The Rays gave up the lead in the 8^th when JP Howell blew the save by allowing the tying run to score.  The Troy Percival gave up the game in the 9^th by allowing Cody Ransom a 2B and eventually scores the winning run.

This was difficult to watch as the back end of our bullpen failed to save this for Andy Sonnanstine.  Sonny pitched well in his 5 innings of work allowing 4 hits, 2 ER, 1 free pass while getting 3 K’s.  This was a big improvement from his last start.  Joe Nelson followed Sonny for 1.2 innings and allowed 0 hits, 0 runs 1 BB and 2 K’s – nice job!   Then the wheels came off.  The guys we counted on all last year began the unraveling – Grant Balfour, JP Howell and Troy Percival.  Between the 3 they allowed 4 hits, 2 ER 1 BB with 2 K’s.  The remaining .2 innings was pitched by Brian Shouse who did a great job with 0 hits, 0 ER and 1 K.   

So, not to place the blame on these few guys as this is a team sport, we also had base running mistakes and a few mistakes at the plate.  Gabe Kapler made a poor decision as to when to be aggressive on the base path and was thrown out at 3^rd (although he was actually safe per the replay).  Fact is he should have been out and it was a poor decision to run.  Michel Hernandez was picked off first base by Pettitte.  Now, you guys know he has an awesome pick off move so – pay attention please.

We didn’t do too badly at the dish in collecting 6 hits – 4 of them for extra bases.  Pena blasted his 4^th HR of the season to give the Rays a 3-2 lead in the 4^th. 

Essentially we made some mistakes here and there but their BP beat our BP and that’s why we lost.  Now I am not phoning it in for our BP just yet as we’ve only played 9 games.  However I will say that I’d like to see us start making better decisions on when to be aggressive and love to see the BP start to turn it around.  I hope the early bullpen issues are not indicative of the RP having pitched over their heads last season. 

The Rays open a 4 game set today vs. the CWS……  See you at The Trop!

In a 3 game set no 2 games could be more different.  From the Rays crushing performance the night before to the Yankees rebound and pitcher’s duel tonight.  The score does not really indicate how close this game actually was. 

AJ Burnett and Matt Garza battled through 2 tough lineups all game long.  Burnett pitched a no hitter through 6 innings while Garza allowed only 2 ER in his 7 inning pitched.  The Yankee staff accumulated 12 K’s while the Rays staff came close to a match at 10 K’s.  An impressive point about Garza’s performance I’d like to mention happened in the very first inning.  In the first inning the Yankees loaded the bases with no outs and Matt came back to allow only 1 run. 

Carl Crawford broke up the no hitter with a single in the 7^{th with} 1 out.  A single by Evan Longoria sent CC to 3^rd.   Another single by Carlos Pena sent CC to the plate and Longo to 3^rd.   The Rays then tied the game with a sacrifice fly by Pat Burrell to score Longo. 

The bullpen took over for the Rays in the 8^th and Yankees blew the doors off this game.  JP Howell took the loss in this game by allowing 1 ER.  Dan Wheeler was not able to hold the game to a 1 run difference by allowing 4 hits and 4 ER in the 9^th.  So, to this point in the season, it would appear the Achilles heal of the Rays is the bullpen.  Howell has an ERA close to 5, Wheeler is 12.00 and Balfour is over 20.00!  Obviously for the Rays to be successful something will have to give in the BP. 

This was a well fought pitcher’s duel that was a joy to watch!  The Trop was rocking and everyone was having a great time.  Kudos to the Rays Front Office on the replica ring giveaway – these rings are HOT! 

Another stellar pitching match up this afternoon with Andy Sonnanstine going against Andy Pettitte.  Remember – game time is 4:05 today! 

See you at The Trop!

