Evan Longoria ripped the very first pitch from Vazquez and launched the fast ball. First ever postseason at bat? No sweat for Evan Almighty. Navarro hustled for a double but Gabe Gross stuck out to end the 2nd. Longoria’s home run gave the Rays the all important early lead. Aybar coming in for Pena is cause for worry but we can always hope that Carlos Pena is okay for game 2. Wise gets a three run bomb so the White Sox took the lead 3 - 1 in the Top of the 3rd. The Rays escape the top of the 3rd with only 3 runs damage. It could have been worse.  Bottom 3rd. Bartlett gets on board with a single. Iwamura blasts the ball to straightaway center. Bartlett scores and Iwamura gets to third after Uribe drops a well thrown ball by Griffey. 3 - 2 Rays cut the lead to one. Aybar gets a good fly ball that lets Iwamura score tying the game. Longoira then launches ANOTHER home run that is the go ahead RBI. Rays lead the WhiteSox 4 - 3.  The Rays get a good chance to add a run with Gross’s base stealing but the Rays leave him stranded to end the 4th. Bottom 5th Iwamura, already having a great day, gets a leadoff base hit. Upton gets a grounder to go to first after Ramirez can’t get a DP but the White Sox retire Iwamura. Aybar gets a single, Longoira gets single allowing Upton to score and make it a two run Rays lead. Vazquez gets yanked but Richard doesn’t fare much better. Crawford scores Aybar with a single to get the Rays a three run lead. That’s all the damage the Rays can do and now it is a 6 - 3 Rays game.  Konerko gets a Home Run in the 9th but the Rays escape and take game one of the ALDS and now lead 1 - 0 going into tonight’s 6pm game 2.

Ben Zobrist got things going for the Rays with a 1^st inning solo home run blast to get the Rays out to an early 1 – 0 lead. Detroit answered in kind with a solo home run blast of their own and just like that it was 1 all. Kazmir then helped the Tigers get things going with a walk but the Rays defense saved the day with a double play. While the Rays didn’t score again until seventh, the Tigers scored one RBI in the 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th innings. The Tigers lead 4 – 1. Santiago of the Tigers seemed to really have Kazmir’s number, knocking in solo dingers in the first and in the third. Evan Longoria helped with another home run to cut the lead deficit 4 – 2. Detroit then had a 3 run 7^th and the score was 7 to 2. The Rays scored three more in the 8th that AGAIN to Ben Zobrist’s 3 run homer and the score was now 7 to 5 but that’s all the offense that the Rays could muster.

Scott Kazmir had been relieved after 5 innings, and was replaced by Jason Hammel. Scott Kazmir had a rough day again, 5 IP, 6 Hits, 4 Runs (all Earned 4 HOME runs), 2 Walks but on the good side Kaz did have 8 strikeouts. Hammel also gave up 2 earned runs, Bradford gave up another earned run but Troy “Cardiac” Percival only gave up one walk. The Bullpen looked tired (as did the entire Rays team from their road trip) and didn’t strikeout a single batter.

The Rays bats did fairly well behind Ben Zobrist’s 4 RBI day but couldn’t keep pace with the Tigers, Every time the Rays got close, the Tigers tacked on runs. When it comes down to it, the Rays do their best when pitching keeps the score low and the Rays only need one or two runs to take care of business. The champagne will have to be on ice yet again today, hopefully Andrew Sonnastine will pitch like he did both times he opposed Josh Beckett. The Red Sox won their game yesterday, which means the Rays magic number still remains at one.

Personally, though I did want the Rays to clinch the East yesterday (it was my birthday) I’m glad that they didn’t win it because another team lost it.

