Hey Ray fans…..I’m back!!  Want to thank Cliff for posting for our Rays in my absence!  Now, on to our Rays!!!

Wow!  What a great series victory over those hated northern rivals!  The Rays again showed the resilience that has kept them atop the AL East for most of the 2^nd half of this season.  After a horrible opening game, giving up 6 HRs and losing 13-5, the Rays bounced right back as they have done time and time again this season.  The Rays took game 2 after a GREAT pitching match up led to the Rays 11^th walk off victory of the season, 2-1.  Game 3 started much like game 1, a 2 run 1^st inning bomb by Big Papi.  But this game had a much different ending!  Willy Aybar, Gabe Gross and Fernando Perez banged out dingers, Gross and Perez going back to back.  The Rays chased Boston SP Wakefield early and lit up the bull pen.  The final score of game 3 was Rays 10-3 over the Sox. 

This series had a ton of significance.  First, the Rays have won the season series 10-8 over the Red Sox.  This would come very important in the event of a tie between the clubs at the end of the regular season.  Second, talk about a confidence builder!  The Rays stormed into Fenway and took 2 of 3 then invited the Red Sox to try the same in The Trop.  The Rays teased their northern rivals by giving away game 1.  Then they slammed the door shut by running off the next 2 victories.  The Rays now know they can win in Fenway should they need to during the post season.  Third, only 4 games to go to guarantee the first post season in Tampa Bay Ray’s history!!   I have my postseason tickets – do you?

One of the nicest surprises over the past few weeks has been Fernando Perez.  What a great addition to this roster at just the right time.  He has proven he can field, run, hit, steal bases, and on and on.  The guy doesn’t seem to get rattled under the pressure of the pennant chase.  Great addition!  David Price has pitched only once since his call up BUT it was an ice outing for him to get his feet wet.  In a big yard against some big bats he did a really nice job!  I expect to see both of these guys on the 25 man roster at the beginning of 2009. 

Well Ray fans…..only 7 more hours to kick off the Twins series.  I will be at The Trop for the final 3 games of this series.  You should grab your tickets now and be in that building when the Rays clinch their first ever postseason spot! 

See you at The Trop!       

Edwin Jackson pitched a strong 7 innings giving up 6 hits and 1 ER to earn his 11^th victory for the Rays this season.  The Rays did what they have done all season long and took another series!   Dan Wheeler notched his 10^th save of the season as well.

The story of this game was the long ball and awesome defense.  The Rays collected 10 hits in total, half of which were for extra bases.  Akinori Iwamura smacked 2 doubles, Gabe Gross chipped in with a stand up triple, while Cliff Floyd and Willy Aybar blasted solo bombs!    

Eric Hinske laid out for an extra base saving catch in the top of the first inning!  Hinske still has some giddy up in those legs.  And for the second night in a row a Ray defender made Sportscenter’s 10 Top Plays.  Great job!

Today I purchased my postseason tickets!  I’m so excited!  This is going to be awesome!  The Rays are hosting the Baltimore Orioles this Labor Day weekend while the Red Sox will be hosting the Chicago White Sox.  We may look to pick up and additional game or 2 in the standings!   

Get to The Trop and enjoy a GREAT family experience together!  If you haven’t been top The Trop lately the new Rays front office has improved the family friendly atmosphere tremendously since they have taken over. 

Cheer on your Rays! 

The Tampa Bay Rays and the LA Angels battled 9 hard innings.  The Rays were going for their second sweep of the Angels in The Trop.  The Rays fell a bit short but still won this series and the season series form the Angels in a potential match up of playoff teams.

Matt Garza looked good his first few innings but ran into a hurdle in the 3^rd.  Garza allowed 4 runs in the 4^th inning with a combination of walks and hits.  He remained poised on the mound and didn’t allow another run.  Garza pitched 6 2/3 giving up a total of 7 hits and recording 7 K’s.  Garza did not figure in the decision as Grant Balfour ended up with the loss.

The Rays offense was up and down all game long.  They posted a 3 spot on the board in the 2^nd inning and were held silent until the 8^th when Carlos Pena doubled in the tying run.  Gabe Gross had some impressive at bats during this game.  Gross was 2 for 2 with 2 BB, 1 RBI and 1 run scored.   

