Rays of Light

Game #82: The biggest series in Rays history begins tonight

And I say that with no hyperbole or sarcasm in my voice. There has never been a bigger series in Rays history. 2-out-of-3 means a 1 1/2 game lead in the division; a sweep means a 3 1/2 game lead (with 3 more games to play than Boston). Talk about breathing room. Things start to get downright cozy at that point.

What to watch for: The Trop. Can the fans do their part, step up, and match the level of intensity that we’re likely to see on the field? Or will the stadium be half-full with Red Sox fans?

Scouting Report on today’s starters from MLB.com:
James Shields - Shields is coming off a resounding victory over the Marlins on Wednesday night in which the right-hander broke a seven-game dry spell to notch the win. He tossed seven innings of four-hit ball, allowing only a solo home run to Mike Jacobs in the sixth inning. Shields will face a new rival in the Red Sox, as the right-hander was one of five Rays suspended in June 5’s on-field melee at Fenway Park. Monday’s game will be the 27-year-old’s fourth appearance against the Red Sox this year. Shields has beaten Boston once this season, in April 27’s game at Tropicana Field, but sports an impressive 1.99 ERA in home starts.

Justin Masterson - Masterson earned his second career win against Tampa Bay on June 3, a 7-4 decision at Fenway Park. It wasn’t his most dominant performance, allowing four runs on six hits during six innings of work. But it did set the tone for the three-game set as the Red Sox swept the Rays to regain first place in the AL East. Masterson’s last start was very similar to that game against the Rays; he allowed four runs on seven hits against Arizona on Tuesday.

Check out the Rays’ career numbers against Justin Masterson.

View the game preview from Baseball Reference.

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

Tags: Red Sox
Posted in Game Thread | 3 Comments »

Durham 5 Richmand 1

Got to see my first minor-league action of the year thanks to Andy from VALPAK (who gave me comp box-seat tix) and I came away very impressed with the Bulls in their 5-1 victory over the inept R-Braves. Mainly due to their amazing progress this year and the fact that this is Joe’s other site, I have started to pay more attention to the Rays (of course, growing up a Cubs fan you tend to root for the underdog). Also had me a former cub sighting as I got to meet Gary Gaetti (1st base coach? of the Bulls) who signed both my kids baseballs. Back to the game…

I was accompanied by my buddy Rich, my son James and my daughter Ani (her very 1st baseball game). 32 year-old Jeremy Cummings was sharp. His location was great and the ball was really moving and pounding hard at the catcher’s mitt (we sat right along both dugouts - depending on where the brutal sun was not shining in earnest as this northern boy is having a difficult time adjusting to this blasted heat). His only mistake was a ball up to the light-hitting he of the .228 and 1 HR - Mark Jurich - RF (5BB 22K) which he promptly deposited near the bank sign in right center-field. Cummings also showed great pickoff moves as he nailed 2 Braves runners at 1st. His final line was 7IP 6H 1R 2BB 6K. 30 year-old RF Jon Weber was the Bulls star of the day with 2 2B knocking in 4. 3B Joel Guzman and 2B Reid Brignac also went 2 for 4. Guzman seems to have some promise as he is batting .283 with 15HR (needs to work on his BB/K ratio - 10/69 - to merit a call-up to the parent club). SS Ben Zobrist claimed the goat of the day as he went 0 for 4 with three whiffs. All and all I was very impressed with this Durham team. However, as a relative newcomer to the minor league action this year, are the Bulls really this good or are the R-Braves really this bad?

In closing, I must say that I was extremely disappointed in the way the R-Braves Stadium is run. I realize they are moving out at the conclusion of the season, however, the diamond-vision screen is essentially burnt out (looks like one of those old monochrome PC monitors from the 80’s), I have seen better kept bathrooms in the bowels of West Virginia off RTE 70, the prices were extremely high for a AAA team ($6 for a beer? $4 for a soda?) and the activities are run with all the intelligence of a dope-fiend in the throws of a 12-hour drug binge. Allow me to explain the latter. They had a ‘kids run the bases’ thing scheduled for right after the game. Um, I mean right after the game and right after watching 55 year-old beer-bellied softball guys try to hit 30mph floaters out of the park for a 1/2 hour. What? Why in the heck would they think 100 kids and their parents would want to bake in the 95degree sun waiting to see this? But wait, there’s more! You bring your child or children to the gate near 1st base and let them run on the field where they let them exit at the gate near 3rd base while every parent (including me) has multiple panic attacks wondering where their children have gone. Absolutely bone-headed. I was in sheer panic trying to locate my 5 and 4 year old kids among a sea of frantic parents and wandering youth. Word to the wise, don’t let your kids run the bases in Richmond!

