Rays of Light

[Grapefruit League] RAYS 5, Yankees 0

The headline: Hey, I actually got to watch a game!

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
NY Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	6	3
Tampa Bay	0	0	1	2	0	0	1	1	X		5	9	0

My ability… to watch a game has been severely limited this Spring, but today I actually got to watch one, so I was actually quite happy.

King David Reigns: He might have been facing a lineup that was the “Yankees” in name only, but David Price was damned impressive in working through 4 innings of 3-hit ball. He had his problems (2 walks), but he stuck to his gameplan and rolled through the “Yankee” lineup with relative ease. You can bet he’s not going to give up on the 5th starter spot without a fight.

Matt Joyce sighting: Matt Joyce finally got a chance to get into a real game, and he nearly turned the first pitch he saw into a grand slam off of Kei Igawa. He came up just short as the ball was caught at the track, but the fact that he was able to display some raw power – off a left-handed pitcher, no less – was nothing short of impressive. His next time up, he also just missed a home run, pulling one just a few feet foul before striking out.

Runnin’ Wild: The Rays attempted 6 (SIX!) stolen bases today, converting on 5 of them. Even Carlos Pena got into the act. I wonder why the Rays felt the need to pick on Kevin Cash like that?

Patience, Young Padawan: 9 walks. Gotta love that kind of patience, even in a Spring Training game.

I still don’t like… Kevin Kennedy. I wasn’t a fan when he was hired to do color commentary. I’m still not a fan. I’ll need to get used to him.

Pen Pals: Brian Shouse, Troy Percival, Jason Isringhausen, Dan Wheeler, and Grant Balfour worked through 5 innings of scoreless ball, with only Wheeler really breaking any kind of sweat.

Speaking of Izzy: One of the great unanswered questions so far is what, exactly, is going to happen to him after Spring Training. There REALLY doesn’t seem to be a spot on the 25-man for him at the moment. Who would the Rays dump in order to keep him?

Tags: Yankees
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[Grapefruit League] RAYS 7, Reds 3

The headline: Cajun cooking tastes good to Rays

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Cincinnati	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		3	6	3
Tampa Bay	0	0	0	0	7	0	0	0	X		7	12	0

Gettin’ Briggy With It: Horrible pun aside, Reid Brignac had perhaps his only highlight of the spring when he clubbed a 3-run home run as a pinch-hitter as part of a 7-run 5th inning for the Rays. You might be shocked to know that it was actually his 3rd homer of the Grapefruit League, as he’s begun to finally hit the ball a little bit of late. Is it enough to get him on the roster? Absolutely not. But at least he’s showing some pop and an ability to handle some big league-level pitching.

Hammel Toe: Every time I write something good about Jason Hammel he goes out and pitches a dud, and today was no different, giving up 3 runs in less than 5 innings of work, and never looking comfortable in the process.

The rest of the pitchers, though… looked fantastic. Joe Nelson, Troy Percival, Dan Wheeler, Grant Balfour, and Lance Cormier combined to throw 5 innings of 1-hit, 0-run, 0-walk baseball. The Rays are going to live and die by their bullpen, so today was a good sign for all involved.

I think he’s over it: Willy Aybar went 3-for-3 today. I’m pretty sure he’s over that error that cost the Dominican Republic a berth in the second round of the World Baseball Classic. Either that or he’s got a very unique way of grieving.

Meanwhile… Morgan Ensberg is not doing himself any favors. His 0-for-3 today drops his spring tally to .143. If he was hoping to latch on as a right-handed bat and utility player, he’s got a very funny way of showing it.

I’m not even joking… I read in the comments on one of the newspaper blogs – I think it was The Heater – that someone thinks the Rays should CUT Gabe Gross and keep Ray Sadler on the team. I am not making this up.

Only 19 more days to go… (Ugh… there’s still 19 more days?!)

Tags: reds
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[Grapefruit League] RAYS 3, Reds 1

The headline: Is Spring Training over yet?

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Tampa Bay	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0		3	5	0
Cincinnati	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		1	6	1

WP: Scott Kazmir (1-0)

LP: Bronson Arroyo (0-1)

SV: Wade Davis (1)

Reason #67 to hate Spring Training: Scott Kazmir was forced to bat once during the game. I don’t care if he was given the directive to just stand there and let the pitches by; that’s not the point. The fact that Kazmir was anywhere close to the batter’s box in a meaningless game is ridiculous. MLB really needs to examine these rules to allow AL teams to use the DH no matter what during Spring Training games.