The Rays hit the road to open a 3 game series with the Chicago White Sox.  Everyone keeps talking about the fact the Rays are going to spend a great deal of time on the road the next month.  They are not mentioning that the Rays have the best record in MLB since the All Star break – many of those victories were on the road!  They have yet to lose a series since the All Star break as well. I don’t see the Rays letting their intensity falter – they are hungry!  They are out to prove the world wrong! 

See you in Chicago!  Go Rays! 

The Ray offense was held silent until the 6^th inning when Jason Bartlett broke up a no-no.  It was an impressive performance by Angel starter Ervin Santana.  The Rays however showed their determination by breaking through in the 8^th inning for a 3 run spot.

James Shields did not have his best pitches working effectively for him.  But, with stellar defense behind him he wriggled out of a few tight spots allowing only 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 hits in 8 innings pitched.  James also recorded 7 outs himself by way of the K!  James showed his resiliency by staying out on the mound and pitching tough through a less than Shields like performance.  He came through when the Rays needed him!  

James was back by a defense that was flashing some very impressive leather between the lines!  Gabe Gross grabbed a ball high off the RF wall to record the final out of the 1^st inning!  Very nice grab!  Bartlett napped a short line drive up the middle and doubled an Angel runner off of first!  JB means a ton to this defense!  BJ Upton threw a strike to the plate to nail Tori Hunter trying to score from 2^nd base!  It was a perfect throw and catch!  

The Ray offense got to the bull pen and loaded the bases in the bottom of the 8^th with no out.  The Rays tied the game on a bases loaded walk to Carlos Pena.  Then Willy Aybar came clutch once again.  Aybar knocked a 2 run single to put the Rays out in front for good. 

This was another GREAT team victory!  In gaining this win the Rays have not only taken this series from the Angels but have also secured the season series and the best record in the American League!   As a Ray fan since their beginning I was honestly hoping to see a record just above .500 – to see improvement this year in moving forward.  These guys impress me with something different every night!  Keep it going! 

Obviously a lot of the credit needs to go to the RFO and to Joe Maddon.  The RFO gave Joe the pieces to be successful.  Joe has proven to be a very intelligent baseball man.  But more impressive is how he handles the players.  Last night Upton was called out by 1^st base umpire Jerry Meals on an over thrown ball – Meals said Upton made an attempt to go to 2^nd base.  NOT!!  Maddon charged out there and argued emphatically for Upton – a player he has benched several times for a lack of hustle.  Maddon was promptly tossed form the game.  He showed that he believes in and has the back of all his players.  It would have been very easy to blame Upton with his recent string of negative events but Maddon did the right thing.  He showed BJ that he has faith in him.  Hopefully this said a lot to BJ and there will be no more negative incidents with BJ the rest of this season.  If Maddon does not get voted MOY there will be a riot!    

The starting pitching was bad but the offense bailed the Rays out to notch the 70^th victory – our franchise high – on Aug 9^th.  Matt Garza pitched in and out of trouble in all of his 5 2/3 innings pitched.  Trouble began in the bottom of the first with the first batter as Ichiro quickly deposited a Garza pitch in to the right field seats.  Garza allowed 10 hits, 5 ER, 1 HR, 1 BB while striking out 5.  Joe Maddon had to burn 6 relievers in this game which always leaves everyone praying that the next day’s SP can go deep to allow the BP to rest.  Sunday’s SP is Edwin Jackson. Problem is you never know what you’re getting from E-Jax from start to start so we’ll have to be positive and hope he can remain focused for an effective, deep start.

The offense for the Rays woke up in the 6^th.  To that point the score was 5-1 Mariners.  Every position in the Rays batting order, except 1, had a hit in this game.  All totaled the Rays offense knocked out 13 hits and collected 8 free passes.  Gabe Gross blasted his 9^th HR of the season.  BJ Upton and Carl Crawford each collected 2 RBI’s.\ 

Something to keep an eye on is Dan Wheeler’s response to his last 2 outing.  Wheels took the loss in game one of this series.  Tonight he blew the save sending the game into extra innings.  Chances are slim Wheels will pitch tonight as well but it’ll be nice to see him toe the rubber against Oakland and right his own personal ship. 

This again was a nice overall team effort!  Being down by up to 5 runs this team never gave up.  Another great victory!

It is the only word that can adequately start to describe the Rays and their amazing comeback today!  The Rays take the series from the Tribe in walk off fashion!  WOW…..I still can’t catch my breath!

