Rays of Light

Game 56: Kazmir + Sellout = Profit?

That question will be answered tonight as Kazmir takes the mound for the Rays. Kazmir has been nothing short of spectacular this season since returning from injury sporting a 3-1 record with 1.50 ERA. The Rays young ace is 2-1 in 3 career starts against the White Sox with a 4.19 ERA. Paul Konerko has had the most success in his career against Kazmir going 4-8 with a HR, 2B, and a BB. Meanwhile, B.J. Upton is 5-7 lifetime against White Sox starter Javier Vazquez.

What to watch for: The Crowd Tonight’s game is rumored to be a the 2nd sell-out of the season for the Rays. The crowd numbers boosted by the Trace Adkins concert following the game so what type of fan will that attract? Regardless of whether they are there to see the game or not, most people should throw themselves into the atmosphere and have a great time. The Rays will be very tough to beat tonight with 30,000+ fans behind them from the opening pitch.

Scouting Report on today’s starters from MLB.com:
Scott Kazmir - Kazmir showed why he is the reigning American League strikeout king on Monday night against the Rangers when he struck out 10 en route to his fourth win of the season. The 24-year-old left-hander allowed one run on three hits in seven innings while walking none. When Kazmir is at his best, he is locating his fastball, which makes his slider even more devastating. He also has a quality changeup. Kazmir is 2-1 with a 4.19 ERA in three career starts against the White Sox.

Javier Vazquez - Vazquez pitched well enough to win during Monday’s series opener at Progressive Field, but finished with a no-decision during the White Sox 6-3 victory over the Indians in 12 innings. Vazquez allowed three runs on nine hits over six innings, striking out two and walking two. He has allowed three or fewer runs in three straight starts and five of his last six trips to the mound. Vazquez ranks second in the American League with 67 strikeouts, and has a 1-0 record with a 2.84 ERA against the Rays this season. He is 5-2 lifetime when facing Tampa.

Check out the Rays’ career numbers against Javier Vazquez.

View the game preview from Baseball Reference.

Be sure to join us in the chat room for some good Rays talk during the game!!!

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Game 55: Floyd has a blast

There is nothing like the feeling of supreme confidence late in a close game. I can’t begin to count how many times in years gone by a close score late in the game made me feel the urge to start chain-smoking. This is year is something completely different (Except for Glover A.K.A. Mr. Maalox). I had no doubts that the Rays were going to win this game tonight. Shields can only go six and we don’t have Percy; no problem. When this team is playing at home they do not lose games like this one.

In fact, the celebration was raucous as usual after the walk-off homer, but even it seemed to be a bit subdued after the initial energy burst. I think the guys on the bench knew that someone was eventually going to step up and win this game. Cliff Floyd was your hero on this night. Speaking of which…

Floyd’s bomb: Someone that was at the game has to tell me for sure, did Cliff Floyd towering foul ball really hit the giant Tropicana orange? He hit that ball as hard as you will ever see anyone hit a baseball. That is not to mention the game-winner. Down 0-1 in the count, Scott Linebrink served up a knee-high heater that Floyd mashed. The best past was that I got the White Sox feed and the call went like this:

Homer Harrelson: “That ball hit way back. Dwayne Wise to the fence….he jumps…..and makes the catch??? No….”

What a sweet feeling that was to hear him make that call and sound sick to his stomach. Words cannot express how much I despise that announcing crew. Anyway, it looks like Cliff may be getting his timing back which could be hazardous to the health of any LHP in the American League.

Home, sweet home: Another outstanding home outing turned in by one James Anthony Shields. I am sure Shields will be disappointed that he only went six innings, but it was still a high-quality performance. After getting knocked around a bit early, Shields settled in and retired 9 of the last 10 batters he faced. His only run allowed could have easily been avoided if the umpire simply game Shields the corner on a perfect 0-2 fastball before the home run. That one pitch keep Shields from recording the win, but there is no doubt he was a major part of the victory.

Alexei the magician: Is Alexei Ramirez the rival to Jason Bartlett at the 2B position? That guy made two outstanding plays in the field tonight, seemingly with ease. He also provided the only run for the White Sox with the aforementioned home run. I don’t want to give too much credit to a Chicago player, but he was fun to watch on the other side. Not a bad guy to have hitting in the 9-hole.

Pena fading again? Just went it seemed like Carlos Pena was prime to start “breaking-out”, he looks completely lost at the plate again. He is 0-12 over the last three games with 7 K’s. It is not just the results that are troubling, but how he is seemingly behind on everything. I wouldn’t mind seeing Floyd stuck in the 4-hole for one game tomorrow just to take a bit of the pressure off of Carlos.

