Scott Kazmir threw his best outing so far this season going 7 VERY strong innings!  He was outstanding!  He allowed only 2 hits in 7 innings while striking out 9!  I have to admit Kaz did not look good facing his first batter – he walked him on 4 straight pitches.  But he settled down and cruised the rest of the way. He even picked a runner of 2^nd!  His slider was dead on making that fastball that much better.  The bullpen, JP Howell and Grant Balfour, pitched 2 perfect innings to close the door.

Evan Longoria blasted his 3^rd HR in as many games!  He was joined in the HR launching by Willy Aybar who drilled the left field foul pole for his 4^th HR this season.  The offense looked better generating 9 hits and 8 BB.  They were active on the base path swiping 3 bags.  They clearly had the pressure on the A’s defense and it showed. 

I cannot say enough about the outstanding job Kaz did.  He put on a clinic!  The Rays remain 1.5 games above the Red Legs and 4.5 above those that wear the pinstripes as all 3 teams recorded victories.  Andy Sonnanstine will toe the rubber tonight – his first appearance since the All Star break.  With all the rest he’s had that ball is likely to be very active tonight! 

See you at The Pit!

Andy Sonnanstine pitched outstanding Saturday to earn his 10^th victory.  That’s right, 10^th victory.  Who would have ever thought that with names like Kazmir, Shields and Garza in the starting rotation it would be one Mr. Sonnanstine to notch his 10^th victory before the others.  Amazing Andy pitched 7 innings scattered 5 hits, 1 walk, 0 ER and 2 K’s.  JP Howell followed in the 8^th and struck out the side.  Grant Balfour closed the door on the Royals in the 9^th to preserve the win.

The Rays were also flashing the leather in the field with a few outstanding plays to help preserve the shut out.  Sonnanstine started a 1-6-3 DP on a come backer to end an inning.  Akinori Iwamura made an outstanding diving catch heading out to right field and recorded the out at first base.  Aki also provided all the offense the Rays would need by knocking in 2 with a 2 out 2B.  Ben Zobrist added a solo shot (his 3^rd HR in 3 consecutive starts) to top off the scoring for the Rays.    

It was a GREAT game and VERY well pitched.  I almost hate to mention a point in the game that concerned me but …….I’m going to anyway (you knew that right).  Zobrist had led off an inning with a nice triple to the deepest part of the park.  He was batting in the 9^th hole.  So the thought is GREAT! The top of our line up is coming so we’ll get that run home no problem.  But, let me tell you it WAS a problem.  Our 1, 2 and 3 hitters failed to advance him to score that run.  That has been a bone of contention for me all season long, our lack of situational hitting.  We MUST improve on this, I believe, to remain in contention.  Every team has a weak point to their game that MUST be improved to aid their cause in becoming the best team in baseball and winning a World Series title.  This is our weak spot. 

Ok, that being said – GREAT game! 

Go Rays!

The Tampa Bay Rays assured themselves of another series victory by defeating the Boston Red Sox 3-1 Tuesday night.  The Rays rode strong pitching performances by Matt Garza, JP Howell and Grant Balfour to victory.  Garza started the game and pitched another gem!  He went 7 strong innings scattering 5 hits, 1 unearned run, 0 BB and 3 K’s.  JP Howell followed with 2/3 of an inning allowing 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 BB and 3 K’s.  Grant Balfour was the closer in tonight’s game as Troy Percival was placed on the 15 day DL with the hamstring injury.  He came in and coaxed Mike Lowell into and inning ending bases loaded ground out in the 8^th.  Balfour then struck out the side in the 9^th to close our Garza’s gem.

Evan Longoria showed his outstanding glove work at 3^rd once again.  He saved a run for Garza on a diving stop and threw out Alex Cora from his knees to end the 7^th.  There isn’t a day that goes by that this guy doesn’t do something spectacular.  Either with a flash of the leather or a swing of the hardwood he continues to prove his value to this team. 

The offensive hero of the game was Dioner Navarro going 2 for 4 with 2 RBI’s to give the Rays all they would need.  The Rays uncharacteristically committed 3 errors in this game.  But, as usual, there is a different hero every night to pick up the mistakes.  Grant Balfour earned that title tonight!  His story this year is very similar to that of Carlos Pena last year, neither made the club out of spring training.  They were called up to help the MLB club after injuries to their starters.  They have and are taking full advantage of the situations and leaving everything they have out on the field.   The man from “downunder” throws some wicked heat and has proven he belongs in the big leagues. 

Tonight the Rays go for the sweep!  Scott Kazmir (7-3) will toe the rubber against Diasuke Matsuzaka (9-1) – ace versus ace!   This is gonna be GREAT! 

