The Tampa Bay Rays took the series from the Oakland A’s in 12 innings taking this road trip’s record to 5-2 so far. They begin the last leg of this 10 game trip tonight in Texas. I’m not really sure how to characterize this victory. Was it a great victory in that the Rays kept grinding? Was it a lucky victory in that the Rays made a ton of mistakes? Was it a bad victory because we should have put this team away easily? Well…..I guess none of that really matters as WE WON!

The Bad: James Shields struggled through his 5 innings of work mightily. He allowed 5 hits, 5 free passes, 1 HR and 4 ER. Clearly James’ road woes haunted him in this game. BJ Upton was doubled off of first base on a fly ball that took the A’s RF to the wall. Upton forgot to retag 2nd base on his way back – are you kidding me with this??!! Troy Percival thought that cutting in front of Carlos Pena to field a late inning bunt then running down the runner rather than tossing it to first base was a good idea. WRONG — yes, we got the out, only because the runner ran out of the baseline, but Perci is probably going to join CC and Longo on the DL for his 3rd time this season with a sprained knee. Perci – you’re old dude, let the young guys take care of the details! Grant Balfour earned his first blown save of the season by giving up a game tying single to Frank Thomas.

The Better: The Ray offense banged out 13 hits and accumulated 7 free passes. Rocco Baldelli played 6 innings and made an outstanding diving catch in RF. Jason Bartlett returned to the game as a late inning replacement at SS.

The Best: Willy Aybar had a nice day at the plate going 2 for 5 with a 2B, 3B, 1 run scored, 2 RBIs and 1 BB. Cliff Floyd showed his great eye for the K zone by going 1 for 2 with 4 free passes, 2B, 4 runs scored. Carlos Pena broke the 5-5 tie in the 12th by crushing his 23rd HR of the season. But most importantly – WE WON!

Concerns for today’s game: The Rays used every pitcher in their bull pen in this game. If Garza cannot go deep we may have to use a few tired arms against a very potent Ranger offense. Rocco played hard and ran a lot in this game so he’s probably not available for the opening game in Texas.

Go Rays!!!!

OK, you’ve all heard the saying the good pitching beats good hitting….let me assure you however that bad pitching makes the game interesting! WOW! I am still emotionally spent from that game yesterday, it was amazing!! The Trop was packed and most stayed to see the walk off win!

This game really didn’t get “started” until the bottom of the 8th inning. Armando Gallaraga had the Rays shut down for 7 innings allowing only 4 hits and 1 ER. James Shields did not pitch his best, allowing 9 hits and 2 ER in 6.1 innings. Shields left the game behind 2-1. Grant Balfour followed Shields and gave up a monster blast to Tampa native Gary Sheffield to run the score to 3-1.

The Tigers then brought in newly acquired Kyle Farnsworth in the bottom of the 8th and this is when the game got interesting. Eric Hinske led off the 8th facing the 98 mph fireballer Farnsworth. Hinske promptly deposited a Farnsworth fastball over the right centerfield wall to move the Rays to within 1 run, 3-2. Bartlett was over matched by Farnsworth for the first out of the inning. Akinori Iwamura sauntered to the plate and drove a firm single to centerfield. BJ Upton walked to the plate with the tying run standing on 1st and only 1 out. BJ launched a 3-1 fast ball to over the centerfield fence to put the Rays up 4-3 in the bottom of the 9th!

The Rays bring in Troy Percival to collect his 25th save – NOT!! Curtis Granderson deposited the first Perci pitch he saw into the RCF seats to tie the game in the top of the 9th at 4-4. Uggggg………… The Tigers and Rays then went down quietly into the top of the 10th inning. Once again we run Perci out to toe the rubber and try to keep the Tiger bats quiet. Perci faces Miguel Cabrera with a bad outcome – you guessed it – another home run! Now the Tigers are up 5-4 in the top of the 10th. Finally Perci had thrown his last pitch. Trever Miller came in to close the door.