Here are the MLB.com Pitching Previews:

Pitching matchup
DET: RHP Justin Verlander (10-17, 4.87 ERA)
Verlander said after his last start that he had some of the best stuff he has had at this late stage of a season. The results haven’t caught up. Saturday’s loss at Cleveland, where he gave up four runs on five hits and four walks in four innings, was his fourth straight defeat since his last victory Aug. 22 at Kansas City. He moved into the Major League lead in losses by himself with the highest single-season total by a Tigers pitcher since the infamous 43-119 season of 2003. Much of those struggles, however, have been against AL Central teams, and he has a chance to close out on a high note in his first start against the Rays since Aug. 6, 2006.

TB: RHP Andy Sonnanstine (13-8, 4.27 ERA)
Sonnanstine is coming off Sunday afternoon’s loss in which the right-hander allowed four runs (two earned) in 6 2/3 innings. The 4-1 loss to Minnesota came just a night removed from the Rays’ playoff-clinching win and Sonnanstine was the hard-luck pitcher in the flat game. The right-hander fanned four and walked two in the performance, but remains winless since Aug. 18. He will be facing Detroit for the second time this season, winning Aug. 2, when he tossed six innings of two-run baseball.

Looks like the Rays will have to face Ramon Santiago again today (bet Kaz loved hearing Santiago’s name called over the PA when he was pitching yesterday…) according to MLB.com Tidbits’s

Tidbits
Ramon Santiago is expected to get another start at shortstop on Friday in place of Edgar Renteria, who missed Thursday’s game with a strained left pectoral muscle. Renteria was examined by the team’s medical staff after complaining of chest pains, but there was nothing serious. … Placido Polanco is expected to be back in the lineup after he was rested on Thursday with back soreness. … The Tigers will have their annual team photo taken on Friday. Owner Mike Ilitch is expected to appear at Comerica Park to take part in the photo.

Opening salvos actually had the Rays answering the Twins 3 run first with 5 runs of their own. Evan Longoria and Dioner Navarro had homers for the Rays in the first along with a double from Gross. The Twins then cut the Rays lead to one in the 3^rd. Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria had homers to extend the Rays lead 7 – 4. Twins answered yet again with a 2 run 7^th cutting the Rays lead to 7 – 6. Evan Longoria then homered in the 7^th to make it 8 to 6. The Twins then had their amazing rally that saw a 5 run 9^th (Delmon Young contributed with a single.) Willie Aybar pinched hit for Jason Bartlett and struck out looking. Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria both grounded out to end the game.

The Good To Take Away: Even though the Rays have lost 8 of their last 13 games the Rays offense has been better then usual. The Rays had 5 runs in the Monday loss, 2 runs in the Tuesday win (that’s all they needed thanks to Sonnastine’s pitching effort and the bullpen relief), 10 runs in the Wednesday win and 8 Runs in tonight’s loss. No one could have foreseen the Twins 9^th tonight. That’s at least 3 out of 4 nights with 5 runs or above. Also, Evan Longoria became the 3^rd youngest third baseman to hit three homers in a single game in the expansion era (1961)

It’s anyone’s guess as to how the next two games will go with Jackson getting the nod tomorrow and then Kazmir gets a chance Saturday night to erase Monday from all our minds.

The magic number is still at ten. The Rays lost a half a game as Boston was off tonight.

(Box Score)

After three games away from the Trop, the Rays came home and did something they’re not used to doing: they lost. But, considering the relative success the Rays have had against Doc Halladay in the past, it was only a matter of time before he finally stymied their bats.

Ouch:  Dioner Navarro left the game in the 6th inning thanks to cramping in both hamstrings. It’s uncertain whether he will play tonight or not.

On the one hand, it’s a big loss for the Rays as the pudgy catcher has been a big part of the offense and defense this season, but on the other hand, Navi could probably use a few days off. Let’s hope it’s not too serious.

What happened to James Shields? It’s been a while since we’ve seen a vintage Shields performance, hasn’t it? He was very mediocre again last night; 9 hits and 4 runs later, Shields left trailing another game. He’s got one month to get it straightened back out and become a stopper yet again for down the stretch and in the playoffs.

