The Rays jumped back atop the AL East by sweeping the Orioles at home this past weekend. The Rays are a remarkable 30-20, and are tied with the Diamondbacks for the best record in the Majors. I went to the day game yesterday with my friend Maura, and there was a decent crowd and a lively energy from the fans that was never present before. James Shields pitched well, but our nemesis Aubry Huff tied the game with shot to center field...and when I shot, I mean SHOT. He crushed the ball to dead center, and it bounced off the wall just below the Batter's Eye restaurant. So here it was, the 8^th inning, and I took a moment to reflect on the situation. In years past, I would probably have had to come to terms with the fact that the game was over, we would lose. A tie game of any sort in the 8^th innings meant a loss in the old days...but that is not what I felt, and it is not what the rest of the crowd felt, either. I knew the Rays would come back and win, and sure enough, thanks to Longo's hard hit double scoring Pena from first, we got the win. And I must admit, my new favorite thing to watch for at the ball game is the post game jubilation of the Rays. Maura stood and was ready to go once Pena scored, but I refused to leave, and continued to clap and yell as the Rays mobbed Pena and Longo on the field. The excitement on the field translated into the crowd, as I embraced and high fived many people around me. Speaking of people around me, behind us sat 4 mid twenty somethings from Canada, who were down for a wedding in Clearwater and had decided to make a trip to see the game, as well. It was interesting hearing them talk, as they went on about how exciting the game was and how they missed baseball in their native land. They commented on how cool the giant score board was, and I laughed as they tried to figure out what LOB and OPS meant. They finally got LOB, and I debated whether I should tell them was OPS was, but they seemed to let it go shortly after the conversation started. I thought it was great when they told their girlfriends that they should all become Rays fans, and forgo the Blue Jays. Imagine that, the Rays are now international.  Also, I have to give props to Maura who snagged an Aki Iwamura foul ball with one hand.  Ouch.

The Daily Turn:

6

The Rays offense woke up this weekend, and it was primarily carried by Pena and Upton. Carlos Pena, who has been struggling at the dish went 5-7 with 5 walks in the Baltimore series and his average is at .226, the highest it has been since April 7^th. Lets hope that this is the series the launches C-los into his game. BJ Upton was 6-10 in the series and is now batting .303.

4

The defense continues to be the story for the young Rays, and it seems that there is a Ray making a sparkling play every night. Crawford, Longoria, Bartlett, Upton and Pena continue to dazzle and help their pitchers on a nightly basis.

3

Texas come in for a 4 game spread tonight, and all eyes will be on Tampa's former number 1 draft pick Josh Hamilton. Hamilton has been the hottest hitter in the American league thus far, scorching opposing pitchers and whatever they throw at him. I cant help but to imagine what we would look like with Hamilton in a Rays uniform patrolling right field. Obviously the Rays had no idea of what the future was going to hold for Baldelli or Hamilton, and they made the best decision they could, given the history of Hamilton. I hope he receives a warm welcome at the Trop, as the fans have no reason to boo him.

3-3 road trip decent, at best.

The Rays won two out of three to take the series from Oakland and finish the short road trip 3-3. Some would look at that and say a .500 road series for this club(who historically struggles on the road) is a good one. And while going .500 on a road trip isn't horrid(for any club), consider this: The Rays easily could have been 5-1, sweeping in St. Louis. Past blunders aside, the club had a much needed day off today and will stick around home for 10 games in a row, opening this weekend against the Orioles, the Rangers and finally the White Sox. The Rays have been particularly good at home, and they welcome back former number 1 pick Josh Hamilton who is absolutely tearing it up for the Texas Rangers, leading the Majors in RBI's.

The Daily Turn:

6

The Rays didn't get the strong pitching they have in the past in Oakland, with Shields and Sonnanstine struggling. Scott Kazmir was much improved and looked good in his win on Tuesday. Shields wasn't bad, but wasn't as tight as he can be. Sonnanstine was rocked in Oakland, and will undoubtedly rebound on this home stand. On a bright note, the bullpen looked back to form and Jason Hammel made a solid appearance on Monday.

