How can you explain a 3-17 record on any given day?  3 wins out of 20 games.  That’s how the Rays finished August on Fridays.  For the record, the Rays will not play any Friday games in September.  They will need to come up with some other name for that day that happily ends the work-week.  It’s no longer Friday.  It’s Party-Day!!!

As for me, I unfortunately have a weekend season-ticket package.  And, worse yet, I split the package, with me taking all the Friday games.  Quite honestly, I’m confused.  Here’s a team that is tied for the best record in baseball.  And, I most often see them lose.  I’ve seen a no-hitter by Edwin Jackson.  I’ve seen several other games that I can count Rays hits with one hand.

I’d like to see a win.  I’d like to see multiple runs scored.  With this game against the Red Sox, I kept hearing Tantric’s “Down and Out” when Evan Longoria strolled to the plate with runners on base.  I saw DP, K, K, K.  What a miserable collection of letters.

That unspoken day in September has the Rays playing at Baltimore and at Toronto.  Then, that scum-sucking day has the Rays returning home to play the Angels and the Mariners. 

Here’s my request.  I will be at the Angels and Mariners games.  I want to see a win that clinches a place in the 2010 playoffs.    I want to see the Rays manage more than three hits.  I want to see Evan Longoria knock in a run or two.  I sit in section 142.  I want a home run to sail over my head.  Or, better yet, I want to see one clank off the C-ring and land softly into my glove.  Is that too much to ask?

It was getaway day and the Rays had been out West for a week.  They had already taken the first two games agains the Angels after splitting with the Oakland A’s.  And, they had fallen behind 11-1 after just four innings.

Going into the fifth, Sean Rodriguez hit for Carl Crawford, Willy Aybar hit for Evan Longoria.  Then, massive movement defensively also saw BJ Upton come out of the game later that inning.  The white flag had been waived and Joe Maddon was content to get those three players an extra hour or so of rest.

Meanwhile, over in the National League, Atlanta jumped out to a 10-1 lead on Colorado, only to end up losing the game 12-10.  And Cincinatti had that same 10-1 lead against San Francisco after 4 1/2 innings, only to see that lead evaporate, leading to a 12-inning affair that the Reds finally won.

The Rockies are only four games back in the NL Wild Card race.  They weren’t about to fold up their tents and go home.  And, the Giants are tied with Philadelphia in the lead for that same Wild Card spot.  They were going to battle to the end.

Isn’t battling the New York Yankees for the prestigious AL East title enough for Joe Maddon to show a little more fight?  Should he have? 

In the end, the Yankees also lost, so no ground was lost.  The two remain tied atop the division.  But, going into the fifth, with the heart of the order coming to bat, shouldn’t the Rays tried to mount a comeback?  It worked twice elsewhere in baseball yesterday.  Why was Joe so eager to call off the dogs?

 

For a few minutes today, there was some drama as it became known that Detroit Tigers’ outfielder Johnny Damon had been claimed by “an unknown team”.  In the offseason, Damon made it known he’d like to play for the Rays considering their playoff potential and the nearness to his home in here in Florida.  But, to get to play for the Rays, all but the Yankees would have to pass on him.  The Red Sox did not.  It’s unknown whether they will work out a deal to bring him back to Boston or if it was done to block him from going to the Rays.

That brings us to Manny.  His odds of landing in St. Pete are even longer than Damon’s.  He would have to make it past all of the National League (not a stretch, considering he’s merely a DH, nowadays) and past teams in the American League who have been suggested as interested, such as the White Sox or Minnesota.

For me, having Manny in a Rays uniform down the stretch would only be positive.  Parking him in the lineup with Carlos Pena and behind Evan Longoria should  have favorable results for Longo.  The cost would be a reasonable $1.1 million for the remainder of the season, a steal if they can make into post-season and beyond.

Many will not like the idea of Manny coming here to play.  I say, get him here before Friday.  With the Red Sox in town this weekend, let’s add a little more to the  drama.