Speaking of Kaz: Oh yeah, he pitched today, too. 4 innings of solid ball, allowing 5 hits and striking out 3 with – most importantly – no walks. All reports are that he looked pretty good out there, and he says that he felt good, too. I’ll take it!

Welcome back, Willy: Willy Aybar’s first home run of the Spring in the 4th inning didn’t change the game, but I’m just happy to see him back and swinging the bat for the club. He’s played a couple of games at second base, which seems to be the position du jour while Aki is away with Team Japan.

Carlos Pena… already has 3 doubles and he’s only played like 4 or 5 times. I can’t complain about that.

Pat Burrell… played more outfield during today’s game than he might play all season long. (I kid, of course, as we know he’ll play a handful of games to spell C.C., but it’s still funny to make the joke.)

Are you concerned? The Rays haven’t really been hitting the ball all that well. It is, however, the part of Spring Training where everyone is ready for it to end. Does it worry you at all?

Tags: reds
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[Grapefruit League] Jays 3, RAYS 1

The headline: Durham Bu… err… Tampa Bay Rays struggle to score

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Tampa Bay	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0		1	8	0
Toronto	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	X		3	7	0

It really was Durham: You think I’m kidding? Just take a look at the box score. I dare you.

But, hey, at least Hector Luna got an at-bat. I was worried he wouldn’t see any good time on the field.

Hammel-time: 3 innings, 2 hits, 1 walk. I’ll take it. Other than one really rough outing, he’s not doing anything to pitch himself off of the roster.

Versatility: Notable from today’s box score was that Adam Kennedy played third base while Reid Brignac played second. Both players are trying to showcase an ability to play other positions and increase their stock heading into the season. If the Rays are going to keep Adam Kennedy on the roster, he’s going to need to prove he can play something other than second base.

Sorry… that’s all for tonight. There’s not much I can write about a lineup and a game like this one.

Tags: Blue Jays
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[Grapefruit League] RAYS 3, Phillies 2

The headline: James Shields is ready

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Philadelphia	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1		2	3	0
Tampa Bay	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	X		3	10	0

James Shields was money for 4 innings, Troy Percival had an incident-free first outing, and the Rays hung onto a 3-2 win in more Grapefruit League action.

(Not-so) Big Game James: Okay, so maybe this wasn’t a mid-September game against the Red Sox with the Rays clinging to a 1-game lead in the division, but Shields still looked fantastic on the hill by all accounts. 4 innings of 1-hit, 1-walk, 3-strikeout ball is nothing but vintage James. Thanks to an outfield assist and a double-play, Shields faced the minimum 12 batters in the outing. Think he’s ready for that Opening Day assignment in Boston?

Percy of Troy: A non-descript inning of work in the middle of a Grapefruit League game may not seem like much, but that Troy Percival made it through without any problems is a huge step in his return from back surgery. I’ll let the man tell it to you in his own words.

“Absolutely, I threw strikes and I accomplished everything I wanted to do,” Percival said. “Four offspeed pitches and five fastballs, and I hit my spots with them.”

“But I was actually forcing myself to mentally throttle back and throw my pitches, but I did let a couple go,” Percival said. “So next time, maybe I’ll try and do a little more.”

If he’s truly healthy – and doesn’t try to play hero and pitch through copious amounts of pain – he could still be a very effective relief pitcher.

All-Gabe-All-The-Time: Gabe Kapler went 2-for-3 with a home run (raising his average to a WHOPPING .143… gotta love small sample-sizes), while Gabe Gross contributed a hit and threw out Miguel Cairo trying to turn a single into a double. Somehwat notable is that Kapler started the game in center field, which is where he is likely to start the year if B.J. doesn’t give it a go in the Fenway cold that first week of the season.

Ugly: You never want to read too much into one performance, but Grant Balfour walking 3 batters in less than an inning of work couldn’t have sat well with the brass. It’s Spring Training, dude! Just lay it in t here if you have to!

