THE GOOD: After all that has happened in the past 3 days the Rays still lead the Red Sox by 4 games in the loss column with the hapless O's coming to town next and the Red Sox still have 2 more games in Yankee Stadium and then have to face the White Sox...And thanks to 4 straight losses by the Twins, the Rays magic number to clinch at least a wild card spot is now 26 with a 7-game lead over Minnesota in the loss column.

THE BAD: For a few fleeting moments on Sunday it looked like the Rays had a very good chance to stretch their lead on Boston to 6.5 games. A dropped-throw from the outfield, a horrific call by an umpire, Roy Halladay, an extra-inning win by Boston and a blowout of the Yankees later, the Rays lead is down to 3.5.

THE TELLING: We are suddenly reminded why football is so much more painful than baseball. If the Bucs have a bad loss: a) that game represents 1/16th of their season and; b) we have to wait an entire week with that loss and all the missed plays swirling in our head. A bad Bucs loss messes us up for an entire week. A bad Rays loss and there is hope for redemption the next day.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Dioner Navarro took himself out of last night's game in the 6th inning with cramps in both hamstrings. He is calling it a "day-to-day thing"...If he is shelved for more than a day or two, the Rays will need to call up a catcher. The first choice would have to be Mike DiFelice, but somebody would need to be removed from the 40-man roster. John Jaso is already on the 40-man and is hitting well at Durham, but the consensus seems to be that he is not ready to catch at the major league level. [The Heater]
  
• Evan Longoria had x-rays on his broken wrist and everything looked good. Longoria is still aiming for a Sept. 1 return from the DL...The plan is for Longoria to start taking batting practice later this week. [MLB]
• Brittany Ghiroli reports Troy Percival threw about 30 pitches from a mound yesterday and expects to be activated on Saturday. [MLB]
  
• Instant Replay will be in place for Friday's home game against the Orioles. Replay will only be used to determine whether home runs cleared a fence or whether it was fair or foul. [The Heater]
  
• Buster Olney says Carlos Pena got his best hitting advice from Manny Ramirez and Steve Henderson reminded Pena when Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford were injured to just "see the ball" and not try to over think things as a hitter. [ESPN]
• Marc Topkin has his list of "5 things to watch in Rays' stretch run." One great point he brings up is facing the Yankees. Our instincts tell us to fear the Yankees, but if they continue to fall off the pace, will their veteran players be motivated to play hard? [St. Pete Times]
  

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Troy Percival will throw from a mound on Monday and said he could pitch now but will throw a couple of bullpen sessions until the team deems him ready. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Joe Maddon's managerial style is certainly unique. John Romano says Maddon has "ignored the safer, obvious choices to do what he felt was right." Brian Anderson adds Papa Joe is "not afraid, and that's the thing I love about watching him manage." [St. Pete Times]
• Gerry Fraley of the Sporting News says the Rays could lose the rest of their games and Joe Maddon would still win AL Manager of the Year. [Sporting News]
• Gordon Edes of Yahoo! Sports looks at the relationship between Joe Maddon and Mike Scioscia. [Yahoo! Sports]
  
• In a bold statement *sarcasm*, Mike Bauman says the Rays could win the World Series if they make the playoffs...In other news Barack Obama has a shot to win the presidential election if he is nominated by the Democratic Party. [MLB]
  
• John Romano says umpires need to be held accountable, wishing that some umpires weren't "so stinking arrogant." [St. Pete Times]
  
• The Big Lead doesn't know the full name of the Rays (see title) and says Bud Selig, FOX and TBS are all rooting against the Rays. The reasoning is the Rays are bad for ratings and hence bad for baseball should they make it that far...Funny. The Marlins have won 2 of the last 10 world series, and MLB seems to be doing just fine. [The Big Lead]
• One writer is finally willing to admit that the Rays are better than the Yankees...What gave it away? The 10-game lead in the standings? [Bugs and Cranks]
  
• Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News writes that locking up the young players has paid off for the Rays and they should be able to contend for several years. [Daily News]
• Roger Mooney says that the Rays biggest strength could be "locker room harmony."...We prefer to think that winning breeds harmony, not the other way around. [Bradenton Herald]
  
• The Mets have signed Al Reyes to a minor league deal...This of course raises the question as to why Reyes turned down a minor league job with the Rays? [New York Post]
• Fangraphs takes a look at Scott Kazmir's pitch selection and notes that he is throwing more fastballs this season. Outs Per Swing made this same observation earlier. [Fangraphs]
  

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]
  

THE GOOD: Got nothin'

THE BAD: Using the batting practice jerseys during a game. We have made our feelings known about this in the past. And we are not the only ones that hate the idea...Yet another GIDP for Carl Crawford...Anytime Jason Hammel is in a game. Not just because it is Hammel, but because he is like the Grim Reaper of the Rays. He only comes into games when death is imminent.

THE TELLING: Got Nothin'

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Gary Glover is ready to come off the DL, but did not go with the team to Toronto, even though he was in Kansas City. Marc Lancaster feels that this is a sign that Glover will be Designated for Assignment in the next day or two. That means the Rays will have 10 days to trade him. If they don't, the Rays will release him or try to send him to Durham. He can then opt to become a free agent. [Rays Report]
  
• Following Saturday's game in which Aki Iwamura failed to score from first on a 2-out bloop double, Joe Maddon ripped into the team, with one player describing him as "borderline irate". [St. Pete Times]
  
• Joe Maddon made it clear that Troy Percival is the Rays' closer...The quote below is exactly why we believe that Percival should give up the 9th inning, if just for a week or two. If his mechanics are not 100%, we do not understand why Percival is closing games. [MLB]

"His arm feels good, but I still think he's working his way through the body mechanics of coming off a leg injury," Maddon said. "As he becomes more comfortable with that, I think you'll see more strikes on a more consistent basis."

• Troy Percival is not the only reliever struggling recently. Add Al Reyes to that list. [Tampa Tribune]
• Well, the Rays are still in first place, but (no surprise here) they are not getting any respect. The New York Post says that the weekend series between the Yankees and the Red Sox apparently proves that the Rays will be the team without a chair when the music stops at the end of September. [New York Post]
  
• As the Rays head to Toronto, Joe Maddon says their last game above the border was the day the Rays proved they were a playoff contender. [Bradenton Herald]

"That night meant a lot to me because we could easily have caved in," Maddon said. "We could have caved in the ninth, and we did not. We came back. And when you're on the road playing so many extra innings you have so many ways in which you can lose that game, and we did not. We had the mental resolve to battle through that."

• The Ledger takes a look at the unorthodox style of Joe Maddon. [Lakeland Ledger]
  

THE GOOD: The Red Sox were swept in Anaheim by the Angels, maintaining the Rays 1.5 game lead in the AL East.

THE BAD: The Yankees swept the A's. We suppose the good news there is that the Rays now have one less enemy in the wild card hunt. After trading two starting pitchers the A's are now 5 back of the Sox and 6.5 behind the Rays. However, the Yankees are now only 3 back in the wild card and only 4.5 behind the Rays.

THE TELLING: BJ Upton was back in the 2-hole yesterday, one day after being dropped to the 7th spot in the rotation.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Sad news for those of you still holding out hope that Gary Glover would be desginated for assignment...Troy Percival was activated from the DL and Glover was added to the DL with a sore calf. Percy pitched the 9th inning yesterday, striking out 1 and allowing only 1 hit. [Tampa Tribune]
• Troy Percival has been talking to Grant Balfour about what it takes to be a big league closer. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Martin Fennelly breaks down all the reasons the Rays can and can't make the playoffs this season. [Tampa Tribune]
• Jonny Gomes who started yesterday is also expected to start all three games in the series that starts today with the A's as Oakland will start three lefties. [MLB]
  

