Rays of Light

Biggest surprise?

So, now that the season is 2 months old, what has been the biggest surprise in your opinion?

There’s a lot of choices - B.J.’s play at second, Aki, Jamie Shields… but my choice has got to be “Shut ‘Em Down” Al at the back-end of the bullpen. Though we all know how bad the rest of the pen has been, a lead just feels safe when you put it in his hands. 0.75 WHIP in 23 games? That’s just unreal. You can argue that after 2005 in St. Louis that you expected this from him, but for a guy to discover himself so late in his career is amazing.

So, what are your thoughts? What has surprised you the most?

Posted in General | 8 Comments »

Dear Diary…

The crack reporters here at Rays of Light managed to swipe Joe Maddon’s personal diary last night, and we got a glimpse of what he wrote following last night’s win. Let’s take a look…

“Dear Diary,

Hey! It’s Joe again. I know I tell Billy Evers that he’s the best, but you’re my real BFF! Jamie made me look like a genius again tonight. Pitch counts be damned, I’m gonna milk this cow for everything he’s worth. He’s a good sport about it, though. He knows that my Shawn Camp button is getting worn out and, frankly, my finger is getting sore from pushing it so many times this year. In other news, Casey still won’t give up those scandalous pics he’s got of me, so I’m going to have to keep running him out there every fifth day. Hopefully David Price is an accomplished master thief to go along with the best arm in the draft, because I really want those things back.

Well, I should probably get to bed. I heard that Elijah’s waking up early to threaten a busful of nuns, so I need to go break that up. I’ll write again after the game Friday!

Love and hugs,
Joey”

Excellent job by our staff to pull that one off! In all seriousness, though - what a job by James Shields so far, huh? He’s given the team a chance to win every single time out, and no one outside of Tampa Bay knows who he is. Did you know that he’s thrown 100+ pitches every time out so far this year? Good for Joe for letting him stay in for that long. In this era of pitch counts and babysitting pitchers to the point of obsession, it’s nice to see someone getting a chance to air himself out and see what he can do. Especially on a team like this, where wins are so vital and confidence is so important, leaving a hot starter in the game is a much better option than going to a messy bullpen. I’d really like to see the organization head towards a direction where starters can finish games and throw a lot of pitches. With multi-million dollar salaries and all I know it’s a stretch, but I think the game would be better for it.

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Game 51 - Another All Star performance by Shields

(AP Photo/Scott Audette)

Once again, the Rays turn to their best pitcher and get a win over one of the best teams in the American League. James Shields did not look good in the first inning, but then he made his adjustments and the Tigers had no chance. He would pitch a complete game and the Rays win 5-3 over Detroit. The Rays took two of the three games from Detroit, and will now host Kansas City for a four game series. Shields would only allow two hits after the first inning. How many pitchers can claim that they have done that in a game? He would retire 23 of the final 26 batters and not allow a runner on second base after the fist inning. The thing that has to impress the Rays, is that he recovered after the rough first inning, and keep his team in the game. He allowed the first three batters to get on base and score. Before tonights game, he had only allowed two runs in the first inning all season. However, he got his form back and shut down the powerful Tigers offense. If that would have been another pitcher, would the outcome been the same? Do you think that Casey Fossum or Edwin Jackson, could make the same adjustments that Shields did tonight? No disrespect to Scott Kazmir, but Shields is the Rays best pitcher and the staff ace. Shields may only have four wins, but all Rays fans know that he should have at least eight wins, but the run support has not always been there for him this season. As of right now, Shields should be a contender to start for the AL in the All Star Game.

I know that many fans would say that Shields is the Rays MVP this season, but how important is Akinori Iwamura to this team? How many more wins would the Rays have, if he would not have missed 29 games? I just love how he works the count and finds a way to get on base. He would get three hits in the game and beat out a throw to first base, for an infield hit. I know that Elijah Dukes has done a decent job in the lead off role, but is Iwamura best suited to be the Rays lead off hitter? Dukes is batting .250 with 12 walks as the lead off hitter. However, Dukes is a power hitter, that I believe would be better suited batting in the middle of the lineup. I doubt that Maddon will make Iwamura the lead off hitter, but why not try it Joe?