The Whiff: So, B.J. Upton struck out another 3 times in a game. That’s getting kind of old, isn’t it?

Standings Check: After the Red Sox beat the Yankees last night, Boston is just 3 1/2 games behind the Rays.

(Box Score)

The offense was plentiful and the pitching good enough as the Rays went into U.S. Cellular Field last night and left with the best record in the American League. Tampa Bay scored 6 runs off of the Chicago bullpen over the final 2 2/3 innings to put this game out of reach, as the power was provided by Carlos Pena, Rocco Baldelli, and Ben Zobrist.

Rocco’s Modern Life: Since his return from the DL, Rocco Baldelli is hitting .300 / .364 / .450. A small sample-size, for sure, but still the kind of numbers you like to see. If he can keep that up, he gives the Rays a good amount of juice in the middle of the order against left-handed pitching.

Bringing the Pena: Carlos has been a house on fire since the All-Star Break, and he clubbed his 26th home run of the season last night just for good measure. Isn’t it amazing that, despite the “disappointing” season he’s put together, he’s still going to hit somewhere between 30 and 35 home runs? You can’t ask for much more from any player.

Edwin works his magic again: Again, Edwin wasn’t great by any means, but he was good enough to get the Rays through 6 innings of 2-run ball. How does he do it? Maybe it’s voodoo magic. I’m not entirely sure.

Grant Balfour… is a beast. What a job coming in when he did to get the two big strikeouts with the tying and go-ahead runs on.

When Jason Hammel throws strikes… he gets guys out. Another scoreless inning in which he threw 11 of 14 pitches for strikes.

(Box Score)

You’ve always heard about that implausible Hollywood script that gets rejected because even it is too unbelievable for the land of make-believe?

Welcome to the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays. Despite the lowest payroll in the AL East, a manager who manny dismissed as just “a portly little man with funny glasses,” and a bullpen pieced together from other teams’ cast-offs, has-beens, and never-weres, the Rays keep on inventing new ways to win, and with each passing day find themselves closer and closer to clinching a playoff spot.

Big D: B.J. Upton had not one but two key defensive plays in the 2nd inning last night that might’ve completely changed the complexion of the game. James Shields was struggling through the first couple of innings, and Torii Hunter ripped a line drive to the left-centerfield gap. B.J. sprinted over and cut the all off, firing a strike to Aki at second to hold Hunter and second. Then, a few batters later, B.J. threw an absolute strike to home plate on a base-hit up the middle to cut Hunter down at the plate.

When B.J. first picked up the ball, I didn’t think he had any chance at all to get Hunter and started cursing him for not hitting the cut-off man. Then, the ball is in Navarro’s glove and his swiping Torii for the out. I can’t even begin to describe how great that throw was. One of the finest from center field I’ve ever seen.

Fired Up: Papa Joe got himself ejected - and rightfully so - when B.J. was the center of “controversy” after being tagged “out” after he ran through first base. Apparently, the umpire thought that Upton had turned to run towards second base, which he absolutely did not do, and when he was tagged, the umpire called him out.

Perhaps the worst call I’ve ever seen in my life, and certainly a built-in excuse for the Rays had they lost the game. Good thing this team doesn’t believe in excuses.

Big Willy Style: That’s twice in the past week that Willy Aybar has come up with the big hit in the late innings. I don’t know where he’s going to play when Evan Longoria comes back, but you’ve gotta think that Maddon is going to find a way to get him into the lineup, right?

Settling Down: After two very wobbly innings, James Shields really settled down and gave the Rays (and the bullpen) exactly what it needed with 8 innings of great baseball. Lesser pitchers probably melt-down after getting banged around the park like he did in the first two innings

Another Sweep? Could the Rays really pull off ANOTHER sweep against one of the top-dogs of the American League? Just one more game and that’s exactly what they’ll do.

Now if only the Orioles could beat the Red Sox….