Andy Sonnanstine took to the mound Friday evening in hopes of continuing the Rays winning ways.   It just wasn’t meant to be.  Although Sonny pitched as I pretty much expected, he ran into some control issue in the 5ht which cost 3 runs.  Sonny didn’t make it out of the 5^th inning after allowing 8 hits, 5 ER, 4 BB and 2 K’s.  Honestly, I love to watch this guy pitch.  He is an intense competitor with the smarts to succeed as a major league starting pitcher considering his fast ball registers only about 86 or so.  The only stat that was a bit concerning for me was the 4 free passes because if you throw 86 mph and cannot control the location you’re going to get into trouble fast.  That’s what happened to Andy in the 5^th.  Other than that when he pitches I expect him to get hit but controlling the damage is his game.

Our offense was very interesting in this game.  When we hit we hit long and far!  Evan Longoria teed off with 2 HR giving him 4 for the year so far – no sophomore slump for him!  Dioner Navarro knocked out his first hit of this young season – also a HR.  So all 4 runs scored on the long fly, not too bad!

Four games in and I have to tell you my biggest concern is the amount of K’s we are giving away.  Rays hitters struck out 9 times last night against a pitcher who really isn’t that good.  I watched, as I’m sure you did, a good number of Rays swinging at pitches not even close to the zone.  In 4 games we have accumulated 32 K’s (8 average per game) to only 15 free passes (3.75 average per game).  Love to see that start to turn around a bit moving forward.  If this stays at a 2 to1 average per game we will accumulate some “L’s”.

We made 2 big base running blunders that cost us.  Carl Crawford knocked out a nice double to RF but got thrown out at 3^rd by a mile trying to stretch it.  Longo came up next and belted his first bomb of the game – 1 run lost.   Gabe Kapler hung himself out to dry between 3^rd and home and made the 3^rd out of the inning killing a rally.  This was a perplexing move and I put it all on Gabe.  Replays show he never even looked at 3^rd base coach Tom Foley so Foley had no way to stop him.  Then when he rounded 3^rd he just stopped halfway to home.  Not sure what was going on there but that’s the 2^nd big base running mistake Gabe has made so far.  I’d like to see that come to a screeching halt!

The play of the game was made by Ben Zobrist who started in RF!  He made a diving catch on a line drive to RC gap then got up and showed off his gun by throwing a strike to double Greg Zaun off 2^nd base.  This was an awesome play!  Congrats to Ben for being selected #3 top play by ESPN!

Game 2 of this series is the season debut for SP Jeff Niemann as the #5 in the rotation.  I’m anxious to see Jeff and what he brings to the table.  We’ve heard about him for a few years now it’s time to see what he’s got and how he’ll use it.

Go Rays!!

Th

The Tampa Bay Rays fall a dismal 3 games to 1 in the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.  Andy Sonnanstine could not hold the Phillies silent and lasted only 4 innings.  In his 4 innings he allowed 5 runs (3 ER) and gave up 3 walks.  One of his walks was with the bases loaded, the first time in his professional career he has walked in a run.  It was obvious from the start that Sonny did not have his best stuff.  His location was not even close.  Sonny throwing at such a low velocity relies on his location to quiet bats.    Sonny wasn’t the only pitcher who had problems Sunday night.  All the Ray pitchers had problems Sunday night.  All in all they gave up 4 HR including the first ever HR to opposing pitcher Joe Blanton.

The offense clearly did not fair much better.  In this game alone the top 4 hitters were 0-15 with 1 BB.  Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria are without batting averages so far in the World Series.  Having your 3 & 4 hitters with a BA of .000 by game #4 is not a good sign.  The runs we scored were off HR by Carl Crawford and PH Eric Hinske (welcome back ‘E’).

The Rays look like a group of tired old men sitting on the bench as they bat.  The smiles and laughter have faded from their faces.  That used to be the hallmark of this team.  No matter the situation they had a good time together as a group.  That attitude made for many comebacks during the course of the season and the playoffs.  Unless the Rays can put the past few games behind them and come out aggressive at the dish this World Series will end Monday night.  This is not an easy task no matter their attitude as the Rays will face the best the Phillies have to offer in Cole Hamels.   

