Rays post second straight shutout
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:
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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.
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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
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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.
Rays Walk Off With Style!
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.
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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).
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.
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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.
Rays Waste Garza’s Gem
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 9th, 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.
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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 9th allowing a string of hits and 2 runs.
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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.
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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
Sonny Guts out Win #5 in Toronto
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 5th 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.
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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.
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Eric Hinske continues to be this year’s “Pena”, belting his 7th 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.
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Defensively Jason Bartlett was great, making a bare handed grab on a tapper by Shannon Stewart and a great snag in the hole at short. Coupled with Longoria at third, the left side of the infield is as solid as it ever has been, and I don’t get as tense when balls are hit there with the game on the line.
Quote of the Day:
“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.
Back from Baltimore
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.
Sonnanstine Solid in Rays Win
The Rays bounced back beating the Orioles 8-1 behind a solid performance by Andy Sonnanstine. Sonny pitched 8 strong innings allowing only 1 run. The Rays got their offense jumping with a blast by Eric Hinske in the 4th inning, his 6th. The Rays have finished the month of April 15-12, the best April ever.
The Daily Turn:
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With his win tonight Sonnanstine moves to 4-1, the first Rays pitcher ever to post 4 wins in the month of April. He has been impressive since his one loss, and has been the Rays most consistent pitcher next to James Shields. I understand that Sonnanstine has options left, so there is a good chance that he may be sent down when Kaz returns, but that would be the worst thing the club could do, for the team, for Sonny, and for the fans. You can not send your most consistent pitcher to the minors. I will be sorely disappointed and disheartened if that is the path the Rays Brass choose to take. Hammel has been so-so, and not worth losing Sonny’s solid performance every fifth day.
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Matt Garza will take the hill Thursday in an early 12:35 afternoon game. Garza has been luke warm in his previous starts, and is making his second start since coming off the DL. Garza is probably the one who should be sent down, given his poor start. The odds of that are nil.
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I am stoked to be traveling to Baltimore tomorrow for the game. I sprung for seats right behind the Rays dugout, and hope to get some pre-game interaction with the guys.
Quote of the Day:
“PLEASE DON’T SEND SONNANSTINE DOWN!”
-My dog Jag-Wire, on the Rays possible move when Kaz returns
O’s beat flat Rays 7-4
Huff Homers as O’s nest above Rays.
The Rays looks flat and lifeless in a 7-4 loss to the Orioles tonight. Jason Hammel started and was terrible, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks, all in 2.2 innings. His control problems started from the second batter, and only became worse as the game went on. The Rays offense was silence save for a 4 run outburst in the 7th inning, and although they had runners on base quite often(stranding a total of 9), they could not score. Even with a poor performance by Hammel, the Rays had opportunities to win. They just seemed flat and lifeless tonight, and I blame Joe Maddon. As manager of the club it is his job to get these young guys ready to play, and they looked far from it tonight. Hammel did some damage to his chances at remaining in the rotation, as the official word was dropped that Kazmir will start Sunday in Boston.
The Rays take on the Orioles again tomorrow night with Andy Sonnanstine on the hill. Hopefully they will come out strong and aggressive and take the next two games and the series. Sorry the blog is a little flat as well tonight, maybe it’s going around. No Daily Turn tonight, but it will be back tomorrow, hopefully with some positive news about the Rays.
The Rotation Situation.
Who Goes?
With a big 9 game road trip against AL East opponents kicking off tonight, the only thing I can think about is our starting rotation. Scott Kazmir returns this weekend, rumor has it he will toe the bump either Saturday or Sunday in Boston, which means that someone has to drop from the 5 man group that has kept the Rays in almost every game this season. I hate that it has to happen, but I love the fact that we will be getting the AL strikeout leader back in the front of the rotation. So who is it going to be? Who is the odd man out? Joe Maddon and the Rays brass will have a tough choice on who to keep, and unfortunately there are other factors that will weigh in on the decision(which stinks). The only pitcher who is safe is James Shields, and rightfully so. Here are the guys on the chopping block:
Matt Garza, 0-0, 7.62 era through 3 starts:
The Rays have yet to see the solid number 3 guy they wanted(and needed) when they sent Delmon Young and Brendan Harris to the Twins in exchange for him. Garza has only had three starts, and none have been impressive. He only pitched 3 innings in his second start against Seattle, and then they took him off the field and put him on the DL. Garza has huge potential, and I like his overall make up. He has lacks consistency, and that is what the Ray’s need to keep them in ball games. He is probably the one who should go down to Triple A, but I am not sure the Rays will pull that trigger. His next start is Thursday, and if he cant get in a groove, he might find himself in a Bulls uniform…and rightfully so.
