Rays of Light

100!

Jae Seo sports the official expression of the 2006 Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Box Score

Well, they’ve done it. Tonight, the Rays lost their 100th game. After last night’s embarrassment, you could kind of feel that Tampa Bay wasn’t going to win their next two in order to keep a two-digit loss column.

The Rays did manage to keep Cleveland scoreless for the first ninety minutes with a rain delay. However, once they actually had to play baseball, the shutout was quickly erased. The Indians started scoring in the second and plated a run in each of the following three innings.

Coming into tonight’s game, the Rays had gone 0 for 23 with runners in scoring position during this series. That shameful streak was snapped tonight when Ty Wigginton doubled in Delmon Young. However, that would prove to be the only bright spot of the night. I’m not even sure if you can call it a ‘bright spot’, how about ‘less dim’? Jorge Cantu and Kevin Witt provided a more accurate portrayal of typical Rays behavior with RISP by both popping out in foul territory with runners on second and third.

Jake Westbrook continued to dominate at Jacobs Field. Coming into this game, his home ERA was 3.00, second best to Johan Santana among American League pitchers. Tonight, he kept the Rays safely at bay, allowing one run over seven solid innings. The Tribe’s offense proved more than adequate as Casey Blake went deep twice. Grady Sizemore doubled and scored. That puts Grady atop the AL rankings in runs, extra-base hits, and doubles. Sizemore can jumpstart an offense as good as anyone.

Jae Seo looked bad again allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits over five innings. I still have some confidence in Seo, but he’s had a terrible September with his ERA now over six in this final month. Hopefully, in 2007 we’ll see more of what the Mets saw of him in 2005.

As for the Rays offense, they left four men on base and Delmon Young’s bat was the only one to muster a multi-hit game. You’d have to throw a first-pitch behind him to keep him from swinging at it. He swings at approximately 70% of the pitches he sees but has managed an average of .328 (40 hits in 122 at-bats). Rocco Baldelli’s hot bat was silenced tonight as he went 0 for 4. He also made a ridiculous error, letting a Victor Martinez single go under his glove and to the wall. But don’t worry Rocco, at this point I forgive you completely. You are a tremendous asset to this poor team.

So, the penultimate game of 2006 is over and lost. At least now we can stop wondering, “Are the Rays going to lose 100 games this year?”

Tomorrow, we can lay to rest another question, “Will this season ever end?”

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Rays Notes

Seth McClung - Since his first save back in August, McClung has not faired well. Right now, he is slotted as the team’s closer for next year. What are your thoughts on that? Does that instill fear or hope?

Team Meeting - The front office had a team meeting this week. According to the Tampa Tribune, the topics covered were many.

“We went through the organization in great detail and covered a lot of different aspects, from a review of the year and also looking forward to the future,” Friedman said. “We went through the 40-man players and some potential 40-man players in some great detail. We had the trainers in and our conditioning guy, Kevin Barr, to give us their perspective. The coaches have kind of a unique perspective in that they’re around these guys on a daily basis, so it’s extremely helpful in the decision-making process. It was a very productive meeting.”

The paper went on to talk about the fact that the Rays need to address the fate of guys like Greg Norton, Tomas Perez, and Brian Meadows who will all be free agents.

You can let Perez and Meadows go. They’re both expendable. Norton needs to be with this team. He’s a great role player and a veteran leader that is much needed.

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The Walk to 99

Box Score

Brian Stokes went into Friday nightís game against the Cleveland Indians with a 6.35 ERA and opponents were batting .356 against him. The components were there for the young Cleveland offense to flex the muscle that had scored them 5.4 runs per game this season. But Brian Stokes was sharp. Very sharp.

Stokes all but shut down the Tribeís offense for 7 innings, allowing just 1 run on 5 hits, while striking out 6 and walking just 1. He did most of his damage with a lock-and-load fastball which he effectively scattered throughout the zone and reached 96 mph. His breaking stuff was working well too, and he struck out Grady Sizemore looking in 3 consecutive at-bats. It was nice to see last nightís villain reduced to an ineffective spectator of the breaking ball.