Posted in General | 2 Comments »

Game #79: The Return of C-Pain

Tags: Pirates
Posted in Game Thread | 20 Comments »

RAYS 15, Marlins 3: Fish-fry

(Box Score)

Apologies for the lack of a real recap on this one. As those of you with kids probably know, you can never be sure when you might need to be on daddy-duty for an extended period of time.

It was a fantastic performance all around by the Rays - except for Benny Boo-Boo’s 2 errors, of course - and the kind of game that gets you feeling better about the team.

Feel free to leave your comments on last night’s game here.

Tags: Marlins
Posted in Game Recap | 10 Comments »

Game #77: Shields needs a win for a change

I’m a big fan of these Game 2s where the Rays can already win a series without having to take it to a rubber-match. I especially like them when James Shields is on the hill, hungry for another win.

And, before anyone roasts me for saying that Shields “needs a win,” I understand that the Won-Loss record for a pitcher is overrated and not a true indicator of how well he has pitched, but I still think there’s some kind of psychological boost that comes from adding a “W” to that column. 4-5 just doesn’t look that good.

What to watch for: Jamie has been surprisingly mediocre against the Marlins in 3 career starts, going 19 innings with a 4.74 ERA. He’s 1-1, striking out 24 batters in that time. He didn’t face the Marlins during the last series between the two teams.

Scouting Report on today’s starters from MLB.com:
James Shields - Shields is still searching for his first win since May 9, but his record doesn’t do the right-hander justice. Thursday night is a prime example, as he tossed six shutout innings before hitting a glitch in the seventh inning. Shields was charged with three earned runs off seven hits, but the Rays’ bats came alive shortly after to notch the victory. The Rays top right-hander, Shields is at his best when he has command of his fastball as he did in his last outing vs. the Cubs, in which he fanned nine Chicago batters. He will travel to South Florida looking for his fifth win, as Shields takes on the Marlins for the first time this season.

Ryan Tucker - Three big league starts, three decisions, with two wins. Not a bad way for the 21-year-old to break into the league. In his last outing, Tucker worked a career-long six innings, giving up two runs as he beat the Mariners. Showcasing a 96 mph fastball that day, he threw 94 pitches, striking out four while walking two. This will be his second meeting against the Rays. On June 13 at Tampa Bay, Tucker worked five innings, giving up five runs on seven hits in a loss.

Check out the Rays’ career numbers against Ryan Tucker.

View the game preview from Baseball Reference.

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

Tags: Marlins
Posted in Game Thread | 5 Comments »

RAYS 6, Marlins 4: All that matters is the “W”

(Box Score)

It wasn’t the least bit pretty, but the Rays pulled off the win last night in Miami, and that’s really all that matters. The Rays needed this one, as the Red Sox pulled off a come-from-behind win against the D-Backs last night.

What’s wrong with Percy? Maybe it’s nothing, but it has become a constant source of hearthburn for me that he finds a way to put the go-ahead run on base every time he pitches. Yes, he got the job done, but man was it painful. It could just be the long nature of the season - and a subsequent market-correction for his early successes - causing this little blip, and by this time next month, maybe it’ll be a long-faded memory. For now, though, I just look back at the stats and see that he’s allowed runs - and 6 walks - in each of his last 3 innings.

Longlorious: If there’s a better defensive third baseman in the game right now than Evan Longoria, I haven’t seen him. That play he made in the 9th inning, diving full-on to his left to stab a sure base-hit was one of the finest plays I’ve ever seen. And not even so much for the dive, but for the fact that he was able to react so quickly to that ball to knock it down. I’m sure the BBWAA aren’t paying attention, but if they are, they’d know that the AL Gold Glove winner should come from Tampa.

Oh yeah, he delivered a clutch 2-run double in the 9th inning after totally choking with the sacks full in the 8th inning.

Aki-see, Aki-do: There’s been some chatter about Akinori Iwamura perhaps being included on the All-Star team, and though I don’t think he belongs there, I do think he is becoming a force at the top of the lineup that opposing teams need to look out for. Tonight was a prime example of when he is at his most dangerous; he played pepper with the left-field area, roping line drive and after line drive (after home run) towards Josh Willingham, and he ended up with 3 hits out of the deal. If Aki can hit like that, it might not matter what Aybar does behind him, because there will always be someone on base for Carl and B.J. to try and knock in.

