The Tampa Bay rays are the 2008 American League Champions!!!  WOW, doesn’t that sound great?!

I cannot hear it enough!  ALCS series MVP Matt Garza pitched an amazing game yesterday!  Garza pitched beyond what anyone could have imagined.  He shut down the Red Sox in a 7 inning pitching clinic.  He left one bad pitch up that Pedroia made him pay for by placing it over the LF wall.  Beyond that he gave up only 1 other hit, allowing 3 free passes while striking out 9.  Joe Maddon then employed hitter to pitcher strategy and used 5 pitchers in the 8^th inning to keep the mighty red Sox bats quiet.  David Price came in with bases loaded and 2 outs in the 8^th to dash the Red Sox hopes by striking out JD Drew.  Price earned the save in the game by pitching a solid 9^th inning as well.    

The Ray bats were able to provide just the amount of scoring necessary to catapult the Rays to the top of the American League.  The scoring began with a 2 out double by Evan Longoria to score Carlos Pena all the way from 1^st base to tie the score.  Next came a double by Willy Aybar and a nice at bat by Rocco Baldelli to single him home.  The final bit of scoring would be an Aybar blast to LF off SP Lester late in the game.  Due to the outstanding pitching turned in by the Rays staff that was more than needed to push the Rays over the top.  

This was an amazing all around performance by both teams really.  But the Rays were too much for the Red Sox to handle.  The Rays outplayed the Red Sox in all facets of the game.  Enough cannot be said about the pitching performance in this ALCS by Matt Garza.  He beat the seemingly unbeatable John Lester twice and shut down the Red Sox bats both times as well!   

Being at The Trop last night was absolutely amazing!  That place was electric!  I don’t care what any national reporters or anyone else says – the Rays have a very devoted fan base.  It was evident in the eyes of those holding big crocodile tears after the victory, the years of sitting in the cellar and hoping for something better next year finally paid off.  I’m emotionally and physically exhausted and need to go lie down now!  LOL – would not have missed it for anything!

Next, bring on the Phils!  See you at The Trop Wednesday evening for Game 1 of the WORLD SERIES!     

WOW!!! The Tampa Bay Rays series has been filled with lots of WOW but this……WOW…. The Rays had 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th inning and a lead of 7-0 when the bullpen, our salvation all year long, imploded. Scott Kazmir put on a pitching display we haven’t seen form him all season long. He was awesome. He pitched 6 innings only allowing 2 hits and 0 runs. The game appeared over. Our bullpen was coming in and they have been virtually untouchable in the postseason, heck they have been untouchable just about all season long. Why/how could anyone see what was about to happen?

Joe Maddon marched Grant Balfour, Dan Wheeler and JP Howell out to close this game. That did not happen. They didn’t even come close. The three aces of our bullpen, if you can have 3 aces, allowed 9 hits and 8 runs in 3 innings! They gave up home runs to Big Papi and JD Drew. Evan Longoria chipped in with a throwing error that allowed Kevin Youkilis to 2nd base and eventually score the walk off run. It was clear to me from the get go that there may be problems. Balfour threw nothing but fastballs pitch after pitch. Sorry Grant, but in the majors they will catch up with a fastball eventually. You need to find another pitch or two to compliment your fastball. I know you have a slider – ¬use it! Wheels had control issues pitch after pitch. He could not find any consistency. Howell actually pitched well. Had it not been for the Longo error the inning would have been over and we would have gone to extras once again.

This was definitely a tale of 2 games within the 9 innings. The first 61/2 innings were all Rays! BJ Upton, Longo and Carlos Pena added 3 more home runs to the Rays amazing postseason total. Upton also added a 2 run double of Papelbon late in the game giving him a total of 4 RBIs for the game. The Rays were thieves on the base path – Gabe Gross and Jason Bartlett each had one and Akinori Iwamura swiped two.

The Ray offense beat up Red Sox starter Dice-K while Ray starter Kaz pitched his best game all season long. Shame he didn’t get that win – he deserved it! Now the series travels back to St Pete and The Trop where the Rays have been more successful than any other team in MLB this season. The Rays are still in the driver’s set leading the series 3-2. I don’t anticipate the rays dwelling too much on this loss on their day off Friday. They have been resilient all season long and I expect to see even more focus and determination coming out of the box Saturday as Big Game James Shields takes on Josh Beckett.