But Stokes was lifted after 7 innings and 95 pitches to make way for Dan Miceli, who pitched until walking Jason Michaels and Victor Martinez in the 9th with the score tied 1-1. He was replaced by Seth McClung, who now has 68 walks and 59 strikeouts in 103 innings. McClung struck out Ryan Garko, but then walked Shin-Soo Choo (Pronounced Bi-ll Sm-ith) to load the bases. McClung got ahead 1-2 against Jhonny Peralta, but then lost the zone and walked in the winning run. McClung is making a very good case to not be missed. As a closer you must throw strikes, and McClung has proven much too wild for the role.

This is the kind of mess that should have been saved for loss 100. It had all the elements of a 2006 Devil Ray classic. You had the glimmer of hope in the fine start by Stokes. There was the smoked homerun by Rocco Baldelli. There were the Raysí batters going 0-9 with runners in scoring position. There was Jorge Cantu looking like a shell of his 2005 self. There was the bullpen coming in to lose the game in nothing short of embarrassing fashion. It seems like the shortcomings are so vivid night in and night out that the remedies would start to become apparent. But Joe Maddon, who has at last abandoned his strange habit of hallucinating the good, said:

“It’s hard to imagine being that bad. We haven’t been good all year, but it’s gotten worse recently.”

As much as Maddonís peculiar optimism seemed almost arrogant at times this season, especially when so much about this team is so obviously flawed, it is still a bit depressing to see the most positive Devil Ray get beaten into submission by getting beaten at least 99 times.

The offense continued to swing good wood, and Baldelli will close out 2006 simply scorching. The balance of his open stance and his powerful, compact swing looks to have evolved nearly to perfection. His homerun tonight was the 9th one he has hit this month, and is the new record for homeruns hit in September by a Devil Ray. Carl Crawford had two hits, including an infield single. Of Crawfordís 184 hits this season, 33 have not made it passed the infield. He also stole 2 bases, for a total of 58 this season. His speed is nothing short of baffling. The bad news about Crawford is that his wrist has tightened up in the cold Cleveland air, and Maddon indicated that tonight would be CCís final game of the season. Delmon Young had two hits, and every time I see this guy throw the ball I am amazed. Not only can he throw hard, but he throws with laser-guided accuracy. The comparisons to Vlad Guerrero will be coming shortly.

The Devil Rays are now 3 ñ 29 on the road since the break, and 20 ñ 59 on the road overall. I am just about ready for the Devil Raysí 2006 season to hit the road entirely.

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Baseball’s Big Weekend

We’re in for a big weekend of baseball as things get sorted out. We break down what to expect.

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Switzered

Box Score

I admit I laughed. Tonight’s blown lead was so fast and without any sort of drama, that I actually had a decent laugh instead of the usual wave of disappointment that runs through me. There was Shawn Camp pitching pretty well. He had a 2 run lead to work with, the offense looked geared to tack on a few more runs. But Camp allowed Andy Marte a single, and Maddon had seen enough. Maddon walked confidently out to the mound, as though he had a solution, and pointed towards the pen and that trusted lefty Jon Switzer. It would authoritatively be Switzerís night. The cream puff he served up to Grady Sizemore got out of Jacobs Field so fast it was hilarious. And on the first pitch! Perfect! We don’t even have to wait for the bullpen to crumble on the road anymore. Maybe the Rays have been trying to be funny on the road and Iím just slow. Switzer. First pitch. Brilliant.

If you told me there was a game that meant less to MLB tonight, I would first ask why you were telling me that and then I would tell you that you were wrong. While much of baseball was engaged in dogfights for October today, the Devil Rays had to play a baseball game because that is their job. You get the feeling these last few games are really getting in the way of the playersí off season plans.