How much longer must we suffer in seeing Dioner Navarro as the Rays starting catcher? He did do something tonight that he hardly accomplishes. He actually threw out a runner attempting to steal second base. He has only thrown out 7 runners and opposing teams have stolen 24 bases on him. The Rays did call up Shawn Riggans, but he has not seen much action. The Rays need a catcher that is not a liability behind the plate. I’m not saying that Riggans is the answer, but it wouldn’t take much to perform better than Navarro. He is batting an amazing .188 and Maddon continues to send him out. Once again, why Joe why?

If you are B.J. Upton, why do you attempt to steal third base on Ivan Rodriguez? If Navarro was behind the plate, I understand why you steal third. Pudge is one of the best defensive catchers in the league and why risk losing a runner in scoring position. This happened in the sixth inning with only one out and Carl Crawford at the plate. Maybe we should give Upton credit for playing aggressive and not passive. Also, Upton nearly made a web gem in the eight inning, but Gary Sheffield beat the throw out. It was a close play, but an unbelievable play by Upton. He seems to be getting more comfortable at second, as every game passes.

Posted in General | 9 Comments »

Game 51 - Open Thread

Scouting Report on todays starters from MLB.com
Nate Robertson - Make it four rough starts in a row for Robertson. He gave up 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings in a 7-4 loss to the Indians on Friday. Opponents are hitting the ball at an alarming rate against Robertson, who has given up 37 hits over his past 20 1/3 innings. Robertson said he can’t figure out why he isn’t fooling more hitters, though the biggest key will be keeping the ball low in the zone. Robertson will have to figure it out before his start against the Rays. He’s 0-2 with a 5.56 ERA in three starts against them.

James Shields - Elijah Dukes hit a three-run home run to take Shields off the hook for what would have been his first loss of the season on Friday night, as the young right-hander struggled a bit against the Chicago White Sox. He allowed four runs, 10 hits and three walks over seven innings. The biggest blow against him came via Luis Terrero, who hit his own three-run homer in the fourth. Shields has allowed nine home runs in 10 starts this season, perhaps the only significant statistical blotch against him.

View the Rays career numbers vs. Nate Robertson - ESPN Splits

Notable Performances From Down on the Farm

J P Howell (AAA) 7IP, 1ER, 4H, 1BB, 5K, LOSS (3.96ERA)
Evan Longoria (AA) 3-4, 2B, HR, 2RBI, R, SB, (.299avg)
Reid Brignac (AA) 0-3, R, BB, (.258avg)
Chris Mason (AA) 7IP, No Runs, 5H, 7K, WIN (2.39ERA)
Hunter Vick (High-A) 3-5, R, (.236avg)
Rhyne Hughes (High-A) 3-4, R, (.335avg)
Wade Townsend (Low-A) 5IP, 5ER, 5H, 4BB, 2K, LOSS (3.48ERA)

Posted in General | 13 Comments »

Elijah and wife agree to one year injunction

NiShea Dukes was in court today and it was announced that she had reached a deal with her husband Elijah Dukes. He will stay away from his wife for one year. NiShea had filed a request for a temporary injunction for protection against domestic violence. Elijah was not present in the Plant City courtroom, but his attorney, Tamara Dudley was there to represent him. Dudley would not make any comments on the situation. Judge William P. Levens signed the agreement and issued that Elijah must take a psychological exam, before he is allowed to see his children. The judge will allow the Rays to conduct the exam, if they have a team psychologist. The agreement can be reviewed in six months, according to the judge.

Child support and alimony are not apart of the agreement at this time. Both parties are hoping to come to an agreement on alimony and child support. Hopefully, both parties can finalize a divorce in the near future and Elijah can move on to the next phrase in his life. I just hope that Elijah does not break this injunction and he will be a good citizen.

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Zim still bleeds Yankee blue

Zim, Zim, Zim…

I’m going to write this off as senility, or perhaps a bit too much sun on the St. Pete beaches, but in comments made yesterday (and, by proxy, reported today. Funny how that works, huh?), Zim said that he’s not ready to crown the Red Sox AL East champs yet… because the Yankees still have a chance to catch them. (Source)

I suspect that these comments were taken a bit out of context, and his true intent was to say that any of the teams in the AL East still could conceivably catch that runaway Acela Express that is the Red Sox, but how about you play up the hometown boys a little bit? It’s tough to generate any positive press about the hometown team when the elder statesman and face of the franchise - as Popeye’d as it is - is spouting off about how the Yankees still have a chance to catch the Red Sox.