The offense was clicking on all cylinders in the bottom of the 9^th inning!  Going into the bottom of the 9^th the Rays were down 7-4.  Up steps our DH Jason Bartlett – yes, this is not a typo.  JB was not able to throw the ball due to his injured finger but was able to hit.   JB lines a shot to the wall in left for his second 2B of the game.  Next comes Eric Hinske.  Hinske struggled this series going hitless to this point.  BUT, he comes through when it counts drilling a ball fair right over the first base bag for a 2B scoring JB, score 7-5.   Then comes Mr. Clutch, Gabe Gross.  For as many clutch, late game hits this guy has produced for us could he possibly do it again?  One swing of the bat answered that with a resounding smash of the ball off the scoreboard in right field!  Game Tied, 7-7!  OMGoodness, can you believe this?! Still no outs have been recorded! 

The top of the order, Akinori Iwamura, strides to the plate.  He hits a ground ball to the 1^st baseman forcing the pitcher to cover.  Aki hustles down the line and is SAFE!  WOW – could it be?  Batting 2^nd is out CF, Ben Zobrist – again not a typo; Upton was benched for not hustling in last night’s game.  Zobi works the Indian reliever for a BB.  Batting 3^rd for us 1^st baseman Carlos Pena with 0 outs and the winning run standing on 2nd.  With one swing of his mighty bat it is over!!  A LONG BLAST over the CF fence ends the game!  Rays win, the Rays win, 10-7! WOW!!!!  The celebration begins at the plate and all over the Tampa Bay area!

This game brought to light how well this team plays as a TEAM, no superstars.  SP Scott Kazmir struggled once again allowing 5 ER in 4 1/3 innings.  The BP did a good job holding the Indians at bay for the rest of the game and keeping the Rays within striking distance.  The lineup was questioned by a lot of you (based on reading the message board).  A lot of people playing out of position and one of your better players in Upton benched.  Every one of these guys has had their good days and their bad days.  The TEAM mentality of the Rays allows the guys who are having a good day (Barlett, Navi, Gross, Pena) to pick up those that are having a bad day (Kaz).   

This was another amazing win in an amazing season!  As a fan I cannot express my thanks to this team for giving us the amazing play they give us day in and day out.  This is a magical season.  We will see playing time in Oct!!!

Go Rays!  

The story of game 2 between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Indians were the Ray bats. The offense banged out some timely hits and some long blasts to help Edwin Jackson earn his 8th victory.

Several Rays had big offensive days! Dioner Navarro lead the pack with a key 2-out, 2 run game tying single and blasted a solo shot to right field. Navi finished the day going 2 for 3, 2 runs, 3 RBIs and 1 BB. Impressively all 3 of Navi’s RBIs were collected with 2 out. Navi wasn’t the only Ray to go long! In the same inning Evan Longoria hit a monster blast to left and Cliff Floyd went deep over the center field fence. Among the other extra base hits the Rays collected Aki and Gabe Gross each hit triples and Carlos Pena had 2 doubles. Over all the Rays collected 10 hits, scored 8 runs and had 7 extra base hits – great day at the dish!! The Rays collected their 5th back to back HR game when Floyd and Navi did it in the 7th.

The pitching staff was not stellar; from the starter to the BP they all ran into issues. But they came up with big outs when they needed them and had a nice overall day!

It was a great game to watch as a Ray fan! You can definitely see the Rays pulling it all together again after a poor July! They look confident and relaxed at the dish and their defense has been outstanding. Today the Rays go for the series victory early (get away day) with first pitch at 12:40 – IT’S ON FSN!

Go Rays!!

James Shields pitched an outstanding game and 6 different Rays came through with RBIs to secure a win over the Kansas City Royals 9-2 on Sunday. Shields pitched 7 innings allowing only 4 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB and 8 K’s. He hit a little bump in the 2nd inning allowing the 2 ER but pitched masterfully for the next 5 innings. Gary Glover and Trever Miller pitched the 8th and 9th respectively giving up only 1 hit each.

The offense was clicking on all cylinders as well. Evan Longoria and Gabe Gross each belted a HR. Longoria, BJ Upton and Carlos Pena had 2 RBIs each to lead the team. Pena looks as if his bat might be heating up. He beat the right side shift in the 2 inning by laying down a nice bunt for a single. He then added another single, a 2B, scored 2 runs and had the 2 RBIs for a GREAT day at the dish. He looked as if he was swinging within himself and NOT swinging for the fences. Hopefully this is a look at what’s to come for him!