4

The Rays continue to be luke warm at the plate and runs have been hard to come by up and down the order. Kazmir gave up just one run in his outing, but nearly took the loss as the offense struggled to get 3 runs. Combined in the Oakland series the Rays only knocked out 21 hits in three games, 11 coming in the 13 inning game on Monday.

3

Carlos Pena continues to struggle, now for the second month of the season. Joe Maddon refuses to move him out of the clean up spot, a move that is hurting the club. Pena has not come through consistently, and may benefit by being moved down to the 5 or 6 hole. With the Rays offense struggling the way it has, I am surprised Maddon has let Pena stink up the clean up spot for this long.

The Rays visited the St. Louis Cardinals to kick off Inter-league play this weekend and made a disappointing showing, dropping 2 of 3. The Rays should have won all three, but sloppy play and a shaky bullpen gave away the matinées on Saturday and Sunday. On Friday night Andy Sonnanstine gave the Rays more than an outstanding pitching performance, going 2-3 at the plate and scoring a run. Sonnanstine moved to 6-1 over all continues to come up big for the Rays. Matt Garza pitched sporadically on Saturday, lasting only 4.1 innings and giving up 7 runs on 10 hits. The Rays were down 7-3 at one point and rallied back to send the game to extra innings, but eventually lost when Dan Wheeler gave up a walk off home run to Ryan Ludwick to end the game. The Rays were sloppy on the bases and made poor pitches in relief contributing to the loss. Edwin Jackson tried to turn it around on Sunday but lasted just over 5 innings, and although he left with a 3-1 lead the bullpen could not hold it and Gary Glover eventually took the loss in the ninth, 5-4. The Rays will try to turn it around as they travel out west to take on the Oakland A's for three before returning home.

The Daily Turn:

6

The starting pitching took a drastic turn this weekend, with Matt Garza only lasting 4.1 innings while throwing 85 pitches, and Edwin Jackson going 5.1 innings while throwing 96 pitches. The Rays don't need their young starters to be perfect, but they do need them to go deeper into the game to continue the early success they have enjoyed thus far.

4

The Rays pounded out a team high 18 hits on Saturday, but the 8 runs which came from it were not enough for the win. Combine both Saturday and Sunday and the Rays had 29 hits but only 13 runs, a lopsided ratio. The Rays continue to struggle to move runners around the bases and to bring them home when in scoring position, a stat that absolutely must improve. On a better note, the Rays first three hitters were a combined 17-42 in the series and included a Carl Crawford home run.

3

The Rays will put their top three pitchers on the mound while in Oakland in Shields, Kazmir and Sonnanstine. Combined these young hurlers have a 3.09 era and a 12-5 record.

Quote of the Day:

"I know I didn't do my part, and it cost us the game."

-Gary Glover, Rays relief pitcher

Those who wondered how 24 year old Scott Kazmir would do the day after inking a big money deal got their answer Thursday afternoon and the answer was "just fine." The young lefty gave the Rays six scoreless innings, giving up only 3 hits and striking out 3. The Rays took 3 out of 4 from the Yankees, and sent the Bronx Bombers into the AL East basement while solidifying their lead atop the AL East. Kazmir is now 2-1 and has not allowed a run in his last two outings. Aki Iwamura lead off the game with a home run, the third lead off HR of his career, and that was a sign of things to come for Ian Kennedy, who took the loss. Shawn Riggans also hit a monster 2 run HR in the 4rth inning. The Rays move to 24-17 and head to St. Louis to take on the Cardinals to kick off Inter-league play.

The Daily Turn:

6

The Rays came up one run short of sweeping the Yankees, but the win today gave them their 6^th series win out of the last 7. In that stretch they have faced some pretty good hitting teams in the Yankees, Red Sox and Angels. The Rays went 6-1 on this home stand, the best in club history.

4

The Rays only had 5 hits today, and they came from just three Rays. Aki went 2-3, Riggans went 2-3 and Hinske was 1-3. No other Ray collected a hit.