THE GOOD: Ben Zobrist. In the second inning, BenZo made a Jason Bartlett-esque play in the hole, turning and making a one-hop throw to first for the out. Later, with the Rays trailing 1-0 in the 7th and one of the game's best pitchers on the mound, Eric Hinske drew a walk on a 2-out, 3-2 check swing that very easily could have been ruled a strike out. Zobrist followed with a home run to give the Rays the lead for good, and saved the Rays from having to deal with questions of an extended losing streak...James Shields came out with a chip on his shoulder and proved once again that he is the Rays stopper. His one blemish was a long home run, which he is prone to give up. But you just have to hope they happen with the bases empty and last night that was the case...Grant Balfour came on in the 8th and after falling behind Alex Rios 3-0, he came back and struck him out to end the inning. In the 9th inning, he struck out 2 for the save...Eric Hinske saved a potential run-scoring opportunity when he made a running grab for the second out of the first inning.

THE BAD: The Rays had first and second with no outs in their half of the first when BJ Upton was caught looking on a belt-high fastball for the first out. One out later, Evan Longoria would strike out on a pitch in the dirt...BJ Upton had an awful game at the plate. After going down in the first with his bat on his shoulder, with a pitch he would normally plant in the right-center bleachers, he struck out in the 3rd. This time he swung the bat, but was horribly late on the fastball. Upton is a player with some the quickest wrists in baseball and should never get beat by a fastball. Right now, he has no confidence and is at the plate hoping for breaking balls that he can handle...In the 3rd inning, Carl Crawford broke his 0-26 skid and then promptly got picked off first base.

THE TELLING: We will never know for certain, but Ben Zobrist's home run may have saved the Rays' season. Imagine if the Rays lose that game at home to a mediocre opponent, without scoring a run, and extending their losing streak to 8 games into the second-half of the season. That would be tough to come back from for a young team...If you were a betting person and you were going to bet on who would be closing for the Rays in 2010, would you bet against Grant Balfour?...Scott Kazmir is now officially set to make his second-half debut on Monday. Does anybody else find it strange that Kid K needs 5 days rest after throwing 14 pitches in the All-Star game, when he would normally only need 4 days after a regular start throwing 100+ pitches?...Of Ben Zobrist's 13 hits for the Rays, 7 have been for extra-bases...Attendance was 23,706, which is a decent number against the Jays after a 7-game losing streak.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Troy Percival says he feels "perfect" after throwing a 30-pitch batting practice session. [Tampa Tribune]
• Baseball Analysts defends Dioner Navarro as being a legit all-star. [Baseball Analysts]
  
• USA Today ran a feature story outlining the Rays' second-half quest for the playoffs. [USA Today]
• ESPN.com took a closer look at the struggles of Rocco Baldelli. The most interesting note is one we had not seen before. Apparently doctors have finally found a cocktail of medicine that has Rocco feeling better...Could Baldelli be the right handed hitting outfielder the Rays are seeking? [ESPN]
  
• Skyking162 feels Houston Street would be a perfect fit for the Rays. [Skyking162]
  

THE GOOD: We are back after a much-needed 7-day vacation and an even more needed 4-day mini-vacation for 22 of the players and all of the coaches and staff...The AL won the All-Star game with a little help from a couple of Rays. This is significant as it means if the Rays go to the Wor... *smack*. Sorry. Got a little ahead of ourselves...

THE BAD: A 7-game slide heading into the break and out of first place in the AL East.

THE TELLING: Reports of the Rays death are premature. The Rays are still 1 game up on the Red Sox in the all-important loss column and still lead the Wild Card by 2.5 games over the Twins and 4.5 games over the A's...It is still unclear if the Rays will shuffle their rotation after Scott Kazmir threw 14 pitches in the all-star game. At this point Joe Maddon will go with James Shields on Friday, to be followed by Scott Kazmir, Matt Garza, Edwin Jackson and Andy Sonnanstine...The Rays are 1-7 since we got married.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Rays the Stakes recaps Evan Longoria's performance in the Home Run Derby. [Rays the Stakes]
• Her Rays recaps the All-Star game. [Her Rays]
  