Indians starter Paul Byrd, with his bird like, arm-flapping windup had not faced the Rays yet this year. In the first inning, the Rays seemed to like what he was serving up. Greg Norton took him deep with Crawford aboard, and Jorge Cantu doubled in Ty Wigginton in the first inning. Then in the third inning Ty Wigginton tripled to knock in Greg Norton. But that was it for the ìgoodî things.

The Rays stranded 10 runners, including failing to score after loading the bases with one out in the ninth. There was a brief pulse of excitement when Wigginton got up with the bases juiced and 1 out in the ninth, but Rafael Betancourt sat him down on 3 consecutive fastballs. Excitement is short lived in Devil Ray Land. Jorge Cantu then got out and I couldnít help but think the 11-0 victory over Boston was just a fluke. In reality, this loss just shows nothing is coming together on the road. Stranded runners. 5 innings from the starter. The bullpen. Nauseating.

Jorge Cantu, who I am genuinely looking forward to not looking at for a while, is now batting .239 with runners in scoring position. Last year he was batting .325 with runners in scoring position. Indianís rookie first baseman Ryan Garko has 21 RBI in his last 20 games. Raysí pitching coach Mike Butcher served day 2 of his 3 day suspension for getting very angry at the home plate umpire during the final home game against New York. Butcher claimed home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez called him and the Rays ìlow budget @#$%.î Butcher would not reveal the whole exchange because it would be ìbad for baseball.î The Rays have not won consecutive road games since June 16 and 17 victories over the Phillies. They are now 3 ñ 28 on the road since the break, and 61-98 overall. 3 games to go.

2007 Projected Devil Ray Fan Promotions:

1) You Make the Trade!
One lucky fan will get to make all trades throughout the 2007 season! Pay no mind to market value! Fill holes that donít need to be filled! Trade Ben Zobrist for a bucket of new baseballs and a can of Pepsi! Itís your call!

2) Slash the Payroll Day!
For each fan attending the July 12th home game against the Yankees, ownership will deduct a million dollars from the Devil Rays payroll! This will aid in ownershipís promise to one day field a team consisting completely of undocumented aliens whose pay will be based on experience and their ability to provide their own means of transportation!

3) Pitch the 7th Day!
One lucky fan will be allowed to pitch out of a bases loaded/no outs jam in the 7th inning or later! Fan must bring own glove or borrow one of Ty Wiggintonís.

4) Take a Sledge Hammer to the Fish Tank in Centerfield Day!
One lucky fan will get to reap the therapeutic benefits of destroying this ultimate symbol of ownershipís skewed priorities! Feel free to scream maniacally and yell such things as, ìI got your payroll right here, @#$%^&*!î

5) Fan Appreciation Day.
For the Sunday, July 29th game against the Boston Red Sox, the first 15,000 fans will not be searched as they enter Tropicana Field!

6) Be on the Stadium Jumbo-Tron for an Uncomfortably Long Time Day!
No, the camera isnít going anywhere after you complete your little dance that you thought would only have last for a couple of seconds. Writhe, wave in the wrong direction, and smile uncomfortably as you are judged and humiliated in front of thousands for much longer than you would ever think!

7) Thanksgiving at the Youngís House Sweepstakes
Carve the turkey for Dmitri and Delmon as you celebrate this special time at the Young familyís residence in rural Alabama!

8) Pay for Parking Day!

9) Break it to Kevin Witt Day!
One lucky fan will get to interrupt Kevin Wittís pre-game motivational speech to let him know that he is late for his flight back to Durham!

10) Win a Dream Date with Greg Norton!
You, some Chablis and Greg Norton make three! Imagine you, Greg Norton and a table for two at the restaurant of Gregís choice!

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What does Delmon Think?

This comes from the St. Pete Times today:

The Rays will cut short Delmon Young’s rookie season if necessary to make sure he is a rookie again next season. A player maintains rookie status as long as he does not have more than 130 at-bats (or pitch more than 50 innings) the previous season.