Let’s make it three: In the recap from Wednesday, I predicted that the Rays would win 3-of-4 from the White Sox despite dropping the opener with Jackson on the mound. The team moved one step closer to that goal by winning this nail-bitter tonight. I love our chances tomorrow with Kazmir on the mound, and hope to get a little lucky on Sunday. Regardless, the 2-1 victory clinches a winning homestand (6-2 record thus far), and anything they get from this point on is gravy.

Go Rays!

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Game #55: Mr. Shields is due for a big-time outing

James Shields hasn’t been quite as good as we know he can be the last few times out, so I think he’s due for a big-time outing in Game 2 of this 4-game set. The Rays will forever be as good as their starting pitching lets them be, and Jamie is going to be a big part of that.

What to watch for: Jose Contreras has been pitching much better than his age would indicate this season. You know what that says to me? He’s due for a comedown. A crooked number on the board would be awesome, but if Contreras is good early, he’ll probably be good for the whole game.

Scouting Report on today’s starters from MLB.com:
James Shields - Shields received a no-decision Sunday against the Orioles after allowing a 4-1 lead to slip away. The 26-year-old right-hander allowed three earned runs on eight hits and one walk in eight innings. Shields’ best pitch has always been his changeup, but he also has a plus fastball and curve and he’s added a cutter that has helped him throw inside to left-handers. He is 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA in two career starts against the White Sox.

Jose Contreras - Contreras had won his previous three starts before getting the no decision against the Angels on Sunday night. And surprisingly, his Sunday night start was his best of the season. Contreras scattered three hits over eight innings and allowed just two runs. He also struck out a season-high 10 batters. Both runs came on a home run by Gary Matthews Jr., in the fourth inning. It was just the third home run Contreras has given up this season. Contreras did not face Tampa Bay in the two teams’ only series this season back on April 18-20.

Check out the Rays’ career numbers against Jose Contreras.

View the game preview from Baseball Reference.

Be sure to join us in the chat room for some good Rays talk during the game!!!

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Game 54: Sox take the opener

You could the result of last night’s game coming from a mile away. The surging White Sox were coming to town armed with a tough left-hander to take on a struggling member of the Rays rotation. Not exactly the best recipe for success in game one of the series. The good news is that should be the stiffest test of the series for the home team.

Poor execution: The story of the game last night was the Rays inability to get the runner home from third base with less than two outs. The Rays were 1-4 in this situation with 3 Ks. When a team is presented with such a great opportunity to produce runs against a tough pitching staff they need to be converting at a much higher rate. Especially consider that the White Sox were playing their infield back in each situation. The most painful of these unsuccessful at-bats came by Carlos Pena in the 3rd inning. The Rays managed to get their cleanup man to the plate with the bases loaded and only one out. If Pena came come through in this situation the course of the game may have changed dramatically. As it stands, Pena struck out swinging, and, after a Longoria ground out, the White Sox were out of a big jam with a 2-1 lead. The outcome of the game never felt in doubt after this point.

Hit parade: For at least one night, the inability to throw strikes was not the downfall of Edwin Jackson. He threw strikes at a 69% rate, but far too many of those were hit really, really hard. Hanging sliders and straight fastballs are not going to work against such a talented lineup. It was honestly one of those nights that could have been much worse than the line score indicates. Hopefully Edwin can rebound next week in Fenway Park where he struggled earlier in the season. Despite the wishes of his many detractors, he is not leaving the rotation anytime in the near future.

Carlos Quentin>Eric Byrnes: For all the great things that the Arizona Diamondbacks have done to build their franchise, choosing to re-sign Byrnes instead of playing Carlos Quentin was moronic. Yes, I’m aware that Byrnes is a great clubhouse guy, but would you rather have a cheerleader or the AL home run leader. The D’backs practically gave away Quentin to keep around an aging corner-outfield with no pop. How scary would the D’Backs outfield be with Quentin, Chris Young, and Justin Upton? I’m going to resist the urge to make an easy joke about Josh Hamilton..

Upton still impressive: B.J. Upton continues to awe me with his amazing, pure talent. He has no peers on this team when it comes to putting together great at-bats, and it is easy to see he is still improving. His OBP is up to .405 and I think we are about to see a big power outburst from the elder Upton. Also, how about that throw to third from deep center last night? How many center-fielders in the game could make that throw? 1? It is scary to think that he has still played the position full-time for less than a year.

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Game #54: Playoff preview?

