RAYS 4, A’s 0: Took me long enough to post this, eh?
By Scott Caruso | July 22nd, 2008 | Posted in Game Recap
Could I have waited any longer to put up the recap of last night’s game? Sorry about that fellas…
Kid K: There was no bigger story last night than Scott Kazmir. Sure, he walked 4 batters and worked a ton of deep counts, but he gave the Rays 7 innings of 2-hit ball. With the back-end of the bullpen that we’ve got right now, that’s all you can really ask for. There might be no bigger key to the second half of the season than Scott Kazmir, and I don’t just mean throwing shutout innings. If he can give the Rays 7 innings each time out, it saves the bullpen and keeps the best arms on the hill in the key moments of the game. If you get 7 innings out of Scott Kazmir, it’s almost always going to be a win. He’ll have about 12 more starts the rest of the season, and the Rays are hoping for a carbon-copy of last night in the rest of those starts.
Evan (Still) Almighty: You might disagree, but I don’t think there’s any question who the star of this team is now. Yeah, he still strikes out a ton (on pace for about 150 of them), but when the Rays need big hits, who has been the one to deliver them this year? Not Carlos Pena. Not B.J. Upton. It’s been Evan Almighty. No player has been more important to the offense this year. 30 home runs is not just a possibility now; it’s a very real likelihood. If anyone still wants to tell you that Jacoby Ellsbury should be the Rookie of the Year, you have my permission to smack them.
Gettin’ On: When your top two hitters got 4-for-7 and are on-base a combined total of 7 times, you like your chances to win a ballgame. Akinori Iwamura and B.J. Upton form a dynamic duo atop the lineup, and one that I hope Joe Maddon sticks with for the time being. Now if we can just get Crawford out of the 3-hole until he starts hitting…
Walk This Way: Patience is a virtue, especially in baseball, and if the Rays are going to be walking 8 times a game, they’re going to score some runs. Unfortunately…
Big Hits? The big hits were few and far between, as the team continues to leave a lot of runners on base. 13 left on last night, to be exact. They got the win, which matters most, but you’d really like to see them convert some of those extraneous runners into ticks on the scoreboard.
Honeymoon Over? Big hits aside, Ben Zobrist hasn’t exactly been lighting the world on fire. Capable back-up? Certainly. Everyday solution? Probably not. Hopefully Jason Bartlett’s ready to come back soon so we can get back to some normalcy in the lineup.
Jonny Gomes Watch: Gomer did his part to try to stay on the roster last night, singling and drawing a walk (without a strikeout!). If he can hit lefties, he will continue to be an important player for this team. If he can’t, then he’ll be gone before the end of the season. He’ll get two more chances here to prove himself.
Are You Taking It For Granted? 98 games into the season, and the Rays are still in first place. Don’t forget how bad things were last summer and make sure to enjoy this run the team is on right now.
Tags: A's
July 22nd, 2008 at 1:24 pm
I am ready for what could be my final proposal for trades this July. With Evan being on absolute fire, we don’t need the high-power bat as much necessarily for the long-run. I am content with setting our sights on Casey Blake to be the righty RF bat, and he can spell Evan at 3B every now and again. Blake is already used to a platoon role, and is a steady performer. He’s not as streaky as some guys are out there. So, I like the idea of sending over Jason Hammel and Wade Townsend to the Tribe for Blake. Townsend has been a disappointment in our system, and maybe he’d be better off with a change of scenery. We could sweeten the pot, and offer Ruggiano instead of Townsend. I’d only do that if we were willing to give Blake an extension. Anyhow, we get a RF platoon player who does awfully well against lefties (.916 OPS), and can play against righties when needed without hurting the team (.803 OPS). Gomes is done, and we all know it. No need to beat a dead horse.
The other trade I would like us to look into is Arthur Rhodes from Seattle. He wouldn’t cost us a lot in a trade either. Maybe just someone like Brian Henderson (Montgomery LHP reliever) could bring him in. Rhodes has playoff experience, and has been throwing the ball well all year.
The great things about these trades are that we get what we need, and don’t give up a ton on young talent in the process. Blake is a FA after this year, but could sign an extension with us and fit right in for a couple more years. He’s always been a steady performer on the field, and has no problem playing a few different positions. Rhodes would also be a FA, I believe, and gives us another lefty to rely on for the playoff run. What do you guys think?
July 22nd, 2008 at 1:31 pm
A side note on Casey Blake- He’s batting .403 with RISP this year. Not too bad at all. Might have to definitely give up Ruggiano for him, in that chase.
July 22nd, 2008 at 5:09 pm
I am liking Nady and…what about Matt Joyce of the Motown Tiggers? Good young player who has always been athletic in the field and has a good bat. Tigs need bullpen help….Hammell, Ruggiano and a player to be named later?
July 22nd, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Joyce has a bright future, but he’s a lefty hitter, and we have plenty of those. I don’t think we match up with the Tigers unless they want to part with Sheffield and take a little bit off his contract. Nady would be great, but the Pirates want an arm and a leg for him, and I don’t think he’s worth giving up what they want from us. Blake is really more reliable anyways, if you look at career numbers. Blake is very steady in his numbers, while Nady tends to tire out at the end of every year he’s played. Also, Blake has postseason experience, which can definitely come in handy.