Young, who has 114 at-bats, would likely be a strong candidate for the AL Rookie of the Year award in 2007, and the coaching staff is committed to making sure he remains eligible, so he may not play all four games this weekend.

The Rays have always had a tendency to hold guys down longer than needed to keep them cheap for as long as possible. Obviously, that wouldn’t apply here because of the fact that if he plays or not, his service time is still ticking. My question is twofold.

1. When did the Rookie of the Year award become a major award that a player needs to try to achieve?

and

2. Have the Rays spoken to Delmon about this or is it a decision made on their own?

Number two worries me a little because if the answer is no, then it means we could have a bitter Delmon on our hands (Umpires beware). If the answer is yes, and he agrees with them, then it could mean we really are dealing with a pre-madonna that is concerned about individual achievements.

What are your thoughts?

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Blue Moon In Boston

The supply of Tim Corcoran jerseys is limited to the one that they gave Tim Corcoran.

Box Score

Tampa Bay 11, Boston 0. This time out, just about everything went the Rays’ way. It was a welcomed respite to witness the team function so effectively. Tim Corcoran mercifully pitched 6.2 innings of shutout ball, consequently avoiding the Worst Pitching Record After The All-Star Break In The Last Fifty Years trophy. Dan Miceli and Juan Salas combined in relief to complete the shutout.

The offense scored 11 runs while leaving only one man on base. Nearly the entire offense was firing and five Rays had multi-hit games.

Hopefully this onslaught will prove to be the catalyst that keeps Tampa Bay from being the first team in MLB history to lose 99 games while holding a winning record at home. It takes time to learn how to win on the road, but historically, not this long.

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Red Sox (Alie)Nation

Jason Hammel leads the Red Sox to their 84th victory.

Box Score

The more time that goes by, the more the Red Sox miraculous 2004 season seems more like, well, a miracle. Theo Epstein was the boy genius, Terry Francona was the blue collar general, and much of the nation fell for those irritating, self-proclaimed idiots. But now it seems like the only guy who has since turned out not to be an idiot was the head-idiot himself, Johnny Damon. He took the money and ran to a winner. Meanwhile the Red Sox find themselves searching for an identity, and fighting to finish a very distant 2nd in the AL East.

The Sox began the season on a careless foot, wheeling and dealing top prospects like they were as easy to come by as a dime bag in Harvard Square. Their dealings with Florida would very quickly come back to haunt them. Hanley Ramirez and Anibel Sanchez hurt the worst when they packed their bags. The Sox could have had a dynamic leadoff hitter (something they would desperately need this season) in Ramirez and Sanchezís arm produced a no hitter along with a 9-3 record and a 2.80 ERA for this yearís Miracle Marlins. The third prospect in the deal, Jesus Delgado, posted a 2.58 ERA this year in ëAí ball and the fourth prospect, Harvey Garcia, had a 2.92 ERA and struck out 83 in 64 2-3 innings in ëAí. The Red Sox proved their idiocy went beyond good-natured winning.

They received a good player in Lowell, and a good fielding shortstop in Alex Gonzalez, but the real prize, they thought, was Josh Beckett. Beckett has won a lot this season, but his 16-10 record does not reflect the inconsistency of his pitching. Itís his 4.82 ERA and the 73 free passes heís handed out this year that serve as a better barometer of his talent. But still the organization saw fit to reward him with a 3 year, $30 million contract, plus a $12 million dollar option for the 4th year. Does Theo simply insist on wasting money? He just let 3 dirt cheap, top-of-the-line pitching prospects get away, and he still falls back on the ìSpend astronomically/No guaranteesî business model?

But the organizationís real mystery came at the midseason trade deadline, a time when the Sox were very much in the thick of things. While the Yankees went out and scooped up Bobby Abreu to continue their warpath to October, the Red Sox froze. Baseball waited expectantly for the Sox counter attack, but it never came. Neither would the postseason.