I anticipate the Rays closing this out Sat and the dome glowing orange as we drive down 275! See you at The Trop!

Go Rays!

The Tampa Bay Rays had to get more ice to keep the champagne cold after losing the opening game to the Detroit Tigers 7-5 Thursday afternoon.  Scott Kazmir was looking to be the winning pitcher as he was when the Rays clinched their first ever playoff birth over the past weekend.  But, the Tiger bats laid that thought to rest quickly in this game.  Kaz gave up 4 home runs in the first 5 innings allowing the Tigers to pounce on their prey and keep it down. Kaz once again lasted only 5 innings and throwing 102 pitches.  He missed his locations often and by a large margin on most occasions. The Rays pitching staff allowed 5 HR altogether as Chad Bradford gave up a solo blast in the 7^th inning.

The big bat from the Rays came from Ben Zobrist.  Zobi had 2 HR with 4 RBIs and 2 runs scored.  Evan Longoria chipped in with a solo blast as well.  The Rays had a few other opportunities to score runs but failed to get the big hit when needed.   

A few items of note in this game, other than the obvious loss, first, Joe Maddon is in the process of deciding who his rotation will be going into the playoffs.  This outing was just another inconsistent, high pitch, short day for Kaz.  That cannot figure well for him heading into the playoffs.  Kaz has been having this same issue all season long and he has not been able to resolve it.  The other issue is an issue with MLB.  How the heck can MLB schedule an early day game after a night game when a team has to travel?!  What kind of hooey is that?!  These guys were only able to get 3-5 hours sleep between games.  How can any athlete go out and perform optimally on that kind of sleep? 

Anyway, tomorrow is another day.  The Rays don’t play until tomorrow night so they’ll be good and rested.  Sonny will take the hill and close out the AL East.  BTW – Sonny is my choice for the #3 SP in the playoff rotation.   

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!

They did it!  For the first time in the franchise’s 11 year history the Tampa Bay Rays will play baseball in October!  Scott Kazmir seals the deal with a nice 6 inning outing.  Kaz scattered 5 hits over the 6 innings while allowing 1 free pass and compiling 5 strike outs.  Kaz did manage to work himself into trouble a few innings but was bailed out by stellar defense.  With bases loaded and no outs a Twin batter hit a pop fly to Fernando Perez in CF.  The throw was cutoff by Carlos Pena who had the play in front of him and caught Justin Morneau leaning too far off 2^nd base for a double play.  The runner on 3^rd did not tag and score. The last out in the inning was recorded with no runs scoring.  That was a great play by Pena to help bail out Kaz in that inning. 

The offense chipped away at Twin pitching to score their total of 7 runs in 4 innings.  Pena led off the scoring barrage with a 2 RBI double off the SP Slowey.  The big bangs came off the bats of Cliff Floyd and Perez, each sending solo blasts over the wall.  The Ray hitters showed a great deal of patience at the plate and took the Twin SP deep into counts.  This was a great overall offensive approach to the game! 

It was awesome to see the Rays celebrate on the field at the end of this game!  Actually it was unbelievable!  At the beginning of the season it was clear this Ray team would improve on past performances.  But no on had any idea by how much.  I was going to be thrilled to see the team go .500 as I’m sure most Ray fans would have been.  But this…..this is beyond all belief!   Joe Maddon and the RFO deserve a ton of credit for GREAT talent evaluations and GREAT management of such!  They took some veterans who were cast off from other teams and infused their leadership into the youth of this team.  They made a GREAT trade for Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza.  They rid the clubhouse of any negativity.  They brought up the young AAA talent and put them in positions to be successful.  And the players themselves…..they never gave up.  No matter the circumstance they fought every game until the end.  Enough cannot be said about the chemistry of this team.  This is a special group enjoying a very special year.

The year isn’t over yet though.  The Rays have their sights set on the AL East pennant.  They gained a game on Boston with Boston losing to Toronto.  I expect to see the Rays play as they have all season long Sunday and take the series from the Twins.   

Congratulations Tampa Bay Rays!