Speaking of Aybar… I think the luster is starting to come off of him a little bit. His OPS now sits at a very mediocre .729 - not what you’d like to see out of your first baseman, for sure. Carlos Pena can’t come back soon enough.

Has anyone ever heard of a timely hit? Situations like tonight - loading the bases with no one out and then getting two weak ground balls (with one on a check-swing) to the corners - will end up killing the Rays if they don’t start performing a little bit better when they arise. It didn’t end up hurting the Rays, thanks to back-to-back walks, but it very well could have. Situational hitting, my friends. We need fly balls (at the very least) in those spots.

Umpires. Who needs ‘em? I totally agree that baseball needs to look into some form of replay on home run calls, but I also think that they need to take a good, long look at their home plate umpires as well. This year I’ve seen more terrible ball-strike calls and more inconsistent umpiring than I’ve ever seen in my life. And I’m not just talking in Rays games, either. All across baseball, it’s as if the umpires are just making it up as they go along.

Tags: Marlins
Posted in Game Recap | 4 Comments »

Game #76: Rays hoping for a mid-week fish fry

If the Rays want to remain serious contenders for a playoff spot in the American League, they are going to need to start winning some games on the road. Tonight would be a great time to start, as they open up a 3-game tilt with the Marlins in South Florida. Last year, Miami was very good to the Rays, so let’s hope that this year is no different.

Plus, with 3 games at Pittsburgh to follow, it could be a good way for the Rays to pad that win total before the Red Sox come to town on Monday.

What to watch for: The Rays missed Scott Olsen on the Marlins’ jaunt through Tampa a couple of weeks ago, so they don’t have anything recent to go off of when they step in against him tonight. In general, he’s probably pitched a little worse than his ERA would lead you believe, and is the master of racking up no-decisions. He’s prone to the long-ball, so the Rays might look to play a little home run derby against him.

Scouting Report on today’s starters from MLB.com:
Andy Sonnanstine - Sonnanstine picked up his team-leading eighth win of the season Wednesday night against the Cubs, after allowing three runs on seven hits in five innings plus one batter. The right-hander is a master of deception, employing an array of pitches that he can throw from all different angles. But he is at his best when he uses his fastball to set up the other pitches. Sonnanstine will be facing the Marlins for the second time this season, as the 25-year-old picked up a win against the Fish on June 13. In that contest at Tropicana Field, Sonnanstine tossed five 1/3 innings and allowed three runs on six hits.

Scott Olsen - After coming out winless in Seattle in his last start, Olsen remains without a victory since he beat Milwaukee on May 6. Not that the lefty has pitched poorly over that stretch, but he was knocked around a bit by the Mariners. In 4 1/3 innings, he surrendered five runs (four earned) on 11 hits. The outing was his shortest in five starts. Typically, he goes at least five innings. He had a string of three consecutive six-plus innings starts snapped.

Check out the Rays’ career numbers against Scott Olsen.

View the game preview from Baseball Reference.

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

Tags: Marlins
Posted in Game Thread | 2 Comments »

No surprises here: Ben Zobrist recalled

As was widely expected, the Rays recalled Ben Zobrist to take the roster spot vacated when Justin Ruggiano was optioned back to Durham. (TBO.com)

The move is necessitated by Jason Bartlett’s child’s impending birth, which will send him away from the team for a few days. We’ve heard rumblings that Evan Longoria may see some time at short as well in the absence.

Tags: Ben Zobrist
Posted in Diaries | Comments Off

Much ado about Gomes

We all spent a good part of the afternoon debating what the Rays might be thinking in deciding to keep Jonny Gomes on the active roster by sending Justin Ruggiano down to Durham.  I wanted to use my forum here to give you my thoughts on Gomer specifically and generally what I think the Rays might do.