They went on to burn out a remarkable young arm in Jonathan Papelbon, have a duct-tape-and-super-glue bullpen and be disgraced by Manny Ramirezís not-funny-anymore antics. Hurt knee or not, Manny is making the organization look bad, and even more damaging, he is making the organization appear weak. It is safe to speculate this will be his last days with the Sox, and the team will be better for it in the long run.

Yes, Boston has their share of problems, but beating the Devil Rays on Tuesday night wasn’t one of them, or more accurately, they made the Devil Rays look like kids in a strip club. The Sox may be on the decline, but Fenway is still for grownups. The Rays dropped to 2-27 in road games since the break.

Curt Schilling toyed with the Raysí young hitters through 7 innings, striking out 9 on an off night in which he walked an uncharacteristically high 4. I must say the LMRFCS (Looking the Most Ridiculous Facing Curt Schilling) Award went to Kevin Witt, who struck out on three pitches his first at bat and looked like a one armed lemur chopping wood in the moonlight. The Devil Rays AAA MVP is now batting .158 and looks on schedule to resume his career as a farmhand. Delmon Young struck out 3 times, and a student of the scouting report like Schilling shouldnít have much trouble with Young until he finds patience in his at-bats.

For the Rays, starter Jason Hammel dropped to 0-5, lasting only 4 innings, allowing 9 hits, and proving further he is the answer to nothing. On the very bright side, Edwin Jackson looked sharp tonight, pitching 2 scoreless innings and striking out 2 while allowing only 1 hit. His last two outings have me, once again, hopeful.

Then there was Ruddy Lugo, who continues to impress. He pitched 2 scoreless innings, struck out 2 and walked none. He has really got his breaking stuff under control, and has seen his ERA drop to 3.78. Lugo has become the most trustworthy bullpen arm, and it’d be nice to see him find a home exclusively in the setup role if the dust from this rebuild ever settles.

Schilling won for the first time since August 4th, which was against the, you guessed it, Devil Rays. He left in the 8th inning before throwing a pitch, just so the hometown could give him a proper send off in his last start of the season. David Ortiz belted his AL-leading 54th homer. Alex Cora went 2 for 3 with a triple. Kieth Foulke pitched his 10th consecutive scoreless inning. And the Red Sox organization is in grave danger of a full scale dismantling.

Must Reads:

Mad Sox

Carl Crawford to New York? Never trust the NY Post.

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Beaten by Man…and Machine?

Jae Seo would have preferred to pitch Hideki Matsui more carefully.

Box Score

Tampa Bay certainly deserved the loss tonight. Five pitchers combined to allow 16 runs, all earned. The offense never clicked. Although Rocco Baldelli, Delmon Young, Ty Wigginton, and Kevin Witt each had two hits, it was only Wigginton’s solo homerun that kept the Rays from being shutout of their last game of the season at the Trop. Despite the Yankees’ clear-cut dominance, this game was not without controversy.

In the top half of the first inning, Jae Seo looked bad right away. After putting lead-off hitter Johnny Damon into an 0-2 hole, Seo hit him on the foot. Then he walked Derek Jeter. Bobby Abreu followed with a homerun. Next up, Alex Rodriguez worked the count to 2-2. Rodriguez then laid off on a borderline pitch that was called ball three. The call got the Devil Ray dugout a bit worked up. Rodriguez went on to walk. Seo finally got the first out of the inning with a Gary Sheffield flyball that Baldelli caught on the warning track. Next Robinson Cano beat out an infield single. With Hideki Matsui now at the plate, Jae Seo was in trouble. He threw another pitch that may have caught the corner of the plate, but was called a ball. Now both the Rays on the field and in the dugout were visibly perturbed. Joe Maddon yelled out to home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez. Then Seo threw an obvious strike. Marquez called it a ball and pitching coach Mike Butcher exploded onto the field and into Marquez’s face. Joe Maddon was close behind him. Maddon was simultaneously holding back Butcher and arguing himself. Marquez threw Butcher out of the game. Then Maddon became ballistic and he too was thrown out.