Now I have been watching baseball for many years and cannot remember a time when I’ve seen such dramatics in the potential last at bat of a game. Willy Aybar, PH for Gross, walked to start the bottom of the 10th. Jason Bartlett squared to bunt and took a pitch right on the tip of his finger splitting open the nail and causing a lot of bleeding. This and I’m sure the intense pain he was feeling, sent him to the showers with a 0-1 count. Off the bench to PH for him was our last remaining position player — Shawn Riggans. Fernando Rodney throws as hard as anyone, mid to high 90’s. Riggans turned to swing and was hit directly in the middle of his sternum by a 93 mph Rodney fastball running in on him – the crowd went silent as Riggans hit the dirt! All 33,000 + stood and watched with anticipation for Riggans to get up under his own power. I think we all stopped breathing for a few seconds or so! After a few minutes of clear agony Riggo regained his breathe and walked ever so slowly to first base.

Next Ray to go against Rodney was Aki. Aki laid down a beautiful sac bunt to advance the runners to 2nd and 3rd with only 1 out. Carl Crawford came to the plate and deposited a single past the drawn in infield to score Aybar with the tying run! The crowd went mad!!!! With runners on 3rd and 1st Upton walked to load the bases. Longo stepped to the plate to become a hero once again. But, it was not to be this time as Rodney clearly overpowered our beloved rookie and struck him out.

So, here we go fans!!! Bases loaded, bottom of the 10th, tie score, 2 outs …. Up steps Carlos Pena. Carlos hung tough fouling off several pitches and bringing his count to 3-2. Now, isn’t this every young boys dream??!! Bases loaded, bottom of the 10th inning, 3-2 count, 2 out??!! WOW – the stage is set for tonight’s hero. Pena takes ball 4 and, appropriately, it is Riggans who jogs in from 3rd with the winning run!

WOW – I’m worn out just by reliving the excitement! What a game and what a series!! The Rays appear to have found that intensity they had lost for a bit. They looked great this weekend. Even when the chips were down they picked each other up and played hard as a team! Great to see!

Get some rest fans! We owe the Indians a sweep! Go Rays!!!

Hey Rays fans!!  The Rays bats looked a bit livelier last night!  Good news on the horizon maybe????    The Rays banged out 9 hits in last night’s Tiger whoopin’, 6 of those hits were for extra bases!   That was great to see.  A lot of hustle around the base path, turning singles into doubles, swiping bags and even a bunt attempt put the pressure on the Tigers and they retreated to the safety of the den.

Carl Crawford led off the hit parade with his 5^th triple in his last week or so.  Jason Bartlett added another triple.  Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria belted solo blasts.  Akinori Iwamura and Cliff Floyd laced doubles.  The aggressors on the base path included BJ Upton, Eric Hinske and CC, and let me tell you, these guys had such good jumps it wasn’t even close!  Great to see these guys put the pressure on the defense.  It was clear they were in the head of the battery.  Keep it going! 

The pitching wasn’t as great but it was sufficient to hold the hard hitting Tigers to just 2 runs and preserve the victory.  Scott Kazmir struggled with his control mightily!  I really can’t remember the last time he pitched so poorly…that being said he get s break from me.  He has been our staff ace and through several years the only SP this team could count on.  He is having an off year (by his own comparison) but he’s a smart guy and I believe he’ll have it all figured out just in time for our PLAYOFF RUN!      

The bullpen faired well except for a couple of minor bumps.  Troy Percival somehow seems to keep getting it done.  He earned his 24^th save last night.  Overall this was the line of the pitching staff: 9 innings, 4 hits, 2 ER, 9 BB and 11 K’s.  They only negative in that line is the 9 BB – but 6 were by Kaz, that shows how much he struggled. 

This was a GREAT TEAM effort!  It seems like not making a deal by the deadline rejuvenated the Rays.  It showed them the confidence the RFO has in the players they have.  They certainly looked like a different team from that team of the past month.  It will be interesting to see if they come out with that same intensity tonight.   

See you at The Trop! 

The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Toronto Blue Jays Wednesday afternoon 3-2 to win 2 out of 3 games and head home with a winning road trip record.  The Rays go back to The Trop having won 4 out of 7 road games on this trip.  That combined with a sweep of the Red Legs in Fenway gives the Rays a 3 game advantage in the AL East.