Jason Hammel, 2-1, 4.32 era though 5 starts:
For a guy who probably shouldn’t have made the opening day rotation, Hammel is doing well. He had a tough spring, but was awarded the last spot in the rotation over Jeff Niemann due to his past history with the club. Hammel has done ok, he has managed to keep the ball down and stay out of major trouble in most innings, but he is a guy who could be on the bubble. He pitched out of the bullpen last year, was subpar, and has verbally said he does not want to go back there(although he would if it means remaining in the majors). I have never been a huge fan of Hammel, but this season he is beginning to put it all together and he appears to be finding his groove. He is out of options and can not be sent to the minors without first clearing a waiver period, which the Rays know he will not clear. Another team will swipe him up. Hammel’s next start is tonight, and he really needs to impress or he could find himself in the bullpen.
Andy Sonnanstine, 3-1, 5.28 era through 5 starts:
Sonny has been good in 4 of his 5 starts, and the one he wasn’t good in, he was terrible. The good news is that after he was knocked around by the Yankees, he took what he learned and applied it to his game and proceeded to throw a 3 hit complete game shut out against the White Sox. Sonnanstine then took on the Blue Jays in Orlando and continued to impress, so it appears that he is learning and improving. He is not an overpowering pitcher, his fast ball lingers around the mid 80′s, but what Sonny lacks in speed he makes up with finesse and arm slot trickery. He has some sick moving off speed stuff, and he can throw most of his pitches from three different arm angles, deceiving hitters. He works a quick game, something the defense appreciates, and doesn’t rattle easily. The key to his game is working the fastball with enough control that his other pitches become dominant. I love this kid, and I think if they leave him in the rotation he will have a surprising year, possibly notching 12-15 wins. The down side to Sonny is that he still has options left, which means that the Rays could option him back to Triple A and not lose him on waivers. His next start is Wednesday and he will have to maintain his rhythm if he wants to hang on in the rotation.
Edwin Jackson, 2-2, 3.86 era through 5 starts:
EJ has electric stuff, and the only one who thinks otherwise is Jackson himself. He is the prototypical Jekyll and Hyde pitcher, you never know who will show up when he toes the rubber. When the “good” Jackson comes to the mound, he is nearly unhittable using an arsenal anchored by a mid to upper 90′s fast ball and a filthy slider. On the flip side, when the “bad” EJ comes to play, he is inconsistent and has trouble finding the strike zone, often leaving the ball on one plane making it predictable and easy to hit. The kid can pitch, and he has lights out stuff(just ask the Redsox), but he is young and his biggest problem is the head games he plays with himself. Last year was a disaster for Jackson, but he came on strong at the end of the year and has been 50-50 this year. Like Hammel, Jackson is out of options and the Rays would risk losing him if they try and option him to Triple A. His next start is Friday in Fenway, a hard place to pitch for anyone, but he will have to duplicate his last performance or risk finding himself in the Rays pen.
With Garza and Sonnanstine the only two with options, it looks like Sonny may find himself holding the bag regardless of how well he has been pitching. The Rays could move someone to the bullpen and demote a reliever, but that is unlikely. Garza should be the one to go, based on performance, but life isn’t always fair, as Sonny may soon find out.
Shields Shuts Out Sox!
Beckett K’s 13 in loss.