Unsolicited commentary: After 2 weeks or so, I always start to get frustrated with Spring Training. I just want it to be over! It’s already getting hard for me to write about these games knowing that many of these players are just going through the motions and just biding time until the regular season. I’m ready for it to start, too…

Tags: phillies
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[Grapefruit League] RAYS 11, Blue Jays 4

The Headline: Pat the Bat slams the Jays

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Toronto	3	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0		4	7	3
Tampa Bay	2	0	0	0	5	3	1	0	X		11	9	1

(Just an aside… these games are REALLY hard to recap when you don’t get a chance to watch or listen to any of them.)

Pat the Bat: Burrell had himself a fun day at the dish, hitting a grand slam in his lone at-bat (he also walked twice in his other plate appearances). It was the key knock in a 5-run 5th inning that gaves the Rays a lead they would not give up. Then, in typical spring training fashion, he was replaced by some guy named Craig Albernaz who I am pretty sure I’ve never heard of before.

Dubious Debut: Results don’t really count for much when you’ve got yourself a roster spot locked up. They especially don’t count for much when it’s your first outing of the spring. Good thing for Matt Garza that both of those things applied to him. 3 runs allowed on 3 hits in 2 innings (all 3 were in the first). Whatever. At least his arm didn’t fall off.

King David returns to the throne: Some other guy you might’ve heard of – David Price - pitched a solid 2 innings of 3 strikeout ball against what amounts to the Syracuse Chiefs. Should give him a good tune-up for when he starts the year in AAA.

Other guys who saw work: Lance Cormier, Brian Shouse, Andy Sonnanstine, and Mitch Talbot also got in on the fun today. (No, I don’t really count Julio de Paula).

Ouch: Fernando Perez lasted less than half an inning after he hurt his arm diving for a ball in the top of the first. The word is that he’s going to be out for at least a week. It’s feared, though, that he could be down for much, much longer.

Up Next: The Rays get to take Wednesday off before taking on the Phitin’ Phils on Thursday.

Tags: Blue Jays
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[Not-So-Grapefruit League] Los Boriquas 2, RAYS 1

The Headline: The game that didn’t count amongst all the others that also don’t count?

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Puerto Rico	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0		2	9	1
Tampa Bay	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0		1	6	0

Arms Race: Well, you can say one thing about the Rays so far this Spring – the starting pitchers have come to camp ready to work. Mitch Talbot was the latest in the line of Rays pitchers hoping for a spot on the Opening Day roster who put together a nice performance. Even more impressive was that it came against a very veteran-laden Puerto Rico lineup. He went 4 innings, allowing 5 hits and just 1 run with – most importantly – no walks. In fact, that’s been the secret of the success of these Rays pitchers so far this Spring; none of the important ones are walking any batters. His one run came on an infield single after nearly escaping a runner-on-3rd, no out situation  in the second.

Speaking of that Puerto Rico lineup, who thought you’d ever see Bernie Williams playing baseball against Major Leaguers ever again?

Utility Watch: Adam Kennedy went 2-for-2 playing second base, while Ben Zobrist hung up an 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts as the DH.

Next up: The Rays are off today before playing on Friday against the Pirates. Carlos Pena is supposed to be making his first appearance of the Spring then.

Tags: puerto rico
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[Grapefruit League] RAYS 12, Astros 2

The headline: Niemann grounds the Astros

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Houston	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1		2	8	2
Tampa Bay	0	0	10	1	0	0	0	1	X		12	9	0

Solid showing: Jeff Niemann was impressive again for the Rays, hurling 3 innings of 2-hit, 5-strikeout ball while walking just 1 batter. He has now allowed just 1 run in 5 innings of work this Spring. Interesting to note: he said after the game he’s willing to take a rotation or a bullpen spot. Could this be the opening that the team’s management needs to slide him into the mix in the pen? Or maybe he’s already been told that the bullpen is his more likely destination? We’ll have to wait and see…

Versatility: Of all the good things on the field today, the things that jumped out at me were Reid Brignac playing second base again, Ben Zobrist playing first, and Adam Kennedy getting some time over at third. Each of these is important in its own right; if Jason Bartlett is still with the Rays in 2010, Brignac’s best shot of making the team is either as a utility infielder or as the starting second baseman. In fact, his best shot of seeing any time in 2009 is if he can play multiple positions.