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!

The Tampa Bay Rays rode the long ball to victory in the opening game of the 3 game series.  Evan Longoria led the charge having a GREAT night at the dish going 4 for 5 with a HR, a 2B, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored.  He was followed in the home run parade by Eric Hinske who blasted a 3 run shot and Carl Crawford who hit a solo bomb.  The Rays did a nice job at the plate banging out 15 hits with only 6 K’s. 

Scott Kazmir had a less than average outing for him in his 7^th victory.  He allowed 3 ER on 4 hits, 2 BB and a HR while compiling 4 K’s in just 5 innings pitched.  Kaz pitched well but he lacked the ability to get the final strike by the Buc hitters.  He went deep into far too many counts elevating his pitch count to 103 in just 5 innings. JP Howell followed Kaz and struggled with his control a bit.  Howell allowed 1 hit, 1 ER and 2 BB in just 1 inning pitched.  Grant Balfour and Trever Miller finished the game and quieted any hopes of a Bucs comeback.     

The return of Carlos Pena saw him go 0 for 3 with 1 BB.  Joe Maddon had him batting 6^th in the lineup behind Longoria which is a great call.  Pena wasn’t leaving too many runners in scoring position before his stint on the DL so good to see Maddon take some pressure off him in his return. By the way – the #4 hole was filled by Hinske who went 2 for 3 with 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored.  

The Rays have been taking advantage of mistakes made by opposing pitchers both in the series with the Florida Marlins and in the first game of this 3 game set.  If the Rays are willing to continue to be patient at the plate and force opposing pitchers to go deep they will sweep the Bucs.  This road trip should breed a ton of confidence in the Rays as they will return to The Trop with a winning road trip without having their full compliment of players but for 1 game (Iwamura will being to serve his suspension tonight). 

It’s a great time to be a Tampa Bay Rays fan!

That Tampa Bay Rays literally walked by the Florida marlins 6-4 to won the opening game of the series.  I have to say – this was as ugly a win as I’ve ever seen!  There was mistake after mistake, on ALL sides of the ball.  Defensively, on the books, it states we only made 1 error (Crawford) and Dioner Navarro had 1 passed ball.  Watching that game was a whole different story.  Navi should have had at least one of the 2 wild pitches charged to Andy Sonnanstine, 2 pop ups fell in the infield and BJ Upton bounced a ball around allowing a run to score.  

The saving grace for this game was the ability of the bull pen to keep this game within reach.  JP Howell followed Sonnanstine and Dan Wheeler pitched the 8^th.  Troy Percival came in to “close’ the 9^th and what an antacid moment that was!  He started strong by striking out Luis Gonzalez but then lost the strike zone entirely.  He walked the bases loaded in the 9^th inning and Maddon left him in the game!  He then got the ground ball he needed but it took an ESPN highlight reel play for Evan Longoria to make the play to get an out at second base. Run scores bumping the score to 6-4.  Perci walks the next hitter, Cantu, to load the bases once again.  Perci records the last out – game over, Rays win, barely.

The offense performed just as poorly.  At one point we had bases loaded with 0 out and could not plate a run.  Navarro led off an inning with a double and we could not even advance him.  We scored our runs by making the pitcher go deep into a count – Joe Nelson walked across the tying and go-ahead runs.  Longoria then smacked a 2 run double in the 9^th.   

We had no business winning that game but we did, we’ll take it.  Wins come in all shapes and sizes, and a win is a win.  We need to improve our offensive production drastically to be able to keep up with the red legs.  Let’s hope tonight starts that turn around!

The Tampa Bay Rays have done what most baseball aficionados didn’t think they were capable of – they have taken the first 2 games of a 3 game series from the Cubs.  They have not only taken the series but they beat the ace of Sweet Lou’s staff — Carlos Zambrano.  Andy Sonnanstine pitched with great control. He hit the corners with efficiency and the umpires actually called them!  His line wasn’t that impressive, 5 innings, 7 hits, 3 ER, 2 BB and 3 K, but he made the pitches and got the key outs when he needed to.  He had a bases loaded, no out jam in the 5^th and allowed only 1 Cub to cross the plate. 