So, Ray fans keep the faith, work the cowbell and give the Rays everything you have in good mojo Monday night.  The Rays have certainly given us more than we could have ever expected this season.

Go Rays!!   

The Rays bull pen failed to hold the Phillies at bay in the bottom of the 9^th inning during Game 3 of the World Series.  The Rays fought back to tie the Phils in the top of the 8^th thanks to BJ Upton tying a World Series record.  BJ led off the inning with an infield single, stole 2^nd, stole 3^rd and scored on a throwing error by Phillie catcher Ruiz.  The only other player in World Series history to do this was Honus Wagner in 1909 – nice company to keep!  Overall BJ swiped 3 bags in this game and Carl Crawford added a steal of his own.  The Rays are having a great deal of success on the base path.  Great to see they have gone back to the “small ball” game since their bats have been held relatively silent so far in this World Series.

The Rays are losing the match up of bull pens however.  The bottom of the 9^th began in an ominous manner.  JP Howell hit PH Bruntlett sending the winning run to 1^st base with no effort on his part.  Next in, Grant Balfour.  Balfour was facing Shane Victarino with a runner on 1^st and 0 out when he threw the ball to the back stop.  Bruntlett easily advanced to 2^nd then took 3^rd on the throw from Dioner Navarro that sailed into CF.  Now Balfour is facing the winning run standing just 90 ft away and still having made no effort on his part.  We gave him a free pass all the way to 3^rd base.  After intentionally walking the bases loaded catcher Carlos Ruiz hit a bouncing infield ball down the 3^rd base line.  Evan Longoria charged it but was unable to make the play allowing the walk off run to score.   

So the bull pen failed to hold the Phillies down BUT the starter did not help much either.  Matt Garza did not show us the “Garzilla” form we’ve all come to know and love.  He gave up 4 ER – 3 by solo HR!  Garza lasted only 6 innings which, by his standards, is a short outing. 

The offense was ridiculous against Phils SP Moyer.  They all looked off balance at the plate.  They looked tired and like they had no idea what Moyer could possibly be throwing at them.  I mean really – Moyer is like 152 yrs old, he’s been in this league for about 100 of those years.  This team has seen pitchers that pitch with little to no speed – name Wakefield sound familiar?  No excuse for this poor performance at the plate.  Our 3 & 4 hitters have been non-existent in this series so far.  Evan looks lost at the plate and Carlos Pena looks like he is not seeing the ball again.   

So, this is what I see tonight.  The Rays have placed themselves in a must win situation.  The reason Game 4 has now become a must win – Cole Hamels will pitch Game 5.  The offense must gain a win and some confidence tonight against Phils starter Joe Blanton.  The offense MUST get on track – period.  I expect Andy Sonnanstine to come out of the gate with a good game plan.   We’ll watch him execute his pitches and watch the offense to come out fired up!  I expect a victory tonight!

Go Rays!!! 

WOW! Amazing! Incredible! Rays Win, Rays Win, Rays Win!

Ok, so my thoughts are bit jumbled. Can you blame me?! If you saw what I saw you’re probably just as jumbled!

What an amazing game! All facets of the game came together last night to culminate in a Rays romping of the “invincible” Red Sox 13-4. Yes, you read that correctly. The Tampa Bay Rays dismantled the Boston Red Sox in Fenway. Great to see Red Sox Nation spilling onto Yawkey Way before the 7th inning!

Andy Sonnanstine pitched a gem on the big stage once again. He pitched a very strong 7.1 innings scattering 6 hits and 1 free pass while allowing 3 ER. Sonny has been thriving on this big stage! You’ll remember he was the winning pitcher in the final game of the ALDS as he shut down the powerful White Sox bats as well. Sonny’s location was excellent! He might not have the speed on his pitches but his use of his pitches, the movement and location have made Sonny a 13 game winner during the regular season and 2-0 in the postseason. He was fantastic!