As it relates to Gomes specifically, I don’t want you to get me wrong. I love the guy. He plays the game hard and is an awful lot of fun to watch when he connects with one. The problem, of course, is that he goes through stretches where he looks like he’s swinging a wiffle bat at a ping-pong ball - kind of like the one he’s going through now. All we can truly judge him on is his performance - both individually and when compared to Justin Ruggiano.  He’s hitting just .241 against left-handed pitching this year (hence his .219 total), and is going 20 at bats between home runs. Neither of those are numbers that make Gomes a viable candidate for starts against his supposed “strength” against left-handed pitching. And defensively? Let’s just say there’s a reason Gomes is considered a DH.
Justin Ruggiano, on the other hand, has played well (albeit in limited at bats) against left-handed pitching, going 7-for-22. He’s also been a more than adequate outfielder, admirably filling in well at all three positions. There’s certainly no argument that he is a superb defensive player to Gomes.

Why, then, would the Rays decide to keep Gomes on the active roster and send Ruggiano back to the minors? The simplest explanation might simply be that it’s easiest move to make.  Gomes would need to pass through waivers to be sent to the minors, and the Rays might be reluctant to allow a player to go without making every effort to get something back for him.

Another more interesting theory was posed by A.J., who said:

Let’s face it, if he were to play regularly and struggle in Tampa, his value goes down the toilet. They obviously don’t want to take that chance right now. Although, I think he’s worth at least the opportunity. I do think they are planning on trading him in one of 2 deals that could occur-one for a pitcher, and one for a RF.

I’m not necessarily sure that a bad month or two in the big leagues kills Ruggiano, though. I totally agree, though, that he is included in lots of the team’s trade talks. He’s certainly talented enough to be tangled as part of a bigger package.  He wouldn’t MAKE a deal, per se, but he certainly helps to sweeten one.

Personally, I think he’ll be in the lineup most of the time versus lefties by the end of the season and Gomes won’t be around anymore. The need to put together th eest possible team for a playoff run will outweigh the Rays’ need to try to squeeze every last bit of value out of Gomes. Just my two cents, though.

Tags: Jonny Gomes
Posted in Discussion | 4 Comments »

Astros 3, RAYS 2: Bats go quiet as the Rays hit the road

(Box Score)

The Rays’ bats went ice-cold over the weekend, and today’s 3-2 loss to the Astros was simply the Zenith of that frigid play. The team somehow managed to turn 6 hits and 6 walks into just 2 runs scored, and the Astros used a timely bomb by the Carlos Lee to take this series and snap the Rays’ 9-series winning streak at home.

Kid KO’d: Scott Kazmir was pretty good again today, but his stuff definitely began to show signs of wear as this game went on. To hang a 2-2 slider like he did to Lee is an absolute killer, and - as we all know - it was the difference in the game. Still, it’s hard to be to hard on Kaz because he wasn’t awful and he’s been so darn good lately. He’s still putting up All-Star-esque numbers.

Pen Pals: I love me some Grant Balfour. Not to toot my own horn (because I would NEVER do something like that), but I was one of the people who was saying way back in Spring Training that he should be on this team. He’s doing nothing but look like a stellar big league reliever at this point. And Dan Wheeler escaped some trouble with a little help from Trever Miller.

“B” Team: Let’s be honest; this definitely wasn’t the “A” lineup out there for the Rays today. Willy Aybar batting third? That tells you all you need to know. Aybar’s been a decent backup player, but he’s by no means a #3 quality hitter. The team will have a much different dynamic to it once Carlos Pena is back.

Wrong Move: The Rays optioned Justin Ruggiano back to Durham after the game today, and I feel like this is absolutely the wrong move right now. Though I agree that Ben Zobrist needs to come back, as is widely expected to be the corresponding move, but the way Ruggiano has played - especially in comparison to Jonny Gomes - should afford him the right to stay on the roster as a reserve outfielder. He’s clearly a superior defender to Gomes (and can play center field), plus he’s hitting better than the Wookie. I know it doesn’t cost the team anything to simply option Ruggiano, whereas DFAing Gomes would, in effect, be putting him out there for anyone to simply take, but this season is virtually half-over now and the Rays are in the thick of the pennant race. The roster moves that are made should be those that give the manager the team that gives him the best chance of winning. Right now, Justin Ruggiano gives this team a better chance to win than Jonny Gomes does. It’s a shame that the Rays brass doesn’t also see it that way.

Wheels: Did you know that Jason Bartlett’s got 16 stolen bases? He’s doing his best to keep pace with B.J. Upton and Carl Crawford atop the team lead. Not bad for a guy who never gets on base.

Standings Check: AL East: 1 1/2 behind the Red Sox; Wild Card: 3 up on Oakland

Tags: Astros
Posted in Game Recap | 13 Comments »