Once play was resumed, Jae Seo had not much of a choice but to throw one right down the plate. He did and Matsui jumped on it for the second three-run shot of the inning. I’ve seen Alfonso Marquez call games before. He has never pinched the strike zone like he did tonight. It was hard not to get the feeling that his calling was from a higher power. Namely the cameras installed in Tropicana Field that record the location of each and every pitch.

Ever since QuesTec cameras crept into stadiums in 2003, they’ve been met with consistent opposition and the occasional physical beating. Arguments for and against this technology are as old as the cameras themselves. I am not a QuesTec proponent. However, I do not not mind their existence, per se. The objective of their implementation is one we all can agree on — Let balls be balls and strikes be strikes.

I do not question the accuracy of the machines, I question the efficacy of the umpires’ relationship with their inanimate counterparts. I am skeptical as to whether Questec is working for the umpire or if it is the other way around. When an umpire begins to receive a pattern of negative feedback from QuesTec, they seem to overcompensate. I understand this reaction, it is human. If I was an umpire, I’d be afraid of these omnipotent eyes, too. Fear is not a state of mind our umpires need to be working in. Nevertheless, Major League Baseball militates the WUA to genuflect before these inhuman numens. Tonight, home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez looked like a sinner trying to repent for a lifetime of human calls.

Stadiums using QuesTec

* Angel Stadium of Anaheim
* Chase Field
* Fenway Park
* Jacobs Field
* McAfee Coliseum
* Miller Park
* Minute Maid Park
* Shea Stadium
* Tropicana Field
* Yankee Stadium

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Why Marc Topkin Has Me Excited & Worried

If you’re like me, you checked out of this baseball season months ago. For me, the Cubs and Devil Rays have been battling for the title of worst team in baseball for awhile now. I’ve already taken to looking toward the off-season and the new baseball season in 2007. So have the Devil Rays, who are meeting this week to discuss the direction of the team for the off-season and beyond. Marc Topkin, who writes for the St. Pete Times has some interesting notes in his column that have me excited and worried all at once.

Heading into meetings this week with manager Joe Maddon and his coaches, executive vice president Andrew Friedman said they are open to all possibilities: signing a big-name free agent in the right situation, trading for a front-line player by trading one of theirs…

A big name free agent, while exciting, could also be a bad thing. There are some very attractive names on the list, including a pair of Beane Boys in Zito and Mulder. Zito is obviously going to be the prize of the pitchers this off-season. Because of that, I think the Rays need to avoid him like the plague. We can’t afford a bidding war for his services. Instead, spend the money on two starters for the price of Zito. I’ll get into my plan for free agency later, after the regular season is done.

Just the fact that it has been said that we are going to possibly be looking at a big-name free agent is a bit exciting. But, then comes the rest of the sentence

…or making a series of small moves as they did last off-season.

Ding Ding Ding. We have a winner. This is probably the plan for the team. Is it the right plan? There is a good chance it is.

Even without a payroll increase (or even with a reduction), Friedman insisted they are determined to make the team better. “Absolutely,” he said. “What’s important to us is to definitely improve next year without severely impacting our chances for success in future years.”

Without an increase? Perhaps a reduction? I sure hope when we says “payroll”, he’s talking about his wife’s breasts in code, because if he’s referring to the payroll of the team, that’s not encouraging. How can you make moves to sign a big name free agent, especially a pitcher without increasing payroll?

That means they’ll make a move that will help them for several years, but not for one. Or they could make one this winter that won’t pay off until the next year, say, acquiring a young future star or signing a free agent pitcher coming off surgery, similar to how the Tigers built over several seasons.

Hello Kerry Wood

In the next week or two, i’m going to begin talking about the guys the Devil Rays need to target to make this team better next year. We’re not going to be a World Series contender next year, but we can finish above .500 and get out of the dang cellar for once.

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