Edwin Jackson pitched his usual game.  He was hit hard at times and made phenomenal pitches to get key outs at other times.  You just never know what you’re gonna get from E-Jax day to day.  That being said he is the winning pitcher going 5 innings allowing 7 hits, 2 ER, 2 BB and 3 K’s.  Troy Percival came into gain his 23^rd save by closing the door in the 9^th. 

The offense was less than stellar as well.   They managed 9 hits but stranded 6 runners.  The big blow was a solo blast by Carlos Pena to tie the game.  The go ahead run scored on a double play.  The one guy who stood out offensively on this road trip is Carl Crawford.  He has been swinging a much better bat and picking nice pitches to hit.  He ended this road with 4 triples and 2 doubles amongst his 9 for 29, .310 road trip. Let’s hope he is just getting started. 

The Rays have a day well deserved off on Thursday.  They invite the Detroit Tigers into The Trop for a 3 game set starting Friday.  Saturday’s game is already a sell out so get out to cheer on the Rays Friday and/or Sunday!  See you there!

The Tampa Bay Rays offense looked a bit healthier Saturday in defeating the Kansas City Royals 5-3.  The offensive heroes for the game were Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena.  CC hit his second triple of the game in the 8^th inning scoring 2 runs to break a 2-2 tie.  Pena added a solos blast, his 2^nd in as many games, in the 9^th to give the Rays some breathing room.  CC had a good night at the dish going 2 for 4 with 2 triples and 2 RBIs.  Pena was 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HR and, of course, what would the night be without that token K.

The pitching was average at best.  Scott Kazmir was the starter.  Kaz went 5 innings due to a rain delay in the middle of the 5^th.  Kazmir’s line wasn’t very impressive.  Kaz scattered 7 hits and allowed 2 ER while striking out 5.  Kaz went deep into counts again with many of the Royal hitters and had already reached the 91 pitch count mark by the end of the 5^th.  The bullpen did a nice job holding the Royals at bay.  A combined 4 relievers went 4 innings allowing 3 hits, 1 ER, 2 BB and 2 K’s.  Troy Percival entered in the 9^th inning and immediately gave up a triple and run scoring single.  Has he forgotten that the closer is supposed to close the door not give up hits and runs??!!  Not sure what the intentions of the Rays are BUT if this team makes the postseason Perci is the last guy I want to see on the mound with a 1 run lead in the 9^th inning of game 7!!!! 

All in all a better performance by the offense and Pena’s bat seems to be heating up.  This victory gives the Rays a 2 game advantage over the Red Legs and a 3 game advantage of those that wear pinstripes.  This weekend is a baseball lovers dream!  Is it on yet……

Go Rays!!

The Tampa Bay Rays climb back into the top spot in the AL East with a victory over the Royals Friday evening.  That victory coupled with a rare home loss by the Red Legs propels the Rays to sole possession of first place in the AL East.

Edwin Jackson looked like an entirely different pitcher on the mound as compared to his last outing.  He pitched 5 innings, with deuces wild on his line, giving up 2 ER, 2 HR, 2 hits, 2 walks and 2 K’s.  The bullpen came in a shut the door other than a solo blast given up by none other than…..who?….. you know it…..Troy Percival.  Why he is still closing games and Grant Balfour is not is a mystery to me!  Balfour pitched a perfect 1.2 innings other than giving up 1 BB while striking out 3.  

I remember at the beginning of the season when a lot of fans were hammering Jason Bartlett for his sloppy play and non existent offense.  What do you think now?   His defense is stellar.  Having him back on the field makes such a huge difference defensively to this team.  Both he and Evan Longoria were both flashing leather last night.  Bartlett opened the game with a leaping catch of a line drive and was in the middle of 2 double plays and Longo stabbed a potential run scoring line drive on a GREAT diving effort to record and out. 

Our offensive effort was average.  The big shot was a 2 run blast in the 9^th by Carlos Pena to just about put the game out of reach.  Pena looked to be swinging a bat that was a little more level last night so hopefully taking the pressure of him by sliding him down will pay dividends.  We did manage to bang out 9 hits and garner 3 walks.  However, we left 10 runners on base and at one time were 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position.  The hits came they were just not necessarily timely hits.  But, if the offense continues to put the wood on the bat the hits will come.    

