We weren’t kidding when we said yesterday that Matt Garza needed to be brilliant with the way the Rays’ offense has been playing lately; after scoring just 1 run in 7 innings off of Roy Halladay, it looked like it would take a shutout to beat the birds. A little insurance by Evan Longoria in the 8th gave Garza all the padding he needed to earn his first career shutout.
Marvelous Matt: Can we finally put to rest this myth that Matt Garza is inconsistent? He’s allowed 3 ER or fewer in 15 of his 20 starts; by comparison, James Shields has done the same in 17 of 22 starts and no one calls him inconsistent. Does Garza have the occasional game where he gets bombed? Sure does. But most pitchers do. To call him inconsistent would be lump him in there with Andy Sonnanstine and Edwin Jackson, which couldn’t be further from the truth. At just 24 years old, he’s got the stuff and the composure to be a top-of-the-rotation starter.
That trade of Delmon Young (.724 OPS, 4 HR) is looking better and better by the month, with each time that Garza takes the hill and each time Bartlett makes a play into the hole.
At this point, I don’t think there’s any question who would start Game 3 of a playoff series should the Rays be lucky enough to get there; Matt Garza has certainly separated himself and is now one of the “Big 3″ along with Scott Kazmir and James Shields. I like our chances any time those three guys are on the hill.
What made Garza so good yesterday was his ability to get the ground ball; in all he got 15 ground ball outs compared to just 7 through the air. Couple that with 74 strikes out of 106 pitches and you’ve got yourself a winning formula.
Double Your Pleasure: Three timely double plays turned by the Rays infield helped to snuff out some Blue Jays’ chances, and also showed just how talented that Rays infield is. They are wicked good. That turn by Evan in the 7th inning was a thing of beauty.
Speaking of Evan… did you see that sick play he made behind the third base bag after that ground ball hit off of it? The Gold Glove is a rigged, bogus award, but I’ll be damned if he doesn’t deserve it.
Speaking of Evan some more… I’ve never seen a more professional 22-year-old hitter in my life. He struggled early on in the game (for instance, he couldn’t knock home C.C. in the first inning), but still had a professional at bat in the 8th when he took Halladay to the opposite field for a 2-run double. He’s always there when the Rays need a pick-me-up; let’s hope the rest of the team begins to follow suit soon.
A Little Help From Our “Friends”: And by “friends” I mean the Orioles and Angels who beat the Yankees and Red Sox, allowing the Rays to add another game to their lead.
Tags: Blue Jays
July 30th, 2008 at 8:31 am
All is good but I still say “DUMP GOMES” We need a little help to win this thing. We will know in the next 48 Hrs.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:12 am
Apparently we are deep in talks with Jason Bay from Pittsburgh. I said yesterday that I don’t think we NEED to make a deal, but would b fine if we made one. The Rays brass has already labeled Jaso, Brignac, Price, Davis, and Hellickson as ‘untouchable’. So, if we were to get Bay without giving up our top major-league ready prospects, I think it would definitely be worth it. My guess is the package is focused around Niemann and Ruggiano. That would still be a good deal for Pitt, and we’d get a somewhat reliable righty OF. Not to mention that we’d end up with the better OF from Pitt than the Yankees did with Nady. Bay would definitely give us some much needed right-handed presence in the middle of the order. Maybe the lineup would look something like this:
1. Aki 2B
2. Crawford LF
3. Longoria 3B
4. Pena 1B
5. Bay RF
6. Upton CF
7. Floyd/Hinske DH
8. Navarro C
9. Bartlett SS
That’s a pretty solid lineup if you ask me!
Now, for last night’s gem, Garza has what might be the best fastball in baseball. He throws it in the 92-95 MPH range all night, and it has some major movement and life on it. The kid is legit, and I really have to hand it to Friedman for getting such a great young pitcher and superb defensive SS for a malcontent, light-hitting OF in Delmon Young. Friedman gets Exec of the Year on that move alone. And Longoria!!! This kid can marry my wife if he wants to! I’ve never seen such a smart hitter at such a young age. He realized that Halladay stayed away from him all night, and he was smart enough to make the adjustment. Huge hit, again!!! If we make the playoffs, I really think he might win the MVP. I don’t want to put so much pressure on such a young kid, but he is certainly our MVP this year. And in a year that has only one person with ridiculous numbers, you might see Longo win it because he might lead us to the playoffs. I know Josh Hamilton’s numbers are insane, but without Longo, we might be barely sniffing .500 at this point. I’ve never been this excited for a sports team in my life!!! Let’s go Rays!!!!!