While Sonny was shutting down the bats the Rays offense was pummeling the Red Sox pitching staff. SP Tim Wakefield gave up 3 runs in the first inning and lasted on 2 2/3 innings. The bull pen did not fair any better. The Rays had amazing at bats and made good use of each hit. In total the Rays banged out 14 hits, half of which were for extra bases. The hit parade included home runs from Evan Longoria (setting the rookie playoff record for HR in Oct), Carlos Pena, and Willy Aybar. The “Green Monster” has not fazed this team at all. These guys are hitting the ball out of Fenway to the street! The hits kept coming with triples by Jason Bartlett and Carl Crawford who also added 2 doubles. Crawford had a day at the dish for himself. He was 5-5 with 3 runs scored, 2 RBI’s and 2 stolen bases. Only 2 other players in MLB history have done this is postseason play. Aybar tried to keep up with CC but fell a hit short going 4-5 with 5 RBI’s and a run scored.

The defense was stellar. Even though the Rays committed 3 errors, Longo had 2 on 1 play and Upton over ran a grounder on another, the defense showed how it has supported the Rays pitching staff all season long. Upton made several nice catches running a long way, CC made some nice plays off the Green Monster to hold hitters to 1 base and the middle infield turned a nice double play to silence the anxious Fenway crowd. With the defense behind them the pitching staff is not afraid to attack the strike zone. This has led to a worst to first season for this team!

Keep it going Rays! Let’s celebrate on the green grass of Fenway!!!

Rays Win!  Rays Win!  Rays Win!  I never get tired of hearing that called out across the airwaves! 

The Tampa Bay Rays shone a bright Ray of Sunshine over the Chicago black out as they defeated the Chicago White Sox and ended the ALDS series, 6-2.  The Rays played excellent baseball on all sides of the ball, offense, defense and pitching!  The Rays out homered the MLB team leader in homeruns as well showing off their power.

SP Andy Sonnanstine did an OUTSTANDING job for the Rays in this important game 4.  Sonny had all his pitches working and his location was spot on.  Sonny pitched a very effective 5 2/3 innings allowing 3 hits, 2 ER, 1 free pass and 4 strike outs.  The bullpen followed and allowed only 1 hit in the remainder of the game!  This was a GREAT pitching performance starting with Andy.  JP Howell and Grant Balfour followed his lead and kept the Chicago bats and fans silent.  Great job!

Offensively the Rays were just as effective.  They knocked out Chicago’s best pitcher, Gavin Floyd, in 3 innings.  BJ Upton blasted 2 solo shots in his first 2 at bats!  Great time for BJ to get hot!  The Rays totaled 10 hits in all, 5 of which were for extra bases.  Carlos Pena had a big day at the plate going 3 for 4 with 1 free pass and 2 RBIs.  Carlos also swiped 2 bags along with Carl Crawford.  

This was a great all around performance led by GREAT starting pitching from Sonny!  If the Rays continue to play complete ball like this they will be playing in the World Series!

Our next opponent will be our division rival Boston Red Sox.  I think this really says a lot about the AL East division.  The Rays and Red Sox came down to the final weekend to determine the division winner now they are both playing in the ALCS.  This is by far the most difficult division in baseball.  This is going to be a nail biter series!  Go buy your ROLAIDS, TUMS or whichever antacid you fancy because you’ll need it!!

Go Rays!!

The Tampa Bay rays were hoping to finish off the Chicago White Sox Sunday afternoon but their attempt was thwarted by outstanding pitching from the White Sox. The Rays offense banged out 8 hits but were shut down for only 3 runs. They couldn’t seem to string hits together as Chicago SP Danks seemed to toughen up as runners were on the base path.