3

The series against New York may have been a success for the Rays, but it was a disaster for the 2-5 hitters in the line up. In the series they were a combined 10-62 and absolutely horrid with runners on base. Pena has been in a slump all year, and if the Rays were not playing so well there might be more focus on his lack of offense. All four have had their struggles at the plate, but on defense they have been close to brilliant, making sparkling plays on a nightly basis. It is hard to say how long that ratio will hold up, though, as it is likely that the Ray's young pitchers will eventually need more run support....especially from the 2-5 hitters.

Quote of the Day:

"He's one of the best in baseball."

-Yankees Manager Joe Girardi on Ray's pitcher Scott Kazmir

Shields is solid but it's not enough.

Here is the short version, since I am late for work.  The Rays lost 2-1 to the Yankees tonight and squandered a good performance by James Shields. Shields went 7.1 innings and only gave up 2 runs, that should have been good enough for a win, but the Rays bats fell silent once again. The difference in the game was that the Yankees hit with runners in scoring position and the Rays did not. The offense has been touch and go, even through their good streak, and needs to come up more consistent. Mike Mussina did well for the Yankees, but he was very hittable and the Rays just didn't get it done. You cant win them all, and a 2-1 loss is a good loss, if there is such a thing. Too bad Shields didn't get a win for his great effort.

The Rays signed ace Scott Kazmir to a 3 year extension with a club option for a fourth. The lucrative extension keeps Kaz in the Bay area through 2011 for $28.5 million, he would have been eligible for free agency in 2011. The option for 2012 would raise the total contract to $39.5 million. Kazmir will also donate to the Rays foundation, and has the use of a luxury suite for 5 home games each year. The reigning AL strike out champ takes the hill today for the Rays against Ian Kennedy for the Yankees.

Gabe Gross walks off to beat the Yanks in 11th!

Poor Edwin Jackson. The young right hander has given up 0 runs in his last 15 innings of work and has two no decisions to show for it. After being victimized by Troy Percival's first blown save of the season last week against the Blue Jays, Jackson pitched an absolute gem against the Yankees going 7 innings allowing just 5 hits and no runs. Dan Wheeler pitched a scoreless 8^th, but Percival gave up a game tying solo home run to Hideki Matsui in the 9^th with 1 out that took Jackson out of the winners circle. They Rays fought back in the 11^th off none other than the great Yankee closer Mariano Rivera. Cliff Floyd singled and was taken out for pinch runner Jonny Gomes who promptly stole second base. Gabe Gross then knocked him in with a single up the middle. The Rays have won their 11^th straight home game and 6^th straight over all.

The Daily Turn:

6

It is a shame that Jackson couldn't get credited with a win for his solid performance tonight, but the Rays can take away nothing but positives from his last two outings. Like Garza last night, EJ dominated with his fast ball and then used his change up to cross up the Yankees. Twice he had runners on third with less than two outs and Jackson held his ground retiring the side without giving up a run. I am impressed with EJ, and he has proven that he can harness his talent when he focuses and trusts his electric arm.

4

The Rays move to 23-16 and in first place in the AL East. Boston took a loss in Baltimore, and while it is way too early to scoreboard watch, there is an electricity pumping through the Rays that has never been seen before. It is the middle of May, the season is almost a quarter over, the Rays were supposed to have fizzled out by now, right? Well don't tell them that. The young Tampa Bay team is playing with an intensity and a fire that has been waiting to explode  within this club for a long time. Coming into this 4 game series with the Yankees I was expecting the Rays to take two games, but with Shields and Kazmir yet to come, I think it is very possible that they may win the series outright 3-1, or, dare I say it, sweep the Bronx Bombers all together.

3

The game tonight was amazing, but the best part was watching Shelley "I am a punk" Duncan strike out looking with the tying run 90 feet away. That was the best moment of the night(for me). Growing up a Yankees fan and seeing the solid talent in the clubs of the past, I can honestly say that these Yankees of 2008 look flat and un-Yankee-like. At the plate they just don't seem as explosive as they once were, and they don't seem to be carrying themselves like the champs they are. I am not sure if it has to do with their new bosses, their new manager, or maybe some of their new players, but I do think that they are lacking in the "greatness" they once put forth. Is it too early to put Joe Girardi on notice? I wonder if Hank thinks so.

