp an opportunity to win the game by getting James Shields ejected in the second inning. We really thought Crisp had something coming but we assumed it would wait until later in the game to find a less meaningful moment or a time when losing Shields would mean less. Still, there was little reason to expect CooCoo to charge the mound. And we can't fault Shields for sticking up for his teammates. Shields had to throw at CooCoo for the bushleague slide on Wednesday and Shields handled the situation perfectly. The ball was at CooCoo's leg. Not his head. If that pitch cost the Rays one win for the sake of playing the game the right way and for a little extra team unity, we are all for it...The umpires letting Jon Lester get away with several inside pitches and never even issuing a warning. At least one of those pitches was intentional...Pitching to Manny Ramirez in the first inning with 1 out, first base open and Mike Lowell on deck. The worst-case scenario if Joe Maddon walks ManRam is a 2-run wall-ball double. The best-case scenario is a double-play waiting to happen. Instead, Papa Joe chose to pitch to Manny Being Manny and Manny Was Manny, hitting a 3-run home run.

THE TELLING: The Rays have a 2 game lead over Oakland and a 4 games lead over Toronto and Minnesota in the wild card race.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• The best news we heard all day yesterday? The Bucs original "Bucco Bruce" helmet was named the "2nd Coolest Helmet in History". [Shutdown Corner]
  
• Don't forget to VOTE for Carl Crawford to start the all-star game. If you haven't voted yet today, go NOW! [MLB All-Star Voting]
• Bugs and Cranks has their weekly power rankings up and the Rays are #1 again...These posts say they are written by the "B&C Staff" but we have a funny feeling that Chalk is stuffing the ballot box. [Bugs and Cranks]
• Joe Maddon met with his hitters before last night's game and emphasized the need to cut down on the strikeouts. After striking out 19 times in the first two games of the series, the Rays struck out 9 times last night. [MLB]
  

First of all, this photo is AWE.some, even if James Shields didn't actually connect...But will somebody please tell James the Greater, that the next time a batter chargers the mound...keep the cap and DROP the glove. Those left hooks are much more menacing without the leather...not too mention the risk of breaking a bone in his pitching hand.

ODDSMAKERS

What are the chances Andrew Friedman completes a trade in the next week?

Willy Aybar is currently on a rehab assignment in Vero Beach and he is getting playing time at 2B, suggesting the Rays are preparing Aybar to be a utility-player on the big club when he comes off the DL next week. The problem is, only 2 players on the Rays' bench have minor league options, Shawn Riggans and Ben Zobrist. Aybar has not seen any time at shortstop on his rehab assignment (or catcher) so both of those players jobs are safe. That leaves one of Jonny Gomes, Eric Hinske and Gabe Gross without a chair when the music stops. Gomes figures to stay as the right-handed DH. So it seems that World B. Friedman will try and move either Hinske or Gross. Gross is the best defensive right fielder, so Hinske's ride with the Rays may be a short one. The question then becomes can the Rays find a trade partner? There have been a slew of players with similar resumes placed on waivers this season, which suggests that other teams are willing to wait for Hinske to be DFA'd...18%

What are the chances we see Reid Brignac in a Rays uniform before the end of the year?

Reid Brignac's bat has come alive in May where he is hitting .362/.352/.638 in 69 at bats. But notice that the OBP is less than his batting average. That is because he has zero walks in May. Still, Baseball America calls him "one of the better defensive shortstops in the IL". He is only 22, but if the Rays have any thoughts of giving Brignac the shortstop job in '09, they may want to give him a cup-of-coffee in September. Remember, Brignac's situation is different from Evan Longoria. In September of last year, Longoria had just made his AAA debut and was still only about 14 months removed from being drafted. Brignac will have been in AAA all year and this marks his 4th full season as a pro...88%

TOSS UP

Pedro Alvarez or Tim Beckham or Buster Posey?