Per Brittany Ghiroli:

Prior to Thursday’s game, the Rays cautiously placed Troy Percival on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain and reinstated infielder Willy Aybar from the DL.

Okay, so at 54 games into the season, it’s probably a little early to be talking about playoff previews, but I know it’s something in the back of pretty much everyone’s mind right now. Could this be a potential ALDS or ALCS match-up? How do the Rays stack up against the best in the AL Central? We’re going to find out.

What to watch for: John Danks is pretty good, and he’s had his way with the Rays in the past. He can get wild from time to time, though, so it’s important for the Rays to stay patient and make the most of their at-bats. Seeing a lefty on the hill always worries me.

Scouting Report on today’s starters from MLB.com:
Edwin Jackson - Jackson finally got some run support from the Rays’ offense Saturday night against the Orioles, and the right-hander nailed down his first win since April 10. He allowed three runs on four hits and five walks while striking out two. The 24-year-old right-hander has electric stuff, which brings the expectations of future greatness, and just lately he has shown signs of finding the consistency that he has not been able to harness. He is 0-1 with an 8.71 ERA in two career starts against the White Sox.

John Danks - Danks picked up his first loss in his last four trips to the mound Saturday against the Angels. He lasted only five innings, but allowed just two runs on five hits and two walks. Danks has been a victim of his offense for much of the year, receiving only seven runs of support in his last six starts. He faced Tampa Bay on April 20 in what was arguably his best start of the season. He allowed no runs over seven innings and struck out eight to pick up his second ‘W’ of the season.

Check out the Rays’ career numbers against John Danks.

View the game preview from Baseball Reference.

Be sure to join us in the chat room for some good Rays talk during the game!!!

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Game 55: Garza is Grand

(Box Score)
Is it becoming surreal to anyone else how routine it feels to win a home series? In years past, I remember celebrating every series win as an accomplishment. In 2008, anything less than taking 2-of-3 from a team like the Rangers at home would be a disappointment. The progress that this franchise has made in a short amount of time is truly amazing.

Garza’s strong outing: What can you say about the gem that Matt Garza pitched this afternoon? Garza flashed all the tools that we sold on this offseason when we made the trade with Minnesota. He still pitched mostly off the fastball, but his breaking pitches were devastating as well. To go along with his great stuff, he showed great stamina pitching 8 strong innings. This start by Garza ranks right up there with Kaz’s masterpiece on Monday.

I think most of us were a bit concerned about Garza after his first two starts of the season, but he has been even better-than-advertised since coming off the DL. Since returning Garza has 2.84 ERA and a 4-1 record. Of course, those numbers do not tell the whole story, but it provides a brief glimpse into how effective he has been. Garza is flashing the potential to pitch up to a #2 starter, which would give the Rays a deadly rotation in 1-2-3 slots. That is not to mention that the Rays are going to win almost every game that Good Jackson takes the mound, and Bad Jackson is actually managing to keep them in the game this year. If the rotation continues to pitch at this level they will be in great shape for the homestretch of the regular season and possibly beyond.

Wacky lineup: Anytime you can win a game with Jason Bartlett in the six-hole then I consider that a huge bonus. It can’t be overstated how key it is going to pick up games when Maddon decides to give half of the lineup the day-off. The good news is that they should be well rested with the Central Division leaders coming to town.

Don’t do this to me Troy!: It was certainly a scary moment in the 9th inning when Troy Percival had to leave the game due to a leg injury after coming off the pitching mound awkwardly. The talk out of the clubhouse seemed optimistic, but we should all know more after a scheduled MRI on Thursday. Percival has been such an integral part of the team’s early success that it would be a huge blow if he were out for an extended amount of time. I would assume Dan Wheeler will be asked to step into the closer’s role if Percy is going to be out, but Al Reyes is another option that Maddon may feel comfortable going with if Wheeler is unavailable. Let’s all hope that this was just a brief scare and Percival will be back in action in time for the Rays to hit the road.

Goals for the upcoming series: The Rays will wrap up this season-long ten game homestand with a Thursday-Sunday set with the Chicago White Sox. If the good guys can go 3-1 in this series against the red hot Sox then they will be in great shape heading into a very tough road trip. Normally, I would be content with 2-out-of-4, but, as I stated at the beginning, winning home series is what this team does now. Lets take a quick look at the scheduled starters for the series.