Quote of the Day:

"It doesn't suck."

-Jonny Gomes on what it's like to be a Tampa Bay Ray right now.

Matt Garza knew he was going to have his work cut out for him opening up a home series against the New York Yankees. Coming off a stellar performance against Toronto, Garza dominated the strike zone with his two seamer and kept the Yankee bats at bay for 7 strong innings. The Rays offense got to Andy Pettitte early, posting one run in the first, and then 4 runs in the 4rth. This series is a big one for the Rays, who need to establish themselves as true contenders, and not just a decent team riding a lucky wave of fortune. The way Garza dialed in was proof, as was the way the Rays tacked on runs throughout the game, that they are serious about playing wining ball.

Matt Garza has shown some maturity in his last three starts since coming off the DL. He has been using his two seam fastball which has tight movement and is mixing up his off speed stuff to keep the hitters on edge. That is what impressed me the most in watching him tonight. He banged the zone with his heat, and then, the third time through the line up, he mixed in his curve and breaking balls knowing that the experienced Yankee line-up would be making the adjustments. It would have been nice to see Garza get a complete game shutout to add to the others in the group, but a high pitch count prevented that. The final line on Matt Garza is impressive: 7 innings, 0 runs, 5 hits, 1 walk and 3 strike outs.

4

The Rays kept the bats hot, which is a must to come out of this series alive, banging out 13 hits against 4 Yankee pitchers. Everyone in the line-up had a hit except Hinske, who walked, scored a run and had 1 RBI. Navarro was 3-3 and Longoria was 2-4, but Jonny Gomes was the stud of the night going 2-4, scoring 3 runs and stealing 2 bases, second and third. Aki Iwamura extending his hitting streak to 9 games going 2-5 with a RBI.

3

With Boston losing tonight to the Twins the Rays find themselves a half game out of first place. They will have to toughen up as they face the Yankee ace Chien Ming Wang and counter with Edwin Jackson tomorrow night. Jackson will have to bring his "A" game, as Wang has been good for New York all season.

Quote of the Day:

"To this point in the year, those two guys have been as valuable as anyone else"

-Joe Maddon on Jason Bartlett and JP Howell when asked who the team mvp's were.

Rays sweep Angels for 9^th straight win at home!

  There is something special going on in St. Petersburg, Florida, home of the Tampa Bay Rays. The starting pitching has been strong, making up for a slumping offense, and today, the pitching was sub par, and the offense stepped up to secure the victory. The Rays beat the Angles 8-5 to complete a three game sweep, their 3^rd sweep of the season, and extend their home win streak to 9 games. Andy Sonnanstine was not great, but pitched well enough to keep his team in the game, going 5 innings and giving up 5 runs. J.P. Howell came on in relief and gave up nothing in three innings before handing the ball of to Troy Percival who notched his 9^th ninth save of the season. The offense struck early and then tacked on late, doing what they needed to do to win the ball game. No one in the baseball world is ready to give the Rays their due just yet, but you can only say "it's early" for so long. In April everyone said "it's early", don't get too excited. Now it's May, and the Rays have improved. But I know, it's early, right?

The Daily Turn: 

                                                    6                     

The Rays lineup came through today with everyone getting a hit except rookie Evan Longoria, who had a sac fly in the first inning. The top three in the order went 9-15 including a three run home run by Crawford to put the Rays on top for good. Crawford also stole two bases. Aki Iwamura had another big day going 3-5 and boosting his on base percentage to .317.

4

Cliff Floyd made his debut today since returning from a scoped knee. Floyd contributed immediately lacing two hard hit RBI singles in his first two at bats. He was 2-4 with 2 RBI's. His presence in the line up is a welcomed addition, as is his presence in the club house as a veteran leader. He helps the team in both areas and will proivde the Rays offense with some pop. A side note, Carlos Pena received his Silver Slugger Award before the game.