Recent mock drafts from Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, have Beckham going to the Rays with the top pick, while John Sickels lists Posey as the top player available. To us, catchers are like pitchers. You can never have too many, and the Rays have too few. On the other hand, catchers are as big a gamble as pitchers in the draft, so buyer-beware. Our gut tells us that the choice is Alvarez or Beckham. We drool everytime we read a report on Beckham, but teams like the Rays (close to contention) tend to prefer college players that can join the parent club sooner, rather than later. We don't see signability as an issue as the Rays will worry about that when then time comes. But where would Alvarez play? Obviously not third base as long as Dirtbag is around. Is it a coincidence that the Rays gave Carlos Pena a deal that expires at the end of the '09'10 season, just when Alvarez figures to be ready for the show? We don't believe in coincidences...PEDRO ALVAREZ

Josh Beckett/Daisuke Matsuzaka or James Shields/Scott Kazmir?

This all depends on your point of view. Beckett is the premiere post-season pitcher of our generation and Dice-K is starting to earn some of that Y600 million. The Red Sox would choose their own because they represent a better chance at winning the world series this year. But that is not necessarily the goal of the Rays who are trying to build a foundation capable of sustained sucess within a realistic budget. For the Rays...Kid K and James the Greater (but ask us again in October if the Rays are in the Series)

OVER/UNDER

8 starts for David Price in Vero Beach:

King David made his pro debut last night nearly a year after being drafted by the Rays with the top pick. He worked 5 scoreless innings, striking out 4 and walking 1. After some minor arm problems this spring, Price was on a strict pitch-count in his debut. We can't see Price working more than 5 innings in any of his first 4 starts. After that, the Rays will begin to stretch him out a bit. Barring any further setbacks, Price figures to have about 18-19 starts left in '08 and no doubt the Rays would like to get Price to Montgomery before the end of the year. It will be close, but it will probably be more like 10 starts in Vero Beach before a promotion...OVER

6 more starts in the field this season for Jonny Gomes:

This is a tough one. After Gomes' "Keystone Kops" routine in left field on Wednesday afternoon, we are fairly certain that Papa Joe Maddon was tempted to tell Gomes to go ahead and put his mitt on eBay. But if the Rays do trade/DFA Eric Hinske or Gabe Gross in the next week, Gomes may have to get the occasionaly start. There are about 19 weeks left in the regular season. We can see Gomes getting 8-10 more starts, but we will have our eyes covered in every one...OVER

2 All-Stars for the Rays:

Couldn't give us 1.5? OK. James Shields, Scott Kazmir, Troy Percival, Carl Crawford, BJ Upton and Dioner Navarro all have very legit shots to be named to the all-star team. Only once in the history of the franchise has more than one Rays player been on an all-star squad and that was because Jose Canseco had to be replaced as an injured player. 5 players with a legit shot. Kazmir's chances are hurt because he missed the first month. Shields needs a 4 or 5 win June to get serious consideration. Percy seems like a nice feel-good story on the feel-good team. Navi is hitting his weight, which usually is not a good thing, but in his case that is a nice treat. We would say Percy and Navi are in as reserves. But will Terry Francona give three Rays a spot? We can't say "2"? Damn. If it was a manager in another division or Joe Torre (who always loaded his squads with 9 Yankees) we would be skeptical, but Francona has shown a level of respect for the Rays. Look for either CC or Bossman Jr to join Navi and Percy...OVER

2 Wins for the Rays in this series against the O's:

In other words, we have to choose between a sweep or losing the series?!? At 24-22 the Orioles may actually be a bigger surprise this season than the Rays. Most had the O's as the worst team in baseball before the season started. Now they are in 3rd place in the AL East and 2.5 games off the Wild Card pace. They are only 10-15 on the road and are coming off 2 straight losses in Yankee Stadium after winning 5 of 6. Tonight's starter, Jeremy Guthrie is only 2-4 but he is sporting a 3.86 ERA. He has been very consistent this year, something that cannot be said of Matt Garza. Tomorrow, is our old friend Steve Trachsel, the human rain delay, and his 6.75 ERA. It kills us to say this, but that should be an easy win for Edwin Jackson. Finally on Sunday we get a battle of Aces in James Shields and the 5-1 Daniel Cabrera. After his last start we fully expect a solid bounce-back performance from James the Greater. But can the Rays sweep? Tonight is the key if the Garza Complex can get the series off on the right foot, look for the O's to begin their slide back into loserdome, while the Rays open up a little space in the Wild Card race...OVER

THE GOOD: If you would have offered us 3-3 on a tough two-city road trip, we would have signed for that. So, despite yesterday's awful performance, the Rays are still playing well. Being 2 back in the division is more of an indication of how well the Sox are playing right now.