Thursday: RHP Edwin Jackson (3-3, 3.47) vs. LHP John Danks (3-4, 3.00)
Friday: RHP James Shields (4-3, 3.38) vs. RHP Jose Contreras (5-3, 3.06)
Saturday: LHP Scott Kazmir (4-1, 1.50) vs. RHP Javier Vaquez (5-3, 3.52)
Sunday: RHP Andy Sonnanstine (6-3, 4.98) vs. LHP Mark Buehrle (2-6, 5.27)

I would give the edge to the White Sox in tomorrow night’s game with Danks on the mound, but I like the Rays in the last three games of the series. Our lineup has been very good against right-handed pitching and Buehrle has been brutal this year. Also, I don’t expect Sonnanstine to put together three consecutive poor outings. Last time Sonny faced the White Sox he dominated them, pitching a three-hit shutout. What better team to inspire confidence in Sonnanstine?

Enough about my prediction. What do you guys think? Can we really pull off an 8-2 homestand?

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Price outduels Pedro, dominates St. Lucie

(Box Score)

David Price may not want to get to too comfortable in his Vero Beach uniform. In just his second professional start, the Rays top prospect destroyed the St. Lucie Mets and may have left an impression on one of the best pitchers of the last 20 years. Price pitched 6.0 innings for Vero and only allowed two singles to the Mets lineup. He racked up 9 strikeouts and did not allow a walk. The southpaw spent most of the evening blowing hitters away with his fastball, while mixing in the occasional breaking ball.

Interestingly, Price was opposed by Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez, who was on a rehab assignment for New York. Many young pitchers may have been intimidated by having a Hall-of-Famer taking the mound for the opposition, but Price certainly lived to the challenge. Pedro was solid for Mets as he allowed 2 runs over 6 innings of work. This should be Pedro’s last start in High-A, and Price may not be far behind.

To recap, in two starts thus far Price has worked 11 shutout innings for Vero Beach, allowing only 5 singles over that stretch. He has a 13:1 K/BB ratio, and has not allowed the opposing team to reach 2nd base yet. The hitters at this level are simply not good enough to present any him with any challenge. After the team is done stretching out his pitch counts, Price needs to be promoted to Montgomery. At least, at the AA level, he will have to work in his breaking balls to be an effective pitcher. He could probably carry a sub-2.00 ERA at Vero Beach throwing only fastballs.

When Price was injured in March, I thought the injury basically guaranteed that he would have no chance at reaching the majors this season. However, after the reports from his extended spring training starts and his first two in Vero Beach, you can’t help wondering if he will have a major role with the Rays by the time fall rolls around.

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Game #53: It’s better in the matinee

Find me and follow me through corridors, refectories and files
You must follow, leave this academic factory
You’ll find me in the matinee
The dark of the matinee
It’s better in the matinee
The dark of the matinee is mine
Yes it’s mine

I love afternoon baseball, even if it is indoors. There’s something so traditionally wonderful about it, as if its one thing that connects baseball today to baseball yesterday. And doesn’t it seem like Matt Garza always pitches these mid-week afternoon games?

What to watch for: Aside from four at-bats, the Rays have never really faced Gabbard before. Let’s see if the Rays can’t make his foray into the Trop a nightmare.

Scouting Report on today’s starters from MLB.com:
Matt Garza - Garza will be making his ninth start of the season and his second career start against the Rangers. Friday night against the O’s, the 24-year-old right-hander pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings to earn his third win of the season and his fifth win in six career starts against Baltimore. Garza has a mid-90s fastball that sinks, a curve, a slider and a changeup. He is 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA against the Rangers.

Kason Gabbard - Gabbard has allowed 13 runs in 13 innings in his last three starts, inflating his ERA from 1.85 to 4.34. He allowed six runs on four hits and six walks in 2 2/3 innings in his last start against the Indians on Friday. He has made just one start against the Devil Rays, pitching 1 2/3 scoreless innings on Aug. 12 before leaving the game with forearm stiffness.

Check out the Rays’ career numbers against Kason Gabbard.

View the game preview from Baseball Reference.

Be sure to join us in the chat room for some good Rays talk during the game!!!

Posted in Game Thread | 8 Comments »

Game #52: “Duke” or Puke?

Cork over at Rays Index likes to call Andy Sonnanstine “The Duke,” but after last outing he looked more like “The Puke.” Let’s see if he can turn things around and avoid that home run ball against the slugging Rangers. The Rays SHOULD be able to put a few runs on the board against Vicente Padilla, who has started to come back to earth of late.

What to watch for: What kind of crowd can the Rays draw on a mid-week game against the Rangers? If it’s big and loud, it’ll be a tough task for the Rangers to try and silence them.