3

The Rays open a four game series with the Yankees on Monday, and they have all the momentum in their favor right now. The Yankees were rained out in Detroit today and did not play. The pitching match ups for the big up coming series are:

Petitte vs Garza

Wang vs Jackson

Mussina vs Shields

Rasner vs Kazmir

The Rays pitchers will need to be focused and ready to face a loaded Yankees lineup. The good news is that A-rod and Posada will be out for the series.

 Quote of the Day:

"I believe that we're capable of playing this kind of baseball consistently, I really do."   

-Joe Maddon on the play of the Rays

Kazmir, pen, give up nothing beating Angels 2-0.

Scott Kazmir looked much better in his second start of the season, posting 6 strong innings of shutout ball. The bull pen picked up the last 3 innings with Troy Percival nabbing his 8th save of the season. The Rays offense again looked weak, but they managed to get one run off a strong Angels starter(Saunders) and another off the Angels pen. The Rays have an 8 game home win streak, and have thrown 22 consecutive scoreless innings at home. What has been more impressive is that they have faced some top teams within that span, including the Angels and the Red Sox. Andy Sonnanstine looks to continue the streak today but faces another undefeated Angels hurler in Ervin Santana.

The Daily Turn:

6

The Rays have relied heavily on their pitching and defense, which have both been spectacular, but they will need to get their bats going if they want to stay nestled atop the AL East. The lineup can't seem to get going at the same time, with different people getting hot at different times. Last night Aki was 3-4 and Bartlett was 2-3, but the rest of the lineup was relatively quiet with only Hinske and Crawford hitting safely as well.

4

Rays starters have allowed only 1 run in their last 29.2 innings, and the bullpen has been  almost as good. Garza went 6.2 last Wednesday, Jackson posted 8 scoreless on Thursday, Shields dazzled for 9 on Friday and Kazmir went 6 last night

3

Happy Mother's Day. The Rays will be using special pink bats provided to all of MLB by Louisville Slugger in honor of Mother's Day and to promote breast cancer awareness. All bats will be auctioned off, proceeds going to the Susan B. Komen for the Cure Foundation. And happy Mother's Day to my mom and my two sisters!

Quote of the Day:

"I noticed it. I took a moment to take it all in."

-Carlos Pena on hearing the crowd of near 25,000 cheering like crazy for the Rays last night, in a place where historically most of the cheering is done for the other team.

Shields shuts out, Evan walks off, Rays win.

James Shields was tired of hearing about his rough start against the Red Sox, and decided to give people something else to talk about. Shields threw 92 pitches of 1 hit ball to notch his second complete game shut out of the season, as the Rays beat the Angels 2-0. Shields struck out 8 as a loaded Angels offense fell silent, save for Brandon Wood's third inning single. Angels starter John Garland pitched well, going 8 innings giving up no runs on just 4 Rays' hits. Justin Speier took over in the ninth giving up a lead off single to BJ Upton and then a walk off HR to rookie Evan Longoria.

The Daily Turn:

6

Shields moves to 4-2 on the season and pitched his second shut out of the season, both against solid clubs. The Angels have a line up stacked with veteran hitters and to allow just one hit is amazing. Tomorrow Scott Kazmir will try to follow suit against unbeaten Joe Saunders(6-0).

4

Shields wasn't the only one sparkling in the field, as the game boasted some fine defensive work by the Rays. BJ Upton had a nice diving catch and an inning later Carl Crawford had an amazing catch, completely laying out in the left center field gap. Evan Longoria showed his leather making some good stabs at the hot corner as well.

3

Yesterday the Rays beat the Jays in extras after a blown save by Troy Percival. What gave me the most pleasure in watching that game was watching Shawn Camp crumble on the mound for the Jays. Any Rays fan will tell you, after watching Camp ruin games for us the past two seasons, it was nice to see him actually help the Rays win for a change.

Quote of the Day:

"I'm looking at the roster and I'm like, where can I get in?"

         -Cliff Floyd on his possible return to the team this Sunday,  to a team who is already playing pretty good ball.

Offense lies dormant until the 9th.