THE BAD: Bizarro Andy Sonnanstine. Duke retired the first 8 batters, but after that, A's hitters were 9-18 with a walk, 4 doubles and 2 home runs...Jonny Gomes career as an outfielder took a major hit yesterday. There were 2 doubles that hit off the base of the outfield wall that probably should have been cought. He also had trouble fielding a ball on the ground a couple of times and missed at least 1 cutoff man. If Sonny wasn't so hittable, we would suggest that the outcome would have been different if Carl Crawford had not been given a day off...Offense managed onle 3 hits, and none from the 2-6 hitters.

THE TELLING: The Rays still have a 2 game lead in the Wild Card over Baltimore, which means this is a big series coming up this weekend. The Rays have an opportunity to put some distance between themselves and the O's and reveal to the rest of the league that Baltimore is a pretender, not a contender.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Don't forget to VOTE for Carl Crawford to start the all-star game. If you haven't voted yet today, go NOW! [MLB All-Star Voting]
• Tampa Bay Rays' merchandise sales have risen 70% so far in '08. Of course a 70% increase of very little is still very little as the Rays still rank 29th in baseball, ahead of only the Toronto Jays. [St. Pete Times]
• Bill Chastain has a few quotes from other teams in the AL East and how they view the '08 Tampa Bay Rays. [MLB]
• Joe Henderson takes a closer look at the Rays vastly improved defense and tells us something that the rest of baseball has been saying since the middle of April: The Rays turnaround in '08 is due in large part to the improved fielding. [Tampa Tribune]
  
• Do the Rays have the best 1-2 starting pitchers in the AL East? Well, the Red Sox would never in a million years trade Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka for James Shields and Scott Kazmir. [DRays Bay]
  
• Rays Digest breaks down the early-season contenders for Rookie of the Year. [Rays Digest]
  

TOSS UP

Eric Hinske or Gabe Gross?

On May 11th, Cliff Floyd came off the DL and rejoined the Rays for the first time in over a month. As long as Floyd is healthy (and the Rays are playing in an AL park) he will be the Rays starting DH against right-handers. What isn't clear is who will be the starting right fielder in those same games. Eric Hinske has been with the Rays all season and he has been one of the Rays most consistent offensive contributors hitting .250/.343/.508 with 7 home runs in only 120 at bats. Gross was added to the roster on April 23rd and has hit .229/.333/.396 in 22 games (14 starts). Gross' contribution is his glove and his patience. He is a better glove and has a far superior arm to Hinske. We have seen Hinske make several bad plays in the outfield including two instances in the last week in which he played outs or singles into triples. And while Hinske is the bigger offensive threat, Gross has shown a level of patience at the plate not seen often in the Rays lineup.

In 5 games since Floyd came back off the DL (not including the Cardinals series without the DH), Hinske has made 5 starts in right field while Gross has started twice and subbed for Hinske in a 3rd game.

Which one should be the regular right fielder versus righties? At times the offense has sputtered. in the last 10 games the Rays have scored less than 3 runs 4 times. But they have also shown they are hitting the ball well, with 41 hits in the Cardinals series despite no DH. With solid defense everywhere else on the diamond, the Rays can afford one below-average fielder in the lineup on most nights. The bat is too good and Joe Maddon should continue to ride the extra base hit threat as long as possible. HINSKE

OVER/UNDERS

2 runs allowed by James Shields tonight:

In Shields last 4 starts he has allowed 0,7,0,2 runs. The Red Sox outing (7 runs) really seemed to get under Shields' skin and he has been outstanding since. He will be facing a mediocre offense with the A's that is coming off a long road trip in which they went 2-7. Not to mention, Shields will be taking the mound in a pitcher-friendly park. Last year in his only start in Oakland, Shields went 8 innings and allowed only 1 run on 4 hits and 1 walk. In his other start versus the A's he allowed 2 runs in 8.1 innings. UNDER