OK, so by now you’ve heard of the Mohawk trend flying through the Ray clubhouse.  Just about all the Rays have been skinned with the pressure being applied to those who haven’t.  Expect all Ray players, coaches and fans to be ‘hawked by the time the post season begins!  Yup, I’m even considering it……for about ½ a second anyway.  This is a great show of team unity and support for one another.  A great idea to bring even more cohesion to an already close Ray clubhouse!   BJ Upton and Evan Longoria are the father’s of this trend for the Rays – GREAT job guys!  Way to spark some extra closeness amongst your teammates!

The Rays made a significant jump toward history by crushing the Minnesota Twins 11-1.  The Rays only need to win 1 more game to guarantee the franchise’s first ever trip to the playoffs!!!  That is not the only history that was made during this game.  The first ever instant replay aided overturned call was also made.   

Edwin Jackson pitched lights out in this game.  I have to admit after he walked the first batter he saw in the game I had my fears that this may end badly.  But, E-Jax recovered and did not allow that run to score or even advance for that matter.  Jackson pitched 7 2/3 strong innings allowing 7 hits, 1 ER and 1 free pass while collecting 5 K’s.  Jeff Niemann made his first appearance since his call up to close the game out for E-Jax.  Niemann pitched 1 1/3 inning not allowing a hit or a free pass.  Great job by the pitching staff!

Ok, the overturned call.  Carlos Pena launched a blast to RC that the umpire originally ruled a double due to fan interference.  Joe Maddon made his plea for instant replay.  Four minutes later the umpires emerged from the replay room and signaled HR.  Great job by the umpires to get it right!  Pena was credited with a 3 run bomb! 

This was a great game overall.  All sides of the ball performed well after the disappointing 9^th inning loss the night before.  This team has been termed resilient over the entire course of the season.  I’m not sure that’s the right term anymore.  I’d like to term them consummate professionals.  They may lose games but they understand that’s a part of a long season.  They come ready to fire the next night.  Great job Rays!  One more!

See you at The Trop!!

WOW!   What a devastating loss!  The Tampa Bay Rays fought all the way back in the 9^th inning to tie the game then take the lead in the top of the 13^th.  That lead was painfully erased as Troy Percival loaded the bases and with 2 outs gave up a grand slam to backup catcher Greg Zaun. Unbelievable!

I have not made this declaration so far this year but here goes…….This loss sits squarely on the shoulders of our fearless leader Joe Maddon.  It was clear that Percival was struggling and he opted to leave him out there.  Bad move Joe!  It would have still been a bad move had Percival gotten Zaun out!  Percival served up 2 home runs to the Yankees his last outing as well!    

The Rays showed a lot of determination scoring 3 runs, 2 off a 2^nd level blast by PH Rocco Baldelli, in the 9^th inning of Blue Jay closer BJ Ryan.  Fernando Perez has made his name known as well on the base path.  Perez was entered as a PR for Willy Aybar in the top of the 9^th.   Perez promptly stole 2^nd base and scored on a line shot by Dioner Navarro that skipped through the wickets of BJ 2^nd baseman Joe Inglett.  In the top of the 13^th inning Perez reached base on a FC.  He then stole 2^nd and 3^rd scored the go ahead run on a 2 out single by Navi.  Outstanding come back!   

Maddon needs to address several issues this team is having.  The first issue would be his own “loyalty” issue.  Maddon has openly stated that he is a very loyal guy.  Although loyalty is a great character trait it cannot get in the way of winning.  This team has come a long way in 1 season, these players have fought hard.  There is no reason to allow Percival to remain in that game last night when he was struggling as he clearly was.  That needs to stop Joe!  The second issue is our “closer” situation.  Clearly Percival is no longer an MLB closer.  Yeah, I know….last night was his first blown save.  He has saved 27 out of 31.  But, how many of those saves were 1-2-3 outs and involved little to no 9^th inning drama.  My answer — FEW OF THEM!  Our “closer” now has an ERA of 4.91!  Something needs to change and change fast.   

All this being said, the Rays still maintain a 2.5 game lead in the AL East (thank you Rangers!) and still have the best record in MLB!  So, watch today’s game for a series turn around to begin!

