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)
May 30th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Jamie might struggle a bit tonight in this game - the Tigers are mashing the ball right now. The Rays’ offense is more than capable of beating up on Robertson, though. I think we’re looking at a 7-6, 8-7 kind of game.
May 30th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
This will definitely be close, but I think with Shields on the mound and our bats hot like they have been recently my confidence is high in this one. Let’s show everyone we can take even the better teams like Detroit.
May 30th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
Whoever gets to the opposing pen first wins. Detroit has some serious relief issues with Zumaya and Rodney out.
May 30th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
Lineups, lineups.. who wants lineups? I do!
CF - Dukes
2B - Upton
LF - Crawford
1B - Winninton
RF - Young
3B - Iwamura
DH - Cantu
C - Navarro
SS - Harris
v
CF - Granderson
2B - Polanco
DH - Sheffield
RF - Ordonez
SS - Guillen
C - Rodriguez
1B - Thames
LF - Monroe
3B - Infante
Enjoy the game!
May 30th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
Shields was bound yo have an off night sooner or later. It’s still early, but he has been touched up a bit in the first. Hopefully, he can just pitch good enough for us to stay in the game. That’s what great pitchers do.
May 30th, 2007 at 8:44 pm
The Rays Tie it at 3 all in the fifth!
Let’s give a cheer for dropped balls!
May 30th, 2007 at 8:45 pm
5th Inning…Great rally until Jorge "Rally-killer" Cantu came to bat. The DH is supposed to be the clutch hitter….
May 30th, 2007 at 9:40 pm
Shields has been fantastic since the first. I thought it might be an off night for him, but he has really been impressive. Is there a most improved pitcher’s award at the end of the season for the majors? If there is, then Shields is definitely the leading candidate. While I love watching Kazmir pitch, Shields might be the true ace of the staff. He is really maturing this year. If we had only given him some run support and a bullpen earlier on in the year, he should be about 8-0. Let’s hope we can hold on to the lead here.
Just a side note-Navarro has swung the bat pretty good tonight. He’s only got one hit to show for it, but he has swung it pretty well. It’s nice to see him swing well for a change.
May 30th, 2007 at 10:12 pm
I vote to fire Maddon for leaving Shields in for 140 pitches in a 7-1 losing game. Come on! What baseball experience taught the manager that one? The Rays have too many arms that get no game time to force that work on Shields.
May 30th, 2007 at 10:24 pm
Projected moves for after the draft: Fossum to the pen-Seo either traded or designated for assignment-Stokes released-Sonnanstine up to the rotation-Hammel up to the rotation, maybe the pen-I wouldn’t mind seeing Niemann up also, but I can understand him staying down to really get the arm healthy. If Fossum gets released, then I see Howell getting called up to be another lefty. Even though the lefty that should be getting called up is Jeff Ridgway. He’s pitching lights out against left-handers. He would be a very nice addition to the pen. I’d like to see Camp hit the road also, but Maddon seems to be mystified by him, so I just don’t think it will happen.
May 31st, 2007 at 2:51 am
when are the rays going to bring up some of their young starting pitching arms? frustrating…
May 31st, 2007 at 9:07 am
Stokes isn’t going to get released this year even if he happens to lose 15 games out of the bullpen. Get over it, it won’t happen. And I’m glad, giving up on a young pitchers with a fastball up to 97mph and who attacks hitters the way he does just isn’t smart, regardless of how much he has struggled.
June 1st, 2007 at 11:47 am
It is worthwhile to read the article in today’s St. Pete Times regarding the promotion of pitchers from Durham. It reiterates the point that the organization wants each to work on specific things and does not want to promote before the players are deemed ready to stick. Topkin lists all 5 probable promotions and states the pros and cons of calling each up now.
Somewhere in the article, he uses the word foundation, and I think that is a perfect word for the Rays’ approach. They intend to establish a foundation for a contending team, not just a superstructure of names that cannot be maintained over time. The foundation includes building depth, teaching fundamentals and developing skills, establishing attitudes and and creating an orderly system to promote those ready.