Rays of Light

Game #126: Wait, what’s the best team in the AL again?

There are many who will still argue that the Angels (or even the Red Sox) are more talented than the Rays, but there’s no arguing that the team with the best record in the league right now is our little engine that could from Tropicana Field. And that’s just fine with me.

Tonight, they try to sweep the California Angels from Los Angeles (Anaheim) of the Pacific Time Zone (again!), and to do it they send the amazingly impressive Matt Garza to the hill. He’s been a phenomenal pitcher at home, and with the way he’s thrown recently, you’ve gotta like this matchup tonight.

What to watch for: Killer instinct. The Rays are one win away from firmly implanting doubt into the Angels’ mind that they can beat the Rays. All season long, the Rays have been out-Angeling the Angels – great defense, good pitching, and timely hitting.

Scouting Report on today’s starters from MLB.com:
Matt Garza – Garza will be making his 24th start of the season after earning his 10th win on Friday night with an overpowering performance against the Rangers that saw him spin a two-hit shutout. Garza retired 17 of the first 18 hitters he faced, allowing just one walk, before Ian Kinsler got the first hit of the game on a controversial decision by the official scorer. Garza has a mid-90s fastball that sinks, a curveball, a slider and a changeup. He is 0-1 with a 5.06 ERA in one career start against the Angels, but he is 6-2 with a 2.47 ERA in 11 career starts at Tropicana Field.

Jered Weaver – Weaver didn’t have his best stuff, nor the best command on Friday against the Indians, but he still was able to limit the Tribe to just two runs over 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision. A high pitch count accounted for Weaver’s early exit, as the second run he was responsible for scored off rookie sensation Jose Arredondo. Weaver gave up just five hits, but four were doubles. Weaver was impressive in his only outing against the Rays this season, limiting the American League East leaders to just one run in eight innings to pick up the win. Lifetime, Weaver is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA in two starts against Tampa Bay.

Check out the Rays’ career numbers against Jered Weaver.

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: Angels
Posted in Game Thread | 6 Comments »

RAYS 4, Angels 2: They did it again!

(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….

Tags: Angels
Posted in Game Recap | 5 Comments »

Game #125: Playoff pitching preview?

Every once in a while, you get treated to a marquee pitching matchup in baseball. Tonight would be one of those nights, as James Shields looks to build on his home dominance against one of the other great young hurlers in the game in Ervin Santana. This could very well be a preview of a playoff pitching matchup down the line, so you can bet there will be plenty of interested parties in both dugouts for this one.

For the Rays, this is an important game on multiple fronts: for starters, a win and the team guarantees a win in this series against the Angels. Moreover, the Rays already have built up a psychological edge, having won all 4 games at The Trop so far this season. If (and that’s still a huge IF) the Rays can sweep this series from the Halos as well, imagine the kind of confidence the team will have heading into a potential ALCS match-up against them.

What to watch for: What stupid thing will B.J. Upton do tonight? (I kid, I kid…)

Ervin Santana is 9-2 on the road, while James Shields is 7-1 at home. The difference? Shields’ home ERA is 2.21 compared to Santana’s road number, which is closer to 3.50. I like Shields to absolutely dominate tonight; the Angels’ offense just doesn’t scare me THAT much.

Scouting Report on today’s starters from MLB.com:
James Shields – Shields received a no-decision Thursday afternoon at Oakland when he allowed four runs on five hits in five innings. Uncharacteristic of Shields’ outing were the five walks. The 26-year-old right-hander’s best pitch has always been his changeup, but he also has a plus fastball and curve and he’s added a cutter that has helped him throw inside to left-handers. He is 3-2 with a 3.40 ERA in six career starts against the Angels. In 38 career starts at Tropicana Field, Shields is 17-7 with a 3.18 ERA.

Ervin Santana – He didn’t get a win to show for it, but it was another strong effort by Santana, who gave up three earned runs in 6 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts and one walk on Wednesday night against the Mariners. He has yielded only eight walks while striking out 45 hitters in his past six outings, covering 40 1/3 innings. He seems to be getting stronger as the season heads toward the stretch. Santana is 3-3 in seven career outings against the Rays, with a 6.21 ERA. They reached him for nine hits and five runs in 5 2/3 innings earlier this year in a no-decision at Tropicana Field.

Check out the Rays’ career numbers against Ervin Santana.

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: Angels
Posted in Game Thread | 2 Comments »

RAYS 6, Angels 4: Veteran leadership

(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.

Tags: Angels
Posted in Game Recap | 3 Comments »

Game #124: Biggest week of the year

And so it begins. This could be the single biggest week in the history of Rays baseball, with three games against the Angels followed by three games against the White Sox. Going 3-3 this week likely solidifies the Rays’ spot amongst the elite of the American League. Any less and they will begin to be questioned by pundits and fans alike about whether or not they can handle the pressure without Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford.