The Tampa Bay Rays convincingly took game one of the 3 game set with the Chicago White Sox using outstanding pitching and offense.  Edwin Jackson gave a very strong 6 inning performance giving up only 2 runs to the powerful White Sox lineup.  E-Jax scattered 7 hits and 5 free passes within his 6 innings.  Clearly he ran into trouble more than once during his time on the bump, the impressive thing was he did not break.  He managed to get the outs when he needed them including 5 Ks.  E-Jax had some help from the bench and his catcher, Dioner Navarro. The bench called for 2 pitch outs that led to outs at 2^nd base. It was as if Joe Maddon knew something the rest of us did not.   Nice job!

The offense came alive in this game in bug fashion!  The Rays banged out a total of 14 hits – 9 of them for extra bases!  The home run parade included Carlos Pena (26), Ben Zobrist (6) and Rocco Baldelli (1).  That’s right folks!  Rocco’s first dinger since May 3, 2007!  Congrats Rocco!  The hit parade did not stop here.  Akinori Iwamura banged out a run scoring 3B to put the Rays ahead.  And the 2B were many – Willy Aybar had 2 doubles.   Dioner Navarro, Jason Bartlett and Pena also added to the 2B total.   

The only negative in this game was the top of 2^nd inning.  There were 2 major base running mistakes that ended in 2 outs at home plate – never a good idea.  Rocco decided to run on a dribbler in front of the plate – there were runners on 1^st and 3^rd with no outs at this point.  It was clear it was his own decision and was not sent by Foley, but – bad idea.  The SP Danks grabbed the ball and barely tagged Rocco out but he did.  The next flub came with 1 out and runners on 2^nd and 3^rd.  On a short line drive to LF Willy opted to tag and attempt to score.  Once again, not a good idea.  Willy was thrown out by a mile. 

Aside from our mistakes in the 2^nd inning this was a well played game on all sides of the ball.  The pitching showed great poise and determination on the mound.  The offense was patient and picked good pitches to hit and did so!  The defense was exceptional as always!  Nice way to begin this tough series.   

Today the Rays get some much deserved national attention as the FOX game of the week!  Scott Kazmir rides the bump and should show continued improvement on previous starts.  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!    

Yes, you read correct!  With bases loaded in the bottom of the 9^th and MLB RBI king Josh Hamilton stepping to the plate Joe Maddon signaled for 4, 4 pitches outside to intentionally walk in run #3.  The move paid big dividends as Dan Wheeler recorded a K on Marlon Byrd for the save right after the walk.  Nice move Joe!!

Scott Kazmir recorded his 9^th victory this season.  He pitched a solid 6 innings holding the potent Ranger offense virtually silent.  Although he again had a high pitch count, 114, he only allowed 2 ER on 4 hits while giving up 4 free passes.  Kaz also racked u p 7 strike outs.  He said he felt much better after this start so hopefully this means he’ll pull it altogether just in time for the stretch run and on into the playoffs.

The offensive burst came in the form of extra base hits.  Out of 10 total hits for the Rays 6 were for extra bases.  Carlos Pena belted a 3-run shot and BJ Upton knocked a 2-run shot.  Adding to the extra base parade were 2Bs by Upton, Eric Hinske, Gabe Gross and Willy Aybar. 

The bullpen was a bit of a concern.  Juan Salas appeared for the first time and promptly gave up 2 ER on 1 hit and 1 BB.  Grant Balfour followed him and gave up 3 BB in just a third of an inning.   Balfour really needs to find a second pitch.  His fastball is lights out but when that’s all he’s throwing these professional hitters are going to catch up to it.  Last night his control was clearly not good with the fastball.  It would be nice to see him add something else to his arsenal.  

The Rays finally go home with a very successful 7-3 road trip.  Yes, these weren’t the best teams in the league they faced but isn’t that the point, beat the teams you should?  Well, they did.  They also improved their road record to 30-31, best in the Al East at this point.   The Rays are home for a possible 3 (depends upon TS Fay) game set against LAA.  Then back to the road for 3 against the CWS.  These 6 games will say a lot about the current state of this team.  Now they are playing the best the league has to offer.  This is where the affect of injuries will show themselves or not…..up to the guys playing between the lines.