(Box Score)

Eric Hinske and Cliff Floyd provided the pop as the Rays got this 6-game stretch against fellow division-leaders off on the right foot with a 6-4 win last night. Like many of the wins that came before it, it wasn’t the prettiest one I’ve ever seen, but a win is a win. Come October, no one is going to care HOW the Rays get it done, so long as they actually get it done.

Patchwork: Any time you have Jason Hammel pitching the 8th inning of a 1-run game, you worry, but that’s exactly what happened last night as Joe Maddon mixed-and-matched his way through another night of 6 pitchers. It was predicated by Grant Balfour being a little ineffective again, which led to Chad Bradford and Trever Miller being used to retire one batter each. Like I said before, though, all that matters is the “W.”

Heating up at the right time: Cornelius Clifford Floyd is getting hot just at the right time for the Rays, going 2-for-3 with that home run I mentioned earlier. Talk about stepping up and stepping in when the Rays needed him most. I was very critical of Floyd in the past because of what I perceived were diminished skills, but I stand corrected. He has become a force in the middle of the lineup that will only make everyone else around him better when Longoria returns.

Willy Aybar, too: To say that Aybar is filling in admirably for Evan Longoria would be the understatement of the day.

Big Hinske: When the season comes to a close, Eric Hinske’s overall numbers aren’t going to blow you away. It’ll look like he had a decent but unspectacular seaso. But to the Rays fan who has watched most of the games and seen the team evolve from Spring Training to today, there’s no doubting the impact that Hinske has had on this team. He has played a variety of different positions and provided pop in the lower half of the order that otherwise wouldn’t be there. Remember - this is a guy who many of us weren’t even sure would make the team until very close to the end of Spring Training. Shows what we know.

Don’t look now…  but Jason Bartlett’s OBP is slowly starting to creep up.

B.J. Upton… (EDITOR’S NOTE: This section of the post has been removed, for fear that the author might say something that he won’t be able to take back.)

IT’S COMING RIGHT FER US!!! As you probably know, I don’t live in Tampa but rather much closer to Orlando. Right now, I’m pretty much right in Tropical Storm Fay’s path. Though I don’t expect to lose power or anything, there’s always that chance. So, if you don’t see me for a while, that’s why.

(Box Score)

Unfortunately, my cable was out last night so I couldn’t watch the game so you don’t get a full recap. Here’s what I know…

• Joe Maddon has balls of steel for intentionally walking Josh Hamilton with the bases loaded.
• By the sound of it, Maddon over-managed with the bullpen a bit
• B.J. Upton’s motivated for now
• Carlos Pena is a legit baller again
• Scott Kazmir was still a bit wild, but did manage to go 6 innings (on 115 pitches)

(Box Score)

I’ll get to B.J. Upton at the end of this, but there’s no way to overstate this: Matt Garza was a BEAST last night. If Rays pitchers keep dealing like that, missing Longoria and Crawford won’t be such a big deal after all.

The Garzinator: You’ve heard of no-hit stuff before? Well, Garza clearly had no-hit stuff last night. A mis-play by Justin Ruggiano (which, by the way, should’ve been an error) cost him the no-no in the 6th, but rather than implode because of his anger like the old Matt Garza would have, he buckled down and allowed just 1 more hit the rest of the way in throwing the 2-hit shutout.

He also walked just 2 and struck out 9 in the effort, throwing 119 pitches (78 strikes). It’s performances like this that are going to make guys like Rick Sutcliffe (of, “I still the Red Sox are going to win the division” fame) eat their words.

His performance was also EXACTLY what the bullpen needed. Joe Maddon used 8 different pitchers in Thursday’s game, so to say that the arms could’ve used a day off was an understatement. Juan Salas was available, but you know that Maddon would’ve preferred to avoid using anyone else down there.

This isn’t the first time Garza’s looked this dominant, either. At 24 years old, he’s got the potential to remain near the top of this rotation to years to come. And despite what people were saying about his inconsistency earlier in the year (more myth than truth, in my opinion), he has become perhaps the MOST consistently good starter of the past couple of months.

