The Rays opened the 3 game set with the LA Angels struggling to recover from an early error by Carlos Pena that led to 2 unearned runs.  SP James Shields pitched well enough to win this game and should have.  Shieldsy went 6 1/3 innings scattering 10 hits but only allowing 2 ER (4 total) while striking out 3.   Shields was victimized by several bloop hits and dribblers that really were not indicative of how well he pitched.  Out of those 10 hits there were several excellent pitches that halo hitters just managed to get the bat on.  The bullpen was lights out in completing the game.

Pena committed his 6^th error of the season (2 all of last year) by getting stuck in between hops on a grounder hit by the lead off halo, local product, Chone Figgins.  The defense of the Rays has been suspect this season unlike last.  A lot of errors on easy plays have been committed by guys with better than average gloves, including Pena.  To make any move the Rays MUST clean this up!

The bats of the Rays faced a tough opponent in the Angels SP Weaver.  He was spot on in this game.  The big bat for the Rays was wielded by Ben Zobrist once again.  Zorilla was the only Rays to have multiple hits in this game going 2 for 4 with a HR, 2 RBI and 1 run scored.  Zobrist is definitely making a case for himself for a trip to St Louis.  He has stepped in, played multiple positions and continues to produce at the dish for the Rays when all else seems to be failing.  Nice job Zorilla!

Our offense has been struggling from the get go of the season.  A few guys got off to fast starts but have since cooled significantly.  Pena and Evan Longoria come to mind.  Although Pena is doing exactly what he always does, a lot of K’s, unproductive outs, low BA and the occasional HR, I think everyone had high hopes after his fast start.  Longo also had a fast start but his BA is falling at the speed of light (0 for 2 with 2 BB last night).  BJ Upton and Dioner Navarro have shown little to no penchant for any type of offense.  Gabe Kapler and Pat Burrell are the worst signings by the new Rays front office to date. 

The good news – with all this and the inconsistency of the Rays bullpen we are still only 6 games out!  The Rays need to plug in the best line ups they have and STOP worrying about all these computer stats and match ups.  Put Zobrist on 2^nd, Joyce in RF and Aybar as DH vs RHP and Zobrist in RF, Aybar at 2^nd base and Dillon as DH vs LHP and there you go!  As guys come off the DL guys like Kapler and Gross can be DFA’d, traded, something.  I’d also place Michel Hernandez behind the dish and leave him there.  He is a better defensive catcher and the pitchers seem to respond better to him than Navarro. 

Well, I know, just a dream.  A dream by a frustrated fan and I am sure I’m not alone.  The Rays will try to rebound from the game 1 defeat and I from my ongoing frustration. 

That headline states it all.  The Rays offense busted out to a 10 run lead only to see it slowly evaporate by poor pitching from start to finish.  Highly touted prospect, SP David Price, got the call when Scott Kazmir was placed on the 15 day DL to open the series on Cleveland.  Mr. Price wasn’t able to stick around long however due to an out of control pitch count.  Price lasted only 3 1/3 innings throwing 100 pitches even.  He scattered 4 hits, 2 ER, 5 BB and collected 6 strike outs.  So off to the bullpen we go.  Lance Cormier and Joe Nelson went 3.2 innings allowing only 1 hit – no ER, no walks, no K’s.  Nice outing for those 2 guys and they were the high point of the bull pen pitching effort.  Dale Thayer, Randy Choate, Grant Balfour and Jason Isringhausen all combined for 1 2/3 + innings pitched, 7 hits, 9 runs and 5 free passes.  Not to be lost in all this was the spectacular error committed by SS Reid Brignac causing only 6 runs to be earned.  This was an absolute ridiculous performance.  Izzy couldn’t hit that plate if his life had depended on it.  At this level you must come out and close the door on a 10 run lead.  Sorry guys – bad, bad performance.  

The offense was busting on all cylinders the first 4 innings of the game when they scored all 10 of their runs.  From the 5^th inning on the door was closed.  Gabe Gross was the big bat of the day contributing 1 hit on 3 attempts, 2 free passed, 2 runs scored and 3 RBI.  His lone hit was a 3^rd inning bomb, his 3^rd of the year. 