Matt Garza looked as good as he ever has, pitching just over 6 innings giving up only 1 run. Garza deserved better than his first loss of the season, but the Rays could not get their bats going until the 9^th, and their 2 runs were not enough to undo what the bullpen let the Jays build. The Tampa Bay bullpen ensured the Jays win by giving up 5 addition runs after the stellar Garza departed. The Rays really needed to take advantage of the solid start by Garza, but will have to try and win the series tomorrow with the unpredictable Edwin Jackson on the hill.

 6

The Rays faced Shaun Marcum, and while he had impressive command all night, his fast ball topped out at 88 mph and was left over the plate several times, the Rays unable to take advantage. Marcum pitched a complete game, only faltering in the 9^th allowing a string of hits and 2 runs.

 4

Carlos Pena continues to struggle, going 0-4 with three strike outs. In his last 12 at bats, Pena has struck out 10 times. With the offense needing every bit of boost it can get, I don't understand why Joe Maddon doesn't sit Pena out for a game or two. Clearly things are not right with him at the dish right now, as he has been the goat rather than the hero in almost every at bat.  Evan Longoria is another one who has looked over matched at the dish. He was 0-3 with 2 strikeouts tonight, and seems to have cooled off. It is hard to put his glove on the bench, but with Willy Aybar making rehab starts and returning soon, it will be interesting to see what happens if Evan is still having trouble adjusting to major league pitching.

3

After the rubber match tomorrow night, things do not get much easier for the Rays. They come home to face the Angels and the Yankees, and need to come in riding some serious momentum. Wasting a good start by Garza is not the way to start the said momentum. Jackson has been sporadic this season, and he will really need to dial in to get the Rays the win and the series against the Jays so they can come home riding high to face to big teams.

Quote of the Day:

"He expanded the strike zone....he is out of his game plan."

Joe Maddon on the slumping Carlos Pena

Offense helps Sonny win 4th straight.

 Andy Sonnanstine gave 6 solid innings in a 5-4 win over the Blue Jays. Sonny had to gut through a bad call at the plate and a mental lapse by Aki Iwamura, but came through for his 5^th win of the year.  Erik Hinske hit a monster shot to center field that bounced off the back windows in the large stadium to put the Rays up for good. Tomorrow it will be Matt Garza's turn to toe the rubber. Garza is 1-0 on the season, picking up his first win agaisnt Baltimore last week. I have mixed feelings about Garza, and it will be interesting to see which pitcher comes to the yard. Garza will have to remain focused and keep the ball down in order to be successful against the Jays.

The Daily Turn:

6

Sonnanstine has won his 4th game in a row and moves to 5-1, the quickest player in franchise history to get to 5 wins. The thing I love about this kid is that he always gives the team a chance to win. He remains so cool on the mound, even when the opposition strings together hits.

4

Eric Hinske continues to be this year's "Pena", belting his 7^th home run in a 2-4 night which included a stolen base. Pena, on the other hand, was 0-4 with 4 strike outs. C-Los has not been seeing the ball well at all, and with the return of Cliff Floyd looming, and Hinske's strong bat, Pena might find himself sitting out a game or two in favor of the hot hitting Hinske.

3

"I think we are swinging the bats well right now."

                     -Rays SS Jason Bartlett on the Rays offense, despite 14K's in tonight's game.

Catching the Rays and Orioles game at Camden Yards was great.  I finally got to see Matt Garza pitch a solid game, and despite the rain it was a great afternoon.  Some of the highlights, besides the win were seeing Jonny Gomes hit a monster HR to left field and Eric Kinske tossing me a ball.  I did ask Evan Longoria for an autograph before the game, and he said "no, the game was about to start", and proceeded to stand around in front of me doing nothing for 7 minutes.  That aggravated me, as he is way to young to start that attitude.  But on the flip side I can understand it, he is at "work", and I am constantly denying people things that I know I can provide for no good reason.  In any case, it was a great game to watch.  I couldn't watch any of the Rays-Red Sox games since I was in a hotel all weekend, but it appears that I didn't miss too much as the Rays got swept out of town.  I am stoked that Sonnanstine was kept int he rotation, that gave me some hope that the brass is ready to win now.  I am looking forward to a better series north of the border in Toronto...although the Jays have been hard to beat as of late, getting some great starting pitching.  Let's go Rays.