Road Warriors: Remember when people were saying the Rays couldn’t win on the road? They are now 6-2 on this tough Western Division road trip and guaranteed to finish it with a winning record. One more win either Saturday and Sunday ensures that this is quite possibly the best road trip in team history (not necessarily record-wise, but in terms of what it means to the franchise).

Lucky 13: 13 hits by the Rays’ offense is considered a “break-out” based on recent performance, and it was really a total team effort. Only Justin Ruggiano, who had just a single at-bat, failed to reach base.

Power Surge: The team hit 4 home runs yesterday - Willy Aybar, Carlos Pena, Eric Hinske, and Gabe Gross - and if the power is going to be turned on like that, the Rays are going to win lots of games. The recent emergence of Carlos Pena has been the biggest key to this offense; his batting average likely won’t get back up to last year’s levels before the season’s over (nor will his home run total), but everyone has seen just how important he’s been to this offense in recent weeks. Perhaps rumors of his demise were a bit premature, and more related to some underlying slump of physical problem that we weren’t aware of.

Whatever the case, he will be an incredibly important player come playoff time.

I’m Going to Be a Buzzkill: There’s only one thing I didn’t like about last night’s game - WAY too many taken third strikes. It’s becoming a running theme with this team; I’m not sure if they’ve been instructed by the coaching staff to take pitches that are close to the edges in hopes of getting a favorable call on those they don’t think they can hit, but it certainly seems like its a team-wide thing rather than restricted to individual players.

Now will you admit there’s a problem? There’s still plenty of B.J. Upton apologists out there who think that what Joe Maddon did last night by pulling Upton was wrong. That’s fine; you’re entitled to your opinion.

I’m going to keep this short and sweet, though: Upton has been told before - both in a big team meeting and individually when he was benched the first time - that maximum effort and running hard are what is expected of him. I don’t think any one of us will argue with that. Whether you agree or disagree with the theory behind it, there’s no argument that this is what B.J. Upton has been told and based on comments he made after the first benching, he understood this.

Maddon is Upton’s manager. Like an employee in any job, Upton should be expected to listen to what his manager wants, whether he agrees with it or not. And, like an employee in any job, if he’s going to be subordinate there should be consequences. In this case, it seems the consequences were the embarassment of being pulled from the field, sitting out agan Saturday, and any other punishment Maddon deems fit.

This is not a commentary on Upton’s ability or his attitude; it’s not a commentary on whether Maddon is right or wrong on the kind of effort he expects from everyone. It’s simply the way things are; if you disrespect your manager, you should expect to face consequences, plain and simple. Even the Upton apologists can’t argue with that (but I’m sure they’ll find a way to try).

If you care about my opinion on the matter - I completely support Maddon on this one. Even if it’s just “false hustle,” I’m a guy who believes in it. You never know when a shortstop might kick one or a first baseman might drop one, and you never want to be called out on a play you could clearly be safe on. Plus, I think it inspires ballplayers to take more ownership of their performance. Upton’s “loafing” (for lack of a better term) has certainly become an issue - whether big or small - for this team, or else Maddon would’ve done nothing about it.

I agree when the apologists say that Upton running hard on ground balls isn’t going to make him hit more home runs; it’s true, it won’t. But that shouldn’t matter. Upton has not been the same offensive player this year as he was last year, plain and simple. Whether he’s acting out of frustration we’ll never know, but Maddon was absolutely right for doing something about it last night.

(Box Score)

If you believe what you hear and read on the Everything Sox and Yankees Network, the Rays have “never been there before” and most of their “analysts” still think that when the team faces real adversity, they are going to fold under the pressure and the Red Sox will take their rightful spot upon the throne in the AL East without much of a challenge from the “upstart and overperforming” Rays.