Not to mention that the Red Sox get to beat on the Orioles for the next 3 days; this series right here couldn’t be any bigger.

Andy Sonnanstine takes to the bump in Game 1, looking to build upon his already solid season. He’s got 15 wins in his sights, and is looking to earn himself a postseason start should the Rays hang on down the stretch. A good way to earn that spot would be to beat the Angels tonight.

What to watch for: Eric Hinske has dominated Jon Garland in their past meetings; couple that with the way that Carlos Pena, Willy Aybar, and Cliff Floyd are hitting right now, and you could certainly have a winning offensive formula.

Scouting Report on today’s starters from MLB.com:
Andy Sonnanstine - Sonnanstine picked up his 12th win of the season Wednesday night, when he held the A’s to two runs on six hits and a walk while striking out six. The right-hander is a master of deception, employing an array of pitches that he can throw from all different angles. But he has learned to primarily use his fastball to set up the other pitches. Sonnanstine is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA in two career starts against the Angels; he is 7-8 with a 5.36 ERA in 21 career starts at Tropicana Field.

Jon Garland – Holding the Mariners to three runs across seven innings on Tuesday night, Garland maintained his remarkable consistency by pitching at least six innings for the 17th time in 24 outings. On nine occasions he has pitched at least seven innings. He has averaged 6 1/3 innings per start this season. Garland is 5-1 with a 3.03 ERA in 10 career starts against the Rays. He’s 3-0 in six outings at Tropicana Field, with a 2.13 ERA.

Check out the Rays’ career numbers against Jon Garland.

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: Angels
Posted in General | 1 Comment »

Game #37: Why let up now? SWEEP TIME!

Great Caesar’s ghost! We’ve already won another series! And after sending Joe Saunders to his first career loss yesterday, why not do it again today against Ervin Santana? How many more shutout innings can the Rays throw? How many more straight home games can they win? I guess we’ll find the answer to that question today!

What to watch for: Though this year’s Ervin Santana looks much different than any other version, most everyone in the Rays’ lineup has had success against him. Let’s see if these guys – and the returning Clifford Cornelius Floyd – can put some runs on the board. We can’t expect to win with 2 runs every night.

Scouting Report on today’s starters from MLB.com:
Andy Sonnanstine - Despite having a high ERA, Sonnanstine has done nothing but win this year. The right-hander’s five victories lead the team. Facing the Jays in his last start, Sonnanstine allowed four runs on 10 hits over six innings to pick up the victory. The win, coming in the Rays’ 32nd game of the season, represents the fastest any Tampa Bay pitcher has ever won five games.

Ervin Santana - Looking like an All-Star with his fourth straight road win, Santana delivered perhaps the most dominant performance of his career on Monday night in Kansas City. The four-hit shutout was the second of his career, and he did not walk a batter while striking out nine. His 97th and last pitch was a high fastball that Jose Guillen couldn’t catch up with. He’s 3-3 with a 5.94 ERA in six career outings against the Rays.

Check out the Rays’ career numbers against Ervin Santana.

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: Angels
Posted in Game Thread | 3 Comments »

Trading Partners

According to MLBTradeRumors, the Angels are looking for another arm. According to logic and reason, the Rays need another outfielder. Sounds like a match made in heaven, doesn’t it? (See what I did there? That’s a pun about the Angels!)

The team is looking at filling 14-16 starts. With a surplus of outfielders the Angels are certainly in position to make a move. They could opt for a back of rotation innings eater like the Brewers Chris Capuano or the Reds’ Matt Belisle. Or, the team could really make a splash and dive head first into the Joe Blanton sweepstakes. David Bush might fill out the rotation nicely, through April and beyond.

You have to at least call them up – I think – and inquire about Reggie Willits and Juan Rivera. Though I doubt that Willits would come cheapenough, Rivera is an interesting possibility. He provides some added right-handed punch (a lineup versus lefties with Gomes and Rivera in it would DOMINATE), but there are questions about his ability to play outfield consistently because of his recent injury problems. Still, he’s stuck without a position in Anaheim and – I’m purely guessing right here – could be had for relatively little (compared to Willits, anyways).

Do you think the Angels would even talk to us with a package that starts with garbage like Edwin Jackson or Jason Hammel? It’s hard to say; how desperate are they for another arm? Do they think Jason Hammel could be successful? Are they among those that think Jackson could still be an effective big league pitcher? What about J.P. Howell? He could be an interesting fit in that ballpark. I’d be willing to talk about most of the young arms we’ve got – as long as Jade McDavis doesn’t come up.

What would you be willing to give up – if anything – for a player of Juan Rivera’s caliber? Do you think the Rays and Angels could work out some kind of deal along these lines? It seems to make sense for both teams, doesn’t it?

Tags: Angels, Juan Rivera
Posted in Discussion | 8 Comments »