BJ Upton remains leading off and hitting below the Mendoza line.  Yet another ridiculous day for BJ going 1 for 6 with 3 K’s.  Not sure what it’s going to take for Joe to realize he needs to be moved from that #1 hole. 

The Rays have now lost Akinori Iwamura for the entire year with a torn ACL.  The starting pitching and bullpen are in shambles.  It will be interesting to see how the team recovers from such devastating losses.  If the Rays come out and win this series this game becomes a non factor in discussion.  If they don’t this game becomes the game that potentially ended the Rays season.

Come on Rays – pull your heads out of your %#*&%$&*!

Nice starting pitching performances from both sides kept this game close into the 9^th inning.  Going into the top of the 9^th inning the Rays came to the dish in a 3-3 tie with the Marlins.  The Rays decided they had had enough and opened the can of whoop ass.  The Rays batted around in the 9^th inning scoring 6 runs and taking the lead for good.  The 9^th was a nice inning to watch because the Rays were really making the Marlin pitchers work hard.  They were patient at the plate and busy on the base path.  So busy in fact they induced a run scoring balk out of RP Matt Lindstrom. Michel Hernandez and Ben Zobrist each had RBI singles, BJ Upton hit an RBI double, and Jason Bartlett knocked in two with a bases-loaded double.

SP Jeff Niemann had a nice outing on the bump.  He went 6 strong innings scattering 4 hits, 1 ER, 1 free pass while striking out 5.  He left with the Rays ahead by 2 but the bull pen was not able to hold the Marlins silent.  JP Howell blew the save in the 7^th by allowing 2 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks in 2/3 of an inning.  Grant Balfour put an end to the Marlins hopes by blowing a 95 mph fastball right by Ramirez for the third out in the inning. 

Evan Longoria was nailed in the left tricep with a fastball in the 9^th inning.  Man, he was drilled.  His arm was black and blue by the time he hit first base.  He was clearly in a lot of pain.  Longo left the game to get treatment but do not be surprised if he is not in the lineup today.

Niemann definitely deserved the win but that’s not always going to happen.  I mean the other guys are MLB players also.  They are not just going to lie down and give it up.  The key is that, even though the Marlins staged a bit of a rally, the Rays quickly put an end to it.  The Marlins looked totally deflated out there mid way through the 9^th as it was becoming obviously clear that the Rays would not be denied.  These are the games was have been missing the first quarter of the season.  This was fantastic to watch because it was like 2 different games in one.  Innings 1 though 6 were a pitching dual as the Marlins SP matched Niemann pitch for pitch, out for out.  Innings 7 through 9 were an offense battle with the better team showing the other how it’s done. 

I loved this game and this series.  Not only because, with this victory we have secured the series, but the Rays look so much better at the plate, they look very controlled and very well organized with a game plan.  The SP has been very good through 2 and to be honest about 2 weeks ago I didn’t know how much of a shot either Sonny or Niemann had at sticking around.  It no looks like the Rays have worked the bugs out.  Not that I don’t expect them to have a bad game here and there.  But I think the effort is going to be more “Ray like” from this point forward.  With this victory and the loss by Toronto we are only 3.5 games out.  We are now moving in the right direction!  The Rays go for the sweep today – see you in Miami!

WOW – nice game!  The Rays managed a split with the Oakland A’s Thursday night riding the clutch bats of Ben Zobrist, Dioner Navarro and Carl Crawford.  With the Rays down 5-3 in the bottom of the 9^th (thanks BP!) Zorilla got the call off the bench with a man on first.  Zorilla vaulted a 1-1 pitch into the RF seats to tie the game for the Rays and save the bull pen!  Dioner Navarro followed the Ben Zobrist show to the dish and spanked a ground rule double down the RF line.  After a BJ Upton walk Carl Crawford stepped up with the winning run 180 feet away.  CC drilled a liner right over the head of the pitcher to CF scoring Navi and sealing the walk off victory.  WOW – what a nice come back!  Zobi has really turned himself into a valuable member of this team.  When he first got here a few years back I honestly did not see him lasting long.  He couldn’t hit and his fielding was marginal.  Now he IS the definition of “super utility man”!  Congratulations Zorilla – your hard work is evident and has made a lot of us fans!