• Memo to Rays management…now THAT’S what an empty stadium looks like.  It’s been a long time since the Trop looked like that.
• Just think if BJ Upton ran down the first base line like Carl Crawford does.  He would cost the Rays a lot more money.
• Anyone notice that the Yankees and Red Sox were outscored 22-2 tonight?  Rays need a win.
• Jeremy Hellickson wasn’t quite as dominant, but four quality starts to begin a career is sweet.
• Was that a Ben Zobrist home run?
• Now that the Rays are hitting a little, it’s time for everyone to start beating up the bullpen.  Normally, turning the eighth inning over to Joaquin Benoit is automatic.  Last night, he just didn’t have it.

Young, talented offensive high school players are what the Tampa Bay Rays went after in this season’s draft.  And, at the midnight deadline, the Rays added first pick Josh Sale and supplemental pick Drew Vettleson to the already signed Justin O’Conner, giving them three top hitters from this year’s class.

Reportedly, Sale signed for $1.62 million, which was slightly over the slotted salary for his draft position while Vettleson will make $845,000.  Most importantly, the signings eliminated the possibility for the Rays to go two straight seasons without signing their top draft pick after they were unable to sign last year’s pick, Levon Washington.

With the Gulf Coast League schedule nearing its end, fans won’t get much of a chance to see Sale and Vettleson before fall workouts.  The GCL Rays play their final game August 28, and it remains to be seen whether these two will get to take some swings in the next ten days or so.

Said Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman:

“We feel like both players add a lot to our system in terms of their advanced feel for hitting. We’re anxious to get both guys out in Rays gear and get the process started on them becoming major-league players.’’

 

With Carlos Pena scheduled to come off the DL tomorrow after a rehab start with the Stone Crabs, this is the beginning of many roster decisions in the next two weeks. The first will be what to do when Pena is activated. The Rays could get rid of Gabe Kapler, which would be the popular choice with the fans, since Kapler has not been great this season. They could also let go of Dan Johnson,who has been getting on base for the Rays by drawing walks, not necessarily hitting. Johnson is more versitile than Kapler, having the ablity to play first and corner outfield. The Rays could also go a reliever short in the bullpen and send down Mike Ekstrom until Andy Sonnanstine is ready to rejoin the bullpen. This is probably the least likely of options, considering the bullpen has been getting a lot of work lately and they are in desperate need of extra arms. In this situation, I would release Kapler and keep Johnson, since he has the potential to hit homers and get on base, and he is more versitile.

The next decisions come in a pair, when Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann are ready to come off the DL. You will probably see Jeremy Hellickson and Andy Sonnanstine remain with the team as bullpen help, even though you can hardly warrant removing Hellickson from the rotation. The question is, what will be the corresponding moves? The easy one is to send Mike Ekstrom down. Then, you could DFA Cormier or get rid of Johnson, considering this is only a few days from roster expansion.

As I just mentioned, the rosters will expand to 40 just a few days after Davis and Niemann come off the DL. You will see Ekstrom back, Thayer maybe and you will probably see another lefty or two added. The options are Jake McGee, Brian Shouse, Darin Downs, and RJ Swindle. Jake McGee only lasted two innings in his start last night, so it seems as though they are getting him ready for the bullpen. I could easily see McGee on the team and Brian Shouse as well. Of these options, only McGee is currently on the 40-man roster, so it would take a corresponding move to get any of the others on the team for September.

As for offensive call ups, Dioner Navarro will probably find his way onto the team for September to give the Rays depth at catcher. The Rays could potentially choose Jose Lobotan over Navarro, but the chances of this are low. Desmond Jennings will probably come up to get him a few at-bats off of big league pitching before he is thrown into everyday play next year if Crawford leaves. The most interesting will be Leslie Anderson, who has been fast-tracked to Durham after being in Charlotte only a couple months ago. It seems as if the Rays could be preparing him for Major League at bats this season.

The Rays have many decisions on the horizon when it comes to the roster and knowing the Rays front office, all we can do is sit back and enjoy the ride.