Last I looked at the Standings, the Yankees were tied with the Rays. And, last I looked, the Rays have pretty much held their own against the crumbling monolith in New York. Don’t get me wrong; I realize that 14 1/2 games against a team that trots 3 Cy Young candidates and 2 guys that would be the #1 or #2 on a bunch of other clubs is a mighty hill to climb, and I don’t honestly expect the Rays to make this run, but is it too much to ask that the organization put on a strong face here?

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Game 50 - Flunking Fossum

Casey Fossum lasted just one inning and the Rays offense was effectively non-existent in Tuesday night’s horror show.

A new word needs to be invented for Fossum’s effort; as terrible, horrible and repulsive do it no justice. He gave up 3 runs in the top of the first, and gave up two in the top of the second before he was yanked with the bases loaded and nobody out.

Tim Corcoran then came on in relief, etc. etc. You know the story. The bullpen comes in, and any sliver of hope there was to stay in the game goes out.

Well, the powers that be finally took Seo out of the rotation, now it’s time to move on to Fossum. Fossum now has a 7.89 ERA, a 1.73 WHIP and a 3-5 record. The team could do better, and it seems likely that Fossum’s time is very limited.

Now about that Seo…

In his first appearance out of the pen since his demotion, he gave up 2 runs on five hits, including a homerun. Quite Jae Seo of him.

Notably absent from the lineup was Ty Wigginton, and it appears as though the anticipated and wise platoon situation has been engaged. Wigginton was a tremendous liability against right-handers, and he is a good utility player. I expect to see him out of the lineup more and more against righties, and if the team can stay healthy.

The Rays were good-old-fashioned embarrassed by Bonderman and the Tigers, but perhaps the showing will expedite Fossum’s descent.

Until then, Fossum will almost certainly continue to expedite many fans’ exit from Tropicana Field.

Posted in General | 7 Comments »

Another Chapter in the Elijah Dukes saga

(AP Photo/Mark Carlson)

Before todays game, Elijah Dukes made his first public statement about his personal situation.

“First of all, I just want to apologize to the organization for … sticking by me in a situation like this, and my teammates for being the good teammates that they are, and my fans and family for standing by me while I’m in this situation.”

When I listened to him saying this, it just seemed like the team made him make that statement. Dukes did seem nervous and look uncomfortable during this short question and answer session. Then, right before the game, the Rays released a new statement from Dukes.

“I was nervous when I spoke today. I would like to clarify what I meant to say. I would like to apologize to my family, teammates, the fans and the organization for the distraction this situation has caused. I would like to thank them for standing by me and hope that my family and I can move on and put this behind us.”

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the Rays management made him make this statement, but why did he not apologize to the media? Dukes had some choice words last week, when the media wanted to ask him some questions about his personal life. He is scheduled to be in court tomorrow in Plant City on whether he can be allowed to see his wife and their two children. This hearing is based on an event that happened at NiShea Dukes place of employment. Elijah came to Beth Shields Middle School in Ruskin to confront her on why she cleaned out his bank account, which she has denied that she did that. Apparently after this incident, Dukes left a message on her cell phone threatening that he would kill her and their two kids.

As I continue to think about this situation, maybe the best thing is for the team to keep him around. If they got rid of them, would they be helping out him? I just know from my conversations with players from other sports, that players say the worse thing to them is not being around their teammates. This is their second family and being on the field can take their mind off problems going on away from the field.

Posted in General | 4 Comments »

Game 50 - Open Thread

Scouting Report on todays starters from MLB.com
Jeremy Bonderman - Blister? What blister? Bonderman pitched one of his best games of the season in his last start on May 24 against the Angels after he missed two starts with a blister on his right middle finger. He worked out of two bases-loaded jams in the first and fourth innings and allowed four hits over eight innings in a 12-0 win. Bonderman walked a season-high five in that game, but he made the key pitches when he needed them to go along with his six strikeouts.