SP Matt Garza had another nice outing but unfortunately was left with a “no decision”.  Garza went 6 2/3 scattering 7 hits, 4 free passes and 2 ER while striking out 8.  Great K/BB ratio but would really like to see Matt cut down the walks.  Although I will say the umpiring overall has been poor behind the plate this series.  A few of these guys made pitches that were perfect, I mean absolutely perfect, and the ump failed to make the call. 

The bull pen failed once again after a great starting pitching performance.  In 2 1/3 innings pitched the Ray bullpen gave up 5 hits and 3 ER.  This bullpen seems to have 2 rotations going:  Shouse, Wheeler, Percival and Cormier, Balfour, Howell.  The other RP are thrown in when/where needed.  The combo of Cormier, Balfour and Howell has been overall much more effective as evidenced by an average ERA of 3.17 as compared to 5.17 for Shouse, Wheeler and Percival.  Not sure if the Rays planned the combinations like this intentionally but maybe they should consider re-evaluating.

Aside from the already mentioned offensive performances Jason Bartlett banged out his career high 6^th HR!  Nice power display this year JB!  Keep it going!

The Rays ended this home stand with “WOW”!  That is the component that’s been missing this season.  There is no “WOW” or excitement.  Some days they just seem like they’re grinding out another 9 innings.  I know they want to win but it doesn’t show on their faces like it did last year.  The hunger, the desire, the big magic…. 

Hopefully last night’s big walk off victory will send the Rays on their 7 game road trip on a magical high and they’ll start to remember what it felt like last year. 

See you in Miami!

Hey Ray fans!  Thought I’d report my thoughts on what I’ve seen to the quarter point in the 2009 season. 

Grade A = Evan Longoria, Jason Bartlett, Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena off to fast starts.  Longo is currently on pace for 184 RBI’s.  JB improving all aspects of his offensive output currently leading all AL shortstops in BA.  He is on pace for 20 HR as compared to 1 all of last year.  CC is off and running on the base path leading all of MLB in stolen bases and on pace for 100 steals!  Carlos is knocking the cover off the ball hitting out 14 HR in the first quarter leaving him on pace for 56 dingers for the season.  

Grade C = Pitching, pitching and more pitching.  This is the area I feel is most change form last season – the consistency from 2008 appears to be gone.  The only consistent pitching performances we have come from Matt Garza and Lance Cormier.  James Shields and JP Howell have recently stepped up their performances so hopefully they are turning the corner as well.  Our starting pitching has been the main issue.  The average ERA of our starting 5 is 5.39 with 2 over 7.  Numbers like this will wear out the bullpen and not give your team a chance often to win games. 

Grade F =  BJ Upton, Dioner Navarro, Gabe Kapler and Pat Burrell have all failed to live up to their expected performance.  They really haven’t even come close.  BJ was supposed to come out of the shoot blazing’ but he is only batting .177 with an OBP of .282 – not blazing’!  Navi is a mere shadow of the all star performer he was last year with a BA of .178 and poor defense behind the plate.  Burrell was signed to give us the power from the right side of the plate that we lacked last year and protect Pena.  To this point he has 1 HR, is batting.250 and is on the 15 day DL.  I even saw Baltimore intentionally walk Pena to get to Burrell – not much protection there!  Kapler has just been a nonfactor to this point in the season with a BA of .193.  He really hasn’t brought anything to the table to speak of – he has been an average defender and below average at the dish.  

So we have some guys having career years and others that cannot even hit the Mendoza line.  We have 3 out of 5 starting pitchers that cannot consistently go 5 innings a start.  What does this all equate to = Mediocrity. 

The first quarter of 2009 has given us a team that is merely average as a whole. Maybe that isn’t such a bad thing.  Look, these guys learned how to win as a group last year.  Now they are learning how to live up to expectations and adjust to adversity.  This is a vital lesson in this young group’s growth toward the champions they will soon be.  I believe in this team and the “Ray Way” and we’ll check back in to see if any of these grades improve by the mid summer classic.