Rays SP Matt Garza had a great first 3 innings then imploded a bit in the 4th allowing Chicago to jump on top with 3 runs. Garza was tagged with the loss as the Rays could not recover from his bumpy 4th inning. Overall Garza’s line was 6 innings, 7 hits, 5 ER, 4 free passes and 4 K’s. Garza has had a few struggles the last 3-4 outings of the regular season as well. This does not bode well fro the Rays if they continue on deeper into the playoffs. They need Garza to step up and throw with the confidence he has had all season long.

On the offensive side of the ball the Rays were able to put runners on base all game long, 8 hits and 4 free passes. They were not able to string hits together or swipe bags as Danks showed off why Manager Ozzie Guillen calls him a big game pitcher. On the positive side Iwamura, Upton, Pena and Navarro all had a multiple hit game with 2 hits each. Nice to see Carlos back in the lineup and swinging the bat well! BJ Upton accounted for 2 of the 3 runs by blasting a towering shot to LF. The Rays have had a good approach at the plate and are swinging the bats well. An additional hit or 2 and the outcome of this game would have been reversed no doubt!

Today the Rays try to close out the series with Chicago and send Andy Sonnanstine to the mound. I have a real good feeling about this. The Rays have done well to neutralize the power of the White Sox for the first 3 games of the series allowing only 2 HR (both in Game 1) in this series. Sonny needs to keep the ball low and pound the strike zone. Sonny may get hit a lot but if he keeps it in the park Rays will win!

Go Rays!

The Tampa Bay Rays fielded their “AAA” lineup Sunday afternoon and looked it.  After and incredible night Saturday, Joe Maddon felt it necessary to rest his starting lineup, aside from Longo, and replace them with the 2^nd string.  Andy Sonnanstine endured poor defense and no offense while getting sacked with the loss.  Sonny pitched a game typical for him.  He gave up 7 hits in 6 2/3 innings, 2 ER (4 runs total), 2 BB and 4 K’s.

The 4^th inning was the undoing of the Rays on this day.  Evan Longoria committed 2 throwing errors that led to 2 unearned runs.  The Twins ended the inning with 4 runs scored which was all they needed as the offense sputtered for the Rays. 

Ben Zobrist killed 2 rallies by hitting into double plays and no one else could muster any type of offense.  The only bright star on the offense this day was BJ Upton.  BJ returned to the lineup to go 3 for 3 with a BB. 

Well, let’s hope this is the last we see of this experiment.  The Rays still have unfinished business this season.  They still are in the lead for the AL East pennant and I certainly hope Joe realizes that this lineup is not the lineup that will get it for him.  Seems to me the smart path would be to bear down and win the next 6 games to secure the pennant then rest your regular starters for the playoffs.  The Rays lost a game in the standing today as Boston blanked Toronto.   

The Rays announced David Price will get his first start Monday night in Baltimore.  With a strong defense behind him we should secure this game rather easily I would think.  See you all in Baltimore!

Hey everyone, I’m filling in for Brenda as she will be away from the computer for a while. What a game last night in Boston as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Red Sox 4-2 in 14 innings of action. As I was watching the game on ESPN, I was thinking wow is this game every going to end lol.

Carlos Pena delivered the big shot in the 14th inning when he hit an opposite field three-run home run to give the Rays the lead. It was a huge shot by Pena as he really picked up the team and that is what a leader has to do at this point in the season. Pena finished the game with three rbi Willy Aybar had one rbi on a triple in the second inning.

The pitching staff did a great job of holding the Red Sox down. Starting pitcher Andy Sonnanstine tossed seven innings and only allowed four hits and one run. The one run that Andy gave up was a rbi double to Dustin Pedroia in the third inning. Trever Miller ended up picking up the victory while Jason Hammel recorded all three outs in the bottom of the 14th inning for his first save of the season.

Troy Percival attempted to get the save but loaded the bases up and then was taken out of the game even after trying to talk the manager into staying in. People have to wonder if Percival is still a little bit hurt. If he is, he shouldn’t be out there on the mound.

We will be back blogging about the Rays on Friday when they take on the New York Yankees. Rays are up 2.5 games on the Red Sox and look to extend their lead this weekend!

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