Casey Fossum - Fossum earned the hard-luck loss even though he gave up just a single earned run over 5 1/3 innings on Wednesday. He kept his pitches down and out of Seattle’s reach for the most part, something he had struggled to do in his previous outing. It was his fourth quality start of nine tries, but he’s been the victim of poor run support more than once — the Rays have averaged only 3.89 runs in his starts.

View the Rays career numbers vs. Jeremy Bonderman - ESPN Splits

Notable Performances From Down on the Farm

Justin Ruggiano (AAA) 2-3, 2B, HR, RBI, R, BB, (.292avg)
Elliott Johnson (AAA) 2-4, HR, 2RBI, R, (.201avg)
Jason Hammel (AAA) 9IP, CG, No Runs, 5H, 6K, WIN (2.85ERA)
Jason Pridie (AA) 3-4, 2B, R, SB, (.302avg)
Evan Longoria (AA) 0-4, RBI, (.289avg)
Reid Brignac (AA) 1-4, R, SB, (.262avg)
Chris Seddon (AA) 5IP, 5ER, 8H, 4BB, 3K, LOSS (4.98ERA)
John Matulia (Low-A) 4-6, R, BB, SB, CS, (.307avg)
Cesar Suarez (Low-A) 3-6, 2B, HR, 2RBI, R, (.289avg)
Josh Butler (Low-A) 7IP, 2ER, 7H, 1BB, 3K, (2.41ERA)

Posted in General | 6 Comments »

Note to Jorge Cantu

Maybe Jorge Cantu can watch and learn from Jonny Gomes on how you deal with being demoted to the minors. Before Monday’s game, the Rays demoted Gomes to Durham, so they could activate Akinori Iwamura off the DL. Gomes did not like the decision, but understands that this is a business and will be a professional about it. He did vent to Joe Maddon and Andrew Friedman about this decision. Here is what he had to say to the media about his demotion.

“I disagreed with [Maddon], and the management, and what goes on here,” Gomes said. “They wanted me to go down and get at-bats, and I thought I could get at-bats here. I figured I was established and the spring I had, leading the team in some of the hitting categories, that theres plenty of at-bats for me here, but obviously not. I mean, theres been some other guys, you know, that got sent down, had some tough words to say, but like I told Joe before I left, I want to be here, you know. I want to turn this thing around, and I want to win here. So it’s just a matter of time before it works out my way. It’s a business, you know. Hopefully it will be good for my career to go down there and get my at-bats,” Gomes said. “You never know what happens up here, I could be back up here soon.”

Can you argue with the decision that the Rays made? Gomes was a bench player that only had 49 at bats this season. The best thing for Gomes is to go to Durham, where he will be able to get the at bats. He will get the chance to play everyday in Durham, which he is not able to do with the Rays. He is a power hitter that needs at bats, since most power hitters need at bats to get their stroke going. Madden said he liked the steam that Gomes let off when he found out the teams situation.

“He was just letting off some steam, which he has every right to do,” he said. “He did it in a respectful way, which I was good with. And I just told him that’s not true; that the at-bats aren’t here right now.”

It was common knowledge that the Rays would either put Gomes or Cantu down in the minors to make room for Iwamura. Did anyone hear or see the comments that Cantu was making? Cantu said that he would ask for a trade if the team sent him down. Who does this guy think he is? He is not playing at an all star level and is a role player right now on this team. He still believes that he can be a starting second baseman for this team and he needs to learn how to be a professional about the situation. It’s ok to be mad about being sent down, but take it like a man and prove the team wrong in Durham. In my opinion, Gomes handled this decision the right now, unlike how Cantu would have handled the situation.

The one thing about baseball is that anything can happen. Gomes may not be down in Durham long, depending on what happens with Elijah Dukes. It’s uncertain on how long Dukes will be with the Rays, since there is a lot of public pressure to get rid of him. The only reason that Dukes is still on this team is because of the players union. If the Rays released him, they could expect the union to file a grievance against the Rays. This situation continues to put the Rays in a bad spot, because this story is not getting any better and stay tuned for new developments on this story.

Posted in General | 4 Comments »