• Reid Brignac has been optioned back to Durham. Al Reyes is expected off the DL for tomorrow's game and Jason Bartlett should be available by the beginning of next week. Meanwhile, Troy Percival is expected to throw a simulated game today, but there is still no timetable for his return...As usual, we fully expect Reyes to injure himself in the next 5-6 days, lest the time continuum come to a complete stop if Reyes and Percy are both healthy at the same time. [St. Pete Times]
• Scott Kazmir stepped up and took his teammates behind the woodshed. Kazmir blames the Rays struggles on the team's inability to focus on the task at hand and being more concerned with what other teams in the East are doing on the scoreboard. [St. Pete Times]
• Rays the Stakes notes that the Rays struggles have coincided with Jason Bartlett's trip to the DL. [Rays the Stakes]
• Outs Per Swing shows that playoff teams from the past two seasons are not immune to mid-season losing streaks. [Outs Per Swing]
  
• Bill Chastain gives us his "2008 Midterm Report" on the Rays, calling JP Howell, the team's MVP. [MLB]
• The Rays were just the 5th team in the last 45 years to have 3 all-stars under the age of 25. [Bradenton Herald]
  
• Remember that minor after-hours altercation that Al Reyes got into a while back on his birthday in which one of the presents he received was a shot from a taser? Well, he doesn't. But that is a good thing as all charges have been dropped. [AP]
• Sports Talk. We want to like these guys. They seem knowledgable. But they write a blog like they are a hosting a radio show. Too many fragments. Too many exclamation points! And random halfhazard posts that apear to have been put together on a whim with little thought or substance. [Sports Talk]
• Six more exclamation points in this one, including 2 in the title...Please, stop yelling at us. [Sports Talk]
  

THE GOOD: Everything we threw last night somehow managed to miss the TV.

THE BAD: That was the worst thing the Rays could have done in the opener of this 2-game set. They walked out on the field at Yankee Stadium and took a gigantic dump right on the hallowed grounds. Losing the game, in and of itself, was not terrible. The Rays are on the road against a good team. What is bad is looking like the '07 Devil Rays and giving ammunition to all those that still believe that it is a lock that the Yankees will come back and catch the Rays in the standings. The Rays showed absolutely no life, whether at the plate, in the field or on the mound. Worse, they were beat by Andy Pettite and Derek Jeter in a "playoff atmosphere" game, which just gives the Yankees and their fanbase hope that they still have a little of that 90s "magic" left in their tank. And Dioner Navarro. We know he is The Fat Catcher, but c'mon! How does anybody get thrown out at second base on a ground ball between second and third that Jeter fielded near the damn warning track! Greg Luzinski would have beat that throw. My 2-year old cousin would have beat that throw. And Scott Kazmir. Kid K are officially off of our Christmas list. Kazmir needs to get his head out of his ass and find a way to get his teammates 6 innings. 7 would be fabulous. But right now we'll take 6. After last night, Kaz has started 5 straight games in which he couldn't get into the 6th inning. He is not an all-star.

THE TELLING: It is 9am and we need a beer.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Evan Longoria has a slight lead at the midway point of voting for the final AL roster spot. Don't forget to go vote. Dirtbag deserves your love. [MLB.com]
• Rays of Light brings up the question of whether or not Scott Kazmir will be available to pitch in the all-star game since he is next scheduled to pitch for the Rays on Sunday, just two days before the mid-summer classic...In all likelihood, Kid K will not pitch in the game, but Tuesday would be his normal bullpen session day, so he could conceivably use the all-star game as his bullpen session. [Rays of Light]
  
• Troy Percival and Al Reyes are expected to come off the DL after the All-Star break next week. [Tampa Tribune]
  
• ArmchairGM claims that the Rays inquired about the Rockies' Matt Holliday, but the conversation ended quickly when the asking price was David Price. [ArmchairGM]
• The Serious Tip defends the recent influx of Rays "Bandwagon" fans. [The Serious Tip]
• The Rays sit atop USA Today's Power Rankings for the first time, receiving 8 of 12 first-place votes. [USA Today]