1.5 Wins for the Rays in this series against the A's:

Oakland is returning home from a 9-game road trip in which they lost 7 games. They now sit 24-21, 1.5 games behind the Angels in the AL West and 1.5 games behind the Rays in the Wild Card race. The A's are 12-9 at home but they are only 7-10 against lefties which bodes well for the Rays tomorrow when Scott Kazmir takes the mound. The A's do lead the AL with a +31 run differential, but that is due in large part to their pitching staff which has the 2nd best ERA in the AL at 3.38. They are also 2nd with 320 Ks and have allowed the 5th fewest walks. However, with James Shields on the mound tonight and the 6-1 Andy Sonnanstine on the hill for getaway day on Wednesday, look for the Rays to take at least 2 of 3. OVER

ODDSMAKERS

What are the chances of James Shields throwing a no-hitter this season?

If the question was "for the Rays in any season?" the number would be close to 25%. His stuff is that good. Shields has shown on a number of occasions that he is capable of no-hit stuff. But the question is "this season". So far, in 9 starts he has a 2-hit shutout and a 1-hit shutout. Last year he threw 9 3-hit innings against the O's and against the Indians he had a start in which he only allowed 2 hits in 8 innings. The problem is, Shields only has 23-24 starts left in '08 and we have to assume that 4-5 of those will come against the Yankees or the Sox. 5%

THE GOOD: Ben Zobrist getting the start. Everytime he did something good, we were rewarded with shots of his wife Julianna. That's it. That was the only redeeming quality of yesterday's game.

THE BAD: Joe Maddon had some questionable (read: idiotic) pitching changes on Sunday. First he brings Dan Wheeler in to face Ryan Ludwick one day after Ludwick had taken Wheeler deep for a walk-off home run. First pitch on Sunday? Home run. But the really stupid move? After Wheeler walked the lead-off hitter of the 8th inning. A lefty was due up. So Papa Joe brings in Trever Miller. Seems fine with the lefty due up, EXCEPT IT IS A BUNTING SITUATION AND THE NEXT BATTER IS A RIGHTY. Why Miller, who was allowing righties to hit 8-25 (.320) prior to that at bat? Result? You guessed it. A single to left that scores 2. Game tied...More poor fundamentals. On a sunny Sunday afternoon, why on earth did anybody let Evan Longoria go out to the field without sunglasses? Sure enough, he lost a pop-up in the Sun. Eric Hinske was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. And the pitchers walked 10 batters, 4 in the 8th inning alone. It is a miracle the Cards only scored 5...But the real reason the Rays lost on Sunday? They angered the gods of baseball. The Spring Training jersey in the regular season is idiotic. First of all they are acceptable for practice, but they are ugly and do not look like a major league baseball jersey. The pit-stain coloring is horrendous. The wide white stripe on the side clashes with the piping on the pants. Not to mention the color of the jersey is not the same as the cap. We'd expect that from an AAU team. Not from a major league baseball club. For all that is holy, please never do that again.

THE TELLING: Jason Bartlett was out of the lineup with an illness. This was siginificant as the very first batter for the Cards hit a ground ball in the hole, that Zobrist got to, but threw late to first. We have seen Bartlett make that play two dozen times this season...The Rays batters only went down 1-2-3 in 2 innings during the entire 3-game series. Both of those innings came on Sunday. While the Sox now have a 1-game lead in the East, the Rays and Sox are still tied in the all-important loss column...The Rays have a 1.5 game lead in the Wild Card standings over the O's and the A's.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Don't forget to VOTE for Carl Crawford to start the all-star game. If you haven't voted yet today, go NOW! [MLB All-Star Voting]
• We will have the Rays Index Live Blog-A-Baloo on Wednesday afternoon for game 3 of the Oakland series. The Live Blog-A-Baloo will be held right here.
• A "24-hour bug" has hit the Rays clubhouse recently, but Jason Bartlett was the first player to get sick, and had to sit out yesterday's game. [MLB]
  