 

• Welcome to the team, Kelly Shoppach!
• Sure, Train may be part of the reason why the Rays drew 36,000+ people to the game.  But, for me, a game like today exemplifies why the Trop and St. Petersburg are not the reasons for poor attendance.  I still say the poor economy is the driving factor.  People will go to games.  But, many have to pick-and-choose which games they go to.   From where I sat in section 142, it sure seems like most people enjoy the experience.  I heard no complaints.  But, whether the Rays offer the “best value” or not, it’s still a lot of money for a family of four to go to a concert game.
• Wouldn’t BJ Upton’s arbitration hearings go better for him if he hustled to first on ”routine” grounders.  Carl Crawford gets a lot of infield singles that way and he’s staring at a huge payday at the end of the season.  That ball BJ hit in the 8th would have been a hit had he ran hard.
• Andy Sonnanstine struggled early, but tonight was another quality start.  I’d say his two starts have been better than anyone could have expected.  Nice job, Andy.
• If Ben Zobrist remembers how to hit home runs, does he become the best option to replace Carlos Pena at first if Carlos leaves via free agency?  Ben certainly represents himself well with the glove. 

• Anyone say “uh-oh” when the lead story of the TV broadcast is the lack of Rays offense on a day when 40% of the starting rotation just might end up on the disabled list?  It’s no secret that the Rays aren’t hitting.  Every game out is a chance to see a no-hitter.  But, to remove Jeff Niemann and, to a lesser extent, Wade Davis from the rotation for any period of time has to be a  headline.  Jeremy Hellickson is in the house and poised to start tomorrow.  But, do we really have to endure two more starts by Andy Sonnanstine?
• John Jaso leads off the game with a double.  That means, no no-hitter.  Phew.
• Into the third, this looks like a game where the offense just might be “on”.  David Price needs to take advantage.  And, it sure seems like Matt Joyce likes to play his old team. 
• BJ Upton–Rally killer
• A win is great.  A win coupled with a Yankees loss is even better.  Getting this win and ending the losing skid before Jeremy Hellickson makes his second start should also take a little pressure off the kid. 

• Can we blame Derek Shelton for this?  I mean, the Rays came within one out of another no-no.  That would have made three this season, which has never happened in the history of baseball.  Do the Rays depend too much on watching video and all that?  It seems like players can think too much.  Strike out.  Go watch video.  And, do it again.  What happened to “see ball, hit ball”?
• Nice start by Andy Sonnanstine.  Does this give him trade value? 
• The Rays are hoping for good news when Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann visit team doctor Koco Eaton tomorrow afternoon.  I know it would be good news to hear that Wade Davis’ shoulder soreness isn’t serious.  But, couldn’t it also be considered good news if Jeremy Hellickson has to start  Tuesday?
• I’m still waiting to hear that this three-game sweep can be blamed on Thursday afternoon’s loss at the Trop.  Somebody at some point is going to say that that loss was so huge it sent the season into a tailspin.  For me, the Rays are 3-6 since the trade deadline. 
• Dan Johnson looks pretty comfortable around first base.  And, who knew Willy Aybar still carried a glove to games? 

 

Before tonight’s game, Joe Maddon made news again.  I thought yesterday’s comments about the ball off the A-Ring were just “heat of the moment” stuff.  But, perhaps not.  Now he wants ground rules changed.

“Just say it was the seventh game of the ALCS and the game was impacted by that.  Both sides would be yelling bloody murder.”

Here’s what I don’t get.  I grew up watching the Chicago Cubs.  They play in the Windy City.  Sometimes, the wind off the lake impacts the game.  It blows the ball that goes really high into the air.  And, sometimes, fielders have a tough time catching the ball.

If the Rays played in an open-air stadium, the Florida sun might just shine over an afternoon game.  Huh?  The A-Ring game was an afternoon game?  I’m just talking crazy here, but what if a sky-high pop fly got caught in the Florida sunshine and fell aimlessly while the Rays infield tried to catch the ball?  It’s not that crazy.  I see the highlights on ESPN.  Balls fall because of sunshine. 

All I’m saying is, it’s time for Joe Maddon to stop crying about yesterday’s game.  The Rays have a dome and it has a roof.  Open-air stadiums don’t have a lid and they are impacted by Mother Nature.  Wind.  Sun. Rain. 

Two balls have hit the A-Ring since the Rays started playing at the Trop.  TWO.  Now, Joe Maddon wants rules changed.  Sure, that loss yesterday was important.  But, blaming the place the Rays play is a cop-out. I get that the Rays want to move to a new facility.  Using that as a reason to do so is weak.