Rise of the Rays

I know I’ve beat this drum before, but, right now, BJ Upton is a bad leadoff hitter.  Counting tonight’s game against Minnesota, BJ is 1-11 with 2 walks when leading off the game.  Each time he walked, he scored.  The single, he was stranded at third.  Otherwise, he has been ineffective getting the game started.  [...]

Let’s string them together.

It’s good to see Jeff Niemann pitch as well as he did last night.  As I said in posts on Sunday, It’s looking like Andy Sonnanstine may be working himself into the position of odd-man out when David Price is deemed ready to join the rotation. While we’re getting used to seeing Carlos Pena pick [...]

All that really needs to be said is that Francisco Liriano is a left-handed pitcher.  The Rays have only won once this season when a lefty starts the game.  Worse yet, the Rays struggle mightily against this Twins lefty.  He has started twice, allowing just one earned run in 15 2/3 innings, winning both times [...]

AAA – The Durham Bulls were off Monday.  Wade Davis takes the mound tonight against the Charlotte Knights.  Also of note, Jason Isringhausen should join the Bulls to continue his rehab. AA – Desmond Jennings hit his third home run of the season to power the Montgomery Biscuits past the Jacksonville Suns 6-5.  Jennings went [...]

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The Rays are finally off of the string of lefties. Let’s see if the Rays can end this drought and get back to our winning ways. We need some wins to get the confidence back and keep the fans with the team. What better way to start a rally than against a guy who has [...]

The Rays catch a break.  They don’t have to face another left-handed pitcher.  After starting the season on the Disabled List, Scott Baker is off to a slow start.  He’s 0-2 with a 12.46 ERA.  But, he’s coming off an 11-4 2008 season, so it’s probable that at some point, he’ll get into his groove. [...]

The Rays head to Minneapolis to start a series tomorrow. The Twins may get Joe Mauer back as early as Tuesday, according to Yahoo! Sports. This could make it tougher on the Rays. Here are the matchups for the series: Jeff Niemann vs. Scott Baker James Shields vs. Francisco Liriano* Scott Kazmir vs. Nick Blackburn *This is [...]

Alright, I know I wrote last week that we shouldn’t panic.  That the season is a marathon.  It’s still early.  Well, after two three-game series’ against teams that the Rays should beat, I’m beating the “Let’s Do Something” drum.  Yeesh.  Does it get any worse than today?   Here are my random ramblings for the day… [...]