Well, then, what about yesterday? A sub-par performance by the team’s #2 starter. An injury to the team’s closer. A blown save in the 9th inning. 2 on and no out in the bottom of the 10th inning. 11 total strikeouts and 10 men left on base. If this team “had never been there before’ and “couldn’t win the big games,” don’t you think they would’ve lost yesterday?

All of the Red Sox fans and ESPN analysts who have dismissed this team as nothing more than a passing fancy for the entire season should stop and listen carefully: We’re not going anywhere. Take away Carl Crawford and take away Evan Longoria and what happens? We’ll just keep on rolling. Take away out closer and what happens? We’ll just keep on rolling. Give us a pair of starters at the top of the rotation who’ve been underperforming lately and what happens? We’ll just keep on rolling. Do you get the picture yet?

Don’t get me wrong; I don’t underestimate the Red Sox one bit. They certainly could make a run here in the final 40 games of the season and win the division, but it’s getting too late to simply dismiss the Rays as many commentators continue to do. If they can keep winning (and scoring a few runs) against a good staff like the A’s even without 2 of their 3 best offensive players, don’t you think it’s time to give a little more respect?

The 1998 through 2007 Tampa Bay Devil Rays probably lose yesterday’s game. The 2008 Tampa Bay Rays win it.

What’s up with James? I don’t think James Shields was actually as bad as his final line showed yesterday. The 5 walks look ugly, but the home plate umpire wasn’t doing him any favors. I’m pretty sure at least 2 of those “walks” came after a called strike 3 should have been called. But what are you going to do? You’ve gotta take the good with the bad. It’s been a while since he’s looked like last year’s James Shields, though, that’s for sure.

If Percy’s Done, Then What? The Rays have a few options if Troy Percival is out for any length of time. I think the easiest move would be to promote Juan Salas and see what he can do; he’s been dominating at Durham and is probably most deserving of a shot. Scott Dohmann has also been doing quite well down there, but haven’t we already tried that this year?

I suppose the Rays could also hang onto Al Reyes and re-assign him to the big league club. I think I’d like to take my chances on Juan Salas, though. Reyes hasn’t looked like the same pitcher to me this season, so maybe it’s time to give someone else a whirl.

The B.J. Paradox: The thing about B.J. Upton is that you can’t say anything about him without one subset of fans being upset. If you criticize his play on the field, there’s one group willing to cram stats that you’ve never heard of before down your throat. If you praise him for doing something well, there’s a group of fans that are quick to remind you how lazy he is and how he doesn’t seem to have any kind of baseball smarts. You can’t win!

Yesterday was a microcosm of what makes B.J. both so frustrating and so great as a player. On the great side - he delivered a clutch double late in the game and a rope of a single in the first inning. On the other side, he made an absolutely bonehead play around second base (don’t they teach you in LITTLE LEAGUE that you need to retouch the bases?), struck out on ANOTHER crap fastball right down the middle, and even got Dewayne Staats and Brian Anderson talking ill of him when he didn’t even move in the batter’s box on a bunt attempt down the third base line. The ball nearly rolled back fair, and B.J. would’ve been out by 75 feet because he didn’t even start to run out of the batter’s box.

And such is the B.J. Upton paradox. On the one hand, he’s an immensely talented player with a boatload of ability. On the other hand, there doesn’t seem to be a player who cares less or puts in less effort than B.J. You can argue all you want about how a guy that tall with such long legs is actually running harder than it looks (yes, I’ve seen that argued before), but it only takes two eyes to see what we’ve all seen all year. To mindlessly quote stats without their context, I think, is insane. Has B.J. done a lot of good things to help this team win? Absolutely. You just can’t help but think he’s not always all there. Plus, it seems to me like Joe Maddon is starting to tire of his act, as well. Have you seen him in the dugout when B.J. pulls a B.J. move?

Cliff Floyd… must read the blog, because he was running the bases like a man possessed yesterday. I think his knees deserve the night off tonight.

Standings Check: The Red Sox won last night, so the Rays maintain a 3-game lead in the division (4 on the loss side).