The bullpen was fantastic once again.  JP Howell was outstanding once again. He made some unbelievable pitches in his 2 innings of relief work allowing only 1 hit.  Dan Wheeler pitched another 1-2-3 8^th.  Then there’s the enigma that is Troy Percival.  He came to close the door in the 9^th with a 5-3 lead.  Immediately he gives up a solo blast to Geovanny Soto.  Fasten your seatbelts kids!  He then allows a BB to Mark DeRosa…..  No outs recorded yet.  I reach for my antacid…..  Finally an out but DeRosa advances to 2^nd.  And another out…  Now up steps the hitter I fear most at this point…..Fukudome.  The tying run is on 2^nd base, there are 2 outs and Perci hasn’t hit the spot where Navi’s setting up his glove very often so far.  I reach for another antacid.  STRIKE 3 LOOKING – GAME OVER, RAYS WIN, RAYS WIN.  I know, not the World Series but it sure felt like it.  The pitching in this series has been fantastic!

The offense was less than exciting but it was very effective.   The Rays put together a big 3^rd inning scoring 4 runs on 5 hits.  Nice to see them string a few hits together and not rely on the “big bat”.  Eric Hinske has been impressive at the dish thus far this season.  His average may be a less than desirable at about .251.  At this average this would mean he gets 2 hit in every 4 at bats – typical game consists of about 4 at-bats.  The impressive thing is he almost always gets that 1 hit in a crucial time for the team, this hit garnered an RBI.  He also added a BB and a stolen base to his night.

Tonight the Rays sent James Shields (4-5) vs Gallagher (3-3) looking for the sweep.  It’s a great time to be a Tampa Bay Rays fan!

The Tampa Bay Rays walked away 5-4 winners last night against the Texas Rangers guaranteeing them the series victory.  The victory wasn’t one of the smoothest by the Rays bullpen but Dan Wheeler managed to shut down Milton Bradley in the bottom of the 9^th inning with the tying run standing 90 ft away securing the win.  Andy Sonnanstine pitched well allowing only 6 H and 6 earned runs in 5 innings, a vast improvement from his last 2 starts.  JP Howell earned the victory and Wheeler notched his second save.

Willie Aybar and Gabe Gross swung the big bats for the Rays.  Aybar was 1 for 4 but his one hit was a 2 RBI effort with 2 outs to put the Rays up for good – something the Rays have failed to do recently.  Gabe Gross led the scoring charge by connecting for a 2-run home run in the 2^nd inning. 

Tonight the Rays finish the 3 game series in Texas with Matt Garza (4-2, 4.21) taking the hill against D Mathis (1-1, 9.00).  They will then head to LA to take on the Angels in a 3 game series before heading home for an exciting inter-league game versus their Florida brethren The Fish. 

The tide is turning in the AL East!  The Tampa Bay Rays are setting all sorts of team records this season and don’t show any signs of letting up.  Scott Kazmir (5-1) won his 5^th game in the month of May to set a new mark for the Rays.  Kazmir’s line for the game included 7 innings pitched, 6 strike outs while only allowing 3 hits.  Kazmir also picked Joe Crede off 2^nd base to aid his own cause.  Kazmir lowered his ERA to a mere 1.22 in front of a packed house (36,048). 

The bullpen did their job as well in the 8^th and 9^th with JP Howell striking out Jim Thome and Carlos Quentin with a runner on to end the Sox threat in the 8^th.  With this shutout the Tampa Bay Rays also find themselves tied (Cleveland) for the league lead in shutouts with 7 – how sweet it is!

Carl Crawford was the lone Ray with multiple hits going 2 for 3, 2B, BB and another stolen base.  Cliff Floyd smashed another bomb for 1 RBI and BJ Upton had the other RBI. 

My Strikeout of the game goes to:   Carlos Pena — 1 for 4 with 3 Ks.  His lone hit was a 2B to lead off the inning and he promptly made a base running blunder to get thrown out at 3^rd base.  Even when he hits well he still manages to muck it up. 

My Home Run of the game goes to:  Scott Kazmir – the guy is a stud!  Look at his line – that says it all.  Nice job!

Congrats to the fans in the Tampa Bay area for getting off their couch and getting to The Trop!  Keep it going!

See you at the ball park!

Troy Percival gave up a home run to Hideki Matsui in the bottom of the ninth inning to blow the save, but the Rays were still able to come away with a win over the Yankees by the score of 2-1.  Gabe Gross singled in Jonny Gomes for the winning in the bottom of the eleventh inning.

The Rays first run of the game came in the fourth inning when Eric Hinske had a rbi single.

J.P. Howell improved to 3-0 on the season as he pitched in extra innings.  Edwin Jackson the starting pitcher for the Rays tossed seven innings of five hit baseball to take the no decision in the game.  Dan Wheeler pitched a scoreless inning of relief as well.

It was nice to see th Rays come back after Percival blew the game.  That is how you pick up your teammates!  Rays Blog