Game 162 - Open Thread - This is the End (For You My Friend)
By Scott Caruso | September 30th, 2007 | Posted in General
We will not witness this anymore
This is the end, for you my friend
I can’t forgive, I wont forget
On and on we sing our songs
On and on, the wars wage on and
On and on we sing our songs for more, for more
-Anti-Flag, This is the End (For You My Friend)
It seems like only yesterday that April 2 was here and we posted the first of these things. The good ol’ days, they were - when we got a chance to take hacks against Carl Pavano and we honestly believed we had a chance to contend.
That brings us to today. The last day of the regular season, as we go through the motions one last time as 4 other American League teams prepare to continue playing baseball into October. There were some strides made, for sure - Scott Kazmir and James Shields are amazing, and B.J. Upton is a future MVP candidate - but the same storylines that permeated from day 1 - poor bullpen work, shoddy defense, and mediocre third of the lineup - lasted the entire season, bringing us to this point.
In the grand scheme of things, a win or a loss doesn’t matter that much, but damn would I like to end the year with a W.
What to watch for: Whichever team can resist the urge to sprint to the airport first will have the best chance of winning this one. With Burnett on the hill for the Blue Jays, I wouldn’t be surprised if we got no-hit. Akinori Iwamura will make his debut at second base. I would also expect that Maddon would like to get both Gary Glover and Al Reyes into the game tonight to give them each a chance to work one last time.
Scouting Report on todays starters from MLB.com
Jason Hammel - Hammel’s outing was definitely not his best, still it was one hit that doomed him in the end. The right-hander threw 101 pitches over just five innings and scattered seven Yankees hits, but was tagged with five earned runs, most of which came when he served up a ball Alex Rodriguez quickly turned into his third grand slam of the season. He didn’t figure in the decision after the Rays scored six in the sixth inning. Hammel walked three and fanned four in the game, and will have one last chance to make a good impression on the Rays before the end of the year.
A.J. Burnett - Since returning from the disabled list on Aug. 12, Burnett has gone 5-1 with a 2.32 ERA, 64 strikeouts and 44 hits allowed over 66 innings across nine starts. On Tuesday, the right-hander was inconsistent, but effective in a win over the Orioles. Over 6 2/3 innings, Burnett allowed 10 hits and struck out seven, yielding four runs for the first time since giving up five in an injury-shortened outing on June 28. The win also gave Burnett 10 wins for the second straight season for the Jays. In his career against the Rays, Burnett is 6-1 with a 2.45 ERA in 12 starts.
Check out the Rays’ career numbers against A.J. Burnett.
View the game preview from Baseball Reference
Be sure to join us in the chat room for some good Rays talk during the game!!!
September 30th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
Thank God, today is the day the fat lady finally sings.
September 30th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
I am actually starting to look forward to the off season. Stu, Merlot Joe and Del-monster all killed my joy.
September 30th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
Well, the Rays finished 66-96…a whole (hole??)66 wins. Jeez. Feels like kissing your sister. If the Rays do not reach 81 next year I will consider the 08 season a failure.