• Big League Stew called the Rays-Cardinals series the "best of '08 interleague debut", noting that the series "actually oozed playoff intensity at times" although we have to take exception to the suggestion that the Rays have a "fundamentally sound approach". Clearly they did not see Saturday's game with all of the baserunning mistakes or the 10 walks on Sunday. "Fundamentals" cost the Rays a sweep. [Big League Stew]
  
• Rays of Light called yesterday's games the first "Maddon-loss" of the season...They are too kind. [Rays of Light]
• Jonny Gomes has only started 1 of the last 8 games, but should get 2 starts in the A's series as they are scheduled to throw 2 lefties in the series. [Tampa Tribune]
• Is Jonny Gomes shilling for Kevin Costner? Some (very) circumstantial eveidence suggests that Oliver Stone needs to be called. [Bugs & Cranks]
  
• Yesterday, DRG linked to a story about Gary Shelton suggesting that the Rays roster is better than the Yankees roster. Today we have Bugs & Cranks offering a rebuttal. [Bugs & Cranks]
• The same Bugs & Cranks writer (not David Chalk) thinks that the Rays "followed the lead of the perennially low-budget Florida Marlins by ponying up the money to sign one of their key stars, pitcher Scott Kazmir, to a four-year contract worth $28.5 million"...The Kazmir-deal is only the latest of a several long-term deals that the Rays have given to young players. Evan Longoria, James Shields and Carlos Pena have already been locked up long-term in the past few months. If anything, the Marlins are following the Rays and even then, they have a ways to go as one deal hardly compares to four. [Bugs & Cranks]
  
• Akinori Iwamura has cut-down on the flyball outs and it has helped to the tune of 26 hits in the last 15 games. [MLB]
  

DRG here again to get you through the weekend. I can be reached here..

• The Good: Andy Sonnanstine scattered 8 hits over 8 innings and only allowed 1 run on a solo home run in the 8th. Sonny only had 2, 1-2-3 innings (1st/7th), but managed to avoid any serious trouble.
  
• The Bad: Andy Sonnanstine gave up a solo home run in the 8th in a 3-0 game. Really not that bad, except why did it have to be Shelley Duncan's brother?
  
• The Telling: The home run off of Andy Sonnanstine was the first allowed by a Rays' starting pitcher since May 2nd.
  

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Her Rays likes Andy Sonnanstine's package. What? Too far? [Her Rays]
• Rob Neyer points out that the Rays run differential shows that the Rays record is about right where it should be. [ESPN]

Not only are the Rays in first place, they're in first place on merit, as their +25 run differential is slightly better than that of the Red Sox (+23). Everybody else in the division -- Orioles (-7), Blue Jays (-1) and Yankees (-6) -- is bunched up around .500, exactly where they should be. In fact, what's often so striking about run differentials, even this early in the season, is just how closely they correspond with the actual records. Of the 14 teams in the league, only the Angels are more than two wins off their "expected" record ... and the Angels are three games off. No sleeping giants here (at least not according to runs, though the Yankees' history might suggest otherwise).

• A Red Sox fan was rooting for the Yankees in the Yankees-Rays series? My eyes deceive me! [Wicked Good Sports]
  
• Minor League Ball takes a hindisght look at Edwin Jackson, the prospect. [Minor League Ball]
• Bugs & Cranks is looking for your best Devil Rays haiku. [Bugs & Cranks]
• Loud Mouth of the South takes a look at what the AL All-Star squad might look at if the game were held this week. They predict two Rays, Carl Crawford and James Shields. Not sure how they can leave Troy Percival off. Yes he has two blown saves, but he is the anchor of one of the best bullpens in baseball and he has a WHIP of about 0.500. And then there is Dioner Navarro. Sure he missed two weeks, but can a manager keep him off the squad if he is still hitting .370? [The Loud Mouth of the South]
  

DRG here again to get you through the weekend. I can be reached here..

• The Good: The 2nd inning was Scott Kazmir's coming out party. In the 1st inning, Kid K'd fastball was only 88-89, much like it was in his first start off the DL. However, in the 2nd inning, Kazmir struck out Juan Rivera to lead off the inning with only one fastball that broke 88. That seemed to be the at bat that gave him his confidence back, because in the next at bat, threw four fastballs that were clocked at 92. He walked that batter, but from that point forward, Kazmir was consistently 92-93 with his fastball including his 108th, and last, pitch in the 6th which was 93.
  