Yes folks that’s right!  Rays SP Andy Sonnanstine not only pitched well but aided his own cause by belting a run scoring double in the 4^th inning in the series finale against the Tribe!  Why was our SP batting you may ask yourself.  Well here’s the story – Evan Longoria was slated to DH while Ben Zobrist was to play the field at 3B.  An error on the scorecard showed both players playing the #5 position.  After the completion of the top of the 1^st inning Indians manager Eric Wedge brought this to the attention of the umpires.  After a 13 minute delay the umpires correctly ruled that the Rays had lost the DH for the game and the pitcher would have to bat.  Obviously Joe Maddon shouldered the blame for the scorecard snafu but let me tell you this was awesome to watch!  The crowd went nuts when Sonny stepped to the dish batting in the #3 hole in the bottom of the 1^st.  He had a nice shot to short but ended to be a fielder’s choice – he beat the throw to first to avoid the DP.  His 2^nd AB he K’d but his 3^rd attempt was golden.  The outfield was playing him short and he knocked an opposite field shot over the LF head to the fence.  This scored Michel Hernandez, who himself had just knocked a 3 run 2B, from second base.  The crowd went wild ringing cowbells and cheering.  I’m sure this totally pissed off the opposition!

By the way, Sonny pitched well going 5 2/3 scattering 7 hits and 5 ER while walking 1 and striking out 3.  I know it doesn’t look like he pitched all that well by just looking at his line.  But 4 of those runs came off 2 Ben Francisco HRs.  Other than that damage Andy looked as good as he’s looked in a while.  I think he should hit every game – LOL!  The bullpen came in and kept the Tribe quiet for 3.1 innings giving up only 1 hit and 2 walks while striking out 5.  The 3^rd outstanding BP showing in a row and look 3 wins in a row – think there’s a correlation?!

The offense had outstanding at bats today!  Not only did they hit well (8 hits, 4 for XBH) they showed their great eyes for the zone collecting 8 free passes!  They did strike out 8 times as well but no one had a multiple strike out day.  Jason Bartlett carried the big stick of the day going 3 for 4 with a 3B, 2B, 2 runs scored and an RBI.  Yes, a HR away from the cycle!   Hernandez came through big for the Rays belting a line drive 2B to LF to score 2 runs and put the Rays up for good in this game. 

And I have yet to even mention the bench clearing incident in the 8^th – LOL.  The Tribe brought in Kerry Woods to take revenge on BJ Upton in the bottom of the 8^th inning.  Why you ask?  Apparently it hurt the Indians feelings the BJ would try to spark his team Thursday evening when they were down 9-0 and steal a bag.  Are you kidding me?!  So, Woods through the first pitch behind BJ and the second in tight.  This upset Maddon and he let everyone know.   Tempers flared, words were exchanged then benches emptied.  Luckily no one through any haymakers and order was restored.  The best sight was seeing Pat Burrell, just placed on the 15 day DL, charge out of the dugout putting on his shirt the whole way.  It was comical.   Look, most of the time I can get a clear understanding of retaliation but in this case, are you kidding me?!  The Rays are down and are supposed to just quit?  I don’t think so.  That is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve every heard.  Get a grip Cleveland – just because you are not living up to expectations this year do not think anyone else is quitting!

What a game!  This was a great game to be at.  Oh and did I mention the game’s final out was a beautiful diving catch in LF by Carl Crawford.  The Trop went crazy once again.  We have now won 3 games in a row against a team we should have beaten.  The Rays are 1 game under .500 and have a 4 game set at home against the bottom dwelling Athletics who we owe a whoppin’ to.  Remember we played very poor against them out in Oakland – payback time!