Zobrist and Kennedy, meanwhile, are important for an entirely different reason. Kennedy will need to show Joe Maddon that he remains versatile and can do more than just play second base, while Zobrist can improve his stock even further by adding yet another position to his repertoire. At this point, the only thing we don’t know he can do for sure is play catcher. Guys like that – as long as they are able to hit a little and play each one of the positions at least adequately – are extremely valuable.

Not doing any favors: Derek Rodriguez did not help his cause by allowing a pair of walks in the 9th inning of a 12-1 ballgame. You just can’t be doing that to yourself.

What color was that Shouse? Wow, what a really lame pun. Brian Shouse made his first appearance of the spring and made it through an uneventful inning of work.

0-for-the-Spring: Gabe Kapler still remains in search of his first hit of the spring, but he did throw out a runner at third base.

Brignac’s home run was nice… but I bet the coaching staff is more focused on how he struck out in both of his other at bats.

I love spring box scores: Jason Bartlett is now hitting .636 on the spring.

You know it’s Spring Training when… Darin Erstad is batting third for your team. Remember when the Rays were rumored to be talking to him last off-season and the entire Rays blogosphere was ready to jump off of a cliff? I can’t believe this guy still has a job.

Tags: Astros
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[Grapefruit League] RAYS 8, Cardinals 5

The headline: Davis, Longoria clip the Redbirds’ wings

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Tampa Bay	1	2	0	0	1	2	0	0	2		8	13	2
St. Louis	0	0	0	0	3	0	1	0	1		5	9	2

This guy Wade Davis… turns out that he’s pretty good. At least he has been in a handful of Spring Training innings. Jim Hickey saying that he was up for the 5th starter spot was probably a bit of hyperbole, as there’s a ton of guys he’d need to jump over to get there, but that he has inserted his name into the conversation says a lot about what the Rays have thought about his performance this Spring (and might say equally as much about what they’ve thought they’ve seen from Mitch Talbot).

In 5 2/3 innings so far this spring, he’s allowed just 1 measly hit while striking out 4 batters and walking none. If you want to talk about small sample sizes, this is about as small as they get, but it’s still been an impressive go-around for him. If Jason Hammel begins to struggle and Jeff Niemann trips up, too, are we talking about Wade Davis starting a game the first weekend in Baltimore? Probably not, but it makes for good chatter for guys like us.

What sophomore slump? Evan Longoria went 2-for-2 with his 3rd double on the young Grapefruit League. Yeah, he’s locked in. I wonder if the chance of playing for Team USA (which ultimately never came to pass) caused him to get himself in game shape a bit earlier, because he looks like a monster right now. Not that I’m complaining.

Not the way to make the team: Morgan Ensberg went 0-for-4 with 2 strikeouts. Coaches will tell you its all about the approach. Or it’s all about how a guy looks. Well, I’m not sure how a guy can look good while striking out twice, but I’m sure the coaches will find a way to spin it.

The first hit is the deepest: Shawn Riggans finally broke through with his first hit of the spring. His average sits at a paltry .111 right now. (Insert yet another comment about how it’s still early. Are you seeing a trend here?)

On the one hand… Adam Kennedy had a pair of hits and knocked in a 2-out RBI. On the other hand, he commited an error at second base. Not to be outdone, Ben Zobrist – Kennedy’s main competition – also commited a throwing error, but decided to hang an 0-for-3 with 2 strikeouts on top of that.

Next up: The Astros come to the Port on Tuesday to take on the Rays. Jeff Niemann takes the ball for the good guys.

Tags: cardinals
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[SPRING] Yankees 5, RAYS 1: The Wade Davis Show

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Tampa Bay	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0		1	5	0
NY Yankees	0	0	1	0	1	0	3	0	X		5	7	0

There’s no point getting worked up over Spring Training results – especially when it’s still February – but it was hard not to be impressed with Wade Davis yesterday. 2 dominating innings against the Yankees’  “A” lineup had to open some eyes.

The Professor over at Rays Index makes a good observation that this is very similar to what happened with David Price last year, and he could easily see Wade Davis providing a shot to the bullpen arm in August and September.

The offense is disappointing, but I’m really not even the slightest bit worried. And you shouldn’t be either.

Tags: Wade Davis, Yankees
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