• The Bad: Mimosas, Coronas and whatever that blue crap was.
  
• The Telling: Stuart Sternberg predicted 50 home win in 2007. We laughed. They won 37. 2008 came and Sternberg predicted 50 home wins again. Again we laughed. The Rays have now won 8 straight at home (a record) and now sit at 12-7 at home this season. Brace yourselves. The Rays are on pace for 51 home wins in 2008. I can't make it up...PS, the Rays are now in second place and 1 game back of wild card lead...PPS, take a look at those standings above and soak it in for a moment. The season is now 20% completed and the Rays are not only not in last place, but they are in 2nd place, ahead of the O's. Ahead of the Jay. And ahead of the Yankees.
  

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• ManRay is baaaaaaaccccccckkkkkkkkk. [Armchair GM]
  
• James Shields and Joe Maddon discuss the possibility of Shields throwing a no-hitter. [Tampa Tribune]
  
• Marc Topkin says that the Rays have narrowed their top choce down to 5 players...Prof loves the high school shortstop Tim Beckham. Personally, I am starting to lean towards one of the two catchers. I know the Rays do not draft for need, but with Dioner Navarro behind the plate and no obvious catching prospects in the system (John Jaso is not a catcher long-term), I love the idea of drafting a high school catcher. But hey, what do I know. [St. Pete Times]
• Beyond the Boxscore breaks down the two most likely candidates for the #1 pick. Tim Beckham and Florida State catcher Buster Posey. My Gator allegiances aside. Um. What? nevermind. Momentary lack of respect for my alma mata. Screw Posey. [Beyond the Boxscore]
  
• The New York Times takes a look at New York City native and potential #1 overall pick Pedro Alvarez. He says he would love to join David Price, his former Vandy teammate, in the Rays system...Sorry. As long as Scott Boras is his agent, he will not be drafted by the Rays. Even if the Rays thought they could afford his signing bonus demands, the bigger factor is that Boras almost always takes his clients to free agency and never signs away arbitration and free agency seasons. A key to the Rays franchise. [New York Times]
  
• Gary Glover and Al Reyes threw bullpen sessions yesterday. Sounds like Reyes is still a few days away, but Glover could be back today or tomorrow. [The Heater]
• Joe Maddon says that Akinori Iwamura is getting better at leading off and says that there are no plans to move him out of the spot. [Tampa Tribune]
  
• Her Rays thinks Akinori Iwamura's luck is a' changin with his new haircut. [Her Rays]
• Several Rays will use pink bats today for Mother's Day in honor of breast cancer awareness. [St. Pete Times]
  

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Bleacher Report breaks down the first month of the season for the Rays. [Bleacher Report]
• Her Rays breaks down the AL East after the first month. [Her Rays]
  
• The Rays are #9 in this week's power rankings from The Sporting News. [The Sporting News]
• Big League Stew wonders if the Rays are for real. [Big League Stew]
• Whoever is the oddman out when Scott Kazmir returns might be able to stay a little longer as Al Reyes is not expected to come off the DL on Thursday as originally thought. The means Kurt Birkins will be sent down when Kid K rejoins the team. [The Heater]
  
• Carter Gaddis looks at the upcoming return of Scott Kazmir and wonders who is going to be the starting pitcher without a chair when the music stops. [Tampa Tribune]
• Outs Per Swing also takes a look at who might be out of the rotation. [Outs Per Swing]
• Rays the Roof names four Orioles that they hate. [Rays the Roof]
  
• David Price threw another live bullpen session. He is expected to make the first of 3 or 4 extended spring training starts on Friday before reporting to Vero Beach. [The Heater]
• The Rays would make history if they selected Vandy's Pedro Alvarez with the first pick of the draft in June. [USA Today]
• James Shields was named player of the week for the AL. [MLB]
  
• Scott Kazmir made his final rehab start on Monday night for the Durham Bulls. Everything went well and he is scheduled to make his 2008 debut on Sunday in Boston. [News & Observer]