WOW!  The Rays did something never done before in franchise history.  The Ray’s offense recovered from terrible starting pitching to come back from a 7 run deficit to defeat the Tribe Friday night.  This was amazing to watch and really brought back memories of the 2008 magic!  The Rays remained patient at the plate and kept chipping away at the big lead culminating in a Ben Zobrist 8^th inning, game tying, line drive BOMB.  Zobi’s 2^nd HR in as many games!  BJ Upton had his best game of the season without a doubt!  He made several run saving plays in the outfield including throwing out a runner at the dish to end a Cleveland threat and went 3 for 5 at the dish with 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, a 2B and 2 swiped bags.  But the biggest play for BJ came in the bottom of the 9^th inning.  BJ unloaded on a pitch to deep LF for his 1^st HR of the season and a walk ff victory for the Rays – their first this season.  This was an outstanding effort all around for the offense.  Having been down so many runs so early it would have been very easy for this team to lie down and quit but they never did.  They gave themselves the chance their starting pitching did not.

A huge effort from the bullpen considering they had to pitch 5 2/3 innings!  Lance Cormier followed Kazmir in and shut the door on the Tribe.  In 5 2/3 innings the bullpen gave up only 1 hit and 2 walks while racking up 4 strike outs.  This was also reminiscent of the 2008 team.  Great job guys!  Everyone has been wondering why the bull pen has been so bad this year.  They are overworked!  They pitch about 4 innings everyday and this gave was no different!  We have 3 starting pitchers out of 5 that routinely barely last through the 5^th inning and this will need to improve a ton before we can have hopes of touching October.

SP Scott Kazmir was absolutely horrible.  I hate to be that blunt but it’s getting a bit ridiculous now.  Kazmir lasted only 3 1/3 innings giving up 10 hits, 4 free passes and 7 ER.  He threw 91 pitches in 3 1/3 innings – I mean come on already.  Kazmir has been bad for 2 years now.  I think the Rays should seriously consider sending him to AAA to work out the kinks because he is doing this team no good and has not shown ANY improvement from game to game.  He looks like he’s throwing batting practice every outing.  The offense is averaging about 6.5 runs in May but they cannot do that every day. 

This was a great team recovery effort in this game!  These guys showed signs of life and that never quit attitude they displayed all of last year.  Maybe this is the game that inspires this team to turn that corner.  I will be at The Trop to watch the magic!

Well, what can you say?   The opportunities presented themselves but we did not capitalize.  I mean with the tying run 90 ft away, 0 out and Carlos Pena, BJ Upton and Carl Crawford batting you have to like your chances to tie the game.  I mean that could not have been setup more perfect.  But, in the end, the Ray bats were held silent as all 3 of them struck out. 

Make no bones this was a pitching duel between Beckett and Matt Garza.   They matched each other number for number – each giving up 3 ER.  Their lines are actually amazingly similar:  Garza went 7 innings, 116 pitches (72 for strikes), 3 ER, 7 hits, 3 BB and 6 K’s; Beckett went 6 innings, 118 pitches (68 for strikes), 3 ER, 6 hits, 3 BB and 5 K’s.  So you can see this was an awesome game to watch! 

The problem for the Rays came once again in the bull pen.  Brian Shouse gave up a leadoff double to Ortiz and Dan Wheeler followed by giving up a double to Bay to put the Red Sox up for good. 

The Ray offense obviously struggled against awesome pitching from Beckett.  But come on guys, tying run on 3^rd with 0 outs and we cannot make contact?  I know it was Papelbon, but…… really?  Remember he’s the one that put the runner on 3^rd and 1^st to begin with! 

Well all in all this road trip has proven to be very successful and not just in the sense of the record but more for what guys have been doing.  Upton has shown signs of life, Burrell is starting to look a bit more comfortable, Longoria and Crawford continue their hot hitting.  The question is that bullpen.  The RFO really need to address it as it is not very good.

I really think the next 20 games are going to show a lot about this team.  We are transitioning from a very difficult schedule to a very light schedule.  The next 20 games are with teams that are struggling.  We MUST beat them to have a shot at October I believe.   Good teams beat teams they should beat so we’ll see if we are a good team or not.

Enjoy your day off Ray fans!  See you at Camden yards!