The Rays go for the series sweep over the Royals today sending Matt Garza (7-4) to oppose Gil Meche (6-9). The Rays record in the last 10 games is 9-1! Today the Rays go for a complete sweep home stand that would leave their record for the last 13 games 12-1 – that is AMAZING! It’s hard to fathom that there are still non believers out there but they do exist. For them I say — PAY ATTENTION! THE RAYS ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!

The score of this game does not effectively tell the whole story. Going into the top of the 9th the score was 5-2….that should give you a hint as to what’s coming. Troy Percival gave up 2 runs in the top of the 9th and had to be pulled after tweaking his hamstring again. He was not happy about begin pulled and made it obvious to Joe Maddon and the television viewing audience. Now, Troy isn’t Manny and didn’t shove Maddon to the ground but, it was clear they had a heated exchange on the mound before Percival departed. JP Howell came in with 2 outs and the tying run standing 90 ft away to close out the game.

James Shields pitched a very nice game. He worked over the Red Sox hitters by mixing pitch selection and pitch location. Props also go out to Dioner Navarro as he played a big part in Shield’s success. He went 6 1/3 innings allowing 5 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB and 5 K’s. He earned his 6th victory bringing his record to 6-5, 3.70.

The offensive hero of the game was Gabe Gross….that’s right, Gabe Gross! Gabe was 2 for 2 with a HR, 2 BB, 1 run scored and 2 RBIs. BJ Upton led off the game for the Rays smashing a HR to dead center field on the first pitch he saw. The great thing about this game was the increasing patience the Rays are showing at the dish. In total the Rays drew 8 BB and only struck out 5 times. They need to continue to improve on this as the season moves forward to allow them the best chance to win these close games.

Tonight’s game has Matt Garza (6-4) going against Tim Wakefield (5-5). Garza was masterful in his last outing pitching a complete 1 hit game against the Florida Marlins. Wakefield also had a great performance his last outing pitching 7 shut out innings against the Diamondbacks. It will be interesting to see how the young Rays hitters adjust to Wakefield’s knuckleball. It will be another GREAT game!

Oh what a GREAT time to be a fan of the Tampa Bay Rays!  Carl Crawford’s 7^th inning grand slam was a large part of a 7 run, 7^th inning for the Rays!  The Trop was electric!  Every Ray fan in the place was caught up in the emotion of this inning and this sweep.  My hands hurt driving home after all the high fives that were passed from person to person, old and young alike.  It was amazing! 

Starting pitchers James Shields and Sean Gallagher did not figure in the decisions.  Sweet Lou (who’s probably a bitter Lou after his return to The Trop) brought their bullpen ace, Carlos Marmol, in to try to preserve their lead in the 7^th.  It didn’t work – Marmol imploded.  He walked Willy Aybar and Cliff Floyd then proceeded to hit Gabe Gross loading the bases.  Akinori Iwamura stepped up to the plate with bases loaded and no outs.  On a 2-2 pitch Marmol HIT HIM sending home a run.  Still with no outs and bases loaded Carl Crawford stepped to the plate.  We were all praying for a drive to the outfield to at least tie the game.  No one could have predicted what was to come. LHP pitcher Scott Eyre was brought in to face CC – and BAM!  It was all over from there!  CC planted a fastball in the right field seats.  The fans almost blew the lid off The Trop!  BJ Upton followed that with a triple and Eric Hinske doubled him in.  Hinske then swiped 3^rd and was knocked in by Evan Longoria to complete the scoring.

This win, actually this series sweep, was about a complete team effort.  The bullpen was flawless, the starting pitching was amazing and the offense came through in a big way.  The Rays showed this week what a complete team they are.  They will go through their individual slumps, bad pitching moments and defensive blunders but in the end there is a new hero every night for this team.  This team plays hard together all the time.  I have to say that the feeling in The Trop last night was not a feeling of despair even when down 3-1 in the 7^th inning….it was a positive feeling; we knew the Rays could come back.  In years past that game would have been over. 

With this victory the Rays move to with 1 1/5 games of the idle Red Sox.  This weekend we face a weak and battered Houston team who was just swept by Baltimore.  Get to The Trop and support your Rays!  They are playing hard for you every day!   

If you are not a Rays fan yet, you may want to jump on the bandwagon fast – it’s filling up quickly!