James Shields needed to come up big for the Ray’s on Sunday, and he did. He threw his first career shutout giving up only 2 hits and striking out 7 in what was by far his best outing of the year. Josh Beckett was also on his game, giving up just 4 hits and fanning 13 Rays. But it was the hustle of Jason Bartlett that gave the Rays the offense they needed to beat one of the games best pitchers. Bartlett scored from first base(after a single) on a botched pick off attempt to make it 1-0, and that is where is stayed until the 7th inning when Evan Longoria sat on a curve ball and jacked it into the left field seats. Evan also provided some spectacular plays in the field with his glove. The Ray’s have swept two series in a row, both AL East opponents, and are now tied for first in the division.
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James Shields knew he had to put something special together today, going against one of the best in the majors. He delivered an amazing performance like no other. He used his two seamer with deadly accuracy and only needed 98 pitches to lay the Red Sox to rest. It was hard not to be overwhelmed while watching this young pitcher lead his exuberant team to victory. Their intensity the whole game was incredible, and while it is only April, to be on top of this division at any point speaks volumes to what is in store for the future of this ball club.
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Each game seems to bring forth a different guy picking up this team, which is exactly what we need. The Rays cant always rely on one person, and it has been a group effort thus far. Friday it was Haynes and Crawford, Saturday it was Jackson and Aki, and today was Shields and Bartlett, with a little Evan thrown in as well. The fact that this team in not relying on just one guy should propel them to the next level, and sweeping the world champs speaks volumes to what this club is made of.
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This and that….The Kaz watch continues, with Scott making his final rehab start in Durham tomorrow night. He will be back with the team after that with a probable debut date of May 4th
in Boston. Jason Bartlett was plunked in the head with a breaking ball in the 8th inning but appeared to be ok, later scoring on a Carl Crawford double off Manny Delcarmen. Manny Rameriz stole his first base in over a year.
Quote of the Day:
“It’s a great feeling, but it’s very early in the season.”
-Joe Maddon on being tied for 1st in the division.
Aki delivers shot heard ’round “The Nation”
Last night there was an eerie silence around 9:30 pm, Eastern time. Did you hear it? It was the deafening silence of the Red Sox Nation as Tampa Bay snuck up from behind and stole the game, winning 2-1. This was the Ray’s 5th straight win, and takes the series from Boston with one game to go. It was an amazing pitchers dual all night, Edwin Jackson was good, allowing just one run on 5 hits, but Boston rookie Clay Buchholz was great, pitching a beautiful game. Buchholz allowed only one hit going into the 8th inning, and then gave up a single to pinch hitting Navarro. With two outs and a 1-1 count, Aki came crashing out of a season long slump slamming a “no doubt” home run into the right field stands. One mistake from Buchholz all night long unraveled a brilliant pitching performance. Hats off to the young Bosox pitcher, but give the Ray’s their due. They move to 13-11 and now threatening to sweep the World Champs.
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Buchholz was amazing, throwing a three hitter and losing. He kept us off balance all night and for the most part the Ray’s hitters looked foolish. He made one mistake, that wasn’t even a true mistake. The 1-1 curve ball he threw to Imawura was a good pitch, it just was left a little too much over the plate. Normally I look for reasons to tear up the Red Sox, but I can’t say too much negatively about the game last night. The kid pitched a gem.
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Aki has been a horrid lead off hitter thus far, batting near .200 with an on base percentage of under .300, but all that seems forgotten for this one glorious moment. I was glad it was Aki who won the game for us, and I hope this ignites a fire under him. What impresses me the
most is Aki’s assessment of his at bat in the 8th, almost playing it out in his head before he stepped up to the dish. Aki said that he hit a good ball to center on a change up, so he figured that Varitek would choose to call for a curve, a pitch Aki struggled with all game. In essence, Aki went up looking for a curve….and when he got one, he threw Boston the biggest curve of all.
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Edwin Jackson was good tonight, and it makes the looming pitching decision of who to drop once Kazmir comes back that much harder. Garza is the one who has been under performing, but it’s unlikely they will drop him since he just came off the DL. Things in the rotation and the bullpen are going so smoothly right now, you almost hate to disrupt it. But you have to get Scott Kazmir back in the rotation, he is our ace and our leader.
Quote of the Day:
“Hats off to [Iwamura]. I threw a pitcher’s pitch, and he hit it.”
-Clay Buchholz, Boston Pitcher
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