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 have had a magical year of firsts for this long suffering organization.  The 2^nd game of the double header was no different.  For the first time in the franchise’s history the Rays swept a double header!  Yuppers, never has happened before for the Rays!  Congrats guys!

This could not have happened with out a huge 8^th inning, 6 run rally!  The rally included a lot of hustle, runners running out infield hits, and a big blast by Evan Longoria.  It was amazing to watch!  The Rays totaled 11 hits BUT the 11 hits were collected by 10 different players.  Ben Zobrist was the only Ray to have a multiple hit game including a lead off triple in the big 8^th inning.  The players off the bench played a huge role in this rally as well.  This had been the key to this team all season long!  Weather due to injury or just rest players have entered games and produced.   

The Rays have decreased their magic number to 2 games.  That means that the division title could be ours as of today.  The Rays would need a victory and a Boston loss for that to happen.  So, any of 2 victories by the Rays over the next 5 games would give the AL East title to someone other than the NYY or Boston in over 10 years! 

WOW!   Keep it going 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!

How do you hit 5 HR, score 8 runs and lose a game in MLB? I’ll tell you how – bad pitching! The Tampa Bay Rays gave the Twins the first game of this 4 game set by letting them off the hook in the 9th inning. But, we really should start at the beginning with our SP James Shields. Shieldsy was not sharp and pitched into and out of trouble through 6 1/3 innings. He gave up 8 hits, one of which was a first inning 3-run bomb, and 2 free passes that equated 6 ER. David Price made his second appearance of the season giving up a 2 run single to Joe Mauer before striking out the final 2 batters to complete the 7th inning. Troy Percival looked good in his return to the bump by pitching a solid 8th inning.

The big hurt came in the 9th inning when Dan Wheeler gave up a 2 run blast to tie the game at 8. Wheels then allowed the next 2 runners on base while garnering no outs. Those runs eventually came around to score giving the Twins a total of 5 runs scored in the 9th inning for a well earned victory. This is what the Rays usually do – it has not been done to us!

Evan Longoria lit up the Twins pitching staff blasting 3, that’s right 3, home runs! He clearly has recovered the eye he had before his stint on the DL and that was GREAT to see! Dioner Navarro and Carlos Pena chipped in with taters of their own giving the Rays a total of 5 for the game. As a matter of fact, the Rays were swinging the bats really well! They added doubles by Ben Zobrist and Gabe Gross to give them a total of 7 extra base hits out of their 9 hit total!

Great offense was derailed by poor pitching in this game. It is a bit of a concern that bad pitching has found its way to The Trop for the 2nd time this week. The first game of the Boston series being the other bad pitching performance this week. I have to also question the Price move. Here are the facts. Price is LHP, Mauer hits better off LHP and the pitch called was thrown right into an optimal location for Mauer to take full advantage, which he did by hitting a 2 run single and breaking the tie in the 9th. It is clear this was a questionable decision to bring Price into the game. Even if Price had elicited an out from Mauer the move must be questioned. Wonder who was reading what charts? Why would Navi call for a pitch right in his wheel house?

Oh well, a loss, no matter how painful to watch, is still a mere loss to this team. They will come out firing on all cylinders tonight. Edwin Jackson is due for an outstanding performance and tonight is the night!

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 lost their composure on the field and a game in the standings by giving away game 1 to the New York Yankees. They made costly mistakes on both sides of the ball.

SP Matt Garza clearly showed his frustration on the mound by throwing the rosin bag down several times through out his 5 innings of work. He was clearly irritated at the miniscule strike zone that Rays arch nemesis, Umpire Brian Runge, was calling. Garza was stellar the first 3 innings of the game then it all began to unravel in the 4th and 5th innings. Garza committed an error by throwing a ball far beyond the reach of Carlos Pena and gave up a 2 run blast to Xavier Nady. A dropped ball by Jason Bartlett that would have been an easy caught stealing on Derek Jeter led to another run. The frustration was evident on Garza as he allowed 6 runs (4 ER) in his 5 innings of work.

The offense did not back Garza’s cause either. An uncharacteristic lack of fundamental play by Eric Hinske cost the Rays 2 runs early. With Willy Aybar standing on first Hinske blasted a line drive to the LC gap off the top of the wall. Hinske put his head down and ran all the way to third. Problem was Ray’s 3rd base coach, Tom Foley, held up Aybar at 3rd. Aybar was then forced off 3rd by Hinske and thrown out at the plate. On the next play Bartlett hit a fairly soft grounder that Rodriguez had to travel to the hold to his left. Hinske not breaking on contact did not score.

The Rays out hit the Yankees 12 – 9 but stranded 10 on base. The offense gave up a lot of free outs to the Yankees by way of 11 strike outs, 8 by our top 3 in the lineup. The Rays definitely had opportunities to advance runners and score runs but failed.

This game was uncharacteristic for the Rays on all sides. The best thing about this game for the Rays is the OUTSTANDING catch BJ Upton made off the wall in deep CF. No one in The Trop thought he was going to catch up to that ball. It was one of the best catches ever!

Today is a new day! The Rays beat themselves up for about 30 minutes after the game and are now focused on today’s game. That’s one of the great things about this team. They understand bad games will happen and move forward. Tonight should be a total turn around for our Rays!

Go Rays!!

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 were trying to be the first team in Roy Halladay’s career to beat him 4 times in a single season.  Well, Halladay had a different idea.  He pitched with a vengeance Tuesday night at The Trop.  It was clear form pitch #1 that he had his best stuff working and James Shields did not.  Shieldsy struggled through 6 2/3 innings allowing 4 ER on 9 hits and 2 free passes.  Shields showed his grit and competitive nature by keeping the Rays within striking distance but it wasn’t meant to be.

The Rays offense showed the occasional spark but Halladay and his compadres in the bullpen silenced them quickly.  The only mark against Doc was a 2-run single by Eric Hinske.  Hinske was the only Ray with multiple hits in the game.  The Rays were also kind enough to give Doc some easy outs by striking out 11 times.  BJ Upton was kind enough to chip in with 3 of those.   

I have to admit I was a bit surprised with the lack of energy the team showed during this game.  They looked lethargic and tired.  Having had a day off Monday I would have expected them to have recovered form the difficult trip to Chicago.  Maybe it’s the ridiculous lack of fan support.  To see 2 of the premier pitchers in the AL only 13,400 fans showed up at The Trop.  Unbelievable! 

People!  Get off your couch and get to The Trop!  See you there

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!