The one play I do want to mention, because it just really ticked me off, is BJ Upton’s lack of hustle running down the first base line.  Let me set the stage –  Aki on first and BJ hits a slow roller up the middle.  The Grudzielanek gloves it and flips to Aviles who is too far from 2^nd to get the out.  Aviles then throws to first to get BJ.  OK – replays clearly show BJ NOT hustling down the first base line until he realizes he may make it.  He then tries to turn it up a notch but it is too late.  This play cost the Rays a run!  If I was managing that team Upton would have found his ass riding the pine!   Bobby Cox did it to Andrew Jones and Charlie Manuel has done it twice this season to Jimmy Rollins.  Look — you need to teach these kids a lesson and send a message to the rest of the team!  That should NEVER be acceptable!  I think it’s about time for some of the veteran’s on this team to have a closed door session with this kid.  It seems painfully obvious to me that his personal performance is much more important to him rather than the team’s performance together.  Someone needs to give the guy the definition of TEAM – no ‘I’ in TEAM!

Every good team goes through these periods.  Hopefully Friday night was a step toward returning to our first half performance.  The bats looked more alive, the pitching was excellent and the leather was flashing all over the place.  We need to win the games we are supposed to during the “soft” sections of our schedule because September will be brutal.   

Go Rays!

The Tampa Bay Rays recovered from a lackluster performance last night to defeat the Oakland A’s 4-3 to take the rubber game of the 3 game set. James Shields pitched a GREAT game except for 2 pitches he threw in the 2nd that resulted in back to back jacks by the A’s offense. His final line was 8.1 innings pitched, 3 ER, 6 hits and 7 K’s. Troy Percival came in to earn his 20th save.

The Ray’s offense looked a bit more alive today. Johnny Gomes and Ben Zobrist went deep back to back in the 5th inning to put the Rays on top to stay. Willy Aybar and BJ Upton banged out a couple 2 base hits.

The Rays head to Kansas City to take on the Royals in a 4 game set. This will be the true test of this team. Historically they have not played well on the road. Recently their play has also come into question at home. So, what team will show up in Kansas City? They must head into Kansas and play like they want to stay in first place. They must improve their situational hitting! I’ll be watching!!!

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!

And this why….

• The depth of their bench. They are solid and experienced. Hitters like Eric Hinske, Willy Aybar and Cliff Floyd have the experience. Gabe Gross and Shawn Riggans have shown a propensity for getting the big hit when we need it. Riggans has amazingly maintained a healthy bat only playing once a week or less – he’s been outstanding this season. The entire bench does not hit for average but when they do is take pitchers deep into counts and get a pitch they can do something with.
• The depth of their pitching staff. From the starters to the bullpen they have proven if one is struggling the others will have their back. If one goes down another from AAA is there to step right in without a hint of inability.
• The defense has been above average. The Rays do commit errors occasionally but they move past the error onto the next play.
• They play as a complete TEAM. Every night there is a new hero for this team. Who would have thought Andy Sonnanstine would lead our SP staff with 9 wins? Who would have thought we’d have as many walk off wins as we’ve had this season? Who really thought Troy Percival was going to come in here and close the door like he has?
• They are hungry! They have hit a few bumps in the road but have picked themselves up the next night. They want this – it’s in their eyes!

The next test comes at The Trop with division nemesis Boston red Sox. This will be a 3 game series that could see one team or the other fall far below the top in the AL East standings. Or we could just see another brawl! Here are your pitching Matchups:

June 30 – James Shields (5-5, 3.76) vs. Justin Masterson (4-1, 3.43) TV – ION Radio – 1250 WHNZ, 680 WGES (sp)
July 1 – Matt Garza (6-4, 3.76) vs. Tim Wakefield (5-5, 3.88) TV – FSN Radio – 1250 WHNZ, 680 WGES (sp)
July 2 – Scott Kazmir (7-3, 2.88) vs. Daisuke Matsuzaka (9-1, 3.21) TV – ION Radio – 1250 WHNZ, 680 WGES (sp)

The Tampa Bay Rays are true contenders in the AL East. This series will end with the Rays still atop the AL East and a series victory 2-1.

Go Rays!!