The Rays pulled into Fenway for the opening game of a 3 game set.  SP James Shields cruised through the first 5 innings with little more than the occasional hit.  Then the wheels came off when we hit the 6^th inning.  A hit, the first walk he gave up in the game and a blast later and the score was tied at 3.  Then another hit and another blast later and the Rays are down 5-3.  Shieldsy lost the ability to hit his spots low and left a few up I the sweet zone.  Shields was clearly rattled as he was yelling into his glove at himself and the Red Sox took advantage of the opportunities he gave them.  The bull pen, specifically Grant Balfour, gave up 2 runs in his 2 innings of work assuring the Red Sox the easy victory. 

The Rays offense struck early to take a 3-0 lead.  Carl Crawford had another outstanding offensive game going 3 for 5 scoring 3 and swiping another bag.  He was a HR away from the cycle!  CC has looked much better at the plate recently taking a lot of pitches and selecting a pitch he can do something with.  Jason Bartlett had a nice day at the dish as well collecting 2 2Bs in 3 trips and driving in a run.

The Rays have looked much better as a whole of late.  In the last week they have given us a glimmer of the 2008 team.  The one thing that I see separating the World Series team from the 2009 team is pitching.  The pitching this year is absolutely unreliable.  From the starters to the bullpen no one has stood out in more than an outing or 2.  Matt Garza has been the best starter and the bull pen would have a difficult time claiming anyone as a stand out to this point.  The Rays offense cannot possibly come from behind time after time, eventually these pitchers are going to have to step up and shut down the opposition.  

I will add and I will keep saying it – BJ Upton needs to switch positions with JB in the lineup — period!  The numbers make this statement so painfully obvious this isn’t even a question.  Look at this:  BJ = .152 BA, .272 OBP, .205 SLG, 31 K; JB = .355 BA, .382 OBP, .495 SLG, 15K.  Now, tell me where the argument lies in this!  I’m getting tired of everyone making excuses for his poor performance.  The shoulder surgery excuse has now sailed.  If he is still rehabbing it he should be in the minors doing it not here!  I get the distinct impression that Upton will be a “could have been” – a lot of unfulfilled promise.   

Well we go at it again tomorrow and hope Kaz brings his ‘A’ game!

The Rays staged a late inning rally to earn a split in the short 2 game series with the Orioles Tuesday at The Trop.  Key hits provided by season long quiet bats provided the spark need to back another nice pitching performance from Matt Garza.  Garza went a very strong 8 complete innings giving up only 4 hits, 2 BB and 3 ER while striking out 2.  Unfortunately for Matt 2 of the 3 hits were HRs providing all the scoring for the O’s.  Matt had a few location issues early, hence the HRs, but recovered nicely to shut down the O’s. 

The silent but deadly bats I referred to are those of Dioner Navarro and BJ Upton.  Needless to say these guys have not been performing up to expectations to this point in the season.  But, today when they were called upon to get the big hit they came through!  Navi kept a rally going by knocking out a 2B creating a 2^nd and 3^rd situation and would score 2 runs.  BJ laced a 2 out, 2 strike pitch to LF for a 2B and an RBI and would eventually score on Evan Longoria’s bases loaded single.  Yes, Longo is keeping his hot hitting going in the early part of May by going 2 for 4 with a 2B and 3 RBIs to add to his MLB lead.

This was a nice game to watch. Seeing the Rays go down early and to watch them come back little at a time against an Oriole pitcher who was spot on was great.  The O’s SP Uehara threw 92 pitches, 72 for strikes – that is an amazing ratio.  But, the Rays remained patient and made him work in the later innings.  They eventually got pitches to hit and they took advantage.  This game could go a long way in the contest Wednesday in NY facing AJ Burnett.  Burnett can be that dominating as well but with patience he can be had as evidenced by a 5.40 ERA.

So, off to the new Yankee stadium for a short 2 game series with the Bronx Bombers. This is, in my humble opinion, a very important series.  I’d say to start making any noise in this AL East we need to walk away with nothing less than a split in NY and a series victory in Boston.  We’ll see…

 See you in NY!

Go Rays!!!!!!!!!!!