Scouting Report on today’s starters from MLB.com:
Andy Sonnanstine - All good things much eventually end, and it happened to Sonnanstine in his last start against the Oakland A’s on Wednesday. He allowed seven runs on nine hits in six innings and lost for the first time since April 9, ending a personal five-game win streak. Throwing strikes was not the problem; it was keeping the ball in the ballpark. He gave up two homers and four doubles. After retiring the first seven batters, it all came crashing down. When he gave up seven runs in 3 1/3 innings to the New York Yankees in mid-April, he came back to throw a three-hit shutout in his next start.

Vincente Padilla - Padilla is now 4-0 with a 2.09 ERA in his last six starts. He did not get a decision in the Rangers 8-7 victory over the Twins on Thursday when he allowed three runs in five innings. But the Rangers victory left them 9-2 in Padilla’s 11 starts. He is 0-2 with a 10.13 ERA in his three career starts against the Rays, his highest ERA against any Major League team. He is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in two starts at Tropicana Field.

Check out the Rays’ career numbers against Vincente Padilla.

View the game preview from Baseball Reference.

Be sure to join us in the chat room for some good Rays talk during the game!!!

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RAYS 7, Rangers 3: Best team in baseball? Well, the record doesn’t lie.

(Box Score)

Would even the most optimistic of Rays fans expected this team to have baseball’s best record on the day after Memorial Day? That’s 51 games into the season. 51 games after playing a ton of contests with the Red Sox and Yankees. 51 games after giving the rest of the league a chance to see our weaknesses. And yet, 51 games in, here the Rays stand at 31-20, factually the best team in baseball by the most important metric of all - wins and losses.

There’s good, and then there’s Scott Kazmir: No, he didn’t throw a no-hitter, but he sure as heck had no-hitter type stuff last night. That was better than vintage Kid K, as he was actually able to hit his spots with regularity and really made the Rangers look silly in most of their at bats. Throw in some stellar defense by Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford, and you’ve got the recipe for a gem. If ever there was doubt who the ace of this staff is, I’m pretty sure Kaz has put those doubts to rest.

The fastball found the extra gear that looks like it had been missing so far this season, but the biggest change in Kaz’s demeanor was that he looked incredibly fluid and comfortable out there. In some of his earlier starts, Scotty looked like he was stiff as a board and was struggling just to find a groove with his pitching motion. Not last night. Last night, he was as good as we’ve ever seen him.

I Was Wrong: The difference between me and many other people that write about baseball (aside from our levels of compensation), is that I’m willing to admit when I am wrong. And I certainly was wrong about dropping Carlos Pena in the order. Is he on fire now, or what? After getting on base 4 more times last night, I don’t think he could be any more locked in. If he keeps this up, his average will be up over .250 and his OPS will be back near .900 before I know it.

Prolific: After putting 22 baserunners on last night, the only question is, “Why didn’t y’all score more?” The Rays were the victims of a number of 2-out rallies, which we all know are the most difficult to capitalize on. What last night did show was what this offense is capable of when it is clicking, as it seems to be on the verge of doing. One or two more timely hits, and this big win could’ve turned into a blowout.

Get Balfour Up: It’s time to end this Gary Glover charade for now. I find it highly unlikely that he gets claimed on waivers, so it’s time to as least see if Grant Balfour can succeed where Glover has been failing and DFA G-Love. You can only allow a reliever to throw to a WHIP of 2 (and throw more walks than strikeouts) for so long before it’s time to make a change.

For those who haven’t been paying attention, Balfour has been making International League hitters look silly, throwing to a 0.38 ERA in 23 2/3 innings, allowing just 5 hits and 10 walks with 39 strikeouts. No, I’m not making those video game-esque numbers up. He’s really doing that.

Did anyone else notice… that Jason Bartlett has started to draw some walks?

By The Numbers: What does 31-20 mean for the Rays?

• It means that the team needs to go just 40-71 the rest of the way to have the best record in franchise history. Not that that’s the goal we want to shoot for, of course.
• It means that the team needs to go just 50-61 the rest of the way to go .500.
• The AL East leader has averaged 97 wins since 1999 (I didn’t want to count 1998 because of the ridiculous 114 wins the Yankees put up). In order to hit 97 wins this year, the Rays need to go 66-45 the rest of the way.
• The Wild Card winner has averaged 96 wins in that same time frame, meaning the Rays would need to go 65-46 the rest of the way to reach that mark.
• At their current pace - .608 - the Rays would finish the year at 98-64 which would give them the AL East lead if this is your typical season.

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